The Ants and the Grasshoppers

The sun came out, finally, and I think I got a burst of energy. I'm beginning to think that, despite my obsessive love of Oregon rain, I may get a bit of the SAD during the long and dreary winter. A couple of months ago I was sleeping 8-9 hours at night and STILL needing a nap at midday just to function! Lately, I've been tearing through the house fixing and sewing and project after project. After such a long and rainy winter/spring, I think Doug and I feel a sense of urgency to work as fast as possible to get as many things done on the house before the rainy season sets in again. We are the ants in a grasshopper world! (Grasshoppers being the children, of course.) There are just so many things to be done! Sometimes we feel completely beat down by it, but we have to remind ourselves that we've only been here 9 months... We bought a fixer-upper and we knew we couldn't expect fun and play time for the first year or 5! But it does get tough sometimes!

I finally converted the crib to a bed (the first time we've had enough space between babies to do so in the 6 years we've had the thing) and hung pictures on Evie's wall and some butterfly decals.


I've been sewing, and sewing, and sewing. It seems like birthdays and baby showers are rampant during the summer months! And that, in addition to sewing for the kids, has kept me quite busy!
A reversible princess cloak for a birthday gift (an idea stolen from my sister)


A crib blanket for one of my cute friends.


A dress for Evie made from an old t-shirt, via Michelle, via Make it and Love it


A Forever 21 tube-top dress, converted into a skirt, pour moi!



Pajama bottoms for the kids (idea, again, from my sister)


I took the door from the kitchen to the garage off finally, sanded it and began to paint it. It is currently rehung, but unpainted with no door handle. Doug loves that part. (Dripping sarcasm.)




Doug made me an herb/strawberry planter. I LOVE IT!






This range hood installation kicked Doug's trash, so he left it alone for a while. I was pretty sure I'd have to twist his arm to start it up again and, you know, someday I think I'd like a finished kitchen. So my Grandpa (the engineer and geometry wizard) came to my rescue on Friday. Our problem was trying to figure out how to place the exhaust vent through the roof slope and still get the bottom of the vent in the right place. It's tricky.

Here we finally cut a hole (precariously placed between our gas pipe and 3 electrical wires).

Cutting an 8" hole in the roof is more daunting than you think! I have to be honest, making the initial cut scared me a little...


Anyway, the range hood still isn't up all the way yet, but that made some serious headway!
Later that evening, when Doug got home, we moved on to work the backyard.


Tilling and tilling to get the clay-packed soil all nice and fluffy and ready for grading.


My cute little, solitary artichoke.


Pea blossoms.


My little Hylti, blatantly disregarding our poor lettuce, in his attempt to "clean" the garden.


Doug has been trimming the back hedge and yesterday, the neighbors took down the old, nasty, dilapidated fence in preparation for a new fence to go in. It will look SO much better!


One of Doug's and my very favorite desserts- Raspberry Chocolate Mousse Trifle


Chocolate chip macaroons.


Of course, there's the day-to-day business to keep us busy too. Such as, oh I don't know, a whole box of sticky raisins on my carpet to clean up! That little dude is lucky he happens to be adorable!


Then there's the daily swimming and the semi-weekly karate classes.



Meanwhile, the little grasshoppers have been enjoying themselves right royally!