So, it's been sort of quiet on the blog for a while - sorry!  It takes some getting used to, remembering to write, having something worth writing about, not getting interrupted while writing...  I can't see things changing anytime soon though.
So, what's been going on?  Hmm.. well, in WW world i'm down 8.4lbs, so that's nice!  I had made it up to 9.6, but then got overconfident and stopped tracking.... (which I'm still not doing - shame on me!).  I've been promising myself to make it to the gym at least 4 days a week too - and excuses, excuses, I still haven't done that!  I do go to Zumba at least once a week though.  Looooove Zumba!  It's helped me to realize exactly how UNcoordinated  I am, shown me how I really look akwardly dancing in front of a full length mirror (Eeek!), and left me sweaty enough to gross even myself out, LOL, but I LOVE it!
So yea, now that I made Zumba sound super enticing - you should try it! ;)

I've also had some home renovations going on.  We're actually right smack in the middle of quite a few things, and have even more plans. (Well, I have plans - hubbs hasn't exactly jumped on the 'let's do more' train quite yet!)

We've recently widened our driveway and lined it with timbers.  Two rows of 4 small cars can fit across now.  Then probably two across the rest of the way down. We've just got to grab some small rocks to fill in the part that we widened & knock down the brick surround on the other side of the driveway & put timbers over there too so it matches.

Alongside the driveway widening, Hubbs cleared out the side yard too.  It was a jungle before.  We just didn't go near it, and squinted our eyes at it when we had to look, so that it would all blend and look fuzzy & green, and almost nice, (well, that's what I did) instead of the wide eyed reality of the climbing vines choking everything out, random trash the wind had swept in, old beer & hard liquor bottles that'd been there for longer than I'd been alive, it seemed... it was scary.  That was the other side of the house.  The side where only our dead leaves dared go.

Not anymore!  Hubbs got in that Bobcat & just took it over!  We cleared out the trash & bottles, he knocked down some trees and attacked those vines like nobody's business...  It's all cleared out & wide open looking now.  We just need to even it out a bit, plant some grass, get a good fire pit area going on over there, maybe even a tree house... (Shh! Hubbs hasn't exactly heard the tree house idea yet... I'm not sure he's ready for it!)

We also have more outdoor plans of a walkway to the front door, another garden area in the front yard, a stone patio in the backyard, & a custom Pergola over the stone patio. 

We might be a little crazy, btw.  (Who am I kidding?!  ...might, lol.)

We're still in the middle of a year long attic renovation that will be the boys' new bedroom once it's done.  That's been a work in progress for quite some time, but I'm really hoping to wrap it up soon & get them in there.  I've got lots of growing boy tween themes for that room, plus, it'll give them soo much more room (to do activities!), the separate bed option they so desperately want (instead of bunk beds - no, they don't share a bed), a homework area, and a closet to DIE for.  (Seriously, I'd give up my master bath for that closet, but hubbs says no!)
Can't wait until it's finished!  Just need to grab some more drywall & get to mudding! (... mudding... the reason we've stalled for so long.... mudding's no fun)

Another in-progress project, is some trim painting throughout the house!  A good friend pointed out that my stained wood trim was holding my house back from reaching it's awesome-ness potential.  Duh!  Why didn't I see that?!  (Probably bc I didn't want to - we have a LOT of stained wood trim)  I used a stripper on the window to get the varnish off so that I didn't have tons of sanding dust everywhere (work smarter - not harder!).  I've painted two coats of primer and am debating on one more before two-three coats of a white satin paint.  Saydee (our dog) often hops up on that window & I'm worried about her nails scratching up the paint. I think I'll first prime all the trim in the living room though, then I'll move on to painting them them all.
What a difference already on the bay window though!  The light reflects off it, so it's brighter & my son commented that it looks like we bought a brand new window - WIN!
That idea, prompted me to consider painting my fireplace wall too. (Which scared good friend a little bit - but not me!).  The fireplace was easier to get started - no sanding - so I got busy painting it white even before I'd started the window.  (It was originally red bricks with random white and black 'painted' ones?  I call it "the dirty look" for bricks, and I don't mind it at all on the outside of my home.  I'm done with it on the inside!)  The white instantly brightened up the room, made it look bigger and CLEAN!!  I haven't done the inside, or the part on the floor yet (bc there's a wood stove sitting in & on), but I'm considering painting the inside black, and either the botton white, or we may put some slate over the bottom (another possible planned project).  Once the painting part is finished I'm dying to get these custom ladder shelves built that I designed for the space at least 3 years ago.  Those will be stained black, to break up the white a little bit and will hold our DVD's, videogame & cable boxes, some frames & books, and logs will store neatly in the bottom on slide out boot trays for the wood stove. I know, I'm a genius...  sometimes I amaze even me! ;)  LOL (note that custom shelving is yet another planned project for the hubbs - but he just has a few simple cuts to do - I'll do the staining!)


Now I really want to tally this up; exactly how many project are in progress and how may are in the planning stage?

In Progress:
1. Attic
2.Driveway
3.Side Yard
4.Trim Painting
5. Fireplace Painting

More To Come:
1.Custom Ladder Shelves
2.Walkway
3.Garden
4.Stone Patio
5.Pergola
6. Adding Shower to the Master Bath (almost forgot about that one!)
7.Linen Closet/Laundry Chute (great idea hubbs had... another day, another blog post)
...and really, tons more I think.  LOL
(No wonder why Hubbs is ready to move us all far, far away to a house more complete!)


So, when my next blog post is how I'm 'sooo overwhelmed & just don't know what to do!', please remind me that I've totally brought this on myself so I should suck it up or cut it out!!  ;)  (just remind me super nicely, bc I cannot guarantee that my reaction will be immediate acceptance)


Well, clearly I've got too much to do to be sitting here writing about it!  LOL
First I've got to figure out dinner, pick up niece, pick up Luke from his friend's house, make sure my lesson's ready & get these kids to AWANAS tonight (baptist version of CCD, for all that wonder)...
No projects today.