Italian, Papal Style

"Welcome to Buca! May I show you to your table?"

The C's, the W's, and the W-P's went to dinner together at an Italian restaurant famous for its kitschy decor. We sat in the Pope Room, where images of Benedict, JPII, and John 23 gazed down at our family-style pasta, not to mention the cherubs on the ceiling.


The kids had a blast. They loved the papal throne, each taking turns to sit in the big wooden chair. Markers and coloring were also involved, so Lucas looks more like a wounded man.

The bust of Benedict is in the middle and sits on a lazy susan. We kept spinning him around so as not to be stared at whilst we ate-- the pope doesn't want to be that rude, ya know.

He was even gracious to offer us some of his grandmother's favorite beverages.

Bob W and his granddaughter Phoebe were stuffed to the gills with all the penne, ravoli, and rigatoni pasta served as...

...Andrew and Lori enjoyed Margaret W-P's company.
At the end of the evening, we were all blessedly full.

Stacked, Not Made

Will announced to me that he made our bed:


He explained that he doesn't like the king-size pillows, so he gave them all to me. Um, okay. Thanks, but, I don't think that this really counts as bed made, so much as pillows stacked.

Now You are Just Showing Off

Thanks, Darren, for rubbing it in.
No, we don't have any ripe tomatoes *yet*. Maybe in two more weeks. Nor do we have *that* much fresh basil, mint, or cilantro.

I see that you are offering some to us, but really, we won't take your charity herbs. We will just stick to our puny producing herbs and stare at our still-green tomatoes, while mildly cursing your explosive bounty under our breathes as we enviously gaze at your amazing garden with the perfect soil.

Hanging Out

Oscar and Lukie are having a grand ol' time in DC. We finally had a crazy thunderstorm that broke the weather, so it isn't so melty hot. That isn't stopping these young English lads from taking advantage of the sun and heat and humidity in the new country.

We have been swimming, running through sprinklers, playing Indiana Jones Legos, climbing trees, swinging in the hammocks, and general running-amuck.


These boys are busy busy busy and so far, haven't completely dissolved under the oppressive heat. Today's adventure includes spying and bit more swimming...

We Don't Know This Guy

We are sitting by the pool, minding our business, when *this* guy shows up:

Will is shocked and amazed at the fashion display:


And then the guy claims to know Will, chasing after him, claiming a family relation or some such nonsense.
Really, we would *never* be related to someone who wears a surfer shirt and a ladies' sun hat a la foreign legion.

Oh, wait....

Beating 110º

The Andrew C's are in town and just for them and their Englishness, we served up a bunch of DC hot humid steamy weather. These English lads are melting in their shoes! Thank goodness there is a pool right down the way that we stay cool and still have fun. Even Stirling is getting into the water to prevent heat exhaustion.





The weather predicted for the rest of the week: 105-110º F. Good thing they are here in July; August is supposed to be worse. So, if you wanna reach us, we will be swimming....

Dado and Damama

We finally have a nickname for Grandaddy and Grandmother, courtesy of Brando. And how to celebrate a new nickname? With a photo of all the grandkids together with newly renamed Dado and Damama.

For Grandmommy

Thank you for a wonderful time...
You will be missed, but we will look from your hilltop and remember you always.

Busy!

Brando is busy.
He has got to play with his FAM (favorite Aunt Miriam) and Cousin Annabelle:

He needs to water the roses:
He needs to wash Dado (Grandaddy):

He has to practice his music:

He needs to clean up his toys:

and swing with his FAB (Favorite Aunt Becca):

He has got to sweep the grass:

And adjust the stakes on the tent:
and he has got to make an airplane with his cousin Juliette.
He has no time to sit and be still. There is too much fun stuff to do!

Welcome, Leland!

In June, our Kentucky gang of friends welcomed one more into our fold: Leland. He is a such a handsome boy--very long and thin. His mother, Carissa, is one of our oldest friends. We met her family when my mom met her mom when Nikole (her older sister and my longest friend) were matched up to car pool for pre-school, age 4--which means that Nikole and I have been friends for 32 years. So not only did we manage to get a ride share, we managed to get life long friends.

Becca, Caroline, and I were all home for the weekend and couldn't resist stopping by and getting in some baby-holdin' and baby-lovin', giving mother dear a bit of a break.

Carissa enjoyed our visit/a break in holding Mr. Boy. For someone who delivered a 10 lb baby a few weeks ago, she looked stunning (as always, really).
And Chloe was even excited to meet Leland. She cooed right along with us. Welcome, Leland. We are thrilled to have you and soon, you too will be dancing on *that* table...

Jealousy Is Not Becoming

...but after Darren sent this photo of my Dad and his Big Zook, grown in Darren's garden:

I am all but consumed with envy.

We have plenty of green vegetation, but no vegetable like that zucchini! Maybe with the past two days of major thunderstorms and all-night rain, our plants will start to produce edibles as massive because of their water intake. At least everything in our garden will be as green as me.

Multiple Blooms

We seem to have a talent of getting multiple blooms on one stem-- need I remind you of the splendidness of our orchid?-- and so we should be surprised that the roses are following suit.

Our Evelyn rose has 9 buds on one stem and one opened bloom! Not quite up to 11, but it did make ten louder.*

*again, this would be outstandingly funny if you all have seen This is Spinal Tap

This is More Like It

This temperature is more like it: 28º C or 82 º F. Much better than the 100+º F we had during the week, for three days in a row. And yes, that *is* a new Celsius thermometer for our yard, thanks for noticing.

The only things that likes that 100+º heat for the past few days are the two citrus plants. The lemon has expanded exponentially, and the lime has added a whole new limb (not to mention doubled its height).

I still think that they will manage in the cooler temps.

At the moment, the weather is cooperating now, as it must know that one of our AC units broke. It gave 20 or so years of service, and we couldn't ask for a better tour of duty. But, Sears came to the rescue today and a new unit has been purchased and will soon be installed--maybe as soon as Wednesday.

The best part about the Sears Sales Guy? He is from Lexington, KY and (of course!) a HUGE UK fan. We both think that Wall will be fine going pro but that Bledsoe went too early.... Some of you might get that. If not, don't worry. Otherwise, On, On UK!

The Missing Pieces

Our new windows have arrived and are await installation. These two bits are the missing pieces for a complete room. Then the renovation will be 100% complete and 1000% awesome.

They will slide in as one unit-- one for the front of the house (with grilles) and one for the back (without grilles, to let in more light). Both sets are casement windows, so, for example, we wills till be able to open up the window and walk out onto the back roof to, say, for instance, watch fireworks. Only the new ones won't be french door-like windows and will be able to stay closed. Oh, and, unlike the current windows, these come with a screen to keep out the bugs.

Look What We Dug Up

New Yukon Gold Potatoes! Red Carrots! And Red Potatoes! We dug them up, snapped a photo, and sent them to Kentucky. Alas, I have no idea how they taste.... Maybe someone over there can send me a report?


But, never fear! We have more in the ground! And we saved one or two for for starter spuds next year.

The Penultimate Reveal of the Third Floor

Welcome to the Third Floor Master Suite! We have it almost 100% done-- we are still in need of the new windows in the front and back of the house and we need the sconces above the bathroom mirrors. Both sets of missing pieces are either en route or about to be.

We have slept up there for about a week now and it is lovely, though a *bit* hot when the temperatures outside are ridiculous, like now (105º F today!) We have most of the furniture in that we want. There might be one more dresser/table and a really comfortable reading chair to obtain at some point. We need to think about window coverings, especially in the bathroom.

With the a huge number of guests over the 4th of July weekend, Will and I were blissfully unaware of the crying babies or wake ups in the middle of night while up in our hide-away.

We have a need for some window seat cushions, but we have moved in plants!

Here is our lovely king bed and new linens. The mattress is really quite comfortable and we are losing each other in the spaciousness of the bed. I can finally sleep through the night!

We are also in need of some decorations on the wall and we have a special Sylvia request. She doesn't know it yet, but we would like her to make a silver mobile to hang in the peak of the ceiling. We have taken a poll, and we all agree that would be quite nice to have.

The towels in the bathroom look quite nice with the cream and lava color tiles. The shower is amazing. We are getting used to not having our toes underneath the sinks.

Our dual-flush square toilet with a surprise bonus of a soft-close lid (no more slamming of the toilet seat in the night!) is quite something. And it is not as bizarre as I thought it would be to sit on a square loo.

We went to the Container Store and contained our clothes. We managed to fit *all* of our clothes into the space. We still need to sort out the shoe closet (where the stained glass door is), however.
This is my corner-- I have to be careful not to hit my head on the angled roof. I have done it several times already. One day I will get used to it. I have a light back in there so I can see my clothes better. The mesh drawers are very fancy and they slide in and out with great ease. Plus they hold a lot!



Will and I are discovering items of clothing that we had forgotten about-- almost like going shopping but better because you already own it!

All in all, we lay in bed, gaze around at the transformation, and are in awe of the work that Big B and the Two Mikes did. It is something to behold and you really should come for a visit--after all, you have lived through the renovation via the blog. Best to come witness it in person! Especially since we have a whole floor of guest rooms waiting for guests. And you can be sure, that up in our enclave, we will not hear you at all.