Remember all those home projects I wrote about?

I will try to give a brief description of each picture: 1. This is our powder bath. We changed the light fixture and also I painted the room. It was the room that convinced me we would hire out having our home painted too! It was totally worth it.

2. This is Jacobs room. I let each boy choose accent color and Jacob picked blue! It has always been his favorite color. Jacob has a patriotic room filled with stuffed animals, tin toys, books and whatever else he might be collecting. He has now started a pin collect and a dice collection.

3. We were so excited to have a house with a front porch. We wanted to make it a comfortable place to sit and enjoy. We put a few chairs and little tables to make it inviting and the flowers have really flourished thanks to my husband!

4. As you can see we love book! However they were taking over our study. We need our study to be a workplace for my husband to work a couple of days a week from, my scrapbook area and also for a lot of homeschooling items. So we moved the books out to our passion room. It might look like a sun room however we have named it our passion room so that it can be a room that holds books, music, art and such. We have a easel to set up out there, there is a drum set and we want it to a room for creativity.

5. This is our master bedroom. We purchased a chair to put in here so that we could have a small sitting area. I am still looking for a nice little ottoman as I love to put my feet up. It is the perfect place to read a book, have a quiet phone call or nurse a baby!

6. This is Andrews room. He really likes it. I need to find something for the window however he feels like it is dorm like and he likes things simple and clean lines. I let him choose his accent wall and he picked black. At first I said no way! But after talking with a friend of mine who is very experience in decorating she assured me it would look great and I think it does! The best thing of all is that Andrew has a room that he feels like is him and reflects his likes and interest.

7. We have been collecting crosses for some time for a cross wall. We knew someday we would have a dining room and we wanted our dining room/living room to have a casual, rustic Spanish feel to it. We are very happy with how it turned out.

8 & 9. This is our living room/dining room. We hung a new light fixture, Trae re-did the floors and everything was painted. We knew we wanted this room to have a different look and feel than the rest of our home and we are thrilled with it! We really want this area to be a area that is used and welcoming! We also hung the same light fixture above our kitchen table. It was a wonderful Costco find!

10 This is my laundry and utility room. I picked a pretty shade of blue for it and I now it is a inviting room to work in.

11. This is a picture of our family room with new paint and our new chair and ottoman. We have a new sofa too. The paint color is Sherwin Williams Tobacco Road. I found it by the power of the peas and it is just the color I wanted! I love it!

12. Ahhhh, this is one of my favorite things! My husband blesses me often by doing dishes after dinner (his rule is you cook, I clean up) and I just love the depth and look to our new sink. It truly makes dishpan hands not so bad!

A date day with my hubby!

I love a day out with my hubby! The boys are with their dad (we choose to be positive and call that the upside of divorce) and we are hoping to accomplish a few chores this morning and than head out for a day of being together. We often find ourselves at a bookstore sitting in comfy chairs reading and talking about what is on our hearts or inspired us in the books we found. I have to say these moments are some of my favorite. We both have a HUGE passion for books, learning and reading. I love this man! We search out yummy food and good conversation too. He lets me play the question game sometimes as we drive and we each ask one another question that we make up and the person has to answer it and can't repeat the question back to you. All this while I often have my legs stretched out on his dashboard and he is tell me how sexy he finds me! It makes me just giggle.

These days are a rare treat for us both something we take the time for and treasure! Between kids, life, house projects, games, events, etc. Sometimes we do day trips and head off to a area a hour or two away and escape like we are on vacation. We have found that it really doesn't matter if we go far or stay closer to home as long as our hearts are one the day is wonderful!

Beautiful reminder of His love....

The Lord often reminds me of His love in a unique way. I LOVE those moments that are so sweet and filled that I say He is just loving on me!!! Those are the best!!! Yet, I wonder how many times in love He is loving on me and I really don't even realize it. I do think I have missed moments where I find disappointment, pain or loss and I don't realize at the moment how it truly is His great love for me. Oh how my children must sometimes feel the same way.

**disclaimer** I didn't take this picture. I found it online but thought it was amazing!

My mommy heart is breaking.

My youngest son has had a dear friend since he was very young. I was always careful not to say he is your best friend but in his heart he was his best friend. Jacobs friend recently began going to a new school. No biggie in our book as many of our friends have made changes over the year including us. Jacob would love to go to this very same school. It isn't a good match for Jacob and therefore he isn't there. Jacob saw his good friend this week and ask him if was making good friends there....his friend said YES! Jacob with his childlike heart said better than me (so wanting that love and acceptance) and the boy said yes a lot better than you. Honestly I can't quit crying. My heart breaks for my son.

I am not the type of mom who hovers over my children's friendships. He has had kids mean rude, mean and I am sure Jacob has made poor choices too. If it is big enough for he and I to talk about than I just usually try to talk him through it and not get more involved other than parenting my son and not going to the child or parent to try and work it out. There are times that might be needed but I tend to air on the side of not very often for that type of thing. Right now every part of me want to call his mom and go you son hurt my son. But you know I am not. If it comes up at some point and I need to share it I will but for today I am just grieving for my son and wishing that life didn't hurt sometimes. It is a lesson he has learned and will continue to from time to time.

Homemakers heart....

I am a homemaker at heart. It is at the core of who I am. I have no desire to do anything outside of that. I did have a time once in my life when I was single that I had a desire to be out in the workforce but that was pretty short lived. Being a wife and mom is the highest calling for me. Sometimes I joyfully embrace it and other days I think WOW they don't pay me enough! Just kidding! It can be draining, full of joy, rewarding, thankless job, eventful, routine, extraordinary, daily and all of that can happen on the same day! I am so grateful that the Lord has always provided a way for me to walk in who He created me to be. When I hear women say they are bored or wish they could do more....it truly boggles my mind. There is nothing boring about creating an atmosphere of love, shaping hearts and nurturing the souls the Lord has blessed you with. My mom did an amazing job. She wasn't perfect as I am full of faults too however we knew he heart was for us and that mattered to her on a daily basis.

Weary but in a good way....

The last several days have been really busy. Starting our new school year, trying to get organized for school, a growing baby boy and Women of Faith weekend with dear friends.

We were blessed to find out last week that we will be having another son. He appeared to be healthy and growing well. We had a level 2 sonogram and will have another in 4 weeks. We are hoping to take the boys to that one or at least tape it so they can view it too. I can tell he is really growing lately! I am 17 weeks today. We are stumped on a boy name and trusting the Lord has already named this special one and will fill us in soon!

Our school year is off to a good start. Tomorrow we will begin our My Fathers World curriculum and add that to our math, language arts and handwriting. We have a co-op we will be starting soon, an art class and a Jr. sports class. It will take time for everything to fall into place but I think we have a good rough draft! We are also doing 6 therapy sessions a week (OT, ST and PT) and will be doing those M-TH.

This weekend I attended Women of Faith in Dallas. It was great time away and a time of worship and being nourished. The Lord has blessed me with the most amazing friends. I am SO grateful!

So although I am a little weary it is a sweet feeling. Weary from walking in Gods will. Having Jacob home again gives me a peace that can't be measured. Being pregnant takes a certain toll on the body but knowing we opened the door for this blessing and God delivered is a sweet spot to be.

My sons words heartfelt and full of laughter.

Last night we had our friends home. As we started driving home he said, mom I love you. He said it so endearing and full of love. I responded and said, I love you too. I than asked him what he was feeling in his heart and to please put it into words. He said well I just love you because you love, you accept me, you make our home, you fed me and I just love you that's all. I told him that was very sweet of him to share. Than I asked him for a quick parents report card. What is his favorite thing about me and what does he think I need to improve on. He said my favorite thing is that you love me. He said there is nothing that you need to improve on mom. I said well of course there is! He said nope you are perfect. Than he kind of caught himself well I know no one is perfect on earth but I am just saying you don't need any updates!

I just chuckled! I loved the way he worded it and most of all I love his heart.

Fall is here!

In Texas in August fall is not a word that you are using to describe the month. However, the last several days has brought much cooler temps to our area and that really has made it feel fall like. My boys have both started school during the last week too. I have a meal to take to someone this week and I though I think soup will do! Our year is off to a good start. Andrew has incredible teachers. He was happy with all of them but one and she is new and perhaps if he gives her more time he will end up liking her. I am so thankful for his school. New teachers often have a major adjustment at BCS. Jacob and I began his school year yesterday. It is a soft start this week and next week we will add in MFW. This week his therapist still have their summer schedules so it was best for us to ease into things. It is wonderful to have Jacob home again. One of the enrichment's we are doing even started yesterday so he had that to attend. The other things are all starting in the next couple of weeks. I am working on getting our study in order. My sweet husband helped move the bulk of the books which is a huge job! Our sun room is now housing most of our books which is perfect because the room really didn't have much purpose. We have a drum set out there and I am going to put up a art easel for Jacob out there too. He starts his art class in September and I think he will enjoy having it out there. It is a neat room for some of those extras!

Fall is my favorite season! Usually we don't have any sense of fall until late September in Texas. Thank you Lord!!!

Blessings....

This week brought some challenges. So it couldn't be a better time to bask in His blessings!

* For Texas we have had beautiful weather this week. Lots of rain, cooler temps and it looks like we may get some more of it.

* 2 boys that love me. I always say parenting is the hardest job on this planet however I also believe it is one of the most important roles in my life. The best things in life aren't easy!

*Naps! OK, so I have always loved a good nap but being pregnant naps take on a whole new meaning. I got a 3 hour nap today. This baby must be growing!

*Our home is painted! For so long I couldn't wait for it to be finished and it finally is. Now our home isn't finished but one of the biggest things is. Thank you God!

*Friends...the Lord blessed me this summer with a precious group of ladies that we met 2 twice a month. We all go to the same church and they are good friends already but we grew closer this summer. We are going to con't this group once a month during the school year!

*Homeschooling...I am so happy to have Jacob home this year. We are starting this week and so thankful for the option of homeschooling. Our week has come together and we are excited to dive in and get going. We are going to be traveling the globe this year.

*Most of you know that I spend the first 6 months of this year working on being healthier. In the middle of that we knew we were planning on getting pregnant. That concerned me a bit because I gained a lot of weight with my 1st son and less with my 2nd son but I always gained weight. This winter and spring I lost 48 lbs. It felt so good to be back at a more comfortable weight. I am 16 weeks pregnant and I still haven't gained a lb. That is just wild to me. But wonderful!!! I figure I will gain weight at some point but I am off to a great start and hopefully will keep it to a minimum. This is a surprise blessing!

*My sweet husband. Nuf said!

Ok....so I really miss the ocean.

We are wanting to plan a vacation this fall to the ocean. A family vacation at our favorite spot. I started a few weeks ago and than the home projects too over. The vacation went on the back burner. Yet, we know that this is important for this time. Andrew is growing up, working, in high school, playing sports and with a baby coming we want a family vacation just the 4 of us. So back to endless searches online for that perfect beach front condo! We have checked flights and found some that would work. Ahhhh, to feel the sand on our toes again. Love it!

Scripture that blessed me.

A friend shared this scripture this week and it really blessed me.

5 LORD, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure. 6 The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance. 7 I will praise the LORD, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me.

Psalm 16:5-7

It really spoke to me because boundaries are out of love for us from the Father. They are placed in pleasant places. So many times we try and buck those. We want what we want when we want it just like a child. BUT GOD.....has boundaries for us to protect us. He has an inheritance for us. I hate to think about the times I don't get my inheritance or delay it because I am jumping over those lines. Love waits, love is patient, love endures.

Wordless Wednesday

Sunday nap....

We love a Sunday nap at our home. Especially with a pregnancy they are very much loved! Today I laid on our new couch for the first time. We have had it about 10 days and I hadn't really stretched out on it. It was so wonderful. So supportive and a bit wider and longer than our other couch. I was so tired. I told my husband I was going to break in the new couch with a nap. But than we started talking and enjoying the cookies I had made and the nap never happened. As much as I love a good nap. I love a good conversation even better. God is good, good naps will come and I sure will be tired this evening. This baby must really be growing. I was famished last night at about 11 and took a 2 hour nap yesterday. I am 15 weeks today!

Another year is about to begin.

We are about to begin another school year. It definitely feels like a new season. Andrew will be a sophomore and driving soon and Jacob and I will embark on our 4th year of homeschooling. 1/2 way through the year we will welcome our little one and l.o (Little one is our nickname for her/him at this time) become apart of our family.

Last night we attended a mandatory sports meeting for Andrews school. I am so thankful for his school. It is just an amazing place with amazing people that serve a awesome God and their goal is for the school, student and staff to bring glory to Him! I have to say they do an amazing job! It is hard to imagine we only have 3 more year there. It has been apart of our life so long.

Jacobs year is coming together! God is so good and we finally have things in place. We know that how we start out the year might have changes along the way. We are trying all news things year for anything we are apart of outside our home. That just feels right at this time and away we go!!! If something ends up not being a good fit we can make changes. I am excited to dip our foot into a few new things and see how it feels and fits for Jacob. It will be a busy week. However, I am looking forward to it. Last fall I remember feeling apart of me die because I had so much (too much) time on my hands and it felt like what really mattered to me didn't reflect in my time. So glad to have my son returning home.

Even as this l.o is still in mom I find myself thinking about his/her schooling. I have a huge heart for homeschooling. I love the life it gives you, the relationships it develops and the creativity educational you can have. I can see myself homeschooling this one especially in the younger years. However, I believe in looking at each child individually and seeking the Lord about what is the best match for them. Bethesda isn't for everyone but I would definitely consider it again if it was a good match for my child. It will be years before I have to think about that but what can I say....I am a planner at heart.

Being a planner is part of the bent God made me with however I have submitted to His ways (sometimes easily sometimes not) seeing that His ways are not my ways and He often has a route that I wouldn't choose. I trust His heart for me and my family.

Can you ever have too many books???

My answer was always no. But I am starting to change my mind. We are trying to make our study more functional. We need it for my scrapbooking, Trae to work from (a couple of days week or when he has office things to do at home) and possibly a desktop computer for Jacob and a place to store his homeschool things too. We won't do our entire school day in their as we like to be creative and work in our home and not at a desk all day. But we basically need it for a station for everything. We have decided that our office could be a lot more functional if we moved 90% of our books. So they are going out in our sun-room because that room has little function at this time. It has Andrews drum-set and I am setting up an easel for Jacob to use in there by the window. We can't see parting with our books as they are so dear to us but we have to make room for a more beautiful space and less stuff!!! I think we are buying less books than before but they are still a love of ours. So for now Ikea has come to the rescue and they have found a new home.

You know I bet my post are getting really boring because they are so much about the projects, the house, etc. Sorry!!! That is just where I am at. So much to do and so little time. I did find out we won't be getting shutters in our LR/DR!!!! I had someone come out and give me a bid and it was $4090 for 2 windows. And that was Costco's price!!! WOW!!! Faux wood blinds it will be!!!

The clean up begins.

The painters finished up yesterday. Their work is amazing! We were so happy with them. We ended up also hiring them to do all our doors and a couple of ceilings. We thought the doors were fine until the trim was done and we saw the difference. It was a pretty penny to have it all done but the quality of the work and being done in 5 days was worth it to us.

Today we are working as a team to get things back in order. The pantry was a huge job/utility room was a huge job to get back in order but it is finished. I love to work as a team. The boys are with their dad and so this child free day is once again doing our projects however we are thrilled to be progressing. Monday I have someone coming from Costco for a couple of special order blinds and Tuesday our new furniture is being delivered! We got an amazing deal at Dillards. On clearance plus 40% off!!! The favor of the Lord was upon us! We got a leather couch, 2 leather chairs and a ottoman, tax and delivery for the price of most couches. We are so grateful! How awesome is it that the Lord cares about all those details in our life enough to move on our behalf. Blows me away!

Our next focus is getting the blinds up and the rooms situated. After that we have to figure out how to make our study work for all of us. Personally I am stumped how to make it workable for all our needs.

God is good and we know he will be faithful in walk us through all these decisions as we make our house our home. Our goal is to have as much done as possible by Thanksgiving. That way we can enjoy the holidays and welcome our little one this winter. I have also heard that nesting, cleaning and organization can help with PPD. I had a little with my first son and none with my 2nd son so that encourages me as we prepare for this little one. I have thought I felt some movement but I am not sure. I am so ready to feel the baby moving around.