Long overdue

It's been more than a month since we slipped away for a family vacation to the mountains of Va, and I'm just now getting around to posting some pictures.  Kinda tells you how busy we are at the moment!

We had a really wonderful, relaxing time.

We did some hiking....

A lot of swimming...

Some family gaming....

Spent a morning at the Children's Museum....

But in the end, the highlight for the kids might have been taking baths in the jacuzzi tub!

This is the face of pure, relaxation bliss, don't you think?

Our Garden Is Growing...

Scott has been hard at work expanding our garden this Spring.  So far, he's built 3 new raised beds, begun a fence and built me a bluebird house to go with two others I inherited from Mom and Dad. 

 Isn't it gorgeous?!  Buh-bye groundhogs!

Getting Rid of the Last of the Boxes

We've been in our house for almost 4 months now, and I've decided it's really time to get rid of the boxes we still have lying around-which are mainly books.  Scott and I are both book hoarders.

So, the other day, I built a makeshift bookcase.  If you can believe it, the kids "sort of" played board games the whole time I worked on it.  I say that because Gus built a castle out of Quirkle tiles, Uno cards and marbles and Kip made a fun design across the rug with the same supplies.  

It's really fun for me to make something useful out of our leftover renovation materials, plus they are free!  I used bricks from the huge stack we have left from when Scott pulled down the chimneys and boards we saved from the old porch/laundry room. Recycling at its finest! 

A Little Paint

I spent my afternoon in therapy: painting therapy.  This is a real thing, I promise.  I love projects with instant results, having spent most of my patience on my children.  I also do not care for projects with any sort of prep work.  I want to get on with it and see a result ASAP.  

So today I painted the $1 (you read that right!) table and chairs Scott found for us at a yard sale last year.  

Tada!  Instant front porch living.  

Just ignore the wood boards and other construction type materials you can see in the background.  Those are for other projects which involve prep and lots more time....I'm leaving those to my handy husband.  Sorry, buddy....

 

Life as a Mom...

....means pausing your regularly scheduled activities to create makeshift straps for a Barbie dress that won't stay up.

And then getting lots of sweet compliments on how you are the best "sew-er" ever.

For My Grandma's

I love to have things in my house that have memories for me.  Here's one example:

 

The milk can is from Grandma-my mom's mom and the bear is from Granny-my dad's mom.  Thank you to both of you, not only for your hand-me-downs, but also for your love through the years!

~Amy

Pizza Night

Around here we know how to celebrate when Friday rolls around.  No homework, extra screen time, and Scott home early.  

Tonight we added pizza to the mix.  I tried out a new recipe from a food blog that I've started following called Candid Rd.  I made a few modifications and it was a hit!  You can see my changes here.  The best part is that it only takes about 3 minutes to make and uses pretty common ingredients. 

My kids eat cherry tomatoes like candy, so I always have them around and now that I'm making homemade larabars, I have dates, too!

 I've gotten so used to the kids rejecting my dinner offerings, I couldn't believe it when Little Man actually asked for a second slice!

Happy Weekend, folks!

Sunny & Rainy Days

Today I made a day planner page to match my food journal! It took me most of the morning, but it's gray and rainy anyway. April showers bring May flowers, right?

Yesterday was perfectly lovely.  We played outside all day.  Tea parties, forts, swings, and even a family game of frisbee after dinner.

I did it!

I've been sorting through some dietary issues lately and have been trying to keep track of what I eat every day and then how I feel later. It's helped some, and I'm trying to be more consistent with it.  

So today, I finally figured out how to use PicMonkey to make a printable food journal.  I think it turned out super cute!  

A little girl's room

I finished Kip's duvet cover this afternoon (it's a drop cloth + flat sheet!), so I thought I'd post some pictures of her room.  

We got this antique bed on Craigslist.  It's large enough to use for company and makes her feel like a little princess!

 Her closet is overflowing with stuffed animals (see the upside down Care Bear hiding in there?), and I found this on the floor:

These can be almost as painful to step on barefoot as the Legos in her brother's room....but not quite:)

Kids + Camera=

 Fun Times.