Odds and Ends

February is over. It seemed like a long month. Perhaps the 40 plus inches of snow made it seem a little long, or the fact that winter just seems long, period. Anyway, it's wonderful, glorious, lovely March and little snippets of spring are peeking through the dreariness of winter. Gone is the snow...as the daffodils poke up their little green fingers to let us know that rebirth is coming. Most importantly, the sun is shining more than it isn't. And, the temperatures are teasing us with a day every now and then in the 70s... YES!!

For the month of February, my plan was to simplify the dining room. Mission accomplished! We have a beautiful buffet in that room that hadn't been cleaned out since we moved into this house 8 years ago. It's all clean, and mostly empty :-) And, the big news is that I got a new dining room table and chairs. Our old table was given to us by Roger's mom, 22 years ago. She had owned it several years before that. It was beautiful...antique-ish... but it was old, and sagging... But the worst part was the 8 chairs. They didn't match the table, which is fine with me, but they were truly falling apart. They creaked and moaned when anyone sat in them. And, the bar underneath several of them had long since broken off. I realized that I avoided using that room because I really didn't like the table and chairs. The table was too low for most men, and it was just not in good shape. I began to look for replacement chairs and was shocked to find out how much they cost! It was cheaper to buy a new set, with the table, than to buy the chairs separately. If I must, I guess I must. I'm so thrilled with the new table...we've eaten on it almost every evening since we got it. Here's a picture of the old table. I made a Valentine's dinner for my family and we at in the dining room. You can't really see much of the table, but that's ok, you'll just have to trust me.

Here's the new table. I went from oval to rectangle...seating for 6 (we'd squeeze in 7) to seating for 8-10. I love it!

I even cleaned the chandelier! It looks brand new.

So, now that I'm really feeling good about the dining room, I'm moving on to a more difficult room. I'm going to "simplify" the school room. It would really make more sense to wait till we're done with our school year, but I have a couple of reasons for tackling it now. First of all, we're just tired of that room. It's sooo crowded with desks, tables, bookshelves, computer, etc... None of us really enjoy that room. So, I'm having the kids help me with this one. We'll do the bulk of the work during spring break. Also, I plan to get rid of several pieces of bulky furniture... I already have a plan for what I want to do in that room, but to pay for it all, I'd like to try to sell some of the thinks I'm going to get rid of. There's going to be a large rummage sale during the Dogwood Festival and I plan to have my things ready to sell in April. That means I need to get this room done during March. I can't wait to get rid of the dark, heavy furniture. I still have a potential of 9 years of home-schooling left! I'd like a cheery room that we enjoy being in, especially in the winter months.

What else? I'm reading a book... One Thousand Gifts. I can't really tell you about it because it's just so personal and challenging. But, I will say it's one of the most life-changing books I've ever read. It speaks to me very deeply. Go get it and read it please... I've started a "Gifts" notebook and am on #35.

I still haven't purchased any clothes this year. I'm wearing my winter clothes, but have a few pictures of fresh outfits to post later. I did wear a pair of shorts last week! My Salvation Army pile continues to grow...

The garden planning is continuing, new baby chicks arrive on Monday, the kids are playing outside a little more each day, we have 9 weeks of school left, and life is good...

My Birthday Present

Well, I promised I'd tell you more about my birthday. Roger was in Dallas for a conference for the week leading to my birthday. He got home late on Thursday night and my birthday was on that Friday. Friday morning, I got breakfast in bed. Now, don't tell my family, but I really don't enjoy breakfast in bed. I mean, come on... who wants to eat cold eggs and bacon in bed? While everyone is watching? But, I would never dream of letting on...so, I eat my breakfast in bed in front of everyone. Then, Roger let me know that he had taken the day off work so I could have a day off too! He planned to do school with the kids, do all the driving, make lunch and dinner, etc... I could go to Fayetteville, lock myself in my stampin room, read in my room...anything I wanted! So, I went over to Fayetteville. I went to the mall. I hadn't been to the mall in about 3 years! I had a real nice time...I just browsed and took my time. No one to keep track of. I could stay in one store as long as I wanted. I at lunch in the food court and read a magazine... it was lovely!!

I thought that was the gist of my birthday, and was very happy and relaxed when I got home around 3:00. Roger said that the kids had gifts for me, so we picked up Zack from school and then I sat down to open my gifts. Sam got me a toothbrush. Nate gave me a huge bottle of Aussie Shampoo. Katie gave me a package of 8 bars of soap. Zane gave me hairspray. It was very sweet, but I must say, I was thinking, "You didn't pay full price for this, did you?" Then, Roger gave me a bag, and in the bag was a book....Italian for Dummies! Then, he gave me an envelope with an airplane ticket! I am going to Italy!!!! Our dear, dear friends live in Germany and I'm going to fly to Germany and meet my friend Toni. Then, she and I will fly over to Italy for 4 days. Then, back to Germany and home!! Can you believe it!! I leave on the 25th for 8 days. The first thing I asked was about the kids. Roger has been working on it for about a month and has pretty much gotten everything covered! I can't believe he was able to keep it a secret from me for almost a month!

I can't even tell you how excited I am. You see, if I had unlimited money, I'd travel. I love traveling, but don't get to do it very much. Roger, on the other hand, is somewhat of a home body. He enjoys vacations and being with us on trips, but if he has extra time or money, he'd rather work on his hobbies at home. So, his gift really is a blessing to me. Two girls on the town in Italy!!