Changes

Summer is going by so quick but there are so many fun things happening around here. Most importantly, we found a house! A few weeks ago I got an email from Dad that said our friend Doug had gotten some info about a house for rent and gave me the phone number. I drove down the street, didn't think it was a very good neighborhood and didn't think about it anymore. Last week, Chelsea was in town and after a few frustrating days of looking I figured I would call and see what happened. We met the lady at the house and walked in and it was furnished. The house was perfect but we don't need or want somebody else's furniture. We hurried through the visit and pretty much marked it off the list and went to meet a real estate agent we've been working with at a house about nine miles out of town on a huge piece of property that was beautiful. We really liked having the space and the layout and room size was perfect for us but the location and price wasn't so great. On Thursday as we contemplated moving forward with that property, the lady called me about the furnished house offering to move the furniture out. The rest is history. We move in on Saturday. I'm so relieved for this part of our grownup life to be over. Well, over for a year at least.

My classroom is coming along really well. I'm working on lesson plans some (not near as much as I should be) and starting to get some organizational stuff put together. I'm really getting nervous that I'm going to not think of something important but I know everything will eventually pan out fine. My sweet Aunt Kim made the valances for my windows and I'm so sad I don't have a picture but they turned out really cute.
Caroline put my calendar up the other day and I hung the alphabet. We had to take a picture of our first official finished project. At just 9 years old, she's all about some classroom decorating. She asks me everyday if we're going to work at my school today. I'll post more pics hopefully by the end of the week when I get some more done up there.

Lastly, I'm so excited about the way cheap, easy and quick project I did that I just have to share. I spent part of Saturday morning in Hobby Lobby. While I was wandering around I saw this lamp. I've looked online trying to find a picture of it but couldn't. Anyway, the base was black and the shade was red. Around the top and bottom there was a thin leopard print piping and a leopard print ribbon tied from the top the bottom. It was darling! I immediately decided that I was adding red and leopard print to my current brown and white room decor. I was set on the lamp until I picked it up and saw the $60+ price tag. I tried to think of ways to make it work but couldn't bring myself to buy it. It wasn't long before I was in "make it myself mode." I went right over the ribbon section and snatched up a spool of leopard and headed across the parking lot to Pier 1. They had throw pillows and lamps on sale and with a little bow tying this is how it turned out. Sorry for the poor quality (and mess on my table.) It's from my phone.
I wish the lamp shade was red but I think with the red pillow and my brown and white duvet it will be perfect. I've had a lot of room designs through the years and I'm thinking this one just might be my favorite. I'll post lost of pics when it's done.

Dodge These Bullets

There is so much to update I think the easiest way to go about such an extensive post is to just go with the bullets. Sorry it's the best I can do for today.

• Chelsea, Aaron and I are still looking for a house. We found out today we were too late applying for the one we wanted. Starting the search over at square one.
• I realized last week that I could buy a house and make payments for what I'm paying in rent. The idea of renting knowing I will probably be in this same position in a year makes me ill. Nobody will give me a loan to buy though so I guess it's not the right time.
• I'm house sitting a few nights over the next two weeks. I told Christina it wasn't a great time for me to stay the whole two weeks but would come in and out. Until I got here a little while ago I forgot how much I love it. I might stay more than I planned.
• I moved my stuff to my classroom but still have a lot of work to do. I plan on working up there tomorrow. I'm fixing to start working on lesson plans and have in service next week. It's all really here and happening quick.
• In anticipation of moving sometime in the near future I did a huge over haul on my closet last week. I still feel very accomplished about that.
• In spite of the triple digit temps I have a Canton craving like never before. I "need" some things in a bad way. My mom refuses to go in the heat and I'm pretty sure my friends will agree but it's really all I want to do for my birthday.
• Cate, Henry, Maggie and Walt are taking swim lessons this week. Half of Walt's lesson today was spent clinging to me as I sat on the edge of the pool and the teacher tried to coax him into the water while he was yelling, "I want to see Ms. Eee Ann!" and reaching for me. I snuck away and I'm not sure how much was really accomplished.
• Potty training update from my last post: Several tee tees on the potty but no number twos. Lots of accidents....
• My sister is crazier about her summer job at Water Town than I thought any one person could ever be about anything involving work. Mom had to make her take a day off yesterday to rest or she would have gone in. She's so tan it looks like she needs a bath and her hair is completely sun bleached white.

Did you survive that? Sorry for the lack of pictures and the overall lameness of my blog lately. I'm looking into ways to spice things up and motivate myself to do better. Keep checking back!