Monday, August 21, 2017

And so it begins...♥

Hello!
 
I wish I had some wonderful recipe to share with you today.  The truth is, I've had a zucchini in my fridge for over a week that I planned on making zucchini brownies with.  I love zucchini brownies. Have I had time? Nope : (
 
I haven't had time because I've been doing this...
 
Oh yes, it's begun.  All the horror stories I've heard about moving...I'm sorry to say...are true. 
 
The packing...oh dear. The packing. 
 
I started on Friday.  Where to begin.  People said leave your kitchen for last.  I couldn't. 
 
I started there first. 
 
 



Wrapping up my china cabinet tea cup by tea cup.  All neatly packaged like Christmas ornaments. 
 
Pulling appliances, pots & pans, platters, and baking dishes I haven't seen in 10 years, all out on to the floor to be wrapped and boxed. 
 
All I can say is, thank goodness for caffeine and chocolate! It's what I live for right now. 


 
 
 
The only good thing about it is we are  slowly bringing boxes to my parents house.  Everything I packed up this weekend is already over there.  I don't have to look at them until I'm ready to unpack. 
 
We box, load the car, and go. 
 
Luckily it's only 5 minutes away!
 
 
 
 
 
 
Here we are.  A new space.  A clean slate. 
 
This looks much better ♥
 
 

 
 
 
I don't dread the unpacking as much as the packing. 
 
We don't have our kitchen cabinets yet (they are coming!) so I'm *patiently* waiting. 
 
I still need to buy curtains and a few area rugs.  I am not worried.  I will enjoy that process more. 
 
  
 
 
 

We have new walls to hang our pictures on and a new place for my glider chair and blanket.  I know it will all come in time.  I just have to grit my teeth and get through the next few weeks of chaos. 
 
Little by little, box by box. 
 
We've gone through the attic, basement, closets, shelves, drawers. I've filled so many bags and still so much more to do.  I think John has the most possessions out of all of us! : )
 





John's room is the coziest.  He's filling it up pretty good already and his bed hasn't even arrived. 
 
I'm sure we will rearrange things a hundred times before we get it right. 
 
I need to call places and change my address. Call the cable company because WE NEED CABLE and Rob is going shopping tomorrow for window shades and shower curtains. 
 
 I know I've forgotten something.  It's probably nothing.  I can't worry about it. 
 
I try to remember to take deep breaths every so often and stay positive.  I know how lucky I am.  I know we are fortunate people.  I don't want to complain.  But in all honestly, I wish I had a magic wand I could wave and all this would be done for me....♥
 
 
My current state of mind is this:
 
 
 
 

 When all is said and done, Rob has promised me a vacation.  In my mind, I'm already there!
 
Thank you for all your positive messages!  I can't tell you how much they have meant to me! 
 
Stay tune for better photos once I unpack a little.  
 
 I already know where I'm putting the Christmas tree : )
 
 
xoxoxo




Thursday, August 17, 2017

Happy 10th Birthday John! ♥

August 16th, 2007: As I was in my hospital room, relaxed and completely comfortable thanks to an epidural, ready to give birth, Rob and I were watching CNN’s live feed from Graceland.  It was the 30th anniversary of the death of Elvis Presley.  Over 50 thousand people were marching the grounds of his Memphis home, lighting candles and singing songs, paying tribute to their favorite singer.  Little did we know at the time, that ten years later we would have a little man running around our house, wearing slicked back hair, singing Jailhouse Rock, and Elvis  t-shirts he got himself at Graceland.  Life is funny that way.




Yesterday we celebrate John’s 10th birthday!  I can’t believe my little baby boy is 10.  Double digits! This is getting scary!  Last night before he went to bed he told me this was his BEST BIRTHDAY EVER!  And I can tell you, as a mom, there is nothing more satisfying and heartwarming than hearing those words from your child.  Thank you God.  We did good this year!


On Saturday he had his friend’s party. He truly wanted a party at home this year because we are moving soon and it would be the last party we have in this house.  The answer was naturally, YES.  So we rented a bouncy house, filled some water balloons, got some super soakers (because that’s what you do in August when it’s hot and you don’t have a pool  : ) and prayed for good weather.  Things turned out beautifully!  All the kids had a blast!  We had pizza, cake, and make your own sundaes, which I think was a highlight!  There was whip cream everywhere! 







He decided he wanted to wait and open all his presents on Wednesday, his real birthday.  Honestly, I can’t believe he held out that long, but he did!  He requested take-out dinner and a cheesecake that my mom made.  We had a quiet family dinner at my parent’s house and he enjoyed opening all his gifts.  You can see the joy on his face.  

This is my 10 year old. 

























He was so grateful for all his gifts, cards, phone calls, texts, and emails from friends and family.  It made me happy to see the gratitude he expressed.  His next project is thank you cards!! 
Watching him grow has been the joy of my life. The once little bald baby I held in my arms is now almost as big as I am!  I really miss the past, but I’m looking forward to the future!




So now that John’s birthday celebrations are over, I really have to get myself organized and motived to pack.  I’m moving two weeks from today! Eeeek!  I took tomorrow off from work to start filling boxes.  Say prayers for me friends.  I will be happy when this is all over with and I can resume to my regular boring life. 




Love you all! ♥♥

Tuesday, August 8, 2017

I highly recommend... ♥

When life gets stressful....get away from it all~
 
 
When you are in the middle of moving and your deadline is steadily approaching and you are probably the most stressed out you've ever been in your whole entire life the best advice I can give you is pack a bag, get in your car, drive 3 and half hours, and get away from all the madness. 
 
 
That's what I did.  For three beautiful days in the White Mountains of New Hampshire ♥
 
 
 



Rob's family's annual trip did not disappoint.  In fact, it may have been the most fun we ever had!  Despite one rainy day, which we made up for with pizza, an unforgettable game of Family Feud, and lots of laughs, the weekend was perfect! 
 
It was just what I needed ♥



 
 
 
The house we rented was located right on the Saco River
 
Just a short walk across the grass to the water.
 
One afternoon Rob and I snuck away and spent some time here walking and talking. 
 
I've found my happy place ♥
 
 

 
 
 
On Sunday some of the group went kayaking. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Some of us went on another walk, drank coffee on the porch, and watched a movie.  
 
 
 
 







 Thank you to Rob's cousin Sonya for this picture.  And thank you to my husband who does all the things I don't want to do.  I love him ♥
 
 
 





S'mores night!







Cousins ♥



 
 
 
We stopped at a water park on our way up to the house on Friday. 
 
 
 



 
It's a fun place with a beautiful view of the mountains!






John loved it! He was a little sore the next day from all the slides but said it was worth it! : )



 
 
Our group!
 
 
 
 
 
I felt better coming home after getting away for a few days. I was able to clear my  head, talk about different things, and catch up with people I don't see all the time.  It made me most happy to see John have fun and enjoy his last summer as a 9 year old - running, playing, swimming.  All the things he should be doing! 
 
 
 


And now it's time to get back at it.  The packing, packing, packing....ugh! 
 
I might just need another one of these getaways after the move.  I miss those mountains! ♥
 
 
PS.  I also highly recommend playing with Snapchat filers while you are in Boston traffic (see me above...: ) It really passes the time!
 
 
Happy new week, friends! xoxo
 



Wednesday, August 2, 2017

Thank you ♥♥♥



Hello, my friends! I wanted to first say a big THANK YOU to all of you for your kind and supportive words regarding my move.  Thank you to all my blog, twitter, and Instagram friends that messaged me with kind thoughts and well wishes on my new adventure.  It truly means the world to me knowing I have your support.  Change can be hard, but I know in my heart this is  right for me and my family ♥
 
 
The past few weeks have been CRAZY busy.  I'm honestly surprised my head hasn't spun off my body like a top!  AND I haven't even started packing my house yet! We've been spending all of our time getting our new place ready and I'm happy to say we are just about done (big sigh of relief...).  This weekend we are taking a well deserved trip to New Hampshire to enjoy mountain air and family time.  I need it more than you can imagine. We'll be back on Monday and the madness will start up again, so I'm going to enjoy our down time and live in the moment as much as I can. 

Quick question? How does one pack up a house? Hmmm...I guess I'll find out! :)
 
 
I also wanted to say thank you for all of my birthday wishes last week! You made me feel so special! As a little birthday treat to me from me...I bought myself this bottle of Amazing Grace. It's my favorite perfume!  I had run out of it a very long time ago and never replaced it. I had been missing it so I splurged for my birthday.  I'm so glad I did.  There is something about this scent that brings a feeling of peace over me and just makes me happy.  A friend on Instagram asked me to describe the scent and I said "if grace had a smell, this would be it".
 
It's hard to explain, but I love it so much and if you've never smelt it, please run out to the store and get a sample. 
 
It's absolutely lovely ♥♥♥
 
 
 



We've scheduled our movers for Saturday September 2nd.  That's officially one month from today.  Something I've been doing these past few weeks is taking a few minutes each day in my yard, walking around and trying to notice things I've never noticed before.  Now that we have a specific moving date I feel like I need to soak in all the memories I have of our little yard before she belongs to someone else.  This week has been hot, humid, with lots of rain.  Apparently the flowers love it, because everywhere I look they are in bloom. 






Either that or they are saying goodbye to me. And thank you for taking care of us all these years.






Or maybe a little of both.....♥





Happy August, my friends! 
 
 
It's going to be an interesting month : )
 
xoxox