A Week of Ups and Downs...Literally

SO busy all the time but at least it makes time pass faster.

Dad has been on a crazy amount of diuretics. He is up and down at night so many times I lose track. No one can possible get rid of that much liquid and still have any hydration left in them. Oh and we also had a heat wave! Today he went to get his blood tested and it is too thick so he is back on the Lovenox shots in the stomach :( Unfun!

 

It sure has been a busy week! Brendan Kerry and I have been working over at their new house almost everyday and you can now see some of the progress that we (Brendan especially) have made. This will be VERY cool kitchen once its completed. Some parts of the house are a little more finished than others. Lots of up and down the step ladders. We should be wearing pedometers and counting our steps!

 Lilly was a very big help to Kerry today in the painting of her and Kylie's room. She even had her own work gloves! She picked out the color for her room and the best quote from her today was, " I should have picked a darker color." I had to explain how the color changes with the amount of light in the room. The walls will look darker and lighter depending on the time of day, she will see that soon enough.

 Lilly painted in a nice circular fashion while Kerry did all the cutting in and rolling after Lil finished with her brush :)

 She really was very meticulous about her painting!

 Painted her name when she didn't know I was taking a photo. When she realized she said "wait Auntie Laurie I have to make a line."

 Here's Lilly's masterpiece complete with a line!

 

Another masterpiece that is in the house is in the basement. Lilly really loves this mural. So she won't be as upset about it, I took this picture which I will frame for her so she can remember what it looked like when it gets covered.

It was a weekend full of masterpieces!!!

 

Tracy and I attended the very first Gaston Art and Frame Artmakers Paint night. It was BYOW        (Bring your own wine) and snack to enjoy while you paint. Harry snuck into our photo :)

 

Our final paintings signed and completed. Tracy's canvas is hiding my new niece. You can't even tell she is pregnant from the front in this photo.

This was our whole class. It was really a lot of fun and I am looking forward to doing it again. We received a lot of comments after we posted out photos to Facebook from people wanting to join in for the next one. Everyone's paintings came out so nice. A shout out goes to our instructor Tammy who is not in this picture. She was a great teacher.

 This is my little cousin Nick all grown up and a proud grad of SHS. He and Gabby are like another set of siblings to us. They use to come over everyday to play and we loved having them there. It just amazes me that Nick was Julie's age when I was in college! Now he's off to college!!!! I heard through the grapevine that it was a little HOT in the SHS Gym where they held the ceremony, causing some spectators to melt!

That was Friday

Saturday bright and early at 6:45 a.m. I headed down to the rowing center for National Learn to Row day!

The Quinsigamond Rowing Association sponsored the event and it was really great to get back in a shell and row again. I got to go out three times because they needed an experienced rower in the bow section of the boat. It was my old seat and I got to row all morning. Couldn't have been a better day for it! It was sunny and not too hot. Just perfect to be rowing on the lake again. An Alumni of my SHS Crew team was there and he works with the QRA. He said to me "it's just like riding a bike, once you get in everything falls into place and it's like you never left." He was right it was GREAT!!!

The girls came over on Sunday while Bren and Kerry worked at the new house. I played with the kids for a bit in the morning then headed on down to CROMPTON COLLECTIVE and the 10th annual stART on the street festival. It was as amazing as always. Great music, displays, crafts, food and fun.

This guy here in the middle with the beard is "Big" Jon Short. He is a local blues musician but he is also a school teacher for the Worcester Public Schools and he does a LOT of community stuff with the kids. He made a whole band with these talented students, home depot 5 gallon buckets and a couple of drum sticks! Pure Genius this guy. ( I just have to point out that he is also an Alum of one Assumption College Media Center :) ) He is one of the most talented people you will ever meet. He can play any instrument, and do it well, Draw like you read about oh and speak a few languages! If you ever get the chance to hear him play it is well worth your time.

I left stART and headed home to this:

Julie and Papa playing a mean busy box. Julie cracks up at herself everytime she sees herself in the little mirror. I think she thought I was going to move it away because she got very serious and applied the "Vulcan Death Grip" on the side so Dad and I couldn't move it!

Another week has past. Thank you to everyone who continues to stand by us, check up on us and who keep in touch. It means a lot to all of us to have your support. 

Until Next Week,

Laurie