Summer Days

First, for readers who requested them (Janel, Susanna) – and anyone else who might be interested – I’ve updated our home tour post with a few new photos, to reflect some of the changes we’ve made. However, I really need to put up an entirely new post, because nearly every room is different, but I’m going to wait until I finally manage to get my office area in the basement organized, and we finish updating the entry hall.

This is a slow-going process. I have all the painting done, but we’ve been working, little by little, on refinishing the miles and miles of 70s trim with Danish Oil.

This stuff is great! My husband light-sands the trim with his orbital sander, to remove old varnish and dried latex paint drips (the people who owned the house before us weren’t very careful painters),

then I wipe on the Danish Oil, and it stains and seals the wood, covering scratches and dings, and giving it a soft sheen. The piece on the right is a finished piece – see the difference compared to the piece on the left? (You’ll probably need to click and enlarge it).

It’s so quick and easy, and it doesn’t give me an asthma attack like polyurethane does.

The kids have been busy monitoring this nest of baby robins in our lilac bush. Every day they check them out, and then report any changes to me in great detail. Their enthusiasm is very cute.

They play outside all day, every day, and at the end of the day our front yard resembles a kid version of Woodstock, usually with a pop-up tent set up in the driveway, picnic blankets on the grass, wet towels and swimsuits draped over the porch swing, cups and water bottles and snack wrappers littering the lawn, dolls, stuffed animals, bikes, bike helmets, toy cars and trucks, basketballs, and squirt guns laying on the porch and sidewalk,  lawn sprinkler running. When they come in, they’re always grubby, tired, and hungry. They eat like pigs, take bubble baths, and then sleep like rocks, for as long as they want….which is how summer should be.

Cakes is such a little monkey.

The girls’ dance recital is this weekend, and next week is Cakie’s art camp, but then we have a few weeks before swimming lessons, VBS, family reunions, and the rest of our usual summer activities begin. I’m enjoying the long, unstructured days, because while the kids are happily occupied, I’ve been accomplishing quite a lot. The girls and I went through closets, and culled unwanted and outgrown summer clothes, which I’ve been sorting and mending and getting ready to go to the consignment store before they stop taking summer stuff in June. I’ve also photographed and listed a few items on Craig’s List, and last weekend my husband and I cleaned out our garage, and set aside a lot of stuff for our next round of FreeBay. I’ve also been experimenting in the kitchen with some of our favorite ethnic foods. Last night, I made baked teriyaki chicken, a cold soba noodle salad with broccoli and sesame seeds, and egg rolls. Tonight I’m going to try my hand at falafel, which I love, but have never made. I hope it turns out.

A few readers have asked if limiting my computer time has been a difficult adjustment, and I will say that for the first couple weeks it really was hard for me. But now, well…I don’t even think about it much anymore. I use the internet when I need to, but I don’t squander precious time “surfing,” because I love having time with my children, and actually completing projects that I’ve been meaning to do for years. One thing I don’t miss at all is getting caught up in little internet dramas on Facebook or blogs. What a silly waste of time, especially when my actual life – when I take the time to actively be a part of it – is really pretty great.

Tagged as: About Me, Children, Daily Life, Debt Free Decorating