It's Finished!!

This was our living room before. Under a small basket next to the TV was a gas line.

This is what we did with the gas line:

Isn't it beautiful? And toasty. Would you like to know my favorite things about it? Here they are anyway:
1) I LOVE being able to have a warm fire with the flip of a switch
2) I love that the fireplace itself was made in Kentucky and the stone was made in Jackson
3) I LOVE that I can turn on the fire anytime I'm a bit chilled with just the flip of a switch
4) I love that we came in $700 under budget
5) I love that our living room now has a focal point besides animal heads
6) I really, really LOVE that I can have a fire without wood or matches or a mess

We still have a ways to go (like painting the room and purchasing an entertainment center or something) but we are loving having this fireplace. Thank you, Cyle, for all your hard work!!

Happy Valentine's Day

This evening, after our very busy, snowy Valentine's Day, I walk into the boys' room to find them in Levi's bed. I heard Clayton say, "Levi, you're my very best friend of all." It was the best ending to any day.









Today we had our first real snow day of the season and boy, oh boy did we all have a good time! Except for Clarey who didn't really like walking in the snow or sledding in the snow or holding a snow ball or anything to do with the snow. She was only content outside for as long as she was because she liked watching the cats play in the snow. The boys had an absolute blast. Our neighbor and best babysitter in the world, Caitlyn, brought their sleds over and played with us outside all morning. We had to get it all in as quickly as we could because the temperture was rising and the snow was melting. We built snowmen, made snow angels, raced down the hill and played until we could go no more. In the afternoon we made some chocolate heart cookies, heart-shaped rolls and heart-shaped mini-meatloaves that we all enjoyed at supper. I did no cleaning or laundry or dishes and spent the day enjoying my children. I'm paying for that now (and probably will be the rest of the week as I try to catch up) but I so enjoyed our day.