S Club Mama

  My grandma recently was admitted to a rehab/assisted living/nursing home. I was on the phone with her the other day and she was telling me how she would probably be there the rest of her life. She, of course, was upset by this but understands that it's safer for her to be in the nursing home. She told me of a sign in the entrance of the home that says to the workers arriving, "this is not just your workplace, this is their home." I love that sentiment to remind them to help the residents be at home.   Last weekend, one of our pastors gave a sermon about this world not being the home of Christians. Our home is in heaven. It got me to thinking about my own home here on earth. I want it to be a place that we love to be (hence why I painted the walls colors I love instead of maintaining neutral walls), that my family feels safe and secure.   Right now, our world doesn't feel safe or secure. It's changing every day with regulations and the availability of product...

I've always wanted the home where people hang out, where the kids come to play. So far I don't have that home (although I do have the home where people use the bathroom, living right across from the park, so I'm of some service). Maybe I won't ever have that home but my family seems to enjoy it when we're home (although watching our six-year-old leave other houses, you wouldn't think so...). However, I want to cultivate my home intentionally to be a loving place, safe and comfortable. I decided to read "The Lifegiving Home" by Sally and Sarah Clarkson under this premise - to learn. image via amazon.com I like the set-up of the book with a mom and daughter writing it - to see a home from a mom's perspective and from a daughter's. The daughter has yet to make a family home but she has a clear idea of what her home should be like. And the writing itself is superb! I really liked how the book was organized into the different months of the y...

I love getting inspiration to decorate my house. It is not a natural inclination of mine but I enjoy HGTV shows and books about decor. I like to look around my friend's houses even. So I thought I'd enjoy " Apartment Therapy: Complete + Happy Home " by Maxwell Ryan and Janel Laban. What I did like: I liked the clear pictures in the book. There are some funky designs and layouts. I did get some interesting ideas. But this is not just a pretty book to look at. There are practical tips, too, on flooring, color, lighting, plants, cleaning, repairs. This is a great book. I plan to follow their cleaning schedule (monthly) this next year. Hopefully. What I didn't like: I did not like that all of the pictures of real homes looked like magazine homes. The layouts of the homes themselves are not anything like my home or my friends' houses. For once I'd like to see...I don't know, something more real. Not the mess of our homes but real decor. Maybe because...

As I've just repainted the boys' bedroom, I really want to do more DIY and painting in our home to make it more "us." Not 100% sure how "us" looks but beige walls aren't what I'm thinking. I was more than happy to review "A Beautiful Mess: Happy Handmade Home" by Elsie Larson and Emma Chapman . They are bloggers at A Beautiful Mess and really have crafted their homes into "them." The book itself is beautiful - full of bright, colorful pictures, a few recipes, DIY tips. It's just a book that screams "fun!" However, the content was less than I was hoping for. image via Random House A few of the DIY (do it yourself, for those not up on acronyms) projects are completely do-able - the quotable wall art, hanging plants, flower faces 9 ways, update your old refrigerator. OK so most of the DIY are do-able but then there's a few that are out there (mostly in the time realm): yarn throw pillows (making your own loo...

Deciding to build  your own home  is a pretty big deal, you probably have a very clear idea of what you want in mind; you know what features you need and want, you know what size is right for your family, you may even have the colour scheme planned out. But while all the ideas and well and good, exciting actually, the reality is that you will need to find somebody to build the place! This is the overwhelming part. Who do you choose? How do you know you are dealing with a reputable dealer? What kind of home can you afford and what are you meant to look for in a builder? There are all really important and sometimes confusing questions; building your own home is overwhelming so you want to go into it somewhat informed with a builder that understands your wants and concerns. Here are a few tips to get you onto the right track to the perfect builder for your home. First of all, make a short list of all your local builders, it's a good idea to head to your cities  builde...

"I was helping Daddy." "I was laying and I say, 'ouch!'" "Squirt playing golf in his underwear" "And I played with Ti-ti Alyson" Me: What's this a picture of? Moose: Of me, of my new house! That's right, we're home. :) Thank you, Lord!

This is our home for at least the next year.  The best thing about this house... is not the house itself but the warm welcome we've received. Food, help, phone calls, and more food! I love our friends! I have many thank you notes to write. The worst thing about this house is this If you ask my kids, the stairs would rank high  in their "likes" list of this house. BUT the baby has finally learned to go down backwards on the stairs. Unfortunately, he had a bit of an accident yesterday  (while I wasn't home, of course). The paint in the stairwell is textured and it's sharp! So when you miss the last 3 steps your head gets scratched up. Poor guy. Anyway, just wanted to update you a bit on our home.  I will give a grand "tour" when  I get pictures hung up.

So...I'm lazy and don't want to upload all of these pictures of our new house (again). For all of you who want to see our lovely new home, go here and check it out.

This post is part of Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop. To read more posts inspired by various prompts, click here . Prompt #4: How many homes have you had? Write a journal entry about ALL the places you've called "home" in your life. One memory. That's all I have from my first home. I was about four, sitting on my mom's afghan in the middle of our living room, watching Fraggle Rock. That's all. Nothing more. It's also my oldest memory. My second house is where I lived the longest part of my life: age 5-18 (and summers of ages 19-20). Two bedrooms, one bathroom, four girls, one boy. Needless to say, it was small. I shared a room with my two sisters: Amber (2 years older) and Alyson (2 years younger). We had a bunkbed. Guess who got to share the bottom bunk? That's right, the younger two sisters. We fought like...well...sisters. She slept many a nights on the living room floor (she just wouldn't lay still and go to sleep, so we'd hit each ot...

awaiting the arrival of Big A! He's on the road...so about 6 hours from now, he'll be home!! Moose vigilantly sitting by the door, waiting for his da-da-daeee! Welcome home cookies! Moose helped me put the sprinkles on (or POUR them, in this case).

This past weekend, my mom put together a family BBQ for my Grandma Marilyn, Big A, and my Uncle Rick's birthdays. This is the first of family get-togethers in awhile and the first where everyone actually showed up (or at least most people). Usually my one cousins may make an appearance but that's about it. We left here around 1 on Saturday & made it in time to pick up my great grandma, Maxine, to bring her to the BBQ. She sure was talkative! I can imagine though that she gets lonely living by herself in an apartment building. And she does adore Tristan! When we got to my grandma's house, we helped set out food while my Dad manned the barbecue. Everyone was assigned to bring something - we took our famous homemade cheesecake lovingly made by my husband this time. So good! There were hamburgers, hot dogs, macaroni & potato salad, 2 types of devil's eggs, baked beans...yummy! Then for dessert we had birthday cake, cheesecake, & ice cream. Oh yeah! I played host...