Painting....

I have been dreaming of painting our bedroom and it finally became a reality. Last week a friend came over to check out our leaky bedroom window and ended up cutting out the sheet rock around them and framing them in with wood...wood that needed to be painted! So what better excuse to do the whole room!?? :)
The next question was...what color? Our carpet is a light blue, so I had been thinking brown. Then I got a brainstorm to try something different and go with 2 colors...brown and blue!

Started out doing two walls and the hallway in Hoot Owl brown. The color matched perfectly with the new drapes we bought. (When the windows got re-framed, the blinds we had up didn't fit anymore, so we went with heavy drapes....to keep out the light, but we also are finding out they keep out the cold/heat!! :) :) YAY! )


The brighter blue was the first color we bought, Dusted Indigo. After applying a "sample" I knew it was going to be much brighter than I wanted. So I took it back to Walmart and they actually let me return it!! Another :) . The second blue we got was called Smokestone. On the sample it looked more grey, but on the wall, it was PERFECT!! :)


Paint around the windows....


Rolling, rolling, rolling....


I wasn't sure how the "seaming" was going to go, with the two colors. I think the best tip is to use a tapered brush. I started out using an edger, but it seemed to smear the paint when I would take it away, so the brush did the rest...and it worked well!


One shot of the finished project. There is still a bookshelf to bring in and some other things to put in place, then MAYBE I'll post some better pictures of the whole room! :)

Tamara's 8th birthday was on January 2. We celebrated by taking her to the Build-A-Bear store in Tallahassee. She chose a Koala bear, watched the lady stuff it, added a heart, sewed it up, gave it a bath and bought an outfit for "her". Then she registered it and got a birth certificate and a house to take it home in! Her bear's name is Rose!! :)


After that, we went to Chuckie Cheese for supper. We went around 8:00 PM, hoping to miss the big crowds. It wasn't real full!
Tamara's favorite ride was this horse. You had to pull the reins right or left to guide the horse on the screen. There was also a button to push to make the horse jump. :)


We gave her a "rider" doll with an extra outfit, a Breyer pickup and horse trailer and extra people and horses to go with the set we got her for Christmas.


Eric and Yolie came over on the 3rd for cake and ice cream. Carmen gave Tamara a Barbie with a pet dog. You can feed the doggie his little pieces of food and then push down on his tail and he does his "business". The food is magnetic and the set included a "pooper scooper" to clean up after him. You release the "waste" into the garbage can, which is attached to the bag of food and it recycles itself! LOL!


Happy Birthday to our little Princess, Tamara...we Love you!!! :)

December

December 3 was Danny's 10th birthday! I know I say it often, but where did time go? I remember this little 10 pounder being born and it sure doesn't seem like 10 years ago! He has definitely been a joy to our family. He has been a very curious boy from little till now...taking things apart just to see how they work. Sometimes that's not a good idea, but I know he has learned alot that way! :)

Our family at the GEMS Christmas Banquet.


The group of missionary chaplains and their wives who work through Gospel Express Ministries South.
John M., Dave & Jill S., Dan & Marilyn N., Dan & Twila H., and Paul P.


December 13 was my youngest brother Ethan's wedding in PA. He is the last of us to get married, so now Mom & Dad are experiencing a new phase of life..."empty nesters". :) I'm sure they are enjoying it after having children in the house for a little over 40 years! :)


A group of us from church formed a "Christmas Cantata" led by Jeremy Redmond. We performed at our church and at Victory Baptist. It was lots of fun. Jeremy is a great leader!


Christmas Eve tradition....watching "It's a Wonderful Life" and bunking out in the living room.


Christmas 2008


January 2 was Tamara's 8th birthday! She is hardly my baby anymore. :(
She said she had the best birthday ever!


We took her to the Build-A-Bear workshop in Tallahassee and then ate supper and played at Chuckie Cheese!
My kids are growing up so fast and my prayer right now is that we can teach them to follow God, to be a good friend and to have a heart for those less fortunate than they are. God be with us!!!

Our Precious Kids

Daniel Franklin Jr.

Tamara Quinn

The kids and I learned to crochet this week. :) Two ladies from our community came to teach anyone interested in our homeschool group. We had a bunch of people. Even the boys were willing to try! Danny got the hang of it pretty quickly and has spent awhile every day since then making lots of chain stitches and then turning them into bracelets or necklaces for his Mom and sister! ;)
Miss Beulah showing the kids how to get started.


We've been having some beautiful fall days and that draws the kids outdoors. They have so much fun "pretending". Caught them for a few pics one day as they were dressed up in the hats :)


Trying out a new photo editing program....

This morning Dan went to a new employee training!!! :) Yup, he getting re-hired! There is no guarantee that it will last, but we'll take what we get. They warned him that the position could be shut down again in a couple months, but God knows and will see us through! Keep praying for Dan as he goes into the prison everyday and teaches, mentors and helps these guys with heart issues! He truly loves his work and is excited about things that are happening in the guys hearts!

Last 4 days

We have had a busy but fun week! In the last 4 days we have spent more time away from, than at home!
Wednesday the kids & I got up early (somewhere around 3:45 am) and headed up to Pelham, GA. It was dark most of the way there, so we got to enjoy the BEAUTIFUL sunrise! Thank God for safe travels! I had a little scare when we got near Dwayne's. We were driving along, it was still a little dark and all of a sudden, thwack....we got hit by something that made it really hard to see out my windshield. It scared me so bad that I couldn't find my wipers and instead hit the high beams! LOL! It was an irrigator spraying water across the road! :) Talk about alot of water! HeeHee!!
We got to Dwayne and Chris' house and then rode with them to the Ag Expo in Moultrie. We had a good day with our "family"! :)


~Cousins~
A highlight for the kids was face painting!

Heidi
Cody
Tamara
Danny got his face painted, too but I didn't get a good picture of it. The lady did a pretty pathetic job anyway. He wanted a tiger face and it looked more like she just made lines all over his face!
We had a really good day....long and lots of sun, but what is better than spending time with family?? :)
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Thursday evening we had the privilege of attending a Casting Crowns concert! Thanks to some special friends!! :)
We were blessed!!
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This morning I took a bunch of our "stuff" to Emily Gillis' yard sale and stayed there for an hour or so, then Chris and her children came! :) Yes, we got to spend two days together this week.
Today was the 22nd Annual Goat Day, so that's were we all went. All the kids games, etc. were free. Danny & Carmen tried out this game. You were strapped in with like a bungy cord hooked to your back and you had to run and try to see how far you could go and stick on the little sticky blocks. It was hilarious, but it kind of jerked them back hard.
I would have taken more pictures, but I had forgot my camera battery was low and, well, you know! :) I could have got pictures of the coin dig, visiting the Pioneer Settlement, outhouses that had plenty of newsprint handy :), a stern school marm, friends, hay rides, our yummy lunches (I had a Greek Salad), and the greased pig chase. Danny caught one again, but wasn't one of the first 3 so he didn't win anything. We were excited for Cody though!! He got 3rd place in the youngest age group!! He won a trophy and $5. I'm sure that was worth coming to FL for!! :)
After we got tired of being there, we came back to the house and visited for a few more hours before they had to head home. I sure enjoyed the last few days. :) :) :) :)

Losing it....

....but it's all good!! :)

Before: (12-07)
Before: (12-07)


After: (10-08)


Just thought I'd update on my weight loss journey. I have currently lost 30 pounds and am aiming for 35 by next Thursday. :) It was a realistic goal, but I have cheated too much over the weekend, so now I am behind, but I am determined to keep at it. I don't know if you can see the difference, but I sure feel it. :)