Come Sail Away, Come Sail Away With Me...

I am so elated I am "sailing away"!

{Did I not mention yesterday that we've been sorting through our old school music collection?}

Why?

Because we finally got the sun sail shade up on the patio!

I've got news for you:

this was not a simple feat.

But first, a little background.

We decided awhile ago that we wanted this type of shade over the patio.

Pinterest

So long ago, in fact, that we had the sail in our possession before the concrete was even poured.

{We opted for the industrial grade 18.5'x18.5' shade as found on Amazon.}

That was way back in April.

If you have followed our (slowly but surely) progress, you know that we poured the concrete in April.

A month later we stained and sealed it.

Along the way, Justin built the back porch.

I think all we managed to finish during the crazy month of June was staining the wood on the porch.

Oh, and Justin yanked out the hideous A/C unit by the back door while I was in Seattle. See?

Let me hear a  'Whoop! Whoop!'

The wicked/ugly/outdated A/C unit is history!

Anyway, then it started getting pretty toasty around these parts.

Try installing a sun sail shade in 90 degree heat...without shade to keep you cool.

Irony anyone?

First we had to install the poles, which required some fairly deep holes. Justin dug these while I was in Texas.

To secure the poles in the ground we surrounded them with concrete.

And rigged them ever so professionally while the concrete set.

After some debate - are we the only married couple that can never, ever decide on the same paint color? - we decided to go with a metallic brown on the poles.

Naturally, we primed first; these poles rust overnight without the proper coverage.

Just look at that beautiful metallic shimmer!

{Pardon the semi-dead plants. Like I said, its been really hot here.}

Justin installed the other two anchor points on the house.

 

It goes without saying that this sun shade sail needs to be secure and taut, and we're praying our efforts will make it just that. Our little ridge can get some crazy winds.

A few weeks ago we had two of our brother-in-laws staying with us; Justin capitalized the availability of extra hands and the three of them attempted to put up the sail.

Project fail.

It simply wasn't tight enough to work properly.

It looked bad. Really bad.

I should have taken a picture but I was too busy being nervous; because when Justin gets nervous, I get really nervous.

When you invest in a $100 plus sun shade, drill holes in your roof, and install two huge steel posts (in concrete!) in your yard, you'd better be darn sure your plan is going to come together.

I admitted to Justin this week (after the project finally came together) that I was worried there for a minute that we had screwed up. He admitted he'd been worried as well.

But sometimes home improvement is about trial and error, right?

We took the shade down so it didn't depress us every time we walked out the back door. Then Justin borrowed a come along tool from Grandpa Rodger and gave it another try.

Perfection!

Once it cools off below 95 we will totally be out there enjoying our new shade!

Two final thoughts:

1.

Did anyone else notice how perfect one of those poles would be for holding up one side of a volleyball net?  Yeah, baby!  Just be warned that we will accept no liability if you fall into our sinkhole mid-match.

2.

My husband is incredibly productive when I'm gone. Perhaps I should get away more often.  (Just kidding, babe!)

Ten on Tuesday

{1}
This is what a Tuesday night looks like in our house:

{2}

Tell me you love the boots. A friend found them at Goodwill and gave them to Kendry:

Kendry loves them, but he doesn't like me calling him a cowboy.

Thank you, Sheila!

{3}

Guess what I have in store for you tomorrow?

Here is a hint:

{4}

Justin and I are finally loading all our CD's onto iTunes.

There is nothing like going through CD's from your teen years to make you feel archaic.

{5}

Justin warned me this squash would take over this flower bed.

Sure enough.

There used to be some basil in there somewhere.



{6}
The hiking boots are out and we're purchasing a Discovery Pass for the vehicle. This weekend Justin and I get to do our first hike together in four years, without the kiddo!

{7}

If you're like me and could never figure out how to make your own iced coffee at home, this RECIPE is for you.

{8}

And speaking of breakfast yumminess, steel cut oats are positively dee-lish!

Am I the last one to discover these as well?

{9}

This Weeks' Blessing #1:
Tomorrow is my Friday!!

{10}

This Week's Blessing #2:

Enough said.

HAVE A GREAT WEEK!

Ten on Tuesday

{1}

Ain't she beautiful?

Can't wait to show you where this fabric is going!

{2}

A glimpse into one of our parenting challenges:

{To clarify: No, our kiddo cannot write full sentences yet. His daycare teacher(s) prepared the words and had him trace over them. Although I'm not even sure he did all the tracing by himself. I have tried to encourage his coloring/drawing countless times; ten seconds later he is off to another activity. The kiddo has the attention span of a gnat.}

This week Kendry came home with a bruise above his eye; one of his friends finally decided to hit back. 

{3}

Can you say sinkhole?

This little monstrosity occurred a few weeks ago.

It is such a strange phenomenon I can't help but chuckle.

Its like our yard has a dimple!

Justin is not amused.

{4}

A future Michael Phelps.

{5}

Finding Nemo in 3D?

Yes, please!

The hubs and I saw that movie on our 2nd date.

{6}

I am probably the very last wife/mama to discover Oxiclean but oh. my. gosh.

That stuff works miracles!

{7}

The proofs are in from our family photo shoot!

LOVE   LOVE   LOVE

Vintage Buttercup Photography

Thank you, Amber!

{8}

I had fun finishing off this bench for the back porch this weekend.

{9}

I really do have a patio update coming.

Honest.

{10}

This Week's Blessing:
Family night at the Aquatic Center hosted by our church.
Its always fun catching up with members of our church body, and Kendry had a great time in the water.

Ten on Tuesday

{1}

I'm swooning over our rose garden these days.

{2}

Its that time of year again; we're looking forward to seeing many of you at the Dru Gimlin 3-on-3 Tournament this weekend!

{3}

Eating fresh lettuce and spinach from one's own garden is such a delectable treat!

{4}

I hit up my favorite thrift store on Saturday but didn't find much to much to my liking. I didn't leave completely empty-handed though. I found a $.50 copy of The Stinky Cheese Man in great condition - a book I had been looking to add to Kendry's library - and then this beauty:

Look at this dedication:

I love old books, particularly when I find classics.

{5}

Justin has never seen Ben Hur.

Its on our list to watch - right after we view all four movies in the Indiana Jones collection, which I admit I haven't watched all the way through.



{6}
We did a mini-session with Kendry out by our neighbor's barn the other night.

This one is kinda grainy, but cute.



Ever the cheeser:

{7}

Someone recently suggested that our neighbor's barn might be a bit of an eyesore for our back yard.

I disagree.

Not only does it make me feel like I truly live in the country, but it makes a great backdrop for photos.

{8}

We took the kiddo to Baskin Robbins for $1 scoop night tonight.
Thirty-one flavors to choose from and he chose vanilla.

It would seem Kendry takes after Grandpa Jack.



{9}
Speaking of Grandpa Jack...
for the life of me I cannot come up with a Father's Day gift for him.

He already has every Harley Davidson accessory under the sun - I would know since I bought him a Harley fanny pack for Father's Day last year.

I'm totally serious.


Consider this a shout out to my siblings for help.

Ideas?

Anyone?

{10}

This Week's Blessing:

A wonderful church family.

I left service on Sunday smiling ear to ear and feeling so blessed.



Stained, Sealed and Delivered

This weekend we stained and sealed our concrete patio.

To see the progress on the yard/patio to date click HERE.

Saturday morning found the three of us in cutoffs and ready to work:

But only after Daddy did some posing for the camera.

Wooo, baby! Check out those calf muscles!

Right, back to the concrete.

It poured back in mid-April but we had to let it cure for a month before we could stain it.

So here is what it looked like au naturale on Saturday morning:

Kendry was such a trooper while Justin and I worked (he sprayed, I rolled).

We let Kendry help out a little.

First note: Kendry sticks out his tongue on every single task these days. Painting is no exception.

Second note: Yes, by this point in the day Kendry's cut-offs were history and he was indeed running around in his skivvies. Let's just say that Saturday will go down in history as one of our worst potty training days to date. Amazing how kiddos will do that on a day you have a big project planned, right?

Anyhew, after two coats of a stone colored stain we called it a day.

Then Justin followed up with two coats of sealant on Sunday.

Here is what it looked like Sunday afternoon - before the storm clouds rolled in and we started to cringe because the sealant isn't supposed to get wet for 24 hours.

Oh well, what can you do?

After:

Let's see that again.

Before:

After:

Now tell us the truth - do you think that the patio and the steps together add up to a little too much yellow?

Justin is trying out samples of wood stain just in case.

Personally, I love it.

Ten on Tuesday

{1}

We've hit the low 90's this week and its fabulous!



{2}
Progress as of today:
still finishing the landing, steps and railing, and brainstorming the best place to install our sun sail shade.

Oh, and lots of clutter leftover from the birthday bash.

We've eaten dinner outside the last two nights.

To say that we are loving our new outdoor living space would be putting it lightly.

{3}

I am dying to accessorize our patio!

I am already visualing a cute bench by the door, beautiful planters placed here and there, a 'Patio Rules' sign, gentle lighting and comfy furniture.

But first we've got to stain and seal the concrete this weekend. Let's hope its not 90 degrees for that.

{4}

Take time to stop and smell the roses.

Take time to stop and weed the rose garden.

Take time to stop and dig for worms with your 3 year old in the rose garden.

{5}

I love it when the hubs picks up on something I've shared on the blog. (Hi, hubs!)

I got my first bundt cake pan for Mother's Day.

What can I say? That fella' knows how to make my baker's heart skip a beat. 

Or he just really wants me to make a rum cake.

{6}

I can't stop listening to Somebody That I Used to Know by Gotye. The video is strangely symbolic and the tune is so darn catchy, especially when Kimbra harmonizes.

{7}

The kiddo got his first tricycle for his birthday. Figuring out the pedals has triggered some frustration, but he just keeps right on trying. The patio is the perfect level surface for him to practice.

Am I the only one getting dizzy?

{8}

Our 'little' sprout measured 40.2 inches tall (100th percentile) and 36 lbs (80th percentile) at his three year check-up last week.

I would be curious to know what percentile his feet are in.

{9}

We are in serious need of a date night and I am itchin' to see The Avengers.

{10}

This Week's Blessing:

Hearing my little man tell me "Happy Mother's Day."

Such precious words.

But Mother's Day also finds me praying for those still yearning to become mothers.

My friend Ashley posted this beautiful poem this week.

"To those who gave birth this year to their first child—we celebrate with you

To those who lost a child this year – we mourn with you

To those who are in the trenches with little ones every day and wear the badge of food stains – we appreciate you

To those who experienced loss this year through miscarriage, failed adoptions, or running away—we mourn with you

To those who walk the hard path of infertility, fraught with pokes, prods, tears, and disappointment – we walk with you. Forgive us when we say foolish things. We don’t mean to make this harder than it is.

To those who are foster moms, mentor moms, and spiritual moms – we need you

To those who have warm and close relationships with your children – we celebrate with you

To those who have disappointment, heart ache, and distance with your children – we sit with you

To those who lost their mothers this year – we grieve with you

To those who experienced abuse at the hands of your own mother – we acknowledge your experience

To those who lived through driving tests, medical tests, and the overall testing of motherhood – we are better for having you in our midst

To those who will have emptier nests in the upcoming year – we grieve and rejoice with you

And to those who are pregnant with new life, both expected and surprising –we anticipate with you

This Mother’s Day, we walk with you. Mothering is not for the faint of heart and we have real warriors in our midst. We remember you."

source

Ten on Tuesday

{1}

Flowers, flowers everywhere!

I'm just a wee bit proud of my corner flower bed.

{2}

It has even been warm enough to do this:

{3}

Go ahead and try one of these R.I.P.("rest in plank") moves.

I dare ya!

source

Folks, I'm here to tell you there is no 'rest' in 'plank'.

These moves will leave you hurtin'.

But my current exercise motto is "sore or sorry".

Do I want to be sore tomorrow, or sorry that I skipped (or skimped) my workout?

I've started pinning printables like this to keep variety in my workouts. Feel free to check out my board here if you are in need of some inspiration yourself.

{4}

Kendry and I met a new neighbor tonight while walking. I'm pretty sure she thought we were stealing her cat so she came out to stop us. In our defense, Morris used to be our stray cat - and we were just saying hi to her.

Three sentences into conversation this neighbor mentioned seeing a pet psychic.

I'm thinking the cat means more to her than it does to us, so we left Morris there.

{5}

While working with Justin on the pickup this weekend, Kendry rested his hand on Justin's shoulder and informed him: "Daddy, you're my best friend."

I'm trying not to be jealous.

{6}

For mommies of little oatmeal lovers, add this Cookie Dough Baked Oatmeal to your arsenal. Its my friend Cassie's recipe and it contains very little sugar or butter. The semi-sweet chocolate chips add just the right touch of sweetness.



I like to make a batch on Sunday (approx. 12 muffins) so we enjoy them all week long. They make a great on-the-go breakfast, or you can freeze some and pull them out as needed. I pour a little milk on top before heating it for 40 seconds in the microwave.

I have become more aware of the processed foods going into my kiddo's tummy, so I enjoy when I can offer him a healthier homemade alternative to something he already loves.

Justin likes them too!





{7}
As it turns out, we need to let the patio cure for awhile before we stain it; in the meantime Justin has started on this:

{8}
I'm still waiting/dreading for someone to walk out that back door expecting steps.




{9}

This Week's Blessing:
I told you last week we had family visiting.

Saturday morning brought the surprise arrival of two more family members...from Germany! We were so excited to see Alex and Gisela again, and heretofore they shall be known as the family members who bought Kendry a microphone with amp.

My dad already laughs at what he calls Kendry's foghorn voice. Dad, this takes 'foghorn' to a whole new level.

But Kendry loves it.

 

Danke, Alex and Gisela!

{10}

I wonder when Justin and I will be able to afford a trip to Germany...