what i did today

Etsy.com has a few really cute iPhone purses but none of them were quite what I wanted.  I’m not a fan of belt clips and a lot of times, don’t even have anything to clip it to.  That left me carrying my phone or sticking it in one of my pockets which left me with unwanted bulk.  [Cue that commercial with the phones in their back pockets.]

I simply wanted a phone on a strap.  I wanted a plastic front so I could use my touch screen and I wanted to be able to put it upside down in the pouch so all I had to do was tilt it towards me to see the screen.  In other words, I wanted to be as lazy as possible.

I mentioned it to Dani’s mom who had a small business making custom purses for people.  She was intrigued enough and had a prototype a week later.  A day later, I had this:

While not the MOST stylish thing ever (well, except the back because that zebra and lime green monogram is CUTE), it was FANTASTIC while I was cleaning the house the other day.  It has been great while running in a store without needing my entire purse.  And really is there any kind of phone holder that is stylish??

I just thought it was fun actually designing something and seeing it happen.  Well, Dani’s mom of course designed all the technical specs but you know.  I just wish I could sew and do this kind of stuff on my own.

And for the record, she’s willing to make more.  She said she could make it all fabric and could make it any size to fit any kind of phone so let me know if you’re interested.

So we’ve started on the small renovations that Sally suggested. I started with painting the bathroom because really that’s the only thing I could do on my own.  Well, let me not forget the couple hours that Darian helped.  She was fantastic for doing that.  It was great timing with the girls at the beach but wow, did it wipe me out.  After six hours of painting Friday and Saturday, I was out of it.  I think it was worth it though.

Before:

Suggested:

Actual.  Wow.  The reds are eerily similar.

I think it turned out well, or at least per plan.

Scott is going tomorrow to get the mirror.  I need to order the lights today so we can get the holes done.

This weekend Scott is putting laying new tile and installing the new toilet.

So I’m guessing by next week we’ll have a new bathroom!

Last Sunday morning we woke up in Maryland and left for the long trip to Myrtle Beach…technically Garden City.  We’ve never done that trip before and after only one missed turn, we made it in ten hours.

Each day at the beach was relatively similar.  Beach, shower, lunch, shopping, dinner, pier/beach/house.  Each day held a different shopping mall and place for dinner.

This year the girls were both really into the water and sand.  By the last day the girls were riding small waves in on their own which gave me both great joy and anxiety.  Pretty much like the rest of parenting.

After one year stepping on a fish and then getting stung by a jellyfish, I’ve been enjoying the beach from ankle deep water for a few years.  This year I tried to ignore all the sea creatures (Emma and Lexi said Spongebob and friends were out there somewhere!) and had a lot of fun swimming and jumping into the waves.

As for shopping, we made it to Broadway, the mall and the Tanger Outlets.  I was able to start some school shopping for the kids and just a few things for me.

Our “big dinner” was out at Crabby Mike’s.  I enjoyed lots of crab legs and finally have gotten pretty good at getting the meat out in one piece.  Scott and I both promised Lexi a dollar and she tried crab meat.  She said she liked it but had an awful look on her face while eating it.  Emma refused to try it but did try and like fried baby shrimp.

We also tried Mellow Mushroom for the first time and OH MY WORD.  That place was so good.  Like, so. good.  I had a olive oil and garlic base with onions, pepperoni and pesto.  I really think I could eat that every single day.  The toppings were great but the crust was just out of this world.  Can’t really recommend that place enough.

One sweet moment was Emma asked Scott if they could do something just the two of them.  He told her they could go eat ice cream together.  And in Emma fashion, she asked the next day if Lexi and Skyler could go with them.  We all took the kids that night for ice cream at the pier.  People keep telling me they will be Daddy’s girls soon and that is the first I’ve seen of it and have to say it was pretty sweet.

A few last noteworthy moments of the year was spotting 3 6′ sharks at the end of the pier and also seeing someone catch a stingray.  Lastly, we were able to see a wedding being set up a few hotels down from the pier.  On the way down the road, we saw a golf cart decorated with white balloons and the bride on the back fully decked out in a wedding dress and veil.

Scott and I had to leave the beach Thursday so Scott could work for the weekend.  The kids decided to stay with his parents until Sunday.  Part of me thoroughly enjoyed getting a ton of stuff done at home but I missed them like crazy.  Lexi kept calling and asking if I was happy for her to come home which I always gave a resounding YES!

My family will tell you I was on a train ride when I was 8ish?  I don’t recall it.  So I’m calling this train ride the first one [that I recall].  On one of our two full days in Maryland last weekend we decided to take a train ride from Cumberland, MD to Frostburg, MD with my parents, aunt and uncle and grandmother.  It’s an hour ride each way with a 90 minute layover in Frostburg.

It was a real passenger train.  Like, on real tracks and an engine and passenger cars and a conductor and fire and steam OH MY!  We traveled mostly through mountains so a good percentage of our trip was spent staring at the side of a mountain.  Although I did enjoy when they came over the speakers and gave historical facts about the area.  At one point we passed a cave where when discovered they found many animal remains including a saber tooth tiger.  They also talked about Lover’s Leap which I wrote about here.  And apparently we didn’t have the story quite right.  In fact, after he recited the story, we were still trying to figure out what he said.  It’s still unclear whether the guy also did or her father had killed him first.  I think her father killed his father and then they both jumped. All I know for sure is the girl jumped off the cliff.

The train drifted left and right much more than I expected but was very smooth and eventually calming.  One of the cars was a snack bar so of course the girls had to have Grandma buy them some candy.

Once we got there, we got to see the engine turn around at the end of the tracks.  I know there is a fancy name for this but I don’t recall it–do you see a pattern here of how much I recall?  This is why I shouldn’t take such long blog breaks.

In Frostburg, we ate at a place called Fat Boys with great pizza and Fat Boys and Fat Girls written on their bathroom doors that made us laugh.  The girls also got ice cream at a little parlor right by the tracks.

All around a fantastic family outing that hopefully I will recall for a long time!

You know those mirrors I really wanted for my bathroom??  The ones that were going to cost me an arm and leg?  Those mirrors that I wasn’t going to get because they were going to cost me and arm and a leg??  Through my very good friend (not sure I should share her work info) I’m getting them for FREE.  Wheeee!!  She works for a glass company and I took a shot in the dark at asking if they even sold mirror and she came back and said the company was letting her have them for free.  Wheeee!!

Now I just need to have a local company cut the holes for the light fixtures, outlets and switches and I get my bathroom!!!

Ahhh…God is so good!

It’s totally snuck up on me.  Somehow today is July 15 and we leave for vacation TOMORROW.  I haven’t packed anything.  I haven’t washed anything to pack anything.  I haven’t even thought about packing or washing anything.

I guess with all the redecorating from the weekend and the party yesterday my brain put everything on back burner because I also woke up this morning only minutes before our cleaning lady rang the doorbell.  Thank goodness the house was in half-decent condition after the party last night.

So tonight I will be packing.  Tomorrow after Scott gets out of court he has at 3 we’ll be going to Maryland.  Mom and Dad sold their vacation house we stay at up there and we’re spending the weekend packing it up and having one last visit.  On Sunday we’ll drive home and then make the drive to Myrtle Beach to spend (almost) the week with Scott’s family.  Scott has to work next weekend so we’ll have to come home a bit early.

In any case, starting oh about, right now, vacation planning has been put on the front-burner!