Senior Smiles...

Dear heavens, it's been a long day.  But this is a smile that's lit up my life since the day he arrived.  Who can believe that we're taking his senior pictures?!  My baby is all grown up.  And let me tell you, he's going to have the largest album of pictures to choose from!  They're all awesome!

Good night.

Ahhhh, home sweet home.

It was a wonderful week.  A little rain gave us a little more time to just hang out.  But afternoon storms cleared for gorgeous, summer evenings that allowed Will and I to spend hours on the dock fishing.  We caught more fish this week than we have all vacations combined.  But the number of fish was irrelevant.  The smile on Will's face was worth it all.

The only smile that compared was the smile on Hunters face when we pulled in the driveway this afternoon.

We all miss the lake 357 days a year.  There is no place we'd rather spend our time.  The countdown to next year has begun!  So until then, good night Blue Ridge.

Dinner of Champions

This was definitely one of the best dinners we've EVER had in Blue Ridge.  The keepsake glass will keep me laughing for years to come.  A grown up grilled cheese, the best company a girl can ask for and a waitress that could kept us in stitches for the evening.  What a wonderful rainy day dinner!

A day at the lake.

Just to share our day at the lake :)

I'm home.

Earlier in the day, I made the Freudian slip of saying that once we "got home" I would take care of something.

I'm thinking that it's not a slip.  I'm pretty certain that I'm at home.

I love it here.

So does Will.  So does Jeff.

I can't wait to dip my toes in the clay; sit on the front of the boat and feel the wind in my hair.  I'm home.  One day.  I'm home.

I'm almost ready for vacation!

Yesterday it was my toes, today it was my hair!  The boys are thrilled that after several months, I'm starting to look more like myself.  But dang, it's a lot of work!

Come on already!

This was Hunters snap chat to me earlier.  I agree!  How about a showing already?  Can you tell we're all a little impatient?!

Hope and a prayer.

All I'm asking is that you keep your fingers crossed.   We're waiting for the sellers to sign it....but if all works as planned, we've found our new home!  So please say a prayer, send good thoughts our way, do what ever you can...but lets hope that we sell this place and secure our next dream home!

Here's the contract....

And here's the view!

Blues Clues!

It's been weeks since I've had a good laugh!

But when I needed one the most, Hunter came through!  So I thought I would share it so it's memorialized forever.

There are just some things that you can't teach your kids.  You try and try, but sometimes, you just have to know that you've done your best and the rest is up to them.  I mean really, reading the instructions is always the best place to start and I was sure that I'd said it enough times that it'd have stuck.

Hunter wanted to try to remove the "ring around the collar" on his dress shirts.  Please note, at no point in his pondering of how to do that did he ask me for help.  So he drops by Kroger on his way home from work in search of a miracle solution...and he finds this.

And while I'm working on the house, he puts his solution to work.  So imagine my surprise when I find him at the kitchen table...less than thrilled with his results.  Which were this....

Apparently, men don't read instructions or directions.  Instead of 2-3 drops per load, he did 2-3 drops on a stain.  The good news is that you can't see the pizza sauce stain anymore.  Even better news is that the "ring around the collar" isn't nearly as noticeable.

Thankfully, the internet is a wealth of information on how to remove the blue stain.  With any luck, the shirt will be as good as new later in the week.  But I'll be giggling about it for weeks to come.

Hunter?  He's just feeling a little blue about the whole thing.

I think we're done!!!

Yep, that's how I've spent the last 1/2 hour!  We're officially done.  There are a few things that I need to work on this week...but they're so far down on our priority list that if they get done great but if not, they certainly won't keep someone from buying the house.

In the last 48 hours we've managed to finish all of the hardwood floors, power wash the whole house, repair the grout in our shower, re-tile Hunters bathtub (don't ask!), clean and "summerize" the boat, finish the burn pile, mow, weed all of the beds, clean all of the upper windows, fans and landings, clean both closets, install miscellaneous bathroom fixtures, clean all of the storage closets, finish the sun room updates and take all of the listing pictures of the house.  I'm sure I'm missing a large group of things, but heck, I'm tired.

But we're done and we're ready.  Bring on the showings!!

We didn't really get to celebrate Fathers Day, but Jeff insists that a quick sale will be worth it.  From his mouth to God's ears!

So if I forgot to call you today to wish you a happy day, please know that I was thinking off all of the wonderful fathers in our family.  I just ran out of time!  Love and hugs to you all!

The puppy.

It's been quite a week for the puppy!  The carpet cleaners, the painters, a studio client, the realtor and the tile guy all stuck their head in to see her.  Oh, and one very rambunctious 3 year old.

As you know, she's not very found of strangers so she's skipped meals, sniffed every corner of the house and spend a considerable amount of time in her cage (by choice) for fear that someone else might be hiding around the next corner. 

But by tonight, she's settled back into her normal routine.  Jumping on my lap, licking Jeff's nose and keeping guard over all the toys in the house.

One has to wonder how she's going to handle a move.

Throwback Thursday!

I know that I posted it on Facebook, but it's the story that warms my heart.  Mom and I were just talking about this a few days ago.

This was Christmas in the condo.  Seven of us in a one bedroom home.  All of us kids slept on the floor or couch in the den.  Grandma and Grandpa slept on the pullout couch.  It was noisy and crowded.  We ate many a meal on our knees at the coffee table.  With one full bathroom, there was a schedule for the shower.  And if Aunt Jean and Uncle Bill visited, it was that much tighter.

There was no 10 foot Christmas tree.  The tree was about 2.5 feet tall and sat on an end table.  Our play area was the stair case.  And if we were lucky (and well behaved), Grandma would let us go down to the unfinished basement with her to do laundry.  That was a treat.

But I promise, these are my BEST memories.  Happiness wasn't determined by square feet...it was laying crowded on the floor, eating Baskin Robbins ice  cream an watching baseball while trying not to move and elbow the person next to you.  A house filled with more love than space.

Just a little giggle!

Since I figure I'm not the only one that could use a laugh today....

I decided that instead of a long blog about how tired we all are I'd share some of the things that made me giggle today...

Hope they at least make you smile!

Bee Mine.

I know I say it all the time, but I really am the luckiest girl in the world.  I have two boys that I cherish more than life itself and a husband that is pretty much willing to do anything I ask.  I promise, I don't take advantage of that.

Well, unless I want a really great picture and I can't reach the subject.  Not only was Jeff willing to stand on his toes with the camera hoisted above his head...but he was surrounded by bees.

There's a lesson there for the boys.  Although I'm positive it has nothing to do with the bee part!

And just so you know, when we grocery shop together, I hand Jeff all of the items on the bottom shelf :D

Just a few more days.....

I'm counting down the minutes.  Anyone else looking forward to lake as much as I am?

The weekend in review!

As you can tell, we had a wonderful time!  Before the rain reached us today, we managed to get in several miles of hiking though the metro parks and nature reserves.  No better way to spend our weekend getaway!  Just a few of the cool critters and sights we saw....

A gorgeous butterfly cocoon

Mini mushrooms (seriously, these were tiny!)

The worker bees preparing the hive...for the new queen!

The swan family photo!

The prince, just waiting for a kiss (but not from me!)

A little flying critter...hanging out on the creek bed.  I followed that bugger forever for this shot!

Happy 10th Anniversary!

It's amazing the things you forget over time.  It's equally amazing the things you remember.

I remember walking into the church in my wedding dress.  I remember the assistant/organ player/organizer asking me who I wanted to walk me down the isle (I chose Jeff!).  I remember giggling through most of my vows.  I remember Jeff giggling at my sunburn that poked out from the shoulders of my dress.  I remember thinking that I was the luckiest girl in the world.  And I remember racing back to the hotel to change into shorts so we could catch our reservations at the Star Trek Experience.

Ten years ago, I was lucky enough to marry my best friend.  I had no idea that I was marrying the man that would be the best influence on the boys.  The man that would make me laugh each and every day.

The last ten years have been awesome.  I'm so excited to see what the next ten bring.

Thank you, Jeff, for standing beside me every day.  Thank you for lifting me up on my lowest days and grounding me on all of the others.  Thank you for loving the boys as much as I do.  Thank you for reminding me each day that the only thing that matters is love.

And thank you for taking every "selfie" when I whip out our camera!  My arms just aren't long enough!

Senior Status!

I know that I've gotten away from Throwback Thursday.  I try to keep up, but lately, I can't even tell you what day of the week it is.

But today will live in my heart forever.  Instead of throwing back, I'm looking ahead.  Will is officially a senior.  No more of the "in a year or two" or "next year" stuff.  We're there.  And he couldn't be more excited!

In fact, he's so excited that he had to send out his first official "senior" snap chat!

It's official!!

It's official.  We're selling the house.  Tonight, we signed the contract and the house will be officially listed on Monday.  Wow, what a year this is going to be.  I can't say that I'm not sad.  I can't say that I won't miss the deer, the bunnies, the raccoons and the trees.  I will absolutely miss every inch of the house that Jeff built for all of us.  But it's time for Jeff and I to find a place for us.  One that we can grow old in.  One that doesn't have so much work that we'll be old way before our time.  It's hard to imagine life in a year when Will leaves too and we're empty nesters.  Its even harder to imagine roaming through this house, cleaning their empty rooms and waiting for that winter or spring break that will go by way too fast.

I hope one day they'll understand.  I hope they know that it's more important to us to be able to save and help them with their first home as opposed to killing ourselves to hold on to their childhood home.  Love will always fill our house, no matter which house it it.  I'll be waiting at the door to welcome them home...no matter the address of that home.  I've always told Jeff and the boys that we could live in a box under a bridge and it wouldn't matter, as long as we were all together.  I mean that.  Home is where your heart is.

Every minute.

Senior packets came home today.  With a tear in my eye, I read all the do's and don't for senior pictures, community service, yearbook ads and baby pictures.  My tears were short lived.  It's hard to cry when your upcoming senior is grinning from ear to ear.  It's finally here.  And I know that it's going to fly by.  So I'm determined to enjoy each and every minute of it.  And just so you know, there are 486,720 minutes until graduation!

Work! Work! Work!

All of this packing and decluttering is great.  The house is fresh and clean, no junk hanging around.  Just a few more rooms and a couple cans of paint and we'll be all set and ready to show.

But let me tell you how much I can't wait to get back to work.  I've managed to squeeze in a few sessions, but sewing has all but come to a screeching halt.  And just when I thought I might have to wait a few more weeks to get back in the swing of things, I get this picture from a photographer.  Yep, that's my outfit.  It's sooo cool to see my stuff in use on a stranger across the country.

So tomorrow I'm going to finish the storage room...and then I'm going to sew.  And sew.  And sew. I miss being creative!  I think we're earned a little break :D