farmhouse.

So much is happening at the farm every single day. So fun and exciting!

We have been thinking about/planning for this little adventure for over 10 years. (I never knew WHEN it was going to happen, but knew that SOMEDAY it was going to happen.) I just realized that it was exactly a year ago tomorrow that I resigned from my job and we decided to uproot our whole world. Wow. So much has happened in 365 days. 

One of the things I love most about our house is the design/layout. Look at this craziness. You don't find houses like this in new developments. It's almost like an L shape. I love the uniqueness of it. 

My bathtub arrived. I had to try it out. It's not quite as big as I had originally hoped for, but the extra cost of a 6 foot tub was silly.

I can relax just as easily in a 5 foot tub. Right? =)

Two of the guys I've been spending a lot of time with lately. =) Nathan (on the floor) is our cabinet guy. He drew our whole kitchen layout on the floor with a big black Sharpie. 

We spent 2.5 hours (with the kids!) in his store today, finalizing all the cabinet and counter top decisions for the kitchen and the bathrooms. Holy cow, there are bunch of decisions. This is pretty close to what our kitchen cabinets are going to look like... (So pretty.)

We have shingles now! (Did you know there were 25 different color options for shingles, too?) So. many. decisions.

I'm still not sure about this whole "living in the country" thing. I like neighbors. (usually.) I like being 2 minutes from the grocery store. I like being able to walk places. (or just drive there really quickly.) I like the convenience of being in town. But this was the view out of our front door the other day... (absolutely zero editing on this picture. The sky was THAT blue and the grass was THAT green!)

I think I might get used to this country living thing.

so much mess.

A horribly messy house is what greeted me my first morning of summer vacation. Yipee! 

Poor house had been neglected for quite some time, so I spent the first couple days trying to get rid of some of this... 

Two Rubbermaid tubs in the middle of the dining room. We were searching for Sophie's swimsuit for 3rd, 4th and 5th grade "Water Day." 

My lovely dining room table. (Corey made that little breakfast in bed tray when he was in college and gave it to my mom as a gift. He borrowed it for Mother's Day breakfast in bed. It was sitting by the front door, waiting to be returned to Mom and Dad's, when Gretchen decided to try and sit on it. =( So we're needing to find some wood glue before it can be returned. Sorry, Mom.)

Coffee table... (That little flowered binder is my Farmhouse notebook. Full of every little bit of info we might need and every little thing we need to keep track of.)

Bench in the foyer... (see that pink bag on the floor? One of my students gave me an 8-pack of Dr. Pepper on the last day of school. =) He got a big hug.)

The craft room table = HUGE disaster.

This week has been full of spending time up at school (trying to do as much cleaning/organizing as I can now, to hopefully avoid some of the stress in August. I'm thinking the house could be ready right about the time school is starting.)... lots of cleaning/organizing/throwing stuff away at home... meetings at the house with different people (cabinet guy, electricians (who also called me "easy")... lots of appointments and random things trying to be accomplished. It's been a busy week.

Today really feels like Friday.

haircuts.

We had a couple Jones' who were in desperate need of haircuts yesterday... 

We snuck a third one in on the spur of the moment...

{As cute as these little people are (and the dog) none of these haircuts are my favorite. Sophie's is super cute from the front, but I'm not sure what she did in the back. Lawson's is crazy short and Marley's is strange. I'm probably being a haircut snob, but they just aren't my favorites. I'm not sure I'll ever forgive you for moving to Maine, Amy D.}

mother's day gifts.

The last couple years we've made these for Mother's Day gifts. Just happy little gifts with sweet little notes. 

I tried to do this again this year, but our grass didn't grow. They were pitiful looking little things. I had to come up with a plan B super quick.

Once again... Pinterest to the rescue! I think these were my favorite Mother's Day gifts ever! They were inexpensive, simple and they turned out super cute! (and we had just finished a ladybug unit... perfect timing!)

I bought 13 cent ceramic tiles at Home Depot and a can of spray sealer. The rest was just red and green craft paint (fingerprints for the ladybugs and a small paintbrush for the grass) and a black Sharpie. So easy. I wrote Lovebug for all the boys and let the girls choose between Lovebug and Little Lady.

I also made a couple for my mom and Corey's mom. I didn't do it for my student ones, but on the others (and the ones for Miss Amy) I hot glued a piece of felt to the bottom. Since they're spayed with the sealer, I think they could use them as coasters. (but I'm not 100% on that...)

We will definitely be making these in 1st grade again next year!

last day.

Today was my last day with these crazy little people... (plus one more crazy who left early and didn't get in the picture)

They've been so fun. A perfect little class for my first year at a new school. 

We've had all kinds of fun the last few days. I saw this idea on Pinterest (of course), but can't find an original source. (Here's the pin: http://pinterest.com/pin/127156389451713916/)

I bought my students all a beach ball (96 cents at Wal-Mart, I think), wrote "We've had a BALL in 1st grade" on them and then had the kids all sign them. They loved it. We even managed a bit of crazy time with them afterwards. They had so much fun. 

I also used this same idea from last year...

(Swedish fish)

And we made these for my sweet para, Miss Amy. She's leaving us next year. So sad.

(Just realized I never posted our Mother's Day gifts! They were super cute! Lots of catching up to do!)

I have loved this group of first graders. 

They were so much fun and so sweet. 

But I am so ready for summer. =) 

farmhouse.

Things are happening crazy fast out at the farm! I took these pictures just over a week ago and it already looks so different! So fun and exciting to go out and see all the progress... 

mother's day.

My favorite little people. The little people who made me a momma. 

And one of my most favorite people. The person who taught me how to be a momma.

It was a happy day, spent with people I love the most.
And, of course... a few hours devoted to cows.
Can't forget the darn cows.  =)