Catching Up

With my camera being broken, I have missed several photo opportunities.  And then when I got my replacement camera, I didn't format the SD card before I started taking pictures, so now my computer doesn't recognize the "correct path" (whatever computer jargon that is) of the pictures I took on the old memory card.  Even though there are no pictures to accompany the stories at their present time, there are stories to share nonetheless with a couple of pictures of the end product.

Story #1:  I've always wanted a big rock.  Like, a BIG rock.  I knew that we had no rocks on our land that would measure up to my standards of what a "BIG rock" is, but a couple of months ago the subject got brought up when I was visiting with my family near Tama.  It never occurred to me for a Tama County rock to be moved from up there to down here, but my dad knew exactly where one was at.  Less than two weeks later, he had that bad boy loaded up on a pallet, put on the back of his pickup and introduced to Wapello County.

After it was delivered, we made its home up by the machine shed since we didn't know exactly where we wanted it permanently placed. First, we thought about putting it in the corner of the yard by the driveway.  But that idea was short-lived due to the fact that we have to back out of our driveway to leave the yard and we have been known to back out less than straight.  Boulders and bumpers aren't exactly compatible.  Then the idea was to put it in the side yard as part of a rock garden.  But that area is where a tree once upon a time lived, with a not so happily ever after ending.  When they took out the tree, the root system was left in the ground, slowly rotting away making a sort of sink hole area.  We decided against that due to the fact that the sink hole would have basically swallowed up the rock and it would have just kept sinking.  SO....

One very early morning when I couldn't sleep, the idea of the perfect spot dawned on me.  (Get it?  Early morning....dawned... haha!)  We have a spot right beside our front porch where the gutter runs off, making it unsuitable for me to plant pretty flowers there.  TaDa!  The perfect spot.  Eventually, there will be more than just a rock here, but all that takes time.  The plan is to put in some sort of fountain and additional rocks, maybe next year.  But its a start!

Thanks to my dad, hubby and father-in-law, I have next spring's project sitting there waiting for me to beautify it!   It took quite the skills with the tractor to get this big boy good and snug in the corner... and without any damage to anything!  I think it will be perfectly happy on the south side of I-80  :-)

Story #2: I've been on the prowl for a couple of headboards for the kids' beds for quite a while.  But I will only buy if the product is of superior quality and an excellent price.  (I'm not cheap, I'm just a good steward of the resources God has given me!)   All my searches have been in vain until a quick check on a going out of business sale in Ottumwa. There, I found they had six or seven nice head boards left in the size I was looking for.  They all had price tags of $300 and over.  The prices had been crossed out and the owner was willing to make a deal.  I walked out with two very nice, solid wood head boards at $75 each!  Honestly, I can't remember the exact price that was on the head boards I picked out, but even if we started on the cheaper end, I saved over $400!!  Some people would call it a coincidence, but I believe that God puts blessings in our path if we are good stewards of our finances.

Believe it or not, the helper boy and I managed to get both of those head boards into the back seat of my Chevy Malibu!  The next day, I had a choice:  I could either wait on Josh to help me out.  But c'mon, really... its BEAUTIFUL weather during haying season!  I really didn't think that was going to happen anytime soon (at least, I hoped.  I'm thrilled they are getting SO much done!).  OR... I could just do it. 

I decided to just do it.  I had pictures of all the parts and tools and pieces, only to later discover the technical difficulties that came with the new camera and old memory card.  So no pictures of the work in progress, but I can tell you I taught myself quite a bit about lock washers, wooden pegs, and connecting screws!  Caleb's was the first one I put together and fastened to the bed frame; it took about forty five minutes because I had to figure out which parts were which.  The next one, Sarah's, only took ten minutes, start to finish! 





Caleb's new headboard, complete with room decor of his sock monkey and the crooked Thomas the Train poster he put up himself!




Sarah's bed makeover, complete with quilt I purchased on sale (75% off with free shipping, woo hoo!) and my Kid Sister from years ago. 
Remember the "Kid Sister" and "My Buddy" songs from the commercials?