Not for the faiint of heart...

So…I haven’t posted in quite a while. Well, that’s because we’ve been moving to California as some of you may already know. It’s been a crazy month give or take a week or two. We stayed for 2-3 weeks at my MIL’s house in Arkansas, stayed a few days at my Mom’s house (THANK YOU Mom!) and then drove on to our house in California. Which brings me to the title of this post. Not for the faint of heart. Prepare yourself for not only visual disgust, but I'll be high up on my soapbox. So if you have a weak stomach or just don't want to hear me rant you probably better continue your web surfing at this point. What you are about to see may turn your stomach. It did mine. This is what I walked into when I got to the house. (mind you, remember how excited I was a few weeks back at getting to our house…)

I warned you...

I don't know if you can tell in the little pictures posted here but, that's urine stains on my carpet and closet track. And the rust, well, that's from urine sitting in the track for so long. I told you it was disgusting. Yes, they had dogs. And if those were my dogs, HAD would definately be the term because I would have gotten rid of them long ago. But luckily my dogs are quite a bit better behaved than that.

This picture is of the absolutely fabulous (NOT!) paint job they did in the guest bathroom. Now WHO uses spray paint in the house? Good thing it was the only room they painted.

Oh and this beauty is the garage door leading into the house.

More of the garage...

Now this is the patch job they did by the sliding glass door that leads to the backyard. But I bet you already figured that out. I know, master of the obvious here.

Believe it or not, but this is the back of the refrigerator. It's amazing that it worked at all. And by the way, this house is only four years old.

More urine stains. They were pretty much throughout the house. And a small glimpse of my ruined Pottery Barn SILK curtains. Uh...they say dry clean only clearly on the tag...I was pretty upset about them because I just KNEW Jason was NOT going to let me spend that kind of money on drapes again. We are going to cut them off, add some material and trim and try to salvage something out of them. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Broken glass in the oven. Nice.

OK, this is just proof that they never cleaned.

The microwave...

I don't know if you can tell from the picture, but there is a clear line on the tile from where we cleaned it and where we hadn't got to yet. It took me 3 days to clean it. After every 4 tiles I had to change the water because it was like chocolate milk. And I am SO not kidding.

And that is only a small part of the story. For the last few weeks I have been cleaning/scrubbing/vomiting (almost)/disinfecting/replacing/painting and so on. It was SO NASTY!!!! I was so completely appalled at how someone could have complete and utter disrespect for someone else’s property. I hate to call someone out, but our renter’s were completely disgusting. I refrained from the pictures of the toilet that hadn’t been cleaned probably since they rented our house in the first place 2 years ago. I can’t begin to tell you how disturbed I have been the last couple of weeks. I’ve been praying to God to release it from my system, but I’m not there yet. It’s getting better, but I’m still so troubled by the whole thing.

BUT…there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Judy and Ted came from Arkansas to drop off some of their stuff (they’re moving here too) and help us fix up the place. They were AMAZING! Things are coming along so beautifully now that I hate to go into the rooms we haven’t done yet. But in an effort to keep this post manageable, I’m going to save that topic for another post. With pictures. Let’s just say that I love the way the house is turning out even more than before. So for now…goodnight. Oh, and HUGE GIANT THANK YOU to Judy and Ted.

I really wanted to leave you with good thoughts, but I got nothin'...

so what have we been doing...

Well, we've been fighting ear infections in ALL 3 kids. That's probably the biggest news/deal. Sara has been swimming, fishing, baking, and trampolining. (I know that's not a word, but just work with me here) The boys have mostly been whining and crying and crawling all over me. So, with that being said, I haven't gotten much done. I had high hopes and big plans, but all I have managed to get done was a dress for Sara that was mostly done anyways.

Seriously though, besides the kids being sick, which does bite, we have had a great time. The weather has been nice here in Arkansas and I'm actually out on the patio with my latptop right now. I do feel bad for Ted and Judy though, because I'm not sure they were fully aware of what they signed on for when they invited us down here. They have been great.

So...I'll leave you with some pictures of our adventures.

real quick

we made it to Arkansas...

as I was packing…

I came across this little book I made for Sara. She loves it and so do I. It reads like a storybook about her. And who knows what I was thinking scanning it in to share with you all when I should be packing…But it’s too cute not to.

Once upon a time there lived a princess named Sara.
Sara was a beautiful princess that was growing up very quickly. Her mother and father, the queen and the king, thought Sara was doing a wonderful job at being a princess…
…she knew how to accessorize her royal outfits with jewelry and matching handbags…
…and she was an avid supporter of the royal gardens. Princess Sara could be seen watering the flowers and plants in the garden…
…however, even Princess Sara needed help dressing for the royal ball.

The End.

I hope you guys have a wonderful day!

June's Desktop

I've been a TOTAL slacker in the desktop picture arena for the last 2 months. But I'm here to redeem myself.

If you would like a copy, let me know!

now those are some big scissors!

this makes me happy

O.K., so this weekend was basically a train wreck for me. Not pretty. But intead of breaking your heart with my woe is me story, I'm going to share some pictures of what is sustaining my very being right now. These pictures are of our model home. It's not MY house, but it's the exact floor plan of my house that we are going to be moving back into on JULY 1st! YIPPEE! YAWHO! YEAH! Can you tell I'm out of my mind excited? So, back to the pictures. I don't have many pictures of our actual house, but I have quite a few of the model because Jason bought it while I was out of town and of course I needed to see what it looked like before I gave the ok. He did an awesome job.

This is our master bath. Can you believe that's Sara. Whoa, where did the time go?

This is the kitchen part of the great room. The kitchen and the living room are all one giant room. I love it. And the island is awesome for all types of craft projects!

Here's the living room part. Natural sunlight abounds. And that makes me happy.

This picture is Logan's actual room. Judy, my mil helped me do the wallpaper. Well, she did it and I helped. She's good like that. This has to be my favorite room. I am just in love with the little town around the bottom.

So there ya have it folks. Sharing my little bit of happiness.

corrie & des

Just in case you check the blog...I tried to send you this picture, but my email is acting stranger than my dog in a thunder storm. So here's the finished product. You really can't see the detail, but I outlined the roads and a few other things. I'll take better pictures in the morning!

Logan is going to LOVE it!

i really have things i should be doing...

like laundry, oh my goodness the laundry. like packing, since i'll be leaving in a week. like dishes, because they are just gross sitting in the sink. like blah, blah, blah. Instead, I'm sitting here at the computer. Where is the devotion to a clean house? Apparently, it's been missing for quite a while, at least since Sara was born. :)

I have to applaud all you ladies (and gentlemen) out there that have small children AND have a clean house for more than 15 minutes. Maybe my kids are just crazy. Strike that. I KNOW they are crazy. But I just don't have the energy OR inclination to chase behind all 3 of them all day long. I try and make sure that when Jason comes home from work the living room is clean and the dishes are done.

So, how do YOU keep your house clean and keep your kids happy AT THE SAME TIME? Because you know they're not happy unless they are messy...

Preschool Graduation

I still cannot wrap my mind around the fact that Sara will be going to Kindergarten next year; well technically, this year, but you know what I mean. My little snuggle bug is growing up FAST. So far, she loves school and seems to do really well. I sincerely hope that continues. I’m excited for her, but I’m also leery because I’m not going to be there to guide her every step. She’s been going to preschool the last two years, but that was only a few days a week and it was a Christian preschool and everyone was very nice and all the kids were well behaved for the most part. Now she’s going to be going to a public school with all kinds of children from different backgrounds and upbringings. Don’t get me wrong, I think diversity is good, but I’m worried about the little kid that knows all the swear words and the other little kid that pushes everyone around. And if you haven’t figured it out by now, I have a touch of neurosis. Please excuse me. So…anyway, here’s a few pictures from Sara’s preschool graduation. Enjoy!

duga duga

Some of you may know that we’ve been a tad worried about Austin because he is now 18 months and still doesn’t say anything. He babbles like a madman and he understands what you are saying to him, but he doesn’t even say mama and dada routinely. But this morning Austin was laying in bed with me when Jason came in to say goodbye and Austin promptly sat up and said “daaa, dada, duga duga” It was the sweetest thing. Duga duga is one thing that Austin has been saying. Who knows what it means. We think he’s imitating what we say when we’re tickling him. He also says cheese and cook (cookie), but you will only know that’s what he’s saying if you’ve been around him awhile. Otherwise, it would just appear as more babbling. Speaking of which…

And yes, he's in serious need of a haircut...

i've been busy...

I've finally finished a couple little projects I've been wanting to wrap up. The first is a cute little headband. I got the pattern from this website ( http://foofanagle.wordpress.com/2007/06/12/best-band-ever/ ) The instructions are clear and it turned really cute. They have a narrow and a wide version. The one Sara has on is the wide one and I made a narrow one for me out of the same fabric. The cool part...it's reversible and washable! Can't beat that. And it's super fast and easy to make.


The next little project was a little dress for Sara. I got the fabric at Joann's. It comes already shirred, so all you have to do is put a seam in it. Very easy. And she loves it.

I added double straps from ric rac. They don't have to be super strong because the shirring is what really holds it up. They just keep it from creeping down.

And then a little more ric rac at the bottom. I think this is what really makes the dress cute.

And of course the best part about being a stay at home mom...Pretend birthday cakes from my little snuggle bug. And it's not even my birthday. You know you're jealous. :)

I'm just curious, but for those of you that sew and have taught your children how to sew, at what age did you start teaching them? And another question. What kind of sewing machine do you have? Have a beautiful day!

the air circus

EDITED: I wanted to get the pictures up last night, but my brain wasn't working as far as adding any text...O.k. so maybe it doesn't really work that well in the first place, but let's pretend shall we...

They have this air circus every Sunday from 2:30-4. We missed the first half hour, but Jason and the kids went last year so it wasn't a huge deal. Honestly, I didn't want to go, but I'm glad I did. I like to take pictures and this gave me a good oppurtunity. I got some nice ones of the kids I'll post later.

At the show, one aircraft picked up a mail bag like they used to do, another did some acrobatic manuevers, there was a plane that climbed up to 3000 ft or so and shut off his engine and glided down doing loops and stuff. That was really cool. There was a few doing formations. And of course the highlight was the wing walker. The guys real job is a lineman for the electric company. Talk about having no fear of heights. He was great. And I'm sure I'm leaving some other things out, but you get the idea. A real barn storming. Isn't that what they used to call it? So enjoy the pics and I'll post some of the kids later. Oh, and have a beautiful Memorial Day.

Just a few pictures from the air circus that we went to today.

i was so proud of myself...

For those of you with little ones, you may understand what I speak of. Have you ever run into the problem where their footed jammies are perfectly fine except for the holes in the toes from crawling around or are just plain too short? This was driving me nuts, especially with the boys. So, I cut the footed part off and added some knit ribbing, like a cuff, in its place (I think that’s what it’s called). It not only gets rid of those pesky holes, but it adds a few inches in length for a little more wear. I was so proud of myself, until I started wondering why I didn’t think of it before. Duh! If anyone is interested I can post directions.

I got all of my kits out for Ribbon Junkie yesterday. It's kind of bittersweet. It's nice to be done, but I'm really going to miss it. But I just can't wrangle Ribbon Junkie, the move, and all of life's other issues right now. Well, enough rambling for now, have a good one.

me and my baby...

Just me and my baby today. Jason took the older two to an airshow at Andrews AFB. I really didn’t want to go and I really wanted him to take all 3 kids, but my friends, that was not happening. So Austin and I have a big day of cleaning and packing to do. I KNOW you are so jealous you can hardly keep from turning green.

I think I’m going to attack the playroom/office/server room. It would probably be a good idea since the other two kids are gone to go through the toys and purge what they haven’t played with in years. This should be fun. NOT!

And as I was thinking of a new picture that I wanted to post, I realized that Jason has the camera and even more important in this situation…the memory card. Well, there goes that idea. But here’s a picture anyway…(and yes, it’s blurry, and tilted, and Austin is in his diaper-ok so I cropped out the diaper part-, and….but I think it shows the craziness of this place quite well.)

But first a Starbucks run…

imagination and mother's day

Greetings all. I hope things are well in your neck of the woods. It has settled down here somewhat in the last few days. I won't run off at the mouth about the mundane details, but instead I'll share a picture or two.

I will be the first to admit that the kids need haircuts, but, I was just cracking up when I looked up from my desk and saw this. My only real question was how in the heck did she get him to cooperate?

This video is from yesterday at Mother's Day at school. It's just further proof that Logan really knows how to get his grove on, cast and all...and Sara is in there too looking like a ragamuffin needing a serious haircut. I swear it was in a pony tail when I dropped her off... Anywhooo. Enjoy!

uh-oh

I'd say he's a little surprised...Do you think he knows he's doing something he shouldn't? Um, yes...

And at this point, he's like "See, you just can't be mad at this cute little face..." Boy, he's got my number doesn't he.

I have to admit that while I'm not a clean freak by any stretch of the imagination (my house is testament to this), I'm really not all that thrilled with my kids playing in dirt. I know it washes off and their just kids and yadda, yadda, yadda. But it's something about the dirt underneath their little fingernails that they won't let me get out that just makes me want to twitch. And oh my goodness, the hand with Logan's cast...since you can't get it wet, let me just say yuk.

I'm sure most of you already know I'm a little strange and I bet this post just backed up that claim. So I should probably go now. Have a good one.

back to the daily grind...

which isn't always a bad thing...I went to little baby McKenna's funeral earlier this week. I am SO glad I went, but it is probably one of the saddest things I've ever witnessed. My heart just goes out to my cousin Becca and her husband Todd. I pray for them everyday. I don't worry much about McKenna because my Pap is taking care of her, I'm sure. Anywhoo...before I get so teary eyed I can't type...

The kids and I went to the bookstore today to visit Larry and Bob from the VeggieTales. The kids were off the scale excited. I got some video, but am STILL having trobles with it. So when I get it fixed you'll get to see it.

Really, I'm just checking in to say Howdy and let ya know we're all still here and kickin'. I'll get some more pics for you soon. I promise!