Before and after

One of the birthday presents that my big girls wanted was to redo their room. They wanted less babyish and more pre-tween. I think that it turned out pretty good. I kept them out of the room for several days so that I could surprise them. They really like it and still have so many great ideas for more decorating. The before picture is pretty scary as the room was in process of being painted so was a MESS.

Our garden is coming along. I love the smell and look of my lilacs. I gave them a little more TLC this year with some plant food and plenty of water early on and they look beautiful. I was excited yesterday when I saw the first of my seedlings sprouting. This is a picture of my little pumpkins sprouting. My carrots, peas, and beans are also sprouting. I haven't seen broccoli or cantaloupe yet, but these are very experimental so we will see what happens. I included some pictures of Kevin's building projects. There is a play house that matches our house, some fantastic garden boxes, and the latest is the "shed". As you can see, it is rather big and I call it a pole barn. I have insisted on some changes to original plan including front windows and window boxes to make it look a little less like a pole barn. I will post a picture of the finished product when it is done.

We brought our pool out yesterday for the kids and their friends. It was actually hot but it was so nice to be able to pull out the shorts and bathing suits after such a long, cold winter. Claire thought the pool was wonderful and splashed around with the big girls. She liked taking the little watering can, filling it up, and watering my flowers. Kenna just liked diving head first in the pool.

I also included a picture of my most recent scrapbook page that I completed.

Happy (day after) Mother's Day

I love Mother's Day. I get showered with hand print gifts, homemade cards, and lots of love. I always get breakfast in bed and the entire Sunday paper to myself for a while. I have also made a tradition of gardening on Mother's Day. It was relatively nice out yesterday to garden, and I accomplished all of my list. Kevin was great at keeping the kids busy and letting my have that time to myself. I did have some little helpers with planting seeds, but I didn't mind. After all, I was celebrating what I do best, mothering. I am now only slightly regretting planting yesterday, since today I had to go out and cover anything that may be damaged by frost tonight, but hopefully this is the last really cold night that we have and I won't have to worry anymore. This week we are busy getting ready for our neighborhood garage sale this coming weekend. We participate every year and I am always shocked at how much we still have to sell every year. Anyway, I know that I already sent out cards for Mother's Day, but I want to wish all of the mom's, grandma's, great-grandmas in my life a wonderful (day after) Mother's Day.