Why the Radio Silence?

Hey there folks!  Golly, geez I've been gone from this blog for over a month now!  Why the radio silence?

Spring has sprung around here!  We have been so busy! Here is a quick sampling of what life has been like around the Morris house.  First up, I really got the gardening bug this season.  That's a problem for multiple reasons.  Primarily because I am totally an "end result" kind of dreamer.  I know what I want before I know how much work and/or financial responsibility will go into producing said result.  It is also a problem because I have a HUGE, VAST list of allergies most of which are Spring-related.  Pine pollen, Bradford Pear tree blooms, etc.  So this is what I have been doing while working in my yard:

Oh yeah.  I am in full-fledged take-no-prisoners, war-against-weeds, pollen-proof mode here, folks!

On a side note, if you remember my post here about redoing my front porch bench, I finally got around to accessorizing it this spring (yes, almost a yr later).  Have a look:

What else have I been up to?  Well, I got together with one of my besties, Lorie.  She came in town and we had a blast going out for a girls' night out right here in Pelham.  If you haven't been by Tyler Navarre's, you should check it out.  It's a fun li'l place. Here we are (from L-R Lorie, Jenny and me pulling our best "Cheeeese")

Rob has had a great Spring! He is still loving his 4K program at school.  But recently he got to play hookie so he could attend a very exciting event: He went with his Mimi and Rocky to Talladega so Rocky and their next door neighbor could do the Dale Jarrett Driving Experience.  Rob also got to do the coveted "Gentlemen, Start Your Engines" call!

I am getting really busy with upcoming Relay For Life of North Shelby.  This charity and this event has captured my heart.  Yes, I have watched friends and loved ones become Survivors and I have also lost friends and loved ones too soon.  But there is just something so powerfully hopeful and so emotionally moving about the whole Relay experience.  Our Relay will be at Pelham High School on Friday, May 20th at 6:00 PM.  I am the Ceremonies Chairperson which -- if you ask me -- is the, ahem, most important.job.ever.  Nah, I'm just giving a selfish plug there.  But I am the one responsible for writing the night's ceremonies and scripts and coordinating with the Entertainment Chair for speakers, emcees, etc.  In addition to my role on the committee, I have been raising funds for my own team.  We recently sold knockout roses as living memorials.

I would be so honored if you would take the time to go here to check out my team's page.  If you find it in your heart to donate, remember it is tax deductible.  You can even use your debit/credit card and securely donate online here.

Rob has been playing his 2nd season of T-Ball.  We have a totally new team this year.  It is wild that Rob is considered a "veteran" but I can tell he has so much more confidence in the batter's box and just overall.  It may help that Rob's daddy is our Head Coach, too!  I have no pictures loaded right now, so I sense a separate post solely T-Ball related coming soon!

I've been squeezing in family time whenever possible! Squeezies!  Love you Laura Jean!

Wow, the above is a rough shot of me!

Ahh.  That's much, much better!  'Cause, you know...it's all about me, right?

Lastly, we have realized that Miss Caroline is quite the Miss Priss!  She is a hot mess, I'm tellin' ya!  Don't believe me?  Well...

...believe me now?

...or now?

Well, I guess that is it for now.  I am so very lazy sorry for the Radio Silence.  Hey, how did that error get in my sentence?  Anyhoo, hopefully I am back.  I have been following all of you religously.  Reading my blog family pages is definitely a guildy pleasure of mine that I cannot give up.  I'll try to be returning the favor more often!

Prettying Up the Porch

I love my front porch!  Many times the whole family will hang out here.

[By the way, can you tell hubby's hair is growing out?  You do remember his summer new "do", right?]

It is a nice, cozy alcove...somewhat private as 1.) we live on a cul-de-sac and 2.) the porch does not face the road.  My creeping Jasmine has decided to really creep this year and I have a lovely new "Welcome" mat that Rob picked out for me all by himself on Mother's Day.

However, the title of this post is "Prettying Up the Porch", so let's take a closer look:

Can you spot the improvement needs?  Yeah, me too.  Let's start with this eyesore above!  I love this bench.  The darn thing is quite sturdy -- it weighs about 200 lbs.  I would have sold it at 3 different yard sales if I could have single-handedly moved it to the yard but, no...talk about endurance.  I have mentioned once or twice that I like to hold on to things, so the bench is staying...sort of.

First thing I did was sand it, and sand it, and sand it.  In the picture below, look at the before (left) and after (right).

Now just 'cause you're wonderin', yes -- I was absolutely smart enough and prepared enough to do this project in the middle of the day...in the summer...in the South!  Excuse me while I try to rehydrate...

That's quite the glamor self-shot, huh?  This is going to be a labor of love...

Well, at least I have some great, Grade-A help from my little man...(PS check out his "worker-man" boots.)

Okay.  A little varnish will go a long way.  So a lot of varnish should change this baby for good!!!

By the way, it was so hot outside, dead bugs melted into my cute candle on the porch. 

 

But I have a bench to restore and the Bible verse tells me somehow I will survive this...

...and with no further ado (hey, what a pun-coincidence!)...I proudly present my newly restored bench!

Before-and-after shots will come once I'm through prettying up the porch.  Stay tuned for more...