Two Week Project.....
I love to make our home more homey and updated so I decided to paint the 1980's era brick around the wood stove. The job ended up taking a couple of days which was a lot longer than I'd anticipated. Painting brick is a lot of work especially when you have to go over it twice. First I had to prime the brick, as paint peals off of unprimed brick. Then I had to paint it. I think it turned out great and it really brightens the room up. The pictures really don't do it justices.

Ace Hardware Deals.....
For anyone who lives by a Ace Hardware they are having a big 3 day sales with a bunch of great deals. The sale starts today and ends on Sunday. There are several items that are free after rebate and a whole list of items that are only .99 cents after rebate. I am heading there a little later this morning. So check out a see if your Ace Hardware has some great dealing going on this weekend as well.

Hot & Humid....
It's going to being another steamy day today. We have been surviving without the air conditioner on and it hasn't been that bad since we bought a nice fan for the living room. I sure could do without the mosquitos, which are already here for the summer. They make it a little hard for the kids to go out and play. I will be going through a lot of bug spray this summer not only for mosquitos, but ants as well. It always seems like when summer hits I have a hard time keeping the ants out of the house and with having kids the floors get messy fast, which attracts the ants. I am going to have to try and keep the kitchen and dining room clean. Does anyone have any ant advice or problems with them?

Noah at 5 months.......

I really love my Prince Lionheart Bebe Pod baby chair. It is probably one of the best baby items I have. It can be used as soon as your infant is able to hold his head up. I put it on the bathroom counter and Noah can watch his brother and sister take a bath. I also sit it on the kitchen counter, so Noah can watch me cook or clean up dishes. You can set it anywhere and give your little one a toy to play with or just talk to him. Some babies are just happier sitting up then laying on there back or belly. Noah is pretty content anywhere, but he still loves his chair. I can set it on the dining room table while we eat and he can see everyone. It will also work really well when he starts to eat. We have a small dining room, so a high chair is out of the question. Thanks Aunt Jen for this wonderful chair:)

Slept Though the Night........
Last night was the first night that Noah slept from 8:30 p.m. till 5:30 a.m. in his bed. He usually eats a couple times, but not last night. I then fed him at 5:30 this morning and he slept till 8:30. I hope this becomes a regular routine. He has also been taking good naps the last couple of weeks. It's so nice that he is on a good schedule, which makes it easier on mommy as well. He is such a good baby with lots of smiles to give.

Growing Garden.....

We have had so much rain and humidity that the garden has been growing like crazy. I have also been able to pick up enough grass to cover the whole garden to keep the weeds down and the moisture in the ground. I planted tomatoes, peppers, broccoli, cucumbers, zucchini, eggplant, squash and cantaloupe. So how is everyone else's garden going this summer???

Homemade Blackberry Jelly.......

My mom gave me some blackberry juice a while back and I have finally gotten a chance to make some jelly. I have had enough of store bought jelly, which is not that great. I don't even think the Smucker's brand is that good. I guess my mother just spoiled me growing up with always having homemade jelly in the pantry. It is one of those things that you grow up with that you will do in your own home as well. I also have enough juice let to make two more batches, which will make about 8 pints. I am also planning on making a lot of Strawberry Freezer Jam as soon as we are able to get out to pick some strawberry. I have to say Blackberry Jelly is my favorite and Strawberry Freezer Jam is my second favorite.

More fabric on the way......
I purchased some Dora the Explorer fabric to make something for Anna. I was thinking about just making a sheet out of it, but we will have to see. I have been thinking about making a little apron for Anna based off the the little red one that I got for her, but making it smaller to fit her. Then she would have something to wear when she helps me bake or does some messy craft project. Also I was thinking about using some in making a dress. I guess we will have to see what I come up with and how long it takes to get it done.

Exciting News......
Brandon just got notification in the mail today that he has been selected to receive a Gwen P Shapiro Rural Wisconsin Nursing Scholarship of $5,000 for this up coming school year. We are very excited because the last school year we didn't get any free money to help pay for the school year. Praise the Lord..

Cute New Fabric On The Way.......

Since it has gotten so hot and humid now I really need to get the kids some cooler sheets for there beds. They both have there favorite blankets, but they are fleece and way to hot to sleep with. Since I love to browse on eBay I happen to come across some cotton fabric that is the same pattern as Gabriel's favorite fleece blanket. He will be so excited. I planning on just making a simple little sheet for his toddler bed. I am also looking at some fabric for Anna and will show it to you when I purchase it.

All Prettied Up.....
Anna was keeping herself very busy this evening as you can see. The little red apron that she is wearing I found at a garage sale last weekend and I also found a matching red one for my self, It's a little big for her, but she will grow into it. She was pretty excited when she saw that Mommy had one too. This will be the start of many great baking & cooking times together.

Busy Busy Busy......
My days seem to go by so quick lately and so I have been finding it harder to keep up on my blog posts. About a week ago I was able to get our garden in and as you can see in the pictures I had a couple little helpers. They have also helped me water the plants, since then. I am looking forward to having a wonderful garden this year and am hoping to keep the weeds under control Lord willing.

A Visit from Grandpa & Grandma Kostman......
This past week Brandon's parents came to visit the us and the grand kids. It was so nice visiting with them and the kids had a great time spending time with there grandpa and grandma. Also so many projects got done around the house, which is such a blessing.

The First Garage Sale Find of the Season......
Deforest had there city wide garage sales last weekend and I came across this Little Tikes picnic table for $15. What a great deal:) The kids love it and it will be a great way to keep some mess outside.

New Bathroom flooring....
One of the big projects that Brandon's dad did while he was here was put new flooring in our upstairs bathroom. I should of taken pictures of the old flooring, but I didn't think about it till it was torn out. Just think late 70's patterns and it was so dingy and dirty, but now we have super nice new flooring. It sure changes the look of the bathroom. The last thing that I am going to do to finish up the bathroom is fame the mirror with some wood trim. That will make the bathroom look really sharp.

Before:
After:

Gabe's Birthday Pictures.......
It was so nice to have Grandpa and Grandma Kostman here for Gabriel's Birthday. I was able to put together a double layer chocolate cake with almond butter cream frosting and it was a big hit. Wow it hard to believe he is 2 years old and such a cutie.

Happy 2nd Birthday Gabriel.....

Today my little guy turns 2 and it's hard to believe. We will post some birthday pictures in a couple days. Grandma and Grandpa Kostman are coming for a visit and so we are going to have a birthday party for him on Sunday night.

Noah is almost 4 months old.....
What a cutie pie:) He started rolling over at around 3 months old, which was the first week of May and he is a very good baby. He also is sleeping a good 5 to 6 hours stretch at night and takes several good naps during the day. I could not be more blessed with this little sweetie.

Leaving for a Long Weekend......
The kids and I are leaving tomorrow to visit Grandpa & Grandma Marting and attend a graduation party on Friday. Brandon has to stay behind because his finals start at the end of the week. It's hard to believe that his first year of school is done. I will post some new pictures next week. Also have a wonderful Mother's Day weekend.

Anna's First Bike.......
Brandon and I had been thinking that we needed to get some kind of bike for Anna to ride this summer, but we weren't sure were we'd find it. I was hoping that I'd come across one at a garage sale. Well, we took some stuff to Goodwill earlier this week and as Brandon was unloading the trunk I noticed on the bike rack in front of Goodwill that they had this little blue bike with training wheels. How perfect:) So we snatched it up right away and Anna was all excited. We also picked up a larger girls' bike that she'll be able to ride in a few years. We paid a total of $20 for the two of them. Here are some pictures of Anna's first bicycle ride. She had trouble at first figuring out that she needed to keep the pedaling going the same direction. She'd be pedaling along and suddenly pedal the opposite direction and cause the back tire to skid. She's learning quickly, though.

Dress #2 Completed.....
Well I have completed another little dress for Anna. I am having lots of fun. This dress turned out much better then the first and I ordered another dress pattern , which is a little different style and am hoping to make another dress in the next couple of weeks. One nice thing about these dresses is they are long enough that they should fit her for a while, which will be nice.

Just call me Nurse Kostman...

Brandon, here. Renee's husband. This blog is usually Renee's domain, but she told me I had to post something regarding my big news: It seems that the U.W. Madison - School of Nursing has seen fit to accept me into their BSN (Bachelor of Science in Nursing) program for the Fall of 2008. Before you know it I'll be wearing cartoon character scrubs to work instead of steel toed boots and a 7-Up uniform. I know that most female nurses wear floral print scrubs, or Care Bears, or some other rot, but, as a guy, that's just not me. I'll do my best to find some scrubs with ninjas, or maybe GI Joe, or Batman on them. Being a Murse (male nurse), I wouldn't want to be mistaken for a Madison metrosexual or, even worse, a Madison homosexual.

As it stands now, I have two weeks of class left this semester and then finals. I start my summer job working at 7-Up at the end of May. Nursing School starts the first week of September.

Brandon

Turned around and came home......
Yesterday I attempted to take the kids for a walk. It was very windy outside which made it a bit difficult to walk, but that wasn't the only thing that made us turn around and come home. It was the WORMS... It rained that morning, but the sun had come out and dried up most of the rain. Well you know what the ground looks like after it rains. There are worms all over the place. So as we started to head on our walk Anna started getting all scared because of the worms. After going a ways down the street I decided it would be best to turn around and come home, since she was having a real hard time walking.

On the walk I had tried to comfort her and tell her they will not hurt her, but that God created the worms for the birds to eat. So then this morning while she was coloring at the table she said, "I don't like worms." & "The birdie took all the worms away." It is so funny to listen to kids. They say some of the funniest things.

Took the kids out for a walk.....
This is a super nice backpack carrier that some friends gave to us. It is very comfortable to wear and it sure is nice to have with three little ones. The weather has been so nice here this past week that the kids and I have been able to go for several walks and have been playing outside. What a blessing:)



Noah is clean after a bath...what at cutie:)

Noah sitting up in this nice little chair from Aunt Jen....Thanks!