Around here.

We are enjoying summer. As in, the best season of the whole year, summer.

Granted it topped out at 62 degrees today, which I guess is winter to some people, but it's just getting started around here. The schools have only been out for 3 days now.
We are taking full advantage of the summer things: splash parks, afternoon strolls around the neighborhood, farmers markets, the "beaches" of Lake Ontario, and all the amazing summer produce. Oh and mojitos, let us not forget those.

Several times a day Skylar asks to go pick strawberries in the backyard. She likes picking her own snack. They taste like pink bubblegum. I have no idea why. I should google it.


It amazes me that she has to put all five fingers in her mouth just to get one tiny strawberry in there, lest one should get away.

I am loving every new flower and bush that blooms in the yard, and I'm so grateful that somebody before me was the mastermind and I just get to reap the benefits. I'm taking pictures of them all so that I can recreate it someday wherever we end up. Unless we are nomads forever.

I am hating that the fence still isn't white because we didn't have three consecutive dry days to get it done before all the bushes and foliage grew up around it. Whatevs. (I hate when people say whatevs).

We've been watching our neighbors get new siding on their house. It started out white, underneath the white it was blue, under that there is stucco.......it reminds me of a box, inside of a box, inside of a box....I feel like once they tear off all the layers it will be a little tiny shed. Ultimately it's going to end up sage green with black shutters. Cute.

I feel like I'm on vacation right now because both kids were asleep by 6:15. I don't know how I got so lucky. One night this week Skylar went to bed at 5:30. She slept in until 9 am the next morning. For reals. (I hate when people say "for reals").

I am delving into my new project: a budget friendly family/office/playroom redo. It all started with the carpet.

We decided to replace the grody old carpet that is neither kid nor pet friendly. Micah mentioned that if I wanted to paint, now was the time to do it before the new carpet was installed. So I thought about that for about 2.5 seconds (I mean hello...he was offering) and ran to Home depot where I purchased a gallon of paint that would later play an integral role in my worst day ever ever ever. (I didn't even bother blogging my worst day ever ever ever because it happened right before vacation and then I told so many people in person that I kind of worked it out of my system. But trust me, it was BAD).

Anyway, I am in the process of painting a serene blue shade (still on the blue kick...I'm sure it will wear off by our next move) over the existing gold. I have learned my lesson with blue. I only like it when it has lots of grey in it. You can't tell in the picture.

I do love how gratifying a coat of paint can be. Like freshly painted toe nails, but so much better. (I think toe nails should always be painted--preferably red in the fall/winter and hot pink in the spring/summer).

So of course, new carpet and new paint means I get to make some new curtains. And for my birthday Micah is letting me get a slipcover made for the day sofa that is machine washable, instead of the crappy canvas one that World Market sold me that can only be dry cleaned and shrinks in the wash even when it's air-dried. I found that out when I washed it. (I forgive you World Market, I can't stay mad at you for long. I miss you.)

Then I plan to paint and distress some of the existing furniture that is already in there--most of it hand-me-downs or yard sale finds from my single days. And a new toy/bookshelf unit is in the works to contain all the office stuff/toys/books/etc.

So that's my new project to fill the evening hours. Maybe a little Keeping Up with the Kardashians thrown in to stimulate the brain while I work.