Sweetpea’s Garden

Well, we officially moved in March 5th, and in the last two and a half weeks we have made great progress…we hired painters to do the kitchen but got such a great deal we had them do most of the downstairs. But there has still been plenty to do…including washing all the hardwoods by hand, and removing the grout in the kitchen, which appeared never to have been cleaned (yuck!) and re-grouting the backsplash - which I did myself!

Here are a few before and after shots…with more to come (only three rooms were photo ready).

Master bedroom (the first room to get completely done

Continue reading ‘My Houston: The Update on Home’

So parades were a big deal in our household when we were little. Sweetpea and I were both baton twirlers with the “Pink Panthers, Ltd.” (And no, I will not post pictures.) Part of the deal though was worrying about whether the weather would cooperate, since several of the parades were held at less than ideal times in Binghamton’s weather cycle (like the Christmas parade in November, often after the first snow fall; and the St. Patrick’s Day parade in March when its still freezing!) And here is where I am incredulous. This year Binghamton is having their St. Patty’s Day parade tomorrow - Saturday, March 1st.

Why so early, you might ask? According to the story in the local paper, it is because our pipers come from all over and the guys from NYC and Phili have better offers, so we have to be off date. Okay, I kinda get that, but two and a half weeks before? Even if the parade goes off, which I doubt given the winter the folks in Bing have been having, who is going to line the parade route when its freezing cold, with snow and ice all over the place. (Of course, my Mom and Dad would have, along with the Grandparents.) I bet the people of Binghamton would trade fewer piping bands for feeling their fingers and toes!

The other perspective I offer on this is the seven year old little girl, so excited to be in a p a r a d e! And the trauma of watching the weather and realizing that the parade she has been practicing for will be canceled because of the weather (which will still happen in Binghamton from time to time - it’s Binghamton!). And yes, that was me. More than once. Can’t we try to schedule for when we have the best chance of the fewest cancellations?

So to all the little boys and girls waiting and hoping (do they still wait and hope for such simple life pleasures these days as small town America parades?), I hope the March 1st St. Patrick’s Day parade goes off. Oh, and be grateful for those warming packs that you can put in your boots that I didn’t have.

Hello Friends. I am so sorry that I have neglected you all this week. I had no intention of doing so, but wow has this week gone by fast. So I will start with our new Friday tradition, and work backwards in the week. This will be a long post

What are your favorite baby gifts? And I mean to both give and, for those of you with kids, to receive.

Since I don’t have kids, I’ll skip the receiving end (but do love to know what’s hot with the mommy set, since I literally have a dozen friends having babies this year).

My stock baby gift regardless of gender are books.  My top three (that generally are gifted as a trio) are: Oh the Places You’ll Go (Dr. Seuss), Love You Forever (Robert Munsch), and The Giving Tree (Shel Silverstein). I also love to give the starter of a charm bracelet for a little girl. I know these are hopelessly old fashioned but I loved mine, and think it is a sweet idea to pass to the next generation. (I have no such cute idea for boys - sorry!)

As usual, comment away!

Now, for what I should have posted earlier in the week.

TBT: Rwanda, Long-lost Cousins, and Seashells

So, when I last posted I was in Pawley’s Island, South Carolina (can’t believe that was a week ago already!).  I was there for a gathering of people interested in partnering with the Mustard Seed Project to find sponsors for the students of the Sonrise Primary and High School, in Rwanda. Back in the summer of 2005 I went to Rwanda to visit this school. I had an amazing adventure and was forever changed. When I lived in DC, I worked with seven friends to start and manage the Sonrise High School sponsorship program. It was very hard to step away when we moved to Houston, but this was my opportunity to step back in to the fray. (BTW, if you are interested in the details of sponsorship, let me know.) So this weekend in SC with friends old and new working for Rwanda is my first beautiful thing.

Right before I left for SC I got a phone call from my second cousin (I think) Maureen, who lived in DC in the late 90s.  Sweetpea and I had gotten together with her a few times back then and lost touch. Well Maureen was in Houston last weekend and we overlapped on Sunday night. So Chris picked me up from the airport and off we went to dinner with Maureen and had a blast. We really do have a fun family - even in its many extensions!

And lastly, while in SC, I had a brief opportunity to do on of my favorite things - walk along a white sand beach and pick up seashells. I have a collection from my travels far and wide, and added to it last weekend. There is something very peaceful at the beach, which I love.

So I guess I’ll stop here for today. I will actually be home this weekend (and so will my other half) so we are going to spend a very domestic weekend getting into stuff at the house. Updates will be forthcoming.

Oh, one more thing. A neighbor from home-home (a.k.a. Binghamton), and good friend and colleague to my parents died last night of a massive heart attack. Steve was about in his mid 60s maybe. Longevity, it seems, is skipping Dads generation. So if you are the praying kind, offer up one for Steve and his family. He was a good man, with a hearty laugh and mischievous (in a good way) smile, and will be missed.