Author Archives: Carol B.

Happy Monday, everyone! I’m getting back in gear after a very busy week/weekend. We had lots of school event going on, including Jake’s final elementary school concert. It seemed that there was something every day and so much driving around it was making me edgy.

Noah made his First Holy Communion on Saturday and it was a very busy time — preparing, celebrating, cleaning… It was lovely, though, and so great to share it with our family.

Last night I finally felt relaxed. With little to do this week, I didn’t need to make lists or keep track of anything. We put on a mindless movie (Tommy Boy, which I haven’t watched in years) and I browsed Pinterest while Drew check out DW drums from Musicians Friend. 

Today I’m just focussed on getting things in order: menu planning (lots of leftovers that require I get creative), culling paperwork (no more show choir for Jake or CCD for the boys — well, until next year), and reorganizing some things. They day just flew by! The little ones are currently in bed and Drew and Jake are playing one last game of Magic.

As for myself, I’m going to get ready to wind down too. Hope to be back with photos later this week!

I hope everyone enjoyed a nice Mother’s Day on Sunday! I certainly did. The kids lavished me with sweet, homemade gifts and we all enjoyed a nice day together. Drew’s mom and aunt came up for a visit, so it was all very laid back and relaxing.

Laura went home with the ladies for a sleepover, which gave me time to not only grocery shop and run about a million errands by myself, but I was able to hit the thrift shop this morning, too! You can see that I found a few little treasures.

The tray caught my eye as soon as I walked into the shop. And though it’s really nothing special (complete with “made in China” sticker on the back, it’s still pretty and fills up an empty space above my kitchen cupboards. It’ll also be useful for serving, too. Then there’s the little prim tin candle holder. I just love these kinds of things! So cute.

And of course, that old lunch pail (which immediately caught my dad’s eye when he saw a pic on Facebook). Dad and I had just been talking about a similar lunch pail he had in the 70s when he started working. This one is actually a reproduction by a company called Burning Lotus. There was no Thermos in it, but it was so cheap I grabbed it as an impulse purchase.

Then, I found a bundle of 10 cloth napkins. I washed and hung them out to dry, hoping the sun would bleach them but I think I need to do a little more work on them, as there’s still some yellow spots.

This old measuring cup is my favorite item of the lot, though! I think it was like 50 cents and this one is definitely vintage. I think it will look so sweet with some flowers stuck inside. I came out spending less than $10 for all of it, so I was pretty happy.

I managed to get a lot of other things done today, too, so I feel totally justified with my lazy girl plan for the night… tea, crochet, and TV. I’m not working on anything much… just a dishcloth. Mindless enough to work on while watching a show, yet I still feel like I’m doing something.

Well, time to get my water boiling. Hope your week is off to a good start!

I don’t know about you, but my allergies are killing me this week! I’m sneezing like a fool, rubbing my eyes constantly, and just generally feeling miserable until I take a Benedryl. But I guess that’s the price to pay for spring time and glorious weather.

We’ve been enjoying a stretch of truly beautiful, sun-filled, fling-open-the-windows sorts of days lately. I am always amazed how seeming overnight the buds become leaves and flowers and suddenly everything is green again! I think that May is the loveliest month for sure.

I’ve been making good use of my clothesline this year. Don’t you just love how fresh clothes smell after a day in the sun? And my whites are so much brighter — the rays seems to bleach out stubborn stains that the soap didn’t quite remove.

I also decided to switch around our bedding. Drew bought this quilt for me when we bought our first home, but it’s been in storage ever since we moved here (9 years ago!). I thought it was time to bring it back out, so I washed it and hung it on the line and now it’s on our bed. Love it!

Otherwise, I’ve just been puttering around the house, trying to declutter and file away papers that have been accumulating. I still have a stack of flyers, notes, and such from the concert and silent auction. I should probably organize them in printing presentation folders at printingamerica.com.

I haven’t been knitting or crocheting much. I should probably remedy that I started watching “Hemlock Grove” — a Netflix original series. It’s OK. Not really sure if I’ll watch it all the way through. I’m reading An Everlasting Meal: Cooking with Economy and Grace by Tamar Adler and so far I love it! Even though I’m an experienced cook, these reminders of how to make the most of everything are good.

So. What have you been up to? I imagine many of you have kids finishing school soon. We go until the end of June, but these next several weeks are a flurry of activities. All so fun, though! Have a great night!