Friday Fabulocity!

Hooray for Friday! I love all the fabulousness!

1. I have the greatest kids ever!! They are so fun and cute! I love them so much!!! Hazel is loving Preschool this year and, surprise to me, I actually have enjoyed teaching. I can't believe how fast she's growing ---- literally. This kids grows inches over night! Lilie is my spunky little lady. She likes her new haircut (and I like it because she doesn't scream (as much) when I brush it) and she hasn't destroyed anything in the past few days. They've been doing much better about cleaning their room. Hooray! And Elsie is my little darling. That kid can get just about anything she wants! Thankfully (as yet) she isn't an overly demanding child. Just happy and fun! Her new favorite word? Bum. Yep, bum. She thinks that her highchair is a "bum" because when she crawls up in it, I tell her to sit on her bum. Therefore, she associates "bum" with food. It's silly.

2. Nels stayed home from EVERYTHING last Saturday and helped me work and work and work! It was the most glorious Saturday we have had in a very, very, very long time! That's what Saturdays should be, shouldn't they? "Get-the-work-done-day." We got the bathroom shelf hung, the trim cut and painted with its first coat, the laundry room cleaned and organized (a huge feat that has been waiting a year and a half to be completed), the whole house cleaned, and the Christmas tree taken down! Seriously folks, you should have seen this tree. --- No, wait, that's why I didn't take a picture. I didn't want anyone to see how pathetic it looked. No matter what I did, my tree still died. I am NEVER buying another tree from ANYONE!!! Other than the State Forest Department. :) By the time we took the lights off, there where almost no needles left on the tree. It was sad . . . . but now it's gone and I'm happy! I hope that I can post pictures of the bathroom within the next week. I just need to get the last coat of paint on the trim . . . . a hard thing to do in Idaho in the middle of winter . . . .

3. I bought a sewing cabinet to keep my machine in! I'm so excited! And it's cute! I got home and realized that it would need some "reconstruction" before my machine would fit in it, but I didn't want to wait until Nels would be home at midnight, so I pulled out the hacksaw and his circular saw and got to work! :) It was fun and a huge mess in the kitchen (since it was about 17 degrees outside), but totally worth it - and Nels was impressed. Truth to tell, so was I, as I have had a mortal fear of electric saws ever since - as a kid - my brother, Ben, cut off his fingers with my dad's table saw. So yeah. I'm really excited about that!

{Please disregard the dirty, primer-white walls in the background! Seriously, if you're going to nit-pick, I just won't be able to post pictures anymore! ;) Just kidding. However, I've been dying to go buy a couple gallons of paint to cover those dirty primer walls that the previous owners left for us. I just keep trying to convince myself to wait until I finish the other projects that I have in the works first. Finish the bathroom, recover the rocking chair and the ottoman in my bedroom, and make curtains for my bedroom . . . . and maybe recover the chair in the family room, so that I can get paint that will match. (Much easier to match paint than fabric. :)}

Isn't it cute? I think so. :) I'm hoping to paint it some

beautiful, inspiring color and then distress the edges. 

Also in this picture is the lamp that I picked up for $8 at 

another thrift store this week. 

It will also be getting a paint job. :)

Ta-Da!! I'm happy!

4. I finally set up our VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) phone service! I'm way excited! I am sick and tired of spending over $80 a month on phone service! We've only had cell phones for the past few years, which has bee incredibly helpful as we've moved, but it's just too expensive! With our internet phone, I get unlimited long distance for only $20 a month and I can just switch my cell to a prepaid variety. I'm excited!

5. I got the rest of our W-2's today and I'm already filed and ready to go! I love getting taxes done in January! :)

6. Yep, I'm doing 6 today. :) Sixth fabulous thing? It's my wonderful cousin, Amber's, birthday today and I just wanted to tell her Happy Birthday!!! She's getting so old! :) I have known Amber since the day I was born. We are three months apart and she has been one of my very best friends my entire life. She lived across the street from me until we were in 2nd grade. Many, many, many of my childhood memories include her. I love her so much and I'm so thankful that now that we are grown and have children of our own, she is still there for me! Amber I love you so much! I'm so thankful that Heavenly Father put you in my life!!! Have a happy, happy birthday!!! YOU ARE FABULOUS!!!