More Progress...

He's got the studs up!

Here is the view from the kitchen door.

And right now he is at Home Depot gathering up sheet rock to put up!

Avian Art

Here are the renderings of a Northern Flicker as drawn by my sons..

This one was done by Mr. Dramatic, age 6

This one was done by Mr. Independent, age 4

They had fun drawing the "polka dots" :)

Birds, Birds, Birds!

(As an aside note, the word "birds" starts to look REALLY funny if you have typed it out ten or more times!)

In our school this past month, we have been studying birds. We have emptied our library of all Audubon encyclopedias and books that help you identify the different species. We have attuned our ears to hear the birdsongs around us. Making oneself more aware of the beauty and "wildness" that you can discover in your own backyard helps you slow down and appreciate what God created!
Here is just a smattering of what we have found and identified so far...

Male Red-Breasted Nuthatch. They are easy to spot even though they are tiny...just look for a little bird bouncing upside down along the trunks of the trees! They feed upside down, extracting insects from underneath the bark of the trees. And yes, this little fella is truly upside down, I have not adjusted the photo at all!

Male Lesser Scaup. We went to our library to find this handsome guy. Our library has a man-made lake behind it and it attracts all kinds of waterfowl! What a treat in our own city. I just love the detail God put into the tiny feathers on the Scaup's back. And have you ever seen a duck with yellow eyes before?

Male Northern Flicker. This striking specimen made his presence known by drumming on our gutters! Apparently in breeding season they do that to attract a mate and make their territory known to other males. The boys had fun drawing this one!

Male House Finch. I have lived in this house for three years and I have never seen one of these before! Actually, I wasn't exactly bird watching at that moment. I was busy putting laundry away in my room and I startled a pair of finches into a nearby tree. Well, I grabbed my camera quickly and quietly snapped a photo of the dashing pair!

We have lots more photos. So far we have identified over 10 birds that frequent our neighborhood! Who knew there was such variety in modern suburbia?

This weekend the boys are going to the free Home Depot kids workshop to make, of course, birdhouses! Our unit study on birds is turning out to be a lot of fun!

We are using these fabulous books from the library to aid us in identifying the birds we find:

National Audubon Society's
North American Birdfeeder Handbook
By Robert Burton

The Audubon Backyard Birdwatcher
By The National Audubon Society

Birds of Oregon--Field Guide
By Stan Tekiela

The Backyard Bird Feeder's Bible
By Sally Roth

The Backyard Bird-Lover's Guide
By Jan Mahnken

Controlled Chaos & Creative Construction

Look what my man did...

While I was gone getting more sundries from Home Depot, he was busy framing out the doorway!

Here he is hard at work...

Here is the beautiful door that will installed into the lovely framing!

And here are the various tools, a lot of sawdust, and nails without number!

Home improvement sure is chaotic!

Getting There...

My industrious man finished laying the floor!

Here he proudly sits on his handiwork...

Just to give you an idea of the size of the room...it is HUGE!

I am so excited because when he completes the family room, the kids will have a large playroom/ schoolroom. Not to mention that when we have large groups of people over, we will have an overflow room.

He is working so hard on this...I am so PROUD of my Mr. Querido!

The Makevoer Continues!

I finally remembered to take photos of my room after everything was put back together! Please excuse the really poor lighting..it was just a dreary, rainy day today in the Pacific Northwest!

This is a shot of my side of the bed. Yes, the alarm clock is ugly and has to go! My hubby has had that thing longer than we've been married! I love the picture that we took of us at the beach :)

My husband's side of the bed and nightstand...that big goblet thing has tiny decorative rocks and votive candles in it.
Oh and this bedding won't be staying. Although if you had told me that brown and grey went together, I would have thought you were nuts! For some reason though, they look very harmonious...

The lovely unfinished closet doors...
Priming isn't as motivating and gratifying as painting is!
Oh and my husband and I can't agree on whether to paint the doors grey or leave them white (I will of course slap some paint on them instead of just primer!)...help us decide! Cast your vote in the comments please! :)

Here is a nice profile of the unfinished door! The dresser will become a lovely espresso color after my husband finishes our family room remodel!

Family Room Sneak Peaks...

Our house was built with a four-car garage. Why a 1970's house would be built with a four-car garage is beyond me...

Anyway, when we first bought the house we really wanted to turn a portion of that oversized garage into a family room. Up until this year we never had the funds to realize that dream. God has blessed us abundantly despite the economic downturn and we were finally able to start the renovation!

My husband started laying the footers (?) for the subflooring...

Close up of his handiwork

This was the finished portion as of last night!

Did I mention he moved this FULL fridge all by himself? He is a bit crazy...

Oh, and he started this project a week ago. Yes my man is a motivated individual! He is doing a wonderful job and I can't wait to show you more photos of the process! For now, you'll have to be satisfied with this is sneak peak :)