Hi there everyone,

I have decided to take a vacation from blogging. This is such a busy time of year, and so I think I will take this month and enjoy all the festivities and obligations. I hate the idea of anyone coming to my blog to see if I have posted, only to find the same post sitting stagnant on my page. So I will not be posting until a little closer to Christmas. This doesn't mean that I wont be popping in on some of your blogs, and I hope you guys are really enjoying this wonderful holiday season.

Tons of love being thrown your way,

Christmas time in a house full of children is so wonderful. Den and I have tried to stay with our tradition of setting up all of our Christmas decorations Thanksgiving weekend. I dont know who gets more excited about all the festivities the boys or the parents.

River and Dennis handled the outside lights. Actually, River did the majority, and he did a fabulous job. At first we were disappointed to be setting up all the lighted decorations on the plain dirt ground, but the weather came through and began to sprinkle plenty of snow to make it look like a winter wonderland.

I, on the otherhand, decorated the tree and wrapped all the gifts that were purchased on Black Friday. Den and I relish our day of shopping for our boys. Each item we buy is thrilling when we think about the smiles that will come across their groggy faces on Christmas morning.

Every window has Christmas or winter cling-ons smeared on by little hands, and wreaths are hung on doors inside and out. Lights are lit up on every strand that we can possibly find an outlet to plug them into. Snowmen and Santas are dragged out of Christmas labeled totes, and dusted off and tugged back into shape. As we discuss whether this snowman should be placed here or there, Roman is sneaking mini candy canes that have been lowly hung on the tree. We make sure that Christmas music is piped into the house while we bustle about with excitement.

The Christmas countdown begins.

Roman in my arms right after he was born. Only minutes old.

Den having the boys come in at 3:00am to meet their new baby brother.

Roman less than a day old, laying on my bed. What a joy!

Our little lively Roman.

Today is Roman's 1st birthday! I am thinking back on a year ago today and how amazing it was to have another son placed into my arms. I just remember saying, "He is so cute. He is so beautiful! Thank you God... Thank you God!"

We had gone to see Harry Potter with the boys that night. I was due on the 19th and my sister had came up to help me deliver. I felt really good, but in my heart I just knew I was going to have him on time. I was always very late with all my other boys, but not this one, I just knew. We decided that we would stay busy and not think about the day nor the hour, but hopefully let my duedate run along smoothly.

After watching the movie and doing a little shopping we came home. It was 11pm and we were all getting around for bed when I had THE pain. The first pain I feel with each of my labors that is so intense and sharp that I KNOW that it's the beginning. After the intial pain, I went and told my sister that I thought that it would be soon.

I went to lay down, feeling nothing more. At midnight my water broke and we were on our way. The midwife was called and the other selected sisters from my church came up to my house as well. The pains were coming so fast, and so intense that I knew that it wouldn't be long, or at least I prayed it wouldn't. I paced back and forth in the living room, grabbing the couch to endure the sharp pains that hit me like powerful waves.

At 2:53am Roman was born in my guestroom. I felt so releived that God had mercy, that it went quick, and I had this amazing son that would change the very fabric of our lives.

He has been a very mellow child. One that has conformed to schedules and our life very easily. He is still very cuddly, lovey, and very much a Daddy's boy, which  melts my heart. This little boy is a true gift in my life. Thank you God!!

Keep in mind we have snow all winter long, and I am FREEZING!

1. I will wear anything big and bulky of Den's, even if it's not attractive. He has a hunting camo sweatshirt that is so snuggly we will actually fight for it.....LOL

2. Its not that I LOVE the taste of coffee, but it's something HOT to drink and hold in the mornings.

3. If I drink too much coffee, my nose itches so bad that I can't stand it. My close friends recognize the sign and tease me.

4. Anytime I get chilly, I run myself a bath so hot I can barely stand to get into it. As soon as I warm up I'm ready to get out. Sometimes I will take a couple of baths a day.

5. If Den and I go for a walk and it's just too cold, I will take off running ahead of him to get home. He thinks I'm nuts, and laughs and laughs.

6. In the summertime I love to go to the lake, but it has to be over 100 degrees outside before I will get in the water, because the water is too cold.

7. Sweaters and scarves make me VERY happy!

The morning was already underway when Den and I decided that we should share the news with our boys. I thought about how I would just blurt it out, but wasn't sure how it would all go down really. I decided that I would just go off my cuff.

I walked out of my bedroom door, hair uncombed, and sat on the couch as casually as I could. I hollered across the house for the boys to come to the living room. Quickly, all the boys gathered round, and planted themselves on the furniture. I smiled at Den, who watched from the kitchen in the background. I could tell he was curious as to how I would share this tid bit of information.

Me: Well boys it looks like we are gonna have some company in June.

Boys: When in June?

Me: Oh....around the 28th, but we will know for sure later.

Boys: Who is it?

Me: Ya know, I've never met him before.

Boys: Ohhhh....well what's his name?

Me: I'm not sure yet.

Long pause.... Den gives me a wink.

Isaiah: Could it be a girl?

Me: Well maybe, not likely, but maybe.

Boys: Are you pregnant?!!!

Me: I ammmmmmmmm!

Boys: I can't believe it! You are kidding me?! Whoa another baby!! Wow!!!!

Yesterday Den was heading out for work. He said he saw a man hitchiking on the outskirts of our town. He said he was pretty rough around the edges, and he was planning on just passing him by, but he said he felt like the Lord wanted him to stop. So he pulled over, and the man hopped alongside him in his small work truck. He said that, while going down the road, the man began to talk to him about God, and began to quote scripture to him. Den is very well read, and he was amazed at how much scripture this man knew and in the King James Version, which is what we read.

As they were going down the road, the man told Den that his wife was right about him eating more fish. Den said, "Oh yeah?" He said yes, you should take her advice, because you may not live longer for it, but you will live better." Den said he was shocked, for I had been talking to Den about how he needed to go fishing more this year to stock our freezer, and that I thought we would feel better if we all ate more fish.

Later, he said that there was a man that Den knew that had to drink alcohol to go to sleep. Den stayed silent, and the man continued. He said this man is just exchanging one spirit for another, you tell him that he lacks God in his life. This man that he spoke of  we barely know, but we are in contact with him weekly. When Den retold this portion of the story, Den asked me if I knew who he may be talking about, and I gave him the name, and he said that is exactly what he thought.

He stayed with Den all day. He told him how important it was to tithe. How the Lord will bless those who do. Den and I have felt very strongly about this, but we havent always been as diligent as we should be at times. This is a very important subject for us that only God would know.

Den told him what church we attended and he quoted an entire chapter of scripture that talked about our beliefs. Den said that the man desired to spend the day with him, and so Den had him travel about with him. He took him to lunch, and called me to ask if it would be okay to bring this man home. I, sheepishly agreed. Den isnt taken to doing things like this, and I had faith that God would protect us if it wasn't of Him. Later, the man said that he had other places to go, and that he wanted to stay in a church that allowed you to stay in a room for free if you did maintenance. Den agreed, and he bought him a bus ticket to help him continue on his journey.

We felt blessed and amazed. I know that the scriptures talk about entertaining angels unaware, and Den and I do believe that he was allowed to experience one yesterday afternoon.

So you know winter is approaching when you go out to water and feed the animals, and the water bowl has frozen water inside.

You know it's the onset of winter when you and your husband decide to go for a walk and you are both fighting for the warmest sweatshirt in the house.

You know winter is upon you when you and hubby drive in to town to drop off videos, and you both decide to go inside the grocery store to research what hot drink would be yummy to make at home that night.

You're sure winter is beckoning when your last load of clothes stayed on the clothesline all day, all night, and were still wet the next morning.

You know that winter is creeping in when your five year old and eleven year old are both hovered over the heat vent with a blanket made as a tent.

You know winter is on your doorstep when your children have dragged out the old snow pants, themselves, to see which ones will still fit for the new year.

You know winter has pounced when you longer want to sit in the stands at your son's football game, so you overlook it from your suburban.

Winter has truly claimed this house, when cold icy feet are strategically shoved under some warm body part of another. I'll admit it, I am merciless.

How do we know it's winter at your house (or summer for some of you other country dwellers)?

Why is it that when you fall or hurt yourself as an adult, its like a million times worse than when you were a kid? I watch my boys take some amazing spills and I rush over to console them, yet they look at me like I am an ambulance chaser.

Yet the other day, I was sitting at the computer, and Abram had climbed up on my lap. I took this time to start kissing on him and tickling him, feeling quite safe in my large computer chair. As his weight began to shift, I could feel the two of us leaning back further and further. For some reason, I had a false sense of security, because in a flash the chair tipped back. It actually slid out from under me, and the back of my head hit the sideboard of my bed. Abram was still on top of me, and he looked just as stunned as I did.

I actually stayed in that position, shocked, for a minute. The pain was so excruciating that I was sure that it must be someone else experiencing the pain. After all, I was a dignified mom that could remain upright on any given day.

Abram pounced off my limp body, and asked me if I was okay. I quietly, with complete mental paralysis, said humbly, "Yes", but I what I really meant was, "NOOO!"

He was still standing over me a few seconds later, and I still hadn't moved for fear that the intensity of the pain would be more extreme if I actually moved. I somehow believed that the longer I stayed in that position the quicker things would go back to normal. This just wasn't so. Eventually, I realized I needed to get up, and join the living.

I, as unladylike as possible, stammered out of the chair. That is when I realized that the impact was so hard that two of the plastic rollers had actually popped off the bottom of my chair. Abram, losing patience with his dormant mom , gleefully went along to play. I secretly wondered if he was thinking, "Suck it up Mom, that kind of stuff is an hourly experience for me." On the otherhand, I felt like I was lucky to be alive!

I didn't cry out, but I kept touching the back of my head to make sure that my skull was all in one piece, and nothing inappropriate was bulging out.

Now, days later, as I sit here, still missing one roller under the said chair, I am leary. Like a deer that has been shot at during hunting season, the slightest imbalance causes me to cling to my desk, and let out a pathetic little squeal of fear. I have been reduced to a fearful blogger, while sitting in my teeter-totter chair. 

Saturday night was full of marital fun. That leaves this post wide open, I know, but what I mean, is that a sweet young lady from our church had a bridal shower, and I got to attend.

I love all the traditions on an occasion like this. There are the typical games, and the little book that meanders around that you are supposed to pen your best marital advice in. The only problem with a book like that, is that the young bride doesn't normally take those words of wisdom to heart until a few years into her marriage. Knowing this, I felt the freedom to jot down anything and everything I wanted....hehehe I'm just a regular fountain of widsom...lol

Anyway, the bride to be, came into the beautifully decorated room, that was just for her, and she quickly made the rounds of hellos, and before we knew it she was gone. Soon after, paper and pens were handed out, and we were asked to make a list of everything that she was wearing. I said aloud, "Oh no.....I should have paid attention." However, very quickly the image of her came to me. I could remember the finest of details, what color eyeshadow she had on, even that her pants were tucked inside of her boots, and the exact detail of her necklace. I happily turned it in, feeling quite pleased that nothing went unnoticed on the poor girl.

Later, the winner was announced. Heart beating inside my chest, palms sweaty with excitement, and my breath loud with anticipation, my name was announced. I jumped up, screamed, stood on a chair to make a speech, when they came over and handed me this beautiful bouquet of purple flowers that I had been eyeing since I walked in the door. (Okay, I may be enhancing this story a tad.)

I was thrilled. I thought they were absolutley beautiful! The most surprising aspect of this story for me, was how observant I was. I really didn't think I paid that close of attention to people. I knew I was a people watcher, but I may have a little stalker in me....LOL

My dear friend Leah is having a contest. The prize is well worth entering. Plus, it's easy, and I have had fun reading other entries.

First of all, I am more of a morning blogger myself, dear Leah!

 ;-)

1. How long ago did you start blogging and why did you start?

I started blogging in February of this year, but on another site. It was a blogger site, but I decided to come over here with more like-minded gals.

2. How did you come up with your username/URL address?

I have a sign, in my house, that was given to me with that saying on it. I thought how true it was for me.

3. What do you enjoy most about blogging?

I love getting the feedback, and I love discovering how all these other moms are doing things.

4. What makes one blog stand out to you from all the others?

I love when someone personalizes their blog. Puts a little bit of themselves into it, so you know  a little bit about who the person is before you even get to their post.

5. On an average how long does it take you to write a post for your blog?

Oh...probably about 15 minutes or so. I normally have something on my mind already.

6. What has changed in your life since you started blogging?

I started thinking more about the little things in my life. The moments I would want to remember, but I knew I would forget. Plus, I love getting to know all the people. Some have really touched me.

7. Does your family support you (if so how) or do they think you're a blog addict?

For the most part my family supports me, and looks forward to reading my posts. Other times they think I am on too much. (they may have a point..lol)

8. Have you ever gotten a negative comment?  If so, how did you deal with it?

Surprisingly, no. A little shocking actually. I am grateful to the kindness.

9.How often do you check your blog for new comments?

Several times a day. I will just pop in and see if someone said anything. It ALWAYS makes me smiiiiiile!

10. Do you have a blogging tip you can share?

I just think you have to remember to blog for yourself, first and foremost. If you worry about how it comes across, or who will approve or disapprove, it will take the joy from blogging.

Thanks Leah, for another fun contest, and the prize ROCKS!!!

Roman was jibbering to me about how I could have added a little bit more alfredo sauce to his fettucini and chicken. I let him know that instead of thinking about how I could improve on the dish, maybe he should focus more on how to get the noodles in his tiny mouth. As you can see by his expression, the conversation ceased. The silence between us was awkward as we contemplated each other's point. 

Shortly thereafter, a chunk of chicken slid down his face and onto his lap, and the moment was lost, never to be regained............

I felt quite pleased with myself, until the glare of the overhead lights exposed our family. It was Wednesday night meeting, and it was a bit of a mad dash to get everyone home from football practices, prepare and eat dinner, get everyone dressed, diaper bag around, and on the road in time for church. Actually, considering the craziness of the last hour, I had thought it went relatively well. In fact, I even smiled and teased Den on the way to church, feeling quite smug with how graceful we made our exit on this fine evening. It wasn't until we were IN the church house, and marching up the aisle to sit down, I noticed just how bad it was.

As we sat in the pew, I sideways glanced at Levi and Abram. Each one was wearing the most hideous of clothes. Abram looked like we had given up with trying to keep up with his growth spurts, for his clothes were hitting him in all the wrong areas. Levi, who had just finished up football practice before dinner, made a calculated decision to go el' naturale with the messy hair do. He was also wearing jeans that obviously belonged to Isaiah once upon a time, for the length of them was so long that I secretly wondered if he was even wearing shoes. So one son was wearing clothes that belonged to the Jolly Green Giant, and the other looked like we couldn't accept that someday he was going to grow up and leave the nest.

I casually looked behind me to make sure that the two older boys were presentable, and thankfully, all their clothes were perfection, but the hair was like looking like Shaggy DA. So that was it, haircuts and new clothes were to abound this weekend.

So, Sunday morning rolled around, and still no haircuts had been dished out. However, I could NOT bare the idea of marching back into that church house unkempt again. So one by one, including Den, I cut hair that glorious Sunday morning. The pile on the floor was so big, and multi colored, that Roman found himself drawn to it on more than one occasion. You see, Mr. Baldy, hasn't been in the line-up just yet, but it won't be long before I am snipping his sweaty mane.

So here are the results of 5 out of the 6 haircuts that were given. I must say, it's nice to see the eyes of each of my sons. It was getting rather confusing under all those mops!

Do you ever have days where you just feel cranky? You know, the kind of days where you don't really know why you are on edge, but watch out, because you are? Well, today was that kind of day for me. I am not really a grouch, in fact, I am pretty calm for the most part, but I woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning.

I rose with my eyes all puffy, but feeling like there was a lot of hope to get much accomplished. I sat on the couch with Den, and River even brought us each a cup of freshly brewed coffee, mine with cream. All should have been right in my world, but somehow it was not.

I found myself being gruff, and annoyed by the same basic commands that I have spoken a million times over. Why should I have to remind everyone in the house that the chores are to be completed by 8:30am AGAIN? Why is Abram crying over the waffle that is on his plate? Is anyone feeding the begging baby that is toddling under foot? Why is Isaiah chatting away with River,as if he doesn't have anything better to do? Don't these boys know that I feel like a bear this morning? Well if they didn't know it yet, they would soon.

I found myself feeling on edge over the most basic situations. No, I didn't want to try to guess what Abram had just drew on a piece of paper. Yes, of course we were going to do schoolwork today! No, don't answer the phone, that is what the answering machine is for, and why we have a message that says, "We homeschool until 1pm." Why are the towels back in the dirty clothes pile, when I just put them up last night? *big heaving sigh*

I feel super duper tired tonight. I am gonna have to pray for the strength to turn over a new leaf tomorrow. Thankfully, we only have to take life one day at a time, and tomorrow is a brand new day.

I have a theory that I may live below a "Black Hole". Now I have heard rumors that this "Black Hole" is vast and may move about the country, but I would have to confirm, that for the most part, it seems to exist here on this mountain. I do believe that the powerful suction must lie directly above my house. I have noticed that the wind picks up around 3pm everyday, could this just be a coincidence? I think not!

Now you may think that this would be terrifying for me, but to be perfectly honest I cannot see it, so it's easy to convince myself that the things that are being pulled into thin air are either lost, because of myself, or my children. However, I am beginning to realize that all the periphenlia that we lose, on a monthly basis, cannot possibly be done humanly. No, this is the work of the "Black Hole".

I have mentioned to Den that we may need to move, but he just isn't a believer. He is still convinced that it's me, and this phenomena is just the lacking of putting things where they belong. I have brought up the list of many things that proves his theory incorrect though. Like my wedding ring, who would have misplaced that? Or what about the library book that no one ever read? How about all the gold toe socks that he drooled over, got to wear once, and then every last pair disappeared? How about all the old, dingy, stringy towels that I was embarassed of, but are now MISPLACED? Hmmmmmm??? This is just the tip of the iceberg people! 

We keep these sorts of conversations brief. It is very difficult to convince a non "Black Hole" believer, that the blame doesn't lie with me, or my housekeeping abilities. When talking to friends, who have left something small in my care, (they know who they are), and it vanishes, they secretly think I am just being irresponsible. I don't have the heart to tell them that each time they come to visit me, that they should be insured, for all their belongings are in jeopardy, if left too long, in my care. I have no control of this Black Hole, and all that it swallows.

So, if you don't hear from me in awhile, come looking for me, and my best advice is to look up and see if you can see a woman in pink pajama pants swirling about in the sky. If so, it's just little ole' me, and make sure you tell my husband, "She TRIED to tell you!"

When I first start blogging at the beginning of this year, I didn't know if it would be something that I would stick with. To be perfectly honest, I ran across the idea through a photo program that I downloaded on my computer, and I decided to try it. Why not? It was free, and no one would probably even notice me. I figured it would be fun, but an isolated hobby. It would hopefully motivate me to jot down my memories and thoughts for my family later. Now here I am, months later, still sitting in front of my computer BLOGGING.

I want to thank all of you ladies and friends who have made this journey so fun and amazing. I have met some incredible people who have the biggest hearts, and are so motivational to me. I could seriously write a paragraph about each person, expressing how they have broadened me, and stretched me in some manner. I feel so lucky and fortunate to have met you guys, and I want to thank you all for your kind words and support. My life is so small in this big vast world, but you guys have made me feel special. Thank you very much!!

(Reader beware that this is one of my rare rants. If you would rather move on to another post, be my guest, otherwise suffer through and let me know your opinion.)

I got up this morning and decided to watch The Today Show. I don't normally watch tv first thing in the morning anymore, because I don't like what I see or what I hear. I was quickly reminded why I made the choice to steer clear of the boob tube. It's funny how the more you watch television, the more numb you become to it. It's not until you haven't watched in a while that your eyes are opened again. Otherwise, you just tune out all the garbage after awhile, and that is very dangerous.

The big turning point for me was when Regis and Kelly were having their Igougo contest, and my friend and I decided that we would get serious about trying to stay on top of the clues, and see if we could win. So this meant staying committed to watching this show every single morning for a month, even taking notes, so that if they called we would know the answer to the meaningless question. As I began to start this quest, for the first time, I really felt like I had to listen to every word, every sentence, and every thing they decided to discuss. I wrote down what I thought THEY would consider important enough to quiz someone on, and what I discovered is that they didn't say ANYTHING important. I truly didnt care about who was dating who, who wore what, who Regis went to dinner with, and all of the other nonsensical junk that they ate an hour of my precious morning with. I began to despise the show, in fact began to dread watching it. So I tivoed it so I could cut to just the show, and even that took too much of my time. I felt like I had made a verbal agreement to stick this out with my friend, and honestly it was the best decision I had ever made.

Why you ask?

That is an easy answer, because I realized all that I had missing and it wasn't much. Tv is full of self centered, materialistic, dishonest, non christian, rhetoric designed to consume your mind and hopefully your life, and it works. After awhile you don't even recognize how much time you spend in front of it, and how much you allow their thoughts to invade your mind and your day. You even become discontent with the realities and simplicities of life, because by the world's standards that isn't supposed to be enough. This small group of people, that have such a loud voice, dictate to you what success and happiness looks like. However, the real question you should ask yourself is, "If they have the answers that they proclaim they do, than why is the world so unhappy?" If they are so full of wisdom, why can't we just watch, learn from their wisdom, and find this thing called contentment?

Tv is a highly addictive, mind numbing, brain washing of lies. If it is so harmless, than why is it so difficult to shut off? If it's not an addiction, than why does everyone feel they NEED it in their home, and don't know what they would do without it?

Now don't get me wrong, I don't think that there isn't anything useful or entertaining on it, but I don't think we use it properly or only for educational purposes. I love the History, Learning, PBS, Cooking, and even some of the children channels. I say that loosely, by the way, because the majority of the time those have to be moderated too.

The media made up this phrase called, "politically correct", and I despise it. The truth is the truth, and you should never say something just because it is politically correct. If that were the case, and the Lord agreed with that theory, he would have been way more PC, and He would have skipped the cross all together.      

We were sitting at the park, Abram, Roman and myself. It was a beautiful sunny fall day and I knew it was one of our last hurrahs of lazily laying on the grass and enjoying the scenery. Across the street is my favorite little bakery that Den and I go to on Saturday mornings, and Abram had been drooling over the idea of eating a snickerdoodle all day. So I handed him a floppy one dollar bill and explained to him that he could walk across the road and order himself a cookie out of the bakery case. Excitedly, he agreed. Happily he held tight to the dollar, exaggeratively looked both ways, then sprinted across the street.

This left Roman and I alone. Roman gave me a puzzled glance as if to ask, "Where did Abram go?" Knowing that Roman would be excited to get a small morsel of Abram's oversized snickerdoodle, I smiled assuringly at him. Quickly, Abram was back outside and prancing across the street holding his yellow treasure up in the air squealing, "I got it Mama, and they gave me money back!" He plopped down on the grass and eagerly pinched off a bit for Roman to hold on to.

Relishing this small mommy moment, I opened my mouth and began to coherce Roman into giving me a small nibble. With a sheepish grin he leaned towards me, extended his chubby arm, and opened his mouth as if to say, "Open up Mama." Obediently I did. Slowly and carefully,with as much precision as a ten month old can muster, he placed it gingerly between my teeth. I, with wide eyes, bit down on the sugary baked good. As I hunkered my teeth down I thought that the snickerdoodle felt a bit rubbery. I quickly released my toothy grip to see a shocked expression upon my Roman's cherub face. It was disbelief, which quickly turned to a piercing cry. His eyes quickly darted down to his fat finger as he tried to register what Mama had just done. "SHE BIT ME!", was what the horrified look upon his face said. Mortified I tried to kiss it, but he wanted nothing to do with my jagged lips.All the while, feeling like my greedy desire had caused my baby to lose the innocence of sharing sugary bites with his pleading mama.

Abram said, "What happened Mama? Why is he crying?" I quickly retorted, "I bit him!" Abram looking stunned said, "Why did you do that?" I said, "I was trying to get a bite of his cookie." He said, "Don't you have more money Mama?" I laughed heartily and explained that it was a mistake.

Cheryl has requested that, we gals, put pictures up of where we blog or spend our computer time. I think this is such a great idea since this is where we all sit when we cheer each other on. So here is where I spend way too much time, but enjoy every minute.....lol

This computer is in our master bedroom. Den and I own our own electrical company and so this is his space to do business as well. This is entirely more tidy than the condition it is normally in. But I like it when it's clean....I might have to keep it this way....now what to do with all his paperwork.........*sigh*

Here is a fabulous contest that my dear friend Leah is putting on. All you have to do is show your refrigerator. That sounds simple enough doesn't it? So, here you go Leah, the view of my fridge.

This picture was a bit of a challenge since I had to lean way back across the counter behind me so I could squeeze most of the fridge in the shot. You see my kitchen isn't very wide. Anyway I LOVE my fridge. It has the freezer on the bottom and the drawers pull out. Much easier for us all. Plus I use ALL of my fridge now. Before I hated using the bottom drawers of my fridge since they were so low to the ground, but not anymore!

We bought a new set of bunkbeds for Levi and Abram at Ikea.

Now if any of you have read through my blinkies on my sidebar, you will see

that I am an IKEA junkie. I am telling you, they have the best deals, and their stuff is great. A lot of BANG for your BUCK!

I bought new goosedown comforters and pillows for both beds.They are in a castle and dragon theme, and the tent and curtains are of the night sky with some bats.

The top bunk is covered by a tent for privacy and fun. The bottom half we put matching curtains up so that you can tie them back or keep them closed for privacy and hiding.

This is the view from the bottom bunk of the tv, and the cute little turtle hamper for their clothes. I hope that the clothes can find their way in this hamper daily, this time. Also each boy has a little hanging toy holder. I have them hanging from each of thier beds. Abram's is full of Yu Gi Oh cards, and beanie babies.

Here is a picture of Levi's top bunk. He gets the fun tent, and he hasn't put anything in his green toy hanger, but believe me it will be full soon...lol

Here are the toy bins that we didn't get at Ikea. We've had these since River and Isaiah were little. One of my best investments!

 Here is the little table and chairs that we've had for 4 years. We bought them from Ikea too. I painted them, and put fun pictures on the top of the table. Then I put a clear coat of gloss to protect it.

Here is a shot of their closet. I love the bins on the floor for storage. They flip up easily for them. I still need to label them so they remember which toys go back in to each one. The hanging storage has been great for toys, sports stuff, movies, well.... you name it. (We took the doors off their closet years ago for better access for the boys.)

Here is the igloo tent that Roman adores. We put a pillow in there and he loves

to drink his ba-ba and watch teletubbies.

Here is another hanging organizer. The dragon was irrestible for the boys. Everything at Ikea is so reasonable, and they are all about organizing small spaces, which is perfect for me. I love to organize!