One of my Fave Weekends of the Year

I have always loved Memorial Day weekend. I think because it always falls around my birthday and it always seems to kick-off the summer season (or it had always been a true sign that the end of the school year was in clear view:)
This is why this weekend was so great (and I"m gonna write in bullets bc I am so so ready for bed, but I knew if I didn't jot down my thoughts now, my memories would disappear by time i got around to it):
Friday Night: Seize the Summer, Off the Wall ministries and Poland at a UPCC picnic. LOVE potluck picnics, great to hang with others from church and really really inspirational to dance like crazy to rockin' Christian praise music with the kids. Also really enjoyed hosting two of the gal's from OTW.

Saturday: Stolled around Jakes with the kids, Julia to soccer (more that another time), worked and got stuff done around the house, quick taco dinner and family time at Green Lane Park.Jeff and I planned on watching a movie which ended up being a documentary on financial corruption. Hum, not sure how we so wrongly read the Red Box synopsis on that one. Was informative, but not the cozy movie night we had hoped!


Sunday: Church in the morn, loads of laundry (not fun), family picnic at Derstines. The weather was gorgeous and Mom-Mom had the slip and slide for the cousins (bubbles and all!) It was nice having both sets of parents there--as well as Pop and Karen. Elaine made it special for Jeff and my birthdays as well.

Monday: Up at 5:30am to meet friends at Jakes. I recently met a friend through Julia's preschool, Rachel who is super-great a finding diamonds in the rough... and making them deorative home jewels. I am actually going to be an official DIYer and do something with this: I fell in love bc i know exactly where i want to put it. I HOPE this $10 beauty works out. Hopefully I can report success...
Got this Crate and Barrel piece for $4
This huge set of sturdy Target dishes for a mere $5
Polka Dot pieces for Julia's room (need to go back for a shelf and i'd like to find some other polka dot things)$1.50
These frames (yes, i will ditch the golf pictures) and this bath plaque=total $3
This charming plate holder for $2
Plus, A pampered chef pie server valued at for $2,a beach bag for $1, Cars magazines for nephews, and of course produce.
I LOVE JAKES
So i bought a lot of crap, knowing that I would be going home to meet Jeff for our Garage Crap Removal date.
Saturday night documentaries + garage cleaning= one heck of an exciting couple.
Felt good to clean it out although it took us from 9:30am to around 5pm (of course with a fair share of kid interuptions -although they were very good) and every muscle in my body is now aching. We will be selling the stuff at Elaine and Leon's church and all the money will be donated to Japan relief.
Finally, made one of my faves...Imitation Crab and Veggie Pasta (no, the veggies weren't imiation, they were fresh--from jakes). But i must say I was proud of myself bc it was the second time I used my fresher than fresh HOMEGROWN herbs. This is something I"ve been wanting to do for years...

My up at the crack of dawn self has gotsta get to bed (although i must say, i actually enjoyed getting up early...hummmm)

The Wild Wacky World of DIY Blogs

If you would have asked me a year or two ago what DIY stood for, I would have no idea. But now, I am finding myself on these Do It Yourself blogs quite frequently. Mom was great at decorating. She had a natural ability for it, but she also studied it (She loved Christopher Lloyd...not sure if that guy is even known any more-note to self to Google him). Anyway, she had a beautiful 8 (I think) layered fruit basket stencil around the soffet of our kitchen that she repeated I think 4 or 5 times. She had patience with craftiness that I don't think I'll ever have, but I have been bit with the desire to have a nicely decorated home.
Here is my I go on these super cool blogs and then find myself on another blog, then another, then another and I find myself saying, "Oh that's so cool, I could do that!" "That looks easy enough..." "Oohh I love that!" "That seems inexpensive to pull off" and so on and so on. I have been repeating this cycle for about two months and have I tried anything? No. I spend my time loooooking and not doing. I add the blogs to my "Favorites" where they just sit as a link in cyberworld.

So I've decided to make Becca Do List by room (in no particular order)

~~~Basement: Hang pictures, Paint the huge tree mural in the basement to chart the kids growth and celebrate Family Tree Heritage. Example from
The Real Housewives of Bucks County
~~~Figure out how to pull Kitchen together:
Mini Mirror Mural wall?, Paint chip border? Bird art? Hang plates, install ceiling fan

~~~ Julia's room: Finish Birdie clothesline, Figure out how to do lettering, Hang frames

~~~ Andrew's room: Paint tan, hang road sides, lettering

~~~Bedroom: Paint light blue, Large room stencil, hang curtains, hang pictures, headboard

~~~Kids' bathroom: Paint Teal and Orange, hang pictures, Julia's Octopus picture, lettering "All creatures great and small the Lord, Our God made them all"

~~~Laundry Room: Paint, Spray shelves?, add organization baskets, cute Laundry picture

~~~Powder Room: Spray paint fixtures, replace faucet? Hang wooden crate, eventually peel wallpaper and repaint.