Working Hard

 Right when one project gets wrapped up (the laundry room makeover) a new one begins (pantry makeover) I definitely found my least favorite chore....WALLPAPER REMOVAL!(sidenote: do you see the wolf on the wall?)

I searched Pinterest for the best and most cost effective way of removing wallpaper and found fabric softener and hot water was the consensuses, so I gave it a go. It did do an excellent job of removing the wallpaper but the paste below the paper-not so much!

Eventually I got to just the paste so I just used dish soap and hot water-sometimes it came off in huge chunks but mostly it came off in little pieces. I loved trying to find shapes in the wallpaper as I scrapped it off- (kinda like looking for objects in the clouds) I found that I saw lots of pieces that resembled the States....Florida and California were popular shapes as well as Texas and Maine. I also saw images of wolves. Yes, I sound crazy-which is apparently what happens when you pick wallpaper off for 8+ hours!

Jason's birthday was last Saturday-all we had in the house as far as wrapping paper was FROZEN Christmas paper-so we improvised and the boys flipped the paper over and made their own art work on the reverse side.

this was Grant's wrapping paper creation

and another (I love how there is the random word "old" in the center-lol)

With remodeling comes several trips to hardware stores...Lane was quite bored with looking at counter-tops and apparently not thrilled with me taking his picture either

fun at Buchheits

love this one-little stinker kept trying to hide from me when I'd try to take his picture-I got one though

Lane took this one-not too bad-surprisingly he was able to actually get me in the frame.

Loved taking the boys to Campaign a few weekends ago-yes-there was a lot of snow (8inches there) but we didn't care-we beat the storm on the way there and by the time we headed back the next day-the roads were pretty cleared.

 

Grant received his prizes for Jump Rope for Heart and one of his many prizes (thanks again to all how supported him in this) was a new jump rope. Here is Grant practicing his jump roping skills- hilarious! He can only do it backwards....isn't that amazing. Can't quite get it to go forwards but he can rock it out backwards.

Back to our hotel stay (sorry the pics are out of order again) Lane loved pushing the buttons on the elevator so much that he made up reasons to have to go to the lobby. (more popcorn, now more lemonade, now another hotdog). Lane stayed back at the hotel with me and swam in the pool while Grant and Jason went to the Illini game.

Lane was the first one out of the four of us to get in the pool. It was "heated" but I thought it was cold. He didn't, apparently.

to try to get the two of these together for a picture is impossible....I'm usually not able to corral them long enough to get anything but I was quick this time and was able to get them together-not a good one but I'll take it.

Grant found it so amusing that it was snowing while he swam. We stayed at a Drurry Inn that had an indoor/outdoor pool and he absolutely loved going back and forth and in and out.

Lane was fearless. He kept saying, "I can be anything I want to be in here. I am a shark, now I am a whale, now I am a fish, now I am a seamonster."

Jason is such a trooper-right there along side of Grant in the cold! He is nuts but and excellent father.

oh and he had all kinds of tricks to show us

This was "lane's chair" during our stay...he sat nowhere else and no one took his spot...he had a little table there for his snacks and drinks and he was as content as a pig in mud.

Unfortunately Grant has grown out of all of his Illini sweatshirts and didn't have anything orange to wear but he did rock out his Illini winter coat to the game -so he thought that was good enough.

Lane was just happy as could be-to be at the hotel with free happy hour food and drinks. He had his mac and cheese so he didn't mind one bit that we were being left behind and not able to go to the basketball game.

Grant's first Illini basketball game ever. Jason was able to score some sweet floor seats and they had a great time. Only now, I am worried Grant will expect these kind of seats the next time he goes.

Other than the pool-the food was Lane's favorite part of our weekend getaway

yep-that's all Lanes!

"SNOW" much fun!

They spent a fair amount of time in the hot tub too. Especially Lane-he would just sit there with his feet in -just people watching.

Lane-chillin by himself with a bunch of strangers in the hot tub

Grant enjoyed making snowballs then trying to bring them to the other side of the pool (in doors) without it shriveling away to nothing before he got there

wonder what they were talking about

Ugh-finally stripped three layers of paint off our original woodwork-messy but rewarding job

Jason got beat up by his boys during a wrestling match....blood was drawn people!

These boys are CRAZY I tell ya-CRAZY!

Pinterst project ironing board hanger-completed

and new ironing board cover makes a world of difference

Sidewalk Prophets concert-

so thankful and blessed to have a sister who enjoys and appreciates the same things I do. Loved the concert but loved it more that she was there with me.

awful picture of me (hello double chin!) but this was me the day our new laundry room floor got laid. I spread out on it and smiled until my cheeks hurt. I love love love love love love love our new floor!

still need trim and furniture but this room is amazing and I couldn't be happier with how it turned out

before picture of the pantry

another before picture

Grant had his last basketball game for the year a few weeks ago- we had a lot of fun watching the kiddos play

Lane has been falling asleep with his hands folded lately- it's precious

This is Grant's first Sermon. He sat in church a few Sundays ago and said to me in a sweet little whisper, "mom, do you know what I am going to do when we get back home?" I said, "probably play basketball" he smiled and said, "yes, but what else?" I said, "probably play your kindle" and he said, "yes, but one more thing." I said, "I don't know, what?" He said, "I'm going to write a sermon just like Pastor." And sure enough-right when he got home he went to his desk and busted out this sermon. It brought tears to my eyes to hear him read these sweet words so I just wanted to share it with you. The title says, "The Devil vs. Jesus and God" He spelled devil, "defle" so when you see that word that's what he is trying to spell. My favorite is the last few words, "but God and Jesus will save you." Yes, Grant, yes they will! I love how insightful he is- he teaches me and inspires me often and I feel so blessed to have him as a son.