Princess Ella - and other musings of Anson

Auntie Aly just sent Ella a smocked dress that was Rachel's when she was a little girl. Ella couldn't wait to wear it because she thought is was so pretty. When I put it on her for church this morning, Anson said "Oh, Ella, you look just like a princess!" What a sweet big brother! Ella said "sank you, Anson!" as she twirled around a few times. So thank you for the dress Aly! Maybe it will fit Emily in the spring and we can send it back to you! We managed to get through lunch at church today without getting anything on it! :o) I can't believe how grown up Ella looks... and she is still just 2!

She loves princesses and castles so, of course, a trip to Disney is on order for her birthday! When we told her we were going to see Cinderella's castle for her birthday she said, "I want to meet a real live princess too! One in a big dress!" So let's hope we get to see at least one "real live princess" while we are there!

This morning on our way to church, we were talking about... going to church! Anson said "sometimes we don't go to church, right?" and we said "yes, when we are sick we don't go to church" and Anson said "or sometimes we don't go to church when we aren't in the mood"! Seriously, where does he get this stuff?? :o)

Lastly, (I have to get these on the blog or I will forget!) we just bought Financial Peace Jr. by Dave Ramsey to teach Anson and Ella about money. Dusty sat down with Anson (Ella doesn't quite understand all the concepts yet) and explained to him that he could work for commissions (instead of allowance) and laid out a few jobs he could do. One of them was to sweep off our sidewalks. If he sweeps off the sidewalks he earns a quarter. The kit came with a money pouch that clips to your belt and he wore it over to my parents house to show them. He explained to Papa that if he sweeps the sidewalks he will earn a quarter in commissions. Papa said "so if I go to your house and sweep off the sidewalk, could I earn a quarter?" Anson thought for a second and said "No, Papa. But I will pay you a penny!" I think he has the entrepreneurial mindset of his Daddy after all! Who knows, Anson may have his own business soon! :o)

Before and After - Kitchen and stairway.

The stairway in our home is in the kitchen.

The "lovely" carpet that used to line the stairs...

Carpet ripped up and stairs sanded down.

Stairs and risers painted. The treads were painted to match the stain of the floors upstairs and have a sandy texture so the kids don't slip in their socks!

Stairway complete!

The old kitchen had green tile floors, over lanoleum, over wood floors. The old wood flooring couldn't be saved.

The door in the distance lead to the exterior breezeway between the mother-in law suite and the main house. The floor had so much water rot under the sink that we had to replace most of the sub floor.

The walls/flooring being ripped up.

more demo

And our new kitchen! Terra cotta colored tile and Sherwin Williams shade of "Pennywise" paint on the walls. We really wanted a shade of orange somewhere in the house and the kitchen was the perfect place. Kitchen cabinets and counter tops were designed and made by my Dad and Mom!

Plenty of cabinet and drawer space in my little kitchen!

With the space we had to work with, I am thrilled at how it came out!

To the right of the fridge are two skinny pull-outs perfect for storing baby food, spices etc and a tray storage compartment above! Every space used wisely!

Some Before and After Pics - My Office

This room was full of mold which scared many buyers away from the property...But Dusty knew what to do and who to call and we had the moldy wall completely removed properly. The house is now joined together with the mother-in law suite throught this room we call the breezeway. (Arin's office!)

The breezeway being joined to the house... moldy wall removed.

The breezeway in progress

Standing in the kitchen doorway looking into the breezeway. This doorway used to go directly outside via a breezeway between the mother-in-law suite and the main house.

almost done...

And thanks to my Dad who is an awesome cabinet maker, I now have space to be organized!

I made my bulletin board...

So now my office is between the kitchen and the master bedroom/Dusty's office. The perfect place to do art projects with the kids, work on the computer, and sew!

Gemini Springs and Music Camp

The storm that came just as we got there. It passed quickly.

You can't swim in this part... because of the next picture.

Baby alligator and a turtle

Anson spotted this alligator first so we told him he could name it... he named it "baby-growing-up-soon alligator". :o) Nothing is simple with that kid.

We are having fun exploring our new home town! This springs is just south of Blue Springs where we went last week and runs along the St. Johns river. Isn't the color of the water gorgeous?? I am trying to post some really pretty pictures of Florida to entice our out-of-state friends to come visit! Is it working?? :o) What you can't see in the pics is the steam room/sauna like atmosphere we are living in right now in the peak of summer! I forgot how hot it could get here. But don't let that stop you from visiting, anyone!

This week Anson has been in music camp at Stetson University (my Alma Mater) and he is loving it! We can't tell if he likes the music aspect or just that he gets to go there by himself... yesterday when Dusty asked him what he likes the best he said "lunch"! He gets to pack his own lunch and is so excited about that! He goes M-F from 9:30 - 3:00. That is a full day for him since he has never done anything like this! I was a little nervous about how he would do but at the end of day one I was greeted at the door by all 3 teachers just raving about my little man! They all said what a great kid he is and how well behaved and attentive he was. (Dusty and I were worried that he would be labeled ADD!! :o) So I guess he is doing great! They are having a recital on Friday evening to show all the families and friends what they've learned. Can't wait! I am trying not to be too proud, but we are very proud of Anson! :o)