More Summer Stuff

How is tomorrow August already?!?  Fastest, strangest summer ever!  Strange, because the weather has been so wonky, where did the hot temps and sun go?  I have a tan to maintain!  I was also sick in July, not once, but TWICE!  Ugh.  I think I am on the mend now.  This past weekend, Margaux and I went to Gepetto's Toy Box in Oak Park and she got two little Dwarf African Frogs.  You feed them pellets twice a week and change their water 3x per year....easy-peasy!  We also helped a little bird, a fledgling, whom we thought was in peril.  Turns out, it is supposed to be hopping around and learning to fly and get by on it's own.  We were relieved to see the mama bird still feeding it!  We also took Margaux to the DuPage County Fair, what's a summer without a fair?  She rode tons of rides, rode a pony and spent a lot of time in the animal barns!  Good stuff.  She has been doing Tae Kwon Do and gymnastic all summer, and she says she wants to start ballet again this fall.  She will also be starting preschool, three half days per week.  Busy, busy!

My Beeeaaauuutiful Table & Chairs

 I found the perfect antique dining room set on Craigslist for $200.

 My incredibly handy sister & brother-in-law came to visit.  Sanding time!

  Dennis, ever the perfectionist stained and re-sanded the table top at least twice!  Then it was time for priming the rest.

 I was torn between a safe off-white or a bold turquoise...I went bold!  (Gem Turquoise by Behr)

 Upholstery!

 Putting it all back together.

 Ta-da!

 Ooh, pretty!

 I just love it!

SO MUCH!

I had been dreaming of doing this project for awhile, and THANK GOD Dennis & Sue were here to help!  I would have been in way over my head with a project this size!  I learned a lot and I have some handy-dandy tools on my wish list going forward.  I adore old stuff made "new"!

Medieval Times

Patrick and I had been to Medieval Times a few years ago to celebrate a friend's birthday.  I wasn't expecting much, but ended up having a fun time.  My nephew, Drew, has always wanted to go, and since his birthday was approaching and his parents were here visiting, we went!  Thanks for treating us, Dennis & Sue!  It was a a lot of fun for Margaux and I do believe I heard Drew yelling out with a Scottish accent. :)

Boom-Boom Pretties!

I was initially rather annoyed this year that I was "stuck in Illinois" for the 4th of July because of working on the 5th before my two week vacation.  I typically love being in Michigan for the 4th, and last year we watched the fireworks on a mountain in Gatlinburg, TN.  Then my sister and brother-in-law decided to come down and visit, and so I wasn't annoyed anymore.  I researched and found that Itasca claimed to have the largest fireworks show in Illinois.  It was really cool!  They had a few live bands and concessions spread out on a huge lawn with little lakes, and the display really was quite incredible!  They were nonstop and seemed so huge directly above us.  Also pictured above, Margaux and the neighbor boy, Alexander.  (She calls him "Alek-a-zander"!)  He came over to see her hamster, and this is what we heard from the play room:
M:  You're my boyfriend.
A:  No I'm not.
M:  Yes you are.
A:  No I'm not.
M:  Yes you are.
A:  Than I am leaving.
M:  Okay, you're not.
:)

Introducing...Sofia!

Margaux would like a second dog, but the timing has just been off somehow.  She wants a cat, but I am allergic.  She mentioned a guinea pig a few times, but I've been down that road and it was quite a commitment for a small pet.  So when she called me up at work last week, all sad and shaky-voiced asking for a dwarf hamster, I said YES!  I immediately got a bunch of horror stories from Facebook friends, but in all honesty, Sofia is not only cute, but no trouble at all!  She lives in her fancy little house, compliments of my friend Linda, in Margaux's play room.  She is a lot of fun to watch running on her little wheel, she gets it going too fast and it flips her around and tosses her out!  Cuteness.