HGTV-ing it UP!

So, some pretty major stuff has occurred in my household in the past few weeks...it all started with an innocent phone call for a routine A/C unit tune up.

I got a flyer in the mail and thought it might be a good idea to find out the life status of my current A/C unit before summer hit. A kind inspection dude came to the house and confirmed as I suspected- it was old!! Like, installed in 1982 old. Although it still was functional, it was most certainly a money sucker and sure to fail at any moment.

I had planned in my head to eventually replace it so I guess that time had come. With the A/C inspection came a routine furnace exam as well....I thought nothing of it since my furnace was installed new in 2012. Those things last forever, right?

Well, yes. Unless your old a/c coil has been leaking water on all the important internal furnace parts and making them all rusty and in danger of fracture (probably from the day of its 2012 install). Booooo! The guy gave me a nice (expensive) quote on a new system and I then did what any girl would do who doesn't know what to do....I called my dad.

He wisely suggested that I get a second opinion (and a second quote), so I called the best realtor in town (my good friend Liz whom you should contact if you ever want to buy a house: https://tchousetohome.com/). 

She had a company for me that she had done business with on several occasions and whole heartedly trusted to do good work.

Phew...thankful for people who know people! I emailed the guy and he called me like 3 minutes later. Now that's service. I shared the problem and the quote from the first company and he was shocked! He assured me that his company could install a better system for 1/2 the cost. Done. 

Long story short, a week later my house was equipped with a brand new, high efficiency system and I am so thankful! And in true HGTV fashion, they got it all done in less than a day. Magic!

Sidenote: If you are in need of HVAC repair or replacement, I'm happy to share the info on the company I used- let me know! They were awesome:)

I continue to be blessed and cared for with ownership of this home. Every time something major happens and I feel overwhelmed and want to cry like a little baby, God sends me people with knowledge, skills and kindness to calm me down and help me figure it out. I don't know much, but I do know that He chose and prepared this home for me at just the right time. And I am thankful.

Ok, HGTV episode #2:

I was feeling inspired by my little sis (who spruced up the front door of her home with some fancy paint action):

The same week, my HGTV Mag arrived in the mail and featured a 'Pops of Color'  section. Ok, it's settled. My front door was gonna POP! 

Grey house.....Pink door. Right? 

Eeeekkkkk. I'm in love with this color. I also freshened up the frame with a new coat of white, replaced the house numbers and spray painted all the rusty railings black...all that's left is to add some plant-ish accessory to the stoop. 

Fresh for summer and done in just a few hours! 
 

HGTV Episode #3:

Ok, not a huge project, but I got new couch pillows and I like them. They make Sunday naps so much better and were a much needed living room update:

Future HGTV Episodes planned for production...a minor kitchen update 2017, painting the back door to match the front, a coffee table revamp, and some little backyard projects. Stay tuned.

Caution: Family Cuteness Overload

I am ever so lucky to be an Auntie to some pretty cute, smart and amazing kids. I for sure don't get to see them all in person as much as I would like. But thankfully we have amazing things like FaceTime to keep in touch 'live'...where they can show me their new favorite toy, sweet dance moves, 'share' their snacks with me, attempt a variety of ninja-like jumps and flips from the couch, ask to see my cat, tell me jokes and give me super duper close-ups of the inside of their noses:)

Quite the crew:

And I gotta shout out to my little Bro...who I wish lived closer. Miss you, love you:

Aaannnnd my Mosie, because, well just because:

Happy Wednesday.

Crafty Corner: Sewing Stories

Last week, I had the chance to pop into the Older Preschool classroom as a special guest for our 'Raising Readers' program. 

Each year, we devote the last 6-ish weeks of the Spring Semester to celebrate our budding young CCCC readers. Throughout the program, each child has the opportunity to bring books from home (on their assigned week) to share with the class, special guests come to share stories in all 3 classrooms, and we end with a closing ceremony where each child receives a certificate of achievement!

In Toddlerville, the teachers read the books (obviously) to the class but in the Preschool Rooms, the kids can 'read' their books to their classmates if they so desire....it's pretty cute:)

The 'Special Guest' readers that visit the classrooms (teachers, parents, other family members) play a big role in planting the love seeds of reading into our students hearts. Reading is such an essential tool for growing successful future life scholars. 

Do you have kids? Read to them!!! Do you not have your own kids but maybe know some kids? Read to them!!! Kids not a part of your every day life situation? Dontate books and funds to organizations that get books into young readers hands! 

Read! Read! Read! Phew...sorry. Just wanted you to know how important reading and having access to books are to the future educational successes of all young children!

Ok, back to my 'Special Guest' experience in the OP. I chose a book called 'Ella Sarah Gets Dressed'. A synopsis of the tale in case you are unfamiliar:

Ella Sarah wakes up and wants to wear her pink polka dot pants, her dress with orange and green flowers, her purple and blue striped socks, her yellow shoes and her red hat.

Several people in the family disagree and offer her different outfits that are less dressy, less fancy, and less silly (blue dress with white sandals, yellow shirt with white shorts, old purple overalls).

Ella Sarah insists each time she is offered an alternative that she wants to wear:

Her pink polka dot pants, her dress with orange and green flowers, her purple and blue striped socks, her yellow shoes and her red hat!!!

In the end, she proudly gets dressed in the outfit of her choice, the doorbell rings and her friends have arrived in similar outfits all ready for a fancy tea party!

I decided for this lesson to incorporate my love of children's stories with another love- sewing!

I brought my machine to school, asked the kids if they knew what it was (one kid said 'That's a mixer!!!'), and then explained the basics of its function. 

 

We read the story and then examined our own clothing to look for seams and thread. I explained that all clothing is sewn together (either by a person or a machine) and we talked about the clothing that Ella Sarah had chosen to wear.

Back to the sewing machine...the night before, I had prepared fabric squares to match the patterns described in the story:

I handed the book over to lovely lead OP teacher Rachel and she (slowly) read the story again. As she said each piece of clothing Ella Sarah wanted to wear, I sewed the corresponding fabric square to the one before....and on and on until we reached the end.

At the conclusion, we had one LONG row of fabric pieces that told our story in textile form! We passed the fabric story along thru the group and the kids were able to examine it and test the strength of the threads with a little tug. Then we hung it up in the classroom for them to look at later and 'tell' the story again:

 

I also gave each child a turn to push the foot pedal on the machine (with a separate scrap fabric piece) to feel what it's like to make a sewing machine GO! My machine has options to sew a bunch of patterns so I chose a different one for each kid....some kids were hesitant to step on the pedal and others pretty much thought they were race car drivers (pedal to the metal!!!). 

It was a super fun way to tell a story and to introduce the art of sewing to the crew. At the end, one little girl said,"The next time I have a birthday, I want to get a sewing machine!"

I hope she does. 

Meow, Meow, Meow, Woof.

Sheesh, I just realized I have deprived you of viewing oodles of adorable Mosie pictures for way too long....I'm so sorry about that. Let me remedy the issue promptly:

And one cute California Sunny pup for good measure:

Happy Wednesday.