Adieu, Summer

 Looking forward to a fun fall!

 Still dancing...

 doing gymnastics...

 punching and kicking...

and of course, loving school!

Meet Polly Prater

So Margaux had been asking for a Beagle for months on end.  She would often wake up in the morning and woefully recall a dream she had about getting a Beagle.  (She's good!)  We used to be a two dog family, but since 2009 it has just been Jasper, who is seriously the BEST DOG EVER.  I was not overly eager to get another dog, but I finally caved.  It was supposed to be her birthday gift, but then we visited Tender Loving Care Animal Shelter in Homer Glen this week, and Margaux fell instantly in love with "Honey".  First her name was Ariel Aurora, then it was Barbie for a few minutes before becoming Polly (Pocket)!  It suits her.  She is about 2 years old and she was a rescue from Kentucky.  We only do rescue/adoptions, I feel it is shameful not to, with so many animals needing homes and being destroyed on a daily basis.  Polly is a sweet little girl.  She and Jasper get along great and have bursts of wild play energy throughout the day.  The only quirk we need to work on, is the separation anxiety (?) with pooping in the basement.  Eek!  We have never had to utilize crates, but I think I am going to give that a shot for when we leave the house.  Stay tuned...

Our Little School Girl

Margaux turns 5 in October, so she missed the cut off for kindergarten, which is fine with me!  So we decided to send her to Pre-K at a small Catholic school in our area.  Yesterday was her first say and she did great!  Furthermore, I did great!  I only got a little bit misty when I watched her walk away from us into the school building.  She is doing M/W/F half days, so it's not too much of a shock to my system yet...that will come next fall.  I feel like she should still be a wee baby in my arms, not going off to preschool!  I think this will be a really fun year for her as she prepares for kindergarten.  I absolutely loved hearing about her day, but I need to remember to hold myself in check a little bit and let her tell me at her own pace...she is SO her mother's daughter!

Mom's 80th

My mom turned 80 on August 9th!  We had a birthday party for her on August 10th at the Bliss Township Hall.  It was a beautiful sunny day and the turn out was great!  I think it made her very happy to see so many faces that love her singing Happy Birthday to her.  It was great to be home, I also took some "country" pictures of Margaux while we were there.  

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. :)