Dated Updates

I've started writing this post a million times and became distracted. Instead of starting again, I'm just going to keep going from the last time I stopped...

On this last day of July, I returned to work. Therefore, it is time for a check in!

As you know, I survived blowing myself up. (I can joke about it now because I'm far enough away from the whole ordeal.) My ankles/heels peeled and itched and healed. The amount of aloe, vitamin E, lavender, and tea tree oils I used was insane. CVS also saw me pretty regularly every time I need more bandage wraps and gauze pads. There is also this Tagaderm stuff by 3M that I used when I went swimming. It is a clear skin-like film that covered my whole heel really well. (Tip: order it on Amazon. You can get a bunch for a great price.) For future reference, I saved this website that shares different oils to mix with aloe vera for treating burns.

UPDATE: The kitchen IS done.
Post to come later.

Our kitchen is so close to done I can taste it (see what I did there?). The cabinets arrived Monday and are being installed tomorrow. Then just countertops and tile! Goodness, to be able to prepare a meal again. We've done enough eating out. All my clothes are unsurprisingly tight. Currently, I think we'll have to save the big reveal for Labor Day weekend. I don't believe it will be that long before the whole thing is finished. I will need some time to get settled in...and buy new flatware and dinnerware. Yup, I threw out all the old stuff.

If I've learned nothing else it is how much patience a remodel requires. So many things are out of my control. Lots and lots and lots of patience. I want to say that after the kitchen I will be content to leave things alone. You never really know.

The most heartbreaking moment of the summer was saying good-bye to our sweet Freddie Jane. Chris and I adopted her shortly after moving into our house. She was loving and brilliant. She definitely set the standard for the kind of dog a family needs. Towards the end, her hips were not kind. Chris carried her up and downstairs daily. Then one day we started finding puddles around the house. It was time. William couldn't watch and cried into Chris's back. Ben processed it differently in the moment, and we noticed some interesting behavior throughout the week as he worked through it. We'll miss her so much.

During July, the fam traveled to South Padre so the boys could see the beach for the first time. I plan to dedicate a whole post to that. 

I will share the coolest thing we did: the Monday before leaving, Sea Turtle Inc. held a public release of newly hatched sea turtles. We excitedly watched all those little flippers work their way into the ocean. 

My boys start school on Monday. I suppose this means summer is officially over. However, the Texas Heat Index will keep things pretty warm around here till mid October. Let's hope life is kind and I'm able to post a blog before then. Ha ha ha.