We're just busy as all get-out over here! I can't believe we're already into April! Holy Moly! The kids have been taking swimming lessons and still have 4 days left. They love it, especially the little ones. Kaila smiles the entire time and Blake just looks like a fish. Nick is doing very well and should probably be in level 4, as opposed to level 3. It's very hectic, but oh-so-worth it!


Charlie and his Dad went and butchered the pigs to put in our freezers on Friday and we spent a good part of the day packaging them on Saturday. Can I just say how fantastic it tastes??? OMG! Yum! It will be so nice to get pork out of the freezer that you know how it was butchered/packaged. Fresh - to die for!


We just celebrated my fil's 65th birthday on this beautiful day, but his birthday isn't until next Sunday. The kids had a blast. I took 163 photos. Here are a couple from our awesome day. Kaila took the picture of DH and me ;)

Thanks for stopping by!

Shawn

I just think they should be bigger! Call be prejudice if you like, but I want/need my police officers to be bigger than a twelve year old. I also don't think I should be able to lift them off the ground. What is this insanity I speak of? Well, that would be the delightful "boy" that pulled me over for speeding on Saturday night. Just think of how secure I felt watching this tiny human, not much larger than my 10 year old, walk to my window to start the tongue-lashing. I seriously don't care what anyone says about how small people can disarm criminals, etc. I just want my "protectors" to be big, semi-tall and STRONG! I don't think that's too much to ask.

Anyway, I wasn't speeding on purpose, especially 67 in a 45. I plain and simply wasn't paying attention. Clearly, honesty doesn't get you anywhere with a twelve year old - cop wannabe. I guess I'm just bitter that this KID was yelling at me. I know I'm at fault. That's not even an issue. Yes, I'll be paying the overly expensive ticket, but doggone it!!! Give me a man to write that there ticket, not a freakin' boy!

Okay. Let's move on to bigger and better subjects. WE SOLD THE HOUSE! The sale is complete! Check is in the bank, etc. How awesome is that? We listed the house not even 4 full months ago. So, for all of you who were skeptical over my ranting that I thought it would be gone in 6 months - I TOLD YOU SO!!! Ha! It's a glorious feeling, let me tell you! Now we can focus more on this house and all of the animals that will be entering the homestead in the next two months. There's also the little detail of us refinancing this house and everything that entails. Life is busily fantastic!

On the scrapping front, my sketch blog is being featured on Molly Peckham's blog. She is an amazing scrapper with a great blog and gorgeous children. Thanks for the plug, Molly! Go check out her work and her other sketchy shares for even more inspiration.

Here's a little layout I did for my sketch blog regarding the release of our ducks.

Until my next update, have a great day!

Shawn

Oh, my!!! I can't believe it's been a month since my last post. Wow!

Clearly I've been busy with all this "house" business. Things are moving right along. There's just not enough time in the day. Charlie just finished my scraproom floor last night. He's not happy with it at all, but I think it looks great. It's a scraproom...in the basement...perfection is not required. I can't wait to move all my stuff in. He has to put some baseboards down though to cover the edges of the tile. I'll hopefully get some photos soon.

We've had a couple of nice days and it has been AWESOME here! It's just gorgeous. We're so fortunate to be able to look out our kitchen window and see so much land. We are quite content with our purchase even with all of the "surprises" we've had. The kids LOVE it! I'm pretty sure I won't see too much of them in the house this Summer. I may have to fit them with tracking devices though. I'm looking forward to taking some walks around the perimeter. You know...exercise??? Yeah...that will be good ;)

Blake lost his first tooth a couple weeks ago with his second last night. I yanked the second one 0ut. His tooth was already growing behind it. I kept telling him it needs to come out so he could push that tooth forward. Well, he let me do it last night. I'll keep you posted if he even considers letting pull the next one.

The kids start swim lessons on the 30th of March. Excitement isn't a strong enough word for them. They just can't wait. They wanted to swim in the trenches in the backyard yesterday and the day before. Ahhh, it's only 69 degrees kids. Needless to say, I put a stop to that right-quick. It's going to be a very busy two weeks.

I've been seeking relief at Physical Therapy for the last three weeks regarding my shoulder...initially. Now, it's my stinkin' elbow. My shoulder is considerably better/stronger, but my poor elbow has taken the brunt of the pain regarding therapy. I am being told that I have tennis elbow. I just don't have time for this, but I am trying to follow their orders. I've barely started therapy for my elbow. I had to take the weekend off, because it hurts so bad just to bend it. Pathetic, I know.

Here are a couple recent layouts.

Thanks for stopping by! I promise I'll try to update more regularly.

Shawn

I'm soooo happy! I'm soooo happy! Why, you ask? No, we didn't sell the house, but it's the next best thing in my book. One word...and you women will understand. That one word is...DISHWASHER! Yes! I am a winner! My darling husband has relented. He's tired of hearing me whine about all the wasted hours spent at the sink. Oh, and it could be that I'm not actually AT the sink everyday. Hey! I'm a busy woman! No, I don't go crazy and let the dishes sit for days, but they may go one day. And apparently, that's enough for him. Stinks to be me, eh?

Not only do I get my dishwasher tomorrow, but my darling husband is also crossing so many things off his Honey-Do list. It's to the point that I'm going to need to start a new list. What can I say? He just installed my solid oak 6 panel door last night. He would have stained it tonight, but he is currently working on ebay listings. He's very productive. I'm one lucky chick!

Here are a few layouts I did at Charlene's church at our last scrapday. Soooo much fun! I just bought some new Cricut cartridges and I'm ready to go to the next one. It won't come soon enough for me. How cute are the laugh photos of Charlie and Blake??? I just pulled pictures of Nick when he was little to do some layouts pretty soon. So, don't worry...he hasn't been forgotten.

Thanks for stopping by!

Shawn

Holy WIND, Batman!!! Can I just tell you that WIND and the LAHR family just don't get along? We no-like WIND! Oh, and neither does our demolished trampoline, which is across the road entwined in some electric fence. The kids are dismayed, but I tried to reassure them that we would purchase another one. It definitely got a lot of use, so I'm sure we can swing it this Spring.

Yes, the weather was gorgeous yesterday followed by some nasty gusts, which are continuing throughout the day. Lovely! We're not looking forward to freezing temperatures this weekend, but it IS still Winter.

There are two days until Valentine's Day. I usually don't do Valentine's Day layouts, but I decided that I have some awesome BasicGrey papers and NEED to use them. So, I took photos of the darling sons this AM. They are too cute. Don't you think? I haven't taken Kaila's photo yet. She was still sleeping. The boys have their "parties" today. Nick's is actually a SOCIAL, but he has stated that they are AWESOME. Blake just can't wait to get candy. Who knew? Kaila had hers yesterday and received some candy and a book. She was dressed so nicely in an outfit she put together, but being the horrible mother that I am...didn't get pictures! Ugh!







On another note, we did get our taxes done and we're in good shape. So, the blessings just keep coming! Not only that, but we're seeing an increase in buyer's interest at our other house. We're looking forward to, what is sure to be, a great couple of months.

On the weightloss front, I am 12 lbs. down since the beginning of the year. Now if I could just implement an exercising routine into my daily schedule, I might just lose more. You never know, maybe the physical therapy I'll be getting three times a week will burn some calories, thus killing two birds with one stone. Hey! I'm forever optimistic! Kaila's ready to start exercising with me. She practically begs for it. She just loves music and dancing.






Check Kaila out talking to Grandma Stiles 1 1/2 years ago. She has grown soooo much! You do realize she'll be in Kindergarten this Fall??? Oh, yes...scrap time for moi!



Well, I must go to the bank and Wal-Mart before I start my overhaul here (cleaning - wahoo...not!).



Enjoy!



Shawn

February is here??? Are you kidding me? Time always just slips away from me. I'm really anticipating Spring with a fury though. I know I say it every year, but I don't think I've ever looked more forward to Spring that this year ;) We're gonna be hot tomorrow...yes...about 45 degrees! Wahooo!


My darling daughter got 3 out of 5 shots for Kindergarten on Wednesday. Can you believe the little roughian didn't cry? She made a slight weird face, but no tears. It MUST be the, ahem...bribe I gave her. Yeah, $20 will make a young girl do crazy things. She can't wait to spend it! I'm fairly certain she wouldn't have cried anyway, but I just needed to put the icing on the cake, eh?


Well, another ScrapDay is upon us tomorrow and I can not wait!!! I'll be making pizza for the 5 of us. There were supposed to be more participants, but alas...they couldn't make it. Maybe next time! All day scrapping is the best. This time I don't have to leave. I'm hoping to crank out the layouts, but who knows. If nothing else, I'm kidfree with my girlfriends.


Here's a layout I did for my other blog. These pictures are from September 1999, yes...10 years ago. And, in case any of you are wondering...Charlie's STILL that skinny. Nick, however, has put on a couple pounds since then. Ahhh, about 65 to be exact ;) Again, time flies!

The other two layouts are pictures from 2007 (just diggin') and 2006 (how ya doin'?). Doesn't Kaila look so little? Well, she looks downright OLD now! She's 44" (80th percentile) and 41 lbs. (50th percentile). Impressive!






I don't know about you, but I'm a planner. I like to plan anything I can plan months in advance. So, I'm already trying to get my schedule set for this Summer. Do you think people (my parents) will cooperate? Come on, People! It's February! I'm a busy chicki...get on the bandwagon already - LOL! I'm a tad anal-retentive..I know. There are just certain things that have to be just so. My mother thinks I'm crazy! No, I don't alphabatize my canned goods, but they do have to be pointed with the label out. Isn't that way it's supposed to be? Support group, you say? No, thanks.



Until I go on a posting frenzy again, see ya!



Shawn

Well, I have returned from my glorious scrap weekend. Sigh. They always go to fast. It was great...as usual. Now I'm looking forward to my next scrapday at Charlene's church. :)


Here are a couple projects that I completed.




























My darling children had a couple injuries from the sledding that they participated in. Blake got a little beat-up on his face and chin. Kaila had slight injuries to her tummy. Nick, the big brute...wasn't harmed. Imagine that! I'm sure they'll jump at the chance to go again. We're getting a lot of snow/ice this year. I'll have plenty of pictures. Sometimes I go years without good winter photos. This is not that year!

I'm currently re-organizing my office/scraproom to house as many items as possible and still have the ability to find them. Not a small task let me tell you! It's going well, but there's not enough time in the day.

Kaila has some sort of stomach bug today, so she's spending her time on the couch. At least the boys had school today. That way we don't have to fight over the laptop :)

Charlene and I have volleyball tonight - yeah! We live for volleyball on Thursdays. I hope to get some exercise. I need it! I've been dieting since January 1, 2009 and have lost 9.6 lbs. so far. I'm thinking I need more activity. I can't wait for the weather to change so I can walk our property.


Anyway, I'm off to organize, do dishes and laundry.

See ya!

Shawn

Catastrophe has struck the Lahr Farmstead. It was eerie...brutal and downright nasty! And, lucky me...I discovered the aftermath.

Apparently, dogs llooooovvvveee chickens. They love to smell them...bark at them...play with them and then...rip them apart to eat them!!!!

Can you fathom 2 dogs ripping 39 chickens apart??? I came home to see 2 dogs sitting in front of the door at the chicken coop. I couldn't see anything else, so I told them to go home. They waited for me to yell at them again and then off they went. I went to inspect the area to find dead, obliterated chickens EVERYWHERE!!!! Those poor things. ONE managed to survive. How sad is that? I realize that they're JUST chickens, but I was a little shaken. I'm fairly certain it was due to how my darling son was going to feel upon learning of the chickens' untimely demise. Yeah...that's it.

Anyway, Nick has declared the survivor as our new "pet." Little does he know that Uncle Jeff and Aunt Cathy will be bringing approximately 10 chickens this Friday. His chicken days aren't over yet.

I've been working like a mad-woman to get ready for my scrapaway this weekend. I'm not sure how much I'll get done, but I seriously need to get away. I need some ME time in the worst way. Just me and the girls. I'll be sure to post some of my creations when I return.

Until then...

Shawn

Happy New Year!

I know it's been a while, so sit down and get ready!

The holidays flew by in a blur, but were great. I'm not sure if I mentioned Nick's band concert or not. For those of you who don't know, Nick plays the trumpet...by choice and LOVES it. I am still amazed that he enjoys it so much. He was all dolled up in his dress shirt and pants and he said, "I look GOOOOOOD!" He's too funny.




















Kaila also had her little program at Pre-K and was a real pro! You just have to love a bunch of preschoolers singing in their little voices and doing their parts in the little reading of "The Night Before Christmas."

Christmas was fantastic! We had a great time in the new house. The tree looked beautiful, the kids wore hats while opening gifts and best of all...we weren't rushed through Christmas morning.

We were able to take a trip to Michigan to visit my side of the family without incident. I always worry about the weather, but it was perfect. We were able to experience new things while visiting my sister, Wendi's. They had gotten a Wii for Christmas, so we actually got some exercise doing the Dance Revolution - ha! Not only that, but we went ice skating! The kids loved it. Nick was quite the trooper continuing to "try" to skate even after falling over 80 times. Hysterical! Oh, and let's not forget the treadmill! Sheesh! You would think that thing was the most amazing piece of fun quipment ever! The kids couldn't get enough of it.

We also had a chance to visit my grandparents for some great photos and a couple games of Scrabble. How can you go wrong? I have very few photos of my grandparents with me and the kids, if any for that matter. I also was able to get a four generation photo, which is a first. Getting priceless photos is the greatest thing of all for me. So rare...

How would you like to wake up to this??? This is poor Nick a couple days after being exposed to something and contracting "Contact Dermititis." This required medical attention. He is clearly swollen, red and downright uncomfortable. He has since cleared up and looks great.

We've had several trips to the doctor this month and one more today. Nick had this, I have a sinus infection, Kaila has a sinus/chest infection and we'll see what Blake has tonight. I can't complain though. We really don't go to the doctor's office too often. It's just inconvenient.

My loving husband was able to do several little jobs that I had posted on the fridge while I was in Michigan. These are photos of my livingroom almost completely done. We still have to do the windows and put curtains up.

These are before/after shots of the diningroom. I know you've read about my dismay as to the peeling of the NEW paint. Well, my sweet, adorable, loving husband took on the task of fixing/painting the diningroom. I helped a little, but he did the hard part. I'm sooooo excited about this that I just can't even tell ya!

These loving adults are the reason we have these little darling children. This is the couple that thought that Charlie and I would hit it off and thus "got us together." We'll never forget that!

We got a ton of snow last weekend. The kids were thrilled! Thank goodness we have this awesome machine to put that snow in its place!

That's it for now! Thanks for stopping by and catching up!

Shawn

Kaila's at school...Meggie's on the couch...it's cold outside and my bread is already rising. Life is good...cold, but good ;)

We have recently discovered that this lovely farm house of ours is NOT insulated. How could that have happened, you ask? Well, the sales agreement says that it's insulated, but alas that is not totally accurate. I'm sorry, but when you say it IS insulated, I'm fairly certain that just because one outer wall and the attic area has some rolls thrown in there doesn't mean that it is properly insulated. Oh, yes. I am so NOT joking! No wonder we're losing heat out the ying-yang. We have reverted to electric blankets and blocking off the upstairs with a blanket. We're hoping that helps until the insulation guy can blow some insulation in where it is needed. It could be worse...we could be living in an uninsulated cardboard box. So, you see...I do have perspective.

I'm still trying to de-paint my diningroom that looked soooo gorgeous prior to the removal of the painter's tape, which removed the paint AND primer. I'm hoping/wishing it would be done for Christmas. That's where we're putting the tree. Nick has informed me that I need to get busy. Okay, Son. Like I have nothing else to do - LOL!

Sale of Old House - we've had a couple people go through it. There was a couple this past Wednesday that liked it and are going to take their parents through next week. So, please be praying that we can unload this wonderful prize.

Here's a recent layout of Kaila using one of my sketches. There are a couple other bonus sketches posted this week at Nuts About Sketches.

I am lucky enough to get to travel to Butler to scrap my heart out at Scrapbook Station tonight. I can not wait! I have so little scrapping time nowadays.

Did I mention I can't wait until my house is completely in order? Well...I can't!

Thanks for stopping by!

Shawn

Sickness has pushed its way into our house! Poor Kaila has been blasted with some sort of stomach bug. She's having a hard time keeping food down, but she's a trooper. I hope they get this out of their system before Thursday. It usually only lasts a day or two at the most. Poor girl!


We had our first Scrap-Day at Charlene's church. What a great set-up. I can't wait for the next one. We're hoping more people will be able to come next time. There was so much room for everybody!


If you have someone you'd like to get a scrappy gift for for Christmas, you should get over to The Scrapping Spot! They have some great sales right now AND they're offering free shipping on Good Friday - ONLY! Go to the forum to get the details. I think I'm going to get some stuff for some friends of mine :)


Anyway, here's a layout I did for my sketch blog. These pictures were taken by my friend, Angelina Schwarz. Amazing, eh?



Thanks for stopping by!


Shawn

I can not believe that Thanksgiving is next week. Where in the world did the time go? Snow? Are you kidding me??? I need another week of warm weather, thank you very much!

Not too much going on here besides the usual - cooking, cleaning, unpacking...

I will be going to a scrapping day tomorrow - yeah!!! I sooooo need a day of scrapping!!! I'll have to leave for 3 hours during the middle of the day for a birthday party that the little ones are going to, but other than that...I'm scrappin'!!! I hope it becomes a regular event.

I just have one layout to share today using my sketch from this week, along with a kit from The Scrapping Spot.

Speaking of The Scrapping Spot, their December Kit Full Reveal is up and ready for purchase. These kits are loaded with embellishments and great Christmas papers! Get over there and get yours before they're gone!

Lots to do today to prepare for tomorrow, so that's it!

Thanks for stopping by and feel free to leave me a comment!

Shawn