Weekend Highlights

Here's a quick recap of our last weekend! My weekends always start early since I don't work on Fridays.  After running some errands in the morning, my mom and I stopped in for lunch at the Arcade.  It was so delicious!

Doc brought the big kids home with him after work.  The weather was nice so we all spent the afternoon/evening playing outside.  Katie Wynn and I sat and watched the boys play basketball for a while.  (I promise I have on shorts in this picture.)

We got out a blanket so us girls could relocate to the yard.  Anna is rocking some half-purple hair this summer.  You can kinda see it on the tips in this picture.

This is probably my new favorite picture.  Both of our girls...so cute!

And for every sweet picture, there has to be a silly one too.

Saturday morning we got up and got to work!  We spent the first half of the day mulching all of our flower beds.  Not really what I had wanted to do that day but I am SO glad it's done.  It was also really nice that the big kids were here to help watch KW so we could work interrupted.  My job was to soak the newspaper and lay it down (weed barrier) while Doc and occasionally Wyatt spread the mulch on top of it.  Four days later and my legs are still sore!  (I also still have "grocery store feet" from the black mulch...)

At lunch time, this little girl was SURE she was going to eat some mac and cheese.  Nope, not yet, sweet girl.

The biggest event of the weekend was Saturday night when I surprised Doc with a party for his half birthday!  There will obviously be a whole post about this soon.

Katie bug got up early Sunday morning and I got up with her so the half-birthday boy could sleep in.  We ate a quick breakfast and then hung out outside on the patio.  It was the perfect place for a morning nap.

The morning wouldn't have been complete without some splashing in the dog's water bowl.  She goes for the dog's bowls ALL the time, and since I knew she was about to have a bath and get ready for church, I just let her go at it.  It's a small mess to clean up compared to how much fun it is for her.

Sadly, the pictures stop there.  After church we spent the afternoon at my parents' house.  I worked on the embroidery machine while he stained some boards out in the shop.  We've got a new house project in the works so hopefully I'll have that to share soon.  We got home in the early afternoon so we could clean house before our cleaning lady came on Monday.  You clean for your cleaning lady too, right?

What was the highlight of your weekend?

Landlord Woes

Let's talk about being a landlord, shall we? Last August, we moved out of our green house in the city but did not sell it, instead opting to try renting it out.  We prayed we wouldn't have to go long without a renter since paying two mortgages would definitely hurt our bank account.  Our prayers were answered when the first family to tour our house signed a lease and moved in the first of September.  We didn't have to go a single month with double-mortgages!  Being a landlord was off to a really good start.

In January, our tenants broke their lease and moved out (relocated for a new job).  They paid the penalties of breaking their lease early - two months rent plus forfeiting their security deposit (which equals another month's rent) - so we weren't too panic stricken.  In fact, if we had gotten a new renter as quickly as the first time, we could've had two months of double rental income.  Holla!  We crossed our fingers for that but unfortunately did not get a new renter that quickly.  We were thisclose to offering a rent special (third month half price or something) when our next tenant toured our house.  A lease was signed before we advertised our special.  Score!

We learned that our new tenant is a 20-something single male.  I briefly panicked while picturing our house turning into a bachelor pad and getting trashed.  Thankfully, that is not the case.  He's a responsible adult who pays his rent on time and, after multiple drive-bys by me, doesn't seem to be throwing too many parties.

So the second round of being a landlord wasn't looking so bad either.

Until just a couple weeks ago...

It was a Saturday afternoon when we received a call from the rental company that manages our house.  They'd gotten an urgent call from our tenant the night before and had been out to our house to do some inspections.  At some point in the night, the supply line to the sink in our master bathroom burst and, since the tenant wasn't home, water rushed out for several hours.  Our master bathroom was upstairs, so the space between the two floors filled with water until the ceiling in the downstairs finally collapsed.  That's what the tenant walked into when he got home.

Obviously, we were sick over this.  Doc spent a good portion of the afternoon on the phone with the maintenance man from our management company and our insurance provider.  They were able to send someone out immediately - a blessing in itself - to inspect all the damages.  Thanks to everyone's quick responses, damage mitigation was able to begin immediately.

Needless to say, it's been a stressful couple of weeks.  Doc wasn't sure that he wanted to go to the house to see the damages because it would make him so mad, but last Thursday he had no choice but to go.  It was finally time to meet with our contractor to discuss repairs.

This was the last picture I took of our living room and dining room when we moved out in August.

And this is how those same rooms looked last Thursday.

This was how the master bathroom looked.

I was kinda sad I wasn't getting to go with him to see it myself, but after seeing the pictures maybe I'm glad I wasn't there.  Our poor house!

Since talking to the contractor, we have a pretty good idea of what all we're facing.  Here's a rundown of all the bad news.

• The whole ceiling in the living/dining room will have to be replaced.
• Some crown molding will need to be replaced.
• A few of our wooden blinds were damaged and will need to be replaced.
• A wall or two will possibly need to come down and then replaced.
• Most of the hardwood floors will be ripped out and replaced.  They are hoping the floors underneath the kitchen cabinets are fine.
• The wooden stairs, treads, and possibly both banisters will have to be replaced.
• We will need a new chandelier in the dining room.
• It's possible that the speakers from our surround sound will need to be replaced.
• Baseboards and shoe trim will need to be replaced.
• The carpet on the stairs will be pulled out and replaced.
• All carpet upstairs except for the kids' room and playroom will need to be replaced.  (We'll probably pay to go ahead and do those rooms too so it'll all match.)
• All the tile in the master bath will be jack-hammered out (it's halfway done already) and be replaced.
• The vanity in the master bath will need to be replaced (they think the counter and sinks can be reused, but maybe we'll replace those too).
• Time frame for repairs is estimated at six to eight weeks (from now, not from when it originally happened two weeks ago).

As you can see, that's a lot of stuff that needs to be replaced!

I am choosing to focus on the positives:

• We are not currently living in the home, especially with a small baby.
• We have insurance that is going to cover most of the damage.  We will have to pay our deductible of approximately $4,200 which is definitely more than pocket change, but doesn't even compare to what the overall bill is going to be.
• Our insurance will also continue to pay us rent since we are not charging the tenant while repairs are being done. 
• When it's all said and done, we will essentially have a brand new house.  Surely this will help our resale value.

I have never in my life been so thankful to have insurance!  We have gotten a first estimate of the total bill and it's over $30,000.  We know it's missing quite a few things too so it will be a lot more than that.  Shortly after the management company assessed the situation, they learned that our tenant had violated the terms of the lease by failing to purchase renter's insurance.  Unfortunately for him, that means any damage to his furniture and belongings will not be covered, nor will any expenses for temporary living arrangements be.  (Our insurance is for the structure, not contents.)  I feel certain that he will not make that mistake again!  He is currently not staying at the house while repairs are being made, but will return to it when construction is complete.  We will not go any months without receiving a rent check...woohoo!

That's what we've been dealing with lately.  Not sure how much longer we'll want to stay in this landlord business.  Anybody want to buy a house from us?

A Plaque for Pepaw

My sweet Pepaw passed away last Fall.  Right up until he got sick, he was still visiting the golf course everyday and checking on golf carts.  You see, he loved the golf course and spent his life taking care of it.  Most people would call the club his second home, but as my Dad said in a speech on Memorial Day, my grandmother would probably argue that the golf course was his first home.  My grandfather spent years maintaining the lawns and fairways, keeping the greens cut short, organizing tournaments, and keeping the golfer's happy.  For a period of time, he ran the Pro Shop and put my Dad and uncles to work cleaning clubs, selling merchandise, and picking up golf balls from the range.  When he retired, he worked in the shop repairing golf carts.  He charged batteries, changed flat tires, and could find a good deal on a used cart if you were in the market to buy one.  Even in his last years, if he was leaving for the day and passed a cart with a tire sitting low, he'd turn around and get his tools, air it up, and leave without the golfer even knowing about his good deed.  It was not uncommon for my Dad to show up for a round of golf only to find that the battery was missing from our family golf cart.  Pepaw would loan it out if someone else's cart died to keep from holding up their tee time while he charged their own battery.

In addition to all that work, I hear he was a pretty fine golfer back in his day, too!

It didn't come as much of a surprise when we learned that the members of the golf course wanted to honor my grandfather with a plaque on the tenth tee box.  Everyone knew him and it only seemed right that his name live on there, not just in the landscapes and the greens, but also in writing.

The ceremony was held on Memorial Day, just before tee time of their annual scramble tournament. 

A lot of our family members came into town for the event.  This was our first time ever taking Katie Wynn to the golf course, and the first time for me to be on the golf course (and not at the pool!) in a long time.  The weather was perfect and I think Katie Wynn loved riding in the golf cart.  (It was my favorite part of going golfing when I was little too!)

Quick family picture while we waited on everyone to arrive.  Our family had a team in the tournament so Doc was staying to play after we had lunch.

Katie bug enjoyed the plaque presentation from her Mimi's lap while I snapped pics on my phone.

The club had set up a tent and chairs for our family members. 

The president of the board welcomed everyone and said a few quick words.

Three of my grandfather's friends spoke about the good ol' days and shared stories of Pepaw.  Finally, my Dad spoke on behalf of the family.

And then Dad and his older brother got to reveal the plaque.

I did the math.  60% of his life was spent at this golf course!  That's a long time, y'all.

Before going inside for lunch, I rounded up my aunts and uncles and grandmother.  I think that's one proud wife and five proud children!

The ceremony was really nice and pretty touching.  It was a perfect tribute to Pepaw.  I can't decide if he were still here if he'd feel honored or if he'd be mad at us for holding up the start of the tournament!

Memorial Day Weekend

We had a great Memorial Day weekend!  Since I don't work on Fridays, I'm lucky enough to enjoy having a long weekend every weekend, but it was nice to have an extra long one and have Doc at home with us on Monday! If you follow me on Instagram, maybe you've noticed that I've been absent for a few days (or maybe you haven't, whatevs).  The cause of my absence is that my phone storage is completely full.  I haven't been able to take any pictures on my phone in days!  Talk about first world problems.  I'm struggling.  I finally sat down to try to sync/backup/whatever my phone tonight so that I could make some room for new photos.  It's running in the background as I type this and is telling me I have something like 19 hours remaining.  Ridiculous.

So, the good thing about my phone being full is that I actually pulled out my real camera this weekend and used it a little bit.  Here are some photos that narrate most of our weekend.

Katie Wynn playing outside with her Daddy.

PRECIOUS.  Her cuteness kills me.

Can't you just hear her little squeals of laughter in this picture?  She LOVES him!!

We invited my parents over for dinner Friday night.  Doc set the grill on fire.  Literally.  Thankfully, he got it all in check and dinner was delicious!

We are in a little bit of a difficult stage right now when it comes to being outside.  KW really wants to be set down so that she can go exploring, but she doesn't understand that the concrete will hurt her little hands and knees.  I finally went inside and grabbed a blanket so that we could play in the grass while Doc cooked.

Mimi joined us on the blanket and was greeted with Lolli kisses!

Two of my favorite ladies!

I had purchased some bubbles from the dollar bin at Target and thought Friday night was the perfect time to bust them out.  Poor Katie bug was not sure what to think about them!

Can't. Catch. Them.

Finally starting to come around and enjoy them.

POP! Right on the forehead!

Poppy joined us on the blanket too.

They are totally smitten with this little girl (and all their other grandchildren too!).

Laughing at Poppy and his silly faces.

Love!

I don't have any pictures from Saturday (stupid phone and its storage issues).  Mom, Katie Wynn, and I spent the bulk of the day out shopping.  We are getting ready to redecorate three bedrooms in a friend's house so we had to take advantage of Memorial Day sales!  All fabric and bedding has been purchased.  Now we (read: Mom) have to get busy sewing!

After church on Sunday, we played in the backyard with some out-of-town cousins.  Here are Bren and Mila playing on the swing set.

Sweet girls.  Mila decided they should be sisters because they both have brown hair.

Katie Bug took a short afternoon nap in her Mimi's lap.  I think she woke up a little bit confused!

The big girls begged to push her in the swing.  She enjoyed it at first...

...but when she was done, she was DONE.

Sweet photos of my girl.

Friday night's blanket on the grass was a success so we pulled another one out Sunday afternoon.

Just playing with the toys that all of her cousins have also grown up playing with.

Does anyone know if duck tails are making a comeback?  Or should we have our first haircut soon?

Not a big fan of being straight on the grass.  Gotta get back on that soft blanket!

Sweet Brennie girl came over to play for a minute.

We are officially in the "pots and pans" stage.

It's a pretty loud stage.

Monday - Memorial Day - we attended a ceremony for my grandfather.  I'll save those pictures for a post of their own.

That evening, we joined some friends for a cookout.  Eight adults and seven children...we'll be outnumbered soon!

Here's Stuart, just chilling and watching all the ladies.

Alice was being silly for my camera.  I couldn't ever get a real smile out of her!

Precious Addi Clare was dressed for the occasion and all smiles!

Addi Clare and Katie Wynn were all about checking out Stuart in his bouncy chair.

My girl doesn't know about playing hard to get; she's a little forward.

This picture makes me wonder if we'll be getting kicked out of daycare for having the child that hurts all the other ones.  I sure hope not!  Maybe she just didn't want Addi Clare to get to move in on Stuart.

Diva!

Anna Charlotte woke up from her nap so she could join the party.  She's a chunky monkey and quite a bit bigger than her twin brother!

Sweet babies!!

It's crazy to me how the look nothing alike yet so similar at the same time.  Here's Stuart.

Here's Anna Charlotte.

Mason was the only other boy there.  He and Stuart are majorly out numbered!  He is a big time cuddle bunny!  Doc had him sound asleep in his arms in no time.  Mason's big sister, Rachel, was there too but she and Alice were too busy playing that I never got a picture of her.  Rats.

The two active babies were still busy playing with the bouncy seat.  See how Katie Wynn is standing?  Two or three times that night, she let go of the hand holding on to something and just stood completely on her own.  Too big, I tell ya!

There's no better way to end a fun Memorial Day than with a bath and some crazy hair!

Silly girl!  She loves chewing on this rubber ducky...thanks, Lala and Papa!

Love that she's got so much hair now!  We legitimately have to brush it now.

This weekend gave us our first real taste of summer.  I have a feeling this is going to be one of our best summers yet!  Can't wait to spend it outside playing with my girl!!

Handwritten Dish Towels

Before we dive into the tutorial of how I made the most awesome Handwritten Recipe Dish Towels ever for Mother's Day, let me preface this post by saying I get zero, ZERO, credit for this brilliant idea.  The original idea came from the Spoonflower Blog.  And it was Allison that brought it my attention when she asked for a little sewing help last Christmas so she could make these for her mother.  I gladly helped and also filed the idea away for me to use later on. Spoonflower, if you're not familiar with it, is a website that allows you to create your own fabric from anything you upload.  It's pretty much the coolest thing ever.  I'm trying to figure out what all I could make from my own personalized fabric. 

Anyway.  This brilliant idea was to scan old recipes, print them onto fabric, and then sew them into usable dish towels.  And, to make it more memorable, I chose recipes that were written in my grandmother's handwriting (another suggestion from the spoonflower blog).  Getting my hands on these old recipe cards was definitely the hardest part.  I had to sneak into my mom's kitchen while she wasn't there.  I had no idea how I would get some from Doc's mom but, as luck would have it, he actually ended up traveling there the week before Mother's Day and I was able to put him (and his dad!) to work sneaking around her kitchen.  Operation: Steal Old Recipe Cards was a success!

The next step was to get them all scanned in and resized to the right measurements.  Special thanks to Allison for her help on this step so I didn't have to try to sneak back into my mom's house to use her rickety old scanner.  After they were turned into digital files, they just had to be uploaded on the Spoonflower site so they could be printed on fabric.  Detailed instructions for this step can be found here.  If you're smart, you'll plan ahead so you'll have plenty of time to order your fabric and wait for it to come in with plenty of time before you need to give your gift.  Don't be like me and wait until the week of to get it done.  Trust me, you'll pay an exorbitant amount to have it rushed. 

Moving along.  Here's how the fabric looked when it arrived.  Each yard - I had five total - had four different recipes printed on it.

Here's a close up of one of the quadrants.  My grandmother always wrote recipes on this same pad of paper - from the bank she retired from - and I love it.  I love that not only are they in her handwriting, but her hometown and where she worked are printed on there too.

Doc's mom's recipes were almost all on traditional recipe cards.  We didn't do any touch-ups to them after scanning them in, so every smudge and drop of ingredients that are on the actual paper recipes are printed on the fabric recipes too.

First step to turning these into dish towels was obviously to cut the four recipes apart.

I had already purchased five yards of white terry cloth to use as a backing so they'd be extra absorbent.  After cutting the four squares from the first yard, I placed them face down on the terry cloth and cut it out too.

Then I just did a simple stitch all the way around (except for leaving an opening to turn it out) to sew the two together. 

Here's how they looked after that first round of sewing and turning them rightside out.  Quite a wrinkled mess!

Thankfully, they easily ironed back flat.

The last step was to top-stitch all the way around to give the edge a more finished look.

And voila!  Done!

Here is one of the towels I gave my mom folded over so you can see the difference in the two sides.

Up close, you can see the top-stitched edge.

Here's one that I gave Pat that was on a recipe card.  Just looks like a giant card now!

Some of hers were two-sided recipe cards, so instead of adding terry cloth to the back, I just sewed the two sides of the card together. 

I like this one of hers too.  It was written by Anna a few years ago.  I love her little kid handwriting!  My mom has lots of recipe cards that I wrote out for her when I was little...wish I'd thought to scan one of them for her!

I love this one too even though I cut off some of the words in my sewing.  Looks like it's gotten lots of use in the kitchen! 

Each of the women - my mother and mother-in-law - received a stack of dish towels for their kitchen. 

I think they were both really surprised and excited about the gift!  I know I loved them.  I might've kept two with my grandmother's handwriting for myself.  :)  I've seen them out in my mom's kitchen the last couple times I've been over there so I know she's already put her's to use.  The best part is, I think the fabric will get even softer and more absorbent the more they're washed.  Gotta love a gift that gets better with age!