Hello everyone!!

I feel like I have catapulted into a maelstrom of activity! It’s just that time of year, right now. A transitional time, full of change and preparing for that change. Summer is ending, and we feel compelled to get those last minute summer activities in under the wire. I am also over here prepping for the school year, getting things organized for the scouts, and completing some home projects as well. These are mainly for the ease of homeschooling, like straightening our art cabinet, organizing supplies, buying new supplies (especially paint.. we go through so much!) and then whatever else I think needs to be done.

Like Sunday, one of the hottest days of the year so far, I decided on a whim that I needed to repaint one of our bookshelves. It is in our room we have no name for (we eat there, craft there, school there..) and is always just a mess. It has also taken a beating over the years since Billy built it for me, with Wyatt drawing on it as a toddler, my cat Maggie (who is no longer with us and I still miss that silly girl) using it as a scratching post, my husband just clunking everything in his pockets down on it… anyways, it needed an overhaul. So I cleared it off, took it outside, and painted it. It was hot and sweaty work, and halfway through I made Wyatt go in and watch through the door so he was inside in the air conditioning, but I am so happy with how it turned out! Wyatt and I then added Billy’s little terrariums, his school books for the year, and a jar for Billy to store his things in when he comes home – along with some odds and ends as well, of course.

I managed to get paint everywhere – I guess I am where Wyatt gets that from! I had it on the bottom of my feet, in my hair, just everywhere. I am not a neat and tidy painter I guess.

I am hoping to get that darn room painted this early fall. I am so done with that purple, although pretty. It makes that room just feels so dreary and we spend so much time in it in the fall and winter. It’s on the list, but after a few things, mainly the wheelchair ramp and putting my office back to rights after the ramp project is done. I told Billy that I would do it but for some reason he told me that was not a great idea.

It’s also been a week of sifting through things. We moved the rest of my mom’s things out of the condo she was living in for a while finally, including the cedar chest that my dad gave to her before their wedding. It didn’t fit into her new apartment and my cousin was storing his parent’s things at the condo and we had my mom’s there as well (it was my aunt and uncle’s before they passed away, then my mom lived there for two years).. and I am rambling so I am shifting back to the cedar chest. Anyway, my brother is going to take it but first we removed all of my mom’s keepsakes from it, and we all exclaimed and shed some tears over things we found.

It was a time capsule of items. My grandfather’s citizenship papers from 1940, Wyatt’s christening outfit, my christening outfit, artwork that my brother made in school, the collar to my mom’s first dog ever, Buster. When I pulled that out my mom just burst into tears. Pets just hold such a place in our hearts forever, don’t they? I also found a swim medal of my grandfather’s from 1932,newspaper article with a photo of me on the first day of kindergarten, and my grandma’s shortbread recipe.

Last week I shared about Wyatt’s great week at therapy – well he is continuing his trend and my little guy killed it this week. He walked three times as far yesterday as he did last week. His therapist and I just looked at each other in amazement. She popped him in the gait trainer and he took off. He was cruising along at one point so quickly! He wanted to keep going but his body just didn’t let him. It was unbelievable honestly, and his therapist said for her it was a tearworthy moment as well. Next week, she is trying him back with a walker again, without the extra support. Please send all your support and and prayers and good vibes to this little guy! He is making huge brain/body connections right now, and making some huge gains. I am so proud of him, and even better, he is proud of himself.

I also cut my mom’s hair. It was getting so long and she hated it, but she is not doing well with her depression and anxiety right now, so would not go anywhere to get it done. I am hoping that cutting her hair helps a bit with getting her our of her apartment more. I think I did pretty ok for not being a beautician! My grandma was a beautician my whole life, and had her own little salon, Marion’s. I think she would have been proud of my efforts! My mom was happy with it as well.

All these changes and transitions. Restoring old things, Wyatt’s progress, moving my mom’s things, a new hair cut. And in the next weeks, school begins here in our homeschool, our cub scouts have their first meeting, Wyatt has a million appointments… then hopefully, the flurry of activity as things end and new things start up winds down into a gentle pattern of life. A slow down as we embrace the our new routines. It is already getting darker at night. I noticed last night as I was stitching that it was harder to see by my bedside light, because it was darker outside. I am going to have to do something about that, because I love stitching in bed as we watch our shows and I drink my tea.

And I need to end here. So much to do today, and I need to get to it. Before I go though, here are a few extra photos!

Have a good one everyone!