Good Times on the Wii Fit

You should see Bear "jog" on the Wii Fit! It looks like a mix between a seizure and ADHD on steroids. Willow had a great time trying to mimic it. After watching Walker do the Push Up and Side Plank, he tried alongside him and was excited that he could continue to practice at home even though he doesn't have the game yet!
Taylor works to master the yoga moves!

Tay's Nature Shots

Tay spent some time out in the yard and woods last weekend taking photos. I think she's pretty darn good...maybe a future photography major/minor like Carol & John?

Yoda

I snapped this picture of Juneau in Mackinaw this weekend. A quote from Danielle, "He's wrinkley enough to pull this off!" When we went to the Island, he wore his hat the whole time, Danielle had her hat on with rounded bear type ears, and from time to time, Willow wore her Princess Leah style hat. I can't tell you how many people commented on the hats. Danielle should have had a backpack stuffed full of them to sell. She could have made a fortune!

The Mantle is Back Up

When we got back from Mackinaw Sunday night, Kevin put the mantle back up over the fireplace. Yes, that's a fire in the stove (very cozy)!

Willow Almost a Year Ago!

The Last of the Garden

We spent the evening cleaning out the last of the garden and digging potatoes. The potatoes are now in their dark, dry storage, but here are a few shots of the peppers and onions.

Game Room After

If you're not a fan of purple (which I typically am not), this might just be too much for you. It seems a little lighter in the pictures, but just try to picture it with darker carpet, a black futon couch, and lots of brushed nickle picture frames and silver & black lamps. When the painters started in this room, they got worried, and when Kevin walked in and said "OHHHHH...", they really got worried. They made him get me to come in and give my approval before they would continue. Notice that wall by the bookshelf is now a light brown color.

Suria, Are You Wearing Deodorant?

I would just hate for you to go a day without deodorant and I know how important wearing it is to you, so you just better check and be sure that you have some on. If not, you can always run to CVS on your break for another stick!

Dan Shaw, Don't Read This!

It's opening day of bowhunting season in Michigan, and Walker is going on his first hunt (you may recall the story that he teared up when Kevin bought him his first license). Last night, he and Kevin spent a little time getting their bows ready so that they could walk out the door at 6am. Several weeks ago, they bought a new blind that looks like a camo tent on a metal platform (which stands on steel legs up in the air). I'd be tempted to sneak back in the woods to take a picture of them in the blind, but they might shoot me! Here's to some fresh meat in the freezer for winter!

Game Room Before

The painters didn't get to the game room yesterday, so I snapped a few before shots last night when I got home. They arrived bright and early this morning to get started, so hopefully later today, I can post some "after" pictures. In this picture, I'm standing in the game room, facing the door out to the landing. The wall on the landing by the bookshelf is being painted brown as I type this. The game room will be a purple color (a color I never thought would enter my house, but go figure, I think it goes well with black and gray).

This is the north and east wall of the gameroom. The slanted ceiling will stay white, but the rest will go purple.
Finally, the southwest corner of the game room. The west wall will have wood on it up to the height of where the ceiling meets the walls on the south/north walls. Then, I will probably paint the wood to match. That way the old angled windows will be covered up. If you think back to when the kitchen and living/dining room downstairs had open ceiling, these were the upper slanted windows that were on both sides of the fireplace. Next summer, we will reside the house outside to cover the old windows from that direction!
For anyone visiting the Priest household in the future, this will be your bedroom! It's too bad that Bryce chooses to always stay with Jason, because the fouton couch in the game room will be facing the flat screen tv that will go up on the wall.

After pictures of the Living Room

So, again I complain about the quality of the cell phone pictures, but at least it helps me post more often! Here is a photo of our hallway downstairs after being painted brown. The coloring on the picture is not the best, but I love it in real life. This is the wall where the black and white photos of the kids usually hang (think baby Walker naked and full of mud, Taylor's faded out face that is sketched back in, the kids being tossed in the air at the 200 W. Pickard house, etc.).
I changed my mind about the orange color three times AFTER I told the painters what color to mix. Luckily they waited until the morning of painting before they actually mixed the paint! I was aiming for an orange similar to John and Danielle's kitchen when it was orange. My first several picks were very bright red/orange and looked more like Taylor's bedroom. I was drawn to them on the little paint cards, but knew that they would be too bright for me on the walls. I finally borrowed the color book from a different paint company, knowing that they could still mix those colors with the paint that I wanted. After that, I only had to call one more time to change my mind. I am VERY happy with the final color and the room already feels warm and comfy, even though there are no photos on the walls, no moulding, no curtains or even furniture.