Projects Galore

Seems like this time of year we always have so much going on with swim team starting up, the end of school, testing, etc. Throw in some unexpected hurdles to our typical To Do list, and you got a recipe for CRAZINESS!

Project #1: Pool Bath

I'll post Before/After photos when the throne is finished. We aren't making the Taj of pool bathrooms. It is; afterall, an outdoor restroom. Our goal is; however, to transform it from your typical gas station grade restroom. ICK! So far, we've replaced the exterior water/weather damage. We've changed the outer fixtures and door, and I've picked out my colors and shutters. I can't WAIT to see what the exterior looks like when it's finished. We have a pretty basic interior mojo in mind, and we plan to get that going as soon as the outside is finished...hopefully this month.

Project #2: Outdoor Kitchen

This is DaddyP's project. We had originally planned for DaddyP to do the work, haha. Yeah. After looking a plans and what we want the set-up to include, DaddyP decided to call for help. We've seen the drawing, we've picked the rock and brick. DaddyP has picked the grill, etc. Now, we're waiting our guy to get started. I'm curious to see how it turns out, and I'm looking forward to pool entertaining with a little more convenience outside. Plus, if we ever sell our house, we think this would be an added feature for a potential buyer.

Project #3: Pool Conversion/Hot Tub

Late breaking news, our pool pump burned up. We're taking this opportunity to replace the entire kit and kaboodle from a chlorine system to a saltwater. It's a bit of a cost to get switched over, but all of our friends have a saltwater system and say that it will quickly pay for itself.

Now, if we could just get all these little projects completed before summer officially starts, I'd be a happy gal!

Top 10 of Tuesday

1. Our sprinkler system has officially been turned on for the '10 watering season. Please Lord, let it be as rainy as it was last summer! We only used it once last year! Of course, we all know the odds. But hey, it IS East Texas we're talking about!

2. Anyone out there ever been to Colonial Williamsburg with good info? If so, email me.

3. Sam took his first ever TAKS test today. In true family fashion, he slammed his hand in the truck door and ended up arriving 10 minutes late. You do NOT show up late on TAKS day, or despite the mantra, your child MIGHT get left behind! Sam's teacher gave him a pep talk about being a hero and working through it, and that is exactly what he did. Now if we can just get the finger to unswell and turn back to it's original color. Wonder what we'll do tomorrow morning before TAKS Part II? Lord, why did I ask? His teacher says he worked super hard and gave it his best. Lets hope he made a dent.

4. Meem is scheduled for surgery on Wednesday. Those of you reading that know Meem, please say a prayer. She'll be in the hospital for about 4 days and will have a longer recovery than her past surgeries. Hopefully it'll all go smoothly.

5. Sophy had a super night at tumbling. Getting her backhandspring down has really caused her to turn a corner and put a fire in her belly. At first, she just enjoyed getting to bounce around and have fun in class. These days she looks forward to class and lays out her plan of attack before we go into the gym. Her latest skills to work on have been her round off back handspring on the hard floor and a cartwheel into a back walk-over. Very proud of her hard work!

6. Speaking of Sophy, she recently started a Yoga class (of her own choosing) and is LOVING it. I was pretty unsure if she knew what she was asking for, but she absolutely loves it...and is very good at it.

7. If you haven't tried the new Chocolate Cheerios, you should. They're worth a chew.

8. And speaking of lessons, Jack has expressed an interest in guitar lessons. I'm super stoked about this because my boy has such a good voice and has such a good ear for music. I think this would be a very positive experience for him and a good outlet for him. We're starting with 2 avenues of contacts we've been given, and hopefully we'll find a teacher to start lessons this summer! Isn't that exciting? We think so!

9. We're looking forward to a quickie get-away to Dallas in a few weeks. We're hitting Six Flags and the Dallas arboretum. The boys are crazy excited that we're planning a behind-the-scenes tour at Texas Motorspeedway, and I think they may rupture before we actually get to do the tour! If time permits, we're going to stop in New York, Texas on the way home to do the East Texas Zip Line! Our friends had a blast there, and we hope to have time to get in during our trip.

10. There is no #10.

More Bloomin' Flowers

I promise I'll stop posting garden pics, but it's all so bloomin' pretty!

Not really sure where these irises came from, but oh how pretty! All of the irises that I have were lifted from somewhere or other. This one didn't bloom last year, but still...you'd think I'd remember where something like this came from.

Again, I'll stop with the bird photos also, but I just had to share. This isn't the best photo as it was taken through our bedroom door/screen. That ginormous bird there (compare to other teensy bird on the feeder) is a red-bellied woodpecker! The name is a tad misleading and makes you think it's underbelly is actually red, but it's actually it's head that is the red. He's returned a few times, so maybe I'll get a better shot of him.

2010 Defenders of Liberty Air Show

Isn't he getting big? Sam and J have spent most days together since they were about 6 weeks old. Sometimes their closeness is frightening. As we entered the gates to the AFB, J made sure that Sam was protected from the sun! I just had to take a pic of the moment. I assure you. They were not posing for this photo. Sam didn't want to put on sunscreen, so J took the tube away from him and started applying it himself. Now THAT says a lot when a 9 year old boy puts sunscreen on his friend.

Thunderbirds
About to board a chopper.

B52

This looks like the B52 met with a bad end, but it actually just dropped a "wall of fire." The boys thought it was the coolest thing since individually wrapped cheese singles.

Pop and Sam waiting for the Thunderbirds to hit the sky.

I love this pic of my baby.

Oh yes. If you've never been to an air show, you should go!

But just so ya know...if you wanna snap a photo, you've got to be quick! The plane was in the center of my viewfinder when I snapped the pic.

It's hard to believe that this boy will be 12 in a few months.

TWELVE!

As in, the number before thirTEEN.

As in, he'll have a driver's license in about 4 years.

Maybe I should stop before I hyperventilate.

Earth Day with Sophy's class was a huge success. What a great time! She brought home her seed packet this afternoon and went straight to work planting her sunflowers in a large, old bed that I had stripped hoping to revamp this spring. Slowly, she's taken over the space in my dilly-dallying, and today she claimed another section. What an amazing little gardner I have on my hands. She already had used the correct tools and was spacing out her seeds and putting exactly far enough in the dirt. I guess several generations of dirt just settles in your veins.

I spent some time sitting in my garden this evening. It's so nice to have a quiet place to relax, and it's nice to see our yard taking shape. When we moved in, it was such a wide expanse (over an acre) of mostly grassy yard. When it comes to yard zoning, I tend to eyeball a space throughout a season to see what I'd like in a certain place. For our back yard, we wanted minimal muss and fuss with bedding plants, and instead, we chose to stick to open grassy areas with interspersed trees, fruit trees, and crepe myrtles. There is still a long way to go, but the result, so far, has been quite an influx of sweet tweeters! And by influx, I mean, I've got a lot of birds in my yard!

This year, I had a small, sheltered bit of coreopsis that survived the winter nestled up under my old jasmine. I've always wondered if you could divide coreopsis, so I gave it a whirl. Although it had a rough couple of days getting started, I'm happy to report that the new patch is flourishing. Answer: yes, you can divide coreopsis. No matter what they tell you.
My Concord grape vine didn't produce last year, but this year it is making fruit! I can't say that I'm brave enough to eat any of it, but it's interesting to watch the clusters as they take shape. If nothing else, it's certainly another added bird attraction.

While I lounged in my weathered Adirondack garden chair, I had a front row seat to some serious bird action at one of my backyard feeders. This adorable guy (gal?) is an Indigo Bunting. At one time, there were at least 12 of them in the immediate feeding area this evening. If you notice the black-tipped wing area, that means the bird is in it's first spring. Indigo Buntings are very kind to each other. Seriously! Unlike the white breasted nuthatch that was being Crazy Bird tonight. Sheesh!

All of the bird shots were taken within a 5 minute window. It was a very high-traffic feeding time with lots and lots of bird color!

So, I'm not sure if Mr. Yellow is a yellow throated vireo or a pine warbler. I didn't get a good enough look at the sides and belly, but I'm thinking it's a vireo. The red head hanging out here is a variety of house finch.

Sophy planted these Snapdragons, and I love the colors.

Zinnias ready and waiting for some butterflies!

Tomorrow, I'm super excited to be doing an Earth Day presentation for Sophy's class. We'll be talking about flowers and plants and gardening, and in particular, I'll be teaching them to identify some basic flower shapes and names. I think it's awesome that Sophy can see any number of blooms, flowers, plants, etc. and can readily identify them without a second glance.

I was lucky enough to find a business to donate a good stock of seeds for the presentation, so I will be able to give each student several packets to take home. Of course, we'll have a brief seed tutorial, mind you. After that, we'll be putting some butterfly friendly plants in a bed on campus in anticipation of the class caterpillars that are soon-to-be newly hatched butterflies! Good times!

Book Club Update:
At our meeting tonight, we learned what our new title is:
Love is a Wild Assault, Elithe Hamilton Kirkland. I'm looking very forward to reading Wild Assault because despite how bawdy the title sounds, the story couldn't be more poignant. It is historical fiction based on actual events in Texas History. From what I've researched this book has received the best acclaim and highest praise. I have yet to read a review with anything less than wonderful words to say about this story. One review reads:
This book is based on the actual memoirs of Harriet Potter Ames. It is factually accurate, which I have found to be rare for historical fiction.
Having said that, this is one of the three best books I have ever read. A friend recommended it to me as I flew to New York City, considering a move from Texas. This book helped to convince me to stay in Texas.
This is a beautifully written story of the "Bravest Woman in Texas", and the struggles she overcame to raise a family and settle a home in the early days of the Texas Republic. It is a true story, and there is a monument to her in Smithland, Texas, as well as an annual celebration day for her at Potter's Point on Caddo Lake. This story is re-enacted in a one woman play at the site where the events occured.
Fascinating reading, I recommend it for everyone, regardless of any individual taste in history, fiction, etc.
So, needless to say, I'm extremely excited about this book and plan to get started as soon as I can get the book in my hot little hands!

In other bookish news, I must recommend a book that is very dear to me. The Help, Kathryn Stockett This book was recommended to me time and time again, and I wouldn't read it. The topic, what I assumed to be the topic, didn't appeal to me. At some point, I accidentally (how do you accidentally start reading a book? Beats me...) started reading the book and could not put it down. I have since recommended it to numerous people...all of which have contacted by the end of chapter 3 with words of, "Oh my goodness, I can NOT put this book down." I think I may forever judge every other book I read against this book. I became totally engulfed in this story and felt as if the 3 main characters were real. If two-thumbs up is a good book recommendation, then The Help is 2 thumbs, 2 big toes, and all of the other digits thrown in for good measure.

Ghosts of Summers Past

(or last summer)

Won't be long! Swim season is upon us! Looking forward to a great season. Jack moves up to The Big Boys this year. No more 25m races. All 50m+ from here on out!

Isn't this photo cute and teensy? Ahh, see my beloved Biltmore in the background? What a great trip that was! Just yesterday, DaddyP and I were dreaming of the inn we stayed at in Old Salem.

Le Sigh.

Summer, please hurry!

The Day in Photos

My guys before church this morning. Aren't they handsome?

Ooops. Pics out of order. Haha! Oh well. Random shot of the backyard~

We spent the afternoon birthday partying again. This time we were picnicking and balleting (The Wizard of Oz.) The weather turned very cool and rainy today, so our garden picnic was moved indoors at the Barnwell Center across from Riverview Theater. Strolling through the gardens at the river center, we got to see an afternoon wedding, which all of the little girls swooned over and also stuck our noses in on a day lilly convention...which made ME swoon! (PS Mel made this adorable dress for Sophy! Isn't it cute?)
Soph with her Dorothy themed picnic basket. Super cute and yummy!~ Indoor Picnic~
Inside the Barnwell. I loved, loved, loved this mobile of origami birds. Please know that if this idea can be incorporated in my home decor, it will be done.

Here you have Munchkin City. The ballet was amazing, and all ten little girls seemed to be spellbound.
Afterwards, Sophy and I drove over to meet DaddyP and Grandma and Grandpa Arkansas for dinner. We had a good time and a nice visit!

And. Now. The weekend is over. Sniff, sniff! But that only means that we're that much closer to summer! Bring it on!

Sophy and A~

I had an early hair appointment today while DaddyP shot danceline photos. After that, we partied with A~, the birthday girl, and Sophy's favorite 2nd grade pal. They had a great time playing and hugging and giggling. Such little girls. Tomorrow, DaddyP and the boys are hanging out and have guy plans while Sophy and I hit the ballet. The Wizard of Oz is on, and we're heading out with a couple of friends and girls to see it after an afternoon picnic! Should be fun for all!

Blooms

My lilac bush is a bitsy one, but it sure does smell good when the wind blows in my dining room window.

Nothing makes it through a winter like Dianthus.
A climbing rose is prettiest in the spring time. Last year, this guy looked pretty leggy by the time summer hit, but it's sure looking good for now. By the way, this little birdie abode is inhabited with a blue bird mommy.

Bridal Wreath

I bought this Lady Bank rose last year in Brady when my Granny passed away. This year, it's really filled out and beautiful.

This clematis is so pretty right now, and the irises right beside are just the right shade of lovely. These are the irises I borrowed from someone's old home site a few springs ago, and boy aren't they pretty? I'm hoping that the white irises that I swiped from another location last year will be blooming soon.

I brought this rose with me from our old house when we moved. It smells even prettier than it looks.

And of course, our wisteria lined driveway is smelling pretty righteous too!

Boring Bits:

• Spring has sprung, and we're puttering around getting the yard ready for some upcoming entertaining and summer fun in general. Immediate plans that are underway include painting the newly refurbished pool bath, gutting the inside of the cheezy-flamingo pool bath, and building an outdoor kitchen. DaddyP picked out his new grill tonight, and I think I saw him morph into an 8 year old boy in front of my very eyes. This outdoor kitchen idea has sort of bloomed from the long-time-coming death of our old, built-in gas grill. While researching grills, we came on some plans for an outdoor kitchen area, and it looks like a really fun project. At least, for NOW it seems fun! We'll see how fun it is once construction commences! The plans include a small sink, counter space, undercabinet/drawer storage, and a drop-in gas grill and serving area. Simultaneously, we're refurbishing the interior of the pool bath. I'm planning to get away from the flamingo-esque theme (hehe) which was really just a quick fix as we moved in, and I'm planning on more of a tame interior. No exotic birds, mind you. Sadly.
• I've got a few pics of my latest yard blooms to add soon. We're enjoying the blooms from my Lady Bank rose, irises, clematis, bridal wreath, wisteria, and azaleas. The yard is smelling very fragrant!
• The kids are excited about an upcoming trip to Big D. We'll be spending the day at Six Flags, hitting the Texas Motor Speedway for a tour and museum visit, and stopping in New York, Tx on the way home for (weather permitting) for a zip line adventure! We are extremely excited!
• Next weekend we'll be taking The Campaign Bus out for a test spin! We'll be staying close to home at a beautiful camp area and relaxing and playing.
• Swim team starts up tomorrow with our first weekend practice. In a few weeks, week night practice will kick off three nights a week, and thankfully the weekend practices will end at that time. Not that it matters, since swim meets will soon take their place. Jack's had some special folks plan to attend his meets this summer, so he's looking forward to swimming for an audience.
• Due to an unexpected back surgery for Meem, we've had to move our annual camping trip from June to August. Thankfully the lady at the location was very nice about moving our dates, so we're happy things worked out the way they did.
• We're hoping to spend tomorrow out in the yard and around the house doing absolutely nothing. DaddyP has early morning senior pics and a prom later tomorrow evening, so we'll see! The kids really want to go to the movie, but I've been very much looking forward to spending my time at home! Fingers crossed~

My apologies for the Super Pose here. DaddyP and I spent Saturday night at PMac's and attended Easter Service there. Jack snapped this photo for us before we headed out to church, and I don't think we could appear to be any more posed than this. What can I say? We're posers.

And so are our children. Don't blame them. They didn't want to pose for us. We made them do it. Hope you had a Happy Easter '10!