Summer Days

You know what's cool about Spring in NC? Strawberries. We missed going last year but we made it out this year with friends. Benny was so cute. He just wanted to eat them - just like Nathan's first time. I learned though - bring wet wipes with you!

Nathan finished up his first year of preschool. He had a great time and has a lot of fun projects to show for it. He is doing a couple weeks of summer camp at his school too. Then, on to three days next year. Then there is "graduation' before heading of to Kindergarten. This is, by the way, stupid. I'm sure I will gush over how cute they are in mini caps and gowns. But really, it's dumb and makes actual hard-earned graduations less special. So you know how I really feel.

We had the Koker boys here overnight. They all played well together as always (they love the play room), ate well and (for the most part) slept well. I was worried Patrick would be the one to keep us up but it was the older boys who had to pee or just couldn't sleep or whatever. Other than that, no drama. Just fun playing.

The next day we took a drive down to Leland/ Wilmington for a visit to Nonni & Poppi's for an overdue visit. We spent the afternoon at the pool - a lovely day to do so. Nonni is a pool monitor there part time. (A nice way to spend time making money!) The next morning looked a little bleak so we visited the Battleship. We had been talking about going forever. This was a perfect time to go. Nathan had a great time checking everything out (after taking a spill down the first set of stairs. Oops!). It was a fun tour I'm glad we went on. The sun came out eventually and we took the short ride over to downtown Wilmington for lunch. The boys were worn out and slept the whole ride home. Memorial Day was a lazy one. A welcomed one.

Other than the few weeks of camp, the days of summer are stretched out long before us. The pool opened weeks ago and we have already been a few times. Nathan loves it. Benny not so much. This one will take time to get right. For all the prep to get there I sometimes wonder if it's worth it. By summers' end I'm sure we will have a good system and everyone will enjoy it. That is the hope. We went to the museum last week, which I'm sure we'll do several times a month at least. And then friends' pools of course to mix things up. Then there are the other days when we're not quite sure what to do. Mommy's going to have to get real creative a motivated. . . .

My MOPS year ended too and we finished up with a nice dinner at a friends house. But the MOPS stuff doesn't end. I have signed up to be Hospitality Coordinator for next year which means I oversee the setup for each of the meetings. I'm not sure how I got myself into that role but the group has been so wonderful for me that I had to step up to make sure it was just as great for the next mommies to come along. It will be interesting since both boys really don't like being in the child care there. Another thing they will just have to get used to.

As if I didn't have enough on my plate I also signed myself up with Nature's Pearl (https://www.naturespearlproducts.com/jentrend). They offer all sorts of products using Muscadine Seed Extract, a super antioxidant that reduces inflammation - the root of all disease! (Google it. Interesting stuff.) This sounds involved and he products do wonderful things, for every person, sick or not. So I'm on board to spread the word and build a little something for myself on the side. I gotta wake up this mommy brain somehow so it doesn't get too mushy.

Looking forward to playdates, a trip to the Zoo, and even a Mommy and Me Book Club. I guess I shouldn't be so hard on myself for having some downtime in the afternoons. We have a full calendar.

Project Girl

For the most part, I live for projects. They keep me looking forward to something, keep my creative wheels spinning, and give us all something to do to break up the days and make our lives better in some way. The saying "when it rains, it pours" is true in all aspects of life including projects!

We got new countertops last month and a new backsplash was installed last week. These were fun
items I didn't really expect for a long time but things are going well so Leo gave me the ok. Picking out the stone for the counters was a breeze (Leo and I are often in sync when  it comes to design decisions  but the tile for the back was a little more complicated.  But that's part of the fun, right? Thinking of new ideas and overcoming the challenges to get you to a new place. We were short a few last pieces but they should be in soon and then the project will be complete. With the new sink and faucet, the room looks wonderful and I love being in there. Good thing since I'm in the kitchen half the day.

In the living room I had made some new doors to cover up a built in shelving area where we store our junk. Shoes, hats, flash lights, etc. I was sick of looking at it. So I covered it artfully and I love it. By the fireplace I  notices a draft in the winter that was bugging me so I came up with a design to have one big panel of cloth with magnets inside to stick to the metal surround and cover up the glass (to protect the kiddies and the glass itself) and close up the draft. I didn't get it done in time for winter but it's up now and ready for whenever. This was my first foray into using a sewing machine. I have mixed emotions about that learning curve.

Then comes the carpet. While it has been on my long wish list to replace it someday (after the kids have finished spilling things on it every freaking day!) we noticed an odd wet area under a piece of furniture. The stain is big and smelly and mysterious. We have an idea of where it may have come from (an overloaded washing machine on the other side of the wall?) but we're not completely sure. We had a plumber come look in case it was a major thing going on and all that we got from that visit was a couple holes in the wall and some guy scratching his head about the whole thing. We are still shrugging our shoulders too and not sure what to do. I guess it will remain covered for a while until we figure out where it came from before we replace the carpet. While thinking about what to do I thought out loud about putting a wood floor there instead. After all this other stuff going on, Leo gave me a look that suggested I might be slightly off my rocker and I better lay off the DIY ideas for a while.

For Mothers Day I received four carpet roses to plant outside. Brother Matt delivered them and mentioned he would be happy to put them in the ground. Although I hadn't planned for roses in front I casually mentioned how maybe they would look good in front instead of the awful bushes we have always had and always hated. The suggestion turned into a project in three minutes and suddenly we were pulling the awful things out of the ground. Matt made quick work of it while I ditched the
cut up branches to the woods behind the house and Leo came out to help between work e-mails. (We love being backed up to the woods more every year!) The clean slate has my wheels spinning once again . I visited a local nursery yesterday and fell in love with a couple plants. I got three Dwarf Nandina and one Heavenly Bamboo that will go nicely with the small Japanese Maple Orangeola I got at the farmers market last weekend. As for the giant holly tree - that monster is coming down as soon as we can get our hands on a chainsaw. I plan to get a nice Japanese Maple there too someday. As for the roses, Leo dug up a strip of grass on the south side of the house especially for them. They will be lovely to see when we come home everyday and less grass to cut!

One of my friends noticed all that was happening and called me the Project Girl. It's true. It doesn't stop around here. And I hope it doesn't. Even though I'm tired, it's so much fun!