Lizzard Loves...: August 2018

Friday, August 31, 2018

Friday Recap 8/31/18 - Road trip funnies, Skunked, Garden love, The Bug

I can't believe August is coming to a close. Most of my nieces and nephews are back to school, all of the neighborhood kiddos are, we've had a couple of cool nights (admittedly that was last week....but still) with the windows open, Lulu & I are starting to see leaves fall from trees- insane that it feels like Fall is around the corner.

1. Road trip funnies

The Fun Park

We drove to Columbus, OH for one of my college roommate's weddings last weekend. Road trips are always interesting - especially when they involve a 16 month old ;)

We drove from 7pm-2am on the way there. Somehow - more than once- we encountered stopped traffic on the highway. Just jammed traffic. Summer time is construction season & that'll do it I guess. You have to laugh about these things to avoid screaming!!

The Fun Park

On the way home we took it a little easier since Lulu would be awake for some of the drive. Or so we thought. Lulu was awake for almost the entire drive! We stopped at "the fun park" (I should've taken a photo of the sign - the playground was literally called "The Fun Park" it was awesome) to let Lulu run around & burn some energy & to break up the drive a bit.

Corn field detour

We needed to get gas - so did that too. And then got on the highway going the wrong way. 10 miles to the next exit toward Columbus....10 miles after we got turned around.....and a detour through the cornfields because the overpass was demolished. Oh man. Tough wrong turn!! Very pretty detour though!

2. Getting skunked
Its funny now.........not so much Monday morning at 530 when Owenn & I were out running & it happened.

The funny part is really the fact that when Owenn did a 180 & pulled like a maniac the opposite direction we were going, I let him. Then I noticed what he was running for: (in the dark, without my glasses on) a small potted plant in the green space between the sidewalk & street. "Well," I think to myself "if Owenn wants to pee on a potted plant that is inexplicably in the greenway, so be it". You may have already guessed that it was not, in fact, a potted plant. It was a Goddamned skunk. Owenn chomped on it and was shaking it around, which is how I ended up with a drop of skunk spray in my MOUTH. Which again, funny now. Not funny as it happened.

After 2 baths in hydrogen peroxide, baking soda & dish soap (followed by dog shampoo) & one treatment of this Nature's Miracle product (lent to us by our most FANTASTIC neighbors) - Owenn was back to smelling fresh a daisy. Or at least back to his eau de dead raccoon smell he always seems to rock. Not funny, but we were able to loan the Nature's Miracle product to different friends/neighbors later this week because their poor pup got skunked too :(

Keeping us on our toes Owenn is.

3. Garden love

Not sure what this plant is, but it is thriving & making me very happy by doing so! Anyone have any idea? Pretty sure I bought it at a native plant sale 2 summers ago........no clue what it is though!

4. This face

Almost always brings a smile to my face!

Tuesday, August 28, 2018

Friday Round Up 8/24/18- NYT opinion piece, Cinnamon Roll Delivery, Baking with the Bug, Zen Sunrise Moment

Happy Friday morning! We are in Ohio to celebrate the nuptials of one of my college roommates! Hope you have fabulous plans for the weekend! So I wrote that last week thinking I'd have my act together to publish on Friday...........I didn't & now its Tuesday. Again. Ah well. Someday I'll be timely, just not today!

1. The Absolute Necessity of the New Mom Friend
One of the members of my moms group shared this to our social media page & it resonated with many of us. Unlike the author - I new I wanted (didn't know I needed) new mom friends. I didn't know how to make them.....so I started a group for babies born the same year as the Bug & have been fortunate enough that other mamas wanted the same kind of connection I did. It for me felt like an "if you build it, they will come" scenario. I didn't actually "build" anything - just made a Facebook page, but the sentiment is there. It was a great reminder that I can create things I need if I don't see them in the world.

2. Cinnamon Roll Delivery
We have gotten to know some of our neighbors up at the lake pretty well over the years. Maybe it is natural - it feels natural! They are (as neighbors should be) a random motely crew of folks in a great way.
Saturday morning 2 of the neighbor boys (whose ages align closely with my eldest 2 nephews) came over to deliver cinnamon rolls to Liam & Kane. It was such a cute thing to do & made me feel like we live in a small town (which, coincidentally - we do up there). Apparently it was a favor returned as the boys shared Bobo's delicious chocolate chip cookies on Friday!

Cinnamon roll o'clock on the deck

I feel like these gestures stitch together communities in amazing ways. Suddenly everyone feels happier, more at ease, more known somehow. Are you close with your neighbors? What types of neighborly gestures have you offered in your neighborhood? Have you been offered any sweet gestures?
It made my Saturday morning - it was just perfect the boys tromping a few doors down with paper plates of cinnamon rolls fresh out of the oven. Weekend bliss.

3. Baking with the Bug

Always messy. Always entertaining. Warms my heart every time.

4. Zen Sunrise Moments

I hope you all are having a great week!

Friday, August 17, 2018

Friday Recap 8/17/18 - Sunday Funday, early morning runs, garden love, only in Evanston,

We've had a bit of travel (to MD & WI) the past couple of weekends - so it was nice to be home for this past one. We are loving all that our neighborhood & city have to offer this time of year- we are trying to get out & enjoy it as often as possible!!

1. Sunday Funday
Sometimes on a Sunday you need to go to the beach, swim, play in the sand & frolic with the dog before 9am.

A perfect beach morning!

You need to ride bikes & eat ice cream for lunch.

The Bug is still a bit so so on ice cream.....maybe a cold headache??

Get this helmet OFF OF ME!!!!

You need to naked bike ride in the back yard.

Lettin' loose in the backyard

You need to load up picnic supplies to bike to the train to go on a date night with friends.

Chair, table, cooler, check check check!

Chair & picnic basket, check check!

We made it!

You need to pack it all in so as to maximize summer enjoyment! Summer Sunday funday at its finest!

2. Early morning runs

Owenn wasn't too impressed by the sun....

For whatever reason I've not been as committed to running (specifically) or exercise (generally) this summer. Silly, I know, given the perfection of the weather to be outdoors to work out! I am newly committed to getting some miles in each week & was rewarded with a cool, foggy, misty morning run. The sun had risen before I made it to the lake front, but it was lovely all the same.

3. Garden Love from the Bug

I love to grow the tiny bits of food in our few garden pots on the patio.

It makes me quite happy. My heart becomes pretty much full to bursting when Lulu shows her obsession with eating the fruit we grow! She's been plucking & eating (!) the under ripe tiny little green strawberries.....which I can't imagine is healthful....it also means there are fewer fully ripened strawberries for her to eat :)

We pulled the step stool out today so she could pick the tomatoes herself - after we found 1 fully ripe strawberry - she was ready to eat all the green ones.........needed a distraction!!

4. Only in Evanston

Have no idea how the piano got onto the sand. Did this guy & his buddy drag it out there? Where did the piano come from? How does it stay in tune in the heat & humidity?

So many questions - no answers. But we did really enjoy the show on our Tuesday evening walk!

Monday, August 13, 2018

Friday Round Up 8/10/18- Early morning beauty, tomato season, extra Lake time

Summer is still in full swing & we are trying to soak in all that it has to offer! We've seen leaves turning & falling already......which is giving me feelings of serious panic! Keep on keepin on summertime!!

1. Early Morning Beauty

I'd been meaning to go for an early morning kayak all summer & somehow it took me until August to get my act together. It was worth the wait & so darn pretty. I went on a weekday morning which is as quiet as can be up at the Lake. What a treat to have the Bug snuggled in her bed at the house with my parents both there so I could confidently leave & have a mini adventure all my own. Sometimes I feel myself fading to the background & the Bug being the main event of my life. I work actively to remember that I am not her & she is not me. We do our best when we each have our own lives - inexorably tied lives - but separate all the same. My morning kayak was just for me :)

2. Tomato Season

We picked them in the rain & couldn't wait to get 15 feet to the kitchen to eat them!

Happy with her haul

Lulu is hilariously obsessed with our tomato plant. I am also obsessed with it - so she has good taste ;) But in the same way she loved the strawberry plant when it was producing - she heads straight for the tomato plant when we are in the backyard to see if there are any to eat!! Its a messy affair & I adore it.

Notice the rivulets of tomato juice on her belly?!? Joyful tomatoes!

3. Extra Lake Time

BoBo with 3 of 5 granddaughters

Belated birthday boat ride for Lynn

Cousin park time

Lulu & Dad weren't really into this ;)

The Bug & Neva are 4.5 months apart - I hope they are so close as they grow up.

"Wuwu, you wanna go swimming??" ~Hennie

Sometimes everyone needs a quick boat nap

Marg & her girls stayed past my Mom's birthday by several days - so Lulu & I got a chance to spend some extra lake time with them & my parents. Such a treat to have weekdays up at the Lake - so chill, not busy, just really quite perfect. The only bad thing is, now that Marg & the girls are home again, it feels a little like summer is over :(

I'm running late on this post - summer schedule is a little loosey goosey! Short & sweet this week! Happy Monday, hope you have a tomato & sunrise filled week!

Thursday, August 9, 2018

2018 - Mom's Birthday Weekend at the Lake

We haven't had such a long time together at the Lake in as long as I can remember - the bulk of the group was up from Thursday - Sunday and some are still up celebrating :)

Lots of cousin time!

Lots of cousin time!

Lots of cousin time!

We spent all the days doing all the Lake things. Hammocking, swimming, boat rides, ice cream, kayaks, out to eat, meals on the deck, coffee shop, farmers market, tubing, skiing, wakeboarding, rock throwing, paddle boarding, zip sledding, pier jumping, farm stand, grilling, so much naked baby time.

Tiny baby Mary is getting so big!!

Happy Birthday Momma!

We have such generous neighbors who are willing to share their fun toys with us!

Lots of cousin time!

15 people packed into my parents' home on the Lake - I had so much low grade anxiety around the sleeping arrangements :( It ended up working out just fine! Lulu is teething like crazy and had a few middle of the night crying jags which were bummers to be sure. But overall, the sleeping arrangement went well.

The boys are starting to like wakeboarding - hooray!

Margie still loves to ski

Our favorite coffee shop has a Friday farmers market; kettle corn anyone?!?!

Lulu bug is neutral about tubing.....at least she doesn't hate it!

Margie loves tubing - look at that enthusiasm!

A cocktail cruise to a nice dinner out (which turned out to be a burned dinner and stone cold dinner for 3 of us........Marg got the meals removed from our bill........so much for a "nice" dinner out!!) with only the grown ups was a huge treat. Chris said on the nighttime boat ride home that he couldn't remember the last time he went out on the boat at night, if he ever has. It made us realize we should do it more often, its pretty delightful.

What a wonderful weekend away together celebrating our Momma/BoBo/MIL. I am so lucky to have my Mom in my life - despite the fact that I am 35 years old, I still rely on her for a lot of advice, support, day to day help and millions of cooking questions. More than anything else, at the close of this weekend's festivities I feel so grateful for our time together as a family. Hard to believe there are 15 of us, including the 7 babies/kids.