Flowers, Painting & Origami

I have not had a chance to write a personal post for three weeks. I have been painting all. the. things. I think I am going to die with a paintbrush in my hand. Summer in Western New York is so short that some of us spend all summer getting our houses back in order after their winter beating. Andy and I are painting in the kitchen and making some really wonderful changes to the exterior. However, I am keeping all of that a surprise because right now, everything is a big mess. We have a yard sale planned for this weekend, and we are currently the trashy house on the block. We have appliances on the porch, and our neighbors surely must be cringing.

I have been planning this yard sale for over a year. I wanted the timing to coincide with the kitchen remodel so we could offload anything salvageable from the kitchen instead of sending it to the landfill. I have no idea if anyone will buy our junk treasures, but if not, I’ll have it hauled away to various places in order to avoid the trash.

Anyway, here is a recap of the last few weeks of randomness.

1. The Bee Balm is going crazy, no thanks to us.

This gorgeous flower grows wild in our horribly overgrown flowerbed in the back yard. We ignore it, and it grows prolifically. It is my kind of plant. You can actually eat Bee Balm. It has a delicious peppery taste. We recommend sprinkling it fresh on a salad or drying it for later use.

2. Our 13-year-old spent two weeks at camp, and he was so sad to leave. He is a true camper. He loves everything about  it. He arrived home with a deep tan, and his face lit up every time he told me something that happened while he was away. Those of you who have teenagers or remember being a teenager know that those moments of pure happiness and parental connection can be fleeting.  Once he was home, he quickly fell into a post-camp funk. He asked if he could go back this summer. Andy and I talked about it, and we are going to send him back for one more week at the end of August. When I told him, he broke out in the first smile I have seen since he lugged his smelly camp luggage into BHH.

3. In June, the two middle boys and I attended the national Origami Convention in NYC. (Yep! That’s a thing.) In a nutshell, the convention is four days of paper folding, classes, rubbing elbows with celebrated Origami artists, educators and scientists, and very little sleep. I reiterate, very little sleep. Origami is a pretty niche artform with applications in science and engineering as well. People who attend this convention wait all year to spend these four days with people who understand exactly how excited they are about folding paper. Of course, we believe it is about so much more than that, and that excitement leads to staying up all hours making the most of every single minute with this group of people who feel like our tribe.

Here are a few of my favorite models from the exhibition:

Funny side note: We looked at these pieces with such reverence, and no touching was allowed at any time. However, I watched them dismantle the exhibition, and the actual artists throw their pieces around without much thought. Origami is sturdier than it looks!

4. Claire at Pillar Box Blue has amazed me again with her beautiful DIY Wallpaper Backsplash. I have this tile for the kitchen, but I am so tempted to send it back and do this DIY option. Seriously tempted.

5. As I am writing this, two men are in our kitchen installing the countertops. I see the light at the end of the tunnel, but there is a paintbrush there. Somebody save me.