Question....

Hey everyone! I'm here, but really busy.  As you can see I've been making a few adjustments with the blog.  I do want my header to spread across the top which probably means I need to go in and adjust the HTML. Right? Anyone know a simple way to do that, or can point me in the right direction on-line to show me how.

In the meantime, enjoy the pictures below.  I donated my photography skills to a local silent auction. The high bidder has a beautiful garden.  It's been fun to walk along the flowers.  I need to go back to get the morning light...enjoy!

Links I Like

Can you feel it? No?  Well, let me explain it to you.  It the tension easing up off our shoulders.  The relief that  after today the hard part is behind us and them and the oncoming summer is almost here.  Matt will be done this afternoon and then he will be a Sophomore! (gasp! How did that happen?) and Ryan will be done with his finals (yes, he has finals as a seventh grader...to prepare him for high school...there are no words on this one.) this morning and gets to slack off at school until the 21st.

While many of you have been on summer vacation mode for what seems like months to me, we don't officially start until June 21st.  Perfect timing, seeing that  it is the first day of summer after all!

We have not made many plans so I guess I should get on that.  Must make the oldest find some sort of work, even if it's just a few hours. Baseball will take up our evenings and anything in between will, hopefully, be relaxing and fun!

So onward to the weekend!  Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there.  We will be celebrating by moving mulch...because that's what he wants to do. 

 In my quest to learn to sew better I came across this article.  I wonder if I have this attachment? I need to look.  Anyone know if they are standard with your machine supplies?

 We were hooked on watching Cupcake Wars for a few weeks.  Stands like this were common on the show, only on a much larger level.  I could see making one of these for a party! It looks pretty easy to do!

 You or the kids bored yet of summer vaca?  Here's a fun take on the T-shirt printing!

It's strawberry season around here!  Forget about the strawberry shortcake!  Make this and enjoy!

enjoy your weekend everyone!

Roller Coaster Days...

Well hello!  I didn't mean to stay away so long and probably have about three readers left, two of them being family members.  But, it is what it is and to tell you the truth, I've stayed away because I figured you didn't want to hear me go on and on about the difficulties of raising teenage boys.

The gray hair is coming in fast and furious now and my hair stylist and I are becoming good friends.  The emotions are high around here due to final exams and end of year projects.

You know what they say about that frontal lobe of the brain being slow to develop?...I think it might have stopped in my oldest's.  Geesh, it has been a frustrating time.

So I leave you with a few pictures of the last week.

The weather has been good and the activities plentiful.  

Send good thoughts that I make it through to June 15th.  

...or maybe just bottles of wine!

Happy 13th Birthday Ryan!

And just like that both boys are teenagers!

Ryan's off fishing and swimming in the lake with his best friend in the world.

Isn't that what being thirteen is all about?

Being carefree (yes Ry, you still need to read those three chapters in Hoot before school tomorrow) and happy with your friends? 

And maybe bringing your dad along to drive the boat!

Here's to a great first year of teenagerhood Ryan!

I only ask one thing....please go gentle on me...I don't have too many non-gray hairs left!

links, links, links...

Thank goodness it's Friday.  It's been a long one people.  A funeral, a death in the community, and epic meltdowns over schoolwork.  As much as the weather is getting nicer, the stress is amping up here at Upper Pond.  June 21st cannot come soon enough. 

So, I went for a walk in my yard to lift my spirits. I'm always amazed at the hidden treasures I find within my gardens.  I think Ryan is the culprit; hiding things to make me smile when I discover them.

I did try to navigate the blog world this week to see what I have been missing.  Here are a few of my favorites!

 These are adorable.  Perfect for little trinkets.

I'm constantly amazed at what people think up.   This is thinking way outside the box!

 Ryan has friends sleeping over tonight.  It's a common occurrence on the weekend.  These will be on the menu in the morning.

 I'm going to attempt a zippered pillow.   But first I need to find my zipper foot for the sewing machine.

Wish me luck.

This is just perfect.

Have a good weekend everyone!

5 things...

My husband and I are saying good-bye to a good friend this week.

A woman our age that was taken much too young.

A woman full of life and much spirit that touched each and every person that she came across.

I just needed to see five pictures of beauty to remind me that there is goodness and hope in this world, when things seem so unfair.

We will miss you Patty but know that you live on in each and every one of us.

On This Mother's Day Weekend

I didn't breastfeed-I couldn't for medical reasons.
judge me for not fixing the problem
I bottle fed my kids
judge me for ruining their immune system.
I let my kids sleep with us.
judge me for being to close to my children.

I tried Ferberizing.
judge me for terrorizing my children
I put cereal in my boys' bottles.
judge me .
I gave them cereal before they were one.
judge me for creating over-eaters.
I went to work when he was a baby.
judge me for not staying home.
I decided to stay home.
judge me for not working.
I volunteer in the school.
judge me for being a helicopter parent.
Sometimes I don't volunteer.
judge me for not caring about my kids.
My kids play sports.
judge me for not providing the arts.

My kids play instruments.
judge me for not being in sports 24/7
My kids went to restaurants at a young age.
judge me because children don't belong in restaurants.
My kids play with iPods in restaurants.
Judge me for just wanting a quiet meal and not choosing to have a meaningful conversation at that moment.
We bring our kids on vacation.
judge us for including our kids too much
We don't bring our kids on a weekend trip.
judge me for not including them.
I buy Doritos and white bread
judge me.
Sometimes I take the night off, drink a glass of wine and let them skip their homework
judge me for not being a mom 24/7
Sometimes I crack the whip and they hate me.
judge me for being a taskmaster.


I love my sons with all my heart

Go ahead
judge me
I dare you.


added: This is what I was really trying to say.  She said it much better than I.

Making

 So we have this barn here in town that a great interior designer owns.  In the past few years she has started organizing house sales and consignment items for her barn. She works at the local college and has her interns stage the barn with the latest design techniques.  She holds the barn open once a month, has food, drink and music and lets us all shop to our hearts content.  

My last buy was the frame above.  I have been wanting to work with chalkboard paint for a while and needed something that would cover all the dings and nicks on the wall.

I thought this was the project for me!  Little did I know, how involved my husband was going to get.  This was a project with his name written all over it.  So, he cut the wood, painted and screwed in hooks so tight that it will never move off that wall.

Viola, a chalkboard to rival  Pottery Barn at a fraction of the cost!

Since he has finished, he has stopped at two local garage sales and has three more frames set to paint.  I think I see a future on Etsy for him.

5 things

Well, I didn't expect to be gone away so long.  I'm doing a bit of computer work for a friend, so the last thing I want to do is be on the computer more.  Plus, I'm trying to set an example for the boys. I fear that I'm failing miserably in this department, as they have caught me on many occasions playing Bejeweled.

I was just thinking today how, I used to love the end of the school year when the boys were little.  The anticipation of summer was prevalent throughout our routine. Now, the final weeks of school are pure hell.  Baseball is nearly every night due to make-up games, not to mention the work being piled on by the teachers and the start of studying for the Regents.  Thankfully, the beautiful weather we had in March is not reappearing, making it easier for the boys to study.

So, if I don't make it back here on a regular basis, know that we are in high gear around here and I'm thinking of you all.

 1.  Mother's Day is just around the corner.  I've asked for golf clubs.  I figure with my 50th birthday just around the corner, it's time to try it out.  Looking forward to our golden years, it's something that Andy and I can enjoy together. 

 2.  Have you ever heard of an old show called "Jericho?"  It's on Netflix and we are hooked.  The acting isn't the best, but it has brought on a lot of conversation in our home.

 3.  Matt is studying with his friend at the moment...via...Skype.  No need to be in the same room anymore.

4.  I have a sweater to share with you.  Just waiting for a nice, sunny day to take pictures.

5.  Thinking about our summer trip.  I think we are planning on the San Francisco.  I'm afraid if we don't go soon the boys won't think the cool stuff is cool anymore.

Have a good week everyone!

and we are back....

Back to a routine.

Back to the books.

Back to homework.

There were ups and downs on this vacation.

Ryan had his cast off, but couldn't do any of his favorite things, thus making him a bit more miserable than usual.

But in his eyes, on the last day, he told me he had a great time.

And for that, the whole week was okay.

On the flip-side, Matt is coming out of the whole puberty thing and is again, the kind and gentle human being that I once knew.

I read two books and enjoyed eating at one of my most favorite restaurants.

I got to take a nap by the side of the pool.

I swam in the ocean and pool.

Saw the sea turtle go swimming by while we were jumping the waves.

So, another year's memories are in the books, locked away tightly until we pull them out again and laugh at all of our silly behaviors.

The first ten years at Seaside have been wonderful-here's to the next decade of fun and excitement!

See that chair? It has my name on it.

See you later alligators!