{Cue Drums} And my next project is... UGH!

The Formal Living Room!  Well, as formal as we get 'round these parts!  This room was originally supposed to be a dining room.  The room that is used 2 times a year, for the adults to dine in while the noisy children dine in the kitchen.  My problem with that is, I have 4 kids.  When they all get married, that will be 10 adults.  I could not find a table that comfortably fit 10 adults that would fit in this room.  I also kind of like noisy kids.  The dining area in my kitchen can fit everyone.  By moving the couches, we were able to fit nearly 60 people for Thanksgiving a few years ago.  I like the idea of the family eating holiday meals together.  The other problem I had with this room being a dining room, was that this room is right off of the entry.  It's the first room that everyone looks into when they enter the house.  I hate the idea of a large table blocking this {somewhat} beautiful fireplace.  So, it is now the formal living room!  In old pioneer homes, there was quite often a "receiving room" near the entry.  I take every opportunity to tour historic homes.  My husband and kids pretend that they like it, but they really strongly dislike it.  I don't care.  I'm the Mom! ;)  In the homes that have a receiving room, it is always my favorite.  It's well decorated, cozy and has the best furniture in the house.  So... we need to turn this into a receiving room and then make it off limits to anyone who still depends on me for food and clothes!  Here's my plan...

1. Sand down the white paint on the mantle.  That is actually beautiful walnut under the coat of paint.  I don't want to remove all of the paint, but would like spots of the walnut peeking through.  Stain the exposed walnut.
2. Make cable knit and grain sack pillows for the two chairs.
3. Find and refinish a drop leaf table to put between the two chairs.
4. Wreath for antique window.
5. Additional decor for mantle.
6. Artwork for walls.
7. Basket of branches {or blankets, can't decide} by the fireplace.
8. Move lanterns to kitchen dining area and replace with 5 light candle style chandeliers
9. Grandfather clock... this will be down the road a bit.  I can't find exactly what I want so I think I'm going to have to have it built.
10.  I would ultimately love to shiplap this room, but can't seem to get the hubby on board... stay tuned!

Am I missing anything?  One thing you'll learn about me... I am not a happy DIYer!  I love the idea of it.  I look forward to the finished product, but I really detest the work, mess, expense and hiccups that go along with it.  Luckily, you just get to see the before and afters.  My family gets to deal with all that comes in between!  May the odds be ever in their favor!!

Hypothetically...

I swear I don't usually post this much, but having an IG account has made it a little different.  I don't necessarily want to go back to my once-upon-a-hardly-ever posts, so I'll try to be more frequent than in the past, but not THIS frequent!  "Hypothetically" might just become my new, reoccuring post title.  It's a lot like "Practically Imperfect", but completely different.  I now have 8 followers in IG!  Haha!  That's success to me!  I had someone DM me on IG, about my kids.  This person, who ironically isn't one of my followers, asked how I am raising such great kids and what disciplining techniques I use that work.  Well, first of all... Bwahahahaha...second, thank you!  This blog is more about fixing the unfixable home, but I guess I do post a lot about my kids.  Sorry about that!  This DMer, who needs to go back and follow me {hint, hint}, mentioned that there are not a lot of blogs about teenagers.  You can find thousands of blogs about the baby stage, toddler stage, up to the preteen stage, but not a lot about teens.  Let me tell you why that is... they have phones.  It's pretty much that simple and as I mentioned in my last post, they can find anything!  This July... The Prude will be 16, The Sassy One will be 14, The Golden Heart will be 12, and The Boy will turn 9.  Yes, they were all born in July.  No, they were not planned.  We've heard all of the jokes folks... all of them!  ;)  My older kids are at that age where I can't really blog about what is going on because being a teenager is basically 90% embarrassing and 10% pretending it didn't happen.  When they were little, I could easily talk about poop, throw up, temper tantrums, nightmares, accidents, etc. and its cute and funny.  If I were to talk about their poop, throw up, temper tantrums, nightmares, accidents, etc. now, it's not so cute and funny!  Get it?  However, If I were going to tell you about my hypothetical daughter's zit that got infected, turned into cellulitis and burst while we were enjoying a movie at the theater as a family... it was disgusting,  I mean it was hypothetically disgusting, I could possibly get away with it.  Haha... probably not!  However, just know that my kids do appear amazing on social media, but they're kids.  They are talented and I enjoy sharing those talents because I pay a lot for those classes and coaches! ;)  I also love to watch their talents develop and for their individuality to grow into what will make them the adults I hope they will be!  However, the melt downs, they are aplenty!  As you've seen in my "Practically Imperfect" posts, the messes are a daily battle.  Their dance and sports bags smell and can't seem to make it onto the mudroom hooks!  They don't make their beds everyday.  The boy has a hard time hitting the water rather than the wall!  They fight over everything from clothes, shoes, socks, song lyrics, what color the sky is to who sits where in the car!!  And, every now and then one of them smiles at me and I can tell that their toothbrush has not been used that day!!  We have one that has terrible anxiety and sometimes can't deal.  We have one who thinks that due dates for homework assignments are merely suggestions.  We have one who loves to make inappropriate comments.  It is so stinking funny, but we get looks.  There's a time and a place! 😂  I have another kid who is always right, just ask 'em!  I could go on and on, but the point is... my kids are amazing little humans, but it's just that.. they are human.  I'll try to share more about things we run into and how we handle it, but only with permission from my kid.

As far as my disciplining technique... uhm...well...let's see!  I'm inconsistent, have terrible follow through, I forget everything that's taught in those parenting books everyone reads when their kid is 2, I take things away and then feel bad, I ground them and then tell them that they can go out with their friends, I punish them with chores and then want to just do the chore myself so it's done right, I send them to their rooms where they have phones and tv's, and when it comes right down to it... I yell and everything gets done very quickly! 😜😂  So far, so good.  We really have the roughest years ahead of us so let's pray we make it through!  Thank you DMer for the compliment!  To me, my 4 little offspring are the best!

Mother Nature... you Sweetheart!

A day later, all is right with the world! 💕

Instagram

Yes, I gave in!  I'm old.  I'm technically illiterate. Not, technically illiterate.  That's obvious since I write a blog, but technology illiterate I guess would be the better description.  I actually opened an IG account for this blog a few months ago and then lost it and couldn't find it! Luckily, The Prude is an average teenager and all things technology literate so she found it for me.  She's not just a prude, she's brilliant in all things social media!  Since she found it and I felt guilty for losing it... I posted some posts.  See?  I don't even know the correct vernacular for IG? I could probably learn it, but I just don't want to!  I blame it on drinking Dr. Pepper first thing in the morning!  It makes me brain dead!  I will try to keep posting to the IG account and one day I'll figure out how to add the link to the sidebar of this blog, but today is not that day.  The Prude is at school and I need her help! ;)  Until then, it's "freakinawesomefarmhouse" on IG so go find me and follow!  I know it's an unconventional farmhouse page name, but if I'm anything... it's unconventional.  My original name for my blog was going to be "Our Farmhouse on Alexander", but then Stronzo happened.  I think calling it my "Freakin' Awesome Farmhouse", encourages me to see the good and the positives instead of all that went so, so wrong!  I had someone ask why my url is ourfrigginawesomefarmhouse.blogspot.com and the home page says "freakin' awesome".  Well, when I set up my IG account, I was told that "Friggin'" was offensive.  I'm sorry IG, but have you followed some of your "innocent" hashtags?  I think you might have your moral priorities mixed up, but whatevs... Our Freakin' Awesome Farmhouse it is!

Mother Nature... you Savage!

Every year this happens!

Today is April 17th.  

According to the calendar it is spring.

This will happen at least a few more times before Memorial Day!

Why is land in Hawaii so expensive!?!

Order Has Been Restored to the Farmhouse

Ahh...vacuum lines!  Is there anything better in the world?  

I didn't even have to raise my voice.  

I merely threatened to shut off the wifi and take their chargers and 

30 minutes later, our mess of a house became a home again!  

I have this parenting thing down!  I should write a book!

Practically Imperfect In Every Way...

It's time for our favorite post... Practically Imperfect!  {Audience Applause!}  This is what I have been staring at for a few days.  The orange blanket belongs to The Boy.  He's been asked to take it up to his room at least 207 times.  The blanket under The Boy's belongs to The Prude.  She's been at rehearsal this week so she's only been asked 123 times.  To a teenager, that's like -16 so she is in the clear until it's still sitting there tomorrow.  Then all heck will break loose!  The basket of laundry could easily be folded by myself, but I've been giving the children the benefit of the doubt that they will willingly fold it without being asked.  We're going on day 4.  They've watched TV, played on their phones and chatted every single afternoon on these very couches and yet the basket remains piled with laundry.  I'm starting to question the very brightness of my 4 children.  However, The Boy has done an awesome job of removing my Magnolia magazines from my cute {DECORATIVE} serving tray to use as his personal desk/phone gaming center/crap collector.  I'm super happy to provide my children with such niceties as these!  It's also been very generous of him to leave multiple pairs of dirty socks for me to step on every time I pass through this room.  His thoughtfulness in providing my feet with cushion is more than I could ever ask for.