Eeyorre and Rearranging

For most of the day I felt like our Vallee Family Eeyorre looks,

worse for the wear (but still loveable and adorable in his own way, right?!).

I couldn't bring myself to take a before picture - but the girls' room reached a climatic point of trashed and I couldn't live with it anymore.  Keeping the door closed and focusing on other things worked for a while.  Clearing a path to slalom through toys and general kid rubble to get them to bed was the final straw (remind me to tell you the story about when my dad bagged up everything in my room when I was 16 and told me he gave it all away - major lid blower).

Although tempting, I did not bag up all of their things and throw them into the outgoing tide, but I did rearrange their room into something I hope will be more manageable.  I divided their long narrow room into 1).  sleep side, and 2). play side.  High hopes that this designation sticks.

Here's the view from the sleep side:

And here's the play side:

September marks a year since we spent our first night in the new upstairs.  I felt that same giddy feeling while reading bedtime stories to the girls tonight, cozy on their couch, taking in a new space.

And then I looked in the mirror and saw a very tired Eeyorre.  Good night.

Ink

That's right,

they love me.

No Strings Attached

Marguerite had a face plant a few weeks ago that resulted in an emergency visit to the dentist.  It was traumatic at best.  For both of us.  When it was all said and done I carried her and her yellow balloon to the car.  We stopped at WD to pick up ice cream for dinner (dentist orders).  The yellow balloon was the first one out the door, no string attached, flying high for the rainbows.  Marguerite's sadness welled up in her brown eyes.  "First I get me front teeth bashed in, and then my balloon runs away from me" she was surely thinking.  She looked for her balloon from the car window for days.  She found closure by declaring that it was probably on its way to Grandmama and Grandpapa's house in Alaska, far far away. 

At her follow up visit her now purple/gray front tooth earned her a pink balloon.  She's whole again.

House Project: Multiple Choice Question

Okay readers, I'm looking for some input here.  Starting from the left, please cast your vote for A, B, C, or D. 

Leave your vote in the comments section below.  Deadline: Sunday (tomorrow) by noon.

Thank you for participating in the end of decision making misery.

Yesterday's Harvest

June and July catch my eye in the garden.  Flower full.  August overwhelms me.  Food full.  My mom and I agree that eating what's fresh and prime in the garden, and letting go of what we're a day/week late on harvesting (along with any accompanying guilt about wasting food) is where it's at.  That's what the compost pile is for.

Plums and dahlias had my full attention yesterday.

 

Today, green beans.

House Project: In the grey area

Remember when we were picking out tile a year ago and we were getting well deserved stink eye from the salesman while our girls ran wild in the store?? 

We found ourselves at the paint store this evening with two hungry/tired girls.  Bad setting for a bad combination. 

Luckily they refrained from sabotaging any desks and/or crapping their pants:

 

We've switched gears to grey for the main color of the house with white trim.  There are a lot of shades of grey.  Overwhelming really.  Fingers crossed that we hit on the right one soon....

Hipster Hitching Post

I'll quote my neighbor Sarah, "Edison is no longer a one horse town."

House Project: Paint

Here we go tearing the place up again. 

Current project = prepping for paint

That means we have until Monday to decide on color.  Here's a patchwork of the pallet we're operating within:

We don't quite have it right, but we'll get there.  Surely we will.

Primer white with secret patches of faded green have run their course. 

Diablo Days

Here's our camping spot.

 

The same carve in the mountains we retreat to every summer.

My first experience camping as a parent was here.  Genevieve was four weeks old.  I was naive and unprepared for the rigors of infant care compounded by the great outdoors.  I hiked too far, too mesmerized by my new baby to pay attention to the fact that my body still felt like I'd been run over by a truck.  It took what we now refer to as my "death march" to have my eyes opened to the need to take care of myself too. 

Five summers of camping later.  I'm joined around the campfire by two girls in their own pink camping chairs, two girls who sleep in their own sleeping bags, two girls who can pee behind a tree unattended, two girls who help themselves to snacks and water.  Two girls.  Two parents.  Lots of friends.  Nice groove.

Evidence

I do exist!  

The Fair

We made it to the fair this year, vowing to not miss it again after Genevieve's vocal disappointment last year. 

In our success at remembering to attend, we forget some essentials.  The stroller.  My camera.  Water.  Sunscreen.  WTF.  You'd think with five years of parenting under our belts we'd be a little more on it.

I also officially am no more fun.  This was discovered at the top of the Ferris Wheel, circa 1910 (that's an exaggeration, but really people, it was rickety).  Instead of sitting back all relaxed and happy (as my husband was) I was gripping the handle and the skirt of Marguerite's dress, choking back visions of her slipping over the edge and falling to her death.  Good times! 

I decided to stay grounded after that, weighting myself down with funnel cakes and curly fries.

 

Animals, cotton candy, rides, and displays of random collections we're highlights for the girls, balancing out my fear, sore arms and $200 spent. 

Walla Walla Sweet

Marguerite and I harvested our set of Walla Walla sweet onions.

French Onion Soup is in our future fo sho.

 

There are a few red branches in the maple trees.  I'm still in full summer mode, though, not quite ready to be walking G to her first day of Kindergarten.  Almost, but not quite.

A Wedding

Smith & Vallee employee Aric married lovely Amanda this weekend at our house.  The ceremony was in the gallery with dinner and a party in our yard.  I've been anticipating the date August 10 for weeks, preparing the garden to be the backdrop their day of love and celebration deserved.  I think I pulled off my end of the deal, and they surely did there's.

Genevieve made a new friend who was equally enthusiastic about sneaking off and feeding their Baby Alive dolls all of my best lotion and other 5 year-old shenanigans.  Not sure if that trumped playing with fire for them - but I do know they had a great time together.

Somehow I missed a snapshot of the bride and groom, but here are grandparents and parents dancing by the slough.  

It was pretty special to share this day with them.  

Garden Fairies Need to Form Labor Union

Genevieve's been leaving notes and treats for the garden fairies.  My hope was that this would be an opportunity to learn the importance of writing thank you notes (something I'm dismal at).  She quickly turned the tables and is now writing elaborate requests/demands.  Poor garden fairies are finding themselves working through the night to glean from the materials they have at hand to make perfume/chocolate/fancy doll dresses and general magic happen.

Fortunately they love seeing the cartwheel inducing joy flash across little girl faces in the morning.  And then they drink 15 cups of coffee to make it through the day.