It's finally springtime!

The flowers are blooming!

So excited to finally see the start of spring.

It was starting to feel like we were having the longest winter ever!

...wait just a minute, you're trying to tell me it's now August?  Now that's just ridiculous.

Paint the House Week - Day 2

I don't have any pictures from Day 1, I was way too busy actually painting, but by the end of day 2, most of the front of the house is done:

...as well as a little of the sides:

This was our practice area, I'd played around with doing two colors, but I couldn't ever get it to come together in my head, so it didn't happen.

Paint the House Week ~ Living Room

Keith's parents came up for the weekend, Keith's Dad is helping paint the exterior, and Mom is watching Parker so I could paint inside.  I was hoping to get both the Kitchen & the Living Room done.  Which, looking back, seems like fairly wishful thinking for one person in 1 1/2 days, particularly if said person is still recovering from the flu.  But somehow it all got done.

Before:

After:

I'm especially proud of these pelmets:

I saw the project in Good Housekeeping.  As fancy & formal as these look, they are a totally half-baked project, it's just foam core and duct tape, they're even attached to the walls using duct tape!  But nobody has to know that.

I'll post photos of the kitchen tomorrow after Keith puts up the curtains tonight.

Paint the House Week has begun!

Keith's parents have graciously come up to help us get the house painted, inside & out.  Joanne is staying for the weekend so I can get the inside done, and Gary is staying until Wednesday to help Keith the the outside done.

If all goes as planned (which is unlikely), we'll have everything done by Wednesday so we can head up to the cabin for a vacation.  Fingers crossed that we finish in time.

Just Helpin' Daddy With the Dishes

I was in the other room when I heard, "Julie, get the camera", I came into the kitchen to find Parker helping his Daddy with the dishes.  Keith said Parker was picking up the small plates & handing them to him.

Admittedly, being a little more attached to my china than Keith is, this made me a little nervous, but I do appreciate him being so helpful.

Swimming...kind of

Parker doesn't really love water, really at all.  But, I'm determined to turn him into a swimmer, so I seldom miss out on the opportunity to acclimate him to the stuff.

Since today was (finally) a beautiful sunny day, I set out the "kiddie pool" (also known as the beer tub, when used at the Oktoberfest party) to see if he'd go for it.

Parker loved leaning over the edge and splashing his hand in the water (and pouring half of it out onto the blanket).

He didn't love it so much when I sat him in it.  This is the one shot I have of him not actually crying he didn't last long.

Don't worry little guy, we'll keep trying.

I'm just excited to be outside and upright.  I've caught a rather nasty little flu bug and spent all of yesterday laying on the couch watching Parker tear my house apart.  I'm feeling much better today, and quite relieved it's not a repeat of my 4-week flu from a few years ago.

Should have known

This is what I get for trying to take a shower when he's awake.

I'm sure I needed to vacuum anyway.