Picture of the Week - 5/5/2022

 So you know how May, the last month of the school year, is always SO busy?  

Yeah, well, we decided it was the best time to tackle the kitchen renovation.  LOL  We thrive on chaos here!

Here are a couple of pictures from the last 2 days.  I'm currently hiding out in our bedroom with the dogs while the countertop guys are finishing up.  We are getting backsplash at some point in the next couple of weeks... then sometime in June (I hope) we will get the cabinets painted white and then our attention will turn to the floors.  It's a little hard to tell what this is all going to turn into.  Use your imagination!  And stay tuned for more updates as things progress.

Quinn took his last AP test today and has one more test next week and then he's DONE with high school.  Zane tackles football tryout week 1 this week.  And Spencer comes home on Saturday, just in time for Mother's Day.  :)  (Didn't forget about Beck - he's good too!)

Happy May!  Happy Chaos!  

Picture of the Week - 3/17/2022

 Spencer is home for Spring Break this week.  Actually, I think it's probably more accurate to say Spencer is not in Charleston this week because he's on spring break.  LOL  I would love to say we've spent hours catching up and chatting, but I feel like I've hardly seen him!  

It's OK though - he's spent the break catching up with his friends, relaxing, and having fun.  And apparently also stocking his "sleep hours" bank.  

Yesterday he and his friend Brody drove over to Birmingham to go to a concert for a band I've never even heard of.  Ahhhh to be young.  I know they are having a blast - and should be home again (to shower and eat before heading out somewhere again, I'm sure) this afternoon.  

I've implemented a plan tomorrow for FFFF (Friday Forced Family Fun) and told all the boys we are going out for a nice dinner - a no t-shirt dinner - just the 6 of us.  Looking forward to at least a couple of hours without distractions to enjoy my boys.  :)

Spencer heads back to school on Sunday. Sigh, the time goes too fast!

Kitchen reno update

- We have contracts signed for countertops and backsplash and get to go pick out materials tomorrow afternoon.  I'm oddly nervous that I'm going to pick something I won't love - which is weird considering how much I hate what we have now.  LOL

- We are currently in the process of trying to track down someone who can make us a desktop (for the desk portion of the kitchen) out of reclaimed wood because I think it would be cool to break up all the countertop with something "warm".  I found a guy on Etsy that will do it - because EVERYTHING is on Etsy...  but trying to decide if his price is reasonable and I'm just out of touch with reality or if he's overpriced and we can find something better.  

- AND I found a lady who will paint the cabinets for us too...  on Facebook of all places!  I love social media.  She's pretty booked up, so we probably won't get that part done until the summer.  I'm dreading that step - to be honest - because it'll take about a week and, well, the kitchen is important when you are raising boys - especially boys doing the growth spurt thing*

- This is a fun - and expensive - project that I'm SO excited about - and also kinda dreading.  Ya know what I mean???

* Zane is in full-out growth mode.  He can't stop eating.  He's constantly hungry.  And this morning when he came in to say goodbye, I had to noticeably look UP into his eyes.  He's probably grown a full inch since Christmas.  

Picture of the Week - 3/10/2022

 News from the Bovys...

Last weekend we had a free weekend for the first time since like August - and it's got me wanting to do ALL THE HOUSE PROJECTS now!  We did some small stuff last week and did some big planning.  Gonna tackle our kitchen remodel SOON and I want to paint like everything.  I really like painting - but I really hate cleaning up.  So Bob gets that job.  :)

I am back in class again.  This time I'm taking a course to earn a certificate in HR.  I don't want a job in HR, but the products I build serve HR professionals, so this is really good foundational knowledge for me.  It's not *hard* content, but there's SO much reading.  And it's boring reading.  So the time suck is bigger than I really expected.  Oh well - only 9 more weeks to go...  

Zane and Beck are back to wrestling too.  They took a week off and are on a reduced training plan for the spring with only 2-3 days a week.  They are having fun and that's all that really matters right now.  

Bob and I just got back from a high school wrestling board meeting.  Turns out we can't walk away from that program and will continue to work with the team next year even without a wrestler in high school.  It will be an adjustment for sure to figure out how to help without being quite as invested.  I'm looking forward to enjoying the team and the parents - without the stress of having your kid on the mats!  

Tomorrow Spencer comes home for spring break.   I'm looking forward to seeing him.  I really haven't talked to him much the last month or so.  He seems busy doing his own thing.  It will be good to catch up. 

No big plans for the weekend - which is good because the weather is awful.  I hope this is our last cold snap before spring hits for real!  I'm ready for shorts and t-shirt weather!

Picture of the Week - 7/22/2021

 I thought I would share a few pictures of the progress on "operation bedroom swap 2021"

We have Quinn's new room in the basement just about ready to go!  The closet is finally done and he moved his stuff down there right before he left for the week to attend InsideOut Daytona (more on that later*).  We still have to hang up pictures and put together an organizer shelf above his desk, but it's looking pretty cool!  And yes, he DOES have the nicest closet in the house...  by far...

Next step is to paint a wall in Quinn's old room/Beck's new room and get him moved in there.  I'm still hopeful we can get that done by the time school starts - which is 2 weeks from TODAY.  Yikes - the summer is almost *poof* gone!  I think it's doubtful we will get Zane's room repainted and spruced up before football/wrestling season is over.  Oh well...  guess that can be a spring project now.  LOL

(Football starts next week and we will be at Midway Park 4 nights a week if you need us.  The scheduling Gods helped (?) us out though and we have Tuesdays football-free so we can go to wrestling practice on those nights.  Bout to step onto the merry-go-round here!)

*InsideOut Daytona is a trip our church put together with all the other Northpoint affiliated churches for all the high school students participating in small groups.  Quinn's small group has stuck together unusually well as most of the groups really shrink in size by the time they get to senior year.  (Everyone remember that we have ANOTHER Senior in the house this year??  #classof2022)  This group is still BIG and they meet every week - and did through most of the pandemic.  I love that he has these young men - and the 3 leaders who have been with them for the last 4 years too! - to lean into.  They are good kids and have been a huge part of our "it takes a village to raise a child" family.  16 of Quinn's group attended the trip this year.  Mind blown!  There are over 2000 students in attendance this week and hundreds of volunteers and staff.  They have been poured into and if the text and messages being shared are any indication, many lives have been positively changed forever at the beach this year.  Here's a picture of the opening night session and of Quinn's group - the guy in the middle is his leader and Quinn is on the right side behind some of the others.  

Funny - Quinn is the shortest one in this group of tall, mostly athletic boys.  Out of over 400 teams his group's team was in the semi-finals of the beach volleyball tournament.  When I asked if he had played he said, "Mom, I'm 5'6".  I'm the DJ!"  So cute!

Have a great week everyone!  Enjoy the last of July!!

Picture of the Week - 3/14/2019

More mostly dull and boring "real life" news this week.  I promise I'm not complaining.  I like things quiet and boring!  I don't need drama!!!

We got new sod for our lawn this week.  That's such a weird grown-up thing to be excited about.  I guess excited isn't really the right word...  pleased maybe.  It looks better, that's for sure!

And Brutus now easily jumps onto any furniture he wishes and makes himself at home.  I seriously love this dog.  He's really just the coolest!  I've been working from home all week and he regularly comes up to my work area and flops his front paws into my lap/over my arm.  He just wants a good snuggle and then he disappears again.  It's seriously the best stress reducer I've ever had!  He's an awesome dog!

Tonight I'm taking Spencer to an info meeting about how to get into West Point.  We went to one a few years ago, but now that our mail has college advertisements in it nearly every day, it all seems a bit more real...

Tomorrow Spencer and Quinn have a lacrosse game and then Zane and Beck have games on Saturday and Sunday.  Pretty easy weekend all things considered - AND it's supposed to be sunny!  I think it's only the 3rd weekend we've had that won't have rain since October.  I suppose rainy season was exactly the right time to lay new sod...  so yay us!  LOL

Picture of the Week - 11/29/2018

Greetings and happy last Thursday of November!

Today is an MBA exam day for me.  That is much like a normal work day - with the added "fun" of having to drive to the Georgia State campus to take an exam I don't feel ready for on a pretty nebulous topic.  Good times for sure!  Bright side - it's not raining and I don't have to drive in rush hour!  Also after today I will have one more module/class DONE!  Onto the Entrepreneurial Management and Leadership assignment and prep for the Analytical Decision Making module coming up in January.

In other - more interesting and fun - news!

• We bought new furniture for our living room!  Yay!  This is probably only fun for me (and Bob is good about pretending), but I'm excited!  
• Spencer and Quinn are knee deep in wrestling season.  They had a dual last night (Quinn lost, Spencer got a forfeit win).  They have an individual tournament this weekend - double elimination which starts on Friday and goes into Saturday if they can get a win the first night.  The wrestling schedule for the next month is BANANAS!  Next weekend they go to Orlando, then they have a very rare weekend off (to recover?) before going to Pigeon Forge the weekend before Christmas and then Louisiana the weekend after Christmas.  Wrestlers get no holiday break...  they just eat vegetables and workout.
• Zane and Beckett are also gearing up for some wrestling fun!  They are doing their first tournament this Saturday.  (Note that if the big guys do well in their tournament that necessarily means that either Bob or I will have to miss the first tournament for the little guys.  Ahhh...  divide and conquer...)  They are excited.  I'm excited for them!  I hope they love it as much as their brothers.
• Next week I am headed to Philadelphia and am SOOOOOO happy that the weather looks like it's going to be in the high 40s/low 50s and not snowy.  An overnight to Philly for work is bad enough without having to worry about weather-related travel issues!  Then I have to put away the overnight bag and pull out the big suitcase for my last trip to Scotland for the year.  This one will have me gone for a week and will, essentially, be the last of the heavy-lifting for my (paid) job this year.  I have lots of PTO time and I'm taking most of the rest of the year off!  I.  Can.  Make.  It!

Have a great week everyone - stay warm!

Picture of the Week - 11/2/2017

I debated about sharing this.  Honestly, there's a huge part of me that wanted to just ignore it all until I forgot about it.  But then I figured, what the heck...  if this isn't the perfect example of "real life" then I don't know what is!

Last Friday we got new carpet upstairs*.  It was a long time coming and I was very excited about it.  That doesn't mean it wasn't a gigantic hassle.  It was loud and the dogs were freaked and our house was torn apart.  But NEW CARPET!!!  

We got through the installation and my parents came up to help make beds and get us back to "livable".  We crashed for the night surrounded by the slightly nauseating smell of new carpet.

At around 4:10 AM we were woken by the tell-tale sound of a dog vomiting.  We didn't even make it 12 hours.  Sigh...

We got up in the morning, cursed our luck - and our dog, and drank some coffee while admiring our new carpet in the sitting area of our bedroom.  We had early football (and snack duty) - and it was raining - so there was much prep work getting ready for the day.  Bob brought me up a breakfast shake - chocolate (which is important) - while I was finishing up getting ready.  I set my full glass of chocolate shake on the side table for a second so I could turn off the TV and proceeded to knock it over.  All of it.  All over the BRAND NEW CARPET.  Seriously people...  I can't make this up.

I was mortified.  I figure maybe the only thing that would have been worse to spill on brand new greyish-beigish carpet would be red wine.  It was 7:30 AM and I might have been better off with red wine.  We sopped up the mess, but really didn't have time to mess with it much.  I sprayed and scrubbed until I ran out of carpet cleaner, then left with a depressing gigantic brown spot smack in the middle of our new flooring.  Sob.

Believe it or not today is the first evening I've had a chance to attempt to actually get the stain up.  It required the purchase of a new rug scrubber.  (If anyone's interested the Bissel Revolution Pet Pro is pretty awesome.)  

So yeah...  this is the universe's way of reminding me that I can't have nice things.  And we now have the ability to scrub a wide variety of nastiness.  Come to think of it, with 4 boys and 2 dogs, it now seems kind of crazy that we didn't already have a good rug scrubber, right???

Have a happy week everyone!  Saturday Zane plays in his first football playoff game (lose and out) and Spencer has a lacrosse game.  Then we are all heading to the part to help run a "Learn to Lacrosse" community event.  Thankfully it's supposed to be in the mid-70s!  Sunday is Select Lacrosse team evaluations - say a little prayer that Quinn does well.  He's up for the Senior Select team this year.  

*In another awesome(?) example of "things are always harder than they should be" they didn't order enough carpet for the stairs.  So we have this awesome (not - at all) look going on with new carpet upstairs and nasty, dirty, gross carpet up the stairs.  Safe to say we'll not be hosting Better Homes and Gardens again this month...

Picture of the Week - 10/26/2017

So we are getting new carpets upstairs.  I'm ridiculously excited.  I'm also thinking we were insane to do it in the middle of our crazy fall season.  

The carpet installers are moving all of the furniture.  The commercials make it sound SO easy...  and then you sign the paperwork and they hand you this little booklet about how to prepare for the installation.  Take everything off every surface.  Move small stuff (lamps, chairs, etc.).  Strip all the beds.  THAT'S NOT EASY!

We are doing the entire upstairs.  So there's no where to stash stuff.  All the closet floors have to be cleared up to 3 ft.  That means all the low hanging clothes have to move.  

I've learned these things - we have too many books and too many clothes and far too many stuffed animals.  Also, my boys are not tidy.  

I know (hope/pray) that I'll love it when it's all done, but on the eve of the event, knowing that I've got the dogs solo tomorrow while Bob goes to the office for the first time in...  I can't even remember...  where's the wine.  Oh wait, I still have to clear out my entire craft area.  Sob...

If you need me, I'll be filling up all of our bathtubs with lamps and pillows and shoes.  

Picture of the Week - 6/30/2016

Wow! 

Our backyard looks really different today!  Our swingset is gone. 

We've had that playset since the spring of 2008.  It's over 8 years old.  I guess we got our money's worth.  8 years, 4 boys, many battles and hours spent swinging. 

It's a little melancholy that we've outgrown the little slide and the playhouse.  I do have to admit, the backyard looks bigger now.  And we have big plans for a more adult area down there - someday... 

It's also more than a little shocking that we've been in this house long enough that we've worn out a swing set.  We need new stairs on our back deck.  We need new carpet.  We just replaced our windows.  I don't think we ever expected to STAY in this house.  But we're here.  It's home...  and every little dent and stain was made by us.  It's ours - disintegrating fence and all. 

Here's a picture from when the playset was brand new. 

The boys tore it down this week while I was out in Vegas.  Destroying stuff must be fun because we had half the neighborhood back there swinging hammers and carrying wood up to the driveway.  Tomorrow a waste truck will come and haul it away. 

And just like that...  the end of yet another phase.

Have a safe and happy holiday weekend everyone!  We don't have any big plans.  If we can muster the energy, Spencer has a bedroom that needs to be painted.  Or we may just take some aluminum bottles of beer to the pool and chill.  Happy 4th of July!  And Happy Birthday, Tricia.  Welcome to the 40+ club!

Picture of the Week - 5/5/2016

Greetings from Scotland!

I'm on my final full day over in the UK (for this trip) and feel like I'm going to survive.  It's a long week...

While I've been over here, Bob's been busy managing a work crew who has replaced all the windows in our house.  We had some that had gotten moisture in between the panes of glass and really just looked bad.  Most of the windows we chose as replacements look just like the old ones (minus the fog).  I do kind of hate expensive projects that no one will notice...  But on the back of the house we choose replacements that don't have the white panes on them.  They are just plain glass.  Bob says they are pretty awesome!  I can't wait to see them.  

Here are some pictures (before and after) of the window we changed the most.  We had a bank of 3 double-hung windows in the living room which we replaced with a big picture window and side sliders.  That one, particularly when the leaves are on the trees in the backyard, is really going to change the whole look of that room.  Yay!

I think today, instead of a nice frosty margarita, I'll likely be raising a pint this evening to toast Cindo de Mayo and the end to another successful business trip.  I can't wait to get back home to all my boys!  I miss them so much!!

This weekend we have football (already?) equipment handouts and a lacrosse tournament.  2 games Friday and at least 2 more on Saturday.  Then Sunday will be a day-of-chores before another week of travel for me next week.  Busy busy busy!

I thought I'd also share some pictures of the castle from my walk over to the office this morning.  Typical Scotland weather this week, cloudy and off/on (mostly on) rain.  We actually walked through a hail storm on Monday...  crazy weather!

Picture of the Week - 3/10/2016

So what's making you happy today?

We got the dogs back from the kennel today and Ozzie was SO happy to see me.  LOVE that!  Doesn't he look like he's smiling???

I got home last night from a pretty tough business trip.  The schedule wasn't nearly as demanding as some, but the environment was rough.  Rude, difficult clients are the worst.  Also, I've added Syracuse, NY to the places I don't think I'd like to live.

But it's over - and that makes me happy!

And while I was gone many good things happened!  Our floors were finished and the painters did their thing.  We have a bunch of pictures to hang back on the walls and rugs/furniture/stuff to move around, but the worst of it is definitely over.  Phew!  Here are a couple of pictures, but I can't get the color right.  There's more grey in the floor than I can get in a picture.  You will just have to come visit to see it in person.

And then there are the little boys.  They got their lacrosse uniforms on Tuesday night.  I'm so bummed that I missed that because they are SO excited.  Giddy even.  How can you not be happy when they are SO happy???

And the weather has been so awesome!  Yay for spring!

Tell me, what's making you happy today?!?

PS - Another shout out to my mom and dad for letting Bob move in with the chaos (aka my boys) while our floors were getting destroyed and I was in NY.  They are awesome!

Picture of the Week - 3/3/2016

So...  it's 8:37 and I haven't done the POTW yet.  Some weeks this feels more like a chore than others.  It's feeling very chore-like today.

So I shall keep this newsy...

We are still dealing with a wrecked house.  For a while it didn't really bother me.  I don't normally mind a little clutter and mess.  I'm not one of those people who can't relax with dirty dishes on the counter or toys on the floor.  But this has even gotten to me.  

The ripped up floor leaves bits of subfloor and pieces of torn up hard woods all over the place.  The boys and dogs track this stuff all over the place.  The dogs eat it.  The boys refuse to leave shoes on and I worry about splinters.  It's yuck.

And it's SO dusty.  I can't get things clean and don't really want to put too much effort into it because it's just going to get trashed again.

We had picked out new floor before we went on our trip.  We thought when we got home they would be about ready to start.  Well...  to make a long story a less long, the original replacement we picked is back-ordered and we have had MUCH DRAMA trying to find another one.  So we finally picked a new one this week and we're hoping they can start on the floor next week.  I sure hope I like it.  The new is really different than the current.  

Tuesday night we were surprised when the restoration company told us there would be painters showing up on Wednesday to fix the drywall and do the painting.  Not much notice...  So we have had painters in and out for the last 2 days.  They finished the walls, but the trim/baseboards/quarter-round will have to wait until after the floor is done.  So now we have nicely painted grey walls, but DUST everywhere.  And nothing on the walls.  And most of the furniture is moved and none of the rugs are down.  It's like worse than when we first moved in because it's dirty and we are trying to live in it.  Yuck!

I gripe and complain, but really it could be much worse.  The insurance company isn't fighting about any of this.  So when it's over, it will be awesome.  It's just getting to that point.

Next week we will move out - and invade my parents house for a few days.  Thank goodness they are willing to put up with us!  I will be traveling (again) for work, so Bob and my parents will have all the normal duties for a bit - with the added bonus of having to figure out how to get the boys all to school and back.  Good times...  We are hoping that by the end of next week things will start getting back to normal.  Depends a little bit on how the post-work clean up goes.  Also - I'm nervous about the floor.  I sure hope I like it!!!

Here are a few pictures of the process.  One of the painting process yesterday.  Another of the dining room packed with almost all of the contents of the rest of the first floor.  

And finally a picture of Willow looking a little fore lorn in the middle of our mostly empty living room.  

 

And the last picture...  well it's hard to believe that it was just a week ago when we wrapped up our cruise trip.  I miss it already!  Can't wait for next year.  Happy early birthdays Drs Big.  :)

In non-depressing house news...  Spring lacrosse season gets underway in earnest this weekend.  Quinn and Spence both have games on Saturday and Spence has another on Sunday.  After some weird weather - which seriously included SNOW and pouring rain at the SAME time today - it is supposed to be a pretty nice weekend.  I'm excited about watching some good lacrosse action!!

Picture of the Week - 2/11/2016

I'm in Scotland this week.  I left on Saturday and head back home tomorrow.  I'm not sure I will ever view business travel in a favorable light.  It just doesn't fit well with my personality and with the commitments I have at home.  Occasionally there are some nice bits.  I've had some excellent meals while traveling.  And earning frequent flyer miles and hotel points is nice.  But overall it's still a drag.

I was chatting with one of the guys on my team the other day and he asked me if I enjoyed making the trip.  I told him the truth.  From a professional perspective, I enjoy getting to meet with them face to face.  We accomplish more in a week than we do in a month working through conference calls and web meetings.  But from a personal perspective, I hate it.  I have guilt about leaving.  I am sad about missing events.  And I miss my family, my house, my pets, my routine.  So I told him the truth.

And this particular trip - the SH*T literally hit the fan at home since I left.  You should all send Bob some good vibes.  He's earned them this week.

We had a plumbing issue which caused a sewage back-up on our main floor.  It was significant.  A plumber was called in.  He recommended that we bring in a restoration specialist.  That restoration specialist used some kind of fancy tools to determine that nasty water had seeped under our hardwoods and ran in a fairly large area around the first floor.  They started tearing out flooring, baseboards, took doors off hinges.  They have determined that the entire area (bathroom, toy room, kitchen) is unusable.  They told us to throw away anything that was used for clean up, both rugs involved (one of which I really liked) and a bunch of toys that were on the floor in the toy room.  They brought in some heavy duty fans and de-humidifiers.  It's pretty much a mess.  

During all of this, Bob has also been dealing with the boys (one of which is sick) and the dogs.  He's pulled in reinforcements (thanks Berber and Pappy) to keep things moving forward.  There's an insurance adjuster coming to the house today.  We may have a bit of a plan on what's going to happen. 

Bob has sent me pictures.  I want to weep a bit...  but there's very little I can do from 4000 miles away.  So I'll pull up my big girl pants and dive into whatever we need to do once I get home.  In the meantime, I hope my dear husband knows how much I appreciate him.  It's a good thing he's sooo skilled in dealing with sh*t!

Have a Happy Valentine's everyone!  And if anyone knows of a good flooring option for a household full of busy boys and dog feet, let me know.  Seems we are in the market for some new flooring.  

Picture of the Week - 7/30/2015

Why yes, our schedule IS about to go all kinds of football-crazy.  And I seriously couldn't be more excited about it.

Spencer has been in football for months and months, but things are getting serious now!  3 hours a day, every day, kind of serious!  His first scrimmage is a week from Saturday down in Camden County GA.  They pretty much grow football players down there, so it should be a great experience for the team.  The competition will be great - not to mention getting to travel on a fancy bus, stay in a hotel, and enjoy all kinds of gross, stinky, boy-bonding activities - all without parents around.  The coaches don't even want the parents staying in the same hotel.  Coach said "For those couple of days, the boys are mine."  Well OK then...

Zane had his first football practice on Tuesday night.  You guys, he's SOOOOO cute.  I can't stand it.  The whole team - a bunch of little cuties!  I don't think Spencer was ever that little and cute.  I about died of the cute-overload!  Zane did great.  It's really a win if you can get a 5 year old through the whole practice without quitting or crying.  Zane hung right in there.  He got absolutely destroyed more than once.  (Remember there are kids on a K/1 team that have never played before, but also some who are returning after a whole year of experience.)  I'm talking, total-pancake, flat on his back, destroyed.  But he got right back up and went again.  He listened to the coaches and tried to do everything they asked.  He made me totally proud!

PS - Yes, Zane is going to be a Wolverine.  No, we do not yell "Go Blue".  No, we do not consider moving to avoid having a family of Wolverines.  It's just not that big a deal...

After practice Bob was telling him how awesome he looked and how much fun we had watching him.  He mentioned that we were really proud that he didn't quit.  He replied, "Dad, I'm a Bovenizer.  And Bovenizers don't quit."  Amen, little man!  (And remind me to thank Spencer for teaching him that gem!)


Speaking of Spencer, Zane's evening was not complete - as in he WOULD NOT GO TO BED - until Spence got home from practice.  Little brother really wanted to share his experience with his idol.  And Spence was so good about it.  He listened and was (I think) genuinely pleased and excited that Zane had fun - and didn't suck.  Watching the two of them share this common thing - which I hope will turn into a shared love - was another of those mom-moments that I hope I never forget.  It's another of those times I feel more than blessed to get the opportunity to raise 4 boys.  Another reminder of how lucky they are to have each other.  I love those crazy kids!

This weekend we have football practice for Zane and then a mostly quiet couple of days.  I am going to try hard to avoid the temptation to pick up a brush and start painting again.  We accomplished a TON over the last couple of weekends, but I think we all need a little downtime before school starts - a week from today.  Yes, Thursday we will put 3 of our 4 boys onto buses and wish them well as they start another year.  Wow!

Here are a couple of before and after pictures of our painting remodel.  We still need to do the little hallway off the kitchen leading to the toy room and the upstairs hall landing.  And all the trim in the foyer/dining room.  I'm pretty sure we are going to outsource the two-story foyer walls, stairwell, and ceilings.  I'm hoping we can get the whole thing done by Christmas.  Gonna be tough as our "free time" just evaporated.

Have a great week everyone!!