Jack ‘n Tracie

If there was ever a time I felt at home, it was this weekend. We got some more decorating done: put up our curtains on the window in the living room and some valances on the dining room, kitchen, and breakfast nook windows. Those three windows are all on the same wall but the dinning room is pretty separated from the kitchen so we got all matching valances but in two different colors. The dining room valance is dark green to match the accent rugs we have on the floors, and the kitchen/breakfast nook valances are burgandy. (Before there were just blinds on those windows.) The living room curtains are the same curtains and rod we had at our apartment. How lucky are we that they fit perfectly in this house too?!

Yesterday morning for the first time we lit a fire in our woodstove. We got some fireplace accessories including a pretty brass and cast iron wood holder and a cast iron tea kettle to put on top of the woodstove. The smells and the crackling of the burning wood gave us such a warm and cozy feeling. Today it is colder and raining so the fire is nice. And it warms up pretty much the entire house nicely. We’re having more wood delivered on Monday. It worked out perfect that Jack, Ralph, and the kids got our wood storage box built and painted behind our shed a couple weekends ago. It’s ready to hold a ton of wood!

We also got a fouton set for the family room and some matching throw pillows for it. We stopped by Ralph and Denise’s to see if Ralph was ok. His arm looks swollen and painful but he was in good spirits. We invited them over and he and Jack put together the new fouton set. After that we had dinner and watched “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days”. Great movie!

Today we got a balloon valance that matches the pillows on the fouton for the sliding glass door in the family room, and it really completed the room! I can’t stand the vertical blinds on that door but with the valance I don’t hate them near as much. I am still keeping my eyes out for a nice thick and pretty curtain to put over the door though. Vertical blinds just aren’t my thing.

We’ve decided that we WILL be turning my space in the garage into it’s own room. I’m excited! It will be an on-going project that we’ll do here and there. It will happen gradually as we have the extra funds for it. Christmas and the four kids’ birthdays coming up take priority.

Everyone is doing great! The kids have battled some sort of virus over the past week. The only sympton was a low fever and sleepiness, but they have all bounded back quick. No sniffles or pukies so I’m not sure what it is. I was worried when we got a notice from the schools about the abnormally high cases of viral menengitis reported in our district, but I don’t think it was that since they weren’t sick more than a couple days.

Welp, that’s what’s going on our little neck of the woods. I’m positively bubbling over with warmth and happiness. Those darn neighbors we got last spring was the best thing that happened to us. If it weren’t for them, we wouldn’t have pushed ourselves to achieve the goal of getting out of that crappy apartment and buying this house. I’m so glad we did. I’ve never been so happy! For the first time in what seems like forever, I’m HOME!