The Kitchen Pantry (almost completed)

I know it has been a while since I have posted anything about the Remodel…trust me I know! 
We’ve had some minor setbacks – one being this crazy weather…it has rained more this year, where we live, than any other time in the course of my life! 
Since we chose not to cut in the water – we chose to rest. 

Now to get busy again… Welcome to my pantry!This is what it looked like a few weeks ago…a storage closet.  I mean stuff for the remodel! Not really food kind of pantry.

But now….

Someone got himself in a tight corner!  Guess who got him out?  He bribed me with chocolate!  (That always works!)

thus the pantry!

These were actually three different pieces!  Trying to cram them into the door was a challenge.  We actually had to take off the door frame and remove the island.  Yes, we moved the entire island to get the shelves in the pantry.  Quite a feat – I assure you!

This is where the other shelves went…um, I did take pictures – I’m just not sure where they went.  I will post more in the future!

The LIGHT!  I really wanted a miniature chandelier in here since this will by my own personal space but I settled for this for now. The bottom half! 
Where all my mixers, toasters and heavy kitchen equipment will go that I do not want to be seen on my
pristine-clean-not-cluttered-counter.

The view from coming out of the closet!

The almost finished picture…just need to trim it out, paint and then add food.  Okay – we actually added food without trimming and painting it.  (We had company coming over and that can be another rainy day project!) The lousy exhausted photographer that I am – forgot the picture with food.

We will have more soon!

Blessings to you!!!  You are loved!!!

Participating in:

 * Get your craft on Tuesday * 
*All Thingz Related* 
*Sugar Bee Crafts* 
*Skip to My LOU*

Star Wars Wookie Cokie Cake (Coke-Cola Cake)

 

We hosted a Star Wars Clone Wars House Party!  We used this time for a little back to school party and invited two other families, who both homeschool.  The boys all had figures while the girl played with “girly” stuff.

They sent me Star Wars action figures for 10 guests.  Pretty nifty for the boys anyway. My gal enjoying some Cincinnati Chili over spaghetti.  We also served regular chili with hot dogs and had lots of homemade dips!  YUM!

Here is the recipe for Coke-Cola Cake!

Cake:

• 1/2 cup Coke
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 4 Tbsp cocoa
• 1 stick of real butter
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp vanilla

Bring coke, oil, coca, butter and water to boil.  (I messed up a few times during this step.  I think I heated the chocolate too fast.) 

Add sugar, eggs, flour, soda and vanilla by hand into lukewarm mixture. 

Pour into ungreased sheet cake pan. 

Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes.  Mine seemed to take longer.  I’m still making friends with my oven.

Frosting:

• 1 stick of butter
• 1/2 cup Coke
• 4 Tbsp cocoa
• 1/2 bag of LARGE bag of powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup of pecans, chopped

Add butter, Cola, and cocoa to a saucepan and bring to a boil.  Remove from heat and add powdered sugar and vanilla.  Stir.  Then add pecans. 

Pour over warm cake.

Serves:  Many Happy Mouths! 

Blessings to you!  You are loved!!!

13th Anniversary - A LOVE Letter

To my hubs:

I love you more than I love myself. 

I love that you love the Lord Jesus and love to tell His story! 

I love your sense of humor. 

I love that you are a great role model for our children. 

I love that you stand firm in your beliefs and are not afraid of admitting that you have errors. 

I love that you like to build with your hands and try new things. 

I love that you love to do the bills and are a complete NERD! 

I love that you go to work without complaining…even when you don’t want to. 

I love that you try to cook and even bake occasionally.

I love that you like Pride and Prejudice and HGTV.

I love that you would go to the other side of the world and get me a rack of lamb if I so desired, when I was expecting our first five children.

I love your nicknames for me.

I love that our daughters are going to have to have a really high bar of standards in their relationship to a man because of you.

I love that our sons are going to treat their wives with excellence because how they see you treat me.

I love that we have future plans that don’t involve remodeling.  (Maybe this one is wishful thinking on my part.)

I love that our neighbors and friends call you when they have a question about a home improvement project.

I love that you are my Boaz!

I love that you make me a cup of java every single morning.

My most favorite thing about you is that you adore me despite knowing my faults and weaknesses (and there are tons of them).

I can’t believe it has been 13 years…I don’t regret one day! 

I cannot thank the Lord enough for sending you my way…

You are mucho loved and I’m just crazy for you Mister!!!

Love, 

Your wife

About Me

So, I was in my hub's Facebook account the other day because I was looking to see what my account looked liked to others.  I noticed this list…I thought to myself, I don’t remember writing these things and they don’t show up on my account.

Thought to self: Very….Interesting. 

I thought this might be good to add on my “About Me Page” and who knows you might learn something…if not just discard and pretend you never saw this.  (SMILE!)

• I LOVE that my hubby brings me a cup of hot java every morning to wake me up – he is an early riser – I’m not.
• I love humility in people. Pride stinketh!
• My hubby and I did not kiss until our wedding day.
• We have 5 children - all of them are sooo very different and precious. They are all ours…we haven’t adopted or stole them.  Although we tell the eldest sometimes he is an alien from outer space.  Yes, we believe in a sense of humor!  My hubs ALWAYS goes back and tells them we were joking – I don’t.
• I educate them at home instead of using the public school system.  My reason for doing this changes daily.
• I use to be a horse judge and even won a belt buckle for it. My siblings are laughing at this one. Thus the next point…
• I don't like to be dirty thus I claim to be a city girl.
• I know my way around Houston very well. Thanks to my Dad.
• I have 2 metal plates in my head and have had braces 3 times.
• At airports, I always make the stupid metal detector go off.
• I make any horse rear up. I've always considered it a gift. 
• I have been to the Swiss Alps, Rockies, Andes, Smokies and some other mountain ranges and still have not seen snow on any of them. Thus, I find it hard to believe it really exists.
• I love to travel and have been to many countries.
• I love to read Christian fiction. (Is that an oxymoron?) I will probably be found dead one day with a book in my hand.
• I love to blog, it's my outlet;   http.www.ilovemy5kids.blogspot.com.
• I always wanted a sister and didn't get one until the 8th grade. I talk to her every other day or so.
• I have a real brother, half-brother, and step-brother. It gets confusing.  
• I love using a machete to clear brush. I started early thanks to my Grandpa.  I miss my Grandpa!  I was his first-born Grandchild thus making our relationship very special.  See number 7 again.  Another oxymoron.
• I have chased a glow in the sky for miles (and hours to my hub’s dismay) to see what is burning. Usually a fire-stack. I love an adventure!
• I have had 12 Grandmas (living) in my lifetime (only 4 are still living) not including my hubby's.
• I have seen many c-sections when I use to work at a hospital. Thus, I didn't want children - I'm so glad the Lord changed my mind. I love epidurals-they are my friend in labor!
• I love symbolism! I love how the Bible uses it and now I use it in my home. Everything has a meaning including paint colors.
• I love fleur-di-lis,toile and wish they made a Big Wheel adult size.
• I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE spa-pedicures.
• I love my Lord Jesus and what He does for me on a daily basis.

I know you are impressed, HA!  More likely you want to run and push escape to get away from this blog as fast as you can…

If you are still here, wow, you must have been bored!  Oops…we don’t say that word in my house!

Now let me know about you! 

Tell me something about you – anything!  I’m listening!

Blessings to you!  You are loved!

Do you have bibliophilism? I think I might!

My name is Lana and I’m a bibliophile.  (For those who are not familiar with that term…it means bookworm.)  I love books!  I fall asleep reading every night.  It soothes me.  It takes me to a far off place and I love every minute.

Lately, I’ve been reading some really good books.  I want my children to have a love for reading….therefore we try to have something good to read at all times!  I love when my children would rather read a book than watch a movie, not that always happens, but it still thrills my heart when it does.

Just wanted to share a few of my latest reads…click on the title of the book for my Review! 

• Making Waves by Lorna Seilstad
• Charlie and Trike in the Grand Canyon Adventure by Ken Ham and with Karen Hansel 
• Choosing to SEE by Mary Beth Chapman 
• The Seeker by Ann H. Gabhart

For more of my book reviews please click here! 

What have you read lately that you love?

Blessings to you!  You are loved!!!

Bienvenue en Louisiane – America’s WETLAND and the BIG EASY

  We made a pit stop in New Orleans because we missed the exit on our last road trip.  I love the fleur-di-lis!!! 
Means the Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit)! I just love seeing the French Quarters. I just love those RED shutters! I didn’t love the one way streets!  So aggravating!  But, it let us see some interesting character throughout the city! Since we missed the exit my eldest begged for us to stop at the Cafe Du Monde for some French Beignets (Ben-yays). I love that my kids know about this treat!  The coffee was super yum as well! After coming out of the French Market…we got a little lost.  We couldn’t figure out how to get on I-10…no big deal – truth be known that is when we find the neatest treasures of a city.  Just look at this neat church! Isn’t it beautiful!  I’m sure it is a landmark…and I didn’t even get it’s name. I’d love to see the stain glass from the inside…  We passed the Super Dome!It was a humbling site for me to see.  All I could think about was Hurricane Katrina and the people affected.  It just so happened the anniversary of the hurricane was the Monday after we visited. Then of course the Mississippi River! Don’t you just love that paddle boat?  
I think…Tom Sawyer or Huck Finn!   What a sweet fast memory – all because of a missed exit!

Blessings to you!  You are loved!

Shabby Chic House Tour

Meet my sweet friend, G.  She lives in Tennessee. (I’m a lil’ green with envy…she has mountains – we only have palm trees.)  G has a way with taking something out of nothing and making it beautiful.  She has talent like Tennessee has Kudzu.

I begged her to let me take some pictures of her house and post them here.  Boy, I miss her! This is a REAL barn door she uses as closet doors. How gorgeous! Everything in her house is Shabby…which I learned if it is a pastel then it works! A collection of candle sticks or hob-knobs.  I loves them! This picture is special!  Before G moved to TN - we had went shopping together and she had bought it on our trip.  We both fell in love with it.  The scripture on it says “Wash me and I shall be whiter than snow…”  This Works for Me! This is just a box full of catch-all on her back porch.   Doesn’t it have character? Look at the handle!  Such Shabby Charm! This is a swing on her back porch!  I loves it! More barn doors covering her washer and dryer.  She found them at a barn sale.  How fun! Don’t you love the details on this piece?  I’m going to do this to my entertainment center very soon!  Only in black!  YUMMY!Yes, she has a WHITE couch!  I love this room!  It is pastel and so comfy!  All the kids petting the lamb’s ear!  They always learn something at G’s house.

Thank you G for letting me show off your house and for letting us stop in for lunch!  You and your family are a super blessing!

Blessings to you!  You are loved!

Linked to:
Somewhat Simple
The Shabby Chic Cottage
Funky Junk Interiors