Our Spring Break

Being a teacher has lots of perks, and Spring Break is one of them. This year, the kiddos and I went camping with my family. We took lots of camping trips as kids and they are some of my best memories. Days outside riding bikes, sight-seeing, fishing, and nights around the campfire. No TV, or house to clean, just all day long playing with my kids and enjoying my family.

Morgan and Ethan enjoying some breakfast from little cereal boxes (a family camping tradition)



Little fisherman with a Spongebob fishing pole



Ethan and Papaw having an important conversation.

The museum near the campground (This place was so awesome we visited it THREE times)

Sweet girl enjoying some lunch (hidden inside Easter eggs!)

Meanwhile, Chad was back at home working hard on removing tree stumps. He cut down two semi-dead trees that we thought could potentially fall on the house, and grinded 7 stumps. The work around this place never ends. 



Basement gets a facelift

Every time we decide to start a new project we jump right in instead of taking it slow, hence the delayed blog-posting that has been happening.

So our basement had the slight (okay, major) stench of dog. And we could take it no longer. So rather than taking it slow, we rip the entire place apart. 

Ah, the beauty. Why would anyone want to change this?

My hard-working hubsy and the messy closet.

The bedroom, complete with "ocean breeze" trim.

I know, more beauty.

So we rip up the carpet and begin the looooong process of painting over the beautiful paneling, which takes 5-6 coats of paint and primer. We had some help.

From left to right:  CALLIE  DOG(looks like a P, the paint dripped)  ETHAN

So we paint day and night so that Chad can lay the laminate flooring. So he begins to lay it, but that proves to more difficult that we anticipated (it ALWAYS is!). We call in the professionals to lay the flooring. We're up to a three week project. In the meantime, Chad builds a shelf to put in a nook to display his collection of alcoholic beverages and Coca-Cola memorabilia. But that also did not work out the way we expected it would. When we tried to bring it inside, it was too tall and would not fit. Now we're up to four weeks.  We thought it would be two weeks, tops.

AFTER: Still a man cave, but improved.

Our shelf (it's not really crooked, just the photographer)

The spare bedroom

But it was all worth it. We spent a lot more time downstairs, and I don't cringe when the kids play on the floor. One more thing checked of the to-do list.