Welcome to my home new decor!

Okay, so I have recently become obsessed with sewing.  When I say obsessed, I mean everything I see, I think "can I make that?" and may or may not attempt to do so.  It is AMAZING what you can do when you put your mind to it!  I have wanted to add color to our living room forever by curatins or something and I have always disliked my toss pillows, so I decided to make valances (the fabric I liked and that matches is a very busy fabris and thought it would be overwhelming as full curtains) and matching pillow covers.  It is difficult because I have burgundy/red furniture and sorta light moss colored walls so not much matches well.  My husband is not a huge fan of the fabric I picked out because it is flowers, and it is colorful.  BUT, I LOVE it!  And, even though it was a lot of sweat equity involved, the total price of making the valances and pillow covers was somewhere around $25-ish.  SO, they can be changed and I will have not lost much in terms of money.  Anyway, just thought I would share the finished products.  Please note that the wooden shelves hanging above the TV aren't there to stay-we got a new TV and moved furniture around and haven't moved those yet.  I think what I will be hanging above the TV is a collage of family pics.  Anyone want to put an over/under on how long that will take?

It's raining Cheez-its!

Surely you can leave two 4-year-olds downstairs eating a snack while you go upstairs and change right?

Apparently not.  I came down to this MESS.  The kiddos proceeded to tell me that they were pretending like it was raining with their snack.  AS IN throwing the crackers up into the air so that they would fall down like rain.  WHAT?  IS THIS FOR REAL?  All in a days work. 

Lake Season has begun!

Do you ever think about the words begin, began and begun too hard when you write them? I am in constant "edit" mode so I always do....the only thing that sounded right was begun but now I am questioning it. Oh well!  Over Spring Break we went to the lake (Dale Hollow) for the first time this season!  Yay! The 'rents have a place down there, which is great for us.  Family time and a way to get away for a mini-vacation. It was chilly but we still managed to get some fun in!  Four wheeling, hiking/walking, visiting the cave, bonfire, playing outside for endless hours, fishing and going out on the boat.  Looking forward to more lake trips and for it to be warm enough to go out on the boat all day!

I don't know why I didn't get one with him toting all three of the kids.  I have to learn how to drive this thing.  Oh wait, no I don't, because then non one can beg me to take them on a drive.

Hiking to the cave with my precious cargo!

We go to the same cave every time and yet they never get sick of it. 

The Mann Militia

YES, my kids have guns.  A BB gun and a fake gun.  Go ahead and turn me into the the "Mother of the Year Police"

There IS beauty in nature.

Austins fish caught on his Scooby Doo pole.  Maybe we should all be fishing with Scooby Doo poles. Oh wait, I don't fish.  I mean everyone esle.