The Office/Craftroom Remodel

The last two weeks or so we have been busy remodeling one of the spare bedrooms. We have always wanted it to be an office, and of course I would love some place to do my crafting. 

 

This is the room before. It was the catch all for the house...A complete mess!!

Everything cleaned up! Phew! It was quite the job! 

We had some lovely friends come over and help us tear the wall down. They had way too much fun! The only payment they required was a home cooked meal. That is always the easiest payment.

Funny story about this picture. As I was taking this picture Preston was taking the junction box off of the electrical wire. The flash went off just as he hit the box. He thought he had hit something and it was arcing. I thought I was going to wet myself because of how scared he looked. It was very humorous. 

                                         The wall removed.                            The aftermath.

We scraped the ceiling too. We hate popcorn ceiling and are so glad that it is gone!

We are still working on the room. This past weekend Kalan's dad came and ran some electrical for us. No pictures of that because you can't really see a difference. Hopefully, this weekend we will get the sheetrock up and all the holes in the walls puttied so that we can paint. I am so looking forward to painting and decorating the room. I will definitely keep you all updated on the progress!

How Do You Do It?

How do you do it? How do you balance family, house, friends, church, work, and all the in betweens? I have such a hard time balancing everything! Something always falls through the cracks. When I try to love God, my husband, and perform my wifely duties, my relationships with everyone else suffers. When I try to love God, my husband, and friends, my wifely duties suffer. How do you balance your life? Which things do you let slide? I would really love some ideas!

How do you balance everything??

The Flu

Here is what my week has looked like:

Lots of these; 

This to keep the fever, chills, and aches away; 

Drinking plenty of this; 

Watched lots of this because

I couldn't move from here. (No this isn't my real bed.)

So ready to be part of the living! Really ready to begin blogging and doing normal life again.

Happy New Year from the Smiths

Happy New Year! What are your big plans for 2013? What goals do you want to accomplish this New Year? Here is what the Smith Family would like to see accomplished this year:

1.) Growing close to God by strengthening our relationship with Him.

2.) Our adoption and all of the paperwork that goes with that. For an update on that see here.

3.) Kalan is starting a new job! We are so excited and looking forward to seeing God move in our       family through this job!

4.) Stephanie is going to work on being healthier. This is a constant struggle and one we are making as a priority this year. 

5.) Working on our ‘home organization’ skills to help spend more time with each other, friends and family.

6.) Making changes on our house to make it more of the home that we want it to be. 

Happy New Year from the Smith Family! May God bless you and guide your every step this year!

Stephanie and Kalan

Have You Ever Felt Crazy?

Do you ever feel just completely overwhelmed?? You can hardly think because so much is running through your mind at about 1000 mph. You don’t even remember what you ate about 30 minutes ago or even if you ate so you eat again and then end up with a stomach ache. Bed time is late and then get up time is early, so sleep pretty much doesn’t happen. You have so much to do that you aren’t even sure where to start so then you are rushing around at the last minute to get everything done. Yep, that is totally where I am right now. So I thought that I needed some help and accountability. Here is the list of things that I need to get done between now and December 8^th. I know that is exactly a month away but if you knew how many crazy things I had to do between now and then you would be stressing too.

Here is my list of events and everything I have to do to accomplish the events:

1)      Surprise Party – November 10

·         Set-up decorations

·         Prep food

·         Clean house

·         Clean yard

·         Set-up food

·         Party hardy!

2)      Trip to Disney!

·         Clean house for people staying to watch our fur babies.

·         Bathe the dogs.

·         Wash a massive amount of laundry.

·         Go shopping for breakfast items and snacks.

·         Have friends over to meet our fur babies.

·         Pack clothes.

·         Pack car.

·         Forget about the world for one whole week!

3)      Mommy Owned Business Fundraiser – December 1 (More info on this soon!)

·         Order necklaces (I had to have some things crossed off the list! ;)).

·         Order Business Cards.

·         Make coasters.

·         Have Coaster Making Party.

·         Package coasters.

·         Acquire black table cloth.

·         Make necklace display.

·         Buy plate stand for coaster display.

·         Acquire cash box.

4)      Parents’ Night Out Fundraiser

·         Create event.

·         Recruit baby sitters.

·         Pick up pizzas, chips, and drinks.

·         Age appropriate activities.

So, do I have enough to do?? I am feeling a little overwhelmed and all prayers would greatly be appreciated! Thanks for reading all of my ramblings! Thank you to all of my friends for putting up with my crazy and forgetful self. A special thank you to my husband and bestie because they see it more often than not! Love you all!

MIA

I have totally been MIA for a while...Sorry about that! There are a couple of reasons 1) Our Big Announcement (If you haven't heard about it yet check it out here.), 2) I've been battling sickness, and 3) I am working on some posts and I want them just right. :D So please have patience and stick it out with me! You won't be disappointed. Promise!

Remembering Where I Was

That September Day ~ Alan Jackson



Where were you when the world stopped turning
that September day,
Out in the yard with your wife and children
Or workin on some stage in LA
Did you stand there in shock
At the sight of that black smoke risin' against that blue sky
Did you shout out in anger and fear for your neighbor
Or did you just sit down and cry

Did you weep for the children who lost their dear loved ones
Pray for the ones who dont know
Did you rejoice for the people who walked from the rubble
And sob for the ones left below
Did you burst out in pride for the red white and blue
And the heros who died just doin what they do
Did you look up to heaven for some kind of answer
And look at yourself and what really matters

*Chorus*

I'm just a singer of simple songs
I'm not a real political man
I watch CNN but I'm not sure I can tell you
The difference in Iraq and Iran
I know Jesus and I talk to God
And I remember this from when I was young
Faith, hope, and love are some good things He gave us
And the greatest is love

Where were you when the world stopped turning
that September day
Teachin' a class full of innocent children
Driving down some cold interstate
Did you feel guilty cause you're a survivor
In a crowded room did you feel alone
Did you call up your mother and tell her you love her
Did you dust off that bible at home
Did you open your eyes and hope it never happened
Close your eyes and not go to sleep
Did you notice the sunset for the first time in ages
Speak to some stranger on the street
Did you lay down at night and think of tomorrow
Go out an buy you a gun
Did you turn off that violent old movie you're watchin'
And turn on 'I Love Lucy' re-runs
Did you go to church and hold hands with some stangers
Stand in line and give your own blood
Did you just stay home and cling tight to your family
Thank God you had somebody to love

*Chorus*
*Chorus*

And the greatest is love

And the greatest is love

Where were you when the world stoped turning,
that September day

Where were you on this day 11 years ago?? I was 14 years old and on a family vacation. We went to Poinsett State Park in South Carolina. We didn't have a lot of money back then and family vacations were a real treat. I remember that we hiked and fished a lot that week and it was a real time of family togetherness! We had no tv or radio. It was so nice to just hang out together without distractions!

The morning of September 11, 2001 was a relaxed morning for us. It was our last day of vacation and we were in no rush to get home. Mom and dad had left us to fish and they went to the main building to talk to the park ranger about the alligator incident earlier in the morning. I remember them walking back and telling us that we had to pack everything up and head home early because something terrible had happened and Daddy needed to be available for work. So we packed everything up and got in the car. My parents told us what happened and at that point I didn't know much about the World Trade Centers. But shortly after that I knew that what had happened was a very horrible thing! We listened to the radio the entire way home. Even at 14 I felt very motivated to do something. But what could I do?? I couldn't donate blood. I wasn't a firefighter or paramedic. I wasn't really old enough to do anything of "importance" but I was old enough to pray! Boy, did I pray! I distinctly remember being very frightened because my dad was a firefighter/paramedic and he may have to join crews looking for victims. I knew it was dangerous and my dad never backed down from a challenge. Especially since some of his "brothers" had lost their lives doing what they loved doing! All I could think about as a young teenage girl is, "If he goes, will he come back alive?" Yes, selfish but who wants to lose their dad willingly?

When we made it home, we turned on the tv. We finally got to see the horror that we had been hearing about on the radio. It was way worse than anything I could ever imagine! We finally heard about the Pentagon being hit and we did know people that worked there. Then the plane went down in the field. It was all so horrific. It was all anybody would talk about. It was a very hard time for all of America. Some people sought God's face and churches all across America were more full than normal for a while and some people cursed God wondering how He could let such a horrendous thing happen. When I think back to that time, all I can think about it the pain and suffering of a nation.

Where were you on that terrible September day?