Furniture: New & Reinvented

The boys beds reinvented! 

They had bunkbeds before but due to the ceiling fan in their new room the modification to two beds was required and a new color was fun.

What Bailey is guarding here so dilligently is our master closet...okay so it doesn't look like much yet, but it will!

Working Hard!

 

First piece....and then,Ta Da!  An amazing closet.  Now to see if we can keep it organized with actual clothes!

 We found this beauty at a consignment shop.  It is called a "NoodleTable" and old or just made to look it, either way I love it!  It looks much better in person, now it just needs some other furniture and accessories to keep it company.

And Today....I finally got my Birthday/Valentine's Day present!

Yay...a real bed, I feel so grown up!  Now I need fun linens, the projects just keep coming!

Well that's a bit of what we have been up to..more to come!

Welcome Back in 2010

Due to life and numerous technological hiccups I have neglected my blog, but I'm back!

I hope everyones holidays were filled with fun times and special quiet moments.

Before the Christmas break we attended school performances for three children including singing, acting, and a combination of both.

We purchased a new 9 ft. Christmas tree for my "Christmas Tree" window

and decorated it for the animals to enjoy.

Of course I can't be left in peace to take my photos too long before the wild ones come looking!

For Christmas this year we headed to the Great White North and/or Santa's homeand/or Winter Wonderland, otherwise know as Canada.  The grandparents have sold their home and will be heading out on a mission so we went to see them off. Of course sledding, indoor wave pools, a pantry full of chocolate, and cousins had something to do with it as well!

Sledding!!!!

Our little cousin sure knows how to have fun both ways!

Our son being the oldest of all the cousins, he spends a lot of time helping out

the younger folks, and he likes it!

Taking a ride with Glen is always an adventure!

We went sledding everyday, drank lots of hot cocoa, played games,

and found a quiet moment here and there.

On December 22nd Glen and I celebrated 14 years of marriage.  We discussed going out to dinner at a local point of interest, The Calgary Tower.  We did just that and had a wonderful dinner while spinning 360 degrees (very slowly) with a clear view of a Calgary.  Then to my surprize my clever husband wisked me away to the beautiful hotel just down the street!  A wonderful anniversary memory!

Before the Christmas rush we had a special visitor.

On Christmas Eve we followed the McBride family traditions of freezing at the Nativity Pagent, reading the story of Our Savior's birth from the bible, and opening a present of new pajamas.  The next moring the youngest children awoke first and we all soon followed.

With the presents all opened and our time almost gone we played more games, called

family members abroad, and enjoyed our new treats.

Summary:

Calgary was cold, but beautiful.  Our drive was long, but smooth. 

The holiday was over in a flash, but enjoyed!

Happy Halloween!

The 2009 Theme: BYU!

The oldest represents the crazy BYU fan!

Next we have our Cheerleader!

Followed by an impressive football player!

And last, but never least, our Cougar!

Each year our family picks a theme and designate whom will represent each character. This year was easy as we all love to support our favorite college, Brigham Young University! Being close to campus provides for many fun experiences and good times!

Discussion has already begun on next years theme, will it be cowboys and Indians, medieval royalty, endangered animals or something beyond our imaginations as of yet? You'll just have to check back next year!

Finally... Moving Day!

We know the people in our new neighborhood were excited for our long awaited arrival ( because the house had been vacant for years and they were eager to have someone caring for it), almost as excited as our old neighbor hood was to see us make good on our promise to leave. Hee, Hee. I'm sure a couple of people will miss us, but we were ready to live in one house, not two.

We had excellent help from family and friends moving the big stuff and continue to make trips back and forth for the small stuff. Our home is still in a state of disarray while we wait for mom to paint dressers, organize and construct a new master closet and fill in missing furnishing, but it is fun to be home!

Besides, the cats don't seem to notice the lack of traditional furniture, Glen works just fine!

Thank you to all of those wonderful people out there that have helped to make this possible!

What's Been keeping us Busy...

We have been making progress, though I have failed to take many pictures. When we returned from Florida we had a new stair rail, which has been sealed, but awaits stain and it's final coat.

We have painted all the upstairs bedrooms, bathrooms, and hall, plus the family room, office, and kitchen on the main floor. Only the formal living room and old dining room remain of the main living area, plus the laundry room and bonus area, but we can live with the ugly brown there for a time.
The hardwood floors have been stripped, added to, and re stained a darker color. They wait for their last two layers to be completed. That project sure did make a world of difference!

We haven't had television for five months, but with General Conference being broadcast we needed it back. There are two weekends a year with the perk of going to church in your jammies, we had to do it!

After conference my good friend and talented designer, Sonja came for a visit. We planned out the new furniture arrangement for my front rooms. It looks like a furniture crime scene!

We are still working, nut we have almost completed phase 1.75!

Random fun times!

School started, the renovation continues, life goes on, what a blessing it is to through some good old fun in there too!

One of the first Mondays back to school we took advantage of our "early-out"days and went tubing and water skiing with friends. They were kind enough to invite our family out for some cold, wet, entertainment. The best part was the kids getting cold and wet for the parents entertainment!

A little Ward girls night out! We made these lovely hats, ate delicious food, and played silly games divulging the mysterious contents of our purses for prizes. Such a fun mom and daughter bonding experience!

Back to School

Okay, so school started in August and I'm blogging in October, but at least I took the pictures on the actual first days of school! I did say days because we had three official first days of school this year, starting with Mr. Junior High! He is the first off everyday with an 8:15am start time plus the lovely 15 minute carpool since we haven't moved yet. So far, so good! The the next two set off the next day to their new elementary. The girl child put up a real ruckus about leaving behind her friends but seems to be settling in well. It is a beautiful new school with enthusiastic teachers!

Finally, a week later, the last one was off! My baby off to kindergarten, wow! Her new school has a special entrance, bathroom and play yard just for the kindergartners. She loves it. The best part is Thursdays when their 3rd grade buddies come in for stories and activities, she is lucky enough to have her brother for a buddy! They both think that is pretty neat!

The results of her first day at school...she put herself to bed.

Two new school, three different schedules, but lots of fun and blessings!

New Family Members

We haven't even officially moved into our new home yet, but the family grows.
These two lovely ladies, Stella and Minet, are sisters and two years old. We"rescued" them from homelessness when there "moms" graduated from BYU and returned to their foreign homelands. The kids love them, Bailey (our dog)isn't quite sure yet!

Summer Vacation!!

McBride Annual Summer Vacation: Treasure Island, Florida

August 12-17

After a lovely 4:30am wake-up call, we gathered our belongings, drove to the airport, and boarded our 6:50am flight. On the way our youngest child asked if she would see any of her friends at the airport, we laughed and pointed out that no one else was crazy enough to take such an early fight. Well wouldn't you know it, just to prove parents don't know everything, one of our other children's friend and family were boarding the same flight (with a different final destination). Kid's say the darnedest things!

Above is Glen getting in last minute work (so dedicated!) and the children enjoying a little techno entertainment.
Denver, Colorado Airport, 2 hour layover. Good thing Glen knows all the best places to sit, seeing as this is his home away from home.

As for our home away from home in Florida we stayed at the Residence Inn by Marriott. It had everything we needed to set-up camp, a kitchen (with dishes), separate bedroom for the parents, and immediate access to the beach, not to mention maid service!
We even had a pet! This cute little gecko and his friend lived outside on the balcony.
On Sunday we found the local ward to attend Sacrament meeting. It's great to know you can find the church so many places you go!

On our little Sunday drive after church we found a special treasure! Our third child has been asking for a coconut ever since we went to Hawaii and didn't bring him one (about 2 years). So he still hasn't actually had a coconut because we wouldn't let him climb the tree, but seeing them seems to have satisfied him a bit.

Beautiful Sunsets, hunky guy!

The rest of the gang!

So even though Disney World brings some major tourist action to Florida, we went for the simple pleasure of sitting on the beach, playing in the water, and soaking up the rays!

Scuba Girl!Lucky parents of Scuba Girl!

Dockside Dave's: Old time beach restaurant, with a specialty for cooking Grouper five different ways. We were even privileged to have Dave reminisce at our table while he rested his tired feet.

Kids making friends with the locals!

Last stop, The Pier in St. Petersburg.

August is not the time to visit Florida, it is hurricane season! But we got lucky and only knew Hurricane Bill as a tropical storm that rained on us several times a day. So we went with the artificial hurricane experience instead. Much faster, cleaner, and safer! The kids really liked it!Fun rides at the airport, just like the Disneyland Monorail, but free!

They even have toys at the Tampa airport. Really we could have just stayed there, but we wouldn't have come home with much of a tan!

Fun family bonding time away from the craziness we call regular life is great! We love exploring new places and making memories as our little family grows.

It's a big world out there...where will we go next?!

More Adventure Awaits......