6 kids, 4 adults, 2 dogs...All in one house

This past Thursday and Friday, Mav and I had a full house. Judy, Steph, and all our nieces and nephews came for a short visit. The plan WAS to swim at the new pool here but for some reason it was closed (how on earth they decided to close it on the two hottest days of the summer is beyond my comprehension). We improvised and headed out to Beulah Bay Thursday afternoon. We played on the beach and in the cold water. The kids all seemed to have a really fun time and Mav and I even waded in. I forgot my camera but managed to take some pics of Cole, Jas, and Brielle playing in the sandbox at home. YES the sandbox was finally put to use!! We had awesome (hot) weather those two days and spent equal parts playing outside in the water and then soaking up air conditioning. It was a hectic two days but we love when they come to visit!

Deck Finale

OK, so here are some final final final project pictures of our deck. We finished staining it last week and are soooo glad to have that done! I may be a little more ecstatic about this as I have decided that I loathe staining. Moving on - I finished the canvas panels for above the pergola (to provide some additional shade) and we have installed solar lights on the deck steps and on the pergola for some night ambience. We absolutely love it and can't wait to just enjoy our new outdoor space!!! Oh and you know I couldn't resist throwing in a pic of the boys enjoying the new deck.

FAMILY and FRIENDS

My mom, sister, and I went to this beautiful resort in Minnesota this past weekend. We went for two days and were able to totally relax and do whatever we wanted. We had a SPA afternoon on Saturday and all had a hot stone message. It was heavenly!!!! That same night we took a pontoon ride on the lake to a nearby restaurant and had a supurb meal at Sherwood Forest. They had this awesome candy/ice cream shop on the grounds and we visited that quite a few times!!! To make up for the sweets, we all three did Yoga on the beach one morning. It was a weekend I will never forget and it made it so special that my mom and sister and I could spend it together!!!
I also threw in a couple of family pics from the family reunion and a pic from my class reunion. Both were a lot of fun and it was nice to have everyone in the same place for once!!

How to sink a ship

Last weekend was probably one of the busiest this summer SO FAR. Here are the top four reasons why we went home (in no particular order):
1. Jenny's 10 year class reunion
2. Jenny's BJELLA family reunion
3. 4th of July
4. Dad's Battleship blow up
Add to that visiting Mav's family, the kids, friends, and all the travel back and forth between our two houses there and it made for quite the hectic but FABULOUSLY FUN visit!
So here are some pics of the boats that my dad, uncle, and brother made and brought to the war this year (to be fair, Gary's is the rejuvinated-with-duct-tape boat from last year). Other pics of the family reunion and class reunion to come but I ran out of steam just downloading the 250 pics from the boat battle.

The Crazy (Picture) Accident

Last night we were on the edge of a huge lightening/thunder storm. I don't think it directly hit us but the lightening was spectacular! The sky was constantly lit up and every once in a while you would catch these serious lightening bolts. My camera happened to be sitting on the bench next to the door and I decided to try and take some pictures. I thought I probably wouldn't get anything as I don't have a tripod and I didn't want to actually venture outside. I think I set my camera to some crazy settings, all hoping that I could get the fastest shutter speed possible...which still seemed like eternity. I clicked this one and had been holding my camera "steady" for aforementioned eternity and this lightening bolt happened just at the right time. I could not believe that I actually captured it!!! It is far from an award winning picture but I think the subject is so amazing and powerful and rarely do you get the chance to see it in a snapshot! Look at the sizzle!!!!

A Wedding Celebration

I don't know what it is but I can't resist taking pictures of my hubby and oh so cute nieces!!! This last weekend Mav and I were in Buffalo, SD to celebrate his aunt Roxie's wedding. We had an afternoon party with cake and build-your-own ice cream sundae's. I met David for the first time there and he radiated warmth and true kindness. Congratulations to Roxie and David and we are so happy for the two of you!! So back to my two beautiful nieces and my obsession with taking their picture...but how could I resist???? They had THE perfect job of helping out at the ice cream bar and made the most of their station. Hailey actually made an ice cream concoction that she couldn't even finish eating (anybody that knows Hails knows that she could live on sweets.) Lex did a very good job serving everyone and MAY have even served more than she ate! :) It was a fun, quick trip and we cherish the memories we made with our extended family.

Garden Inspiration

While at my mom's this weekend, I was inspired by all the wildflowers and plants growing around her apartment. She has these empty fields surrounding her building that are filled with plants and flowers that are native to North Dakota. I hope to someday garden with these plants and others that I will find along the way. I envision a space that looks not only natural but is made beautiful by these plants/flowers that are a part of the native landscape here. I just love the diversity, colors, and textures that can be found growing wild!

A place to sit and relax

We worked on the seating for the deck yesterday and were able to finish the base of the benches. They are actually pretty comfortable but we decided to add backrests to two of the sections under the pergola. I also plan on buying (maybe making???) some cushions for those two sections. What we have left to finish: backrests, top of pergola (more slats that will increase shade), planters, and brick stairs coming off the north side of the deck. We had our morning coffee outside on the deck today and it felt soooo good to be out there enjoying the beautiful weather!

Mav and I (and dogs) are off to SD tonight. Mav's aunt was recently married and is having a reception tomorrow afternoon. We are very excited to get to see Mav's family and actually go on a mini-vacation together!! Then Friday we are back to Bismarck for the weekend as Mav's softball team is playing in the McQuade's softball tournament. Wish them luck!!!

Laundry Room facelift

Here are the "AFTER" pics of the laundry room. My mom came on Saturday morning and we were done with everything Saturday night - just in time to spend approximately 4.5 hours watching both Twilight movies. We had a really fun time and it was nice to have the company and the extra set of arms. Thank you thank you thank you for all your help! I joked all weekend with her that this will inspire me to do more laundry... Besides a few minor things like making and/or buying a couple more storage bins and hemming my curtain (which btw was put together with hot glue, my new best friend) the laundry room make over is done. I LOVE how it turned out and although it may not produce more clean laundry, it does feel good to walk into a room that I have made my own.

A day in the life of Mav, Jenny, Duncan, and Grover

It's a pretty normal day around here but I feel a little bad for not keeping up on my blog lately. It's a work day for me and Mav's home working on the deck. He's making the frame for the sandbox that will be inset into the deck. I wish it were a nicer day, but at least it is cool. And with the rain, Duncan and Grover are doing their very best to get completely wet and dirty when they go outside. 

AND I am starting a new house project tonight. I am just going to spice up my laundry room a bit...nothing too life changing. It is one of the last rooms in my house that hasn't been touched but since I spend a lot of time there (how is that possible with only the two of us???) I figured it could use a face lift. I think we may be coming to the end of house projects. However, Mav's a die-hard "we can do this ourselves" so I may just be in denial. 

Here are some BEFORE pics for those of you dying to keep up with the Thompson's: