This Week

One afternoon, I thought we were getting ready to run some errands and this is what I found...

After dinner one night, we broke out the Corn Hole.  Pumpkin and I beat the Big Guy and Peanut.  But, the mosquitoes almost beat us all!

On Wednseday night, the boys went to a swim "class."  Pumpkin was happy to be back in the water.  Getting in shape for this swim season is going to be a challenge.  It is the longest time that he has been out of the water.

Pumpkin's watched lots of movies.  I've just loved hanging at home with him!

Monday, August 4, 2014

Peanut's first day of school was on Monday.  They start so early here!  He got lucky this year as the weather was warm but not in the triple digits.  He's had a great start to his sophomore year and seems to be settling in.  So happy!

(This picture of the front door just makes me smile.  I got the itch to paint the front door and ran with it.  I even painted the storm door including all the nooks and crannies.)

Monday was the Coast Guard's 224th birthday!  Pumpkin donned the Big Guy's jersey for his bike ride in honor of the special day.  Still pinching myself that Pumpkin is here.  Loving every minute...

Visiting Nana & Pa

After church on Sunday morning, we headed to see The Big Guy's parents.  I snapped this picture with Nana as we waited for Pa to get up from his nap.  All is good in their world.

I don't know if I've mentioned it here that the Big Guy's mom suffers for Alzheimer's.  It is a horrible disease.  If there is a bright side, Nana is in a happy place.  Recently, I walked into Macy's to look at their selection of bathing suits.  It took me right back to a trip to Macy's, years ago,  shortly after we moved here.  Nana and I went to the store.  We ended up trying on suit after suit.  Both of us walked away with new suits to wear.  Who knew I would reflect on that shopping trip with such positive memories.  It was one time when she actually bought something and was excited to wear the suit to the pool and the beach.  Again, this disease is a tough one on family members as you just can't share the memories.

It has taught us quite a bit, though.  You have to live for the moment.  I pray I can do more of that without the worries associated with everyday life. 

Room Reveal

It all started on Presidents' Weekend in 2013.  Pumpkin was out of town for a swim meet.  I gathered up all his swim tshirts from his entire swimming career and started cutting.  I decided to cut plain squares keeping it all very simple.  If there was any chance that I was going to sew a quilt, it had to be simple.  I got all the shirts cut and sized.  And, I determined some sort of pattern.  Then, the rows sat in the playroom closet.

Fast forward to the fall of 2013 and we are cleaning out my mom's house.  My sister, the very talented seamstress, told me to send the squares her way and she'd try her hand at sewing her first tshirt quilt.  After lots of time and talent, the quilt was completed this spring.

Pumpkin was still at the Academy.  Peanut had taken over his "old" room.  We decide to officially change up the boy's rooms.  I wanted the quilt to be the focal point in Pumpkin's room.  So, we tried our hand at building our own headboard.  It was a fun weekend and a new creative project.

By the time we got the headboard built, it was too hot in the garage to paint.  So, the headboard took over some space in the kitchen for a week or so.  It was my first time to use chalk paint.  I starting with a layer of charcoal and added the blue on top.  Then, I distressed it in places so the darker color showed through.  It was all pretty easy.

We moved all of Pumpkin's stuff down and Peanut's stuff up.  I bought new sheets, a new bed skirt and a couple other things.  I really tried to use items we had on hand.  Here is the end result -

Coast Guard Academy swimming is front and center in the quilt.  If you use your imagination, the squares are in a sort of diamond pattern via color.  The quilt is enormous.  Note to self - cut smaller squares if I ever do one again.

I found this dog print on target.com.  I had no idea they had the art selection they have.  The picture of the flag is one I took when we met up with Pumpkin in Miami.  He was raising that flag and lost his cap in the water.

For the first time ever, we added a TV to the bedroom.  We figured he would enjoy that luxury. (I know he has.  I find him on the bed watching all different kind of things!)

 Buddy made himself right at home.  Now that Pumpkin is home, Buddy doesn't bat an eye about jumping up on the bed and making himself comfortable next to Pumpkin.

I think Pumpkin likes the quilt and his room.  He spent lots of time the first night looking at all the shirts and reminiscing.  He has invested many years in swimming!

Sandestin 2014

We were lucky to find a place on homeaway.com that would accommodate pets for our summer beach vacation.  We ended up staying at the Pilot House in Baytowne Wharf.  It was wonderful.  We had easy access to taking Buddy out.  He was a great traveler and got lots of long walks on numerous walking paths.  Buddy is an attention getter.  He got lots of compliments and lots of extra pets.

We rented a minivan for our precious cargo.  I'm embarrassed to admit that we filled the minivan up!

Once we unpacked, we headed to the beach for a beautiful sunset.  The beaches of the Emerald Coast are gorgeous.

 After scoping out the beach, we headed off to dinner.

My sunbathing sons did not stay in on the towels long.  There were red flags up on Monday.  The boys loved the waves staying in the ocean as long as possible wearing themselves out.  It is a good thing they rode as many waves as they did.  As the week progressed, the water got calmer and calmer.

 Pumpkin covered Peanut with sand…you have to do that once a beach trip, right?

 Gorgeous...

We got up every morning to do some cardio.  The weather was perfect.  It was hot, but not too hot and the humidity was very low.  We were so grateful.

There was lots of fun on the trip - even when lathering with sunscreen.  We ate out three nights and ate in the rest.  We played card games and dice games.  It was quality family time.  For sure!

I splurged on an inner tube from the grocery store.   The water was so calm.  I just relaxed on the tube. The guys got face masks and goggles.  They swam out looking for life in the water.  They found lots of sand dollars, a big crab, a hermit crab in a big shell, fish, of course, and a stingray.  I did not get a picture, but they played lots of paddle board.

It warmed my heart to have all my boys playing ball and hanging out.  When the boys were little little, the Big Guy spent countless hours throwing the ball with them.  It was the same thing all over again, the smiles, the laughter, the smack talk.  Love it!

I just feel so lucky that we had the week we had.  Love our time together!

He IS home!

Pumpkin flew in last Saturday.  It feels good to have us all at home.

 We let him carry his sea bag.  It weighs a ton!

Corn Fritters

One of my favorite foods that my mom used to make is corn fritters.  I am sure she made them to use up extra corn or to stretch a can of corn.  We did not have them very much.  But, they made an impression.  When my parents came to meet my boys after they were born, this was my dinner of choice.

Well…we got some fresh sweet corn and had some ears left over.  I pulled out a very old Betty Crocker cookbook and tried my hand at my own corn fritters.  They were ok.  Peanut wasn't home that night.  So, the next night I doctored the recipe, used up the last of the fresh corn and made some fabulous fritters.  I forgot to take a picture of those.

It is so funny how some foods have such special meaning.  I felt like my mom was right at the table with us, not many miles away.