Last week, my husband left on a 3-part business trip. He flew to Chicago to attend a recruiting event for his company. His best friend's brother is interested in Edward Jones and wants to be in Chicago, closer to family. Jay didn't have to attend this event per se, but thought it advantageous not only for himself, but for this new recruit for reasons I won't go into here. From there, Jay went up to his mom's summer home in Hayward, Wisconsin to meet another Wisconsin client and also to see friends in Minneapolis to lead a seminar.
As you know about me, when the husband is gone, I normally have a special, secret house project planned. I think I get it from my Grandma. After all, that fireball of a woman bought a house without talking to my Grandpa about it! [I promise not to buy a house without you, Jaybird!]
Hmmmmm. What to do. What to do.
It has been in my mind forever to paint my kitchen cabinets. Jay and I had talked about it but have never done it. This week I tackled it. So long, dark oak. Hello, crisp, clean white!
I used a Rustoleum kit from Home Depot ($79.00) and I love how it turned out. I worked my butt off each and every day he was gone, managing to get school work done too. We were up early every morning and stayed up VERY late every night to get this done quickly.
The kit we used from Home Depot.
So far, I recommend this kit.
We'll see how the finished product holds up over time.
The BEFORE shot from the day we moved in.
Gosh, I'd love to get rid of the black appliances too!
STEP 1 - DAY 1 (MORNING)
Cleaning surfaces, removing drawers, doors,
adding a little wood filler
& general prepping.
STEP TWO - DAY 1 (AFTERNOON)
Deglossing
Did the cabinet bases, back of cabinet doors and drawers
Did the front of the cabinet doors in the evening
STEP THREE - DAY 1 (EVENING)
Bond Coat
No turning back now!
Loving the look of the white already!
STEP FOUR - DAYS 2 & 3 (MORNING)
Bond Coat - coat #2
Ah, this is it!
Looking amazing, but will it need a 3rd coat?
Note: I didn't deglaze my cabinets, which would be the next step in the process. I wanted them bright white, so I skipped this step in the kit. Did seem silly to buy a kit and not use a portion of it, so there may be another product out there that's not as wasteful.
STEP SIX - DAYS 3 & 4
Protective Top Coat
Cabinet bases & drawers & back of doors on day 3
Front side of doors on day 5
AFTER SHOT! - DAY 6
Very happy with the results.
My biggest challenge was the dog hair - keeping it out of the paint!
I did do that extra, 3rd coat of paint. I just felt it needed to look more "solid" white like the rest of our trim work around the house. And after reassembly, I did notice 3 tiny touch ups that needed to be made. Not a big deal, but it does make me wonder how this will hold up in the months to come. I will report back.
Here's a good before-after shot so you can see the difference close up.
I cannot possibly tell you how much I love this.
What a difference a little paint makes!
Kitchen is definitely brighter and feels bigger.
All in all, this is just 1 step of many in hopes of getting this house ready to sell. No, we are not moving soon. Yes, we like this house very much! But Jay's commute is 25 miles 1 way and we'd like to be closer to his office within the next couple of years. We haven't made 1 change to this house since we moved in. We've socked away as much money as we can and we continue to live on a small budget while Jay builds his business. Now it's time to make some improvements to this place with hopes of getting a little more money out of it when it does come time to sell. Further projects include (in random order):
** Painting the bathroom cabinets (I have paint left over from this project, so the boy's bathroom will be soon to follow) ** Flooring (getting rid of carpet and putting in laminate or rubber flooring) ** Deck & Fence (just necessary repairs but also changing the stain color) ** Deck Covering (this one is probably way, way too expensive, but we'd love a covering over the upper portion of our deck, complete with lighting and ceiling fans)
I would be remiss if I didn't mention that this kitchen updating happened over our 13 year wedding anniversary. We debated whether he should go on this business trip over our anniversary, but flights were cheaper. We enjoyed a fun date night at a Wounded Warrior Project fundraiser before his trip and Jay also picked out a couple of suits for work (hard to believe he only had 1 suit as a financial advisor). He was due for a couple new ones. We'll go out to dinner when he gets back.
It's the first day of school for Super C and Super E and we are excited!
The books are unpacked from shipping boxes, school supplies have been purchased. We are ready for another year.
How can I possibly have a junior higher?
Super C is officially a junior high-er, I guess. He's beginning 6th grade. Sixth grade was still elementary school when I was a kid, but around here, 6th grade is junior high. This year is one of the favorite years among Sonlight Curriculum parents. This is our unit all about Asia! Having ties to China and Japan, I am super excited to learn and re-learn right along with Super C, even if I had read most of the Japanese books to him back when were were living in Nebraska years ago! We are sharing math curriculum with a friend, but we surely hope to breeze through 2 years of math in 1 year like we did before. Math is Super C's forte, so if he wants to push, I'll let him push. That's the beauty of homeschool! Super C is excited to start blogging this year! He'll be publishing some kid-friendly blogs under a pseudonym that I'll be sure to share.
All 3 enjoying Super C's interactive CD-ROM Encyclopedia.
Starting the year off with China!
Super E is entering 2nd grade. We were able to borrow curriculum for him from my friend Amy back in Nebraska this year, with a few added pieces from my local friend Jamie, plus a few "readers" ordered from Amazon Prime. Borrowing makes such a huge difference considering Super C's curriculum was over $450 USED! [gulp] He has quite the stack of books on his shelf too. He's looking forward to learning about the Vikings and has promised to work hard on reading and math this year. Today he shocked me with the chapter he read in his reader. Now, if he can gain confidence to read in front of others. He even hates to read for his dad and clams up! We are switching math curriculum this year because a local friend of mine had one for sale that she will be letting me borrow for the year. I'm lending her some handwriting curriculum. Looking forward to trying Saxon math with Super E.
Using the easel in the kitchen for spelling practice.
Tuesday afternoons we'll have our homeschool group. It's not a full fledged co-op, but I use that term nonetheless. I'm on the board this year, so that gives me added responsibilities for sure. Both boys and I are also looking forward to taking tennis lessons on Wednesday morning this year. Even I get to join in. Will be fun to play again. I was the boys' ages when I took lessons every summer and I loved it!
I think it will be a busy year!
As you recall from my previous post, Miss Quiet Tiger will be going to pre-school this fall! The first day for her isn't until August 25. We like our homeschool to be just a couple of weeks ahead of public school, so we start with the boys now and the girl will go when school opens. She is looking forward to it, as am I, although she is plenty miffed that she can't take tennis lessons with us. I'll be sure to post all about her big school day when it arrives.
Here's to a fantastic year of school for all THREE of my kids!
After 2 years in the business of Financial Planning with Edward Jones, my husband earned his first Diversification Trip (aka Div Trip). He has to meet a certain amount of criteria in a certain timeframe and the company rewards him with a gift of time off.
Get ready for the bragging, because I'm going to brag my little head off in this post.
Brag #1
To earn your first trip within the first couple of years with the firm is a BIG DEAL! It shows how hard my husband has been working to earn this. These trips aren't easily won. During the trip, they celebrate the "first timers" both publicly and privately. It's a big deal, folks!
Brag #2
When you meet other "first timers" on the Div Trip, you get to talking and learn about their offices back home. Most have taken over existing offices with more than $30 million dollars or even more in assets. Yes, Jay took over an existing office (and it was less than $10 million), but he earned this trip BEFORE taking over this office. It must be nice to have $30M or $40M just handed to you in 1 office. My husband has built this business up from scratch, from nothing. Earning this trip says A LOT! Is Jay good at what he does? CLEARLY! ABSOLUTELY! NO QUESTION! And I'm one PROUD WIFE!
Back to the trip…
We chose Jackson Hole because we thought it would be nice to leave the CRAZY HOT weather in Texas and head someplace cooler for a week in mid-summer. Jackson Hole offered the "cheapest" add-ons (Jay and I are taken care of by the company but we do have to pay for the kids). I only put "cheapest" in quotes because the extra hotel fees for our family were small, the upgrade to a minivan wasn't bad, but the airfare for the kids was INSANE! Such is life flying into a small ski resort town. Oh well. It all evened out in the end.
We also invited my mom and stepdad on this trip. Edward Jones allows us to bring a set of parents and we offered this to my family as a thanks for all the support they gave to us during our disastrous adoption journey.
This was our Quiet Tiger's first flight since coming home on an airplane from China. We weren't sure how she'd react. I secretly bought her a ladybug backpack from Target and picked up a couple of cheap toys for the plane and filled the bag with snacks. She didn't know about it or see it until the night before we left. She sat with Jay on the plane since he had never flown with her before. She did great! Not a tear. No nerves. No nothing!
In San Antonio, ready for her first flight since China.
If this isn't cute, I don't know what is!
Our plane touched down in Jackson right next to my mom's plane that flew in from Chicago. I watched my mom and stepdad walk off their plane onto the tarmac as I was waiting to disembark from our flight. We met outside the airport, got our rental car and drove to the hotel.
Oh my!
Hotel Terra is amazing! I fully expected to run into Jennifer Aniston or Adam Sandler or some other celebrity who frequents Jackson Hole! No celebrity sightings though. We had a 2-bedroom suite which also included a murphy bed for the kids. We had a balcony, a living room, a full kitchen, a dining room, and 3 full bathrooms too. Talk about exquisite! Everything was organic too. Organic soaps, cleaning supplies, robes and towels.
Spoiled rotten!
Dining room and kitchen. Dark doors behind Super C hide the murphy bed.
Photo bomb courtesy of Super C and his Tepig from Pokemon.
Relaxing after travel in the living room.
Our room.
Grammie & Rand's room.
1 of 3 bathrooms!
Loved the double sinks.
Two bathrooms had jetted tubs. The boy's bathroom had 1 sink and a huge glass shower.
The first night we had our welcome dinner for all the Edward Jones guests. I'd say there were probably 100 financial advisors there, plus their spouses and any families that came along as well. Much to our surprise, the only bad thing we could say was that the food was bland that night. That shocked us and we hoped things would be better. We met advisors from all around the country, even from Hawaii! There was a good handful of homeschool families there too, and that made me smile.
The next morning, Jay had an early morning meeting and the rest of us enjoyed a provided breakfast. The kids went to provided daycare after that and all of us adults went to a meeting about what to do in the area and a few general rules and guidelines for the trip. Quiet Tiger, who normally fears the hotel daycares that Jones provides, did great. I brought along a bracelet for her to wear and she had to give it back to me when I picked her up. Although seemingly happy and not too stressed, her eyes wouldn't connect with mine when I dropped her off or picked her up. She still goes to that far away place, wondering if we really mean it when we say, "Mommy & Daddy always come back."
That afternoon we were surprised by an offer for lunch. One of the product partners who worked with Lincoln Mutual who co-sponsored the trip, offered to take all of us out to lunch at the resort. The kids ate buffalo sliders and I had my first Banh Mi (Vietnamese pork sandwich) that is my new favorite sandwich in the whole wide world.
The rest of the time was really ours to enjoy.
We visited downtown Jackson. A great town full of shops, touristy and all, surrounding the town square. The big hit was the candy shop where we loaded up on Salt Water Taffy. Jay found a gallery and bought some artwork for his office back home (I'll probably blog about it later). We searched for shirts and hats for the kids. I bought a bracelet for me and an ornament for our Christmas tree, something I'll do with every Div Trip Jay earns so we can remember our travels. We bought a gift for Jay's assistant who we love! We stopped off at Albertson's for groceries so we could cook in our hotel room and enjoyed looking for moose along the way back to Hotel Terra.
I love a ski town!
The town square.
We hiked Jenny Lake in the Grand Teton National Park. How amazing! I'm a nature girl and I so badly wanted to hike all the way around the lake, but there was no way my kids nor my mom and stepdad would have done it with us, so we hiked about half way and my stepdad offered to buy us boat tickets back across the lake. The boat was one of L's highlights. Water girl.
Hiking!
Oh, the beauty of this place!
The falls at Jenny Lake
The company put on a Wyoming-themed dinner on Wednesday night. We got to take the gondola up the mountain to the restaurant where there was dinner and music and beer and wine. The views were amazing and the kids loved the gondola ride. None of them had been on one before. For the record, my daughter called it a "gondafor." Cute. After the dinner we made a very interesting connection to some possibilities in the adoption world. I hope and pray that I can blog about that in the future. I'll keep in vague for now out of necessity, but you can be praying for something to come of that conversation for sure!
On the mountaintop for dinner.
The only reason L isn't pictured is because of the edge
and no one wanted her to fall down the mountain.
Thursday we just stayed local. The boys did a bungee-trampoline thing at the resort. Thanks, Grammie for the tickets! We went back into town for a few more groceries for a picnic the next day. We cooked some frozen pizza for dinner back in the room.
Friday, we drove all the way up and through Yellowstone National Park. We saw Old Faithful, the calderas, the mud pits. We saw buffalo, 1 black bear cub, a pika and elk. The kids did a quick program at Old Faithful. We didn't hike much. It was a LONG 14 hour day in the car driving from place to place but so worth it! What a HUGE park! America's first National Park!
Old Faithful.
So much more majestic in person than in photos.
A must see!
The colors at the caldera were amazing!
On Saturday, Jay and I took the boys hiking Taggert Lake Trailhead, leaving Quiet Tiger with my mom and stepdad for a few hours. Taggert Lake was by far my favorite hike! I found myself choking back tears over God's awesome creation. I couldn't think of one Bible verse, one line to a worship song, anything to praise Him. Yeah, my spiritual pathway is clearly nature. Once we hit the lake I was able to regain some composure and I can't tell you how many prayers were uttered on the rest of that hike. LOTS of prayers for Lily. Prayers for Lynette. Prayers for Hilary. Prayers for Beth. Prayers for Jeanine. Prayers for Laurie and so many other friends. My boys made the 4 mile (approx.) hike too and were just about to begin fading when we reached the end and gobbled down our picnic lunch.
The falls at Taggert Lake
Our picnic view.
Doesn't get better than that!
That night we had our farewell dinner back at the hotel, complete with cocktails for the adults and face painting for the kids. The food was amazing! Much better than our first night. The adults ate all the ice cream on the kid's buffet. No joke! We were sad to see it all come to an end.
2 Dragons and a Butterfly
Our flights back home were early and we had to leave the hotel at 5am. The airport was INSANE with 4 large, full flights departing at 7am. We were there plenty early but had to rush once we got there. Security had to open up an extra line just for us 7am-ers. We didn't even have time to give a hug goodbye to my mom and stepdad. We just all ran directly onto our flights. Poor Super E cried huge tears begging me that we didn't have to get up early the next day for anything. He was so exhausted! Sweet boy.
We returned home tired but relaxed and happy to see our dogs and our home and our clean pool again! [Editor's Note: Our house sitter Kaylin ROCKS!!!]
What a blessing to work for such an amazing company that honors its employees, the spouses, the children and the families! Thank you, Edward Jones! Jay can earn up to 2 trips a year. Maybe our next one we'll leave the kids with family and enjoy a getaway on our own. Maybe we'll venture out as a family again. Our kids are good travelers and I'd love for them to see as much of the world as possible while we have the opportunity.
Let me start by saying that old phrase my good friend and I used to say in college…
"I never claimed to be sane."
One June morning when my father-in-law was visiting, a neighbor knocked on my door. Both of us were in our pajamas, although she looked much better than I did, I can tell you that. She had a puppy in her arms and asked if it was mine. That particular day I not only had a house guest, but I had my own 2 dogs AND I also had our friend's 2 dogs that I pet-sit monthly.
This little stray pup had been barking at her home all night long and this gal and her husband were desperate to find her owners. Both adults were late for work and I suggested that the pup could stay with us since I had a kennel just her size, while we both continued to look for her owner. In my kennel we could at least keep her safe from the streets.
My neighbor holding the stray she found.
We used this picture to plaster photos all over Facebook
and our neighborhood.
We kept her in our garage with a large box fan running to keep her cool and eventually took her to a mobile vet clinic to be checked out and given some initial shots and dewormer. I couldn't have a potentially sick puppy near my healthy dogs nor my friend's 2 healthy dogs. The vet said this girl was about 10 weeks old, 12 pounds and was a Catahoula mixed breed. Everyone loved her. I am thankful for low cost veterinary services in our city. Seriously crazy cheap here! Plus, the rescue where we got Mack has offered their discounts when it comes time to have the pup spayed. What a gift!
My neighbor kept checking in daily with no luck of finding the pup's original home. No owner was found and we decided that as long as it worked for us, we would keep her. Plus, later in July our guinea pig Russell died and my boys were devastated (despite the pig being skin and bones for over a year now and we'd been prepping them for the inevitable). So, we decided to keep the pup.
Again, I never claimed to be sane.
She's really cute. She loves the boys and men in general. She's pretty aloof around me and other women but she's really coming around. She's a man's dog for sure. She's her calmest when snuggling with Jay. She loves to play and wrestle with Mack and he loves it just as much.
We are working on crate training first. Given a blanket or towel in the crate, she will wet on it. Remove the towel and she can go all night without wetting in her crate. We're starting on a "Housebreak Your Dog in 7 Days" program with hopes that she'll learn quickly so she isn't crate-bound all the time. I can't wait until she gets a little bigger so that I can let her out back freely, but right now I'm afraid she'd get out the gaps in my fence. Fences are expensive to replace (I've been getting quotes).
A shot of her full body. Anyone guess what she's mixed with?
Catahoula Hound and……. ??????
The boys are really doing all the work and they complain very little. Truthfully, Super C is my complainer. Super E never, ever complains when asked to do something. He's such a servant. I, of course, have threatened that the minute they complain about having to walk or feed the puppy, that she is out the door to another family who won't complain about her.
We'll see how she grows up. At this point, I wouldn't call her "low energy" like Juneau or Mack, but it could just be that puppy energy too. We'll see. She's starting to sit with me nicely when Mack isn't around to play. Catahoulas are hunting dogs and would therefore have high energy. Who knows how this will fit.
Those ears! They are ENORMOUS!
Could there be shepherd in her?
And the name? Well, Jay named her after Reese [Witherspoon] since she is from Louisiana and the Catahoula is the state dog of Louisiana.
Yesterday my girl turned four! We surprised her with a balloon drop in her doorway in the morning. I put her in a cute lime green dress, pinned a Birthday Girl ribbon to the dress, pulled her hair back, and let her wear the tiara that I wore on my wedding day.
What a princess!
We had a celebratory donut for breakfast before running off to Build A Bear. My boys got to make bears when they were younger and now it was L's turn. I had hoped she'd choose the panda bear and I had hoped that the store had the cute red Asian silk dress for the bear that I had seen online. Strike on both accounts. My girl did not want the panda bear, but chose a cream colored bear. It was about half the price of the panda, so I'm not complaining there! The store didn't have the Asian silk, but my girl chose a red, white and blue shirt and a denim skirt. She again chose the cheap route without even knowing. Not complaining. As a matter of fact, when we checked out for less then $25 I felt I could have let her pick out something else for the bear, like maybe underpants. Yes, underpants for a teddy bear. Very cute. But maybe for another time.
The heat nearly melted us as we hiked back to the car and we headed home for lunch and playtime.
We had dinner without Jay because he forgot he had a dinner meeting. Quiet Tiger chose spaghetti over Chinese food, so spaghetti it was on her special day. We held off on opening any family gifts since Jay wasn't home.
We were gone the week before to Jackson Hole, WY (blog post forthcoming), so I wasn't planning a party for my girl at all. But I received an email while we were gone from a friend requesting a playmate with our China girls. I asked if Tuesday night would work for swimming and cake at my house. They were excited to come. We invited 2 other families (1 was able to make it) who we are quite close with and it turned into a very impromptu but fun, low-key party.
I hope my girl felt celebrated. We are looking forward to the Fabulous Fours!
The reality of today is…
The day was not void of sadness. Indeed, this day is heartbreaking and tearful and sorrowful.
Why?
You see, a woman on the other side of the globe is desperately missing her daughter. She is wondering where her daughter is, if she is safe, if she is healthy, if she is loved.
This woman was my daughter's birth mom.
I think of her often. On this celebratory day for us, we mourn with this China mom, a woman I will never ever know in this life. I wish she could somehow know today that her daughter…
...is safe
...that she is healthy
…that she is growing
...that she is smart
...that she is funny
...that she is a little stinker
...that she loves dogs
...that she loves noodles
...that she loves Hello Kitty
…that she loves to play
…that she loves to swim
…that she loves to color
…that she loves stickers, temporary tattoos and face paint
…that her favorite color is yellow and calls it "lellow"
…that she is a nature girl
…that she picks up rocks wherever she goes
…that she is NOT disabled
…that her one-handedness does not hold her back
…that she is determined
…that she is stubborn
…that she is talkative
…that she smiles, laughs and dances
…that she is gorgeous
…that she has beautiful long hair, perfect silky skin and gorgeous dark eyes
…that she has friends
…that she has three dogs
…that she has 2 big brothers
…that she has a mom and a dad
…that she is LOVED
Oh, China mom, if only you knew.
I am sad for your loss. I am thankful for bravery. I salute your decision to choose life. I thank you for those 2 months where you kept her by your side, safe in your arms. I am honored to be raising your daughter.
I pray for your salvation so we can meet in Heaven. What a joyous celebration that will be.
Oh, China mom. If only you knew.
Yes, birthdays are a mix of very real, very raw emotions.
Thanks to the June Photo Challenge, I didn't get a chance to update you on some BIG NEWS for our Quiet Tiger.
This fall she will be going to school!!!!!
We have noticed issues with our girl since day one. Thanks to friends in the adoption community, I quickly began wondering if our daughter could have Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD).
I noticed it in China, the rocking back and forth when stressed. I thought it a self soothing behavior and thought it would subside.
We witnessed it quickly when we came home, the head banging in her crib at night. It only escalated from there:
Spinning
Constantly moving
Putting things in mouth like a baby
Repeating sounds over and over and over again
Dislike of certain foods due to texture
Hair pulling
Etc.
Yet more than the SPD, are some of her daily behaviors that just aren't quite up to par with kids her age. These things are beyond a difference in personality. My list of "off" behaviors is long for sure! Friends urged me to have her evaluated at the school district to see if she'd qualify for services. I called, she endured a 2-hour evaluation and……she qualified! We're getting help this fall!
You'll never guess what happened at our post-evaluation ARD meeting. While for the most part, my girl is smart as a whip, her behaviors certainly did show through. At the end of the meeting, one gentleman approached me and I was told he would be L's teacher. And get this…. He told me that he is an adoptive dad of 7 children! He looked me in the eye and said words that I will never forget, words that gave me such relief to know that…
I am not crazy.
He stepped forward and said to me,
"I see what you see. And we can help!"
He gets me! He understands where I'm coming from as an adoptive parent! He sees the behaviors that I see. AND he can help my daughter!!!!!
The program runs 5 days a week at a school near my home, although not the school closest to my house. It is a full day program, but I can and will elect to send her for only half days. I can get schoolwork done with my boys in the morning while she's gone, we can pick her up and have lunch together and have our afternoons free. Admittedly, it is a little weird to be a homeschooling mom sending one child to public school, but this is a good thing! I am very excited for her and for what this can do for our family!
I'll share more details as we get closer to August. In the meantime, please pray for our Quiet Tiger, that this next year is absolutely tremendous for her in pre-school!
So stay tuned for those First Day of Pre-School photos!
The last week of June found us busy with Jay's Summer Regional Event for work. It's much like a company's annual sales meeting. Jay has classes during the day that he has to attend. There's even one or two for me. There is a family event one night with good food, dancing and drawings for door prizes. The last night is the more formal awards dinner when the kids go off to provided childcare (pizza party and movie night) and the adults get dressed up and enjoy 5-star food and spirits. Employees are then awarded for their efforts during the past year.
If you're a fan of The Office, I do liken it to the Dundies, just a much more formal version. I do find myself wanting to chant, "Dundies! Dundies! Dundies!" during the awards.
Jay didn't think he was up for any awards this year.
Last year he won the very prestigious Ted Jones Prospecting Award.
This year, he was surprised to win not just 1 award, but 2!
The plaque is magnetized and the medallions can be moved and added as he earns more.
He received the plaque and the smaller medallion first - the Edward Jones Eagle Award.
He then received the Spirit of Partnership Award, the larger medallion.
Awesome job, Jaybird!
A close-up of his awards.
This will hang on the wall in his office.
He's good at what he does, folks.
You can't have your hard earned money in better hands.
Let me know if he can help you. He's licensed in many states!
And now back to the photo challenge. Since we were gone, I didn't get these specific pictures on the actual dates, but these were all taken when we got home.
June 26 - Hose
This is my kitchen faucet. I picked it out for my Mother's Day gift. Before I had the side by side knobs that you have to turn to get water flowing. Not exactly smart when you have hands full of raw meats or something harmful. I wanted something that I could flick on with my wrist and something that had a pull-down hose, since my first faucet has no hose at all. I love my new faucet. The only problem is that my husband likes to spray me with the hose when he rinses his dishes after dinner, which he just did before I wrote this, so found it fitting for the June Photo Challenge "Hose" picture. I live with a practical joker.
June 27 - Patio
On the back of our house we have the large, 2-level deck that wraps half way around the above ground pool.
But we also have this patio.
We don't use it.
It's home to our grill and a fire pit and that's about it.
Sometimes the kids play basketball out here but in the summer, we pull their Fisher Price b-ball hoop to the pool so we can play in the water.
We don't use the fire pit because…. well, this is Texas and a fire isn't necessary.
So, we have a patio that we don't use. I wish I had some creative ideas for this space.
Anyone?
June 28 - Asia
Having to take this picture of our globe really reminded me that I seriously need to start shopping for 6th grade curriculum for Super C. We are sticking with Sonlight and this year will be the unit on Asia, which I hear is phenomenal! Ebay, here I come. Time to start shopping!
June 29 - Hot
Texas is H-O-T.
I liken Texas summers to Chicago winters.
HOW ON EARTH can I say that?
Well, in Chicago winter, if you don't have to go out, you don't. Too cold, too much snow, etc., etc.
Same here.
In Texas summer, if you don't have to go out, you don't.
Too hot. Car can't cool down. Children (and adults) melt before your eyes. You sweat buckets just going to the mailbox, etc., etc.
Not a fan of Texas summers. Bring on WINTER!!!!
June 30 - Garden
I don't have a garden. Remember, I'm Miss Black Thumb. Thankfully, my flowers out front are still alive! This tree is about a year old. It's a Key Lime. During our "cold" winter when we dipped into the 30's, I accidentally forgot to bring this inside one night. The leaves turned brown immediately. I clipped them all off, thinking I had killed my tree and began cutting it back so I could throw it in the trash. Once I clipped all the dead stuff back, it began growing again. Not sure it will ever produce fruit again, but we'll see.
And that's a wrap for the June Photo Challenge. Thanks for sticking with me. I had fun completing this project. Perhaps I'll have Super C do one for our upcoming trip to Jackson Hole later this summer. Would be a good summer writing project for him, don't you think?
Try a photo challenge of your own. I'd love to follow along!
