Time is flying right by me....seriously...so fast that I just can't keep up! I have to also admit that I've been feeling a little out of sorts lately so that's kept me from doing as much as I usually do. Life is full of ups and downs, and while we have had many 'ups' lately and things to be grateful for, I've also been feeling a little stressed and overwhelmed. All normal I'm sure :)
Mom and Dad (aka Nana and Papa) arrived on Wednesday this past week. We've been counting down the days on our calendar so this was a very exciting and much anticipated event. They got here mid-day on Wednesday so we had lunch at the airport and then came home to settle in a little before getting Graham and Ellie from daycare. Dad toured the house (since it was his first time seeing it) and then jumped right into the "to do" list I had put together for him :) Before getting the kids from daycare we stopped at Home Depot to get all of the supplies we would need for the next day's task....painting.
The kids were very excited to see Nana and Papa (Ellie was a little hesitant and shy around Papa at first) and it was very nice out so they were all able to play outside while I fixed dinner in the house....by myself! You forget little things like what it's like to be in the kitchen alone without anyone trying to get into cupboards or the garbage, or hanging on your leg, or falling into something and crying. After dinner we went out for a little walk and then everyone was pretty wiped out and ready for bed.
Papa and Eleanor
Thursday and Friday were days off from work for me, so we sent the kids off to daycare and started in on the painting projects. Dad and I worked together to paint Graham's room, Eleanor's room, and the master bathroom. I love picking out new paint....I hate painting! I worked around the room with the roller and dad did the trim work (I have no patience for that) and it all got done in those two days. I was also pretty excited to get some things on the wall to personalize the rooms a bit.
Let's take a look at the results, shall we??
Here's what G's room looked like before...
Obviously this is when the previous owners were still living in the home...it was very much a little girl's room...pink blinds and all!
And here's what it looks like now....
We painted the room a light grayish blue, dad switched out the blinds so now they are white, and mom helped me hang the G poster I made on Flickr and the flight maps that I got from Pa-Paw. Much better I think!
My bathroom got the same paint color as Graham's bedroom. If you are a man this may be a difficult change to see (dad says blue is blue), but trust me, it's a huge difference :)
Perhaps a subtle change for some, but it makes me happier :) While it was the smallest room, it was definitely the most technical and difficult to paint. There was trim and ceiling to paint, and sooo many things to paint around and get between. THANKS Dad!!
Eleanor's room was probably the one I was most anxious to change. The room looked like this before....
The teal and purple color combination just wasn't working for me, and did nothing for the sweet vintage lime green chair I had put in the room.
I actually remembered to get my camera out while we were painting this room so I have a "during" shot too....
And finally the after....
Perhaps a little more pink than I had planned, but I do love it. I made Ellie an E poster just like Graham's and there is a wooden letter E hanging next to it above the chair. That chair actually belonged to my friend Tilly - I think she would be quite pleased to know it has a prominent place in my home :) There are a couple of dressers and a little play area on the other side of the room. It's just the right size for little Miss Ellie.
On Friday night the kids were with Wil, so I took mom and dad to the Downtown Athletic Club (DAC) for dinner. The DAC is one of my favorite places to go for fish and chips, so that's what dad and I had. Mom had the burger and seemed happy with it. The fries were also enjoyed by all :) It's a place I wouldn't necessarily bring the kids, so it was nice to be able to take them somewhere new and have it be kind of a "grown-up" night.
Saturday morning we went to music time at the library and spent time hanging around the house. The weather started to get a big rainy, so some of my other plans were put off. I was hoping to take everyone to Lone Pine, but it was just a bit too gross out to do that. We watched some of the Duck football game and Nana and Papa went to church. We ordered pizza in and just enjoyed time at home together.
Sunday was the Race for the Cure - the very first one held here in Eugene. It RAINED...oh my goodness did it rain!
We bundled up as best we could and wrapped up the double stroller we borrowed in plastic to try and keep the kids dry, and we headed out to Autzen stadium to do the 5K walk.
Because it was sooo wet and miserable, I have no pictures of us at the event. You can watch a news story about it here: KMTR - Race for the Cure and here is a picture I grabbed from the Register Guard's website (you can read their story about the race HERE)
photo credit: Nick Cote/for The Register-Guard
I'm still very glad that we went out and did it. We were soaked through when it was all over, but really the discomfort is nothing compared to what those fighting this disease deal with. We walk because we can....and I was happy to do it. I wasn't too emotional about it until we got to the finish line....there was a lot of cheering, music, and just a sense of accomplishment and pride that washes over you when you get there. It's an amazing way to remember those that have lost their battle, and to celebrate those that have survived.
We went home to dry off and get some lunch in us, followed by rest/nap time. Later that evening we went over to Jim and Chery's house for a very yummy BBQ.
Monday I was back at work but mom and dad worked on more projects around the house. Mom prepped some food for me to put in the freezer, and dad did all kinds of odd jobs around the house. Soooo much got accomplished while they were here and I can't begin to say how much it is appreciated. Dad cleaned out the eaves and tried to fix the leaky roof over the patio, we brought over the rest of my things from the storage area, the kitchen door was painted and fixed up a bit, lightbulbs were changed, blinds were switched, child locks were put on cupboards in the kitchen (yay!), shelves were assembled in the garage, and probably several other things that I'm forgetting. Mom and I squeezed in a quick shopping trips to TJ Maxx, Ross, and Kohl's and Dad got to visit the airport with Jim and Graham. We also had a very fun walk together on Monday night - everyone even took turns running with Grhaam :)
I was very sad to see mom and dad go on Tuesday - I delivered them to the airport during my lunch time. Graham still asks me if they are here sometimes and then wants to know why they had to leave. Of course he often wants to just pick up and fly to Wisconsin too - as if it's as easy as getting in the car to go to the mall (I wish!) We are very lucky that Nana and Papa are able to come visit us as often as they do and we appreciate all that they both do for us!
