Sneak Peak: Stone!

We committed!  We picked out a stone and we love it!  It's fireplace completion time!  7 years in the making... happy dance!  :-)  woot woot! 

It's a natural limestone.  Isn't it pretty?! 

Here is what we have been looking at since we built our home 7 years ago. 

Step 1: remove the existing drywall.  This was the fun part.  I love construction demo! 

Step 2: Barricade the kids creating a safe playing area away from flying drywall.  :-)  The kids thought this was fun at first... then quickly learned how to escape. 

Escaping the kid barricade led to little helping hands.  Ethan thought that using the shop vac was the best job ever. 

Isn't he a handsome little helper :-)

Since we had the wall opened up I talked Cory in to Step 3: installing eyeball lights! 

They work!  I love them!

Step 4: Get rid of old hearth, install the solid hardwood mahogany mantel, and hang up cement board. 

These are just phone pictures.  I'll have better pictures and more details in our final post. 

I Just Don't Understand

I am feeling disturbed today.  There are so many evil things that happen in this world.  It is scary turning on the news and watching the horrible and tragic stories come across the tv while we are going about our day.  There was a tragic incident this weekend that hit close to home for me.  There was a shooting in a salon in Brookfield.  A man took the life of his wife, two of her coworkers, and then took his own life.  One of those coworkers was a friend of mine from high school.  We weren't super close friends, but our lives crossed paths many times.  We had occasional get togethers and sleep overs at each other's houses during our sophomore and junior years.  We always had a lot in common.  We ran in to each other later on in life and realized we both had daughters within a year of one another and both named our girls Mariah.  She was a super kind and sweet person.  Always soft spoken and smiling. 

How could someone take her life for no reason?  I just don't understand it. 

I just want to sit and home and hug my family today. 

My thoughts and prayers go out to Cary Robuck's family and friends.  Also to the other victims family and friends.  Truly tragic.  Heartbreaking. 

Links:

Remembering Cary

Spa Shooting

Oh, lighten up!

This weekend I learned about light bulbs. 

I went to Menards in search for more light.  I didn't want to buy new light fixtures, I just wanted brighter bulbs, but everything in my home seems to allow up to 60 watt bulbs.  I talked to the light specialist (well that's what I'm calling her) in the store and she explained the light bulb...

Soft White = a yellow base creating a warm feel
Bright White = a yellow and blue base giving a nice mixture
Daylight = a blue base giving a very bright feel

As I went home and looked around my house, I realized I was buying soft white for all of my bulbs.  I never realized I was doing this.  I just bought the light bulbs in the past paying no attention to the exact color. 

I went back to Menards and bought 15 fluorescent energy saving light bulbs, 60 watt, in a bright white.  Well... let me show you the difference.  I love it.  Cory thinks he needs sunglasses in the kitchen, but I love the brighter lights! 

Hallway before:

Hallway after: 

It's a much truer-to-color light.  Plus, it saves us money on our electric bill because we went with energy efficient fluorescent bulbs! 

What color light bulbs do you use?  Do you have a room that always feels really dark?  Maybe try switching out the bulbs!  

And... it's October

Mariah has a job!  Her very first official job!  She is working at a local Farmer's Market and Gift Shop.  She was hired on as seasonal help, but is really enjoying it and hopes to get hired on year-round!  I have some great pictures of her first day, but haven't taken them off of my camera yet...

Carter moved up to the toddler room at daycare.  He is still adjusting.  We miss the infant room teachers a lot.  :-( 

Ethan is adjusting to the new school/daycare/preschool year.  His friends that were older than him have all gone off to kindergarten and now he is one of the oldest in his class.  He is adjusting and making new friends.

Daycare's play area is all sand.  ALL SAND. Which means every day when I pick up the boys they are covered in sand.  It's in their shoes, coated on their socks, in their hair, on their skin, in Carter's diaper.  Seriously it is everywhere and it makes me CRAZY!  The daycare is having a fundraiser for more playground equipment and sand... how do I tell them that I am not helping them with their fundraiser... because the sand is HORRIBLE! 

My brother and his wife are due to have their baby boy any day now!  So excited for them.  Baby Oliver Christian is going to be a very loved little man.  I can't wait to snuggle him! 

Well, that's all for now.  Not much for my first post in over three weeks.  Sorry about the lack of pictures... Just how I role lately. 

Happy October!