Sunday I told Lily Kate that I wanted to take her picture in front of the tree.  She thinks posing requires ballet. :)

Kitchen Renovation~

We are finally about 98% complete with our kitchen renovation!  It has been quite the undertaking, but I owe the vast majority of the credit to my husband, Scott, who worked so hard on it!  Scott laid a new floor, built the island, refinished the cabinets, poured and finished the concrete countertops, installed the new fridge and stove, and completely reworked the Butler's pantry to fit our fridge. 
This is what the kitchen looked like before the reno~

(pretty bad, isn't it?!)

Below is a view from the dining room (which hadn't been painted or had flooring put down yet).

The doorway below is to the Butler's pantry.  That is where we put the fridge and Scott put in a new door on the other wall of the pantry.

And this is what the (almost) finished product looks like now!

We will hopefully, eventually replace the overhead lighting with some type of hanging lighting over the island.

We decided to keep the original cabinets because they are so well-made and we really like the shelves; plus, I am a fan of keeping old things when possible.

In the picture below, you can see where our dishwasher will go to the right of the sink.

The front of the island is an old door and some wooden beams Scott found in the attic. 

Scott made the chalkboard (below) out of old wood he found in the garage.

Well, that's it!  We are so glad it's (almost) done!

Happy Birthday to Titus!

Titus is 10!!!  I am so thankful God made Titus and has given me the blessing of being his mom.  Titus is...

funny

extremely energetic

creative

clever

eager to help

very sweet-natured

almost always happy

loud

handsome

inventive

an animal lover

faithful

 

Titus,

I pray you will have a wonderful year being 10!  I pray you will love Jesus with passion and faithfulness.  I pray you will love and follow God's word and trust in His direction for your life.  You bring so much joy to our home and I am so very thankful that you are my boy!

I love you so much!!!!

Love,

Mama

 

 

 

 

And just because it's so funny!

Happy 19th Birthday to Abigail!

This day 19 years ago at 12:31 pm I became a mother.  Abigail was born after almost a week of contractions, which caused me to be sent home from the hospital twice before they finally kept me.  I thought I knew what labor was until it really began! 

Abigail is~

beautiful inside and out

thoughtful

able to create beauty out of anything

tender-hearted

a beautiful ballerina

my confidant

encouraging

loving

intelligent

a lover of books

and

a godly young woman

Abigail,

I am so thankful that God made you my first child.  You taught me how to be a mother.  Thank you for being an understanding guinea pig for all my experiments in mothering!  I am so thankful God made you my daughter and my friend.  I love you dearly!

Love,

Mama

 

Annie 1 year~

Happy Sweet 16, Lydia!

Happy 16th birthday to my sweet Lydia Caroline!  I am so thankful for this precious girl! 

Lydia is...

funny

happy

positive

incredibly principled

beautiful inside and out

helpful

hard-working

encouraging

a wonderful big sister

nurturing

tall

creative

smart

tender-hearted

a wonderful daughter

and most of all, a faithful Christ-follower,

Lydia, I pray you continue to be strong in your faith and that you will walk with Jesus all the days of your life.  I pray you will love God's word and follow His truths without fail.  I pray you will follow hard after the heart of Jesus! 

I love you!!!!!!

Love,

Mama

Happy 1st Birthday to Annie!

My sweet baby girl turned a year old this week!  She has been pure joy since the day she was born.  Everyone absolutely adores her and she brings so much happiness to our home.  Annie is a baby in every sense of the word!  She isn't walking yet- probably because someone is always carrying her around!   She is very laid back and gentle.  She is just so precious!!!

Annie,
I pray you will have a heart that is tender toward God.  I pray you will fall in love with Jesus at a young age and that you will follow Him all the days of your life.  I pray you will know the joy that only He can give.  I pray you will trust in the Lord with all of your heart and let Him direct your path. 
I love you so very much, sweet baby!
Love,
Mommy

We took Annie to the zoo the day after her birthday.  It was a gorgeous day and we had such a great time!  She loved seeing all of the animals and it was so much fun watching her enjoy herself!