Oh, It's Getting Done. Period.

James and I have been playing and playing and playing outside, especially now that I have my new little furniture project going on.  He has totally gotten the hang of his tractor from Grammie & GatorPa and is tooling all around the yard in it..

 I try to get James to choose the popsicles that are all in the plastic and you push them up?  He is not a fan.  So instead, he licks this one for a while, then sets it down for a while, and then continues eating it whenever he feels like it.  He has a huge meltdown, however, if he waits long enough to go back to it that it's melted.  He doesn't understand about it melting yet.

 So....TADA!!!!  I have felt 1,000 different things about my little project.  Nothing was working that we tried, so Landon agreed maybe we should call and find out if someone could blast it off.  I couldn't find anyone in our town that would do it - they couldn't do the wood - only could do metal stuff.  So, that helped me see that it truly is a project for me to work on, and that's that.  I worked hard on it this afternoon and I got a lot done!  Look at this one chair (don't think about the fact that there are 4 tables and a couch left).  I am going to feel SO GOOD about this project when it's complete!

A New Project and a Sick Recipe

Wednesday night at our house I was talking to Lane Rowe, basically one of my very favorite people :)  We were talking about how expensive porch furniture is, but how great some furniture would look on this one side of our deck that doesn't have anything there.  She mentioned that she had some old (I mean like 70 years old) rattan furniture in her barn and said she would sell it to me.  Long story short - I bought it.  Long story short - um, it's going to be HARD to get the paint off.  Imagine me, with a mask on, trying to use an electric sander out under the deck yesterday.  Yikes is right.  When that didn't work very well, I tried spraying it with some stuff we bought from Wal-Mart that makes the paint dry up, curl up, and easily peel off if you scrape it.  Well, it worked, but it was a CRAZY lot of work.  So then, you know what happened.  My project became a shared project.  It became Landon's project also.  Lane suggested I see how much an auto body shop would charge me to take some kind of blaster and blast the paint off.  I think this is a good idea, but I just wanted to do it myself!  I want to paint it black once I get it stripped, get some lime-ish cushions (with black accent pillows) for it and put a khaki outdoor rug under it with a black stripe around it.  I just hope my dream comes true. 

 

 

 Today at church for the first time in a long time, I did not have to be there until 9:45am.  Whoo-hoo!! It changed my whole outlook on the morning and just shows that people need a break sometimes.  I enjoy the stuff I do, but I loved that it was a little more relaxed getting ready.  James didn't put up a fight AT ALL about his clothes today, and he looked so cute in his little shirt (Wendy, I think this is a hand-me-down from Noah??) and new haircut.  About to be 3.  I cannot even take it!

 We had a picnic after church and had such a great turnout (for church and the picnic).  What a precious church family we have.  It was wonderful to spend time together eating and laughing and enjoying the gorgeous weather.  I am thankful, however, that it is over, because I have been smelling bbq cooking in the crockpot for about 5 days now, and I just cannot stand it anymore - makes me have weird dreams at night when we use the crockpot and I smell it throughout the house - gag me.

 And finally, don't make this.  I mean, you can make it if you want to, but I just have to tell you that it wasn't very good...but that could have been a chef problem, not a recipe problem.  I will stick with sausage egg casserole or that yummy recipe where you have crescent rolls and cream cheese from now on.

Looking forward to family time tomorrow for the holiday!

Summer Time...and the livin' is easy...

We were at a friends' house for dinner tonight, and I mentioned my blog.  My non existent blog.  The one that I think about A LOT because I know I should be chronicling our memories on it, and that's what my intent is, but I just get soooo mad because if I can't stick with it and do it consistently, then I just don't want to do it.  Then, I actually said out loud, "But it would probably be better to have some memories than no memories."  And, you know what, DUH.  So, if my blog is to archive special memories and stories and regular life, then what do I care if I blog completely irregularly?  It's no pressure unless I put the pressure on myself.  Okay, okay, you get the point. Also, it drives me cray-cray that I am skipping like months of interesting thing happening, and starting at a random place (today).  However, sometimes you just have to STOP being OCD and move it along.  James has been doing some pretty funny stuff lately, so I wanted to write it down.

 

James preschool is over for the year, but I wanted to make sure I remembered a hilarious story.  I pull up to get him in carpool one afternoon, and as Ms. Jean is putting him in the car, she says, "Mom, could I talk to you for a minute OUT OF THE CAR?"  Well...GREAT.  Ha.  I get out of the car, and Ms. Jean proceeds to tell me two funny stories.  They are out on the playground playing, and she looks up, and James has his pants down.  Well, there it is. That's it.  Ms. Jean gets over to him and asks if he needs to go to the bathroom.  He then says, "No, I already went.  My daddy lets me go in my yard."  And, that's the truth.  So, she explains that he has to go inside to the bathroom while he is at school.  He understands and they move on.  Then, a little boy starts pushing him, and he pushes the little boy back.  Ms. Jean calls them both over to talk to them.  When Ms. Jean asks James why he pushed the other little boy back, James simply says, "My daddy told me if someone pushes me I can push them back.  And that makes sense to me." 

 

Landon's parents were here this past weekend.  Landon's mom and I are in Wal Mart with James.  We had already been one place with him, and I knew he was beginning to wear thin, but he was hanging in okay.  We are close to the cheese (meaning not in an aisle, but sort of out in the middle of the food section among lots of people) and all of a sudden James starts screaming.  I look down and his finger is reddish/purplish and he has it stuck in the cart some way and can't get it out.  This was a moment when I literally wished I could blink myself out of motherhood because I am such a panicker and so ill-equipped to handle any crisis.  I check and his finger really is stuff - he is still screaming.  Two ladies enter the picture (oh, among the other "watchers" on the outskirts of the scene) and suggest lotion.  I squirt  little lotion on my hand and try to rub it on his hand.  He is screaming.  The ladies are helping.  The onlookers are looking.  It is stressful.  Then, Landon's mom takes the whole lotion bottle (which was a small one) and begins squirting it all over the part of the cart where his finger was stuck.  This was very smart.  I was able to get his finger out and held him the rest of the time we were in Wal-Mart.  Are you kidding me?

 

A few nights ago we went to Red Lobster with Carolyn and Gerald because their grandson, Tyler, graduated from high school this past week.  After we'd eaten dinner, James said he needed to go to the potty.  I took him.  After he had gone, and I said we had to wash our hands, he said, "Daddy says I don't have to wash my hands.  I will not wash them."  Alrighty then, I don't think so, Buster.  I say (because I am embarrassed by anyone who might also be in the restroom and listening), "OF COURSE Daddy makes you wash your hands!  You always wash your hands after you go to the potty."  "Not if I don't touch anything," James says.  So then I just gave up and said, "Well, when you go to the potty with Mommy, you always wash your hands."  We get to the sink, and one of the Red Lobster managers is standing there washing her hands.  She talks to us for a few minutes and is telling James how, as manager, she has to wash her hands not just once but TWICE after going to the bathroom.  She thought us talking in the stall was hilarious.  So, she follows us back to our table, and says to (like 15 people) me, "So, where's the Daddy?"  Landon, meanwhile, has no clue what's happening.  I point out Landon, and she says, "Daddy, I hear you don't make James wash his hands when he uses the restroom."  It was HILARIOUS.  Landon was like, what in the world???  I thought it was so funny!

 

A picture of James tearing through the house on his tricycle with his goggles and jacket on.

Playing play doh with Ava :)

Working upstairs and hugging the deer

We had a few people over last Wednesday night from our Bible Studies this past semester at church, and I was so excited that I was able to put up my stars that I made last year!!

And, we ate dinner with the precious Wingate family this past Thursday night and here are James and Adaira playing play doh together - seriously???  This is so hilarious.