i'm still here!

WOW! It has been a very long time since I last posted. I have soooo many pictures to share, more than anyone is really interested in I'm sure. I will get around to showing you some of those one of these days.

We are in our new home! We moved on December 13th and are still slowly unpacking. The place feels like "home" already! We did get a Christmas tree and nativity scene up, but that is about it. I don't have pictures on the wall or knick knacks scattered around the house yet. We are going to buy some new living room furniture after the new year so I'm waiting until then to decide where to put everything else.

We had a great Christmas! We spent Sunday, the 21st at my parents with my family. Christmas Eve was at my Grandma Doris's and my Dad's side of the family. Christmas Day we were in Red Cloud for Joe's Mom's family. Last night we were with Joe's Dad's family - all 50+ of us. We will have Christmas with Joe's family on New Year's Day.

On Christmas Eve I smashed my camera on the tile floor of our house. I was sooo mad. Thankfully, one gas station was open in Holdrege so I could get a disposable camera for pictures on Christmas morning. I was so angry with myself for breaking it right before the most important day of being in our new house together. But it all worked out...I hope the pictures turn out ok.

Hope you had a very Merry Christmas and have a Happy New Year!!

This weekend

The kitchen countertops were installed on Friday. It's kind of hard to get a good picture of it, but it has black trim around the sides and top.

This is the door to the piano room. It still has the protective covering on the glass so it looks messy.

We went to Madagascar 2 on Sunday. It was a good movie. The girls loved it! I read on my cousin Ashley's blog about buying costumes on clearance so when we were at Kmart we looked through the costumes and found this cat costume that Addie refuses to take off. It's a little big, but that's ok since she has already decided to wear it for Halloween next year. We also bought the Little Red Riding Hood outfit. We got both of them for $5, originally $20. They will get a ton of use during dress-up time.

And Luke got a big boy haircut.

Seriously, is there anything cuter?!?!?

I didn't think so.

Halloween

Happy Halloween!

My aunt bought this great outfit for Emma at a garage sale this summer. She loves it!

When Addie plays dress up with her numerous princess dresses, Emma wears this around the house. Tinkerbell

Mr. Monkey. I bought this for him this summer thinking he would need something to keep him warm. Not this year, he was actually sweating.

MORE house pictures

The kitchen cabinets have been set up.

The countertops should be installed later this week.

Wood floors are in the upstairs living area and kitchen.
Luke's room is done:
Emma's room is done:

A New Baby in the Family

Joe's sister, Carrie and her husband Justin, welcomed another boy into the family last night.
Graham Clinton Trompke

This is their third boy. They have Wes (3) and Ben (15 months). They are going to be just a tad bit busy with these three little ones!

Beautiful Blocks

My nephews. Read more about them here.

My cousin Ashley from Raising Allikaye makes these adorable blocks. She has an esty shop where you can purchase these for yourself. She does names or just single words like 'grace'. Jump over to her etsy to see what creative shananigans she's up to!

Reference Photo

This is my mom. The picture was taken in front of the trailer they lived in from 1973-1978ish.

Do you see the colors of the trailer!?!??! You will need to reference this picture in the next post.

House Updates and Paint Colors...

Cabinets are in, but are sitting in the garage for now...

Doors are being stained...
Garage doors are in.....
Now for paint. This is Luke's room with just sheetrock.

Luke's room painted -"Great Accomplishment". There will be black stripes around the top of the room. They're not done yet.
I don't have a before picture of Emma's room. But it is Budding Beauty on the top and Brandywine on the bottom. Her closet is to the right. She wanted it painted blue which is the color of their bathroom that I forgot to take a picture of. It is called Spa Day.
Addie's room. Forgot a before picture. But there are two walls of Budding Beauty and two of Solaris (yellow). That is the bathroom to the right.
Downstairs sliding doors

All of the brown color is Great Accomplishment (where do they come up with paint names?)
TV Room/Toy Room/Family Room in the basement

Master Bedroom....ceiling....
wall and area leading to master bathroom

Brown Sugar and Oak Barrel.

These colors would never be my first choice together but when you see my bedspread it will all come together. There will be a lot of red accents in the room, too. I call this the 70s room right now because the outside of the trailer I lived in for the first couple years of my life was these two colors and white. **Please reference the previous post!** Quite a similarity in color wouldn't you say? Wow! That makes me laugh!

Master Bathroom
Trumpet Gold

Laundry room

I didnt' get a painted picture of the laundry room, but this is the hall leading to it. Great Accomplishment is the color here.
Joe's Office

From another angle. Same color as all the other brown. There will be some grid paneling on the bottom half of the room.
Mud Room
Great Accomplishment again..

The Piano Room:

Hot Chocolate
Powder room and coat closet by front door
The green color is called Native Dweller. In the powder room I striped with satin and semi-gloss paint. Same color, just different sheens. I love this!
Kitchen and pantry

Fireplace and stairway

So that is all for now. They started putting in the wood floor on Friday. Then trim and cabinets and carpet. At this point we should be in by Thanksgiving.

Now if we could just get the corn picked...........