Another Wonderful Day with Fin

As promised, I'm here to share some Finley Goodness with you all.  He was such a good boy for Grandma on Saturday.

He always wakes up so happy and in the mood to play.

Of all of his toys, this blue ball was definitely his favorite.  He's a human rolling pin and boy can he travel fast.  :-)

Unlike his Aunt Meg, Fin was happy to participate in a little photo shoot.

 

His eyes are a beautiful shade of what I call hazel.  I'm hoping they stay this color, not only because they are gorgeous, but also because it's a nice mix of his daddy's bluish-green eyes and his mommy's dark brown eyes.



By the end of the day he was so exhausted he fell asleep in my arms.

I miss the little guy already.

This Week

I'm not really sure just where my week has gone.  Friday already?  Geesh!

For months Meg has been asking to have her bedroom redone for her birthday which is coming up next week.  I've been slowly working on it.  (new bed, new bedding, new furniture arrangement, etc)  In the end though I had to accept that it would probably be best if I hired out the painting.  I have NEVER let anyone outside my family paint the interior of my house.  But it would have taken me a week and an industrial sized bottle of Advil so I hired two guys to come in on Wednesday and do it.  Was it worth it?  I guess, but they certainly didn't do it to "Julie Standards".  It will definitely require some touching up but it is done.

We still have some decorating to do yet.  She wants plantation shutters for her window, a new ceiling fan, and some other miscellaneous decorations for her walls but it's cleaned out and painted.  The worst is definitely over.  :-)

She went from a full sized bed with headboard to a twin daybed with trundle to give her more space. This is her old paint with the new bed.

And here are a couple of quick "afters".  (The pillow was photoshopped out due to personal information.)

The upper walls are a pretty lavendar and the lower walls are all white.  We did her closet doors in a black chalkboard paint.

I'll get better photos once her window and fan are completed but she's very happy with her new space.

The remainder of my week will be spent with Fin.  I'm traveling up later today for a full day of Grandma Duty tomorrow.  :-)

Baby Shower

I'm popping in real quick to share a gift that I created yesterday for a baby shower that we will be attending this afternoon.  Friends of ours are soon to be the proud grandparents of a baby girl and we couldn't be more excited.

Going along with the nursery theme of lavender, lime, butterflies and flowers I created this door hanger which will accompany the rest of their gift.

And on the flip side....

We're looking forward to a fun afternoon filled with baby goodness.

Did Pigs Fly?

An amazing thing happened yesterday.

I went to the beach and enjoyed it.



*insert flabbergasted look here*

I know!

Incredible, isn't it?

If you know me, you know I hate to be hot.  HATE IT.  Heat makes me grumpy. Sun makes me irritable.  Sweat makes me uncomfortable.  Sand makes me itchy.  Combine them all and you get the beach.  I avoid the beach. Except in the evenings.  I do enjoy the beach in the evening.

What does this have to do with yesterday?  Well my poor deprived daughter has been begging to go to the beach forever.  She knows how much I despise it but her persistance (and my mommy guilt) pervailed so I agreed to take her and Gavin to the local beach.  I bought myself a new umbrella, positioned my chair for optimal shade, pulled out my Kindle Paperwhite and actually enjoyed my time there.  It wasn't too terribly hot and there was just enough breeze to be comfortable without being too much.  I sat there for almost three hours without one ounce of grumpiness.

What I loved most though was that my soon to be 14 year old daughter and her boyfriend actually enjoyed my company.  They spent a good amount of time in the water but they also spent a fair amount of time with me.  They talked to me.  They weren't embarrassed to be seen with me.  They actually enjoyed my company!

There was one point where Meg chose to ignore me and Gavin.  Why? Because he and I were discussing summer reading material for her.  ROFLMBO! Yeah, she totally tuned us both out to make sand castles.

We were soon forgiven however and our good time continued.

The day I'd been dreading turned out to not only be tolerable, but enjoyable.

Don't hold me to it, but I might even be convinced to do it again.  *gasp*

Milestones

It's official!  My baby girl is now a high schooler.  It does seem surreal but after her health scare in 2010 we are so much more grateful and appreciative of every milestone and achievement. Watching her grow up is a privilege.

Her middle school had their 8th grade Moving Up ceremony on Tuesday morning.  Randy was unable to get off of work but my mother was happy to take his place.  (Two ticket limit per student.) Meg looked especially beautiful in her new dress.

Gymnasium photos are never easy but I did manage to get a few acceptable ones.



The opening processional....

Sitting pretty....

Receiving her certificate...

And finally, a photo of her and Gavin post-ceremony.

While many of her friends and families were dining mid-day at places like Olive Garden and Benihana's immediately afterward, Meg's request was for Dairy Queen. LOL!!!  (Chocolate chip cookie dough blizzards are currently her favorite treat.)  

She's extremely apprehensive about the start of the upcoming school year but I'm not worried in the least.  She doesn't believe me but I know they will be some of the best of her life.

And the Winner Is.....

First off, a big thank you to all of my commenters.  Sadly, there can be only one winner and random.org picked....


Lynne!


I'll try to get them out this week.  I hope you enjoy them!

Summer Reading List

My pleasure reading tends to come and go in spurts.  I will spend two months reading in every spare moment and then not pick up a book for the next two months.  I'm also one of those who tends to read several books at one time, meaning I don't finish one before deciding to start another.  I like to have choices, depending on my mood.

Right now I have six books in the various stages of completion.  That's too many for even me.  My summer reading goal is to finish at least four of the six that I've started.  My current list, starting with the four I'm determined to finish, include...

Ford County by John Grisham.  I love Grisham novels.  A Time to Kill and Sycamore Row, both set in Ford County, are hands down my two favorites.  I currently have this one on loan from the library and need to finish it quickly.

The Lost Ancestor by Nathan Dylan Goodwin.  I came upon this book while listening to one of my favorite podcasts, Genealogy Gems.   They started a book club last fall with their first selection being Orphan Train.  This book has been on my "want to read" list for months and after hearing their discussion with the author, I've bumped it up to the top.  Not wanting to fall further behind I decided to jump right in with their second book so I can be "in the know" when they have their next club discussion.

Sanibel Flats By Randy Wayne White.  I started this one last fall immediately following a trip to Sanibel Island.  I'm really enjoying the story but the fact that it's an actual paperback is bogging me down.  I much prefer the larger text and lighting of electronic books.

Earth Abides by George R. Stewart.  I stumbled across this one while searching for audio books on my library website. Apparently it's somewhat of a classic, a post apocalyptic novel written in 1949. The premise sounded interesting so it's become my summer walking audio book.



The next two books are quite lengthy.  I'd like to make more progress in them both but have no grand illusions of finishing by summer's end.

Dragonfly in Amber by Diane Gabaldon.  This time traveling historical novel is the second in a series of eight (?) books.  I really love the story but at 900+ pages a book, they aren't ones to be read in a weekend.

A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving.  True Confession Time.  I started this one two years ago and for some reason, it just got left behind.  I was enjoying it but I think the length of the book bogged me down.

In addition to the aforementioned I will also be reading in parallel with Meg this summer.  She is not happy with me right now because I had the audacity to tell her that she has to read at least two books over the summer, an instruction that I fully intend to enforce.  Right now I am the meanest mom on the planet. (Seriously, you'd think I'd asked her to mow and weed the yard every week.) Wish me luck on this front.  It could get very ugly.


Anyone else have a summer reading list?