Reno is Underway! Step #3 Paint the Trim

While searching for homes in this area, we've noticed that all of the newer homes had white trim. The trim in this home is currently highly lacquered dark wood and since our intention is to update the home we intend on painting it all white. With the three upstairs bedrooms primed we're ready to start the trim!!

In our last home we painted the walls with a satin paint but I still found it a bit tough to clean dirty finger marks off of the walls. This time around we are going for semi gloss to make cleaning up after three small kids easier! Since we chose a semi gloss paint for the walls, we went with a white enamel paint for the trim. We also researched painting trim and spoke to the paint specialist at the home improvement store which recommended Zinsser primer over other brands for better coverage.

Reno tip of the day: If you're painting your trim, sand and fill any nicks with wood putty and then paint one to two coats of primer and two to three coats of paint.

Reno is Underway! Step #2 Paint...EVERYTHING!

Due to time constraints, we decided to leave the wallpaper in the guest bath and master bath for now. Each of these rooms will have a major overhaul in the future so we plan to do all the demo at one time. With 90% of the wallpaper removed, we're ready to start priming and painting! We ventured to both of the major home improvement stores tonight and selected several samples of paint for the upstairs bedrooms along with a five gallon bucket of primer!

The kids and I have come to an agreement on room themes so now I need to set out to find a matching paint color.

C would like a science room so I'm looking for a clay or moon dust like color.

J, my surfer dude wants a surfer room so I'm looking for a light blue, ocean type color.

K loves her pink but I just can't get myself to put pink on the walls so I'm looking for a pretty pale green to go with her fusia, green and white quilt.

Our first home was painted two main colors. The living areas were one color and the bedrooms were another. This time we're venturing out just a bit and adding color to the rooms but still trying to keep them neutral enough to attract a buyer in the future.

Reno tip of the day: Instead of buying a gallon of a color you may not like, buy an 8oz. sample to try out before you make your final decision. Painting yourself is cheaper than hiring a pro but you certainly don't want to waste money on a color you don't like!

Reno is Underway! Step #1 Wallpaper Removal

With the kids in AZ at nana and papa's house our renovations are underway! First order of business is to eradicate the wallpaper and wallpaper border throughout the house before we start to paint. B started in the upstairs bedrooms (kids rooms) with the border and used an AWESOME product that his mom gave us before we left her house. If you're trying to remove wallpaper or border I highly recommend you try DIF Wallpaper Stripper Liquid Concentrate. We sprayed this product on the walls and the wallpaper practically fell off the wall! When I started on the kitchen I stopped scoring the walls before spaying because it just wasn't a necessary step with this product! It's fabulous! Since we were trying to divide and conquer we were using another product at the same time and it just wasn't as good.

Reno tip of the day: Definitely go for the DIF to remove wallpaper and border!

Housewarming Gift

As if we don't have enough going on with moving and updating our new home, we decided to throw a NEW PUPPY into the mix! The carpet in our new house leaves a lot to be desired so we decided to house train a puppy now before we replace it. Sounds logical right?! She is a very precious blue eyed, brown nosed, yellow lab that will be ready to come home in just a couple of weeks. The kids have decided to name her Ellie and they are over the moon excited about getting a new dog!! I'm sure we'll be bringing you LOTS of puppy updates in the coming weeks!

Our New Home

Well, we've done it again...yes that's right, we've moved! We have continued our journey to the "Show Me" state, Missouri!!! We are enjoying our time here so far and we're keeping busy with our new home. It was built in 1999 and has great bones. We intend on updating the home inside and out over the next three years which includes finishing the roughed in basement. We certainly have our work cut out for us but we are very excited! The boys are thrilled to have their own rooms again and each of the three kids will be picking out new bedroom themes! More to come on that and other surprises next time...

Easter 2010 - He is Risen!

We had a beautiful day to celebrate Easter this year! We started our day pretty early with the alarms in the house beeping at 6:30 am. Thankfully, the kids shut theirs off and crawled back into bed which gave B and I a chance to get up, grab the camera to capture the hunt for eggs and baskets and storm their rooms with "HAPPY EASTER!". Let me tell you...trying to catch three kids on camera finding their Easter baskets is not an easy task! Somehow B seemed to lead the other two astray long enough for me to record K and then C and finally J, who B had looking in the oven and dishwasher for his basket! LOL! It was tons of fun...especially for K who sat eating all her candy while B and I were recording C and J finding their baskets!

After getting dressed up in our "Sunday Best" we headed to church for the Youth Group Easter Pancake Breakfast. The kids scarfed down pancakes, bacon, fruit salad and juice while B and I tried to keep up with them and keep their outfits nice for pictures later after church. Everyone finished just in time to head in for our very nice church service. The kids behaved very well during church, even K who normally plays in the nursery during our Sunday service. After church we snapped a few pictures and then headed outside for their Easter egg hunt where the kids really cleaned up with a basket AND bag full of eggs for each of them. K was really funny only picking up pink eggs during her hunt. One member of our church pointed out a few eggs and she replied "No thank you, they aren't pink." HA! She's not a girly girl or anything!

We rounded out the day by playing outside, having a nice meal and playing wii fit as a family. A very nice day all in all. Check out all our festivities in the photo album listed as "Easter 2010" in the left hand column. Happy Easter!

J's 6th Birthday!

J turned 6 today! Wow! It really does seem like just yesterday that we were sitting in IHop eating pancakes with mom and dad on the way to Ft. Belvoir to have J! He really was the easiest to bring into this world and his easy going personality really reflects that.

He started off his birthday celebration the Saturday before his birthday with a lunch with good friend Jack at Chuck E Cheese. He continued his festivities with cupcakes at school on the first for snack time and then finished off the day with a fun filled evening with his family! Mom made his favorite meal of mac 'n cheese and hot dogs (with a few carrots thrown in to make her feel better) and a Chocolate Xtreme ice cream cake from DQ. We finished the night with presents and a viewing of Clutch Powers the Lego movie and it was "the funnest birthday EVER"! You can see all the fun by clicking on the link for J's 6th Birthday under "Photo Albums" in the left hand column.

HAPPY 6TH BIRTHDAY MY BABY BOY!

It is with heavy hearts that we are traveling to Michigan as a family (B arrived home on emergency leave just in the nick of time) to lay B's father to rest. He fought a long and hard battle with multiple strokes, kidney and congestive heart failure for many years. Our focus is now to be there to help B's mom through this difficult time and to be together as a family to support one another. We thank you for your thoughts and prayers today and the days ahead.

Our New Baby

After being broad sided on New Years Eve day, I've been searching and searching for just the right car that will fit the needs of our family...I've decided to purchase a Ford Expedition EL! She's not new (a 2007) but she's new to me!!!! I scoured the Internet for the best deal (mileage for the year, options, color, etc.) and found the "perfect" car in Conshohocken, PA! Thanks to my fabulous, wonderful, and truly extraordinary friend Michelle, we've worked a deal with the dealership to have her pick up the car and drive it to me in Washington D.C. where I will pick it up and drive it back to NC. Sounds complicated, yes...worth it, totally! I just hope B will like it when he sees it when he gets back?!

New & Unchartered Territory

It seems as though the Marine Corps has different plans for our family than we do...this should not be a new idea to us after over a decade but it just never gets old! LOL! B has e-mailed me and told me that we will be on the move this summer to a new destination that is foreign to many Marines in the Corps...keep checking back and I'll keep you updated!

The boys Christmas concert

We thought we'd share the video we sent to B of the boys singing at their school Christmas concert this year. The video quality isn't very good but we hope you can enjoy the little voices.

B Arrived Safely at His Destination.

"The true hero is not the one that stands up for glory, or recognition. They are not the ones who seek fame or fortune. They are not the ones that take the easy road or simple task. The true hero is the one that would stand up and say, "this job must be done", and then leads the way."

Christmas tree 2009

B brought home a new artificial tree this year for us to put up in our living room. We decided to take the plunge and buy a pre lit tree this year, our last tree served us well for nine years and we hope it will be loved in the home of another family for years to come.

Our festivities started with the kids hanging their personal favorite ornaments on the tree and then watching "Charlie Brown Christmas" while B and I finished putting up the decorations and packing up the harvest items.

I was pleased to hear J ask me over and over when he could help me set up our Jim Shore nativity set. He was even excited to put baby Jesus in the drawer for safe keeping until Christmas morning! After the boys set up the Jim Shore set, K and I set up the Precious Moments nativity set on our step tansu.

After the tree was trimmed and the stockings were hung the guys headed to Lowes for a kids work shop to build gingerbread houses out of wood. They did a fantastic job and had a ton of fun!

All in all it was a great weekend of holiday activities!

As K would say "Feliz mommy dad"! AKA Feliz Navidad!

*You can check out the full album by clicking on "Christmas tree 2009" under Photo Albums in the left hand column.

Our kind and punctual boys!

Both C and J were honored at the first card marking award assembly!

C was given the award for good citizenship which goes to one student in each grade per card marking. This is C's second time earning the Citizenship award in the first card marking. Both J and C went on to earn the perfect attendance award as well. We are VERY proud of both boys and look forward to more awards during the school year! Check out the full photo album by clicking on the "November 2009" album on the left hand side under "Photo Albums".

Halloween Festivities 2009

We had a very full Halloween season this year!

The festivities started at our city's annual festival with the kids picking out their pumpkins. Since K is still too young to carve her pumpkin we used Pumpkin Push-ins which resemble Mr. Potato head pieces. She had a fun time decorating and it was no fuss, no muss! They continued the fun by dressing up and touring the USMC Museum in Quantico, VA. The following week the boys each had a classroom party followed by dressing up as their favorite saint and having a Parade of Saints on the 30th. That evening the kids dressed up in their costumes and went to the Cub Scout Boo-tacular where K won best costume for her age group! While the kids were having a boo-tacular time, I was decorating our van for the trick-or-trunk in the school parking lot. It was our first year attending and we will absolutely go back next year! The kids had a blast and so did we! On Halloween the kids started their day by carving their pumpkins and then trick-or-treated at dusk. When they were tuckered out we came home, watched a Halloween show and made caramel apples. A fun, fun, fun Halloween season! Check out the full Halloween 2009 album by clicking the link on the left side of the page!

The "In Honor of Captain Justin Peterson" TAPS Run and Remember Team had a great time at the USMC Marathon this weekend! Michelle, Patty and I completed the 10K, B ran the marathon and C ran the Healthy Kids One Mile Fun Run. We raised over $4500 for TAPS and we're very proud of both accomplishments! I will try to put the links to the Facebook albums under "Photo Album" for all to enjoy. If you'd like to see the official pictures from the marathon just click the links below:

http://www.marathonfoto.com/index.cfm?RaceOID=13692009F1&LastName=RINGVELSKI

Enter Bib number 25778 and then click the "My Photos" tab.

http://www.marathonfoto.com/order_my_photos.cfm?RaceOID=13692009F1&LastName=RINGVELSKI&BibNumber=K3442&Language=en&Mailing=23371&BFI=9j1f14i2es&Frames=true&Flash=true&FlashVersion=8&Height=768&Width=1024&Index2Home=true

Click the "My Photos" tab.

Join Us in Our Efforts to Support TAPS!

Dear Family and Friends,

As you may know, Jenny and I are hard at work training for the 34th Annual Marine Corps Marathon and 10K in Washington, D.C., October 25, 2009.

Our training and running will be special, however. We will be running with the TAPS Run and Remember Team in honor of a fallen hero Capt. Justin Peterson, who was one of our closest friends. Justin is survived by his wife and three children. Families like the Peterson’s all across our nation have the opportunity to take advantage of TAPS and its outstanding programs because of fundraisers such as the Run and Remember Team.

TAPS stands for Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors. TAPS is a wonderful and heartfelt national, non-profit veteran’s organization that reaches out to families and loved ones who have been impacted by a death of a loved one in the armed forces. The heart of TAPS is its national military survivor peer support network and its focus to help and support families, friends, and military personnel as they cope and recover.

TAPS does so much. TAPS covers every branch of the service, including the Reserves and the National Guard. TAPS’ programs and services are available not only for spouses and children, but also for parents, siblings, fiancées, and friends. TAPS offers a 24-hour crisis and information hotline, a quarterly magazine, newsletters, a website, compassionate peer support, including weekly chat lines, National and Regional Military Survivor Seminars, and also, the Good Grief Camps for the very youngest survivors… the children.

TAPS’ Survivor Seminars and Good Grief Camps give military survivors an opportunity to come together to share in a weekend of remembering, healing, and love.

Will you please sponsor us in the Marine Corps Marathon so that TAPS can continue its mission to support those who have been impacted by a death of a loved one in the armed forces? You can log onto our donation page(s) at the following address:
http://friendsoftaps.kintera.org/2009marinecorpsmarathon/ben_ringvelski
http://friendsoftaps.kintera.org/2009marinecorpsmarathon/jennifer_ringvelski

Running with the TAPS Run and Remember Team is a very special way of honoring those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for this great nation, and in helping those whom they have left behind. May God bless you and the memories of our nation’s fallen heroes.

Update...

Wow, it's been a long time since I've posted an update of what's happenin' in our family! We had a REALLY busy April, one of the busiest on record I believe. There was something happening every two to three days around here! Here is a quick run down (you can find the links to the pics that go along with these events under photo albums).

• April 1st: J's 5th birthday!! Cupcakes at pre-school to celebrate with his class
• April 2nd: J receives Good Citizen award at school
• April 4th: Easter egg hunt
• April 7th: J's 5th birthday party at the North Carolina Aquarium
• April 9th: Carol arrived for Easter and spring break
• April 10th: K's 2nd birthday!!! Party and Easter egg hunt at Pump It Up!
• April 12th: Easter
• April 13th: Family trip to Myrtle Beach for spring break
• April 18th: B and I acid stain our back porch and & Kinston Indians Game
• April 19th: Jack's baptism - B and I are the sponsors/god-parents :o)
• April 20th: Carol flys back to MI
• April 24th: I fly to NYC for a girls weekend - tons of fun!!!

May has been a bit slower but it still feels like we're cruzin' right through the days and weeks of spring...

• May 9th: B and I started screening in our back porch
• May 12th: My friend Lisa came to visit from AZ
• May 15-17th: Air Show (B was in charge of all things security of course)
• May 22nd: Celebrate C's teacher's birthday - she loved the edible arrangement I made for her
• May 23rd: Screen porch framed in this weekend!
• May 28th: C's Swim-a-thon
• May 29th: J's pre-school graduation and B's Dining In

June will be a fast and furious month as well...

• June 8th: J's t-ball cookout
• June 9th: C's last day of school
• June 11th: Leave for MI
• June: 21st: Leave MI for PA (Hershey and Sesame Place)
• June: 23rd: Arrive back home
• June:24th: B back to work

So as you can see the "Fidelis Five" isn't slowin' down any time soon!! Keep checkin' back for more pics in the album section and don't forget to check out C's site as he is gearing up for the long course season and will hopefully be able to get into a meet this summer (we will be in MI for his home meet).

C's First Swim Meet!

C had his first swim meet this Saturday and did an outstanding job for his first time out! We are such proud "swim parents" and had a great time being at the meet and watching him show off all of his hard work. If you'd like to see pics and video click this link: http://semperswimsite.blogspot.com/

Playin' in the Sand in February - LOVE IT!

This past Sunday the family headed to the beach to take advantage of an unseasonably warm day. We had a terrific time splashing in the water, building sand castles and walking along the beach.

If you'd like to see more pictures of our day click the "February Beach Day" link under Photo Albums in the left hand column.