Sunnyside Sunday

I've decided to TRY, I repeat TRY, to start doing "Seeing the Sunnyside" Sundays. Taking something not-so-fun going on in our life and trying to see the sunnyside of it. For my first post, I need to see the sunnyside of home renovations.

Usually I just look at all the half-done things like the uncovered heating elements, lack of door and window trim, raw sheetrocked stairwell and so on and I just sigh and hate it. It's sooooooooo much work, and messy. And the kids always manage to find some piece of drywall or of sheetrock joint compound, or a dust bunny stuck in the heating elements or something that they can try to eat. It just feels like the renovations are so much work and THEN on TOP of it the kids getting into it all makes it ever more work.

The sunnyside: Our house will definitely be worth more! We paid $104,000 and it was in ROUGH shape when we bought it. Picture this: You walk in the door and are greeted by a cabinet above the sink that is drooping, as in you put dishes in there and they'll slide off. To the right is a beautiful set of old cabinets -- marred by the countertop that had been hacked out for a washer and dryer. To the far left is a weird cabinet area where a stove can barely fit and with a peeling laminate countertop. The floor is peeling linoleum. And it gets better...or worse. The room off the kitchen is faux wood paneling that clashes with the lovely coming-up stick on tiles. And the next room, which is led into through a large opening, is a different type of faux wood and an equally clashing tile floor. Only redeeming quality is the stairwell's staircase.Gorgeous and still is rather nice.

So that is what we had. Now we have all wide-board red mahogany-stained pine floors, freshly sheetrocked and painted walls, new kitchen cabinets and a Corian countertop. So we are definitely getting something for our money...That and it's what WE want it to be, not someone else's style. So I guess there is a sunnyside to the not-so-fun renovations.

N.C., Florida and a milestone

Long time no update! Been busy. We drove down to North Carolina to visit Eric's cousin Michael and his family, Chris, Audrey and David, down in Winston-Salem. We all had a great time playing with the kids and the girls got to try a bunch of new foods -- including shrimp gumbo. Evie got her first split lip when she toppled over and smacked into an armchair, but she weathered it well. Here she is fast asleep a few minutes after she did it...



Lily had a GREAT time in the playroom, and here she is living it up there... (those are audrey's legs behind her!)



After N.C. we trekked down to Florida to visit my parents in Fort Myers. The girls had a good time with their grandparents. They got to play with bubbles (in Evie's case, EAT them in this picture...)



They also went to the beach...



And Evie wasn't keen on the wet sand on her knees when she crawled off the towel! She has a sort of "ugh" look on her face!!!



And for some fun the girls each tried on Grandma's old wig that she doesn't use anymore. At least I don't THINK she does...



They also got to visit our old favorite restaurant, which we won't be going back to since it has changed owners and is no longer worth the money or the hassle of going there. So here we are for the last time at Wahoo Willies on Fort Myers Beach.



When we get the pictures, we'll have to put them up, but the girls also went to visit their great-grandmother, my Aunt Kathy and Aunt Eileen, cousins Lauren and Shannon; visited the Calusa Nature Center again; and went to visit Mildred and Dolly again.

The MILESTONE I mentioned. BOTH girls can now take about 6 steps on their own! Lily went from NOTHING to doing that tonight! What a birthday present, huh? I turned 26 yesterday, so that is a great present for me!

Until next time, enjoy the pictures!!!!