Sorry we have not posted in a while...we've been SICK!

Lynn, Sophie and I have all shared the same funk for the past few weeks. Thank goodness, two of us have not had it at the same time...

No pics to show but kleenex boxes and pill bottles...

We hope the flu season passes you by!

Rainbows in the hood and birds on a fence...

Today started off with smiles...watching KeKe wish that he could teleport to the birds (6 sparrows) on our fence...

The day is ending with a beautiful rainbow, muted against the rain clouds, but beautiful and rare nonetheless.

We are so not "religious" but I know that this rainbow is a sign to us...a rough week in the hood...this image reminds us of why we love it despite the not-so-good-stuff sometimes.

XO,

Laura

A taste of the teenage years...

Today is Lynn's birthday! We had a yummy, very chocolate cake...thanks, Jean and Becky.

Tonight, the "actual" birthday, paled in comparison to the weekend...we had dinner Friday night with the Arendt gang (sans Zachary)...we had house-guests (Cyndi and Adele) all weekend. We had a dinner party with Ann, Rose, Cheryl, Cindy, Cyndi, Adele and Sophie on Saturday night...and the opening game of the Saint's on Sunday...did I mention that Saturday, Sophie had a workshop at the RHINO gallery?

That brings me to my not-so-pre-teen-freak-out on Sunday night. While at the RHINO gallery on Saturday, Sophie decided to buy a gift for Lynn's b-day...a beautiful pair of earrings by Ashley Beach (http://rhinocrafts.com/artists/ashley-beach/). This was just the beginning...

We arrived home and I gave the bag with the earrings to Sophie (for safe keeping) until Monday. She is 11. She appears to be capable of holding onto a small white bag for a few days...I honestly did not have a second thought about entrusting her with our special gift...

Flash forward to Sunday evening around 6. Lynn had gone to bed (not feeling well). I suggested to Sophie that we finish writing Lynn's card and get her gift together so we could give it to her in the am...Sophie proceeds to look at me, as if I had blood spurting out of my ears, and says to me, "What are you talking about?" I refreshed her memory by saying, "Sophie, we bought Mama a pair of earrings yesterday when you were at the RHINO gallery..." Her very quick response, "No we did not!!!"

The next 10 minutes are a blur. All I can say is that I am proud of myself for not using the F word as an adjective, adverb, noun, and dangling participle...when it seemed like the F word was the only word I could use to communicate my frustration, I just paused...There were several emphatic responses like, "Sophie, find the (pause, pause, pause) bag now!!!"

When I asked her how she could forget something from the day before, she responded, "Maybe I didn't forget. Maybe you're just wrong." The latter part of that exchange will be a constant refrain in the coming years...

Finally, not admitting that she remembers anything...she suggests that our house guests must have "done something with it!!!" I suggested that she call Cyndi (with lots of pauses)...Cyndi remembered a bag in the bathroom???!!! Sophie hung up the phone, walked calmly past me and said, "Oh, yeah."

The teenage years will be loads of fun. About 20 minutes after we retreated to our seperate areas...we met in the middle and apologized. Did I mention that the SAINT'S WON!!! I need to go color my hair now (extra gray coverage).

XO,

Laura

Sophie's 1st Brownies

Sophie's 1st-all-on-her-own-brownies...notice how we cut HUGE pieces, like pie! She and Haiden had a great after-school snack!

Homework!

5:00 On Bell Street

A regular evening on Bell Street... Food on the stove (jambalaya)

...Zoe is napping...

Lynn and Sophie are doing work and homework...

KeKe and Lizzie are napping...

Deuce...napping

KoKo...almost napping...

What a life!

Cooking (Jambalaya)

Homework

Napping

Napping

More napping

Back to school...

Sophie started the 6th grade today! She was all set and excited! Haiden was in charge of the picture taking this am (big 4th grader) and Sophie's head is cut off...we'll try again later. The girl is quite tall!

We are back to work, as well. The summer was so restful and relaxing that we are finding it hard to get back into the grind...where are the afternoon pedicures...and naps! I've never napped in my entire life and this summer, I napped daily!

We are realizing that the summer lifestyle is one that we look forward to in retirement! Lazy, lazy, lazy! We are just like our pets!

We wish everyone a great school year and RE-INVITE everyone to come over...the stove never sleeps!

We love you,

Lynn, Laura, and Sophie

The Almost-Final-It's nearly done-Pictures

At our commitment ceremony.

Sophie at camp.

Soph at camp.

At camp.

On Wilson's 90th birthday.

Enjoy the pictures!!!

You may have to scroll down a bit in-between pics. I still don't have this blog thing down!

The mantle.

The fireplace grate that Paul restored.

The reclaimed fabric from the previous owner's curtains. Barbie recovered our chairs with it.

KeKe enjoying the stool.

The big hall.

The living room.

The dining room.

The kitchen.

The side door.

The altar.

The kitchen.

Another view.

And another.

The stove and hood.

My favorite view...especially if people are sitting down eating!

Sophie's bathroom.

Sophie's bathroom.

Sophie's shower.

Our closets.

Sophie's bedroom doors.

The little hall.

The little hall.

Sophie's room.

Sophie's closets!

Sophie's stuff.

Our room.

Our room.

Our bathroom and kitty-litter house.

The messed-up backyard!

How we feel!

Kitchen view from dining room.

The kitchen from the bar/peninsula/island. Everyone loves the sink!

A pew that Kay and Russel gave us to use in the hallway.

Deuuce!

The living room.

The hallway.

Tried to give a 360' walk-through. Everything is great! We love it and most
of all, we love sharing it with our family and friends. The house is filled with
laughter and love. It is more beautiful now and we are enjoying it.

We've
had a wonderful summer! Sophie's camp experience was awesome. Our road trip and activities
on that vacation were memorable and one-of-a-kind! Our commitment ceremony was
beautiful and very special. Wilson turned 90!!!! Our niece and nephew were
married on July 18th!
Our friends, family, and neighbors have celebrated all of this with us! Everyone
is healthy and happy! Couldn't ask for anything more.

We decided that we are not having a big celebration as planned. We are
opting for cozy dinners with a few people at a time. If you are in the
neighborhood, come by or call to set a dinner or lunch date! We return to work
on the 10th. After that, we won't come up for air until Thanksgiving!

Thanks to everyone that was a part of this renovation process. The
contractors, our neighbors, our friends and family that had to listen to boring
renovation stuff for the past 10 months...for everyone, we are grateful.

With love from Lynn. Laura, and Sophie