Coming Out of the Closet

Well, you didn't know it until now, but I've been in the closet the last 6 days--and I'm finally coming out!

I have no before pictures, but the after pictures are glorious--at least to me. No more shoes on the floor. Shelves that were wire are now wood. No more wasted storage space. We've gone from chaos to organization.

Jon went on a trip last week and I went into action. I had been studying the problem for the last two weeks and now it was time to act. I took out all of our clothes then pulled down the wire ClosetMaid system. The walls were disgusting--original flat contractor paint that had been scuffed up for 20 years, so I pulled a gallon of white paint from the shelf in the garage and threw a coat on the wall. Then off to Home Depot! It's my favorite store.

I found the right plywood then had them carve it up--three sheets and at least 20 cuts. Two hours later I dropped it off at home, dragged out my chop saw, nail gun and table saw and measured, cut, and hung.

Things I learned:
1) Walls have bumps.
2) The little levels with the bubble window on top must be oriented bubble window side up or else they are not level.
3) When really motivated to do something, I can accomplish both home school and the thing I want to do.
4) Walls have bumps.
5) Dads are invaluable for info. about building things--if that dad happens to be handy at stuff like that.
6) Paint before you hang it up.
7) Walls have bumps--and I loathe them.


This is the view as you walk into the closet--so much better than shoes everywhere and sweaters piled high and flopping off a shelf that is two inches too short.


Now I've turned 90 degrees to the right and we're looking at my shoes and long clothes to the right and left.


Now to the right of my shoes--my summer shirts on time and winter on bottom.

Jon returned from Chicago to find me still in the closet, painting, painting, painting. I hadn't had a shower in two days and had skipped at least four meals. Needless to say, I got no happy-to-be-home kiss. For two days I painted. Then I bought rods and hung them. I put most of the clothes back in the closet and the shoes on the shelves. Glorious! I was short a few brackets, so I did not finish until tonight.

But now...



Sigh! The only thing left to do is trim out the edge that I had to shim in order to fix the uneven wall and add one shelf that I discovered I had room for when hanging the last rod tonight.

Then, of course, there is this: it's next. But first, Thanksgiving!

Jon's 35th!

Yesterday was Jon's 35th birthday!

Here he is with the kids right before opening his presents.



Here he is excited about opening socks.



Here he is excited about opening underwear.


Good sport. He also got a wallet that he'd been admiring on our trip to Tennessee. We went out to a late dinner at a nice Italian place. Lovely evening celebrating the life of My Love!

UP

Not the movie--the child. It's 5am and she's up. I'm just thankful that she's happy.

My Birthday

The other day I turned 35.

Gem's Song

Last week, Gem had a unique opportunity. Through a chance connection she and four of her friends took part in recording a praise CD for Integrity Music Kids. It is a Christmas album that will come out next year!

They went to a recording studio and spent two days hammering out cuts. In the end, the producer seemed pleased and he intends to make the trip to NC about twice a year to record with this group. Normally, he records in Atlanta, GA, but his sister who works on projects with him lives in our town. She said that she would work on the projects but that she wouldn't come to Atlanta anymore. So, he decided to come here.

It's an amazing opportunity for Gem. What a treat to see her be able to take part in something she loves. The girl has a beautiful voice. We're proud and excited for her.

Fly, Fly Away!

Jon and I flew away for a week. My mom graciously caught a flight to our home and kept our 5 nestlings for 5 days. Jon and I hit the trail and headed for the mountains. We didn't even have reservations anywhere. We just flew! Based on the results, I recommend doing this once in your life.

First night: The Inn on Biltmore Estate. Ritzy and pricey, but luxurious. It was lovely.

Our truck, parked in front of the Inn on Biltmore Estate.



The mansion: 4 acres of floor space, 250 rooms, 34 bedrooms, 43 bathrooms, and 65 fireplaces. The basement alone houses a swimming pool, gymnasium and changing rooms, bowling alley, servants' quarters, kitchens, and more. The grounds were originally 127,000 acres. To put that in perspective, the college where Jon works, including their woods that have miles of trails, is only 350 acres. This is basically a county unto itself. "See that mountain in the distance? The original border was just on the other side," said a tour guide. Apparently, Edith sold off all but 8 or 9 thousand acres when the government decided to invoke a land tax. Ahhh! Sigh. Only a minute fraction of the original. A small town serviced the estate.



Me posing on a garden bench, pretending to be a guest of the Vanderbilts. But they made husband and wife guests have separate rooms. No thank you. I'll just be a tourist.



I love that smile even more than the view from the veranda.



Here we are with lots of back lighting and severe morning sun on the facade of the house.



Next, we headed west to the Smoky Mountains. Contrasting Pigeon Forge and the Biltmore Estate in the same day was a study in hilarity: both ridiculous, one in high brow extravagance and one in the style of Hillbilly Vegas.

Of course, because the fall leaves were almost at peak and there was a conference in town that hosted 9,000 old people, all the decent hotel rooms were booked. I kid you not, we probably called 13 hotels before finally nailing down a room that was just passable. But really, I was very grateful that I didn't have to sleep in the truck. When you call that many hotels and get the "No room in the Inn" response, you're happy for even a stable. Ours was outdated but clean. I'll take it.

The first day we shopped at the great outlet mall that they have. I bought a great pair of shoes and jeans and a sweatshirt that doesn't make me look like a sack of potatoes. Jon made a great haul.

The next day we headed to Smoky Mountain National Park and hiked. The drive to the trail head was gorgeous. The colors arched over the parkway and entertained us with an occasional burst of red and lots of orange an yellow.

View from one of 4 bridges that we crossed along our trail.



We chose a trail that we hiked on our honeymoon (14 years ago).

Our destination.



It is the most strenuous trail in the park. It's about 4 miles round trip, but 1.1 of that hike is straight up. It's the hardest stairmaster workout you could wish for. We took our time but did well. It's called Chimney Tops. It's a mountain peak that is a rock outcropping.

To get to the summit, you have to scale the rocks. Jon chose the side that is almost straight up but short. I chose the longer and more gradual slope. Both deter a lot of hikers, but the summit is worth the final climb--panoramic mountain views for miles and miles. Just beautiful!

The ascent I chose.



One of the views from the top. It was panoramic like this.



Here we are at the top.



That afternoon we found a great two bedroom condo that had just been built. The only detractor was a busy road right outside the window. It was gorgeous though! What a blessing. We stayed there two more nights. We shopped some more and slept in and just enjoyed one another without thought of changing diapers or arranging schedules. What a great experience!

Lovin' Little League

Shakespeare won his game tonight--big time (32-0).

Little league football is a quaint setting. Parents with video cameras, nachos and popcorn from the snack shack, kids throwing footballs, cheerleaders cheering and moving in ways that I will not allow my children to move in public, yelling things to my child that he could never hear from that distance. It's fun. Especially when we're winning. And we won so big tonight that it was all the more fun. In fact, I really had to check my celebrating because the opposing team parents were just a stone toss away.

The only thing missing from this evening was Jon. He's been on the sidelines every game and most practices. Tonight he was in Denver for a conference. : ( We texted him a picture of the scoreboard at halftime and then the final score.

Other than the one big missing piece, it was a perfect little league evening.

Steppin' Out

Last night was the formal dinner for the college's big donor base. The room was packed and Jon and one of his managers were the main speakers. Jon spoke well and from his heart.

I'm always proud of Jon and the job he does, but hearing the echo of praise out of the mouths of those who work closely to him and from the people who most care about the college was gratifying and humbling. Jon really has made a huge impact on the campus and none of the praise was exaggerated.

It was also a pleasure to put faces to names. All of the board members were there, so I actually got to meet some people that I feel I already know.

Beyond the event, I got to dress up! Got a new dress and shoes, had my nails done, spent time on my hair--spared no expense! It was fun.

The hair. Up-do with twisty thingamabobs everywhere. Thankfully, it didn't move. This picture was taken at the end of the evening.



These are my favorite shoes that I've ever bought. Aren't they great?!



Here! I know you want another shot.



And here's the happy couple. I love my dress. It fit like a glove but was so comfortable.



And here's a full length.

Catching Up

It's been awhile since I last blogged. Here are a few picts. to catch you up.

We took down that tree.







Hidden away in the Gator.



Sinatra.



Going to football practice or games has been a constant--4 days a week until the end of the month. Number 63 is our favorite. Shakespeare usually plays offense and makes his blocks about 80% of the time. He loves it.



Here is his sister watching the game.




Can you guess what is on his finger? Nope, not that.



Please pardon the long nails.



It's an inch worm. Popcorn and Sinatra vied for possession of this "little booger" for an hour. Then after torturing the small creature with tug-of-war someone accidentally dropped it in the grass and it was lost.



Here's some Sugar sweetness.



and some more.



and a Gem.


and our 10 lb. Annie. We go on walks every morning before anyone else in the house is up. What a great treat for the dog and for me.



And these last two shots are of the kids doing their VBS presentation--Saddle Ridge Ranch was the theme.

Timber

This morning Jon and I were getting ready in our bathroom when we heard a crash, scrape and thud right outside our window. We both immediately thought that the window air conditioner unit (temporary--until we replace the AC for our upstairs) had fallen out of the window, skidded down the roof and crashed to the ground. Jon opened up the door and there was the unit, secure and blowing cold air.

"Was it that screen that you propped out there?" I asked. Couldn't have been. That was too much noise.

So, Jon looked out the window. The tree.







The flowering pears are known as 20 year trees. Ours made it 19. They're beautiful in the spring and grow very quickly. I think that is why the housing development planted them. But over the last few years neighbors have had chunks of their trees splitting off. Oh well. So long front yard tree. We'll have to plant something that doesn't fall apart after 20 years.

I'm just glad that only the gutters were hurt.