little bits of awesome: you make my heart sing

painting our faces for no particular reason on a lazy Saturday afternoon

sell this house: progress report



Ugh. I'm suffering from a bad case of HGTV virus. Symptoms include knocking down walls, moving plumbing, raising the floor, and replacing everything with new.

But I'm happy to report, I had a huge dose of reality and I think I've come to my senses.

I've told you about our mess of a bathroom renovation. What? You've been to my house and didn't realize we have a second bathroom? Yes, that one – the bathroom we rarely use. It's off of the kitchen, which makes complete sense, right? Especially considering we don't have a master bath. Hmph.

Anyhow, over the last several weeks, we've been considering knocking down a wall (the one with the green star Bobby loathes) and moving our washer and dryer into the bathroom. Currently, our tiny garage serves as our laundry room and it feels filthy. The perfect solution was to create one giant laundry room/bathroom, seal the wall leading into the garage, and move the garage access door to our kitchen. This all sounded so perfect in theory.

Until we realized how much more time and money this perfect plan entailed.

See, not only do we have to finish the bathroom renovation before considering putting our house on the market, but now we also have to rethink our back patio since there is a large hole with exposed plumbing occupying most of it. Bobby needed to find the source of the leak which caused the water damage and he's very, very thorough.



He rented a jackhammer over the weekend and demolished the concrete slab in the bathroom, in hopes to save money when the plumber visits. We still plan to raise the floor to make level with our foundation (the addition was built on a concrete slab poured directly onto dirt - not good). It sounds tricky, but Bobby ensures me it's not too difficult.

Another symptom of the HGTV virus: delusional state of mind. It must be the virus, because why else would two full-time working parents of a toddler decide to take these projects on themselves, while still expecting to enjoy summer activities, play music, and work on creative projects. Craziness, I tell ya.

summertime rolls

Living near the beach is something I always took for granted growing up, but not anymore. It's awesome to schedule a spontaneous play date with three other families on a Sunday afternoon...

...and build sculptures in the sand.

And I've found a helper in the yard. Ave loves watering the flowers, which serves as a great reminder. I have the tendency to plant something with excitement and then neglect them to the hot sun.

(p.s. All photos were taken using the Camera+ app on my iPhone using the Diana filter.)

little bits of awesome: a bunny well-loved



Meet Bunny. She was my best pal growing up.

She accompanied me from kindergarten to college.



And now she's Avery's best friend and he won't go anywhere without her. And forget a night alone – unthinkable!



Friends and family are baffled as to why he picked her out of his many, many stuffed animals to cherish.

But, I know the reason. She's special. And she listens like no other.

If a toy could be loved into real existence, like The Velveteen Rabbit, she would have been hopping freely long ago. But, that fairy tale hasn't come true yet, so I'll just continue to sew her ear back when the threads come loose and gently give her baths when the pink turns dark gray once again.

summer days

It's been a rough work week, complete with early mornings, late nights, and plans to work all weekend. Why does that always seem to happen in the summer? Darn fiscal year.

We did manage to attend the birthday party I was dreading.



Recipe for a successful birthday party: just add water. Cram 15 toddlers and their parents in the back yard, turn on a few sprinklers, and you've got it made.



After a mid-afternoon nap, we headed to my sweet cousin Leah's house for a summertime cookout. She and her newly wed husband have been working hard to fix up their first home and the pleasant weather allowed them to show off their backyard gardens. And of course, Leah's parties are never complete without a few games of croquet.

Avery found enjoyment in feeding the gold fish and finding all the Buddhas in their home. Leah gave him two of her Buddha miniatures and he's treated them as his prized possessions ever since.



Yes, I carved a watermelon in the shape of a butterfly for the potluck. And yes, I used a dremel tool for the first time and it was woooonderful.



And what do you know, we did what I said I would never do: attend Harborfest. Word on the street was that Brobee was going to make an appearance during the Family Day hours on Sunday morning. So we trekked out there...but poor Brobee must have had a heat stroke because he was nowhere to be found.

BUT...there were so many things to do. What? I said it - I enjoyed Harborfest. Slipping from my elitist pedestal as I type. Hard...to...hang...on.

Anyhow, I asked Ave if he wanted to get his face painted and much to my delight, he said yes. We waited in a line of at least ten kids and Avery patiently waited beside me, watching each child sit quietly in the chair while the artist painted.

I was worried Ave wouldn't sit in the chair, but to my shock, he climbed in and closed his eyes. Didn't move a muscle until the artist handed him the mirror.



Seeing him sit so sweetly nearly brought me to tears (we've had our issues lately).

There was a menu board showing all the different face painting variations and I read them off for Avery to choose. Puppy, snake, spider, kitty, butterfly, rainbow...

Ladies and gentleman, I did not make that child get a rainbow. It was his request.



And it was also his request I get a matching one. It really enhanced the bags under my eyes, don't ya think?



So tickled he was with his newly painted face, that he decided to add more. Click to enlarge for the green beard glory.

So yes, a busy weekend, a busy week, and no breaks in sight. Even going to miss Father's Day. I suck. Time to drink beer.

On another note, I knew the face painter - Ashley is a 7 Cities Crafter. She's super fantastic, I have a new appreciation for the art form, and you should hire her. No, seriously.

we love to ham it up



Taken at a photobooth at the Etsy party last week (I spliced three photo sheets together and cropped). Hire this company for your next party or wedding. You won't be sorry, jazz hands.

little bits of awesome: la vie en rose



Avery is still at the age where he has been shielded from the cultural influence regarding what is considered socially acceptable for a boy.

I know it won't be much longer before he'll think twice before clipping a pink feather barrette in his hair - weighing the consequences against his desire to express himself.



I find it so sad when I hear mothers telling their sons, "Daddy won't let you wear that."

While in the Sanrio (hello kitty) store one day, I saw a young boy tugging on his mother's shirt, pointing to all the items he liked. She loudly exclaimed repeatedly, for everyone in the store to hear, "this is a girl's store, you can't like that. Daddy would be soooo upset." My heart broke for the little boy - not only being told it wasn't acceptable to admire an object because of its color, but for the public humiliation.

So for now, I'm treasuring the moments I have left with Avery finding absolute joy in "dressing up like Mommy." His innocence is refreshing and should be viewed as simple admiration. There will come a day when he'll want nothing to do with me, so at least I'll have these memories to look back upon.

wish you were here...

I've decided to list my weekend plans every Friday, in hope that all of my friends who moved to bigger cities because "Norfolk is soooo lame" will realize they made a terrible mistake and will move back here pronto. Yes, I'm talking to you. And you. And of course, you.

So, if you were here, you could go to the Etsy Craft party this evening with me. It's from 6-9 on Granby Street. More details here.

And if you so desired, you could also go to Harborfest and get a turkey leg. Seems to be popular, though I'll be staying far away.

On Saturday, I'll be taking Avery to his first ever school mate birthday party. Sure, he's been to birthday parties, but only of my friends' children. Admittedly, he's super excited and I'm a bit apprehensive. It's at someone's house I've never met, except briefly at his school. But according to his mother, the little boy specifically asked if Avery could come to his party, so I'm hoping this is a good sign, since he routinely beats on all his other friends. It's terribly embarrassing.

On another note, I also plan to acquire some face paint this weekend so the fam can enter this contest (which I think is over, but we're doing it anyway). Top priority. The grass needs mowing and the house needs cleaning, but we have to remember what's really important, right?

Since we're on the topic, the whole family is LOVING some tune-yards. Can I tell you how many times we had to watch this live video last night?

little bits of awesome: welcome to the dollhouse



After playing with a dollhouse at a friend's house, Avery begged to stay longer so he continue playing with it.

I was so thrilled to tell him he could play with one at our house, too. I just needed to pull it down from the attic first and he had to promise to be very gentle. Remember my little find a few years ago - long before I became pregnant with him? I thought it would sit in the attic forever.



He loves it and I'm delighted he's found something to really stimulate his imagination. From the other room, I could hear him tucking his figures into bed and asking "Daddy" to play the piano.

pride

There's my girlie, Lady Miss Kier, looking super fabulous at age 48 and still workin' her signature dance moves.

Despite waking to the sound of crashing thunder on Sunday morning, the Out in the Park event still went on as planned, even though it literally rained on their boat parade. But by one o'clock, the sun came out and a large crowd – many adorned with feathery rainbow angel wings and other chromatic attire – gathered in Town Point Park to celebrate Norfolk's first pride festival held in a large public venue.

You guys, I can't even begin to describe the positive energy felt in that park. Looking around, everyone was smiling, strangers were greeting one another, and the atmosphere was so welcoming.

It was the most fun I've ever had at a festival downtown.

I told Bobby we need to make a point of going to more Pride festivals in different cities. If they're anything like the one held in Norfolk, I can't think of anything more enjoyable on a Sunday afternoon than chillin' in a park, listening to dance music (I have a soft spot for early nineties dance hits - cheese and all), drinking good beer, and eating cupcakes. Enough said.

5 5 5 5 5



Not much has changed since my cryptic, melodramatic first post five years ago, with the exception of our family expansion and a range of hair styles (some cute, some cringe-worthy). Still using every spare minute to make something interesting and not take myself too seriously.

This space has allowed me to keep in touch with friends who have moved away, people special to me growing up (hello, Mrs. Gardner!), local friends I rarely see because of hectic lifestyles, and has connected me with new like-minded friends all over the world (hello, south korea!).

You guys have encouraged a shy girl to finally use her voice, albeit written or visual, and for that I thank you. Here's to another five more years of rambling, domestic projects, and quirky photos. And perhaps in fifteen to thirty more years, I'll be able to offer you a free trip to Paris like this. Or maybe I can let you crash on my sofa and make you a sandwich. How's that sound?

a miscellaneous collection of thoughts...

I took an extra day off Tuesday so nothing beats a 3-day work week. Here's what's going on over the weekend:

• Out in the Park on Sunday: our area's annual celebration of the GLBT community, but it'll be its first time held in a major public venue, which is really big considering Norfolk is home to a large Navy community and the recent repeal of DADT. And what's really fantastic is the scheduled DJ set of Lady Miss Kier, the former vocalist for Deee-Lite (you remember Groove is in the Heart, right?). I looooooved them in the early 90's and fantasized about sporting my own pucci patterned catsuit and glittery platform shoes, but alas, it wasn't a look I could pull off in the Virginia Beach suburbs. Actually, World Clique was a really great album and their DJ Towa Tei has continued releasing some great electronic albums. (Little know fact: Lady Miss Kier went to my high school, y'all! Way before my time, but whatev.)

• The 7 Cities Crafters are holding their monthly meetup on Sunday evening. Gotta catch up with my crafty ladies.

• And speaking of crafting, have you heard the buzz involving Amber of our 7 Cities Crafters? Crazy stuff! I have mixed opinions about the indie/corporate copying debate, but regardless, am astounded by the influence and reach of our national crafting community through social media. To think it all started with a tweet from our little city blows my mind! That Amber is a smart cookie and I'm so proud to call her my friend.

• More craft talk: gotta finish Ave's teepee this weekend or he'll have my head. I took Tuesday off to solely work on projects - the most relaxing & productive holiday in years. I refinished an end table AND started making a teepee for the little guy. I'll share photos of the finished projects next week.

• This blog will turn five on Monday. FIVE YEARS OLD! Can you believe it? I feel like I need to celebrate somehow - any ideas from my few dedicated readers?

• Also, you need to read this response from Grace of design*sponge regarding the NY times article on online magazines. You also need to know that Grace is from Virginia Beach too, so I've mentioned 3 strong women hailing from this area in one blog post - hooray.

Have a great weekend and give me some suggestions in the comments regarding the 5-year blog celebration, okay?

memorial day weekend

The extended weekend made for a perfect getaway to Chincoteague.



Ave worked on mastering his cool surfer style...



...and overseeing his construction site.



I am a woman of many fears – some admittedly completely irrational, like being under kites (it might swoop down and knock me out!), but I'm quickly learning to let go since I gave birth to a dare devil and I don't want to discourage him too much. And even though I grew up at the beach and know how to swim, I've never felt comfortable in water...



...but this little guy is fearless.



Since he doesn't start swim lessons until July, we've compromised by having him hold our hand and/or wearing a life jacket while playing in the surf.



Otherwise, he runs straight into the breakers without a care in the world. It's a fine line parents walk between taking the necessary safety precautions and cramping a little one's free spirit.

little bits of awesome: feeding seagulls





Awesome until the poop storm begins. Take cover!