Shopping Day!

I know I said that this house project had to be done for free...so I went shopping today...in MY BARN!! Such freedom, such creativity, such great stuff!! And all absolutely FREE! So, at long last, here are some pictures!!!



The wingback chairs are slipcovered in two mattlasse blankets that I had. The shutters and the round table in the corner I found in the barn. The wicker chairs are waiting for new cushion covers and pillows done in fabrics that my Mom bought for me in Bemidji! (Thanks, Mom!!)
If you look close at the first photo you will see three large, wooden, pillar candlesticks. I did buy those at Target...FOR $3.47 EACH! What a bargain!! We all like our new room! Chelsea and I are sitting on the loveseat looking into our pretty room, Gabi, Aidan and Lane are putting together Aidan's new LEGOS that he got for his birthday. Glen is snoozing on the sofa. It has been a good day!

Happy Birthday, Aidan!!

Nine years ago today, a sweet bundle of boy entered our world and family and we are forever thankful!! Aidan was born 17 days before he was due...not a common practice for Mills children! We had just begun a large remodel at our house on Carr Lake Rd. in Bemidji. Things were a MESS there! Sawdust, air compressor, tools, cords, etc. Glen had taken the opportunity to go ice fishing with Uncle Bob Larson up on Lake of the Woods. He had been gone since pre-dawn. The kids (Chelsea 7, Lane 5, and Gabi 2 1/2) and I headed to church. I was teaching 2nd grade Sunday School. Things went great until my water broke during class and I sent Chelsea running to find Jill Winters. "Say these words to her," I said. "Tell her Mommy's water broke!" JIll came running, we drove home, we reached Grandma and Grandpa at their church, somehow a call went through to Glen, but all he heard was "...water broke..." before the static cut in and he lost reception. The flurry of activity came almost to a halt once I got to the hospital. Glen had plenty of time to make it back from the lake. Aidan arrived around 8:00pm on Super Bowl Sunday. The doctor had to leave a party to come deliver Aidan and he wanted the game on in the room?!?!? REALLY?!?!

Aidan, we are so thankfull that God gave you to us! You are growing into a wonderful, godly young man. Continue to allow the Lord to work in your life and follow him always. There is no better way! You are a blessing to us and everyone who knows you! We love you!

Happy 9th Birthday! Mom and Dad

Aidan chose crepes with strawberries and whipping cream for his

birthday breakfast! How smart is he!! He also got to open one gift at breakfast. This is the year for LEGOS!

Pressing on

I am sorry there are no pictures of the progress yet. I took some yesterday, but now I need my technologically adept daughter to help me get them from the camera to here!! (This is one of the skills that I am excited to learn in this blogging process!) Would you like a summary of the activity so far?? Well, have you ever gotten bogged down in a project and felt so overwhelmed that it is hard to press on? That was how I felt by mid-evening yesterday! You see, I don't have my Mom here to help me, and honestly, slipcovers are so much harder to do when she is not here! Monday I managed to make the cushion covers for both chairs. I felt like that was excellent progress because putting the zipper in the back seems tricky to me. It is a good thing that I started with those, because the body of the chair is much more difficult than just the cushion. So yesterday, in true "Allison" fashion I procrastinated with the chairs and started on another project, this one in the kitchen. I sanded, primed and painted a little shelf that I have had my mixer and coffee maker on. The cabinets in my kitchen were built in the 50's. They have a great "vintage" feeling because they are the real thing!! However, there is not enough height under the top cabinets to place my appliances on the countertop, so I have a little free-standing shelf that I keep my two most important appliances on. It is not very convienient to walk across the kitchen from the sink to fill the coffee pot, so I need to work on that issue. Anyway, the little shelf was a very dark wood and I painted it Roman Column, a warm shade of white that I had left from another project. It looks so much cuter now! Then I rearranged the items on the counters, and put up a small hanging shelf under the clock. I was feeling pretty good about things, when I reallized that with the new arrangement my mixer would be on the opposite side of the kitchen from the stove?!? Hmmmmmm! Feeling frustrated and spent from a day of seeming futility, I threw in the towel for the day and got nothing done on the slipcovers at all. Now this morning I have straightened the living room and dining room to make working in here easier. Before the kids got up I was able to spend some time in the Word of God for refreshment, have my coffee and cereal, and start in on the slipcovers again with gusto. I must leave them for a while now to go teach school. But I'll be back! My goal is to have them done by the time we go into town for the evening! Zoiks!! So much to do and so little time! Gotta run!

Beginning a New Journey

Good Morning! It is Monday. A fresh week is beginning and WOW!, do I have plans for myself for the week! First of all, I do realize that my profile is blank and I do not have even a picture of myself up yet! This blog will be a wonderful new journey for me. There are so many new things to learn, and I am excited about learning them! However, the blog is not the only new journey that I am embarking on this week! Here are a few of the items on my "to do" list...
1. slipcover the wingback chairs
2. install shelves in the kitchen
3. rearrange livingroom to my liking
4. do the same for the other living spaces

Basically, its time for a "makeover" at the Mills house. Now, before you roll your eyes in my general direction, let me just state for the record that this house has been very hard for me to get comfortable in. Are you asking how that is possible when this is my dream home realized at last? I think I can boil it down to this...family expectations! This is a "family" house. It has been owned by generations of my family, and most recently by my own dear parents. Most of our furniture had a life with some other family member before it came to us. I love being blessed as the caretaker of all these pieces, but at times it also feels restrictive. It is wonderful, and also difficult. I feel (whether real or percieved) a great amount of expectation and responsibility to make everyone happy in all the decisions that I make. Therefore, I have had a hard time moving forward to really establish my own sense of style here. "Live with what you love." This is my new motivating statement! I will do my best to honor and pay respect to this beautiful old house and the people who lived here, but I am moving forward to create a true sense of home for me and my family. I will not be able to make all the people happy all the time, but hopefully the results will be a comfortable, warm and inviting atmosphere that reflects me and my love of the "farmhouse". I may paint things that have never been painted, and remake furniture pieces that have been in the family for generations, but trust me!! I have a plan! In the end I think it will be good! Are you ready for the adventure?? Well then, strap in and get comfy! It could be a bumpy ride! (And be very glad that you just get to watch and do not have to help with this whole process!!) I will do my best to document the changes as I go! I should also note that everything must be done basically for free, because there is no money in the Mills Family Budget for a makeover at this time!! That just makes it more challenging! Let's get started!!

I'm blogging!

Wow!! I am finally starting my own blog! It is pretty exciting! Now you all have a window into my life, and I have a place to express myself. So, WELCOME to my world!