Our New Yard

Before we started on our yard, we decided that we needed a "blank canvas" to begin, so we cleared EVERYTHING out of the yard....all the old bushes and shrubs.  We decided to build a fountain in the corner of our yard because we LOVE the sound of running water.  Frank's middle son, Ian, spent a couple of weeks with us in May and he did all the REALLY HEAVY work....digging, hauling rocks, rocks and more rocks, brick, dirt, etc.  He got the new fountain started and his work was GREATLY appreciated!!!  The fountain is still a work in progress but we're almost finished with it!!!  We have some new trees and bushes planted, a new little walkway by the back gate (thanks, again, Ian) and we are LOVING sitting out on our patio and enjoying our "new yard"!!!!!  BTW....I woke up one morning in July to find the cutest little sign hanging on a hook on the patio that says "What HAPPENS on the porch STAYS on the porch!!"  Thanks for that, Lydia Blevins!!  So true, so true!!!

The Guest Bathroom

The guest bathroom had a heavy texture already on it and there was something about it that I liked.  After talking to Karen McDaniel, daughter of my sweet friend, Lydia Blevins, I decided what I wanted to do.  Karen's business if painting, antiquing, re-texturing, and after looking at HER house, I decided to have her repaint the existing texture and then to lightly antique it.  We changed out the hardware in the room, replaced the lights and mirrors and put a cute "Loo" sign over the toilet.  We still plan to put a new cabinet top in and a new sink.  We're enjoying the new feeling in our "Guest Loo"!!!!The guest bathroom had a heavy texture already on it and there was something about it that I liked.  After talking to Karen McDaniel, daughter of my sweet friend, Lydia Blevins, I decided what I wanted to do.  Karen's business if painting, antiquing, re-texturing, and after looking at HER house, I decided to have her repaint the existing texture and then to lightly antique it.  We changed out the hardware in the room, replaced the lights and mirrors and put a cute "Loo" sign over the toilet.  We still plan to put a new cabinet top in and a new sink.  We're enjoying the new feeling in our "Guest Loo"!!!!

The Utility Room Sink

This area of our utility room was in need of something on the wall. We found a great mirror that was PERFECT for this area!!! Frank was going to hang it, but.....well......I got a bit antsy and, one thing led to another, and my friend Judy "volunteered" her sweet hubby, Steve, to come over and hang it for me!!!! Wasn't that sweet? Well, Steve probably didn't think so!! It turned out to be quite a project....removing bolts, filling holes, measuring, drilling....UGHHHH!!!! Poor Steve.....and he did all of this while suffering with BAD back problems!!!! Steve...WE OWE YOU BIG TIME!!! Thanks so much!!! Frank especially owes you.....because he came home to find that particular "honey do" already done!!! We love it and are proud to have your "stamp" on the place!!!! Thanks, Judy, for loaning us your husband!!! Love to you both!!

The Fireplace

We gave the fireplace a lot of thought. The rock fireplace might be a little "dated" but we really liked it and decided we wanted to keep it as is....but just update it a bit. That's when we decided we would install a new mantle!!! It was the DIRTIEST job!!! Frank had to chip away at that rock to get it somewhat smooth so that the back of the mantle would have a snug fit!! You've never seen so much junk...rock chips, dust, dirt....THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE HOUSE!!!!! It was worth it, though, because we now have a beautiful mantle.....ready for all those Christmas stockings!!!!!!

The Living Room

The Living Room is BIG....long and very spacious!!! We painted all the walls, changed the ceiling fan and finally bought some furniture!! Martha and Stanley were so sweet to leave us a couple of VERY comfortable recliners to use until we were able to buy some things of our own. We love the soft warm feeling of the colors we put on the walls. We are going to be doing the same thing we did in the master bedroom....add crown molding to the tops of the walls and put new, wider base board at the bottom. I'm currently busy trying to get all these pieces of wood painted so Frank can put them up!! (Thanks, Steve Myrick, for the good tools to do this!!)

The Office

The office originally was the dark wood and light colored walls. We decided to do something a bit "dramatic" so this room would "POP" because it's such a bright and well-lit room with the big skylights above....so we painted all the walls a dark chocolate brown and the woodwork we painted an off-white (I know the walls have a slight purplish color...but they aren't...they really are chocolate brown). Frank changed out the closet door to a white door. We are in the process of having the white woodwork "antiqued" and I think that'll will give it added depth. Our plan is to eventually take up the carpet in this room and put in wood flooring. The room isn't decorated yet (actually NOTHING in the house is at this point) so the things on the shelves and on the floor....well, nothing really belongs anywhere yet.

Master Bedroom

The Master Bedroom is a pretty big room. We started out painting the room a very soft blue/green color. Frank ran completely new wiring through the entire attic down to this room and he installed a beautiful ceiling fan!! He also put up crown molding at the top and new, wider base board. He replaced new doors at the entrance and to the closet and bathroom. He did a BEAUTIFUL job!!!!

Replacing the Front Door & Changing Sliding Doors to French Doors

Our new home was the long time home of Helene Hammond, one of my mom's dearest friends, and our families have many memories together. It was very special to me that we could call "Mimi's House"....our house. The front door was a beautiful door and looked like something the Hammond Family would love. We decided to change the door and then make sure that SOMEONE in the Hammond family...one of the grandkids perhaps...could have their Mimi's door!!! In trying to keep with the "flavour" of Mimi's house, we wanted to leave the wrought iron front gate and we just replaced her "H" with our "J".

Along with replacing the front door, we also replaced the sliding glass doors with French doors. None of these things are going to look their best until we can paint the complete exterior of the house....and we won't be ready to do that until after the new year. Any suggestions for colors???

"BEFORE" and "AFTER" Pics of Clovis Home

I'm going to post some "before" and "after" pictures of our house in Clovis. I'm so happy with the way things are coming along there!!! Renovations....I LOVE 'EM!!!! Didn't think I would....but I love the "finished" part of a project...standing back and just looking at what was done!!!! Yep.....love it!!!!

My Husband....Frank

I could never regret ANYTHING that I've gone through to bring me to where I am today. Where I am today....is with a wonderful, wonderful man named Frank....and I'm proud to say he is my husband. I can remember praying for a WHOLE LIST of things I wanted in a husband....and I can find that list COMPLETE in Frank. My kids loved Frank from the beginning. He slowly, but surely, made his own place in their lives and he has been a true friend to them. There is NOTHING that he wouldn't try to do for ANYONE!! He is a most giving person!! He has taught me many things and I will be forever grateful!! When Frank and I married 14 years ago, he told me that SOMEDAY he would bring me back to Clovis.....and that is exactly what he's doing!! He's not QUITE ready to retire yet, but he IS heading in that direction, so last Fall, we bought a townhouse in Clovis and we are having a BLAST working on our new home, redecorating, fixing it just the way we want, coming and going back and forth to Clovis. He's a man of his word!!! So to say that I am blessed...well, yes, I know without a doubt that I am!!!! He's a wonderful man and I'm honored to be his wife. I love you, Frank!!

Today...for my Dad....Gordon Fitzhugh

Today is Father's Day......and I'm thinking about my dad. He's been gone since 1994 and I still miss him. Happy Father's Day to all daddy's.......mine, too.

My #10 Grand....Madelyn Lily

Little Miss Madelyn Lily Johns is our 10th grand!!! She is almost 5 months old. She is the daughter of Frank's oldest son, Stephen, and his wife, Sarah. They live in Wisconsin so we don't get to see them very much. Since this beautiful little girl is BRAND NEW and doesn't do much other than eat and sleep, I can't really tell what her favorite things to do are. I just know she likes to eat!! She's beginning to do a lot of grinning.....so those pictures are cute to see.  Her big brother is Brayden, and he is VERY active, so Miss Mady is going to have to get tough pretty quickly so she can keep up with him. I have no doubt that she will. We look forward to spending time with Mady again and we love her!!!!!

My #9 Grand...Keegan Trevor

Our #9 Grand is Keegan Trevor Johns. Keegan was 1 year old in August.  He is the son of Frank's youngest son, Michael. They live in Virginia so we don't see them very much. Keegan is a beautiful and sweet natured baby!! He has a beautiful smile!! He has a BIG, BEAUTIFUL smile.....and he uses it all the time!!! We hope and pray for the very best for this sweet little guy. We love him and look forward to the next time we can see him!!!

My #8 Grand....Brayden Frances Johns

Our 8th Grand is 3 year old Brayden Johns. He is the firstborn child of Frank's oldest son, Stephen, and his wife, Sarah. We don't get to see Brayden very often because Steve and Sarah live is Wisconsin. Brayden is ALL BOY!!!! He loves CARS and TRUCKS and TRAINS more than anything!!! He has more toy cars, etc., than any kids I know!!! Since the birth of his new baby sister a couple of months ago, Brayden has been going to a nearby preschool. It was a little "iffy" at first on whether he would enjoy it or not, but he has made a good transition and he seems to really like it!! He's full of stories about activities and friends every day. The big news for THIS young man is that he is pretty well potty trained!!! He's really growing fast!! We miss getting to see him.  We love you, Brayden!!!

My 6th Grand...Drake Lee Case

This is my 6th Grand....Drake Lee Case. Drake's daddy is Stephen Case. Drake is like his dad in just about every way possible!!!! First of all Drake LOOKS just like his daddy did when HE was a little boy. He is a very tall 6 year old....just like his dad (who is 6'7"), he loves to read, he loves to pretend and he can cut those eyes JUST LIKE HIS DAD!!!!! Drake lives in Amarillo, TX so I don't get to see him as often as I'd like but we try to make sure he and his dad get up to this neck of the woods at least once a year. Drake loves music, he loves telling stories and he loves to sing. He loves to give his daddy kisses and his daddy just can't believe his boy is getting ready to start 1st grade. He's such a smart, smart kid!!! I miss this grand, I'm proud of him and I love him SO much!!!!

My #7 Grand...Gavin Marcus Case

This is Gavin Marcus Case....he is the youngest member of the Case household. He is actually my #7 Grand, and MAN OH MAN do I love this kid!!!!! He is 4 years old and he's absolutely amazing!!! He's just a funny kid and he keeps us all laughing hysterically!!!! He has learned early that he needs to keep up with the big kids and he does a very good job of it. HE is the only one who doesn't know he's 4!!! He's pretty sure he's as old as the big boys!!! At times he's a Mama's boy, but he's also definitely a Daddy's boy!!! He wants to do "Army stuff" like Daddy!!! He's been riding a two wheeler since he was 3, he knows NO fear and is willing to try most anything!!! He's currently involved in Tee-Ball and he thinks he's pretty much a pro!!! He can play for 3 minutes and then his attention wanders and he can watch the grass grow or the clouds float by!! He loves to build and his imagination is wild!!! This boy is a wonderful, wonderful little person and I am proud of him and love him so, so, so much!!!!!!

My #5 Grand...Charles Johnathan

This is my #5 Grand....he's my Charlie, my CJ, my Charlie Bear, my big man!!! He is
7 1/2.  He is solid as a rock!!! He's got the cutest giggle you ever heard!! He's missing a lot of teeth right now so we've slowed down on how much corn on the cob we serve him!! This big boy LOVES his Mama, he loves playing with his friends, he enjoys all things cars, trucks and motorcycles. He enjoys playing his DS, he loves music, and if no one is watching, he'll sing his heart out!!! He's pretty shy, but we're working on that!!! Did I say he LOVES, LOVES, LOVES his Mama?? He also loves, loves, loves his COUSINS!!! He's always asking, "Are the cousins coming this weekend???" Charlie is not fond of reading, but he's been recommended for an accelerated class next year when he's in 2nd grade!! He enjoyed being the typical little brother and bugging his sister to complete distraction, but then before you know it, he's doing something totally sweet for her. He's just a doll baby and I love him SO, SO much!!!

My #4 Grand...Isabell Catherine

My 4th Grand...Miss Isabell Catherine....is one VERY happy little girl. She just turned 8 in July and is in  the 3rd grade!! She LOVES to laugh, she LOVES to pretend, she LOVES princess things, she LOVES animals and she LOVES her family. She is such a smart, smart girl. She is an EXPERT reader and speller!! She's very shy if she has to venture outside the comfort of family, but she's getting better and better with this. Her mama says Isabell is exactly like SHE was when she was a little girl. Bell is "little Miss Attitude" and when she and Mom cross paths, she has been known to go up to her room and write a note to tape to her door letting everyone know who is able to come in....and who is to stay OUT!!! Being the only sister with 3 brothers has its' PLUS side and it also means she has to BE tough and STAY tough to keep up....and for Bell, that's not difficult!!! She's a beautiful girl, I'm so proud of her and I love her very much!!