Skip to main content

Lazy Holiday Weekend

I would like to petition for 3-day work weeks permanently, please. We've had a wonderful four days at home, and it would be nice if we could just do this all of the time. (Think anyone would go for that??)

We've spent the better part of this long weekend at home...purging G's massive toy pile, and then Scott and I working on painting G's room. Both kids think the color is boring, while I think it's a practical backdrop that allows them to change out their bedding and decor for years to come.

Regardless, this greige color is a million times better than the matte builder cream color that we've been living with for five years. You know, the one that shows every single mark and ding in the wall? The one that you can't clean? Yeah, our walls look a little rough, so we're taking care of that with fresh paint, room by room!

Love the clean look of newly painted walls...this shows a nice contrast between the white closets and the new greige color in G's room


Next up is a HUGE purging of Ava's belongings. She has so much stuff. She's a natural hoarder, and our guest room is now filled with half of her belongings while we're prepping her room for the next painting session. After we've seen everything that she owns, we need to implore you that if you are a regular gift giver to Ava (birthday, Christmas, etc.) please think twice about giving her a physical item (clothes are ok, though!) Experience gifts (like museum, movies, etc.) are a better choice as it allows us to make memories as a family, and it doesn't take up any space.

We all need to refocus and cut back on the amount of "stuff" in our lives. I was so proud of G and how helpful, and non-complain-y he was while we went through his toys. He was excited to donate so much stuff, and was happy to hear that the toy shopping cart that he and Ava have used for years, went to a little girl who was going to be so excited to use it (we donated through our local neighborhood site.) That's the kind of attitude that I am so happy to see in him...giving and understanding that it's okay to let things go. (Again, I could use some practice with my own possessions as well...my son will be a good teacher for me!)

That working bit aside, we've had a fun holiday weekend...we watched fireworks with the neighbors, and last night went out for an early birthday dinner for Scott (where the other family at the hibachi table paid for our meal, unexpectedly! And, we didn't order a cheap meal...Scott and I both had filet, lobster, and shrimp!) It was a generous gesture and one that was truly appreciated.

Getting ready to watch fireworks (we have a perfect view of the Apple Valley city fireworks from our neighborhood...love not having to drive anywhere to watch them!)


Ava and G went to the park together...and there was no fighting. Amazing!


My flowers are doing incredibly well right now...love the new wall hanging with daisies on my front porch!


Seeing my lilies bloom each year is a thrill!


We've got a new backyard mister for the kids to play with (perfect for these hot Minnesota summer days) and we're looking forward to celebrating Scott's birthday with my parents tonight.

Happy #43 to my other half! We love you, Scott!

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Exploring Local Places

Last Sunday was the perfect day to explore an area that neither Arya nor I had been to before. We headed east to walk around the Vermillion Falls/River and Greenway area. The path was nicely paved, with lots of overhead shade from trees; there were so many families out on bikes and walking, and we had a nice view of the Vermillion River. Arya got some great pics, and I enjoyed spending time outdoors with my sweet girl. This weekend, G and I will be heading out to explore a creek area in a few towns just south of us. And I've already got an idea for another creek I want to walk by next month (it's a bit further away, and I'd rather put that aside until Arya is off at college) The tree leans to find the sun On the way home, we stopped at the DQ in another town (we have a love/hate relationship with the DQ in our town, so I wanted to avoid it.) The warm weather felt great, and we enjoyed some sweet treats while watching the world drive by. We're counting down the days unti...

What a Week

The weather has been unseasonably warm this fall, so we've been able to extend our outdoor projects just a bit.  This past week Scott's been working in the garden, cleaning everything out, and repairing the back wall of our garage.  Ava was such a good little helper, scooping up dirt, but still trying to keep her hands clean while doing it! I swear, a box is all she needs to make her happy. Princess Darla. Princess Darla has had enough.  I personally like how she and Ava have the same expressions in this picture. Apparently Spanky was bored - check out that yawn in the background! We went down to Grand Meadow this weekend, and as always, it was so fun to see Ava and Isabel play together.  They actually had several little conversations with each other - and they were so polite while doing so!  We even had them share a room last night...boy, that was a challenge.  I think they finally fell asleep around 10:00pm.  And of course, Ava wa...

Preparing for Vacation

We had a low key week, which is rare in this house. Oh sure, there were fun field trips at Summer Power, a visit to the splash pad on a hot day, and a few crazy, rain storms, but it was an easy week. Well, there was that one time when we were out for dinner with G (Ava was with Grandma Karen and Grandpa Doug for an overnight stay and a trip to the Dakota County Fair - fun!) and G decided to hide behind my chair and puke all over me and the floor (at the restaurant.) Ugh. The good news is that he was just too full of chocolate milk...no illness! A quiet week, once in a while, is an okay thing! We're starting to prep for our vacation to the Wisconsin Dells...we don't take too many family vacations, so this is a big event for us. (Funny, I took a break from writing this post as Scott just asked me about planning a trip to Disney...we were debating the differences between going to California vs. Florida...pros and cons to each!) Yesterday, I showed G a video from one of the wat...