Quite some time ago I told you my husband was redoing my office. He finished on Mother’s Day.
I figured since I’ve been a lazy blogger, I would finally- just after Father’s Day- share it with you.
Oh I’m awesome, I know…
But now I need some help… See the dry erase board above the printer? I have NO IDEA what color to paint that frame. Suggestions, PLEASE?
I’ve been completely procrastinating on our summer to-do list. Maybe it just wasn’t quite feeling like summer, but now it is.
The list:
lake sunset
pedicured feet w/ sandy toes (and photos to prove it!)
park picnic
southern sun tea
BBQ & Bingo night
Go Fishing
Balloon Festival
Rollercoasters
Waterslides
Watch fireflies
Zoo
Bike Ride and Ice cream cones
Outdoor Movie
Farmer’s Market
Snow cones
mini-golf
Barefoot in cool green grass
feed ducks/geese
lazy afternoon reading in the park
homemade strawberry shortcake
swimming
carnival corn dogs, funnel cakes, ferris wheel and lemonade
outdoor play or concert
hula hoop
glow in the dark bubbles
Sunday afternoon fried chicken picnic
Summer evening outdoor fondue
Bowling
Board game and homemade ice cream night
Sleepover
Smores
Summer reading challenge
Summer movies
Sunset walks
dip dye projects
water balloon fight
fly kite
visit Aunt Jennie
Drive in Movie
Fireworks
Paint a Bird house
Root beer floats, with homemade root beer
make jam
museum
road trip
30 toe-photo challenge
Henry Ford museum/greenfield village
homemade lemonade
make a collaborative end-of-summer playlist
family photos
craft day
petting zoo
star gaze
What are your plans this summer?
I told you guys that I ordered a brownie for dinner on date night, Saturday. Not that you doubted, but here’s the proof…
It was supposed to look like this:
Though the real thing was pretty dang good, that warm and gooey brownie I’d craved (you know, the one in the photo) wasn’t really what I got. Oh well…
Our house was so hot, for a good four days. Over the hundreds inside. We were all sort of melting. (post script to Monday’s post: I didn’t melt! I survived! Hurrah!) Anyhow, I thought I’d share a few images from the horror, as things are nice and lovely and cool now. (tune in for the sequel though, when I have a fit about the power bill from the repair day when the air conditioner ran, at full speed, for a solid 36 hours trying to cool our home down.)
Ice would last 10 minutes and you could actually watch the water evaporate. Our poor dogs planted themselves, begging for ice.
Sprawled out dogs, whining… Poor things.
My beautiful herbs, it’s looking like, were casualties. I’ve yet to really face this.
On Sunday, just to escape, we went to the 90 degree farmers market to cool off, eat hot dogs from a vendor (the only way I’ll eat them) and buy some hanging baskets…
It was a lovely weekend around here. Our weather, aside, anyway. We had hoped to stroll through the farmer’s market yesterday but the rains, snow (small, but STILL…) and frigid winds really weren’t ideal. Especially when I feel like Gen and I are struggling just to stay a little well.
My family down right spoiled me all weekend, around my Psychology labs and lectures. The goal, all along, was to get my office done by today. I have done minimal work (and that’s kind of an exaggeration, really) since we moved, BUT that has to change. I have deadlines, and goals, and self imposed deadlines and oh yeah– I’m taking classes now too. Having a space for me to work and study is pretty important for my sanity, my dining room table AND my family’s sanity too. Because the room required paint, and a desk (my AWESOME door desk from the other house just wouldn’t work in this space, no matter what we did) the office sort of became my Mother’s Day gift- which was AWESOME for me. While it didn’t require buying a lot (also a good thing) it did involve some small projects and a fair amount of spray paint.
All in all, it isn’t totally done, and that’s ok. My husband really wanted to do the bulk of it himself (except for decorating it) and that man works a lot of hours- so I totally understand. There is one painting project left, but I can live with that.
Beyond what was coined as the weekend of Office-palooza, my family showered me with love, cards, video rentals, Chinese take out, crepes for breakfast, laughter, lunch out and a trip to one of my favorite book stores for a new book, french soda and a cookie. We wrapped up the day with popcorn and the finale of Once Upon A Time. It was low key, quiet and exactly what I needed. <3
Slowly our little family is adapting to life in the midwest. Spring has finally peeked out, and the sunshine lifts my spirit. These are very good things.
My office too, is shaping up. After well over a month of feeling zero creative inspiration to unpack and decorate it, a talk with Chw paved the way for a rush of motivation and now we are well on our way. We’ve painted, arranged some furniture and hung a few things up. Progress… I have a self imposed work deadline that I need to start putting in about 30 hours a week on revisions, by May 13th, so that’s the office deadline too.
When done, I’ll share. :)
I did make my way into a lovely little shop called The Iron Grate, up in Fenton. If I hadn’t already been bitten by the inspiration bug, there would have been enough in this amazing shop to force me right into it. Sadly, I bought nothing, BUT I coveted everything so that counts, right? I WILL go back…
It was the sort of weekend one really wants all weekends to be like. Productive, restful, full of laughter and good talks. Of course, it’s life, so it had some ugly bits too. Ugly bits like some miserable person making it their life’s goal to personally attack you because- well, I haven’t quite figured that one out yet. Many tears were shed over the reality of this situation and then somehow I just got over it. There will be people who don’t cut it for us and my time and thoughts are better spent on people who matter. It doesn’t change the fact that I had a lovely, inspiring, and relevant weekend.
This week’s Mac & Cheese focus is less recipe and more review. I’d never had Fried Macaroni and Cheese bites before. Being the lover of Mac and Cheese that I am- it seemed only logical to try them.
Chw and Gen were with me, and since my dear husband has declared himself a fellow M & C quester, it was only natural that they try them too.
Consensus was that we aren’t fans. These particular bites came from California Pizza Kitchen.
While they didn’t disgust me, persay, I don’t think I would ever be willing to order Mac & Cheese that is fried again. Chw felt the same way. Gen, on the other hand, claimed she loved them. She is fourteen though- and enjoys feeling the passionate opposite to me from time to time, so I’m unsure of her actual vote.
I can’t pinpoint what I didn’t like exactly, except they felt wrong somehow and just didn’t taste like Macaroni & Cheese. It could be that I’m also not typically a fried food fan. Not sure.
Have you every had fried Mac & Cheese?
rainydayinmay.com 