Get Away

It had not been the best of weeks.

So when my mom texted to let me know they rented a beach house that would hold our family, too, and invited us to come for a stay, we decided a change of scenery might be just what we needed. Within a couple hours we found a kennel to board our dog, dropped him off, packed our bags, dug out the sand toys, and hit the road.

Destination: Rockaway Beach, OR

Objective: to play, relax, and let our troubles wash away with the tide...at least for a couple days!

And this last photo is courtesy of my parents. Thanks Dad and Mom!

I Saw Sparks

Work on the shed continues. Paul has rebuilt the doors (adding a charming barn-like detail), replaced a few trim boards that were bad, and built a simple-rustic-accomplishes-its-purpose ramp. I would post pictures, but I think it will be more fun to have a grand reveal after it's all painted. I'm sure you are all dying of anticipation! (yeah, right!)

And since my blog is just as much about pictures as it is my thoughts/family happenings, here's a fun shot from yesterday:

Sister's Beauty Parlor

Our girls are like most other sibling sets out there...sometimes they get along, sometimes they don't. But overall, our oldest has an incredibly kind heart toward her little sister (who is half her age). Just this last week she took the time to hang out with her and paint her nails. When I went to check on them, I found this sweet scene:

It warms this Mommy's heart!

Free Is A Very Good Price

You may remember seeing photos of my oh-so-handy husband building/working in the back yard on the black & white day of the June photo challenge. All that digging, leveling, and measuring was part of the prep for a garden shed. Someone from my husband's work was giving one away for free to whomever was willing to move it. Free is a very good price for a family on a budget! And since the person offering it only lives about five minutes away, we couldn't pass it up.

It was quite the process, but three days of prep and eight actual HOURS of moving later, our shed is here! It needs a paint job, but with a little freshening up and one of those big stars hung above the door, I think it will be quite cute and just about good as new :)

 Ohhh...I can't wait to move the stinky mower out of the garage and into the shed!



Swinging

There is a thrilling freedom on swings...swooping high and sailing back fast...pumping your legs and reaching for the sky!