Help me arrange my den!

I love our new home but I'm having a hard time figuring out how to best utilize the main living area. It is a main thoroughfare as well as a small sitting area. We have a bigger family TV area downstairs in the basement that is being finished by my dear husband now but we do want to keep a small TV in this sitting area. Our plan is to put built-in bookshelves/cabinets on both sides of the fireplace. 

So what kind of couch and tables would you put in here? We have a new recliner that we love and we like the color of the reclining loveseat but the loveseat, itself, has been scribbled on, etc. a few million times, so it's not the long-term piece. I have a quilt or two strategically placed on the loveseat for this reason. 

I took pictures from different angle so you could get an idea of the space better. I had the loveseat slid into the breakfast nook space for carpet cleaning. That white door you see is the door to the basement and directly across from that in the small hallway is the door to the master bedroom. You can see my new desk in these photos, too! The French doors with windows on both sides -- that's the entry to the screened porch.

Please leave comments... I need help!

New dress for Emma

Lucas' first Donut! (egg-free)

Since Lucas can't have baked goods with eggs, I try to make sure we have a normal amount of goodies (occasionally) that he can enjoy. I had a mini donut pan I bought years ago at Hearthsong and now I've also purchased a big one. Thanks go to Dawn at By Sun and Candlelight for reminding me to start using these pans! I just substituted egg replacer powder in the recipe for the eggs and his donuts were yummy!

Family-Centered Learning Conference!

Just wanted to spread the word about this up-coming conference. I'm not sure if I can go, but I sure hope to!

Please tell all your homeschooling buddies about it!

Waiting room before Mom's gall bladder surgery

Chicken haircuts

These are our new Buff Orpingtons--- won't be long before we have lots more fresh eggs! You clip their feathers/wings on 1 side so they can't fly out as easily.

April Showers of Photos/New Chicks!

Well, I'm going to try to participate in April Shower of Photos. Each day I'll post some pictures of life happening around here... should be interesting!

These are the pictures I meant to post long a while ago of our new chicks. This was taken Feb. 28th. Up next will be pictures of them NOW...

Handsome Men

I just had to share these photos. Lucas insisted on getting a blazer this spring just like his dad and his big brother. The top picture was taken on Easter. The bottom a few weeks beforehand when his dad wasn't working. (Yes, he had to work on Easter to keep the electricity flowing for all of us!)  

Easter 2008

Look at these cutie-pies...

Birthday Bunny Girl

Our little bunny  just turned 3 on March 21st
Happy Birthday, Dear Girlie!

Collage of baby Carrie

A few more picts...

Mary with baby and then Emma the Fairy Queen!

Poor baby... my honey bunny!

Carrie with big sis Emma looking on...
Bath-time!

The eclipse that saved Christopher Columbus and his crew

I must be a total geek because I thought this was a really interesting tidbit. Just when you think you've heard every possible story about Columbus...

Babylove

Now this is what my girl looks like awake. You just can't see how blue her eyes are in this picture. I just bought this swing because my back just isn't what it use to be but she doesn't like it much yet. Now if I can just keep Emma out of it! :-)

Of course, we're kissing and hugging her all the time- it's amazing how much you can love each and every little inch of these precious little babes. She's been cooing and making more noises lately-- and not just from the backside! A smile will cross her face now and then and those just light up the room! 

Baby is really growing!

Mary and Carrie -- 2-headed girl?

Carrie's baptism

I finally got the new camera communicating with the new computer so here are Carrie's baptism photos... at least a sampling of them, I should say.

Family hands

Book Meme

Okay, so I've been tagged by a dear friend of mine for a meme. 

It's a cute one so here goes:

1. Pick up the nearest book (of at least 123 pages).

2. Open the book to page 123.

3. Find the fifth sentence.

4. Post the next three sentences.

5. Tag five people.

Next, they took twenty mattresses and placed them on top of the pea. Finally, they put twenty feather beds on top of the mattresses. "This is where you will sleep tonight," the Queen told the Princess.

Okay, so it's a book of fairy tales that landed near me from one of my girls' rooms. Nothing intellectually stimulating unless I churn up some feminist memories to debate the book from Women Studies in college. The book is called "Treasury of Fairy Tales" and was a gift from a friend. Now to figure out who to tag...

How 'bout...

Elizabeth

Ebeth

Julie

Jennifer

and I see the other one already has gotten this meme!  Dawn

A new camera-- new photos!

All the girls after Mass...
Little Carrie

Daddy and Carrie

Carrie's newborn pictures

Here's a link to some better pictures of little Carrie.

Announcing Carrie Noel Parente!

She's here!
Dec. 17th at 10:18 AM.
9 lbs. 4 oz. and 21.5 inches long.

I won't take time to make this fancy... here are some pictures of our newest cutie and her siblings.



Some of the best pictures of her up close are on my cell phone and I'm trying to figure out how to transfer them. (I haven't had time to figure out this new phone yet.) Yes, we've misplaced the regular digital camera. ;-) Hopefully I'll be able to post the good photos of little Carrie tomorrow. And the pictures of Jacob with her, too.

Okay... just to add a few more good pictures of the kids from the past month or two...