20

Thursday, May 26, 2011

For the last few weeks my emotions have been in a tizzy...

it happens every year

always around mid May

when the school buzz wrap up starts to hit...

I feel the shift in the air

school treasures begin to trickle home

my chickadees start dropping hints that another year of learning will be taking a hiatus

this is our last list of spelling words

really?

we just finished the Social Studies text book

really?

their journal books are full

i told them i was more then willing to staple empty pages in them so they can continue on...

really it's not any trouble at all!

a little bird told me they were running low on glue sticks in their classroom..

I quickly made a mad dash to Target and happily sent in glue sticks for all the kindergarten children in my son's class...

so they can continue crafting, gluing till their hearts content!

I feel torn because i love summer and my kiddos being home

I love the the carefree spirit that summer brings

I love the slower mornings

the late night swims

our home turns into a B&B

to all our friends, family....

for all to travel to our Casa for some much need R&R

I stock the fridge with plenty of lemonade, ice tea

the freezer is always filled with an assortments of Popsicles,

the smell of sunscreen will once again be a permanent aroma throughout these months of warmth

wet bathing suits will find themselves littering my bathroom floors

but it also means...

my kindergartner, my baby, will be a First Grader

gulp

it means my sweet second grader will be a Third Grader

gulp

it means i will be a parent of a middle schooler

we will have yet another school to learn about, new friends to meet.... it's much, much bigger

gulp, gulp

she will be doing it without the side by side comfort of her sisters and brother

gulp, gulp, gulp

it means I will not have a Freshmen any more....

in 3 weeks I will have a

High School Sophomore

really

wasn't it just yesterday...

that i was watching her begin her Freshmen climb

I'm here to tell you there are no words that can begin to describe how proud I am of her

not only has she done the work

she's done it with excellence

dedication

courage

integrity

what it really means....

is that my children are thriving

they are growing~ intellectually, spiritually

i'm a sappy mess!!!

thanks for being there for me to sap away...

BTW, I just had to show you pictures of my latest passion

for vinyl!!

You see, I reupholstered by kitchen chairs in

vinyl, which i ordered from Fabric.com without a swatch....

4 yards and 6 chairs later

I couldn't be more thrilled!

Cheers to YOU!!!!

xo,

17

Thursday, May 19, 2011

As I sit here tonight listening to the familiar nightly sounds...

drizzling rain hitting the deck outside the window

the hum of the air conditioning

the churning of the dishwasher

the 3 beeps of the dryer telling me the latest batch of laundry is done...

{do i fold now or wait till morning.....hmmmmm, i say later}

As I turned off lights throughout the house to settle in for the evening

I stepped over backpacks that are lined up by the door for the morning rush....

I couldn't help but think of how everything runs so much more smoothly when everything or

everyone has a spot...

a spot for rest

for work

for drawing

for play

lets just say it sure helps for family harmony!!!

Here is the second "zone" I promised you in our basement!

I present to you the

TV Zone

family movie night

where the popcorn bowls line the coffee table

this is where Mario Cart is mastered

in my case

I crash

constantly

{secretly I crash on purpose... so I can watch the facial expressions of those around...

it's quite hilarious the amount of concentration that is expressed on the faces of my gang}

I created this area for my husband...

work is a constant

now he can be physically present

while he hooks up his laptop and does what he needs to do....

it gives him a great view the pool

play referee

I had to find the perfect spot for my favorite vintage school desk...

plus it makes another great spot for doodling time...

the ikea rug pulls the color scheme of the two sitting areas together

So, there you have it....

two zones for our family of six

to spread out

or

squish together!!!

Next up is....

the homework zone.

It's the hub

it's where you see the braincells hard at work!!!

Wishing you a weekend filled with sunshine, giggles, and good 'ol relaxation!

I will be celebrating the birth of a spectacular little boy...

my son is turning...

6

let the drippy ice cream cone eating

squishy toy frog toss

pirate party

begin!!!

xoxoxo,

come on down...

15

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

This door is constantly in motion...

open

depending on the day

or hour...

or who's home!

This door takes you down to the basement

the space that my chickadees claim as

their space...

heads turn when i encroach on this territory...

eyes follow my every step

questioning me

their words are sometimes laced with hope that i don't make them clean up their latest masterpiece

turn down the volume

It's their everything space...

homework

Wii

dancing

reading

building

creating

talking

sleepovers

friends gather

storage

you name it

this is where it happens!!!

This spring i decided it was time for the basement to receive a fresh new look

one that I hope will build upon their memory making childhood

a space that they find comfort in

joy in hanging out

a place to bring their friends

a place to curl up with their latest book

and engage in serious Wii competition!

The basement is shaped like a L

Today I am showing a part of it....

grab your ice tea and follow me...

I created 2 sitting areas...

i can't believe it took me this long to figure this out...

previously we've only had one sitting area

it was always an issue

who sat where

who got the floor

now i created zones so to speak

this is the talking, reading zone

where they can gather without being in the way of the TV or hit by a Wii remote...

Our guest room is down here as well

so it was really important to me to create an atmosphere for all ages to enjoy

feel at home

The ceiling light fixtures are on my list to change

I "think" I know what i want

but i'm taking my time just to be sure...

you know how that goes!

In this shot I'm standing in the second area i created...

I'll show you that next, promise!

Stop by anytime, the ice tea is made and I always have time for visitors!!!

xo,

I'm ReAdy....

9

Friday, May 13, 2011

to soak up the weekend...

make every hour count

family fun

good food

and

in order to kick start the weekend

i gave myself a little moment to recharge my batteries....

awwww

sigh

delicious

it's daily little moments

like this

that has me

ready

to tackle a full weekend!

it's Friday

Hoot hoot hurray!!!

xo,

blooming faith....

8

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

I find myself experiencing a unexpected morning treat...

one that has me sitting in my kitchen with a fresh cup of tea

enjoying the change in my typical carpool schedule that has me home in the AM

once my gang departed

I ran inside

left the door open to let the morning light flood my kitchen

grabbed a fresh cup of tea

plopped down at my kitchen island

turned on my computer

to begin uploading the billion of pictures I've been taking but haven't had a chance to

sort

edit

I'm thrilled that today

i have been given this extra time

savor the images...

On April 30, my third daughter received her First Holy Communion

witnessing her faith take root

sprout

bloom

right before my very eyes

is a beautiful thing...

to capture of snap shot of her giggle as her daddy smooches

calls for a triumphant morning dance around the kitchen!!!!

Wishing you a day with a little unexpected free time to dance around your kitchen!!!

xoxo,

A girl and her kite....

19

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Something completely and totally unexpected happened to me during April...

something that I did not expect

something that actually caught me completely off guard

and because it was totally unexpected

I was not prepared for it

which caused me to

stumble

loose my footing

and temporarily lost a very important ability

the one skill that I rely on dearly....

the one thing that keeps me on my toes

my ducks in a row

runs my household

my schedule

my projects

my painting bliss

I temporarily lost my ability to....

multitask

And I've been chasing it ever since.

It was like the string on a kite that was teasing me...

dangling just within reach

and every time i believed things were finally settling down

a gust of wind blew in my direction and swooped my kite up into the sky again

just within arms reach

leaving me to chase after it all over again....

The good news is that i learned a very valuable life lesson...

one that i have always known but temporarily forgot

and these little reminders are always good for the soul.

I had to be reminded to know when to let go

to step back and watch my kite take flight

enjoy the scenery that was unfolding right before my very eyes

let the unscripted events just happen

listen intently to the little voices that want to share their day with me

their story

given them my time

take each event

each celebration

the unexpected illnesses

over scheduled chaos

one day at a time

even though my feet where itching to run

to grab hold of the sting

reel in my kite

so i could regain my ability to multitask again

to right my tilted world....

I firmly stayed rooted where i was

to let go of what i couldn't control

believed it would all right itself when the time was right....

I am happy to report

the

time

R I G H T

LuLu & co. is back!