So much about savoring home these days is embracing the personalities in it. We are all so different. Jackson takes after me more personality-wise while Owen is more like Seth. Owen and Seth are better at sitting back and enjoying the show, cool, calm and collected, while Jackson and I are more the take action fast, don’t want to miss a single thing.  I’d like to think Seth helps me slow down and enjoy life a bit more and maybe that I encourage him at times to jump in!  As much as the boys are like us they are such a blend and so much of their own little selves. thank goodness.

On Thursday I was baking to take some bread to MOPs. I let the boys have the beaters and it was so funny to watch how differently they tackled the treat. Owen went for it, not minding the messy cheeks or awkwardness involved in licking the metal beater. Jackson however used his finger to systematically get the goods while staying neat.

About halfway through Owen decided he’d like to share his beater. Seth was his chosen one to receive. He hopped down from his chair and headed outside with the beater. He was determined to find Seth and share a big lick. This is so typical of this little guy. He came by it honestly. I am sure my dad can attest to my constant desire for him to try a bite. I can’t enjoy something fully unless I know I am sharing it. Poor Seth inherited me, relieving my dad of the duty of tasting. I have learned that he just doesn’t want to try but Owen, he’s got hope for his father coming around to his sharing. I ran out with the camera when I heard Owen standing at the base of the ladder hollering up to Seth for a bite. Determined to share his enjoyment!

The other little glimpse into a personality this week came when Jackson ran a fun run race at school to raise money for the school fundraiser. Seth went along to watch him run. I wasn’t sure what to expect but I anticipated a very tired boy having a kindergarten breakdown if his friends ran further than him. Instead Jackson was so excited with all of the other kids running that he ran 36 laps….fueled by sheer enthusiasm!

can you spot him in the first picture? note, his feet are literally off the ground with anticipation

savoring the little budding personalities around here!

So I bet you never knew that a power washer could help you savor your space more. Well, I knew when we bought this place that we would become great friends.  Seth and the neighbors power washer bonded over nearly 8 hours of power washing this week! No joke. He shared it with me a couple of times for a very few minutes…the guy loved it! I have been itching to get the power washing going since we moved in but we just did not have the time. The front of the house is set back enough and it didn’t look as bad as the back so we knew the project could wait a bit but still we were antsy to be done on the inside work so we could get going on the yuck!

To be honest it is maddening to me how someone could live in the space and watch the house change colors before their eyes and not take the time to do minimal maintenance. But then, oh yea, I guess that’s a bit how it is with my heart. I get really comfortable with the build up of junk and think it won’t affect anyone else. Turns out it does. One attitude, piled on one hurt feeling, piled on exhaustion, added to little time to slow down and pray, throw in there a million other little teeny tiny things and before you know it you’ve got some big clean up work to do. It’s been high time for some power washing on the heart and house levels lately! Disclaimer: much to my disappointment the power washer did not turn our cement slabs into a beautiful stone patio….didn’t want any of you non power washers to get high hopes!  But everything does looks much more sparkly clean…and sometime that is enough to satisfy a little perfectionism!

  before

after…doesn’t do it justice with this bad lighting but you get the idea!

before and after

best helper award goes to the O man!

before

after

who knew that a love note written in green algae could be so darn sweet!

Happy Saturday! Pull out those power washers! It’s refreshing!