Disneyland - Calif. Summer Vacation '09 Day 1

Are we there yet???? Are we there yet????

4th of July @ Bass Lake with the Tadlocks

I so love our friends! We had so much fun with all 6 of our kids together. Good food, swimming, staying up and playing movie trivia. Thanks for the great July memories and thanks for the cake!

Matthew & Me

He's 11 now and it's a gawky age. He wants to know about puberty, sex, and even wants his own email address. Yet he still asks to be driven all the way across town to bum around at Toys R Us. It's a sweet moment in time, caught between becoming a teen and wanting to stay a little boy. I don't always know how to respond to the growing teen, but I do know how to love that sweet little boyish side. I guess I try to come from a place of love and understanding, no matter if he's carrying a stuffed animal one day or asking for a cell phone the next. He's still my little man and still love our walks together, I cherish those times when we can be together...just talking.
My Matthew....Growing all too fast!





Photos from San Joaquin River walk - Spring '09

What's been happening with Zak man?

Here's my long lost catch up post....it might take me a day or two to catch up so bare with me as I retrace my steps over the last few weeks/days :) This post is all about my little Zak man an what he's doing to keep me busy.....





April - 13, tiny man turned 9 this year! He was a total sweetheart and wanted an Easter Egg hunt for his birthday. That was an easy request to accommodate, we just combined our family Easter and Zak's party, hid a few eggs, wrapped a few gifts. Simple. He could not have been happier!

Photo: Zak (w/ new tennis racket still wrapped) Matthew, and cousin chad at Grandma Helen's for Easter/9th Birthday Party

Zak has taken up Freestyle Wrestling this year and gets plenty of exercise two nights a week. These are photos of him pinning his younger friend. It's all about strentgh and having fun! Although he's had his moments of wanting to quit, especially after pinning the "heavy weight", he's stuck with the sport all season. He finishes this week with a tounament, potluck, and swim party. He's had a really great season overall and has learned something about "not giving up" and "commitment". All good!








Zak at his 3grade Star Spangled Spring Concert. The most darling little "Yankee Doodle" performance, complete with hand gestures. I love his age and my little 9 year old Zak!

Trash to Treasure....

The $6 Estate Sale find....a little bit trashy...

From dirty and unwanted...



To Treasure! A new lampshade from Target and it's like new again! A great find for my bedside table.




I do love yard sales/estate sales. I hardly ever find real treasures, but this sure turned out to be one of my favorite deals.
Have a wonderful day!

Self-Portrait Sunday and a Scrapbook Page

Today was a day to stop and pause and realize how quickly my babies have turned into little boys. I'm sure that I'll blink my eyes and they'll be teenagers. Today, I just cherished them and stopped to remember how much they've grown, and how much they've helped me grow as a person.

Then & Now


Self-Portrait, Reen at 45

Reflecting on the years and embracing what is now and what is to come. Thankful heart.

Thanks for visiting me, have a wonderful day!

One Word.....Gratitude!

Finishing Touches - Bathroom Remodel

The remodel wouldn't be complete without some framed memories of the old bathroom. The kids are so embarrased to have these hanging up on their bathroom walls, so that means I've been a complete success, right?! They will remain until I get at least one "awe...how sweet" out of one of their teenage girlfriends someday ;)








This is the one and only smelly boy stuff I can get the kids to use! It rocks! Any deoderant that I can get boys to use rocks in my book!


Project complete.
Next project will either be a new master bathroom, new flooring throughout, or a new roof. Take your pick, they all need to be done eventually. We just need to get a few bids and agree on what we can handle both financially and dust-wise! ha!

Bathroom Remodel - After Pics

Sharing a few photos of our bathroom remodel. We're totally thrilled with the results!!

I'm using my new favorite color combination for the towels: burgandy and chocolate brown. I love these colors together right now.

I will need a couple of towel bars hung and some do-dads on the wall (my handyman is just a little hard to motivate right now as he's fighting a cold, so I'm cutting him some slack ;) ....anyway, those details will come together over the next week or so, could not wait to share. So here they are:








I could not be happier to be rid of that rusted old sink and that 80's tile!

Bathroom Remodel Jan. '09 Project Restoration

The remodel of the our front bathroom was completed by Abby Flooring and Design in Fresno. Thank you to Pamela, our designer that helped us really get the project moving. She was awesome to work with and not only turned out to be a great designer, but a really nice friend too. It took the Abby team about two weeks to complete. And we've also taken a few weeks to add the finishing coat of paint and accessories.








What was old, outdated, worn out is no more! The day the bathroom was gutted was one of the happiest days in my life! We ripped out all the shower tile, counter top, linoleum flooring. Basically everything in the old bathroom was demolished. The almond colored tub, toilet, rusted sink were all pulled out and hauled away. Basically, we started this project from cement floor and studs on the wall. The only thing we did keep was the cabinet. It was still in really great shape and can serve us well for another 10 years.

We purchased all new Koehler tub, toilet, and sink products in white. We decided on brushed nickel faucets by Price Phister. The border tile is travertine with accents of amber glass. The counter top is a hand picked slab of granite, natural stone. The wall and floor tile is low maintenance ceramic that once grouted, looks more like travertine natural stone, than a ceramic.

Lovely "After" Photos to come......stay tuned...

My Ugly 80's Bathroom - Before Shots

We started out the New Year with a bathroom transformation that took several weeks to complete. We are stil in the process of putting some finishing touches in place; towel bars, pictures, and accessories. I thought I'd take the time to show how far we've come and to get an appreciation for it, you really must see where we started.

These are the before shots of our bathroom renovation. Not Pretty! As you can see, I really tried to make this tile work, it was fine for a few years while the kids were tiny.....but we finally decided that this job was long, long over due.









I nearly cried tears of joy the day this room was demo'ed!

Special Thanks to Abby Flooring and Design Center in Fresno for all of their dedication and hard work on the job.

Stay turned....more work in process and after photos to come soon.