Basement phase 4 {moving the electrical box}

Here's where I left you last time I mentioned our basement renovation...

Basement {phase 3}


This view is from the bottom of the basement stairs.

Our plan is to turn this large open area into a playroom/ TV/ hangout room. The space to the right (behind those beams) will be a storage/ laundry room area.

Here's the problem:

You can't really have a safe and functional playroom with an electrical box right at the bottom of the stairs.

So, we decided to move it to a safer location (in the soon to be "storage/ laundry room")

My sister and brother-in-law stayed with us over the weekend to help with this tricky project--because we're amateurs when it comes to electrical work, and because we love having them stay with us! Win-win.


Basically this is what they (Dave and Greg) did...

Essentially they removed the old box, and put a new one up in the storage room...

Easy enough, right?!

Greg and Dave working their electrical magic!

Ummm, it wasn't QUITE that easy...at least not without some major bumps in the road.

This was my FB status on Tuesday:

"Soooooo moving an electrical box is a bigger headache than we thought:

- Two days of hard work followed by a failed inspection.

- A failed inspection means the city won't reconnect your electricity.

- Not having electricity is forcing us to be VERY creative.

- Being creative means borrowing generators, lanterns, and the neighbor's laundry machines.

I guess you could say we're living the Amish dream right now :)"

Yep, that sums it up.

Greg was able to fix some mistakes for a second inspection...

And after borrowing a generator for a whopping FOUR days (thanks Nik and Jamie!) 

we finally passed our second electrical inspection!

Some observations:

1. My breakfast every morning requires TWO appliances--coffee maker and toaster. 

2. Bath time in candlelight is kinda fun!

3. Eating out was an easy excuse all week, but I am definitely feeling more sluggish and sleepy as a result.

4. We have awesome and incredibly generous neighbors.

5. Moving an electrical box is like solving a puzzle. A really hard puzzle with roadblocks and occasional booby-traps.

6. We played outside a LOT more than normal this week. 

7. Generators run on gasoline. About 10 gallons of gas will generate electricity for roughly 24 hours. Gas these days costs a LOT. We used the generator for four days. You do the math.

8. I felt incredibly helpless with this project, but more patient than I expected. I just tried to be Greg's cheerleader.

9. My husband is my superhero.

Let's hope the hardest part is now over!

Church softball

Another season of church softball has ended.

We were able to go to most games this year.

Going and actually watching are two different things.

But, we were there.

And that's what means the most to Greg.

I do love my man in a good lookin' uniform. 

Especially those pants. 

Yes.

Please.

***

Happy seventh...

Surprise dates are always my favorite.

Greg planned one yesterday {unbeknownst to me}.

It was splendid.

Went to see "The Avengers" in the theaters where I snuggled against my own personal superhero in the dark.

Starving and hungry we enjoyed a late but delicious dinner at Olive Garden.

We chatted about our favorite highlights over the past seven years.

Collectively we came up with the following (in no particular order):

1. Kensie

2. Mason

3. our 5th year anniversary trip

4. Amazing Race in Chicago

5. living in Europe for 9 months

6. trip to CA

7. overcoming struggles

My goodness, we're blessed.

Marriage isn't all cake and roses.

It's a journey.

I'm quite enjoying ours so far. 

Can't wait to see what God does in the next seven years!

***

From crib to bed: How it's going

It's going good overall. We switched Kensie from her crib to her big girl bed last Sunday night. 

The first night went great!

Clearly she was excited. 

I mean look at those sparkling eyes with that reassuring thumbs up?! That girl kills me sometimes!

She slept ALL night without rolling off, and greeted me in the morning with excitement, 

"I sleep in my BIG GIRL BED! I a BIG GIRL MOM!!!"

"Yes you are Kens. You ARE a big girl! I'm so proud of you."

Well naptime the next day wasn't quite as successful. She was SO excited about her new room and everything in it. She just couldn't contain herself. There were so many tempting pillows to rearrange, clothes in her closet to fold and re-fold, books to get out and read. In short, she couldn't stay in her bed. 

So we came up with a solution.

I calmly explained that if she can't stay in her big girl bed, then she will sleep in the pack n' play.

So far, we're on an every other rotation.

One night in the bed. 

One naptime in the crib.

One night in the bed.

One naptime in the crib.

You get the idea.

I have to say I'm loving this transition though. It's so fun to tuck her in at night, sit on the edge of her bed and have little conversations before I turn out the light and leave the room. 

(How's potty training?? Umm don't get me started. So NOT there yet. Let's just say I'd rather give birth than potty train an almost 3 year old. Not even kidding.)

Anyway, here's a little clip from this morning...

She's growing up too darn fast. I love discovering more of her personality everyday.

***

Life: my take on it

Everyone's life is different. I don't know yours. I only know mine.

And mine goes something like this:

There are 3 seasons to my life.

{1} 

The Cake Walk

Some years are easy as pie. Everything seems to run it's course as planned. Things easily fall into place. I expect things to continue to be easy because, well, they've been that way for a while. During this season it's easy to stop looking up. To stop depending on God . To stop trusting that His way is best. I start trusting myself a little too much. I start getting pretty confident that life is easy because I deserve it. Because I'm so great. Because I deserve nothing less. This season may be filled with "great" things on the outside but I'm often left with a longing for something more.

{2} 

The Crap Shoot

The next season is filled with hardship More like crap, to tell you the truth. A steamy pile of crapola. Whether it's my own doing or not. Something snaps. Life gets messy all of a sudden. I freak out--sometimes only a little, and sometimes a whole-freaking-lot. Either way the "$@&* hits the fan". During this season I have two choices. I can either walk closer with God, or walk away from God. I've done both. Sometimes, this season can be so overwhelmingly difficult my eyes become so blurry and confused that I can't see the bigger picture. I think there's NO POSSIBLE WAY anything good can come out of it. So I tightly close my eyes, shake my head and choose to blame it all on God. I might not say that out loud. But, that's what my actions say. And sometimes during this season I can lift my head up just enough to see that maybe, possibly, God might actually have His hand in all of this (which He always does btw--I just might not see it at the time). If I can force myself to see Him in the smallest ways, then sometimes during this season I choose to seek Him. And when I painfully and finally give it to Him, I can breath again. This crappy season might not get easier but I'm able to trust that He has a plan in the end.

{3} 

The Chance to Grow

This last season happens only AFTER the first 2 seasons. I don't know why but that's the way it is (at least in my life). Sometimes I never make it to this season. I just flip-flop between the easy life and the hard life--missing the whole "growing season" all together. It seems so foolish looking back. I guess retrospect is all we have though. It's only after a season ends that you can understand it better. This growing season is when God starts bringing challenges my way. My own personal life may be going somewhat smoothly. My communication with God may be ongoing. My Bible studies may be getting deeper. My deep, godly friendships may be flourishing during this season. At the same time, I see Him bringing outside challenges into my life. It's usually not just one issue. If God is really trying to grow me, He will usually bring in multiple circumstances/ people all at the same time. It can be overwhelming! But, it can also be a season to show others the same comfort that Christ has shown me. This is the season I'm currently in. It can be extremely emotional and hard, but SO rewarding and fulfilling. There is much purpose during this time. There is much to praise the Lord for. There is so much to learn from His word. And there is so much to apply.

Source: carmendmiller.blogspot.com via Shannon on Pinterest

I'm starting to understand each of these seasons a little better and how each one has a purpose. Maybe there's a fourth season and I just haven't discovered it yet. Who knows. I'm only 29 and I have a TON more to learn about life, God, and other people. 

But for now, that's what I got.

***

Time for a big girl room!

Someone is getting pretty excited to switch into her big girl bed this weekend! She is still in her crib. Amazing I know. I'm not sure why but she has never attempted to climb out! Ever. It's crazy. But since she's turning THREE in September we decided it's time.

Long story short, we are getting a full-sized bed from my Mom to use as Kensie's new big girl bed! Since we have a small house there's no sense in storing it anywhere. So, we will take down the crib and move in her new bed all in one night! I'm kinda nervous how she'll do but we've been talking about it for several days now. My fellow mommy friends assure me she'll do just fine. Here's hoping all goes well!

Okay.

Now on to the fun stuff!

Here's where most (if not ALL) of my inspiration has come from...

{CLICK on the pics above for links}

Source: etsy.com via Shannon on Pinterest

Source: potterybarnkids.com via Shannon on Pinterest

Source: houseofturquoise.com via Shannon on Pinterest

Source: thompsonfamily.typepad.com via Shannon on Pinterest

Source: camilleroskelley.typepad.com via Shannon on Pinterest

If you couldn't tell, we are going for FLOWERS, lots of COLOR, lots of different FABRICS.

I can't wait to get started.

Thanks for staying tuned in!

***

Linking up to:

An annual event

It's been a scorcher this week with temps in the triple digits! This is not normal for Michigan. I can only imagine what it's like in the South--hang in there friends!

Thankfully Greg's family goes camping near a lake over the Fourth, which was perfect for such hot weather. We had a great time making day trips throughout the week but I'm sure happy to be home in the AC.
Whew!

Hope you had a great Fourth of July!

To my dear Kensie girl...

To watch you grow and learn and play,

is something I cherish every single day.

Your soft little voice is sometimes hard to hear,

but you capture my heart with every word, my dear.

You love to dance, play dress up, and "do" my hair,

but what I love most is what's deeper in there.

You have a heart and a soul that is beautifully wrapped,

in a God-given body that's already been mapped.

So take flight my sweet daughter,on this life that's fresh and new.

And I pray that God reveals himself in everything you do.

"For you know the plans I have for you", that's what the Bible reads.

And I pray you learn to seek Him, despite your wants or needs.

For this life is not an easy one, you'll hear that more and more.

But when you seek His face intently, you'll understand the word, "ADORE".

Love, 

the one you call "mama"

***

Some summer updates...

It's true I grew up in California (yep that's a picture of me!) but I have to say that Michigan summers are the best--unless you're pregnant....then not so much. The sun stays up 'til almost ten o'clock and the lakes are pleasantly warm for swimming. I like to sit on the front porch just before bed and watch the fire flies in our front yard. A typical Michigan summer also includes getting just enough rain to keep the landscape looking nice and green (although it's unusually dry right now. We're praying for some serious rain!).

We live just a few minutes from Lake Michigan...isn't it gorgeous??...

{source}

We are busy with life lately. Lots of fun and exhausting summer activities. Pools, lakes and splash pads are some of the kids favorites. Sunbathing and going to the beach are some of mine. And if Greg didn't have to be a grown-up and work to provide for our family he would spend his whole summer on the lake enjoying any kind of water sport you can think of. 

Kensie last summer--enjoying her first boat ride on Uncle Brad's boat.

We are definitely "beach" people. I love that we share that same joy. One day, we will live in a house on the water, with a dock and a boat, and have all kinds of friends and family over to enjoy it. Excuse me while I daydream for a moment....

Okay, I'm back. 

Just letting you know we are still here despite the lack of blogging lately. We are alive and well and enjoying life.

Happy summer!

Be nice to your windows

I gave our window in the fireplace room a little face-lift this weekend.

While Greg worked all day Saturday I got busy with some power tools! I needed something productive to help relieve my built up stress over the past week. I haven't been sleeping great, and you know that feeling when you can't seem to take a good, deep breath because your chest feels so tight?--yeah, I had that too. 

Well, it turns out that using a power drill can be a GREAT stress reliever...who knew!?

I loaded up the kids for a trip to Lowe's first thing Saturday morning. I love/ hate that place. So do the kids. I gave them every free pamphlet I could find in that store just to keep them busy flipping through the pages. Except they mostly just tossed them over the side of the cart for a fun game of "let's see how many times mommy can pick them up". I guess looking at pictures of fences, granite counter tops, and paint colors isn't as exciting for them? Weird. They were most excited when we walked down the rows of and rows of "potty chairs". Also weird, I know.

Anyway, did you know that Lowe's will trim your roman shade to the exact measurement of your window for FREE?

Pretty cool huh! I needed to fit a 54" wide window but the store only sold them in 48" OR 60". So I grabbed a 60" box, handed it off to a Lowe's employee, browsed the store for 30 minutes and then picked it up when it was DONE! So easy. It fits our window perfect! No fuss!

See that table runner? Funny side story. The roman shade was about 60" LONG, so I literally took scissors and cut the bottom off--making a PERFECT new runner for the dining table!

This window has been at a stand-still for quite some time, and it felt SO GOOD to finally finish it all by myself.

Here is another BEFORE...

I can't wait to show you the hutch (which is now all gray) and also in a different location!

And AFTER...

No more covering up this window with a bulky hutch. 

It's time to treat it right and let the light back in.

One last pic to show the roman shade down...

Happy Sunday my friends!

***

linking up to:

Focus up Friday

It's been an emotional week over here. More on that in a minute....

I'm just popping in to say I've been trekking through the Proverbs 31 study and still going (kinda) strong! I'm so proud to say that even though I have missed a few days here and there, I've stuck with it and God is definitely teaching me A LOT.

Now for some random bullet points of my week (some related to the study and some are not). I'm not feeling very "eloquent" in my writing lately so bullets are what you get:

• I'm still struggling with the concept of vigorously cleaning my house. Living with an almost 3 year old and a 15 month old is exhausting. I don't need to re-hash exactly to what extent. It's just exhausting. And while I enjoy basking in my hard work of scrubbing my floors, putting the clutter away, making the bed, cleaning the bathroom.... I've also found this last week that I can become quite irritated by the end of the day as a result. If I find one dirty sock in the middle of the hallway, or a toilet that was left un-flushed, or a single dirty dish in the sink...after ALL MY GOSH DARN HARD WORK....well, husband/ kids...you better watch out. Crabby Shannon is gonna let you know it. But on the days when I only focus on laundry and dishes, and let the rest of the house kinda take it's "tornado-like" course, I rest much easier at night. Not sure where this is going. Just know, dear reader, that I'm struggling in this department. I want to honor God by working hard in the home, but I also want my sanity and my ability to love the people that live here too.

I spent one afternoon organizing my craft "crap hole". More on that later.
Something I've put off for at least 2-3 years.


• Mason got his first bloody nose this week. Kensie pushed his high chair over while he was still strapped in....and I lost it. I did not react well (unlike his last accident). I yelled at Kensie using phrases like, "What did you DO!"...."What were you THINKING!" My yelling combined with the large amounts of BLOOD streaming out of his nose made Kensie (and myself) a crying mess. I know accidents happen. I know you can't control them. But, it's easier to stay calm when there is no one else involved. Why on EARTH Kensie thought that was a good decision, I'll never know. But, it scared me to see how angry I got. I was able to talk with my mentor on the phone the next morning and felt reassured that my reaction was normal. However, there's still that moment when you need to ask for forgiveness. Forgiveness from my kids, and then from God. There was lots of praying the next day.

• Marriage is HARD for us. There's a million different reasons why marriage can be hard. This week it was scheduling. I had two nights in a row that I had to be somewhere at seven o'clock without kids. Between Greg working late every night, a last minute softball game, and a kid with a bloody nose, let's just say it was a stressful week! By ten o'clock each night, we were both finally in the same house together, exhausted, with nothing to say except "Goodnight". Most of my feelings toward Greg this week have been resentful, bitter, and just plain annoyed. Something else I need to still ask for forgiveness for. 

• Marriage is HARD for everyone. We all need to wake up and realize that it takes WORK to stay married to the same person for the rest of our lives. We have to be honest with our spouses, set appropriate boundaries with friends, and be willing to ask for help. Praying continually for our spouses doesn't hurt either. 

• I have a decision to make by this Sunday. God brought an opportunity to me a week ago. I have been weighing the pros and cons and asking God if this is the right timing for such an opportunity. I will share more next week once I make the decision. If you happen to think of me in the next two days, I would be SO incredibly grateful for some prayers. After the week I just had I feel like saying "ABSOLUTELY NOT!". But, I know that's just my emotions talking. I just want a clear answer from God--don't we ALL?

Have a great weekend everyone!

His 3rd Father's Day

I couldn't ask for a better father for our children.

He's a gentle and patient daddy who isn't afraid to be silly and ridiculous for the sake of his kids.

In short, he's kind of the best.

I asked Kensie some questions about what she thinks of her Dad. We typed them up and printed them out and framed it to give as his father's day gift.

Some of the answers don't make sense and some are totally incorrect. 

But, they all made me laugh.

And some made Greg cry.

Enjoy!

***

What is something dad always says to you?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!

What makes dad happy?

MASON

What makes dad sad?

MASON

How does your dad make you laugh?

TICKLES

What did your dad like to do when he was a child?

PLAYED WITH TOYS

How old is your dad?

THREE

How tall is your dad?

IN THE SKY!

What is his favorite thing to watch on TV?

BASEBALL

What does your dad do when you’re not around?

HE’S SAD

What is your dad really good at?

EATING LUNCH

What is your dad not very good at?

PRESENTS

What does your dad do for his job?

DRIVES THE TRUCKS!

What is your dad’s favorite food?

WATERMELON

What makes you proud of your dad?

ROLLING THE BALL

What do you and your dad do together?

PLAY RING-AROUND-THE-ROSIES!

How do you know your dad loves you?

DADDY COMES HOME!

Where is your dad’s favorite place to go?

WORK

Answers by: Kensie

Age: 2 ½

***

Happy Father's Day!