Suzanne McGrath Photography

Six on Sunday

Hello!  Did you have beautiful weather like we did this weekend?  I sure hope so because it was AWESOME!

 

1.  We just had one of those weekends that was perfect!  You know the kind I'm talking about?  It was just such a great mix of outside time (lots of it!), family time, project time, meal prep.  Basically, it was the perfect weekend.  I loved it.  

My weekend started out Friday night at the school carnival.  Since the hubby worked one of the stations, I left early (I'm basically over that kind of stuff) and headed to Home Depot.  Now THAT is my idea of a great Friday night.  No joke.  I'm lame.  I LOVE Home Depot on a Friday night because it's empty and I can roam the aisles and dream up all kinds of projects I want to tackle.  Plus, I knew the Littles were having a blast at the Carnival so I had no guilt.  

Saturday morning I was up bright and early and not mad about it.  (7am is bright and early for me.)  I headed to the grocery store which was lovely because it was empty and I was in and out in a flash.  Back to the house for deck prep.  Yep, our deck really just needs a match but arson is a felony (I guess) so I thought I would just paint it.  Again.  It was pathetic:

I "stained" it 6 summers ago.  I remember because it was that really gross, hot summer which was 2012.  I meant to do this last summer but time got away from me.  Well this year I laid out all my projects and April = deck refresh.  This was the first weekend where it was warm enough and dry enough to tackle.  Luckily, our weekend was nearly free since we only had one volleyball game yesterday.  That meant I had time for this and the weather was so great I was happy to work on it!

I bought two gallons of Behr Deck Over.  It's supposed to last 10 years.  We'll see about that.  But so far I am happy with the coverage.  It's really thick, gross paint.  #3 said it looked like a Sonic shake and she was right!  That said, it looks ten times better now:

I need to apply one more coat of white and then I'm going to paint a buffalo plaid "rug".  I'm excited for the final product.

 

2.  We now have not one, but two hammocks.  Yep, #4 received two hammocks for birthday presents.  One of them still needs special straps to hang it up.  But the other one has been in use all week and ALL the girls love it!  It's just adorable.

Once we order the special straps for the second hammock, I think we can hang them both up.  It's not the prettiest landscaping but who cares because they love them so much!

 

3.  High school soccer and swim are in full swing and I love it!  Sure, our nights are crazy but it is so fun to watch the big girls compete in high school.  And I just love all he camaraderie that comes along with team sports.  

The "C" team that #2 plays on is undefeated with zero goals against them.  They play as though they have been playing together for years.  It's really fun to watch!  And #1 finally got her second state cut last Thursday night.  She is now qualified for the 100 breaststroke and the 200 IM.  

This week #2's soccer games will be the most competitive of the season so I'm really excited.  And #1 will swim in the EKL (East Kansas League) meet this Friday and Saturday.  It's a really fun meet and I love the location.  So this is gearing up to be a fun week.  Plus my mom is coming down Thursday for the weekend.  She'll get to see most of the kids play their sports except for the Littles because #3 has a soccer tournament in Iowa, and #4 has a bi-week for volleyball.  But she'll see the big girls and the cousins.  It's hard to be able to see all six kids.

 

4.  As I mentioned, Friday night was the school carnival.  Well, the hubby ended up agreeing to let #3 have three friends sleep over that night.  I didn't mind one bit because our Saturday was practically empty.  The girls stuck around quite awhile on Saturday, too.  This was #3 at 6pm last night:

They played so long and so hard that she missed dinner and still went to bed by 10pm!  

 

5.  Since I painted the deck we couldn't let Darby out the back door.  She was not happy but found solace in the window:

 

6.  I am so ready for school to be done and summer to commence.  Since the big girls are home at night now and not at sports practice, I told them all I was done making lunches.  (I HATE making lunches!)  Seriously, I can't wait for leisurely evenings at the pool, late dinners, walks around the neighborhood, and late bedtimes.  Summer is the best!

 

Anyway, that's all I've got for tonight.  I need to get outside and get one more coat of white paint on my "rug" on the deck.  Have a great week! 


 

Six on Sunday

Hello!  How was your weekend?  It feels as if spring might be finally on her way.  My fingers are crossed the 60* temperatures stick around awhile!

 

1.  So yesterday morning I was sitting on the couch, barely awake, drinking my first cup of coffee when this picture floated across my screen:

MY SISTER GOT ENGAGED!!!!!!  

I was floored!  But in a good way.  I am, well we all are all so excited for her and Jason and the kids.  They have everything planned and we just have to get ourselves to Vail, CO on Aug 11th to watch them get married.  We are all so darn excited!  I am going to be the official photographer which is nerve-wracking but awesome.  The girls finally get to attend a wedding and reception that they actually remember.  And best of all, we absolutely adore Jason and can't wait to make him an official part of our family.  I mean, he has been a part of our family for years, but now it will be "official".  So cool!  

We had them over for dinner tonight to toast their engagement and this is the scene I found when I went to the kitchen for a refill of my wine:

I thought it was so funny.  All the kids (minus #1 who was back to homework) were hanging out and Darby, the cat, was just one of the gang.  
 

2.  The big girls and I went to see I Feel Pretty last night.  We all really enjoyed the movie.  It has such a positive message for girls that I think it's a great movie for teenager girls (and older) to see.  (Although, it is rated PG-13 so I didn't bring my little girls and that was a good decision for us.)  I mean, it's meant to entertain and it does.  You have to realize it's just a movie and let yourself go for a couple hours but I thought it was worthy of bringing my girls and I'm glad they saw it.  I'd recommend it!  (Although I have to say, it wasn't as funny as say, Trainwreck.  It was still worth the price of the movie ticket and I'm glad I saw it.

 

3.  I cleaned out the little girls closet this week and took a HAUL to Goodwill yesterday.  I should have taken a picture.  The entire back end of my Suburban was FULL.  But man, does that feel good!?

 

4.  The hubby and I were really productive today.  I was so happy with our work.  He painted and installed the baseboards in #1's bathroom.  Then, we managed to hang the vanity in her bathroom as well.  (His sister bought the sink and is shipping it to us from Texas since Ikea is out of the sink for MONTHS.)

So the pictures give you an idea of the space.  The toilet is in the garage, just ready to be installed.  We are actually going to replace the drawers with wood which I think will really warm up the space.  Then we just need the finishing touches:  a rug, faucet, mirror, TP and towel holders.  I'm so excited at how close we are to the end!  Plus I just LOVE how it is turning out!

 

5.  We are hosting #2's Soccer Team for dinner tomorrow night.  I tell you, there is nothing like a house full of teenage girls to motivate me to clean my house!  I actually love this feeling.  My main floor is in awesome condition and the dinner will be so fun.  I love these girls!  They are awesome soccer players and such great girls.  I'm thrilled to have them over tomorrow night for a Mexican Fiesta.  (I thought they might be tired of pasta?)  

And then Wednesday night I'm helping another mom put on a team dinner for #1's swim team.  This is going to be a busy week!  Two team dinners, two soccer games, and a swim meet plus the normal practices for the little girls.  But I wouldn't have it any other way.  I love it.

 

6.  My refrigerator is so full that the garage "beer fridge" is full of food, too.  I am dreaming of installing these:

 

One is a 19 cubic foot refrigerator and the other is a 19 cubic foot freezer.  How amazing would that be?!  So now I just need to work on the hubby because buying these and installing them would mean an entire wall of new cabinets.  And while I am at it, I think we should get two wall ovens because there have been so many times in the last few months when I could have used two ovens.  I mean, I love to cook and entertain, so I think I should have a kitchen that allows that.  Right?!  (Ha, don't answer that as I know I am being snotty.)  But still, I want these SO BAD!!!  sigh

 

Anyway, that's all I've got for tonight.  Have a great week!

 

Six on Sunday

Hello from the Tundra.  Seriously, I think the windchill was supposed to be 18* here today.  That's just stupid. It's April 15th, not January 105th!  Ugh.  

 

1.  We had another birthday in our household...#4 turned 9 years old today!  She loved being the birthday girl all day and milked it for everything it was worth.  For example, we had to run to Home Depot and she managed to walk out of there with a Kit Kat since, you know, it was her birthday.  Sometimes I'm weak.  

Her requested dinner tonight was pasta with a naked sauce (butter/olive oil + garlic), roasted green beans, garlic bread, and cupcakes.  Easy enough!

Yes, her gifts are wrapped in Christmas paper.  At least they're wrapped, right?  Don't judge.  

At 9 years old, Kennedy is:

• Timid.  Still.  Even being the 4th child, she is still fairly reserved and it takes her awhile to open up to others.
• Fashionable.  She LOVES fashion.  She spends way too much time obsessing over the weather and what to wear that day.
• Funny.  She still says the cutest things and we all smile knowingly at each other.  Today, she was reading directions to the cupcakes she was making and she was calling "ounces", "oz" like the wizard of oz.  (it was abbreviated)
• Smart.  She is such a great student and we don't have to stay on top of her at all.  Which is good because we are so not those parents and if she needed that help she'd be doomed.
• Independent.  (When she wants to be)  She really wanted to take a certain art camp this summer and had me sign her up without knowing if anyone else will be in the class.

All in all, she had a great day and she and #3 even made her dessert - strawberry cupcakes.  Seriously, they made them and the frosting without any help from me.  How awesome is that?!

 

2.  So the weather has been AWFUL this month.  Seriously.  I think it was probably warmed in December than it's been in April.  #3 has had the last three soccer games cancelled - two last weekend and one this weekend.  #2 had two soccer games cancelled two weeks ago.  It's horrible.  I'm really, really ready for spring!

Speaking of spring...guess what the hubby bought at Costco today?  A huge lily pad for the lake!  It's 17' x 6' and we can't wait to use it!  (My sister said she'd go in halvsies with us which is awesome.)  We can't wait to use it.  The girls are dying but know they won't get to the lake until the 4th of July this year since they will be in Hilton Head for Memorial Day.  I have a feeling the hubby and I are going to break it in over Memorial Day while we're down there sans kids!  

 

3.  While our weekend was fairly quiet since soccer was cancelled today and we only had #4's volleyball game yesterday, last week was NUTS!  #2 had a soccer game on both Monday and Tuesday after school.  #3 had a choir concert down in midtown on Tuesday night, and #1 had a LONG swim meet Thursday night.  Suffice it to say, I was DONE by Friday night.  And thankfully the weather cooperated because we had beers in the cul-de-sac with the neighbors Friday night and it was so much fun!  Man, I love where we live.

 

4.  I worked on a few projects this weekend:  painting the basement doors (still), putting together the Ikea Godmorgon vanity for #1's bathroom, and cutting up vegetables for the week.  You know what made all that stuff FUN?!  Watching The Americans on Amazon Prime Video.  The new, last season just came out and I'm behind so I've been trying to catch up.  I don't watch TV during the week so the weekend is my only time.  And I've been binging on The Americans like it's my JOB.  It's so good!

And you know what else just came out this last week in its final season?  New Girl.  Yep, the last season.  I love that show and while I haven't yet watched last season, I did watch the episode from this week and it did not disappoint.  Now I just have to go back and catch up from last season.  However, since the episodes are only 22 minutes it will be pretty easy to catch up with that show!  And I have to prioritize and get it done before Younger comes back in May, I think.  Man, for someone who doesn't really watch TV, I watch a LOT of shows, huh?! 

 

5.  You know I started a new job last September, right?  While I do really like my job, I despise the location.  I'm way out south of town and the closest Target is a good 15 minute drive.  That means I no longer get to run errands over my lunch hour and that sucks.  I loved the location of my last job because it was close to EVERYTHING.  And since I work out in the mornings, my lunch hour is free.  I used to get about 90% of my errands finished over my lunch hour and now I have to do them all on the weekend.  I've definitely noticed the difference because I don't get as many of my projects accomplished on the weekend as I did previously.  Kind of sucks but I guess that's just life.  Sigh...

 

6.  Taxes.  I just finished them lat night.  (Yep, I'm a real party animal on Saturday nights.  Try not to be jealous.)  Anyway, I hate doing taxes.  Not that they are hard, just stupid.  I'm too lazy to find an accountant to do them so I just use Turbo Tax.  But at least they are filed and I'm done.  I can't say the same for #1 who is going to have to learn how to do her taxes tomorrow night.  I volunteered the hubby to teach her because I just can't do anymore taxes.  Nope.  I'm done until next year.  Probably April 13th again because that's just how I roll.

 

Well, that's all I've got for tonight.  The hubby and I have a date with our DVR to watch Atomic Blond while the kids hang out downstairs, eat cupcakes, and stay up too late because they don't have school tomorrow.  Lucky.  Have a great week!  

TEN on Sunday

I'm back after a one week hiatus.  I feel like we have a lot to catch up on after two weeks.  So let's go...

 

1.  We celebrated a birthday in our family a week and a half ago.  The hubby turned 45!  His actual birthday was really hectic and busy with a swim meet, soccer game, and working the concession stand.  So we waited until Saturday to take him out for dinner.  We tried the Martin City Brewery and it was really fun!  The atmosphere was great, the food good, and the beer great. I would recommend it if you like beer and burgers.  I had the Yoga Pants brew and loved it!

My parents, the hubby's parents, and my sister all pitched in with me to buy him a Yeti cooler.  We got a big one (65 gallons) and he was shocked and delighted!  We can't wait to use it down at the lake and on our road trip to DC this summer.  It was really fun to see him so excited and shocked so I feel like I nailed this gift!  

 

2.  I didn't blog last Sunday because it was Easter and we were busy.  

The little girls were up by 7:15 and woke the big girls up at 7:45 to hung for eggs.  (They are color coded and hidden according to age.)  I feel like the Easter Bunny nailed it this year by getting each girl various athleisure clothes.In fact, I was sad not to get my own basket!  

My sister's family came over for a late brunch after church and then they hung out with us for a couple hours.  The kids dyed Easter eggs after brunch and it was a big hit!  (It was actually #1's idea so it goes to show you even big kids can dye eggs.)

It was a nice relaxing afternoon!

 

3.  After it quieted down, I cajoled the hubby into tiling #1's bathroom floor.  He wasn't really feeling it, but I twisted his arm and he relented.  We accomplished this:

It felt really good to get all that accomplished in a few hours!

 

4.  Meanwhile, since it was snowing, the little girls played outside:

 

5.  This past week was supposed to be crazy busy with soccer games and practices but nearly everything was cancelled due to the weather.  Seriously, I saw a meme somewhere that said it feels like January 74th.  That is so true!!

#3 was supposed to have a game last Friday night and another one today but by 4pm Friday afternoon they were both cancelled.  That's just nuts for April!

 

6.  I missed #4's first volleyball game of the new season which was a bummer.  The hubby said she had some really good games.  But I'll get to see her next weekend so it's all good!

 

7.  I made a quick trip down to Arkansas this weekend to help my mom get settled in her new house.  I didn't bring any of the girls because they were all busy except #2 and she didn't want to organize or run errands which is pretty much what my mom and I did all weekend.  

We had a lot of fun together and I feel like she is nearly settled.  We organized the pantry, the storage room, and the two guest room closets.  We ran a few errands to get baskets and things to help with the organization.  And she treated me and her special friend to a fun dinner at a new bar and grill in Bella Vista last night.  I was on the road by 11am today and home by 2pm.  So it was a quick trip but a good one.  

 

8.  My in-laws bought all four girls tickets to Hilton Head over Memorial week.  They are flying out on Saturday afternoon and flying back home the next Friday.  They are all really excited but #4 is definitely a little nervous.  I think she is nervous to be flying without parents but I know the big girls will be great with her.  And if she stayed home I'm afraid she would have a terribly boring week since the hubby and I will be working.  So I'm going to cross my fingers and hope the trip goes smoothly for her!

 

9.  I am thinking about offering to do Senior Pictures this summer.  I've done countless senior pictures for friends and I love doing it so I thought, why not?  Plus, I'll be taking #1's senior pics this summer, too!  (Tangent:  How is it possible she is going to be a senior next year?!?!  I mean, I will only have one year left with her?  I can't even think about it!!!)  

Anyway, if you are interested or know anyone who is, give me a shout!  I can show you samples of my work and we can chat. 

 

10.  After I got home today and promptly made two pots of chili, the hubby and I finished up the tile floor.  I LOVE IT SO MUCH!!!  

We've made so much progress, but then we still have a long way to go.  Sigh...We have to patch the wall where the vanity used to be, touch-up paint around the whole room, install baseboards, install the new vanity, beg someone to order the top for us and ship it to us since our Ikea is out and it will be AT LEAST 2 months before it will be available online, install a new toilet, install a new light, and hang blinds.  Really, I just want to get a vanity in there so she can start using the bathroom but I think it will be at least a couple more weeks.

But for now, I just go in there and gaze at that floor because I love it so!

 

Phew!  There you go.  We are all caught up.  Have a great week.  Maybe it will start to feel like spring this week?  Please oh please oh please...