We have been busy here lately. Moisture, mold, and slugs (yes, slugs) in the basement forced an operation of sorts that involved my husband, rotted pine paneling, irredeemable carpet, asbestos-laden tiles, various saws, lots of salt, a breathing apparatus, a shop vac, a drill, lots of pounding, and cans upon cans of black spray paint. I occasionally ventured down when asked for my opinion on the proceedings, to hold something up while he drilled or nailed, or when I heard crashes or choice words at high volume. I also removed the rain barrel and replaced the downspout to direct the water about seven or so feet away from the foundation of the house
After about ten days, this is what we ended up with.
Totally new media shelving, hidden access to the wall and floor to check for any further problems, and a bit more peace of mind about what's living and breeding in our basement.
And during that time we were also preparing for Calvin's superhero birthday party at the park, which went off today without a hitch.
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| The kids made superhero masks so they would have superpowers for the games. |
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| In retrospect, I should have brought more than one pair of scissors. Der. |
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| Superhero teams tying up villains |
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| Superman cupcakes made by yours truly. |
The park we went to has a massive playground and a big tricycle track (complete with about 20 big wheels) for kids to race around. It was a hit.
This week I've also been finishing up my catalog for work, and on Thursday when I was in the office and I was coming back from lunch I happened upon a garage sale at which I found some Merrell hiking shoes.
They had obviously been wore once to a very muddy place, but the insides were pristine, so I have to think that they were worn only once or twice. How much did I pay for them? $5. For shoes that are normally around $100. Some warm water and a scrub brush and they look as good as new. And why am I in the market for hiking boots? Because my big summer adventure is coming up in four weeks. Here are a few hints.
My sister and I will be hiking at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in the UP (that's Upper Peninsula to you non-Michiganders) on beautiful Lake Superior. Have I mentioned this already? If not, I can't believe I haven't because it has been on my mind for months. I'm giddy. I haven't been there since a hiking trip in 1999 (eek! 13
years?) and I can't wait to spend some alone time with my sister away from our kids and jobs and homes and concerns. This is to be our First Annual Sisters' Hiking Trip. Keeping my fingers crossed that there might be some solar flares that week that will send some aurora borealis our way!
In the meantime, life goes on in our home. This week Calvin and I walked through almost every room in our house (except the basement rooms, as they were under demolition/construction) and discussed what needed to be done to keep them clean. Next week we will start assigning chores to all three of us and make a chart that will keep us more mindful of our house. This was precipitated partly because I'm finding myself more and more irritated with clutter and laundry and dishes piling up, and also because on a trip to my parents' house last week Calvin said, "I like Grandma and Gramps' house. It's so clean."
?!
That hurts. But it was also a great opportunity to point out that part of the reason our house is so often messy is because we (yes, that includes you, Calvin, if you can possibly believe it) don't put our things away where they belong. So, yeah, we're all going to be working on that.
But it's not all work around here. I'm currently sewing a summer nightgown, Calvin's enjoying his birthday presents, we're writing, Zach's scheming about a new blog, and we're finding time here and there to relax and enjoy one another's company.
But seriously. It's June already?
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