School house rock.

Today was our first day in the nearly finished school room and already we all feel so cozy and happy in it.  It isn't completely finished yet - we still have to paint the table, put in a shelf, frame the home-made blackboard, and add the art; but it's finished enough for us to use it. Once it's completely done I'll post before and after pictures and what not.   But I still wanted to post and say what a difference it makes to have a large space dedicated to school.  A room without a television or even within earshot of one.  A room where we don't mind making a mess.  A room with space for everyone to be working at once and not bother each other.  I love it.

The first of many before and afters...

I have a lot to take after pictures of but most of it isn't quite finished.  But since this was a quick fix I thought I'd share it.  Here is the before of the light that hangs over our kitchen table...

And bless it's heart but it's ugly.  Not the worst light ever but just plain ugly.  Luckily in my sickened state I was still able to visit some thrift stores and found a $6 chandelier.   I then spray painted it and tonight Mike took down the 1966 wagon wheel-ish light and hung it in it's place.  It's cute and the color makes it less formal.  It might end up with some shades on it but it's cute enough for now...

What do you think?

Hit the ground slumping.

On the way here - somewhere in southern Washington.  Before I realized I was as sick as a dog...

Did you know that on the first day of the rest of my life, a.k.a. the day we moved in, I got sick?  Like, really sick.  I'm pretty sure I got the flu.  A little ironic, I thought.   I actually thought a lot more negative thoughts about it than that.  I was B-U-M-M-E-D!  And it took me seriously an entire week to get well enough to get out of my pj's and start opening boxes.  What a bummer.  Anyhow, I am no longer sick.  Well, I'm a little sick.  Turns out that flu turned into a sinus infection but that is almost gone and I've got all sorts of energy and the like.   And today I went to church for the first time.  I had all sorts of ideas about how I was going to hit the ground running and learn everyone's names and make friends and instantaneously integrate into my new life.  But instead I was a ball of nerves and sometimes a little trembly.  And even though Mike swears I didn't, I think I even had that nervous bad breath.   Anyhow, so I'm not a super-human integrator.

As for the house, I love it.  And yet sometimes I am completely lost.  Sometimes the list of things I want to do to it gets so long I can hardly see straight.  I look up pricing and colors on my little phone until my fingers ache.   Anyhow, we've just about got the school room done - I'll post pics in a couple days.  And now we're working on getting all of the wood paneling painted.  And then...  where do I start?    But I love it.  I really really love it.  I feel like we've lived here a long time - like we're old friends me and this house.  Like she was waiting for us.  Made for each other.  Soul mates.  Anyhow, I just wanted to write a post since I finally have the internet. I also included some pics taken with my phone.  From now on pics will now be taken with my real camera but it was in the shop getting all spruced up and the like...

If you meld these two pictures together and make the hills a little bigger - that is what it looks like here.

It has been really misty and drizzly here which is beautiful - except when you're as sick as a dog.  But now I love it.