For the Journey


Any day spent with you is my favorite day. So today is my new favorite day. ~A.A. Milne

"You crown the year with Your goodness, and Your paths drip with abundance." ~Psalm 65:11
I wanted to write this post on Monday, but I've been a little busy the past few days.  It's Mardi Gras break for us, but this has been going down at our house:

If you know me well, you know I LOATHE painting!  It all started six years ago when we built our house and decided we would paint the whole entire thing ourselves instead of paying someone else to do it.  We saved $13,000 at the time.  It was, and still is, worth it.  But I hated every. second. of. it.  And all I did were the bedrooms and some of the trim!  Seth and his dad did the rest of it.  I told everyone that they better LOVE their paint color because that was it.  I wasn't going to do it again.  Ever.  And we all know how that turns out around here.  

So for the THIRD time in only six years, I painted Mason's and Hannah Kate's bedrooms.  They switched rooms two years ago because the room Mason was in was better suited to accommodate two beds.  And the girls were sharing a room.  I had to paint because Mason, of course, didn't want a pink room, and Hannah Kate didn't want an alligator green room.  Neither one of them were thrilled with their new rooms, and they'd ask every once in a while if it was possible they'd get their old rooms back.  So, between that and the fact that it's just going to be a whole lot better for everyone if Ellie has her own room, the big kids have their rooms back.  Was it necessary?  Nope.  But I was honestly glad to do it for them.  

I spent Monday and part of yesterday painting their rooms and moving the furniture.  We have the electrical and lighting issues taken care of now, and the crown and baseboards are cut and ready for the new wall that will make Ellie's room.  That wall will begin to go up next week and then I'll be painting again.  If you ask Ellie what color her room is going to be, she'll tell you "hot hot pink."  And that's probably an understatement!  I'm a little nervous about this one, but I'm excited, too.  And she can't wait.

In the meantime, I don't know what got into me.  But I spent the latter part of yesterday and most of today painting all of the trim downstairs.  All of the window and door casings looked horrible because the wood grain had begun to show through the paint.  The kick plates on the stairs were scuffed up pretty badly, too.  I really just couldn't stand it anymore.  It was a project that needed to be done for quite some time, but it was just so overwhelming to me that I couldn't do it.  Until now.  I have a little bit left to do, but I'm actually quite proud of myself.  I also don't plan to paint ever. again.  But, again, we all know how that'll go . . .

So.  Last weekend.

Friday night we went to LSU's gymnastics meet.  We've watched them on TV a bit, and they've done really well the last couple of years.  I've always wanted to go, and I thought the kids would enjoy it.  I should've known better.  It wasn't necessarily that they didn't like it.  Mason complained of being bored the whole time.    

Hannah Kate does not like to tell me when she doesn't like or enjoy something.  But I could tell.  She didn't complain at all.  But she later agreed with Mason.

And Ellie, well, she just wanted to "go home" the whole time!  At least she was cute in her piggie tails!

But I enjoyed it, and I want to go back!  Not only did the LSU girls win, but they set a season high scoring record.  They're also currently in 1st place in the SEC.  Mary Lou Retton's daughter is on the team also so that's pretty neat.

We spent Saturday getting everything ready for the big room swap.  I also cleaned out one of the upstairs closets so Ellie can have her own closet.  During the process of doing that, I got so overwhelmed.  I mean, I thought I did a great job of keeping things cleaned out and organized.  My children know that certain things best stay at MawMaw's house less they end up getting donated.  We "donate" several times throughout the year.  But, obviously, it's still not enough.  A lot of it wasn't something I wanted to take to a thrift store either.  So I decided to do something I've never done before.  A yard sale.  Just the thought of it makes me want to curl up in the fetal position.  But it's necessary.  So I called my friend who does do yard sales and does a great job, and she agreed to help me.  I think the best part is I don't even have to have it at my house!  Another friend volunteered to have it at her house.  I just wanted to put $25 in my pocket and get rid of my stuff!  If you need a glass top table with four chairs or safety rails for a bed or a TV or a bike or some picture frames, I'm your girl!

I had a little fun Saturday night in my kitchen.  I made shrimp corndogs for the kids (big hit, by the way!) and shrimp scampi.  I did something I've never done before.  I served the scampi over zoodles (zucchini noodles)!  And it was really good!  I'm not even kidding!  


And we had even more fun in the kitchen on Sunday night.  There was a big game on in case you didn't hear.  And Super Bowl Sunday calls for Super Bowl food.  We did have church on Sunday night, but afterwards we came home to our own little Super Bowl party.  I made olive salad the day before, and we had our own little version of muffalettas.  I couldn't find the kind of bread I wanted so we had to settle for ciabatta bread.  But they were delish.  We had a little pasta salad, and the kids had wings and left over shrimp corndogs.  Seth fixed my plate.  So that's why you see that wing back there.  


And that was our weekend.  I was pretty overwhelmed when I went to bed on Sunday night.  The playroom was mass chaos, and the entire upstairs was pretty much turned upside down.  But now I have two children who are super excited to have their new old rooms back, one child who can't wait for her walls to go up and the prettiest white window and door casings this house has ever seen in its six years.  And I'm a happy girl.  It's the small things in life.  You know, like fresh paint, shrimp scampi over zoodles, shrimp corndogs and muffalettas!