End Notes

It’s the end.  The end of another summer together.  

Looking back, I know I had some goals.  Among them:

• The girls will practice piano (daily!)
• The girls will get a book from the library to learn how to type properly.
• Soccer players will practice their skills.
• We will start running as a family.
• We’ll spend lots of time at the pool.
• We’ll learn to put things away as we go and do it right the first time.
• Around the house. . .maybe paint.   Definitely get the basement squared away including cleaning the carpet we picked up from a friend to put in the basement.
• Read—a lot.

 In reality, here’s what we accomplished:

•  Piano lessons for the summer had to be cancelled because our beloved teacher was unable to have them.  We were really sad.  I did a few little lessons with the younger 2 but the oldest pretty much took a vacation from the piano.
• We never picked up the typing book. Maybe next summer?
• Soccer players worked on their skills when soccer started 2 weeks ago.  Surely that counts for something?
• We did make an attempt at the running as a family.  But intense heat/humidity, lack of proper running shoes and a wide range of ability hampered this one.  I can say that 2 of us who formerly said “I hate running more than anything else” did manage to say “running’s not so bad” and I’ll take that improvement.
• Oh yes, lots of time at the pool.  Precious little of it was spent at a pool that we had to pay to use.  Some very special friends allowed us to use their pool anytime we wanted.
• We still haven't learned to clean up as we go or do things right the first time.  Maybe one day. . . .
• As of this moment I have read 30 books over the last 10 weeks.  I might be able to knock out 2 more before we have to be back at school.   
• The carpet downstairs was not cleaned nor was the basement organized.  But I did paint!  When we moved in all the walls had the same color of flat paint.  I liked the color but I missed the personality of our old house with rooms that fit each of us.  My middle daughter saw the perfect green for her room for just $5 in the mistints at Lowes.  From there it was a done deal.  It would be the summer of painting.

I started in the middle daughter’s room to create the pink and green room she wanted.  Then moved to the youngest daughter’s room to create the 2 shades of pink princess room she desired.  And I have to admit that at one point I was scared of what her room would look like with the turquoise comforter and curtains next to the princess pink.  But it worked. 

Next on the agenda? The girls bathroom upstairs.  I had a little surprise for them in there.  Since their bathroom is truly theirs (rarely used except by them/their friends) and they each have a sink, I painted the walls in front of and behind their mirrors with their signature color from their rooms.  The bathroom is a rainbow of bright green, princess pink, and angelic yellow set against the soft lavender of the rest of the bathroom.

Finally, my oldest got her room done.  She wanted the same yellow as we had at the old house.  Luckily we were able to get it mixed at the paint shop where we bought that color some 10 years ago.  Her room is more grown up than her younger sisters.  Something I both love and nearly loathe at the same time; I'm not ready for her to be so grown up.  Where did my little baby go? 

After all that painting I was just done.  Done done done done done!  I declared no more painting. . .at least not until July.  

Then July hit and I did it.  The powder bathroom needed some pizzazz and I had leftover paint.  So 6” stripes all the way around.  The master bath needed something too.  Fortunately the stripes in there could be wider.  Then the master bedroom looked too plain.  A couple of coats of a soft blue and it is just right.

I had hoped to get a bit more painting done.  I have a plan for the laundry room.  And the stairway to the basement.  And the hallway upstairs.  But that’s it. . .I promise, no plans for anything else!  (Not until next summer anyway)

But it will wait.  The last few days at home are too precious to spend worrying about the house stuff that didn’t get finished.  It’s time to enjoy being together for those last few days before we have to go back to our other lives at school.