Celebrations

An evening dip to celebrate Currier's first day of being an eight-year-old and Rya's last day of preschool.

Blizzard of 2014

School was released early yesterday and cancelled today in anticipation of an ice/snow storm.  We got plenty of ice but just a dusting of snow.  Regardless, the kids are thrilled with our Southern Winter Wonderland!  

Backyard Camping

The whole family, including dogs and dragon, spent Labor Day Weekend camping in our backyard.

 It was hot, sweaty, crowded and annoying but somehow it was EXACTLY where I wanted to be.

Summertime!

Our first pool day of the season and Rya D. and I had it all to ourselves.  I love days like this! 

Friday Favorites—New-to-Me Kitchen Island

My friend, Jen, delivered this beautiful kitchen island to my house on Thanksgiving Day because she had no where to put it in her new house and she thought it would look great in my kitchen.  She was right.  Not only is she extremely generous but she is also kind and the the second funniest person I know.  I'm the first.  

Yard Sale

Our neighborhood hosted a community wide yard sale over the weekend and the kids made a killing selling coffee, donuts and OJ.  We purged a lot crap from around the house and made just under $400.  It was a total success except for the six donuts that I ate.  I'm now so fat I have to wash myself with a rag on a stick! 

Rising Waters

 The flooding continues.
 

And we continue to make the best of it!

Hurricane Isaac

Yesterday afternoon the outer bands of Hurricane Isaac hit Charleston and completely flooded our cul de sac.

It was some of the heaviest rain I've ever seen and loudest thunder I've ever heard.  I'd hate to experience the eye of this storm!  

A Princess in a Queen

Rya upgraded to a big girl bed today!

This Child Will Be The Death Of Me

As soon as I clean Rya's room, she runs up there and puts things back the way she likes them... MESSY!

Autumn in Charleston

Fall has always been my least favorite season, but in Charleston autumn feels like spring.  It's perfect weather for lunch on the porch.  Autumn in Charleston is delicious!

My Clean Little Secret

I'm coming clean.  I have an illness and this is just a glimpse of it. 

I love to clean, label, organize, categorize and alphabetize.  

After many years of friends and family urging me to go pro with my talent I am finally taking the plunge. 

If you're interested in my services please contact me via email at coleentrent@yahoo.com.  Website coming soon! 

I Love...

this wire with clips that I bought at Ikea.  It dries and displays my kids' artwork.  When I sit on my deck, I feel like I'm in a little art gallery and it makes me smile. 

I Hate... 

that Rya is getting too big for baths in the kitchen sink after she creates these wonderful works of art.  I miss the awesomeness of a tiny baby.  It almost makes me wish I didn't get my tubes tied.  Almost.

Check Out My Big Deck

Before: After:

This is my Christmas present from Trent. He misunderstood me and thought I asked for a big deck. Oh well, this is still pretty nice. I trimmed the bushes around my deck to make it look bigger. I'm looking forward to lots of random deck parties. I will never grow tired of deck jokes. Merry Christmas!

Friday Favorites—Our New Hard Wood Floors

I thought I'd start recording my favorite things every Friday and there is no better way to start this installation of blog posts than my new hard wood floors. We just got Australian Cypress installed two weeks ago and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that these floors have changed my life! Not only did they make our home more pleasing to the eye but they are also a snap to clean up. No more getting on my hands and knees with resolve carpet cleaner! Hooray! The guys that installed our floors (Wood boys— highly recommend them!) said the best cleaning product for wood floors is Bona. Does anyone else think that's funny or do I have the sense of humor of a 6th grader? Happy Friday.

Backyard Update

Our rocket ship birdhouse remains vacant despite stuffing it with popcorn and hanging a birdseed bell beside it. I think the birds would rather take up residence in a backyard not occupied by Bruco and Paolo. We do however have a new friend in our backyard. There is a giant banana spider that lives on our fence and we like to watch him spin his web.

Our little garden is coming along. The basil and tomatoes came in fast and furious, the cucumbers are catching up and the flowers never really took off. I'm surprised at Currier's interest in this. He checks his little garden every morning and got so excited to see his first tomato bloom. Stay tuned for fresh Insalata Caprese!

Monkey Tree

There's a row of Crape Myrtle Trees along the side of our house. Currier has a favorite that he dubbed "Monkey Tree". That tree brings more joy than any toy.

Last Days of Summer

Summer is coming to an end here in South Carolina. The autumn chill comes every morning but by the afternoon it's back up in the 80's. We're trying to get in as many trips to the beach and pool before fall comes full time.

And we play with the hose in the backyard most days because it's still Currier's favorite way to cool off. I'm going to miss our hot, lazy summer days but my pregnant body is craving some cooler weather already!

Survived Hanna

Tropical Storm Hanna passed through last night around midnight. Currier, the dogs and I were all fast asleep in bed together while Trent stayed up to keep one eye on the weather channel and the other on us. The eye of the storm never made land fall in Charleston so we were lucky enough to only get rain and wind. This morning, we woke to sunny skies, warm weather and a home intact. After a week of disaster preparation and a lot of worrying, we feel relaxed this morning. As I'm typing this I can hear a scurry up in the attic which means that "something" decided to take shelter in our home during the storm. I just added "Gently remove creature(s) from our attic" to Trent's weekend to do list.

Preparing

We're watching the weather channel closely as it looks like Hurricane Hanna could hit Charleston on Friday afternoon. I've bought all the emergency supplies, put our photo albums in plastic bins, gathered our important documents and now I'm packing our suitcases for a possible evacuation... and we thought it was so cool to live so close to the ocean.