Week 29 Around Here {2019}

Original Paint // 2018

New paint // 2019

{my grandparents :: pansy & jerry}

{My mom & her two sisters helping Savanna into her gown}

Things that made me laugh this week:

100% accurate.
Me + Carly every morning during the school year.

Celebrating... Josh's 36th birthday with a BBQ & lemon cake here at home.  We invited his parents & brother over to join us, and ended up having the nicest time.  The day started out rough because I was having a migraine, but after the sweetest nap with Carly, I woke up feeling much better and was able to enjoy the evening.  Josh's dad pitched in sweeping my floors, which was just the most touching thing I think he's ever done for me, knowing it needed to be done and I wasn't going to get to it; and his mom did ALL the dishes after our meal, wanting to leave me with a clean kitchen so I could relax after everyone took off. 
As Josh blew out the candles he was making sweetheart eyes with Carly, who was singing her little heart out to her daddy, and I just melted.  I ended the day so thankful for my husband, so glad he was born, and so grateful to the people he was born to.  They are so, so good to us. And we have been so blessed in this life together.

Taking... pictures of Carly in a dress I scored at the Rhea Lana sale last spring for only $10.  I am in love with its vintage look and how sweet Carly looks in it.  I just wonder if I will ever get over having a daughter.  I think never.

Suffering... at least three migraines this week. But maybe it was more.  They all kind of blur together. It was just day after day of suffering.  Truly the worst. 

Reading... Harry's Trees, which was a really sweet, good read that I took slow and enjoyed and loved the ending of; and listening to My Lovely Wife In The Psych Ward on audio.  My Lovely Wife In The Psych Ward was really interesting and sometimes sad.  I liked it, though. 

Thankful... my mom came and saved us from ourselves at the last minute.  I got really overwhelmed by all the things we had on our "to do" list before getting the house listed on the market.  She flew in to Spokane and all three boys rode with me to pick her up.  When we got back to town she took us shoe shopping and out to eat.  I am SO in love with my new Nikes.  Yay for new walking shoes!

Working... my tail off alongside Josh, Samuel and my mom.  We were mostly painting- Josh and Samuel outside, and my mom and I inside- but we also checked a few other things off the list.  It was an exhausting & grueling few days of work, but by the end, we were so much closer to the finish line- (the finish line being our goal of getting the house ready to go on the market this Friday, the 19th)  It was totally worth all the hard work. 
Josh painted the front door the happiest color of yellow that I picked out at Lowe's, and that coupled with the new house color just makes the whole house look brand new.  I am blown away by the transformation.  My bedroom and closet both look amazing and the rest of the house is getting there.  The kitchen is the main thing that's left.
The most frustrating part is that whoever painted our house the first time used the wrong finishes so when I bought touch up paint, I put satin finish where there had been flat, and flat where there had been eggshell, etc.  Also, Lowe's failed to match the wall color in the majority of our house, so when I went to paint the boys' bedroom wall after some patches, it looked like a patched cow or Dalmatian puppy.  I was SO upset.  All that work for nothing. 

Proud... of the twins who worked on the cinderblock ring around the tree in the side yard.  Josh and Samuel did the measuring and laying of the cinderblock and then the twins sifted the rocks out of the dirt and put it in.  The final touch was all the lava rock we had from the sifting.  It looks so good!!

Inspiring... Wyatt with all our home improvements.  He decided to build a model of our house with the big Duplo Legos, and the details were killing me.  It had a covered front porch, a picnic table in the backyard, and even flowers out front.  I love his attention to detail.

Loving... the picture my dad sent me of my grandparents camping at the place we grew up camping.  They look so happy & so in love.  It just made my heart swell to see it. 

Road tripping... to Vancouver with my mom to attend a family wedding.  It was fun to ride together, chatting and catching up without any interruptions from the littles in my life.  Bless Josh for keeping all four of them while I got away for three days.  Thanks, babe!

Playing... Beanboozled with Milo & my parents.  Oh my GROSS! Spoiled milk? Dirty dishwater? Dead fish? We were laughing so hard and so disgusted.  If you have boys, it's a MUST.

Attending... my cousin Savanna's wedding and capturing some of the moments with her and her groom.  It was so special to be part of her day and spend time with her & her sister Alix. I love them so much and am so glad they're in my life!
Savanna's gown was gorgeous and her wedding was perfect- a simple ceremony at the courthouse, followed by dinner at The Spaghetti Warehouse.  The food was amazing and their vows were so touching.  I love how weddings remind me to be grateful for my love & for the amazing years of marriage Josh and I have shared.

Being... spoiled by my parents who bought me all the books I picked at Powell's.  What!?! So lucky!!!
The Most Fun We Ever Had
The Pigeon Has To Go To School (for the kids)
The Bright Edge of the World
Maybe You Should Talk To Someone
In Every Moment We Are Still Alive
I am most excited for Maybe You Should Talk To Someone, but The Most Fun We Ever Had is a close second.  Gah! So many books, so little time!

Feeling... extra grateful for my mom and sister after spending so much time with them.  We are so lucky to have each other and it's always so fun when we are together.  They just get me, and they love me, and they forgive me, and they grant me grace when I am not my best self.  I just feel so blessed to have them.  What did I ever do to deserve them???

***

{absolutely loved this when I read it}
{so perfect for where we are with selling the house}
{the future is unsure... but there is still room to rest and breathe}

***

Week 25 Around Here {2019}

{My unread shelf}

{Time for a haircut!!!}

Waking up... and celebrating Wyatt's 8th birthday with a donut cake, which was the brilliant brain child of my sister, who wanted to make Wyatt's birthday special even though we had plans in Vancouver on his big day.  He loved the donut cake (... let's be honest, we ALL did!) and was thrilled to start the day celebrating.

Attending... my cousin Savanna's wedding shower, which was so lovely.  I was so happy to see her and her fiance, Deric, as well as her sister Alix.  I hadn't seen Alix's house yet, and really enjoyed seeing where she lives with her hubby and baby boy. 

Loving... getting ready for the shower with my mom and sister in the same bathroom.  It was just so fun to do our hair and make up together, asking opinions on clothes and jewelry... I have missed that since I got married so many years ago.  It makes me happy we still get the opportunity to do that once in a while.

Seeing... our beloved Annie & her brother James while visiting my mom.  She has grown so much, and it was so good for my heart to see her and hold her and play with her.  I bought her love with candy (like any good auntie would!) and loved seeing her laugh about our green tongues.  It was hard to say goodbye, but I love knowing my mom is in her life & such a loving presence for her and her sweet brother.

Road tripping... back home after nearly a week with our parents and two of our kiddos in Vancouver.  It ended up being such a lovely, lovely trip, and I am so glad Roxanne and Josh invited/encouraged me to go.  It was just what I needed to kick off the summer.

Trying... a new hair style with my new hair wand I got at Ulta.  I joked with my sister that my hair style has been "1990 soccer mom" style for my whole life (#butseriously) and it's time for a change.  I still need to get the hang of it, but I am determined to not get stagnant in the beauty department.  Repeat after me: Change is good. Change is good. Change is good.  Right???

Taking... Jack and Carly to the water park on Monday afternoon while Josh's mom had Logan and Wyatt.  It was a nice slow warm up to the summer spent there, and gave us a chance to see how Carly would do.  She LOVED it, and with her floaty life vest, we see her swimming in no time!

Getting... Wyatt to the orthodontist for an early morning appointment, and then taking him and Carly to my friend's house (thanks, Crystal!) so I could go to counseling since Josh worked and the twins were at the land with Grandma & Papa.

Suffering... a 36 hour migraine this week that was a DOOZY.  I get them with my cycle sometimes, and this one would.not.quit. It was seriously the worst.  But I took my meds as needed and pressed on, because life just keeps on a-going, and ain't no one got time for migraines.  Especially when Josh had to work Tuesday through Sunday this week!

Talking... about overeating at counseling, and seeing how I think of it as rewarding myself, but in actuality I am punishing myself by getting so stuffed that I feel gross and sort of hate myself.  It's a vicious cycle. 
I have seen some improvement when I am able to feel my feelings as they come, which requires a lot of staying present, but is totally worth the effort.
I'll get there.
Small steps.

Feeling... like a champion (seriously, I wanted a trophy & confetti) after getting the twins to their dentist appointment (hooray for no cavities!), running errands to three stores and the post office with all 4 kids, and putting away all the groceries while suffering the last bits of that 36 hour migraine.  I felt like Superwoman.  Or at least SuperMom.  Hah. 
But with my migraines it's like, I can suffer here on the couch, or I can suffer while I'm getting shit done. Sometimes I let myself loaf on the couch.  And that's fine.  But one can only loaf so much when there are mouths to feed and a birthday party to plan and teeth to get checked. So I bucked up, and took one for the team. #goshelly

Thankful... that the boys are all old enough to leave me alone during nap time when I need it.  After our crazy morning running errands with a migraine, I ate lunch with Carly, laid her down for a nap, and then went and took one myself.  I was exhausted. The boys were so good, letting me rest and taking care of each other.  It made me so proud and grateful.

Adoring... the way Carly and Wyatt watch the garden grow.  And really all the plants around our house.  They are so fascinated with the bugs and the bees and love to help water everything to make it grow.  They love to check the plants in the garden and see if any fruits or veggies are starting to sprout yet.  We have a few Zucchini starting and they are just pumped! It's so sweet! 

Reading... Harry's Trees, which is a great read about two widowed people whose lives end up entertwined in a kind of magical way, and listening to Before Green Gables (my new favorite!) and Love You Hard, which is also so good and very inspiring.  If you want to be grateful for your life, listen to Love You Hard.  The author's tenacity is incredible.  And if you love Anne of Green Gables, you simply HAVE to read Before Green Gables.  My friend Theresa recommended it, and I am so grateful.  It was such a fantastic book to start the summer with on audible loan from the library.

Giving... the boys their summer haircuts.  They hate me now (at least the twins do) but I can't stand their long hair in the summer, all full of sweat. So, summer haircuts it is! #sorrynotsorry

Throwing... a birthday party for Logan & Jack's 11th birthday with their friends, including batting practice with the pitching machine (thank you, Josh!) and a water fight, plus cupcakes.  Win-win-win.  The kids had a great time, and I really enjoyed watching them play ball together- it reminded me of The Sandlot, which made me smile; and Jack said it was his best birthday EVER.

Praying... for my bestie who had surgery this week.  She was in amazing shape post-surgery and now begins the long recovery process.  I am so proud of how brave she has been and am praying she will recover quickly.  I stayed with her one night in the hospital so her husband could get some rest, and I felt so blessed to be able to be there for her like that.  It's truly a gift when people let you in, and let you be there for them during hard & vulnerable times, and I am blessed to have a friendship like this one. I love you, girl!!!

Laughing... when Carly told me (vehemently) that she wanted to call and tell Grandma about "the Pocahontas" she had seen.  I was all, "What Pocahontas?" and she was all, "Not POKE-ahontas, HOKE-ahontas... you know! That we saw in the yard?"
Lately she's been talking a lot about ghosts and shadows and heaven and death, so when she started talking about seeing something in the yard she wanted to talk about with grandma and I didn't know what she was talking about, I was pretty freaked out.
Finally she said, SUPER exasperated with me, "You know! The HOKE-ahontas we saw on the window!!!" with her hands all emphatic and irritated.  And then it clicked! She was trying to say "Praying Mantis" hahahahahah!
Earlier in the week we had seen a teeny tiny praying mantis on the front window and we went out front and held it, and then set it free in this plant they seem to love in our front yard.
Oh that poor girl trying to get me to understand her.  No wonder she was so frustrated.

Shopping... with all four kids at Walmart Friday morning (against my better judgment) because they had birthday money burning holes in their pockets, and I brought my book, so I could read while they shopped. Ha!  Seriously, I just read Harry's Trees while they ran up and down the aisles at Walmart and finally decided what they wanted. It was the best thing ever.

Breaking... my book buying ban and getting We Are Okay for myself at Walmart.  It had been a long week, with my migraine, and my friends' surgery and just, life... so I rewarded myself with a book.  I'm not sure how I feel about that, but for now I am cutting myself some slack.  It's one book, and there are sure a lot of worse transgressions I could be worried about.

Playing... at the park after a picnic and really enjoying it.  I loved the simplicity of taking the kids to the park with bags of sandwiches & chips, and seeing how much fun we could make it.  It reminded me that having a fun summer isn't necessarily about doing anything big or fancy, but about doing small things each day with intention.
So I decided that each day I am going to try and do something FUN with the kids.  Some days that may just be pulling out the Play Doh and playing with them for ten minutes making 'cupcakes', and other days it may be going kayaking as a family, but if I have at least one FUN thing planned, I know that that Mom Guilt won't gnaw at me when we are busy doing NON-FUN things like cleaning out the garage or putting away laundry, because something fun is around the corner!

***

"I will rise up

And I will try again"

Yes, yes, yes.

***