Christmas In Our Little Cozy Cabin!

Christmas was in our cozy little cabin this year after all.  Our house is so close to being done.  I don't see any reason why we won't be moving in January.  Yea!  We all can't wait!  Even though I wanted to be in my house, it's not what Christmas is really about.  We made it work, and I have a feeling that this will be one of those Christmases I'll always remember.  How could I forget it?

 

My Grandmom had an extra tree in her attic that she gave to us.  All of our Christmas decor is in the storage unit somewhere.  Natalie and I strung some beads to make some ornaments and we bought one package of little red and white balls on sale at hobby lobby.  Natalie made the snowman for the topper from a fun foam kit, and we glued it onto a toilet paper roll - it worked perfectly!!  We loved our little pint-sized tree!

Santa brought the girls lots of goodies - we are "swimming in toys" in this apartment, but we are grateful!

 Melanie got a shopping cart which she loves to push around.  She loves to be a big girl.  She's also really into tractors.  Every time she sees one when we're out and about, she says, "tractor."  She even calls big trucks "tractor."

Natalie loves to read books, and now she can read them herself.  This is so much fun - even we like to use it!  But her favorite gifts were Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, the My Little Pony Carnival, and her Lightning McQueen car and game.  She loves them more than anything else!

We didn't get a family picture this year - I wish we had - so this will have to do!  Hopefully we will get some taken at our new house soon.  Merry Christmas!

Jordan's Craftmanship

I know firsthand how amazingly talented my husband is.  I have always wanted a house that showed off his skills as a craftsman.  I believe that he is the best of the best and has so much to offer.  Here are some pictures of our house (of course all built by Jordan) that I am very proud to share.  Jordan designs and builds on his own - I don't even need to have a say - because everything he creates always exceeds my expectations.  When he completes something, all I can say is "Wow! I LOVE it!"

 This is our entertainment center in the living room.

Jordan built our front door from scratch himself.  It is my favorite thing in the house.  It just looks so incredibly beautiful.  I love to just look at it.  Who needs artwork?

All of the wood in the house if knotty alder.  We like the rustic style and feel.  Here are some views of the kitchen cabinets.

My brothers Neal and Will installed this tumbled marble backsplash.  I'm so proud of them!  They also did the tile in our bathrooms and laundry room.  It's a family effort here!

In the kitchen Jordan put up wainscot panels at my request.  I want people to know that our house belongs to a trim carpenter (and not just any trim carpenter - a master craftsman!)

Date with Dad

I know, it's been a long time coming. . . I haven't kept up with my blog - this one's from October!!  We've just had quite a bit going on over the past month.  On October 30th, we had our annual Date with Dad at the preschool.  It is one of my favorite events of the year.  I love seeing all the kiddos with their dads.  Everyone wears camo for the occasion.  The dads and kids have lunch together and then enjoy themselves playing games.  Here is a cute shot of Jordan & Natalie and then one of our whole family in our garb.

Funny story - there's been a lot of talk about hunting in our family over the past few months.  Jordan, Geoff,  and Bruce went dove hunting in September, and of course, deer season is on now.  Anyway - at date with Dad we have this huge inflatable deer that we use for decoration in the gym.  After the event while we were cleaning up, my daughter - who's been hearing a LOT about hunting lately - picks up the deer and says, "Hey, I know a game we can play - it's called Shoot the Deer."  She tells another little boy in the preschool that he has to shoot the deer that she's holding up in standing position.  He just stares at her for a few minutes while she continues to announce very loudly to the whole gym. . . . "Hey, I know a game we can play - it's called Shoot the Deer  - now shoot it!"  Finally, the little boy gives in, holds up one hand, points a finger, and very calmly says, "Bang!"  To Natalie's delight, she knocks the deer over and announces, "You got him!  Good Job!"  Well, I may not be a hunter, but far be it from me to keep my little girl from her destiny!

9 Points

So November 7th was officially deer season, and Jordan definitely was in for a hunt this year!  He went out very early Saturday morning and waited patiently in his tree for this big fellow!  I'm sorry - this is not for the faint of heart - if you're not into this - stop here and do not continue to read or look below.  However, I just have to brag on my amazing husband.  I have to say, I am not a hunter, but I do not mind those who do as long as they do it responsibly and I do not have to do it myself.  I was so proud of him when he came home with his prize!  It's hard to believe that he is finished with hunting deer this season on his first morning out.  It was worth it to see his glowing pride- he is such a wonderful husband and father and deserves this.  We will have lots of sausage in our freezer. . . . . he was a big 'un!

Bike Riding

We are a bike riding family!  Natalie finally learned how to successfully pedal her bike at the end of September.  We've been riding around the lake ever since.  Fall is my favorite time of year.  I love the clear skies and sunny days.  I love the trees turning colors.  It just makes me want to go camping every weekend.  But since Jordan is working and very busy on our house right now, I will have to settle for bike rides.  It comes pretty close.  I got Melanie a toddler seat so she can ride on the back of our bike.  She looks a little unsure in this picture, but that's because this was her first ride - she loves it now!  She even goes to sleep sometimes.  I can remember riding around on the back of my mom and dad's bikes in seats similar to this one.  I wonder if Melanie will have memories of this.  I know Natalie will.  Poppi (my granddad) passed away last October, and my Grandmom gave us his bicycle.  I have absolutely loved having it to ride around.  I'm so grateful that she gave it to us.  Every time I ride it, I think of him.  He was a wonderful grandfather, and I'm so blessed that he was mine.

My Beautiful House

Before & After - and now we have a house!  Here is the latest photo of our home.  We are ready to have it sheetrocked, and hopefully this will be done by the end of next week.  It has been pretty wet around here (we are grateful for the rain), but this will slow down the process.  Jordan has been so busy building the cabinets and entertainment center for the living room.  They are going to be incredibly beautiful.  Of course, I think that anything Jordan builds is absolutely amazing.  He always exceeds my expectations.  So the cabinets have been his responsibility.  I have let him make all the decisions regarding them because I trust him completely.  After all, it is his specialty!  I am basically being surprised!  He is building them out of knotty alder wood and we are going to put a dark stain on them.  Jordan has been putting many long hours in on them over the past few weeks.  He works all day at work and then stays 3-4 hours later to work on our cabinets.  I am so thankful for a hardworking husband!  I am really blessed!

Melanie's Birthday Party Pictures

Melanie and Cousin Elias are 2 weeks apart and shared a joint party this year to make it easier for friends and family.  We had the party at Granddaddy and Grammy's house - thank you Bruce & Connie!  The theme was puppies because Melanie absolutely loves dogs.  She loves to bark and say "dog."  She will also point to the dogs outside if you ask her, "Where are the dogs?"  Her favorite toys are her stuffed puppies!  She was wearing a onesie with a puppie applique on the front.  I bought Melanie this cute hat, but she wouldn't keep it on!  The party was really sweet and enjoyable.  Thanks for all the wonderful gifts and for making the trip!  Of course, Melanie's cake was chocolate, and I attempted to make a puppy on it!