Planting Day

Today was the hottest day of the year so far, so of course it was the day I had planned to work on the Garden with Carrie. We decided to tackle one garden bed - the one in front of Darby's house. You can see the progression of the day below. Here is a true before shot, with Darby up to her chin in weeds: 

 After weeding out all the big stuff, we tilled the soil, went and bought pretty plants, then planted and mulched and watered until we literally plopped down on the kitchen floor and stayed there for an hour to recover. 

For the Bedside

Despite both of us disliking them, we've been using these little white locker things that we picked up at the ReStore as nightstands for two years. In an effort to put off doing my year-end chart summaries, I've been looking at some mid century nightstands in lighter wood that might "go" with the other stuff we've got going on in here.

Scenes from Field Day

 Today was EC Field Day, a kind of end of the year fun day for all the EC classes in the district. Kristin and I lucked out and got a shady spot for our art-making station.

 It's so fun to see all the kids together in one place, and outside of the usual classroom context...

Separation Anxiety

Ever since her new BFF Wyn left, Darby has been forlorn. She's been sleeping on his pillow and generally being despondent and pathetic looking.

I'm taking her on a special long walk after dinner to try and cheer her up.

Wonderful Weekend with Wyn

Nothing Works How It's Supposed To

Here I am, back at the car dealership, waiting again for my car and preparing to fork over an amount of money that will probably make me cry. We were driving the other day and suddenly water stared pouring onto my feet from under the dash board, and we heard a strange sloshing sound whenever we turned, as though a large amount of water was trapped in there. The water just kept coming, and then there started to be a loud crackling sound when I turned on the air conditioning.
Why does nothing work how it's supposed to? Why do I feel like I'm being scammed on a bi-monthly basis? Is my car a dud and should I sell/trade it in? I hate this place.

Thought for Today: Only You Can Make Your Marks

No one else but you can make your marks. Listen to your bones. Speak with your spirit. Edit with your head. Live with your heart. - S.Holland

Superior Exteriors and Neighborhood Nostalgia

I don't think it is financially or logistically possible, but I have been thinking a lot about how I would like to move into more of a quiet neighborhood setting. Our current house is on kind of  a busy road and is in a neighborhood with a lot of renters. Having been totally spoiled as a kid by growing up on a dead end street, next to a huge park, with amazing neighbors/friends/people. It was basically the most idyllic neighborhood experience, so my standards are set really high.  Here are some supercute houses in my favorite Durham neighborhood, Watts-Hillandale. it is near downtown but quiet and full of parks and playgrounds and has old bungalows that I adore...

Collaged Cityscapes

Kindergarteners in Art Club made cityscapes out of recycled magazines this week. In this image, there is a pink duplex so the student to live next to her sister. The red house in the sky is "god's house".

 This student made each house the home of an different animal. You can see some of the animals standing in the doorways, welcoming you inside!

This student made a castle fortress on the right, but then made access bridges to the other dwellings where his friends live.

 And this little guy went wild making many buildings with "big roofs so you don't get wet when it rains". He followed the above student's lead and also added walkways and passages between buildings.