Right now I'm...

• eating ice cream out of one of Piper's mini bowls. This is my attempt at portion control.
• wearing shorts and a sweatshirt because that is winter attire in Florida. Jealous?
• watching Modern Family on DVD while Mr. R. reads his zoning board book.
• wishing the folded laundry would put itself away
• thankful for good friends who have sisters who are willing to dog-sit for a few days
• planning a monthly running schedule, 10K and half marathon distances I am coming for you!
• congratulating myself on an awesome dinner, Pioneer Woman's cheeseburger salad is amazing
• putting off writing lesson plans
• thankful for Psalm 29:11

The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace

Made my Monday:

Fitting into my favorite cords from 4 years ago. 

66 quizzes graded and all but one roller-coaster project turned in on time. 

Two good miles run while Pip hung out in her bouncer.

Chicken Cordon Blue made in the crock-pot

A quick Facetime conversation between Pip and her Pop-pop.

Pip fresh out of the bath, smelling like lavender baby lotion, and smiling a three teeth smile!

Date Afternoon

Today our amazing sitter, Miss Rita, offered us an afternoon of babysitting. We didn't think twice when accepting her services and planning a date afternoon. 

 1. Epic Theaters for the 12:30 showing of One for the Money. I loved it. Mr. R. agreed is was funny.

2. Apps  & 'sserts at Chilis. As Tom Haverford says, there is nothing in this world that is better.

3. Barned & Noble for magazine reading

4. Target (huggies, formula, and travel food for the Pip)

5. Publix (weekly grocery shopping done!)

We came home to a happy baby who napped TWICE! and can now crawl from room to room with ease.  A few hours away from Piper really does make my heart grow fonder. We spent the rest of tonight playing blocks, reading books, and making farm animal noises. She made it to 7:30 tonight before demanding a bottle and promptly passing out. 

Why I love Saturdays 1- 10

1. Sleeping In

2. Neighborhood strolls

3. Slow-cooker suppers

4. Naps

5. New sneakers & time for a good run

6. Movies on the chaise

7. Lots of crawling practice (for the Pip)

8. A 95th Birthday celebration for our sweet neighbor

9.  A chapter of my book read in actual peace and quiet

10. Peppermint tea before bed

It's a FIVE GUYS kind of night.

It's been a long week.

We have been fending off sickness, wiping noses, taking medicine, and re-freezing teething pops. 

We are caught up on laundry and housework. 

My gradebook is up to date.

Mr. R. has been crunching numbers and making more money for his clients.

This morning the alarm went off and I said a thankful prayer that it's Friday. 

Thank goodness for weekends and time to recharge our batteries.

And since I am feeling thankful, I am thankful for FIVE GUYS. 

Burger for Mr. R., hot dog for me, and a red straw for Miss. Pip.

Someone learned how to play peek-a-boo!

Three Things on Thursday:

 1. We are almost cold free and back in the land of healthy living.

 

2. I made breakfast for dinner. Mr. R. wasn't on board, but then he saw the monkey bread. I think monkey bread could solve world wars.

3. See how tired Pip looks in this picture? 10 minutes after it was taken she was jumping and dancing.

Stuffy, sneezy, and tired.

If we were dwarves, living in an enchanted forest, mining for diamonds, those would be our names. Miss Pip is the stuffy one. Her little nose is red and runny. I am not sure if it's teething, her top tooth is coming in, or if she is coming down with the winter crud that all of my students bring to school each day. Pip is currently camped out in her Fisher-Price swing batting at her zoo animals. I am considering myself boy-scout prepared with a nose syringe, saline drops, infant tylenol and pedialite at hand. If the crud is coming I am ready for battle!

Going on with our dwarf analogy, I would be sneezy. What started out as a head cold last Thursday has turned into a full blown sinus infection. The good news I am medicated up and this infection is on its way out. Mr. R. is also taking pity on me and waking up with Pip in the middle of the night. He is a catch :)

And that leads me to Mr. R., he is just plain tired. Between Pip teething, the bathroom renovation, and an increase in workload, my main man needs a holiday or at least a restful weekend. I am thinking an at home spa date is needed. 

Thank Goodness it's Wednesday and the weekend is just one day away!

What we have been up to:

I am sure you have read that our bathroom renovation sucked up 98% of our time last week and this past weekend. But we wouldn't be The Republicans if we didn't try to squeeze in a few other projects/celebrations in the midst of our projects.

Friday & Monday: I am currently elbow deep in frog dissections. My students are LOVING it. And I have to say these kids are troopers. They didn't complain about the smell nor the amount of writing/observing that goes along with a dissection. Today I left school very tired, but so proud of my students!

Saturday: Pip is a crawling machine! Two seconds after this photo was taken she lunged forward and clotheslined Elmo. 

Sunday: My grandparents invited Piper out to breakfast. She has quite the social calendar I tell you! Mr. R. and I were invited as well and we all enjoyed platefuls of pancakes, eggs, bacon and toast. Yum! 

Tonight: My grandparents celebrated 64 years of marriage! Mr. R. and I have five years under our belt and we consider that a feat. I cannot imagine what 64 years feels like. My grandparents are incredible, there love for each other is apparent in every conversation and interaction. When Mr. R. and I grow up we hope to be just like them. Happy Anniversary G & P!

Saturday Progress:

The floor is in!

The toilet is back in working order.

We put the final coats of paint on the vanity this afternoon.

 Our sink is still a work in progress. I think is actually deserves its own post eventually. I am following a tutorial for a faux granite look and I think it's actually coming together. Here's a sneak peak.

Tonight Mr. R. handed over the credit card and a shower curtain, bath towels, and a pretty yellow rug are on their way. It feels AMAZING to be almost done!

I gotta pickle, I gotta pickle, I gotta pickle, hey hey hey hey!

On Tuesday I bought two VERY large jars of pickles. 

On Wednesday I carried those jars into school.

And on Thursday we dissected.

Yes, you read that correctly we performed a pickle dissection. Or as I like to call it a seed-ectomy.

The lab was a huge success my students LOVED it and the procedure and write-up taught them the proper terms as well as how to use the tools in the dissection kit. 

WIN-WIN!

The anatomy of our bathroom:

The walls have been painted. (Dolphin gray by Behr)

FYI: In my next life I want to be the person who comes up with the paint color names.

The vanity has been sanded, primed, and now sports two coats of sunshine yellow.

 I just love how bright it is! (The real name of this paint is lemon sorbet, also by Behr).

The vanity doors have been primed and painted.

We debated for a LONG time about what to do with our sink and countertop. Should we buy new, leave it alone, or try to paint it? Buying new didn't make sense unless we were willing to replace the WHOLE vanity. I tried my hardest to ignore it and leave it the UGLY beige it was, but the bright yellow was so fun and happy and builder beige just made me sad. 

In the end we decided to paint and after work today I wiped, sanded, and added the first coat of oil based primer. 

Stay tuned for more updates this weekend! 

Tonight we tackle the floor.

The many faces of Piper: 8 months