Saturday

 The girls and I spent the morning painting the fence. We began by touching up the gate and the area near it. It took a beating during the long, cold winter we had and needed a fresh coat in certain spots. For those who don't know, the girls and I started painting this massive amount of picket fence last September. We logged 24 hours before deciding to be done for the season. 

 Once the touching up of the driveway side was complete we moved over to the area that we didn't get to last autumn. We managed to get four of the fence sections done today (and have like ten more to go before heading over to the neighbors yard to paint that side of fence). Hopefully, it will only take about twelve hours to finish up this project. The sections we got painted today look so much better! It truly is amazing what a fresh coat of paint can do! 

 After we finished the sections we had set out to paint today, Grace brought me to see this most unusual butterfly! We had never seen one like it before and were very impressed with how interested she (we decided it's a she) was in our deck and the area around it. She stayed for quite awhile and even seemed to pose for me to take some pictures of her. A quick Google search let us know that she is a Red Spotted Purple. 

Amazing weather, some more time logged on a much looked forward to project and a beautiful butterfly sure made for a fabulous start to our weekend! xo

Twenty-Four Hours And Counting

As of today we have spent twenty four hours painting the fence. The fact that Grace and Emma are the ages they are and have now logged twenty-four hours on a massive project like this is just phenomenal! I love that these two sweet souls think nothing of rolling up their sleeves and pitching in. I love that they often remind me that "if we all work together it will get done faster" but mostly I love that this is something that we've all done together. I love that we chose to make this a family project instead of hiring someone to do it (though I am sure that by the time we are done we're not going to want to pick up a brush or roller for a good long while)! I love that our progress each time makes our little corner of the world a little more lovely, and connects us a little more deeply to each other and to the families that lived here before us. I love that the memories that are being made and that the skills that are being acquired are memories and skills that the girls will carry with them always. I love that the girls work so hard that there are often outfit changes (to something cooler) each time we paint. I love that I get to constantly be in awe of all that these girls of mine do and how important our family and our home is to them. Clearly, I cannot sing their praises enough! I am so very honored that I get to be their mama and that I get to share each and every moment of each and every day with them. I am looking forward to all of the projects and adventures that are still in store for the four of us, though I suppose we should finish this project (and maybe move the pile of old posts and the no longer needed baby swing) before we start thinking about what's next!

{This Moment} Many Hands Make Light Work

{This Moment} - A Soule Mama Friday ritual. A single photo- no words- capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you are inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments section for all to find and see. We wish you a delightful weekend!

Whitewashing The Fence

Today we began the long process of painting the fence (or as I like to call it 'whitewashing' the fence. Doesn't that just sound more exciting than 'painting the fence'?! Regardless, painting, whitewashing, we began this long overdue project today. It's one that Dave and I went back and forth about for awhile. Should we hire someone to do it or us simply rolling up our sleeves and doing it ourselves? The later won out and the girls were thrilled! They have been inquiring, almost daily, about when we would start painting the fence, and with the glorious weather we had today we figured it was time to finally answer their question. We only finished the driveway side of the fence today (there is so much more to go) but as you can see it already looks tons better! 

I was out there for a total of three hours. The girls lasted roughly two. Not bad considering how young they are and this being their first major painting project and all. I love how excited they were, and I love that it was just one more thing that we can all work on together to maintain this dear farmhouse of ours. I couldn't help but feel connected to all the other families that have lived in house before us. It's times like this that get me thinkin' all the way back to the original owners and how they most likely lived very similar to how we live in this space today. I imagine that there were several babies born, raised and schooled here in our sweet old farmhouse. I feel such a connection to those families from all those years ago because of that (minus the home birth part- oh, if only I had known)!

Needless to say, as I was coming to the final three sections of the driveway side of the fence a sweet old gentleman (he had to be in his 80s) showed up asking if I'd like some help. He shared with me that his English was not good and he'd love to talk to me so that it could get better. "Are you from Brazil or Portugal?" I inquired (since there is a large population from both countries in our area). He shared with me that he was from Cuba and that Castro had him jailed for four years due a few things (most of which escape my mind right now) one of which was talking about the Bible. He went on to say that he ended up in America due to a letter he received from the first President Bush asking if he'd like to bring his family and come live here. He was happy to get to do so but said that he misses Cuba since "America is too big". We chatted some more, about his family (he, his children and grandchildren all live in Miami) and mine, and he got to meet the girls and Dave. Before long we were done and he said his thank yous and good-byes and told us he'd come back and help us this week if we'd like. It was such a treat to have this person, a complete stranger, offer help. It made the world seem a little kinder. A little more like how it must have been all those years ago when our house wasn't so old and the world was much sweeter.