My Horrible Kitchen...Please Help

This is my horrible kitchen! Note I didn't pick out this paint color, I have hated it since we moved in. We have lived in our house for 5 years now, and my kitchen still looks HORRIBLE!!! I need some pointers, like would you paint the counter tops? Is there another cheap way to change these horrible counter tops? THE SINK!!! I know is soooooo horrible, but we have no $$$ to replace it. It would be my dream to add on a garage and do a kitchen remodel, but until I get a job I don't for see us having money for that. Sooo that leaves me with THIS for a kitchen! Since I'm rambling on I will just leave a list of questions and people comment below, e-mail, or call me with your advice.......... please help!! Remember we are on a SUPER low budget!!!

What would you do about the flooring?
Would you paint the cabinets, stain them a different color, or leave them alone?
Counter top: paint or change some how?
What color should I do for a wall color?
The Sink???
Any other ideas would be AWESOME!!!

Score! Free Helmets

Charles City has a group for children and parents called, Our Kids Count. They meet every other Tuesday. Once a month its a parent only topic where they will have a speaker and free daycare for your children why you listen. Then the other Tuesday its a parent and child topic. This Tuesday was a parent and child topic on bike and scooter safety. They had a police officer come and explain the importance of helmets, following signs, listening to your parents, I think you all get the idea :) When they were talking about signs they would hold it up and ask what it meant, Everett was one of the only kids to know the Railroad sign. I can't say I'm shock, trains have engines there for it was right up his ally! Then they passed out free helmets. They handed out over 80 helmets. Since they handed out so many and saved me a trip to the store, I decided the least I could do was mail them a thank you. Retter and Emma colored a thank you for the Officer that came and spoke and Floyd County Public Safety for donating the helmets.


******Emma didn't go because I like to have one on one time with Everett, and lets face it chasing two kids around with 140 in one room might have made me rip out my hair! Everett did very well and sat in his chair and listen for the most part. I can't believe how much he's maturing!

Iowa City Again

My sister and Chris are buying/building a house, so Sunday we loaded up the kiddos and drove down to IC to see the progress. The house they are buying is in Tiffin. In Tiffin there is this AWESOME campground that we checked out. It's our plan to camp there this summer, but first it had to meet so requirements :)

1.) A place to fish with Boat Ramp (Cody's requirement)


2.) A playground (The Kids requirement)


3.) Trails to walk on (My requirement)

4.) A Beach for swimming (Rett & My requirement)

5.) Electric Hook Ups (Sanity requirement)

It met all of the requirements so we are planning a 5day camping trip sometime this summer.

Ashley and Chris' house is turning out AWESOME! They have the wood floors in and the walls all done. They plan to be moved in by mid June. When we were walking threw it Everett kept telling my sister where his stuff was going. EX: when we went into the basement Everett said "a toy room here" and when we walked into her walk in closet "this is my room" and when we walked into the spare bedroom "put Emma's bed here." I guess he's moving him and his sister to Tiffin :)

After leaving Tiffin we went back to Chris and Ashley's apartment for supper. The boys played TACKLE football and were a little tired after.


Emma didn't nap all day and passed out on the way home. She did very well though for as tired as she probably was.

Some pictures from the AWESOME playground.....
Emma got stuck in the middle of the slide so Aunt Ashley went down to rescue her :)


Rett going down the slide
Even Cj had to try out the slide

Emma insisted she could do this

****all the pictures were taken with my camera phone so I'm sorry the quality is a little off.

Wax On, scrub, SCRUB, SCRUB! Wax Off

Last week Rett and I wash and waxed the car while Emma was taking a nap. I wish someone would have told me prior to the putting the wax on that its a PAIN IN THE BUTT to get off! I believe it took me 2.5 hours to detail the van. Next time I will just pay the $10 at the car wash to have it washed and waxed. Everett had fun though he made me wax his car too. NOTE: the wax didn't come off of his car. Oppsy :)

My Little Cowboy

My parents invited Retters to go horses back riding or maybe he called and invited himself, none the less he went. My mom purchased this little Buddy Seat that goes behind her seat and has stirrups and handles. Everett thought he was top dog in his little seat. Emma and I waited at Mom & Dad's for them to get back. While waiting she chased "kitty" (the barn cats) and pet the "hosey" (the horses).


She was getting a little tired as you can probably tell.


Emma wasn't to fond of sitting on Rex or petting them, but if you walked away she whined to go back up to them. I promise she wasn't as scared as she looks in this picture though.

Retters had so much fun riding this is what I got from him on the way home.
Me: Did you have fun?
Rett: Yes
Me: What did you see?
Rett: I saw a tractor and Deer and Dandy (my parents dog...Dagen and Rylies baby) chased the deer and grandpa said "Dandy NO" "Come Dandy!" and Dandy came back.
Me: What horse did you ride?
Rett: The black one
Me: Does he have a name?
Rett: No
Me: I think his name is Ed.

My Twiners

My mom got these shirts on a super clearance at Old Navy for the kids to wear as play clothes. These pictures are my attempt to take a "cute" picture of them wearing the same shirt. As you can see they weren't feeling it. Emma still does the blank stare look whenever she sees a camera...kind of frustrating. That morning I got Emma dressed first and Everett said, "hey, why is Emma wearing my shirt."

Fixing The Kennel

Sunday we were again outside most of the day. We had to Rylie proff our kennel as last year Rylie decided she didn't want to be in it anymore and well broke out. She very good at escaping things, one time her and Dagen were seperated by a door with a glass window and she jumped threw it. YEAH! jumped threw a SCREENED GLASS window to get to Dagen.... long story short, they do best when left together. Anywho, she broke out of the kennel and Cody bought cow panel to line the inside with. Why fix the kennel you maybe asking? Taking them camping with us is a HASSLE! So it's much easier to pay someone to let them out and feed them when we are camping then it is to bring them. The kennel is now fixed, told you Cody was handy to have around. We are still waiting on the camper!
The Semi Finished Kennel, It Still Needs Rock.

Everett Got a Kick Out Of The Dog House


And this right here is why I'm willing to put up with all of her annoying habits. She is 100% in love with Everett and Emma. She follows them and deals with anything they would ever do to her. I think after having so many puppies in her day she just has a need to mother :)

Splish Splash

Last Wednesday it rained and it poured, and then the SUN came out; so what's the best thing to do then? Go jump in puddles of course. My mom got the kids these cute rain boots for Easter so we had to try them out. Emma has never jumped in puddles before and she had a blast, the only downside was she kept putting her hand in it and splashing her face. Rett had just woke up from a nap so he was in one of those I don't want to moods but he quickly changed his mind. Once again, he is his father's son, you can not wake that child up!

Grilling Out

Saturday we grilled out with some friends. My friend Laci Klinkel recently moved to Missouri and was home for the weekend so she brought her daughter Hayden over to play. My friend Darcy Knecht just had a baby too, Trent. To my knowledge Emma has never seen a baby. Emma stood and stared at baby Trent for the LONGEST time. It was so cute. Everett ran over to check out baby Trent once, and everyone asked him if he want a baby. Everett responded with " No, I have an Emma." lol. I guess he agrees with Cody and I that two is enough for right now.
I do Belive EVERY toy was pulled out of the shed :) But hey what fun would it be if they weren't :)


Casey and Baby Trent




Casey is expecting a little one around July, How cute is this picture?also in the picture (L-R) Katie, Mariah, Casey, Selena, Darcy


Hayden is 2 weeks younger than Emma... Why are my children always so much bigger LOL

Friends

Rett has been all about having friends over lately. So I suckered my friend Ashley out of her beautiful girls for a couple hours the other day. Camden 5weeks younger than Everett, you could say they have been best friends since birth. Then Ambree is 7weeks older than Emma so you could also say they have been best friends since birth. In the picture all four kiddos were playing little people together SOOOO cute :)

Girly Girl/ Tom Boy?

Everyone always asks me if Emma is a Girly Girl or a Tom Boy and my answer is always both. This child LOVES to have her hair done. For this up do she sat there the whole time without even a whimper while I french braided her hair. She loves for her Aunt Ashley to come over so she will do her make-up. She Love love loves! her toe nails being painted. BUT and its a big BUT she also loves trucks, getting dirty, wearing baseball caps, playing with the dogs and horses, and following Everett around. So the answer to the question is Emma is a perfect mix of Tom Boy and Girly Girl just like her mommy :)

Rainy Day Activity

Since the weather was pouring rain the other day. Everett and I made Rice Cripsies. I haven't made them since I was probably 12. Everett had fun mixing the sticky mess. Then we melted down chocolate and peanut butter and put that on half of them. Rett also insisted on putting on sprinkles, he didn't take that job lightly at all.

Way Back Wednesday

This video is of Everett right after Emma was born so he was a little less than two and a half. I can't believe he's almost 4 now :(. Anywho when I was changing Emma's diaper (you can hear her cooing in the back round) Rett decided to crawl into her saucer and well got STUCK. This clip still makes me laugh and I remember it like it was just yesterday:)

Sunday BBQ

Sunday it was so nice we were outside most of the day. We had Andy and Cassie Michael over with their daughter, Aubrey. Cody and Andy use to be neighbors when they were kids, and Aubrey is a little older than Emma. All three kids played together great and it was a blast to be outside. I'm so greatful that so many of our friends have children that our kiddos can play with.

The Girls :)


Cj decided it would be an awesome idea to chase Rett around on his bike. It was pretty funny to watch.

Poor Everett always having to play with girls? He was actually pulling them by himself too, but once he got tired Andy jumped in to help him to the cement.

Emma Conquering The Slide

Emma has conquered the slide. She has to bring the balls with her, so she can throw them down the slide. Also you have to remind her to sit or else she attempts to run down the slide. Luckily someone has always been there to catch her when she attempts that move.
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Also this is my first "Video Post" so you will have to let me know how it turns out. I don't normally take videos, because we don't have a dvd burner (I know how lame are we), and because it takes up so much room on my memory card. If it turns out well I can take more videos to post on here :)

Happy Birthday To My Favorite Sister

Happy 26th Birthday we love you!

The Best Purchase We Made For The Kids Was.....

....A SANDBOX!! We and by We I mean Cody made this for Everett for his second birthday. It is still his favorite thing to do outside. Grandma Jackie and PaPa Craig have been very generous at stocking it with toys over the years. Emma also really enjoys the sandbox. The problem is she loves to throw sand and dump it on her head. And believe me sand isn't easy to get out of all those curls. We have a tarp that clips on the sandbox so all the toys can stay in it without a certain dog...DAGEN chewing everything up. The tarp also works great for keeping the sandbox free of puddles after a couple days of rain. The only thing I would change about it is I would buy the "white sand" because they get really really dirty from this sand.

Spring has Sprung

Its SO nice to see flowers and green grass again. I told Everett when the snow melts we can go camping again. Now every day he asks if we are going to pick up the camper. I wish we could but its still being fixed and most camp grounds don't open until May 1st. Everett and I are still counting down the days.....23!

Sunday Easter

Emma finding her Easter Basket hid under the table.


Rett Found his too, it was on one of the dining room chairs. The "Easter Rabbit" as Rett calls him also left a Easter Egg trail down the stairs like clues to his basket. :)

Brandee got the kids these SUPER CUTE outfits and wanted a cute picture of them. This picture was the best I could do in the time crunch we were under. Its my plan to get there 2 year & 4 year (wow they can't NOT be that old :( ) pictures taken in them. So cuter pictures in these outfits to come :)


On our way to Grandma Lou's, where we ate lunch and did an Easter Egg hunt, I don't know why I didn't take more pictures.


Then it was out to the pasture to "fly" kites. For Emma flying kites met running around in her new rain boots with Grandma.


My Brother In Law brought a "trick kite" but I guess the trick was getting it in the air. I think everyone tried to get the kite up at one time or another.


Emma and Her Great Aunt Pam (My Dad's Sister)


After Flying Kites it was on to my parents house where Cody, Chris, and Emma took naps. Mom, Dad, Ashley, Everett, and I all went riding. This was the first time Everett has gone on a "long" ride. We were gone for about two hours and he did so good! I was so proud of him. We started off with Rett riding with Grandpa but after some "owie pee pee" issues he then rode with my mom as she is smaller and didn't take up as much room in the saddle. Did I mention I was SOOO proud of him? I have always wanted him to ride ALWAYS, so now that he's finally showing an interest I'm excited. Hard to believe but both my sister and I were riding by ourselves by 3.