Back 2 Life

Oy Vey People! We have had major sickness floating around over here. I came down with the stomach bug and it kept me in bed for 48 hours straight and then I had at least another 48hrs. before I could say I felt, "normal." Then, Jon got a version of it. Thankfully a shorter version! So, we have been trying to work as a team to get through our week/weekend. I had to miss MOPS(Mothers of Preschoolers), which I help lead so that was upsetting. I also had to get coverage for Sunday school. Then, Jake had T-ball twice which Jon coaches and I usually take the little guys. On top of it all... Jon had his 30 mile bike race with Urban Promise. He has been training for weeks. We couldn't do to B-more to celebrate my dad's birthday. Such a bummer! So, life doesn't seem to stop when you are sick!

I am just happy that we are all healthy again and I am praying the boys make it through the next few days and do not get sick either. Just getting a little bit of energy back made me want to do everything again! I opened the windows and cleaned/scrubbed my whole house yesterday.

Then, today started a project I have been dying to start... Project Screened in Porch! I absolutely LOVE my screened in porch. It is by far my favorite part of the house. A little piece of heaven. When we re-did the kitchen, we added ceiling speakers and put two outside as well. So, now I can have my jams with me wherever I go! Amazing. My first step to, "Project Screened in Porch," is the floor. I have tried cleaning the floor for years... scrubbing, power washing... you name it. There are still these huge pesky stains I cannot get out. So, I bought some concrete paint and hope it helps. My plan is to paint the floor a new fresh light gray color. Then, I want to paint the ceiling a mold free outdoor white so it looks like a real room and it should look similar to bead board, which I love. I want to re-spray the ceiling fan too so it is crisp white color as well. I am hoping not to spend much, but make a big difference! Lastly, I would like to add some outdoor flowers and maybe non-cheesy pool décor? We'll see... Wish me luck!

 

PHASE ONE: CLEAN UP

DO you like how Mickey Mouse came to join me in cleaning?

PESKY STAINS

BETTER ALREADY

Pulled out my strongest homemade cleaner. Works on EVERYTHING. It has been months since I have purchased a cleaner at Target. Love my homemade versions!

The new slider we had installed during the kitchen remodel.

MY COLOR CHOICE. TOP LEFT (LIGHTEST GRAY)

FIRST COAT, NOT DRIED YET

AHHH... ALREADY LOOKS BETTER

CAN'T WAIT TO SEE THE FINISHED PRODUCT

Quick Clean Up

I am organizing junkie. I get a huge kick out of organizing and feel soo good after I'm finished a project. With my kids being at very needy and busy ages, I don't get to organize as much or as long as I woud like... so I try to make mini-projects. This way I don't get frustrated with my boys for just being themselves while Mommy is busy... and I actually accomplish something! Lately, I have been on a major clean up, clean out and donate kick. I am loving it. My hubbs closet is another area of contention. I rarely need to enter, but when I do... yicks. I have created many systems trying to help him stay organized but it is an ackward space.. so I wanted to do a quick twenty minute clean up. I did not want to spend any money and I literally had twenty minutes... so here ya go. I found some totes around the house that we not being used, labeled them with his daily needs (comfy pants, sweatshirts, hats, belts etc...) Then, I donated one bag of old' ...old... clothes. Threw out another bag of odds and ends and actually found five items with the taga on them that either hadn't fit or he didn't like... so, I returned those and made some money! I then used the money to buy him some new biking shorts he really needed. All in all, a great way to spend twenty minutes.

THE BEFORE

color coded clothes always feel nicer to me

Of course the OCDness in me would like them to all match, but that is not the point right?

I am a sucker for a clean floor!

Little Snippet

Another busy weekend over here at the Sharp House. How can we be so busy all the time? I would love to have more,"nothing," time! It's like the Beatles song eight days a week... I wish! My goal as the boys continue to grow and get involved in activities that we limit it and always have time for each other. I think this world has just gone crazy with over scheduling kids. I want my boys outside playing kick the can or flash light tag for hours like I did! So, we have been really enjoying days where we have nothing on the agenda, but outside fun! Jon is working away at the tree fort and it is really coming along. I am impressed with my Bob Villa wannabe Hubbs. Of course, I am already having visions of the accessories I can put in the tree fort and how I can paint it! Wish it could have curtains and a mailbox... but the boys want telescopes, wheels and ropes! No worries, I will make it work! Here's a few recent pics and a mini-update on the boys.

Jake
- You are loving T-ball and having daddy as your coach
- You continue to have a sensitive heart which I hope you never lose
- Reading words and figuring out what things say is a new exciting venture to you
- This past month or so, I have really seeing your heart shine with kindness. It make me a proud mama. A few examples: Getting your brother a book from your room when he doesn't want to go night night just to make him feel better. Giving your neighbor who is sick ALL of your Pokemon cards just to see him smile. ugh... love you
-You already have a tanline from playing outside so much
-You continue to dislike showering and changing your clothes
-You still love hanging with "big" boys and often stalk our high school boy neighbor who you think is the coolest ever.
- You are becoming very handy around the house! You are showing more initiative with household duties and I love it.
- Your favorite things are: Playing basketball, t-ball, chase in the house, watching power rangers, reading bible stories, super heros and riding your bike or scooter.
-Recently, you told me you want to be a doctor. A christian doctor... then decided that you would be a race car driver? I told you that you can do anything you want to do... this made you VERY excited.

Will
- Oh Willy nilly... you are sooo two years old right now
- You have many opinions on your food choices and would prefer to ear "smacks" all day long.
- You are still the singer and dancer that you always were and Mama just adores it
- You maintain your sweet, tender action towards Kev and Jake
- Every time I give you something to eat you say," Jake? Baby?" Always thinking of your brothers.
- You like going to your class on Mondays and sometimes Aunt Janet takes you. When you leave, you smile and say," See ya soon Mom." Such a big boy!
- You are talking in sentences now and have a lot to say.
- You still call Kev, baby and I am pretty sure you have convinced him that that is his actual name.
-You love love love lollipops!
- You love being with Daddy and Jake and become very sad if they leave without you.
- Oh and... you are OBSESSED with your paci... it is a problem... So, we are slowly fazing it out. Right now, crib only. You don't like this and will often sneak it and just hang out in your room so that you can have it. YEsterday... you actually requested time out, thinking that I would put you in your crib... so you could have paci. Stinker... lucky your soo cute!!
Your favorite things to do: You love reading books, playing super heros, playdough,cars, anything Jake is doing and watching "Ruby and Max" as you call it.

Kev
- You are a chatter box! However, if I ask you to say Mommy or Mama, you say NO! You'll say Daddy clear as day. Breaks a mama's heart. You said mommy for the first time this week and it was precious! Your favorite words are: Daddy, pbaby, birdy, puppy, drink, blankie, paci, Jake, dis (this), juice, see, up... the list goes on.. more words each day)
- You are a busy busy boy. The only time you stop moving is to eat, which you love to do.
- You refer to yourself as baby... not sure if you know your name is Kev (hehe)
- Lately, you let me rock you at night which you never would do before... I love. I sing to you and rub your back and it is a special time for us.
- You also love being outside and have fun trying to run down to street whenever you get a chance. You think it is hillarious.
- All I have to do is look at you and you'll smile or giggle. Your a very happy boy.
- You eat everything and a whole lot of it. I am nervous for when you are a teenager!
- Your favorite things are: playing with brothers, blocks, cars, puzzles, the slide, swinging, being held, running and watching the birdies.

Matching Hats

One of my life dreams to see this... bucket list, check!

Could he be a cuter T-ball player?

Mini Mudroom Before and Afters

I am not the most patient person when it comes to house projects and new ideas! So, each night this week, I have been working at tranforming my hall coat closet to a pinterest inspired "mini mudroom." I am very happy with the results. I still need more decor and I need my kids to live in it for a weeks to see if we need more hooks etc. However, overall very very happy and it was a quick, cheap change! My favorite kind!

Over Cost Breakdown:
Bench= Refurbished parts of my old bench FREE
Cushion= Pad from Joanne Fabrics ($4.00) and a curtain as fabric on sale at Target ($13)... Total $17.
Hooks- FREE, reused all hooks that exsisted and the three hooks from old bench
Paint- Had left over paint from kitchen remodel so FREE
Grand Total $17, I would say SUCCESS!

Here is the before pic... embarassing...

 

Then... removed door and cheap shelving that exsisted, repainted and dismantled my original country bench that was broken for bench parts... AND... TADA!

Already loving it!

 

Hooray for Spring

We love being outside again! The boys are so much happier and so is Mommy. Jon has started a tree house for the boys in the backyard and we are slowly weeding and cleaning up the screened in porch! I just can't get enough. Favorite season by far. This past week has made me realize that the little guys really do feel like twins right now. All three outside on the go, watching for cars and keeping them from playing with scary tools in the garage... has been... well... busy. However, I am not complaining. I will take it any day over too many days trapped inside. Here are just a few pics from my phone. Misplaced the cord for my nice camera, so when I find it Easter pics and other will be arriving too! Many, many things to be grateful for... Thank you Lord for helping me see your beauty in the little and the not so little things.

Will helping out!

Kev loves borrowing Lauren's stroller

 

Lovin' our new Phillies tanks

Perfect example of boy play. Starts off cute and fun... then within minues either become an extreme sport or totally ridiculous. Sprinklers in underwear and diapers in April!

 



P.S. What happened to my brunette baby??? Who is this blond little cutie?

Hallway Mini mudroom in the making

If there is one space in my house I despise, it is our coat closet. Coat closet/left over pantry/cleaning supplies/misc. junk. I can't stand it. I re-organize it all the time and it ends up being a mess a week or so later. The dilemma with a center hall colonial is there is no real entryway. I love entryways! We have a mud room (sort of) but it is off the garage and we do not use the garage as an entry. So, I awhile back I found a country style bench on craigs for $30. I spray painted it and it has been working up until the last few months. It was partially broken when we bought it and now it is full blown broken. My hope is to transform my coat closet into a mini mudroom! I also hope to somehow use the bench (most likely taken apart) in the new space. I found a few examples on pinterest, but my hall closet is unique in the sense that the crawl space door is on the left side. So, it will be similar but not as grand as the examples. Now... wish me luck convincing my husband this is a fab idea! 

Embarassing

Pinterest Inspiration Closets

Home

I am a music fan. I just can't get through my day without it. I listen to it while I clean, read, run, play and even when I need some, "quiet," time. I just couldn't live without it. I am a sucker for lyrics and I truly savor a good love song. However, more important to me than love songs... is the fact that I can always find song lyrics that explain exactly how I feel at any given moment.

The ten year anniversary of my mom's passing was yesterday. It's just one day of the 3, 650 that I have had without her. Twenty four hours of the 87,600 hours that I have had without her. However, it is never an easy day for me. There are other tough days...her birthday, the holidays and any major milestone in my life good or bad. It's just not the same without her. Hard to explain that ten years later it would still feel.... different. Hard to explain how when I am having a brand new experience that it still feels different. The best way to explain it is an analogy. I'm a visual person, so for me it's like a home. Home is your comfort place... your sanctuary. Or at least for me it has always been. Now, imagine being forced to live in a very different home... all of a sudden... the way it feels, smells, looks all different. Your view out of the windows... different. My mom made me feel like, "home." She was my greatest source of strength, comfort and peace that I had in my life. It was she who I called when I need some reassurance or understanding. It was she who I called when there was no one else to call. She was the glue that held my family and I together. That too feels different now. We've found a new normal... but it's different. It's not home. I have come to learn that having someone as your greatest source of strength... whether it be your husband, mother or best friend. Is purely a recipe for dissapointment. People dissapoint. People change. People are selfish, purposefully or not. People die, sometimes suddenly. Jesus Christ is my new sense of security. He is always there. Always listening and comforting me. I would certainly be a lost soul without him.

 I have come to realize in the past few years that," her passing," is not the way I really think of it.... believe it to be. She is home. She is in the home that we all have access to. There is no time, tears or sorrow in Heaven. So.... as hard as it is for me to imagine, she is already with me. We are probablly sitting on the couch watching Oprah together at this very moment. Or chatting on the phone as we often did. I'm jealous of future me!!! She is home. The place I will one day be. I found a song by Michael Buble (insert making fun here) called Home. Although it is a love song, it explains just how I feel sometimes living this motherless life I live. April 2nd, 2003 my mom went home. I long to be with her again... however God has me here right now. When I feel home sick, I do what I feel He has me here to do. I count my blessings... I smile... I try and laugh off my worries and I am a wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend and neighbor the best way I can be. The way Jesus would want me to be.

"Home"

Another summer day
Has come and gone away
In Paris and Rome
But I wanna go home
Mmmmmmmm

May be surrounded by
A million people I
Still feel all alone
I just wanna go home
Oh, I miss you, you know

And I’ve been keeping all the letters that I wrote to you
Each one a line or two
“I’m fine baby, how are you?”
Well I would send them but I know that it’s just not enough
My words were cold and flat
And you deserve more than that

Another aeroplane
Another sunny place
I’m lucky, I know
But I wanna go home
Mmmm, I’ve got to go home

Let me go home
I’m just too far from where you are
I wanna come home

And I feel just like I’m living someone else’s life
It’s like I just stepped outside
When everything was going right
And I know just why you could not
Come along with me
This was not your dream
But you always believed in me

Another winter day has come
And gone away
In either Paris or Rome
And I wanna go home
Let me go home

And I’m surrounded by
A million people I
Still feel alone
And let me go home
Oh, I miss you, you know"

 

Oh and Easter pics on the way...

La,la,la,la life goes on

Life just keeps on rollin' over here. I teach sunday school to first graders and a lesson I taught them recently was based on a story of when God stopped the sun for Joshua. His crew was out numbered and they needed to conquer a battle that would take all day. So, God stopped the sun and lengthened the day in order to make it occur. That story has stayed with me longer than most stories I teach. What I wouldn't give to have God slow my days down and add more hours to the day! My boys can make me crazy, but they are growing up WAY too fast. Kindergarten is on the horizon and life is moving too fast for me. I get frustrated with the," doings," of life that get in the way of my time with Jon and the boys. I have to clean, cook, run errands and sleep... but I wish I could be like Kramer in Seinfeld and just stay up all night playing and hanging with them. My boys are the happiest and best behaved on days when I just keep my jammies on and we play. I know this is not how life works and God would not want me to just be in my house with only my boys all day... for many reasons... but boy how I wish we could have more days where we play and snuggle and they stay this precious...just a little longer...

It will soon be ten years since I lost my mother. Ten years... Oh how my heart aches at that thought. Anyone who has lost anyone, probablly knows the feeling I have. Heart ache is the best way to describe it. My chest literally aches some days... I often wonder if my mom felt this way about us growing up. I know she was terribly sad when we went away to college. Happy for us, but it took her a little while to adjust to, "empty nesting." She didn't really want an empty nest. NEITHER do I!! Thankfully, I am a long way from that right now. Ask Jon and he will tell you we are done. However, as I once heard someone say, I feel like we're not all here yet." I loved that and it's exactly how I feel. We are finished having babies... but I would love to adopt a little girl. I long to have that mother/daughter relationship again. Is that just my dream though? Is that just my plan? I am spending a lot of time in prayer about what it is that God wants for our lives and not just what Jo wants... I am also spending a lot of time counting my blessings and working on being content. I have learned that His plans for our life are always better than anything I could ever dream up. So, for now... I am going to keep soaking in my boys and blessed family and the wonder of what God has done for me.