monday miscellany

1) We had a very productive weekend, although I feel like I didn't get very far in a way because I started so many things and didn't have time to finish them. My parents stayed over Saturday and that was a big help. I got grocery shopping done a day early. We cleared out the basement and I cleaned down there on Sunday. Our house suffers from twenty years or so of neglect from the previous owners, so even though I've cleaned the finished room in the basement before, every time I clean that floor it's still filthy. I guess I'll just keep going at it whenever I have time and try to get it clean eventually. I also did a lot of work clearing leaves, but again we have the years of neglect working against us. There are so many leaves that we have to figure out how to get rid of them. I think we have to hire someone to come clean them up and take them away, but maybe this week I can at least finish clearing our property near the road where we have flowers coming up.

2) Celia was watching Caillou in her chair the other day, leaning back with her fingers laced behind her head. I don't know where she learned to sit like that, but it was kind of funny.

3) Celia is starting to want privacy when she goes to the bathroom now. It's pretty cute. She will go in and close the door a little, and if I go near the bathroom she tells me to go away because she wants "pwivacy".

4) We are so overwhelmed with projects we want and need to do for the house and yard. We have a vision for what it will all be like one day, but it seems like a monumental feat to complete everything. In addition to changes and improvements, we also have basic maintenance to take care of that the previous owners didn't do. The house needs to be painted, there's rotting exterior wood to replace, and we need gutters. That means a lot of money and a longer time before we can do fun stuff like build a patio and improve the back yard. Honestly, the list of things to do is a mile long. If we could afford to just do it all without having to prioritize and budget for it, it might actually be fun...

5) I'm highly aware that the above "problem" is ridiculous. In fact, I kind of cringed as I typed the last sentence. Yes, it's a bit stressful and overwhelming, but we are darn lucky to have these problems instead of other ones that would be much worse. I still will never take for granted how lucky we are to have this house and everything in it.


6) Despite the overwhelming project our yard has become, there are nice things too. Lots of blossoms opening and flowers emerging these days.

7) I'm completely addicted to the Hunger Games books. On book two right now. Have you read them? I'm a little late getting to them, but all the movie hype finally peaked my curiosity.

8) Also Hunger Games related, I heard on the news about critics complaining that the actress playing Katniss has too much meat on her bones in the movie. Typically I would say it's horrible to complain that an actress isn't thin enough, but in this case it does make sense. The character is supposed to have had a rough life and faced the threat of starvation. Her appearance should make the character believable.

9) I got a spring/summer wreath for the front hall.

I also found a mantle on Pinterest with topiaries and a wreath that would be really pretty over our fireplace for spring and summer. Let me know in the comments if you've seen any like this in a store! Maybe Michaels or even Target would have something?

Link

10) This picture isn't great, but you know how Chris makes up characters and always tell Celia stories? I caught him telling Henry his very first story the other day. It was pretty cute.