11 YEARS OLD

Amazing how fast time flies. We celebrated Heath's 11th birthday Tuesday evening as a Monday celebration was out of the question. I hope the next 11 years do not go as fast - but I am sure they will - maybe even faster. Here are just a few shots of a happy Heath.

The first picture was one of happy relief. Aaron and I had gone to Joplin for his orthodontic consultation, so while we were there we picked up the cake. When we got home, we told Heath we had forgotten to get his cake. Needless to say, he wasn't very happy with us at that point but that turned around when he walked in and saw it sitting on the table. And I was really, really glad we hadn't forgotten it. The cake was Monsters vs. Aliens.... and I tried to convince him otherwise. I didn't win - wasn't my birthday.

Some of the pictures show yellow marks on his cheek. I didn't see them until I was well into taking pictures. I wondered where he had gotten them, but marked it down to school activities. Later, after he gave me a belated birthday card he had made, I realized why he was yellow.

HEATH with HIS PRESENTS and BIRTHDAY CARD

ANOTHER PROJECT - COMPLETED!

More than a year passed since we had basically completed the kitchen/dining room remodel, and I still didn't have the splash guard for the cooktop. Sure, I could have gotten something... like the stainless steel guards that started somewhere around a thousand dollars or so. At first, I thought we would install the tin ceiling tiles on the wall, but after finding that there were none to be had locally, I bought the faux kind. Dale and I decided those might not work out so well with hot grease spatters, so I returned those and put my brain into high gear to figure out another solution.

BEFORE

I finally had a bright idea! I knew what I wanted but never could find anything that would work. Finally, a few weeks ago, I saw what I was looking for at Hobby Lobby; except the items were not on sale. Needless to say, I try not to pay full price at Hobby Lobby unless I absolutely have to. A couple of weeks later... ON SALE!!! I grabbed up a few of the metal picture signs and put my husband to work. Poor guy had to file off the hangers on the backs of all the pictures (all of them had 2 hangers each - ouch!) Before we began on the project, we experimented on a spare picture to see which finish we would use and then did a grease spatter test. It survived the test and we began the final process. We mounted all the metal pictures onto a piece of plywood (sort of), lacquered them, and now I FINALLY have a splash guard.

Okay, maybe this isn't what most people would want. But I like it and I can guarantee that there is not another one like it in the whole world! Plus, the cost.... under $50.00. Yay!!!!

LEAVES, BOYS and CATS

Today, while blowing leaves into piles, Dale decided to build a fort/tunnel of leaves for the boys. As soon as they got home from school, ate a snack and changed clothes, they were in for a fun surprise. While they were crawling through tunnels, the poor cats got tossed into the leaves. Usually cats love to pounce into leaf piles but today it wasn't their thing. It was quite hilarious, though, to watch the cats emerging from the mountain of leaves. I never could get a good picture - never knew where they were going to pop out. I also was thinking it was too bad Matthew Williams didn't live a little closer so he could enjoy it too.

Update: Thought I was done posting on this subject, but have just been informed that one of the cats, Tippy, is now playing inside the leaf fort with the boys. I knew those leaves would be hard to resist!