Day 1143 | Be Afraid
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Be very afraid.
Day 1142 | Pinball
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Check out this gem of a business we have right down the street. Board games, pinball games, and vintage arcade games galore. We haven't sampled the mini corndogs yet but I see that in our future. If you're looking for unlimited arcade + pinball gaming for $15 (and free boardgames), this is your place. Yay for the District Company!
Day 1141 | Painting Bowls
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A local non-profit (a food bank) does a fundraiser every year where they sell soup in bowls created by others...and you get to keep the bowls. Tonight I went with a friend to paint some bowls for next spring's event (we painted and then left the bowls with them to give away). I wouldn't say mine are going to be the most sought after, but I think someone will like them. I hope! Either way it was a fun night.
Day 1140 | Blueberries Galore
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Although we're all still reeling from the whirlwind day yesterday, we mustered the energy + motivation to hit the blueberry field today.
I think blueberry picking might be the perfect berry to pick. Here's why:
- There aren't prickers
- The berries are easily accessible on the bush
- The bushes are tall so there's not as much bending over (yay for less back pain!)
- The boys are much more self-sufficient with blueberries because they can easily tell ripe vs. not ripe
- They last longer. You can actually store them in the fridge for a few days before they start to soften. Fresh-picked strawberries, on the other hand, need to be attended to asap.
- There's just nothing more delicious than fresh-off-the-bush blueberries. Based on the number the boys managed to consume, I think they agree.
Blueberry season just started around here. Go out and pick some yourself. You'll see!
2017 EC Summer Bucket List
- Discover 3 new parks - TWO DONE
- Take a pony ride at a festival - CHECK!
- Weekend camping trip
- Pick strawberries - CHECK!
- Pick blueberries - CHECK!
- Attend a city or county fair - CHECK!
- Build a tree fort
- Bike a city trail - CHECK!
- Stay up past bedtime - CHECK!
- Visit an animal shelter
- Swim in three different pools - ONE DOWN
- Play mini golf
- Complete summer reading program at the library
- Ride the mini steam train
- Eat a s'more (Chase has requested one without the marshmallow) - CHECK!
- Attend an Express game - CHECK!
Day 1139 | Another Good Day
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Today was a day. A family bike ride, a birthday party, and an afternoon at the Northern Wisconsin Stare Fair all in 90+ degrees. We're all exhausted but, man, did we have fun. Nothing like shoving a weekend worth of activity and excitement into one day.
Day 1138 | Tactical Escape
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Have you ever thought of checking out one of the escape room-type activities? Me neither. But that's exactly where we ended up tonight and it was a total blast. Ok, not "totally" because we didn't actually escape the room. But we were SO close that it kind of counts, right?!?
Either way, it's definitely something I want to do again. Who's in?
Thanks to our friends for the fun idea!
Day 1137 | Garden Boxes Update
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Check out the progress! You remember where we started, right?
So far we've only prematurely-harvested one green pepper (no thank you, Robbe) from our garden boxes but we're getting so close to seeing some real veggies pop up. Tomato plants as tall as trees (we had to use extra support poles) and cucumbers climbing higher than our lattice (they seem to be adjusting just fine to the string extensions).
For you green thumbs out there, here's what you're seeing (from left to right):
BOX 1: tomatoes, broccoli (which some mite seems to be eating...boo!), and green beans
BOX 2: leeks (we're a bit skeptical about these), peppers, cucumbers, and carrots (although not visible from this angle).
I'll keep you posted as the summer progresses.
Day 1136 | House Projects
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As promised, here are a couple of photos from some of the house updates we've been working on. First, the before and after of the light fixture in our dining room. We don't love the fixture, but we really didn't love the glass globes. So, the short-term + inexpensive solution was to remove the globes and replace the regular lightbulbs with the hipster edison bulbs. The verdict is still out as to whether we need higher wattage bulbs, but I'm digging the look of it.
The curb appeal project we took on was replacing our color-clashing, paint-peeling rocking chairs that were the only display piece by our front door. We found some giant planters (although they don't look terribly giant next to the columns, surprise, surprise) on clearance and some fairly inexpensive topiaries to put in them. Ta-da...the pop of color and bit of whimsy was just what our entryway needed.
The best part? Both of these projects were less that $100 combined! Not too bad for a quick facelift. And, don't worry, the fabric of the new window seat will be unveiled soon. I promise!
Day 1135 | Yoga in the Park
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During Robbe's camp today, Chase and I joined a free kids yoga class in the park. I wouldn't say Chase was the most enthusiastic yogi but I think we'll be back. We all could use a little more yoga in our lives.
Day 1134 | Camp Time for Robbe
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It was Robbe's turn for a summer camp today! He's so pumped to be doing this little mini camp with the Eau Claire Parks and Rec. It's 4 days this week but only for 45 minutes/day. It's the perfect introduction to life away from Chase and me. And Robbe couldn't be happier about it. Yay for independent kiddos!
Day 1133 | Sunday
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Today was about the perfect combination of fun and productivity. We went for a morning jaunt to the park and then spent the afternoon getting our bikes fixed, doing a bit of house cleaning, working on our house's curb appeal, updating our window seat fabric, and giving our dining room light fixture a facelift (photos of these last three to come). I'll take it.
*Special shout out to my parents for all their help on the house projects! We couldn't have managed it without you.
Day 1132 | Snake Peeping
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A surprisingly busy day included some swimming time, a family fun day, and a quick peek at a snake. It was a good day.
Day 1131 | Family Water Balloon Fight
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The boys have been asking to experiencen water balloons lately so tonight was the night. It wasn't quite warm enough for a full-fledged water fight but the boys had a blast chucking the little balloons about two feet in front of themselves.
And, in case you're wondering, Chris gave his approval to the new bulk water balloon filling system. 33 balloons in 30 seconds! He said our boys have thrown more balloons in one night than he has his whole life. Ha!
Day 1130 | Oozing Slime
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The heat kept us inside this afternoon (before we had to brave it for tball tonight) . With the need to do something to entertain ourselves, we got out our trusty science crafts book and decided to give the Oozing Slime a shot.
We mixed 1/2 of a cup (any size cup as long as the ratio is right) of cornstarch with 1/4 of that cup of cold water and a few drops of food coloring. Mix with a metal spoon and then finish mixing with your hands. The consistency ends up being both a solid and liquid. It's magic!
I'd like to say that the boys were fascinated by the magic--and Chase kind of was--but mostly they were just fixated on how dirty their hands got. Yep. They're my sons, no doubt.
It was still a fun activity and one I'm sure we'll try again.
Day 1129 | Visit EC
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Eau Claire is hot right now. And, although the temperature is the toastiest it has been this year, that's not what I'm talking about. After the Eaux Claires festival last month, the city has been getting some really fantastic press. Here are the two articles I've read in just the last couple of days (along with a little excerpt from each):
A hipster scene booms in Wisconsin
The city of 67,545 is a little Madison and a little Milwaukee, with plenty of outdoor activities, from biking to kayaking, thanks to its location at the confluence of two rivers; a college-town youthfulness that manifests in bars, breweries, and cafes; a growing dining scene with a focus on local foods; and a booming arts scene, thanks to locals like Justin Vernon, of the Grammy Award-winning band Bon Iver, and Nick Meyer, founder of the arts and culture magazine Volume One and a force behind some of the area's music events and festivals.
How Eau Claire became a magnet for artsy millennials in Wisconsin
...the bigger story is how deftly this former factory town has pivoted to embrace the arts, technology and innovation — boosting tourism and attracting new, young transplants in the process.
Read the articles. I promise they're interesting. If you don't already live here, you *might* just get the itch to visit. We've got two empty bedrooms waiting for guests! In case you need a bit more convincing, I've made this list of reasons to come.
5 Reasons to visit Eau Claire
- It's beautiful. I hope you've seen some of my photos (see above) as evidence. I promise the river + bridge views are something off of a postcard.
- It's inexpensive. Think of $5 cocktails and tons of free outdoor concerts...and that's just a snippet of the cost-savings.
- The cool Wisconsin nights + mornings. The summer temperatures do creep up, but what makes it bearable is that the temperature drops at night. Most nights, there's a lovely cool breeze and you can actually sleep with the windows open to cool off the house. All of this is a stark contrast to our DC summers.
- There's a ton to do. We've only just scratched the surface on this one but the children's museum, the parks, the festivals, the farmers market, etc. We'll keep you entertained, we promise!
- It's where we live. That's reason enough, right?
Oh, there's one more Visit EC tie in: I had my first article posted on the Visit Eau Claire tourism site today. Check it out. Hopefully there will be lots more to share in the future. I had fun writing it.
Day 1128 | The Fourth
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It seems like only yesterday our house in DC was getting pelted with fireworks. And yet, somehow it seems like a lifetime ago, as well. Hopefully we don't wake up to the same damaged siding tomorrow as we did last year (thank goodness our new house is brick).
We had a really lovely holiday weekend. It was filled with all the main reasons for moving back: tons of family time-both planned visits and spontaneous gatherings. We enjoyed our quiet moments with the boys as well as the chaos of being surrounded by grandparents and extended cousins and aunts + uncles. We'll sleep well tonight after a busy and very satisfying weekend.
Day 1127 | Express Game
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Two items off the summer list today. Whoop whoop!
Most of my family (we missed you Matt!) met up at the local baseball field for an Express Game. It was the perfect weather and the perfect introduction to a night at the ballpark for the boys. Aside from both of them falling down the bleachers, it was a huge success.
And, because we were up late already, we decided to light some tiny fireworks when we got home. Chase has been asking to see the real deal this year and they just start so late! We decided this would be a good introduction. Thank goodness we did it this way. Chase was scared out of his skin with just the little pops from the small boxes. I think it'll be another year or two until we're out for the big show.
2017 EC Summer Bucket List
- Discover 3 new parks - ONE DONE
- Take a pony ride at a festival
- Weekend camping trip
- Pick strawberries - CHECK!
- Pick blueberries
- Attend a city or county fair
- Build a tree fort
- Bike a city trail
- Stay up past bedtime - CHECK!
- Visit an animal shelter
- Swim in three different pools - ONE DOWN
- Play mini golf
- Complete summer reading program at the library
- Ride the mini steam train
- Eat a s'more (Chase has requested one without the marshmallow) - CHECK!
- Attend an Express game - CHECK!
Day 1125 | Puzzle-Mania
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Grandma and Grandpa are here so that means more puzzling! It's just so satisfying, you know? The boys even got the perfect challenging, but not too challenging, puzzles for them to hone their skills (100 pieces for Robbe and 200 for Chase). It's serious business around here.
Day 1124 | A Planetarium Trip
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The Children's Museum has a new planetarium exhibit and the boys had a great time learning all kinds of space-y stuff. Even our space expert (Chase) had a few takeaways that he didn't know (the lunar lander had to be brought up on a spaceship, for example). Another super successful trip to one of our favorite local treasures.
