it's summer...almost!

What do you do when the temperature soars to 90° in April?

1. You put on your bathing suit and get a front row seat -- right above the lawn sprinkler!



2. If your sister already took the front row seat, you step aside and pretend you are a water fountain.



3. But, if you're the dog (and smarter than those silly kids), you pick a spot in the shade (the best seat in the house) and just watch!

day off...

Can you believe it's Thursday...again? My shopping trip today should keep us busy for awhile: rose bush (to keep other rose bush company), weigela bush, vinca, geranium, begonia, salvia, hydrangea. I also planted seed from last year's marigolds and did some weeding and pruning. Where is that warm weather those weather people are predicting? It is cold, partly cloudy and windy here today.

rainy days and mondays...

So, today we have both! Monday morning is always a struggle for me. After everyone is out the door and on their separate paths for the day, I feel the void. It takes me a few hours to kick into gear -- you think part of it could be the mess they leave behind for me to pick up? Hmm... Anyhow, today I'm getting there a bit differently. My goal for the week is to 1) put away what's left of the Easter holiday, 2) file away the paper work in the crate on the floor 3) pick out a paint color for the "activity" room (remember that project?), and, 4) continue the spring gardening plans. While I was picking up, I realized I hadn't read the evaluation report from Nicholas' catechist. She gave him a glowing 5 star evaluation -- can you see me smiling?

Then I found this cutie pie little piece of artwork from Sofia!



Hopefully the rest of the day will be as wonderful.

sidetracked...again

Yesterday, the front of the house was begging for a little TLC -- and the weather cooperated nicely.



We need to be done with this quickly -- the backyard deck project is expanding -- and hopefully will include a swimming pool!

the project...complete!

Click on the picture to enlarge and see the details.

Rain, rain, rain...now you can go away! Nicholas has finished his project and wants to play -- outside!

the project...

It's a rainy day -- and it's spring vacation -- and Nicholas has a project for school. So this is what we're up to today. Notice, I said we. So far, we have not had to take a trip to the art supply store -- thanks to Sofia's never ending collection of art supplies.

So what is it that we are creating? It's a board game involving math. The theme is based on the Indiana Jones movies. The game also includes building with lego pieces. Hope the math teacher appreciates our combined effort!

happy easter...bunny!

yippee...

Hip...

Hip...

Hooray!

It's time for spring break!

hanging by a thread...

Watch out Eeyore!



Click on the picture to see what's holding up this guy!

It's definitely time for spring break. New contraptions should be popping up all next week ;-}

you're my little puppy face...

We are practicing makeup for Sofia's big debut in her first ever school play on Wednesday. This is the "puppy face" makeup. She would be perfect for this part -- darn... she plays the part of the Cheetah, not the puppy! I am doing the makeup for both characters. Woof!

10% inspiration...

...90% perspiration! With sun, wind, and pink string in hand the backyard deck is taking shape! We spent Saturday morning drawing up the plans -- and Sunday morning we discovered, yet again, what looks good on paper doesn't always translate perfectly to the real world. In our almost 20 years together, while doing home renovations and new construction we have never been discouraged by this phase of the building process -- it keeps us on our toes! For this undertaking, the modification proved to be a less complicated structure for the floor of the deck. With that, we both breathed a sigh of relief. And, as my father used to say when he had mastered something – “Am I learnin’?”

Hmmm - we're over the rainbow !

Now how awesome is this? It's so perfect it looks fake -- but it's not. We're having turbulent weather today -- first bright sunshine, then torrential downpours with lightning and thunder -- and then--this beautiful rainbow.

Hope your weekend is just as awesome!

just shootin' the breeze...

So, yesterday, I got less than nothing done. The rain left early in the day -- and after chores I went outside with the dog. The beginning of April overwhelms me. So much to do in the garden -- but the rain in the beginning of the month holds me back. I pretty much just did some measuring for our backyard deck project and enjoyed some of the sunshine. Today, the rains and wind are here. I am looking through my pictures of the garden from last year to plan for this year's annual plantings. We gathered seeds from last years flowers -- and already planted some of those last Sunday. So, while those little seeds are working there way up, here's a pretty picture to enjoy!

what to do on a rainy thursday...

Okay, here it is, Thursday, again ( my supposed day off). And, it's raining...again...sigh! Well, last time I posted about the lack of fun things to do during my quiet hours, I mentioned it to Sofia. She suggested I refer to this on my next rainy Thursday.



A big thank you to my little artist. My imagination is chugging away. Let's see what I come up with!

I also found a little more inspiration: this

Now back to my Fantastic day off!

when I build my house...

Here's what we were up to this weekend...



We finally replaced the standard grade carpeting in our "activity" room. I am sooooo happy the carpeting is gone. The builder wanted way too much money to install a hardwood floor in this room -- so we opted to wait and do it ourselves. We somehow managed to get a really good deal on this flooring -- and -- it matches the existing hardwood floors in the rest of the house. Next, I need to play with my color chips and pick out a paint color.

...there's so much to do...