Summer Rut

I know it is summer and all and we should be relishing in the sunshine, but I just feel bleah. Maybe it is because of Grace's casts. Maybe it is because we no longer have a swimming pool - I feel the absence of the pool more than I ever thought I would. Maybe it's the fact that I've been unpacking boxes for two solid weeks, stopping my 'work' every 15 minutes to make a snack, referee a fight, hold the chickens or whatever else the girls can scrounge up for an idea to interrupt me.

They are bored. I need a change of pace. But what? Where? I want to get this house 'finished' in the sense that I want all boxes unpacked and everything put away. I want some organization. I keep telling myself that it will get there - and it is - but just not fast enough. Not without interruption, angst, irritation and a few curse words under my breath.

Grace, bless her heart for being such a trooper, has to be sick of the casts. I'm sick of those casts and they aren't even on my feet! She has been a bit more emotional and a bit more needy. I feel like my reserves are nearing empty on ability to give emotionally. I swear if a child of mine cries one more time when they don't get the blue cup or that the pancake I so artistically and loving sculpted into the shape of a bunny doesn't resemble her own stuffed animal, I might come unglued.

While everyone else is camping and splashing in the pool, my girls and I are barely holding on. I think things will turn for the better once Grace and Charlotte can return to normal activities. I hope. In the meantime, 10 sleeps until the casts come off. So close, yet so freaking far!

I'm Bringin' Happy Back...Yep!

If you follow me on Instagram, you know that we had a bit of a rough morning the other day. Tuesday morning to be specific. I was up early as usual but before I knew it, it was already 7 am! The girls weren't awake and Grace had school! 

So I started the wake up process and everyone was on the grumpy side. Pancakes was requested and I obliged hoping that would smooth things along. (I'm no chef but I can whip up pancake batter in a matter of minutes!)

The first pancake was cooked to golden perfection - in my opinion.

It sent Grace into cataclysmic tears because it was 'crispy'!

Yes, crispy.

So I made another.

This time I erred in barely cooking it so that it wouldn't be crispy. 

The dead center was a bit undercooked, so I cut that part out, cut it all up and doused it in syrup.

She was onto me and you guessed it.

More tears. 

The third pancake was again rejected and 

I. COMPLETELY. LOST. IT.

I'm not going to write out every detail but I can recall at one moment a part of my brain, the logical part of my brain saying Stop. Stop. It's just pancakes. My emotions just tsunami'd over all logic and it continued.

Finally, I put myself on timeout and when I was calm, I returned to breakfast and getting everybody up and out the door for school.

The entire way home from drop-off I just felt so guilty.

Wracked with guilt. 

I kept thinking about all those patience quotes people are always posting on Facebook or in their Etsy shops and it made me sicker. 

I did a quick online survey of some when I got home. I wanted to buy a mantra to put up so I could look at it every morning in order to prevent a situation like this again in the future.

I've always loved quotations and inspirational pieces so I figured this would be a perfect little Easter gift to myself. 

I found a lot I liked but the message was never exactly what I wanted it to say 

so I decided to make my own.

I've never painted or drawn or done anything like that but I am telling you,

I understand now - a little bit better - why people use art therapy.

It helps purge the demons.

Here is my "masterpiece." It looks very juvenile, I know.

Court thought Grace had drawn it and then teased me about hanging it up in his office like one does with the artwork of a child.

I recognize it isn't a Picasso but for a first time drawing anything?

Not to toot my own horn but my lettering looks pretty good, no?

The flowers and stuff suck but hey!

It was about the purge and it did help me feel better. 

After picking up Grace from school, we tried to bring a little happy back and died some Easter eggs.

I hate dying Easter eggs. I don't know why but I just do. 

They never look as pretty as the ones in the magazines and that just frustrates me to no end and I absolutely hate hard boiling eggs. It is a lengthy, annoying process that often leads to cracked, unusable eggs and for some reason it kills the joy in the fun of the coloring process for me.

I wasn't planning on dying any eggs this year so I quickly found an online tutorial for blowing eggs, making some die from food coloring and away we went! From start to finish, it all took an hour. The ideal amount of time for Grace and Charlotte. They got burnt out when we had one egg left to color so it was perfect!

I even found an online tutorial for making a drying rack out of toothpicks!

Another thing I always hated about coloring eggs.

That big, splotchy circle on the back where the egg sits in a puddle of colored water!

Solved!

As God is my witness, I will never hate dying Easter eggs again!

(said in Gone with the Wind Scarlett O'Hara voice!)

All business!

Eyeing just the right egg!

A closer look at the darling Easter aprons from Grandma!

Grace took a timeout to scope her apron in the bathroom.

We had to do the two - mirror trick so she could see the back. 

In the end, we brought happy back!

Yep!

And all was forgiven.