Our New (Well, not *exactly*...) Piano

Twenty-some-odd years ago, as a teenager, I bought a piano after inheriting some money from my great-aunt. The piano I originally bought was an antique Steinway square grand, which looked a little like this . I soon learned that while an antique Steinway square grand was a nice *thought*...this particular one (and from the reading I've done, most of them at this point :)) was great for looks but not practical for someone who actually wanted a piano to *play* seriously. :-) So...we traded it in for a much newer but not *new* Baldwin Acrosonic. My dad had worked for Baldwin at two different times in his career (I'll have to post more on that subject sometime...:)), so he helped me to find *just* the right piano...and I was attached to this one from the beginning.

When I moved away from home, my piano stayed behind. Recently, my mom decided to buy a piano a friend was selling, so that my piano could come *home*. I had started accompanying a children's choir at church and needed to be able to practice regularly (I hadn't in over ten years...ack!), and my children are ready to start learning to play now. It was no small feat to move not one but *two* pianos, but a great crew of men helped us and we finally got everything where it needed to be on Friday. The kids are *so* excited (I hope they stay that way when they have to start actually *practicing! ;-)), and so am I!

ETA: Can anyone help me figure out how to position the photos in my post where I want them? When I use more than one photo in a post, I can't seem to get them to end up where they are supposed to! (I *wanted* the full piano on the right at the top with text to the left of it, and the piano keys at the bottom of the post in the center...help!)

ETA2: Thanks to Joyful Days for helping me figure out how to get things (mostly:)) where I want them!!

The Reading Nook

I have been intending to post a picture of our new *Reading Nook* ever since I posted about it in my WFMW post. Here it *finally* is. The size makes it a challenge to photograph...this picture is taken from the doorway of our bedroom; the opposite wall has a doorway leading into the living room. We still have work to do in here...I need to make new curtains for the front door, we are going to add a small bookcase just to the right of where I was standing, and I need to reposition the swag and the artwork above the loveseat (we used to have taller furniture in that spot :)). Billy also said we can be on the lookout for a good deal on a screen door. I decided after we got the loveseat moved in there that it would be really nice to have a screen door on the front door (directly across from the loveseat) so that on nice days we could have the door open and feel the breeze. I can't wait to get that done! :) I love our new cozy spot!

Small Houses revisited...

Earlier this week I ran across some great links on small houses in a post at Starry Sky Ranch . As I mentioned in my WFMW post on Small House Survival, I am on a quest for *outside the box* solutions to our space and storage issues, while working to make our house warm and homey. Although our house is not a mobile home, I was really inspired by the photos here and here . Thanks to Kim at Starry Sky Ranch for posting these links! I'm always on the lookout for more good ideas...I'll be posting as I find them, and would love to hear any ideas or see any photos anyone else has.

Works for Me Wednesday...Small House Survival

Our family of 6 lives in a 60+ year old house with three bedrooms, one bath, very little closet space, and even *less* storage. While our 1700 square feet is certainly not *tiny*, it isn't spacious either...and while most people we know have a garage *and* an attic for storage...we have *neither*! So...we are learning the fine art of using space creatively. I have realized that the secret to living well in small spaces is learning to *think outside the box*. We have a *loonnnggg* way to go in this process, but slowly but surely we are getting there!

Following the death of an elderly cousin recently, we were offered a loveseat that I originally turned down, as it would not have fit into our living room. However, later that day, I had a brainstorm while washing dishes at the kitchen sink (another plus of old-house living...no dishwasher...which is fortunate, because that seems to be where most of my brainstorms appear! :-)) I realized that the loveseat would probably fit perfectly in our entry hall...and I suddenly had a vision of turning the entry hall into a reading nook. I've always thought it was odd that a house that was otherwise not spacious had so much space in a virtually *worthless* room-that-wasn't-even-really-a-room. But now I was inspired! Our front door has a half window and the lighting in the entry is great...we would put the loveseat opposite the front door, add a small bookcase on the side wall, and have a perfect place for people to read or study.

The loveseat fit perfectly in the space...with about 3 inches to spare! And our new reading nook is one of our favorite places in the house. I can do individual schoolwork with one child in the reading nook while the other children are busy in the living room and dining room (which doubles as our school and all-purpose room :)). It's a quiet spot for people to read, draw, or nap. When a child needs some extra TLC, we can head to the entry hall and snuggle on the loveseat. And because the entry hall opens onto our bedroom, it's the perfect spot for a child to sleep if they are sick or have had a bad dream.

If only it were that easy to add another bathroom!!

Thanks so much to Shannon at Rocks in My Dryer for hosting WFMW!!

Tackle It Tuesday!

My first Tackle It Tuesday! :-) I've debated what my Tackle It Tuesday project should be...we are in the process of a *whole-house overhaul* on our 60+ year old house, so there are lots of possibilities!

I think we'll go with painting the front door (the inside, not the outside). The front door and door facing *really* need a touch-up, and I have been going to do it for a week...and then Billy was going to do it this weekend...and neither one of us ever got to it. :) The other thing I *really* need to do is switch over my email...I am in the process of changing ISPs and the state of limbo I'm in with my email is about to drive me bananas! So...I will tackle that as well.

Hope everyone has a productive Tuesday!

Tackle It Tuesday Update...

Whew! Finished them both!! Got the door painted and the other trim in the Entryway touched up, *and* got my email switched over. That was quite a traumatic undertaking...I have several email accounts for various purposes, but our primary email address has been the same ever since we first got internet service. Funny how such a seemingly *minor* change can shake a person up so much! Not only did I have to get everything switched over, but I also had to make a *decision* about what our new primary email was going to be from here on out. I knew the addresses I did *not* want to use as our primary email, but couldn't decide between my relatively new gmail account and the email address provided by our new ISP. I finally went with the new ISP address...and so far, I'm happy. I just realized though...I need to figure out which email addresses and email loops my mail needs to be changed on and get all *those* changed as well. *Sigh* Sounds like a "Tackle It Tuesday" project...only unfortunately, this one won't wait until next Tuesday....and my brain is way too tired to tackle that tonight. Guess that will go on my "Way Too Full Already Wednesday" list...;-)

Thanks for the inspiration, motivation, and encouragement to get these projects done!!

Random Thoughts of Thankfulness...

I hope I'm not committing a major blogging faux pas here...but I'm fairly certain that this blog is going to be the *permanent* one, so I decided to repost an earlier blog post from my original blog. I plan to continue the *Random Thoughts of Thankfulness* posts on a regular basis, so I thought perhaps I needed to share their origins here as well...

(from May 11, 2007, the wee hours of the morning...)

I have been quite convicted lately that I need to stop on a regular basis and spend time just being grateful....time that I thank God for His amazing blessings, without any other distractions. It's 1:18 a.m. at the moment, and I am sitting here *waiting* for a new internet security program to download so I can shut down and go to bed...and I realized perhaps this would be a good time to just *be grateful*. :-) I plan to make this a regular part of my blog...but hopefully *not* regularly at 1:30 a.m.!

A bit of housekeeping, first. My plan is for this to be a place for *random* thoughts of thankfulness....thankfulness for those things in my day or week that make me smile, or give me a sudden jolt of realization of God's goodness and love....things that make me excited to get up in the morning (or keep me from running away to Alaska on the rough days. :)) So...let's get the *big stuff* out first...because these are things I am *always* thankful for, and they won't necessarily be repeated in later random thankfulness posts:

1. The gift of a Christian husband who spoils me rotten, wholeheartedly believes in homeschooling (and works hard so that I can stay home to accomplish that), and is the most incredible husband and daddy ever (and he even does dishes! :-))

2. Four beautiful, healthy, crazy, bright, amazing (but sometimes cranky) children.

3. The blessing of being raised in a Christian home by Godly parents who sacrificed much and prayed often for us. I realize more every day what a very rare gift that is.

4. Friends who make me laugh until my face hurts, endure my tears (and shed their own with me), listen to me unendingly, and sharpen me as iron sharpens iron.

5. The most wonderful gift of all...a Savior whose love, grace, and faithfulness are more awesome to me every day.



Now...for today's random thoughts of thankfulness...

1. Missing doors! My brilliant hubby suggested years ago that we take the doors off of either end of our large dining/school room. It took me several years to catch up with his thinking....but I decided a few weeks ago that part of the dining/school room makeover *desperately* needed to be losing the doors. So...Billy took the doors off after work tonight, and it has *already* made a world of difference in this room! Much more usable/wall space and a much less *cluttered* look. (He and the kids pulled wallpaper off half the room tonight, too...the kids had a ball, and I am a few steps closer to having this room painted and transformed. :))

2. The promise of high-speed internet. Wow! I am excited about this. I have needed to make some changes in our phone service for a while now...our long distance usage has changed and I knew we could get a better deal than we had but I just hadn't gotten around to it. Today I ended up on the phone with a customer service guy from our phone company...and ended up getting our phone service and high-speed internet bundled for $55.00 *less* a month than we were paying for our phone and slow dial-up! It will take a week or so to get it all going, but it is definitely something to look forward to. :)

3. Choir Practice. I often think I should take a break from choir for a while...due to time and health issues...but I just can't ever quite make myself. Choir has always been one of the most enjoyable times of the week for me...I enjoy all of it, even just going over things over and over and *over* again until Lyndel is happy with them (or until he gives up, whichever the case may be :-D). I'm always amazed at the way God uses the music we are working on in very specific ways in my life. Somehow in the past few years, with all that we have gone through (Ammah Grace, losing Daddy, and the difficult events of the past year), many of the hymns and choir anthems I've sung for years have come alive in totally new ways. And Lyndel has managed to introduce us to new pieces that have impacted me immensely. I actually started a blog post this morning (hopefully I will finish and post it someday :)) about the music of Stuart Townend and what a blessing it has been lately. I'm really thankful that Billy has supported my staying in choir and that Lyndel puts up with me. :)

4. School! We have finally found our *niche* as far as schooling goes, and that is *such* a good feeling. It is so good to have a plan (one that actually *works*, after the first one *didn't* :)) and books and know where we are headed. We have had so much *fun* with school recently. Some of the fun hasn't been surprising (making clay *creations* as a project to go along with our Mystery of History lesson...I'll post pics soon...), but some of it has caught me off guard. One of the things the kids have enjoyed the most this week has been their *handwriting*, of all things. I printed copywork pages from the DonnaYoung site of George Washington's Rules of Civility...and the kids have *begged* to do them first every day! More on that and lots of other school thoughts coming soon...:)

5. When I started this, I had five thoughts, but somehow when the clock struck 2 a.m., I lost the fifth one. Since this download is *finally* almost finished, I'm not going to attempt to remember it...maybe it will come back to me in the morning. For now, I will replace it with the fact that I am thankful that I should be in bed in the next 10 minutes and only seconds after that be asleep. A very thankful thought for 2 a.m. for a tired mommy...:)