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}

***

Powell's Book Store + Our Love of Books

Earlier this spring, my awesome friend Megan came back from a trip to Portland all pumped cause she got to go to Powell's Book Store and she was all (open mouth, eyes wide) "What?!? You've never been there?!?" when I told her I grew up in Vancouver (just across the river) and had never been.

"You, Shelly, who loves books and reads like it's breathing, has never been to Powell's?"

I decided then and there that I needed to go the next time I was in town.  I texted my dad and he was on board.

All in all, I would say it was a successful trip.  I got a ridiculous stack of books (11 in total) and Jack bought a hat.  I got mostly Ann Patchett and Emily St. John Mandel books.  I fell in love with Ann after reading The Magician's Assistant, and I fell in love with Emily after listening to Station Eleven.  I also got a copy of This is How It Always Is, which was our book club pick for July, and one of my top books for 2018.

The Stack:
Commonwealth by Ann Patchett
The Patron Saint of Liars by Ann Patchett
Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
Run by Ann Patchett
Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell
The Lola Quartet by Emily St. John Mandel
Last Night in Montreal by Emily St. John Mandel
The Singer's Gun by Emily St. John Mandel

The boys accompanied my dad and I to Powell's after an obligatory visit to VooDoo donuts, and while they were amazingly patient, they were not as impressed as their mother by the bookstore that takes up an entire city block.

On another visit to Vancouver, I managed to sneak away with just Josh to visit Powell's late one night to get a couple of books on my list.  Something I love about Powell's is that in addition to new books, they have used books as well.  I can get so many books at such a savings!

On this trip I got:

 The "To All The Boys I've Loved Before" trilogy

as well as
The Witches of New York by Ami McKay (who wrote The Birth House, one of my all time favs)
& These Granite Islands by Sarah Stonich (which was recommended by goodreads)

It was so fun to peruse all the books with Josh (sans children),
but I'll be honest and tell you, someday I would like to go by myself because I could seriously spend hours there, and I feel bad making anyone wait for me.

Me & books... it's love.
sigh.

***

I am not the only book lover in the house (even if I am the only one who so thoroughly enjoys shopping for said books)... 

When I got out the Halloween decorations, I think the part that excited the kids most (more than the spiders or skeletons or even the candy collecting pumpkins we use for trick-or-treating) was being reunited with their spooky books.  They feel the same way at Thanksgiving and Christmas as well.  

It makes me happy to see these old friends out and to read them each night leading up to the big night.

It's a huge punishment in our house if you get sent to bed without getting to read.  The boys will cry and cry if they get that one.  They all love reading to Carly (and she loves it too!)

Carly asks anyone who comes over if they will read to her.  Lately it's been Uncle Samuel, and he always says yes.  She also asks Josh as soon as he comes home from work if he will read to her.  It makes my heart happy to be raising such avid little readers.

I also joined Book of the Month this year, and so far, I have ordered:

{June} The Book of Essie by Meghan Maclean Weir
{June} The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang

{July} Goodbye, Vitamin by Rachel Khong
{July} Ghosted by Rosie Walsh

{August} A Mother's Reckoning by Sue Klebold
{August} Goodbye, Paris by Anstey Harris
{August} Not That I Could Tell by Jessica Strawser

{September} Cross Her Heart by Sarah Pinborough

{October} Winter In Paradise by Elin Hildebrand

I love Book of the Month because you get a brand new hardback book for only $14.99 and you can get additional books for only $9.99!  Getting that happy box every month brings me so much joy!!!

***

When I got home I promptly reorganized my bookshelves and it is making me ridiculously happy.  I guess summer can be over and fall & winter can come if I have my new cozy couch and these three shelves of great books to read!

My next reading related goal is to make my October & November "To Read" lists, so I have some goals in mind when it comes to reading for the next eight weeks. Hopefully I will get them written and posted during Blogtober!

***

Around Here: Week 33 {2018}

Reading... In Shock by Rana Awdish.  It's about a doctor who herself had a traumatic first birth and recovery (to say the least) and it changed how she viewed her patients from there forward.  It's a fascinating read.  I'm almost done.  I started The Perfect Couple by Elin Hilderbrand, which my mom gave me (a signed copy!!!) when I was there, and I can't wait to finish In Shock so I can dive fully into that one. I am also listening to No One Cares About Crazy People on audio.

Buying... a lovely stack of books from Powell's while we were in Portland.  My parents kept the kids so Josh could take me and we perused the shelves. I was so happy to get my hands on the first two books in the "To All The Boys I've Loved Before" series, and I have the third one on order.  I also got The Witches of New York by Ami Mckay simply because I love her book The Birth House so much.  And then I got These Granite Islands based on a recommendation from goodreads and Perfect Match by Jodi Picolt because it sounded so intriguing.

Celebrating... 14 days seizure free for Logan.  He hasn't gone two weeks without a seizure since early spring.  It was a lovely respite for my mama heart.

Enjoying... girls night with my friend Shana when she came over Thursday after my kids were in bed.  I love that girl and she just gets my heart.  She has all girls, a singleton, then twins, so we're like living opposite lives. It's so funny!  We ate cheesecake and stayed up way too late. My neighbor even texted me and asked if everything was okay cause the lights were on so late at night. Haha!

Suffering... with all the wildfire smoke.  Our air quality has been terrible here in Washington State and we've been having to keep Wyatt inside to keep his poor lungs healthy.  At first I was still letting him play outside a little bit, but his peak flow numbers were dropping like crazy even in the limited amount of time I was allowing, so we kept him in for two entire days and saw a huge improvement, so he's got to stay in until the air clears.  Sorry, buddy!

Growing... our garden like crazy!  We've got lots of cucumber and tomatoes!  The peppers seem to have died, and we harvested the corn, so they are done, and we're waiting for the sunflower to bloom and for the pumpkins to get going, but the cucs and tomatoes are going gangbusters!  And our sweet watermelons, too!  So cute!!!

Doing... load after load of laundry, grocery shopping, bill paying, phone-call making, mess-organizing and even washing and vacuuming my car.  I don't know what got into me, but I went with it and did all.the.chores this week.  It felt so nice!

Crying... for no reason at all Tuesday night at bedtime. I don't know if I was overtired or just emotional, or what, but it was ridiculous. Luckily my husband is used to my sensitivity and just hugged me while I wept. As we talked a little I realized that I had been kind of holding my breath about something going wrong with Logan or Wyatt because it has been so long since either of them has been sick.  Honestly, I was just so grateful to have had the break.  And the good, hard cry did help me sleep really good that night!

Loving... all the baseball that's been happening around here.  Josh took Logan to get a bigger left handed mitt since he outgrew his old one, and it's reignited a love for the game in all three boys.  They are out there everyday with Josh throwing and catching and pitching and hitting and it makes me smile so big.  They love it.  They all come back in telling me stories of amazing hits and awesome catches. It's so cute. One afternoon Josh wasn't here and I caught Wyatt sitting on the porch with his ball and glove, just wishing daddy was home to play ball. So sweet!

Opening... fun mail from my blog-friend Ashley! I won her giveaway from her "Five Favorites" post and it was such a sweet package to open.  There was a new-to-me book, adorable cup, reusable straws, fancy napkins and yummy strawberry-lemonade goat soap included.  And bless her heart (!) she also included Box Tops for my kids' school since she homeschools. She is officially my boys' favorite person now. hah!

Repeating... "This Moment" to myself over and over as a way of staying in the NOW.  Truly, we really only have "this moment" and that's it.  Reminding myself of that throughout the day is helping me say "yes" to my kids (Yes to putting coins in the fun machine at the library; Yes to trying a new park; Yes to playing a game); "yes" to myself (Yes to pulling over and taking a picture of the sunset; Yes to a bubblebath; Yes to taking extra time to sing lullabies to Carly at bedtime); and "yes" to experiences (Yes to trying snorkeling at the river with my kids; Yes to the big slide at the pool before summer ends; Yes to trying new foods).  It also helps me not feel overwhelmed/scared about the future.  "This moment" is the only one I have to survive.  That's pretty manageable.

Witnessing... yet another of Logan's seizures as he broke his seizure-free streak Friday morning.  Jack came into my room just after 8:00am to tell me Logan was having a seizure in their room.  I followed Jack into their room and found Logan kneeling on the floor, having a seizure.  I helped him sit on the edge of the bed and he continued seizing for another five minutes.  It was his longest seizure to date, and was absolutely terrifying to witness.  Not because of his body- his body was actually quite still- but because of how vacant he was from his body.  During the seizure he just continually looked to the right, nodded his head up and down, looked as if he were chewing something and was breathing heavily, almost panting.  Over and over, the cycle continued.  I kept asking if it was done, if he could answer me, and he couldn't.  Finally, at just shy of the six minute mark, it stopped and he rubbed his head and laid back, closing his eyes, talking some gibberish and sighing.
There is no need to call 911 or take him to the doctor unless his seizure is longer than 15 minutes.  So we just kept an eye on him here at the house.  He tried to take a nap, but soon he got an intolerable headache.  It got so bad, in fact, that he vomited.  I felt so bad for him.
Of course now my concern is what to do about school.  A six minute seizure is serious. It's scary.  I don't know if he needs an aid with him full time, I don't know if we should inform all the fifth graders that he has epilepsy and what the symptoms look like so that if he's having one they can inform an adult (an idea that he HATES and says he will never agree to)... So far, he has always had an aura and been able to tell someone when he has a seizure coming on. But his embarrassment has kept him (in the past) from telling anyone at school that a seizure is coming. He has just sat at his desk and waited for it to pass.  That was fine when his seizures lasted thirty seconds.  That's not fine when they are nearing the ten minute mark.  He HAS to tell someone, and I'm just not sure I can trust that he will.  He's ten.  His pride and embarrassment factor are pretty high currently.
I will be talking to the nurse (who's amazing) Monday afternoon.  I am sure she will have some advice. In the meantime, Logan and I are talking over different ideas and I am praying for clarity on what the right thing is.  The best part is that he has his neurology appointment the first week of September. So we just have to get something temporary set up at school for the first week, then we can pick the neurologists' brain about any further questions we have.

Catching... up with my sister when she came to visit with her crew Friday afternoon.  We've both been stuck inside with our kiddos most of the week due to poor air quality from the wildfires, so we were more than happy to throw them together for a few hours and have the chance to hang out.  The kids were overjoyed to be together, playing Legos and watching movies, and Roxanne and I never run out of things to talk about.  We went through all of Carly's clothes, which was super fun, and sorted through the size 3 stuff that has been handed down to her (thanks Raeann, JoAnne & Jolene!) in preparation for fall.  It helped get me excited for fall the same way shopping for books did. (Cold weather doesn't have to be sad... Imagine Carly in a sweater dress, and me on the couch with a good book!)

Feeling... proud of my boys.  When one brother expressed feeling upset about the thought of going to sleep alone while the other two stayed up for "special night" with mom, the two who were going to stay up asked if the other brother could join them so they could all be together and he wouldn't have to go to bed in their room alone.  When I said yes, they all gave each other (and me) a giant family hug and tears stung my eyes. Sometimes, it feels really nice to know you must be doing something right.

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