June 2020 Hodgepodge

We've been trying to keep ourselves busy with projects around the house.  I cleaned out one section of our front garden bed last year and planned on getting some plants in there.  We also have a circular planter in the front yard.  It had a few large hostas and some orange lilies, but they weren't in any sort of order.  I took out the hostas and split them to plant in front of the house and then spread out the lilies.  We still need to get some additional mulch and I will probably add some landscape timbers to keep the mulch in. 

Parker has stepped up his chore game lately helping with laundry.  He's got all the steps down from watching Jimmy.  I also made a play washer out of a paper box and that's been his pride and joy as of late.

He also likes to use his fidget spinners to make air conditioners (at least that's what I think he doing.). He gets the spinner going then adds the basket on top.  Such a creative little guy.

We are getting to the heart of summer and the pool has been up almost constantly.  Esme is really starting to instigate some horseplay, which I usually allow as long as they don't get too rowdy.

We did some sprucing up on the inside as well and finally got curtains up in our bedrooms.  Esme got some fun floral print blackout curtains that pulled together all the other colors in her room.

Parker some some ombre star curtains to go with his space theme.  He also got a new spaceship lamp a couple months ago.

I decided to try a little layout change in our bedroom.  We don't have a whole lot of options, but moving the bed to a blank wall will make it easier to add a headboard some day.  I also like that it's no longer against a window.  This also created a need for an alternate nightstand for my side of the bed.  I found a set of three small shelves on Amazon.  The smallest one is a perfect spot for my phone, watch, and glasses overnight.  I installed the other two next to our mirror.  It's amazing our a little fabric and some shelves can really pull a room together.

I am looking forward to more house projects and can't wait to make the rest of our rooms as cozy as this.

Father's Day Weekend

Like with most things these days, Father's Day weekend was laid back.  Jimmy worked, but we found some time to spend together as a family and I was able to give Jimmy some fun surprises.  We took a family drive on Saturday night and grabbed McDonalds for the kids.  Family drives have become commonplace these days.  With less outings and more time at home, it feels like we are going somewhere without actually going anywhere.  

I made a special dessert for Sunday with some Limoncello liqueur we bought in Italy 9.5 years ago. Limoncello bundt cake was a hit with most of us.  Esme really liked it, but it wasn't for Parker.

We finished with cheeseburgers on the grill.

Unfortunately this year seems like it will be bit underwhelming when it comes to most things, but we will make the best of it.

Staycation Night Away

Jimmy took on full kid duty for most of our vacation.  I decided to give him some much needed time alone.  My mom had been out of town on business and my nephew was staying at him mom's, so my parents house was pretty empty.  I packed up the kids Saturday afternoon and headed out there to spend the night.  We got to do all of favorite country activities and some new ones.  Freezies and twister rides are a must!

We brought Parker's 4-wheeler and he was really able to expand his comfort zone.  We figured out that he loves following the Twister, so we took him through the trees and in to some of the taller grass.

The hot tub is a must when visiting the country too.  This will probably be the last time we get to use it for a while because my dad is going to be replacing his deck boards as well.

We took one last Twister ride and visited the cows before taking our annual tree pictures.

We took them a week earlier than normal since we won't be able to see them for a couple weeks after my mom get back home.

Esme's Tree Pictures: 2016 and 2017

2018 and 2019

2020

Parker's Tree Pictures: 2012 and 2013

2014 and 2015

2016 and 2017

2018 and 2019

2020

Esme crashed back at home just before dinner.  She needed the rest for our return to reality today.  Jimmy and I were back at work and Esme returned to daycare for the first time in 2.5 months.  Her and Parker are in desperate need of some time apart and it will be much easier for me to work with just Parker at home.

We have another week off scheduled for the end of August.  I may decide to save some vacation and work, but we will see how the rest of the summer pans out.