2013....Time to Change Up The Chalkboard Wall

Happy To See It In The Rear View

Well, here we are. 2013.  I can't say that either of us here at the Bates Estate are sad to see 2012 go. While we had some really happy moments (like my 25th college reunion, our niece's wedding & Dublin visitors three times over), a lot 2012 was simply the pits. I may or may not have put up a good front here on the Muse.......I did share some of the worst of the worst with you like losing my Godfather Bo, losing our dear Sister-friend Cin, losing our cousin Gail and friend Mike, watching our friend Bernie move far away, friends and family getting whopped by Hurricane Sandy, friends losing loved ones and facing challenges of their own...there was just a lot of stuff we all could have done without. Top it off with Gar's job of 26 years being no more, and you'll get the picture. Of course there is more, but suffice it to say 2012 was a very challenging year and we were beyond ready to ring out the old and ring in the new. Not to be a downer, I am generally a half full type of girl and I am really excited about the possibilities that 2013 holds. I'm not just excited, I am ready, willing and able to welcome them with open arms.  After all, the valleys in life, are what makes the views from the peaks take your breath away.

To mark the occasion of a new year, I took a wet rag to our chalkboard wall and changed things up. I wanted to do it for Christmas, but never got around to it. Like a lot of things on the proverbial list. It fell by the wayside. It was looking pretty gnarly at this point, complete with kid grafitti.

In a matter of minutes it when from that, to this. A blank slate. Just like 2013.  All I left was what my Dublin nieces had put on the wall and only because I was threatened with bodily harm (I won't mention any names........Alison Bates...sorry, that just slipped out) if I removed it.

New Year's Eve seemed like the perfect time to set chalk to wall.  As I was cleaning the house for our later festivities,  I thought to myself.......2013 will be our year. We will rise from the ashes of 2012 and march headlong into 2013.....the year 'we make good things happen'. 

Ah.......new beginnings.........rising from the ashes like a Phoenix from the fire.  

Now for the unveiling..........drum roll please.....

Do you pick a word for the year? I know some people do. This year, I'm picking two. SIMPLIFY and RISE are my words for the year the year. 

I'll be doing lots of thinking and planning over the next week or so in order to make the 'simplification and rising a reality'. Revisiting my manifesto for a new year, (boy did I failed miserably at a lot of the things I wanted to do-- that said, I did pretty good at others- so I guess I'll leave it at that for now), I'll tweak, reevaluate where I'm at, where I want to goo and how I plan on getting there.

For now, a simple reminder.

Happy New Year to all of you, many of whom I know have also faced life changing challenges over the last year.  Of course, there were also many who perhaps had the best year of their lives.  So here's to all of us, the New Year and writing a new chapter in the story of our lives. 

Thanks SO much for being here. It means the world to me.

Ciao for now. See you on the flip side.

Write On This

Such A Tease

Hi gang. Happy Wednesday. Today is the day our next Dublin visitors arrive. In fact, they are currently at Dublin airport waiting for their plane. There will be lots of hugs later.  As many as when our most recent visitors from Dublin left last Friday.  Before my brother in law and nieces left, Ali and Caroline were itching to get at the new chalkboard wall.

It was a practice in patience you see. First I had to prep the wall with a good wipe down. This is always one of the most important steps. This wall being in the kitchen made it even more important.

Then it was a blank slate.....

...just asking for some chalkboard paint.

I was pretty happy with the way the stuff went on. It wasn't messy or drippy. Coverage was pretty good, though I still went with two coats.  *Fuzzy focus alert.*  The only thing that took any amount of time was cutting in along the ceiling and around the bathroom door. I know, the bathroom door is UGly. Please ignore. (Another project on the to do list. We would have replaced it by now, but nothing in this house is easy. It's a completely different size at the top than the bottom. Oh yeah, somebody needed a lesson in plumb when they built this place.)

Back to the wall. Remember that patience thing I was telling you about. Well, we needed it. Once I finished painting, you had to wait THREE days before you could write on it.  Between myself and my nieces, were were chomping at the bit to try it.

I gave them the honor of 'chalking' the wall first. The three day wait was up just as they were leaving for the airport. Perfect timing.

I finally picked up some chalk Saturday morning and left my mark.  Since they'd added a little Dublin touch, I thought it was my duty to remind us of Rome (which we're still dreaming of returning to 5 years later).

 

I'm pretty pleased with the way the wall turned out all in all. It did make that area of the kitchen darker, but of course that is to be expected since it's BLACKboard paint.

Can't wait to see the little ones have at this when they get here later. I mean most of the time kids are told not to write on the wall.

Man on The Moon

Upon hearing of the passing of Astronaut Neil Armstrong this weekend, I added a quote of his to the wall.

"There are places to go beyond belief."

Isn't that the truth? Can you imagine what it felt like to fly through space? Speed through the stars?  To view the Earth from outer space? To be able to block out the earth with your thumb, as he did looking out the window of the Eagle?  To be the first man to walk on the moon? To have the guts to be such an adventurer that you're willing to sit on a can of rocket fuel, be sent into space and land where nobody has ever been before?

To be able to say you where up there?

Way above the Earth looking down?

Standing on the Moon looking at the Earth?

I was little. I was only 4.  You'd think I wouldn't remember any of it, but I do.  I can't say for sure I remember the first moon landing, or subsequent landings. My dad was involved in the space program for a time and maybe that's why I was in tune to the event at such a young age.  I can see the black and white pictures on TV, watching these images on the porch at my parent's house.  I also remember as I grew older and missions continued, the feeling of pride that our country was doing extraordinary things. We were explorers. I know we still have a sort of space program, but nothing like it was. No more space shuttle.  The excitement of the first missions waned.  Disasters happened. Priorities changed. I find it sad. One of the most important things in our history, one that defined our strength and ingenuity, that looked beyond our own boundaries and broke them, that dreamed of what could be, is no more. I for one, long for the time when our country and our world came together in the excitement of the possibilities of what our universe might hold.

“That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind…”

Goodbye to a true pioneer. Goodbye Neil Armstrong.

Make it a great day,

Family Time

Fun Time

Yesterday was the last day of The Bates Of Clonsilla's visit. We took time off to just enjoy the day.

My sister brought our grandniece Sophia over for a swim and my brother's daughter came over again to chill with our Irish nieces. 

Luckily it was a perfectly wonderful pool day at the Bates Estate.

Sophia loved the pool. We all pulled her around.

And around, and around.

She can be a bit timid with new people but she loved playing in the pool with Ali and Caroline.

By the time we got out, we were singing Sir Mix A Lot....'I like big butts and I cannot lie'.

Luckily our family had a late flight so they were able to enjoy the whole day before heading off the airport.

Of course, I had to get our 'traditional' leaving shot of the girls in front of the lilacs. I've been taking their picture like this when they leave since they were very little.

Do not adjust your monitor. That is Carolina's real hair color. She's a Ging. No denying it. We chalk that one up to Granny O'Toole, who nobody knew had red hair because it was gray. That was until one day when Garrett was making fun of the girl next door with red hair and Granny O'Toole set him straight, telling him she had beautiful flame red hair when she was young.  Which he found eventually for himself when his beard grew in red. Just his beard. Weird, huh?

Back to the visitors.

They were all sad to go.  Lucan was sad to see them leave.

Goodbye for now Bates of Clonsilla.

The Bates of Lucan will be arriving on Wednesday for a longer stay.  Yup, Bates of Lucan. It's a town just outside of Dublin's city limits. That's where the hound got his name.

Oh, I almost forgot. The girls got to be the first to put their John Hancock's on our new chalkboard wall. Stay tuned for the chalkboard reveal in the coming days.  Either tomorrow or Tuesday. We'll see how the chips fall.

Monday's post will be my picks from the current Gotta Have It/Gotta Blog It Link Up Party. If you have an online shop or blog, be sure to link up your stuff. If you don't, you're still invited to the party. Have a look around, you never know where it might take you and what you might find.

Sunset Meadows

I've said it before and I'm sure to say it again. We're so blessed to have the most beautiful sunsets right at our front door. I never get tired of them.

What's hot for your Saturday?  I'm doing laundry and general prepping for the next wave of Dubliners. I'll be heading into the pool later, then we're planning on a campfire and burgers if all goes well. Doesn't get better than that.

Ciao for now,