Six Word Saturday

We Have a New Puppy, Bella!

Check out my blog to see the pictures of her home coming.

Hop on over to Show My Face and see how other's have described their life in Six Words.

Bella Comes Home

We got to bring Bella home today. After our visit yesterday, the breeder asked if we wanted to take her.

Wow! Really!

Told him I had to discuss it with hubby, asked if he would be home today, and said you just might see us. This morning we got up and headed to PetSmart for the last of the supplies and a few toys. The 'Grands' were here when we got back and helped us construct the crate and play area for her. Once gramps and SD (their step dad) got back from their parts run I decided we were ready. The 'Grands' stayed at the house while me and my daughter set out to get her.

Monday, when I went for a visit, I took her a pretty pink collar. Last evening the collar was off her and so were all the dots on it. I guess the other pups wouldn't leave it alone and kept chewing at it so the breeder removed it. He questioned if I knew which one was her. At first, the one he thought was her was not he. The minute I got the other pup in my arms, I knew I had the right one. I spent about 15 minutes with both, just to be sure, and I knew I had right one.

Once home, the 'Grands' we so excited!

We now begin a new journey in our life. The pain of missing Maybell has been eased by the affection of Bella. We are surely blessed.

Five Question Friday!!!

Five Question Friday!!!

A great way to meet and greet fellow bloggers!

MamaM's Rules: Copy and paste the following questions to your blog post, answer them, grab the MckLinky code, and link up! IShe would love if you'd link back to her, Mama M.!

Questions:
1. Would you ever vacation alone?
2. Do you go the speed limit?
3. Why did you start blogging/following blogs?
4. Where do you shop for yourself?
5. What was the song that you danced your first dance with your spouse to at your wedding...or...what song would you like your first dance to be to?

My Answers:

1. Would you ever vacation alone?



No, never, notta! I have taken weekends for myself, to visit family or friends but never a vacation vacation.



2. Do you go the speed limit?


Most the time or within 5 to maybe 8 mph more. I want to have a bumper sticker made for my car that says, "I am not slower traffic, you're speeding!" Slower traffic is suppose to stay to the right, but if I am already going 5-8 mph more then the posted limit, I am not slower traffic. Those that want to go faster can go around, weave in and out of traffic, and I'll see um pulled over (some of the time) getting a ticket.



3. Why did you start blogging/following blogs?


It began a couple years ago when the doctors DX me with IBM and wanted to journal the journey. At the beginning of this year that DX changed and I blogged a couple times after that. Then in October we decided to do our first annual Halloween party and I blogged about it. In November, my daughter sent me an invitation to NoBloPoMo, and I have been blogging ever since.



4. Where do you shop for yourself?


Like I shop for myself! When I do, I can be haapy with things found at Kohl's, and my fave of favorites for special occassions would be Ann Taylor.



5. What was the song that you danced your first dance with your spouse to at your wedding...or...what song would you like your first dance to be to?

We danced to J.Geils, You're the Only One.

Now it's your turn....head on over to MamaM, grab, answer, linkup and see how other's answered these Five Questions Friday!

I Got a Makeover!

So, what do think of my new look?

Were you expecting a before and after picture of me?

Thanks to Arizona Mama at Our Daze in the Desert who held a giveaway and I was one of the lucky winners, I received this great make over by Bloggy Blog Designz.

If your looking for a new look, go over and see what they can do for you.

You Capture - Color

 Each Wednesday I Should Be Folding Laundry does a carnival called You Capture. This weeks assignment was COLOR! We were asked to show some color during these bleak, cold, rainy, winter months! Extra credit if we can find it outside. So I found it outside, with my 'Grand' Bug.

Don't forget to hop on over to I Should Be Folding Laundry

and see what color other's found this last week.

Remodel-Part 3-The GRAND Finale

This will probably be the longest of them all and was defiantley the biggest.

I had to go back through picture of events to find ones that have how it use to look. Bear with me, some are not the best pictures but it will at least give you an idea of how it once was.

I found one in my search of that divider shelf from the hallway to what we use to use as the dining room.

Before....

After....

By no way is this the finished look, the columns still need stained or painted and the old desk and curio cabinet will be moved out after the base boards and molding are completed in the new dining room. For the longest time, furniture as been moved around and relocated so many times to accommodate the work. Not much longer and there will be a place for everything and everything in it's place.

We used this area for the dining area for a couple of years.

Now you can see the ugly pink carpet that was in every room, even the master bathroom. So out it went and the room was gutted for new flooring

For a year or so we used it for a dining room again.

Until it was time to start on the other end of the house, we turned the dining area into the T.V. area for this stage of the remodel.

The new kitchen was going where the family room use to be and the family area was going to be in the old kitchen area.

At least that was our plan, and as our journey through life doesn't always go as planned, our plans changed along the way. The plan was to have the family/T.V. room off the new kitchen but once it was opened up and we used that area for Thanksgiving 2009 dinner, during the final stages of the work...

we decided to leave the T.V. area where it is...

and keep the BIG area for the dining room.

Now how did we get there...it took a lot of work, all which needed to be done, or to a point we could stop for our daughter upcoming wedding, September 2009.

At the end of 2008, we had the wall that divided the old kitchen and the old bar area removed.

Before...

Here you can also the entry way and old the bar area. Don't you just love the fake wood stuff. I so hated it and couldn't wait for it to come down.

Next came putting in the new door to the patio.

Then replacing, removing and raising the windows for the new kitchen.

We needed to extend one of the walls to accomadate the new kitchen layout.

Add the columns for the new bar area.

Walls, windows, plumbing, and electrical are now ready.

It's finally time for the cabinets to be installed.

At this point we were already just over 2 weeks behind schedule and to add to it, most the cabinets arrived a different color then some and some were damaged in the loading or unloading from the local builder. When they were on their way back with the corrected ones, after 3 days, we suggested they used blankets or cardboard to protect them. When they went to install the cabinet for the sink, (you can see it there by the window), it was totally wrong. I was told to have our farm sink on hand before they made it, yet they never came to measure, nor did they take the picture of how we wanted it installed. It took them 3 tries to get it right. Finally, and after another 2 weeks, the base cabinets were in and the granite can be installed.

It's finally time for the upper cabinets can go in, and we are over 4 weeks behind schedule. As our luck would have it, there was again problems. Some we too big and others had gaps between where they met the counter. We also had to get the tiling done. Of course we did that work ourselves, no fancy inlays, and we got it done in 2 days.

We had only one week to get them fixed and for the flooring to go in before we left for a week vacation. My best friend had announced she was getting married two weeks before our daughter and asked us to stand up for them. With constant calls and a lot of nagging, yes I CAN nag, our schedule was met just two days before we had to leave.

I LOVE, and can I say it again, LOVE my kitchen.

We still have some minor work to do, like baseboards and trim, trim out and stain the columns, add trim around the dining room windows, unpack stuff that has been stored and rearrange furniture that had found new homes while we did all this. None of which is considered MAJOR construction. I just love that all major construction is finally done.

Way Back When-sday - Just a piece of Our Journey

My blogging about Our Journey Through LIFE gets a lot of help from link ups, hops, carnivals, and other ways of writing and sharing with others. It is something I have been enjoying so much.

Today it's Way Back When-esday and you can link and hop around with Twinfatuation.

This particular link up, allows me to go back and remember Our Journey Through LIFE with our twins. A journey that has always brought us so much joy, along with some frustrations and struggles, and I can't imagine this journey without them.

Our daughter, was so thrilled to be the big sister to her brothers. She even asked for me to bring them to preschool for show and tell. She would always show them everything and try to teach them what she already knew. So when it was time for the annual parade for the county fair, she was determined to lead them down the road. Eventually daddy had to untie them as they were just to much for her to pull.

August 1982

Our little butterflies, even then, were ready and eager to fly through life!

Take Me Back Tuesday

I love going back, seeing the old pictures, remembering the memories.

1959

Me in the stroller, my sister's Marleen, Barbara, my brother Lee, sister Debbie and my mom

Twenty plus years ago I might not have liked it, as it would surface ugly memories I really wanted to forget. However, through the grace of God and many years of therapy, I can now look back and only focus on the good things, and of course that healing began when we started a family.

1982

Now don't get me wrong, my mother was always one to teach us girls all we needed to know.

About 1938

1961

Me, my sister Debbie and sister Barbara

My father on the other hand, underminded her and was the one who created all the conflict. I must admit, for a few years, probably more like a decade, I was mad at her for many reason, from not divorcing him, to not protecting us. What I began to learn as an adult, she was as much a victum as everyone else. I then began to honor her, for her courage, her strength, her devotion to God. I use to think she sold us out to him for her relationship to God, leaving us alone, but that was no way the situation. She needed God, and He was there for her, to help her rise above all she had to deal with.

1960

     My sister Marleen, Me, sisters Debbie and Barbara, and brother Lee 

1963

Me, my sister Barbara with her Godmother

 Neighbor Cindy, me, sister Barbara and brother Bill

I was not an easy child for her as I rebelled from the disfunction and at one stage, thought I actually knew more then she did. How wrong I was and I am so grateful that through all of this, we grew closer together. So long as my dad was not around, I could cry, laugh, and share with my mother in many ways. Before she lost her battle with breast cancer, we were like a Mother and Daughter, just as we were suppose to be. As my daughter has said to me, I have said to her, "Because you loved me, I can love them" Thank you Mom for teaching me how to be a women, a mom and now a grandmother. I know you are watching over us.

Now it's your turn, join A Giveaway Addicted Mommy, link up and see where other have gone back to.

Getting to Know You-Actually Me!

It's another Sunday fun day by Keely at MannLand5

To play..Grab the questions..copy them onto your blog..answer them...go to here...put your link in and let the hop around to others who have answered the same questions.



The questions..

1. Waffles, pancakes or french toast.

2. Dream home..What would it look like?

3. Favorite sport to watch during the Winter Olympics?

4. The first word that comes to mind when describing yourself?

5. Dresses, pants (jeans, leggings, etc.) or skirts?

6. What is your favorite time of day?

7. Beach or Mountains..which do you prefer?

8.Will you watch the Super Bowl?


The answers...

1. Waffles, pancakes or french toast?

Franch toast! I have never been a pancake or waffle person. However, I make them for the family.

2. Dream home..What would it look like?

Our hopes are to build one just like this off the garage, only it will be flipped. We just finished remodeling the manufactured home already on the property so that we had a decent place until this can happen. Aiming for within the next 5 years if possible. If it is meant to be, it will be, if not, I love the house we have.

3. Favorite sport to watch during the Winter Olympics?

Ice skating, definately #1! But I also like the bobsleds.


4. The first word that comes to mind when describing yourself?

Forgiving!


5. Dresses, pants (jeans, leggings, etc.) or skirts?

Sweats most the time, followed by skirts, long and comfortable skirts.


6. What is your favorite time of day?

Afternoon and evening. Mornings are my worse time of day. When the kids were little, I had no choice but to get moving for them. Now that it is just us, and I no longer work, I don't have to do mornings anymore, unless of course I want to!

7. Beach or Mountains..which do you prefer?

Tough one! I love both places.


8.Will you watch the Super Bowl?

Nope, don't plan to at least.

So there are my answers, now don't forget to head over to Keely's and link up to hop around.