Summer Rambles

::Weekly Rambles::

What’s really on my mind and heart?

Memorial Day. While I am very grateful for the men and women who have given their lives for our freedom, we celebrated Memorial Day and honored their memories a little differently this year. Most of us drove out to visit Katie, Brendan, and Pete whom we don't see often enough. I just couldn't let a free day pass without making the effort to see them!

"Death has a way of putting things in perspective," I said to a friend last week. Back when my mom died in '07, I was broken-hearted and reluctant to send my first baby off to college the next week, but my sister pointed out that while Mom's death was a bad thing, going to college is a natural and good thing. So, I actually handled that much better than expected, and have done it twice more since then!

Once an acquaintance said to me that she had to make a day-trip to see her college-girl because she needed some time with her, but I didn't quite get why she would need to drop everything in the middle of a busy week, with other kids at home, to go see the college student. Now I know----she died six months later and had been keenly aware that her time was limited.

Two days before Tom's recent high school graduation, one of his classmates died suddenly, and all the joy and excitement of graduation and moving on to college was turned to sorrow for that family and her friends.

I don't have any dreadful announcement to make about a terminal illness, but I'm just much more aware of how fleeting life is. I want to make more of an effort to be present and to take those opportunities to be with my loved ones.

What am I thankful for?

Life. And especially all the lives given to me to care for.

What’s going on in school?

No.thing. We're done. :-D

That is, until I register Pip for his AP class and he has to start summer reading. And he's taking a Health class this summer that starts next week. I'm sure he'll be thrilled.

What’s cooking?

No idea. For some reason, my sweet husband doesn't want Watermelon Soup for dinner! Can you imagine why anyone wouldn't want to eat that?

(j/k. I can, sort of!)

What’s on the needles?

A Ten-Ridge Wrap. I've wanted to make this for a while. When I started it a few years ago, I couldn't figure it out for some reason. Maybe it just wasn't meant to be, or maybe I've learned a little since then, though it doesn't seem difficult now! Anyway, I'm thinking of not doing a ruffled edge, but changing it to lace. What do you think? Sometimes ruffles are just too much.

Vote: Ruffles or Lace?

What’s special about this week?

It's a quiet week with 2 swim meets. Haha! The first is a Mock Meet and I may not even go to that one. After, um, 14? 15? years of swim team, I know how it works, so I didn't sign up for a job.

What am I reading?

I abandoned poor Julia Child for Elizabeth Gaskell's North and South. I introduced my mother-in-love to the movie when she was here for graduation, and we both loved it (Of course, I was loving it for, like, the 4th time, but whatever!), so I thought I would read the book to see if there was more to enjoy. I had bought Gaskell's complete works on Kindle for a couple of bucks last year---deal! And yes, there is more to love. I'm having a hard time putting it down.

What’s on my ipod?/

I started listening to Cloud Atlas the other day. So far, I'm not getting it, but that could have something to do with being very sleepy and actually falling asleep to the reader's dulcet tones. I may have to listen to the beginning again!

What projects are happening at home?

I'll be trying to find a routine now that it's summer. Routines are hard to come by, and I'm not happy without some sort of guidelines for my day! I have a couple of sewing projects planned which I shall share soon.

7 Quick Takes

---1---

Quick Takes this morning because I have TIME today! They don't actually have to be quick though, but I'll try to stay in the spirit of the thing. I have time today because the kids are all still asleep. Yesterday was the last day of school (in case you weren't here yesterday and missed that glorious announcement!), and Pip doesn't have to be at drama rehearsal until noon. Noon. Happy day!

---2---

Last night was the AHG Court of Honor for the end of the year. Meg received her Lewis & Clark level award (the highest award for Explorers) and moved up to the Pioneer level. She was so excited to be joining her best friends who are all at least a year ahead of her. She's been asking all year when it would be. When she realized on Wednesday that Thursday was the Big Day, she started jumping up and down screaming. 

She finally gets a sash instead of a vest!

---3---

Faith. Service. Fun. (AHG's tagline)

A cake decorating contest is a great way to provide refreshments to your large group without overtaxing a refreshment committee. We had so. many. cakes. Little girls love to make cakes and decorate them! Meg's cake was appreciated by a few gluten-free moms---because that is what was in my pantry.

---4---

Meg, onstage, in her Oliver! production. She's a flower seller and got a lot of time singing front and center in this scene.

---5---

This is the little birdie that I ended up commissioning a very talented friend to make for our piano teacher. Tom took lessons for 10 years, and Brendan took lessons from her for several years before that, so it was weird to be saying goodbye. Don't you just love those iridescent (I'm so happy my computer helps me with spelling sometimes!) piano keys on the wings?! 

---6---

Tom and his girlfriend before the recital last week. Just because they're so cute together. Every picture of them is this perfect! She was with us practically every night last week for all the events.

And the other cute couple, Katie and boyfriend. It's nice to start adding significant others to the family events.

---7---

I keep hearing rumors of a 3-day weekend because it's Memorial Day, but I just don't see it. We still have dress rehearsal all day today, 2 shows tomorrow, another AHG event tomorrow evening, another AHG event at Mass on Sunday (not at our parish), and then, I think, we have Memorial Day off to remember our fallen soldiers and grill and go to the pool. Weather permitting.

There's a very nice event nearby that we've gone to for several years. What do you do on Memorial Day to mark the occasion?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Join the fun at Jen's for more 7 Quick Takes!

PHFR - Last Day of School

{pretty}

I was walking the dog, and it was hot, so I stopped in the shade of a tree to enjoy the sun glinting off the water of the pool and the breeze blowing through the leaves.
{happy}

The Pioneer Woman's cinnamon rolls are a great way to celebrate any occasion! They were yummy on graduation morning, and they're very welcome on the Last Day of School.
Another version of {happy} is that I made that huge batch of cinnamon rolls (which are seriously the best I have ever had in my life!) and I didn't eat a single one. I didn't lick my fingers once while making them, and I didn't taste the frosting. And I was fine with that. Two miracles, you guys, TWO: not tasting and not caring!
{funny}

Meg's face after getting hit with a water balloon at the park with her school.

And high schoolers on the very sturdy swings going as high as they possibly can.

{real}

Gus got as close to a summer haircut as he's going to get. I got him a Furminator which removed way, way more hair than his regular brush. He hated it---more than the regular hairbrush (and that's saying something!)---and growled at me constantly, but he should feel a lot cooler now.

Also {real}---we are so close to the end of the May Mayhem that I can almost taste it! The past weeks have been absolutely crazy with so many events, but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Just 3 more days of Too Many Activities and then we'll be done. Maybe. I just thought of a couple more on Monday and Tuesday, but they're just "summer activities" and not part of the regular school year; they just happen to occur immediately after it ends. Sigh.

It will be okay. God has it all under control. Everything that needs to happen happens, and everything that doesn't gets cancelled or we say No. It's all good. But I can't wait for a day of not going anywhere. I started to say "doing nothing" but that never happens, if you know what I mean. ;-)

Are you putting your feet up yet? Or have you yet to begin your End of Year mayhem?

Graduation Rambles

::Weekly Rambles::

What’s really on my mind and heart?

The high school graduation of my 4th child and everything that implies is what is on my heart these days. There is a great deal of pride in his accomplishments of the past four years; I'm excited about the next phase of his life; I'm feeling the impending ache of missing him and the other 3 who went before him; I'm feeling the pressure of cramming a lot of New & Improved Parenting into the next 6 years; and kind of at the bottom is the question of what is the next phase of life for me when the 6 years have run their course. It's a lot to think about and ponder in my heart!

What am I thankful for?

I am thankful for the family members who went out of their way to be with us for this momentous occasion. It was wonderful to be surrounded by people we love so much.

What’s going on in school?

It's the last week for Meg and Pippo. Pretty much just 2 days of exams for Meg, but she did the math and figured out that neither failing nor getting perfect scores on her exams will have much impact on her grades, so she's pretty much home free. Pip, on the other hand, has a lot of studying to do along with several drama rehearsals before he is finally finished with his 2 performances of Fiddler on the Roof on Saturday.

What’s cooking?

Cleaning out the fridge after cooking lots of food last week. We still have a ton of pulled pork---which no one is complaining about!

What’s on the needles?

A better question is What's OFF the needles? That would be the Color Affection, finally. I cast off an inch early because I was running out of the navy yarn, which was a good call since I finished with only a couple of yards left! Finished photos later in the week after blocking.

What’s special about this week?

Last week of school. Last drama performance. AHG Court of Honor where Meg moves up to Pioneers---She is so excited about that!

What am I reading?

My Life in France by Julia Child and Paul Prudhomme. 

What am I praying about?

• the kidnapped Nigerian girls
• the persecution of Christians all over the world
• our Priests & deacons
• for Eric and Elizabeth

What’s on my ipod?/

It's about to be filled with audio books for summer read-alouds! Do you have any suggestions for books that Meg, Pip, and I will all enjoy?

What projects are happening at home?

I have a few sewing projects I'd like to work on, and find a new knit, but I think I'm done with home improvements for a while. The next graduation isn't for another year! I'm sure I'll come up with something for the summer, though.

Do you have summer projects planned? I'm always talking about a terraced garden and stone patio....could this be the year?

Repainting Kitchen Cabinets

Raise your hand if you have these MDF/laminate cabinets in your kitchen and you hate them? I wouldn't mind them if they didn't randomly yellow with age, and the laminate would stay attached.  But they do, and it doesn't.

That drawer got the best of me one day. But I couldn't leave it like that with family coming for graduation! This door was in the next worst shape, so I just took the laminate off both of them.

And repainted them both with Annie Sloan's Old White chalk paint. (pssst...that's why I ran out here!)

The drawer matches perfectly.

The door does not. Go figure.

I put clear wax on them, and no one who visits will notice, unless they read my blog. I had already painted the island Versaille Green a while back.  

Next up: the kitchen table which my sweet Katie painted green for me when she was here. And then left the waxing to me. I thought I was going to die. I'll show you soon!

Does anyone else go on a painting and decorating jag with visitors are coming? Or is it just me?

Yard Sale Reburbish

I promised a few days (weeks?) ago that I would show you the transformation of this sofa table that I picked up at a church yard sale. I've been way too busy to blog lately with To-Do lists that are out of control, and my mind focused on other things. Today I have a massive headache and I'd be in bed, but that doesn't help. It just makes me feel sorry for myself. It's better to be up and moving! Slowly.

Anyway....the table....

It's wood and laminate with 2 slate insets that I really like. That's what drew me to the table to begin with. That and the desire to paint furniture. ;-)

Trashy pic in the garage with all the clutter.

The center panel had (has) a lot of water damage and was very warped. I used the electric sander on it, and it's better, but it's not a showpiece.

The Original Plan was to use Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Old White, but I ran out. When I went to the antique mall to get more, I found they aren't selling it any longer. They have a new paint.

This paint has two benefits over Annie Sloan: A quart is $6 cheaper AND it has the finish built-in, so you don't have to pay for wax or put wax on it---unless you want to.

Of course they didn't have any white, so I chose Ancient Gray. It went on beautifully. I did two coats, and after it dried I went over it very quickly with the sander to distress it a little. Not too much.

Wow. These iphone pics are awful. Sorry about that. Someday I'll have a real camera! The three crates from Tar-jay fit perfectly and give me extra storage in my sewing/craft room.

 It's all cleaned up, and we even hung stuff on the walls! 

PHFR

{pretty}

Maybe I'm stretching it to put this is in the {pretty} category, but I'm kinda pleased with it. This is a toolbox that Brendan (my 2nd oldest) made way back in Cub Scouts. It's been in the garage holding various items over the years...until now. I just decided to paint it (with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Greek Blue). Then I asked my sweet husband to pick up three of those cute, quart-sized paint cans when he was at the hardware store.  Et voilá! A holder for utensils at a party! Personally, I think it's too cute for words, and I will have to find something else to put in it after the graduation party. And I didn't even see it on Pinterest. ;-)
{happy}

I was happy, nay, thrilled, to get my The Little Oratory in the mail on its release date, but I was also pleased to see it prominently displayed at one of my local Catholic shoppes. It was a nice little display full of all sorts of things to turn your home into a little oratory.
{funny}

We'll go with {funny} for the photo of the Kombucha Growler. I'm sure other people would prefer that I fill growlers with beer, but I'm happy to find that I can get my own growler at Whole Foods instead of trying to keep up with making my own Kombucha every week. Now I just have to find time to go over there----I can't wait until the new one opens up just. down. the. street!

And a bonus {funny} photo of Gus who was smiling. He doesn't usually smile---except when Daddy just gets home and is about to pet him.

{real}

The pool is open, and Meg was testing my Lifeproof case by taking lots of underwater photos and videos. It worked great. Except....she put in on the bottom of the pool (labeled 5') for one video, and that is just about the limit of the Lifeproof guarantee. Sure enough, there was just enough moisture in my phone to make phone calls impossible for a while, but everything else worked. The phone is fine after drying out for a little while, but just a word of caution if you want to test the limits!

Weekly Rambles

::Weekly Rambles::


What’s really on my mind and heart?

On my mind is the end of the school year, and all the "last things" that go with a high school senior. I think I'm having a harder time dealing with his looming (in August!) departure for college more than the others because The Nest will be more than half-empty. Four of my six precious children will be pretty much independent adults, and I will have only 2 at home.

The strange, sad part of having only 2 left is that I'm constantly reminded of how little time I have left to form them into good human beings. I think of all the ways I failed as a mother and all the things I wish I had known when they were little. It makes me determined to give them the best I can in these remaining years---but then, I remember, that I've been doing My Best for 25 years, and even though My Best may be better now, God can still use the poor attempts that I made to make them into awesome people. Which they are. God's got this covered, even if I don't.

What am I thankful for?

Warm, sunny days, and relaxing walks with the dog.

What’s going on in school?

Wrapping up. Final exams. Final projects. Drama performances. Piano Recitals. Mayhem ensues next week!

What’s cooking?

Pioneer Woman's cinnamon rolls for the horde. Sadly, the cinnamon rolls are not for me.

What’s on the needles?

Not much. I have found that I can knit the sock yarn blanket without hurting my hand because it uses much smaller needles, different hand positions, and a lot more changing of positions.

What’s special about this week?

It's the Calm Before the Storm.

What am I reading?

I started reading Julia Child's My Life in France this morning while Meg was at the dentist. It was hard to stay focussed with Good Morning America blaring, but I think I'm going to love this book! She seems simply fascinating. I've thought about cooking my way through her cookbook like Julie and Julia, but that might be difficult without wheat, dairy, soy, nightshades, and sugar.

What am I praying about?

• the kidnapped Nigerian girls
• the persecution of Christians all over the world
• our Priests & deacons
• for Eric and Elizabeth

What’s on my ipod?/

The Catholics Next Door. They're a lot of fun and very down-to-earth as they talk about their faith, family, and struggles.

What projects are happening at home?

A little furniture painting and waxing that I really need to show you. Tomorrow?

7 Quick Takes

---1---

Let's just start off this Friday morning with an announcement that Something Other Than God by Jennifer Fulwiler is supposed to be delivered today! Amazon really dropped the ball on this one. I pre-ordered on March 31, and they couldn't even be bothered to ship it until 2 days AFTER the release date. I finally got an email this morning that it should arrive today. Yay! If you're looking for me this weekend, I'll probably be curled up in a chair reading.

---2---

One of the few times I won't be curled up in a chair reading is Sunday when I will be curled up in a chair discussing The Book Thief with my book club buddies. And convincing them that we should read Something Other Than God for our June book club. If we're lucky, we can win Jen's contest and have her join us via Skype. If we don't win, I think we'll still enjoy the book and the ensuing discussion.

---3---

My sweet Katie is in town this week and she's helping me with projects around the house. Yesterday, we ruthlessly decluttered my craft room after I finished re-finishing this junky yard sale table. I'm so excited to have the now-pretty table in there with extra storage! You'll have to drop by next week (hopefully Monday or Tuesday) for the reveal.

---4---

My hand is healing...I think. It doesn't appear to be swollen anymore. I attempted to crochet, which I consider a left-handed activity and my right hand is the injured one, but evidently holding things is bad, bad, bad. Even driving affects it and it gets sore after a while in the car, so I'm concentrating on doing most of my driving one-handed. Left-handed, that is. You should see me look longingly at my knitting from time to time. Sad.

---5---

Coming home in the late afternoon, after several carpool runs, driving back and forth across town, and running errands in between, is not my favorite. And when the house is a mess I really want to cry. Heaven forbid someone should ask me for something or remind me that I have to to take them somewhere else! Does anyone else get that way, or is it just me?

---6---

What fun things do you have planned for this weekend? It will be a gorgeous weekend down here in the South!

---7---

With that, I'm going to post my Quick Takes because driving and shopping all day done took it right out of me. It's time to chill....and think about dinner. :-(

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Join the fun at Jen's for more 7 Quick Takes!

Upcycled Man's Shirt Apron

I did this a few weeks ago, and I never got around to showing you. I'm really happy with how this apron turned out. Meg is, too. She has been wearing it every time she cooks!

It's a very large men's shirt, though I could have used a smaller one for her, that I cut along the side seams to remove the back. I applied the same treatment to another shirt, and I used the back of that one to make the bias edging.

The most painful part of this project was making the many yards of bias tape, but I'm really happy with the finished look that it gives to the apron.

I'm looking forward to finding the time (at the end of May???) to make another one. I bought 8 shirts at the church yardsale for $0.25 each. I thought the shirts, which are in pristine condition, would fit my son, but they're too big.

What do you think? Have you made one of these? I'm also debating whether or not to cut the collar off and make it a more traditional bib-style. Which would you like better?