This soccer mom doesn't wear lipstick. Not usually, anyway.

One of the activities that Lydia has been doing this fall is soccer. Soccer is big thing here, which amazes me. First of all, we live in a rural area. Second, football is a very huge deal. Yet 450 kids from three counties signed up to play in the fall soccer league. That's pretty amazing for our small town.

Dressed up and ready for her game.

Lydia had never played soccer before this year, but has quickly picked up on the game. In fact, she's getting aggressive enough with the ball that I worry about the smaller players on the field. Her team is co-ed and for Pre-K to Kindergarteners.

Abigail will get her chance to play soccer next season, but for now she sits on the sidelines. The highlight for her is that she gets a water bottle just like the big kids.

Little E enjoys the fresh air, too.

It's fun not only to watch Lydia play, but also to watch the other kids on the team. Some of them just aren't too excited to play and sob on the sidelines when it is their turn to go in. One little boy has soccer confused with football and plays accordingly. That's OK. They don't even keep score during the games.

Running after the ball.

Driving to the goal.

She scored 3 goals during this game. Way to go, Lydia!

Do you ever get to the point where your house is totally fixed up? We've lived in our house a year, and it seems like the list of projects just keeps growing. But we were able to cross a major item off our list yesterday.

This was how the living room looked before we moved in. No offense to those who may like brown sponge paint, but it really looked like 100 babies had diaper accidents all over the walls. It was bad. Very bad, especially since our living room is a generous size and every. single. wall. was sponge painted.

 We got the walls painted this shade of yellow, but the room sat empty for over a year. Tumbleweeds rolled through.

And then there was the time period, thankfully short-lived, that I call "Dorm Nouveau". We ordered our furniture, but had to wait for it to be upholstered, etc. Lee bought his electronics ahead of time, though, so they sat on the floor. A random cluster of furnishings, including two pink Disney Princess bean bags, accumulated. The piece de resistance is the large TV box in the middle of the floor.

But yesterday help arrived in the form of two Ethan Allen delivery men.  

When I woke up this morning, this is what I saw:

Lydia sprawled out on the sectional.  

I'm going for a cottage-y feel with the fabrics.

A not-terribly-exciting, but functional. sofa table.

Abigail enjoying her Daddy's new chair.

And Lee's pride and joy, a new entertainment center.

Obviously I still have some major decorating to do - stuff for the bookcases, light fixtures, pictures on the walls, etc. We ordered drapes that should be done in the next 3-4 weeks. That's a good thing because I'm really tired of seeing these characters watching me through the window.