Growing nieces and nephews!

August has definitely been a family time. We were able to visit with Tom, Candice, and the kids in Ohio, and then my family in Pennsylvania on the way home. Sparkling Springs Rhodes family camp out was a highlight, and we appreciated the visits to Peace House from many siblings, nieces, and nephews.

Yesterday we met Lila Luree Stuztman, who was less than one day old! She's beautiful!

Soren also had a good time visiting. He looked so big next to tiny Lila.

We didn't get any pictures of Dietrich or Betst, but they came too.

Lydia with Soren in his Crafty Ewings get up.

Claire and Tom at Sparkling Springs (Ohio Rhodes/Mast)

David, Anita, Atticus, and Ada (Pennsylvania, Clymer/Rhodes)

Eliza (Ohio)

Luke (North Africa)

Jason, Elijah, and Isaac (North Africa)

Silas (Mast, Ohio) Annalies (Hburg Whitmer/Rhodes)

Silas

Soren (Hburg, Fisher/Rhodes)

David, Anita, Ada (PA) and Dara (North Africa)

Claire (Ohio)

Dara (North Africa)

Annalies

My dad with my sister's son Ethan

A spontaneous side hug!

The first lightning bug we've seen since we left for Montana

We got to meet Ivan, born on Mother's Day!

And we had a sparkler extravaganza

Our niece/nephew count is now up to 17!

Readadjusting to Ol' Virginny

We've been back in Virginia for almost a month now. Sometimes it feels like busyness has taken control of our lives. Peace House needed a good bit of our attention. We cleaned, painted, organized, put together and took apart beds, threw away ratty furniture, and began the long quest to kill the resident rat. Now it is the eve of the new residents' arrival. We're excited, and the house finally feels more like home.

I'll start with some house pictures, but the next post maybe photo heavy of the people we saw and places we went in the last thirty days.

The couch before I covered it...yuck.

The living room...still a work in progress

Dining room after we painted the neon pink walls.

Breakfast nook

This birthday gift from Candice fits perfectly at Peace House

All the kitchen got was a deep clean.

The back stairs from the kitchen

The library, also a work in progress

Looking to the front of the house from the breakfast nook

The front stairs after a new coat of paint

The downstairs bedroom

The middle landing leading to our room

The top landing

The twin bedrooms at the very top of the stairs

The guest room in progress

Upstairs bathroom

The landing, serving as a cutting space for sewing, a closet for Etsy inventor, and another closet for a small office.

The closet office 

The Etsy closet

Our bedroom window

Our other bedroom window

Fabric cubbies and some of our favorite photos and artwork

Hattie's gift by our bedside

Blessing beads above our door

Peace propaganda in the entryway