There's No Place Like Home...

Well, that's so true, but we'll soon be settling into a new home! We decided to try to sell our current home ourselves and quite to our surprise, we stuck the sign in the yard late Thursday night & sold it Saturday afternoon! Talk about shocked! We had a very busy day of soccer games, birthday parties & tried to squeeze in a showing- meanwhile, my oldest son fell during his soccer game & I took him to the ER as my husband showed our home. Well an ER trip later, one broken arm, and the first lookers are now our buyers! We needed to find a new home & I found this one with my mother one evening. I took Lance back & he loved it too. Great location, good bones (as we say), nice open concept, lots of light, & well, yes plenty of room for updating :) We should close in April & begin the adventure of painting, updating light fixtures, old hardware, etc. Don't be jealous of my new ginormous brass chandelier or my country blue striped wall paper- it's all on it's way out! I am very excited to make some new family memories and pick new pieces to make it a little more "Shelley Chic"!

Aged Like a Fine Wine

My hubby found this gem at a neighbor's garage sale. She said it had been her grandmother's & it was really old. I was so excited when I saw it- old, worn, casters on the legs and as usual just needing some help to be beautiful again. Because of the age & type of wood, it had many shades of color once we sanded it. I decided to paint it lightly & then do some distressing so all that character could be seen. I found the amber colored hardware & knew they were perfect for this vanity. She's already been delivered to her new teenage owner. Sad to see her go, but excited someone else will be enjoying her beauty! (PS- excuse the primitive photography- a new camera is on my list of purchases)

A Sunday Kind of Love...

Why settle for anything less?

Words to Live By...

I found these great quotes on the Urban Farmgirl blog Check it out)http://urbanfarmgirlandco.blogspot.com/ ; loved them & had to share...

Aren't those inspirational? Our message series at church (check it out online here) www.lifechurch.tv is called Better. Don't we all thirst for a better year than last, a better relationship with God, a better (you fill in the blank)? Something to really consider, don't you think?

Now something about me, in case you were wondering. Things that make me happy...
1. my husband,our boys, and my family
2. my dogs wagging their tails and their happy faces
3. sunshine
4. snow (but only for a few days, then I'm ready for summer)
5. music
6. laughter
7. zumba & yoga- jogging in the warm weather
8. sweet tea & dark chocolate- not neccessarily together
9. hot baths
10. pedicures & massages
11. boots
12. sunshine (hmm, mentioned it twice- I must be ready for summer)
13. HGTV, The Picker Sisters, The Office, Modern Family, & the Biggest Loser
14. cold sheets & warm covers
15. pajamas & house shoes- you really can't go wrong here!

I dream of...
1. having tons of time to redo furniture
2. traveling more
3. making a difference for others
4. having a voice like Norah Jones and curves like Scarlett Johansson (LOL- a girl can dream, right?)

Looking Back on 2011

What a busy year we've had! We had another blizzard last winter (I believe it was January 2011). I could really get used to these. We had another 12 inches or so- like last year. The snow is so beautiful! The boys missed several days of school, which they could get used to also. Mason turned 12 in June & has been growing like a weed, specifically his feet :) We have to buy him new shoes about every two months- last winter he could wear my size & now he is wearing a man's size 7! He decided not to try out for competitive soccer this year, but instead to play on a traveling rec team. Evan turned 8 and no longer even looks like the same kid; how does that happen? He has let his hair grow out & has big kid teeth too. He had a Michael Jackson birthday cake & got a Thriller jacket & glove as gifts from us. You could say he likes to dance & loves music, but that would be an understatement! Lance & I celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary in August (15 years is a long time & makes us sound old, but WE AREN'T!!) This was a record breaking summer for heat; I believe we had over 40 days of 100+ degrees! It was miserable!!! I love summer, but it was too hot to even go swimming. In November, we had several earthquakes- yes, earthquakes! The first one woke me up because it caused my hand to bump my face and was a rumbling sound. When we woke up that morning, the news said we had an earthquake. The epicenter was near Shawnee. A few days later, we had another large earthquake that was like a rolling feeling & rumbling sound. This time we were all awake & definitely felt it! It scared the boys. Our chandelier was even swinging back and forth. The next night, we had another smaller one. I've seen it all now- we survived being in the May 3rd, 1999 tornado and now have been here to feel the strongest earthquake recorded in Oklahoma. We're pretty resilient!!! In October we also visited Disney World & it was "magical". We went to Animal Kingdom, Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, and Epcot. We also rented a car & traveled to Universal Studios. We stayed at the Wilderness Lodge & let me tell you, they have the best waffles in the world! Evan thought he was in heaven with chocolate chip pancakes with chocolate syrup- yummy! Animal Kingdom's Everest roller coaster was thrilling & we rode it several times. The parade there was fantastic as well. We really enjoyed Hollywood Studios- the Rockin Rollercoaster was well...Rockin'! Tower of terror was terrifying & Mason & I screamed like girls-LOL! Epcot was okay, the best things were the test track & Talking Turtle with Crush. Evan got to talk to Crush & asked, "What is it like living with Nemo?" We spent a day and a half at the Magic Kingdom. It is beautiful there. Evan also danced in one of the street parades, errr- I meant break danced.

He did the centipede on the street with characters all around him! It was the best thing I've seen in a long time!!!! We are looking forward to going back. December has gone well with lots of family gatherings, gifts, and too many blessings to count. We are anticipating a new year filled with family, friends, and laughter. Also the opportunities to live out God's plan for our lives and to use our lives to make a difference for others. Happy New Year everyone!!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

Latest Chest of Drawers

Hee are the before & after pics of the chest of drawers that I just finished. This piece is really heavy and has nice, deep drawers for storage. Could be great in any room of the house or with the masculine shape & black color perfect for a boy's room too! Now I'm off to work on a small dresser for a friend- more details later- let's just say it's been a huge sanding job :)