Saturday, May 26, 2012

Beach Afternoon

Today we didn't have plans. I like leaving Saturday mornings open for cleaning, playing, and just being home. The kids and I stay in our PJs as long as possible. Today we decided to head to the beach to see Megan and Josh, who are moving back to the area in July. They were staying at the resort, so met up with them there. They gave a small aquarium area that they open daily. We cruised through and saw tropical fish, turtles, an eel, and turtles. The kids had fun checking them out. The water was the perfect temperature today. Loved catching up with the Hamann's and csn't wait till they move back. More play dates!

GNO (Girls Night Out)

GNO is always needed. We had a blast sitting and catching up. We celebrated Tricia and my birthday (really early, but leaving for TN before). Michelle left prior to us getting a picture. It is always good to get out and enjoy a meal without high chairs and chocolate milk. Wine was my beverage of choice.

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Yard in progress

The grass is in and the plants are planted. The yard is lookin' good. I love coming home and seeing the green, weed-free grass. The trees are small, but full of potential. We have chosen the following trees:

1 Royal Poinciana
1 Mahogany tree
2 Small trees with red buds (will find the name later)
We also chose a type of grass to go around thee patio, garlic grass. It actually has a slight garlic smell, but keeps bugs away.
I am going to buy a few more plants to add in the next week. Mulch is coming also. More pictures as we go. The grass is what is making the biggest difference. Over time everything else will take over and turn it into the Florida paradise we want.



Monday, May 21, 2012

The Before Pictures

Adam and I moved into this house 7 years ago in September. As I sit here blogging, I think back to what the house looked like when we moved in. The walls were white, the floor carpet, no window treatments, and no landscaping. We have done small upgrades over time and I am in love with our house.
Before moving to Virginia, I was constantly looking around trying to figure out ways to make it better. Now, after living in an older home that had TONS of issues (mice and mold to name a few) I count my blessings daily. Again, I LOVE our house. It's not huge, but is just right for our family. There was one last thing that continually hung over our heads... the yard. I have done some landscaping in the front, but NOTHING has been done in the backyard. The grass is 90% weeds. We are outside daily with the kids. So...time has come for the grass to pulled up and sod to come in. Tonight our neighbors took us to a friend of theirs that has a private nursery. We picked up a truck load of palms, a mahogany tree, some grasses, and 2 trees with blooms. The grass in the front yard was put down today. The grass in the back will be put down tomorrow. We are going to have a large bed cut out around the patio. Below are the before pictures. I will update as we go.

Less Thinking and More Doing

This weekend began my long list of summer Pinterest DIY projects. I found these wooden chargers (yes, they were a dark wood and are actually wood) in the clearance section @ Walmart for $2. I grabbed them and ran to the paint section to grab some spray paint. After 2 coats, some sanding to give them a very subtle shabby-chic look, some modgepodge, scrapbook paper, and pictures, I had a new gallery of our latest photos. Love!!!
My chalkboard project has been sitting in the garage since Christmas. One of the houses down the street was cleaned out and had a pile at the end of the driveway. I drove by slowly looking for any useful junk. I saw this huge, cheap, golden frame. I stopped and threw it in the back. Last week I finally went and had a board cut to fit. I picked up a quart of chalkboard paint and started creating. I had tons of fun putting both of these projects together. Now on to the yard...

Sunday, May 13, 2012

Mother's Day

Call me crazy, but going to the water park was what I wanted to do today. The kids always have a blast and the process isn't as extensive as going to the beach. Being outside is something we all enjoy. The kids ran hard for almost 3 hours. Afterwards we had good naps and grilled out for dinner. Hunter had decorated a cake at school and was able to enjoy it with me after dinner. What a great Mother's Day.

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Appreciating Our Teachers

Ok...I have an addiction problem with Pinterest. I am constantly finding cute ideas for crafts, gifts, and projects. Below are the kids teacher appreciation gifts. The tags read, "Thank you for helping Hunter bloom.". I hope they enjoy this as much as I did making them.

T-ball 2nd Practice

Hunter's practice was cancelled last week due to bad weather. This week he was ready to go. Adam has been prepping him by drilling in the bases. The coach is amazing with the kids. He is teaching the fundamentals in a very creative way.
Mackenzie and Samantha have a blast playing together. They seem to entertain themselves. Adam even joked asking if we should pay Samantha for babysitting. We don't get many moments of sitting and just observing our kids in action without being part of the action. I am enjoying these t-ball practices.

Monday, May 7, 2012

Breakfast in Bed

A few weekends ago, Mackenzie decided to bring her daddy breakfast in bed. We got some giggles from this.

Cuteness

Just some random pictures of little lady sporting cuteness.