So much depends upon a red wheelbarrow ...

Having a mother who is artistic is a blessing. Having an artistic mother in town for the weekend is even better. Having an artistic mother in town for the weekend and a sister-in-law who likes to celebrate the little things is THE BEST!

Today Mr. Nick and I received a "Congratulations you've got water ..." present from our 2.5 year old niece and 5 month old nephew (of course, they had a little help). Mom used a black permanent marker to write out the words and then white Rustoleum oil-based paint to trace over the words.

Here we are in our brand new wheelbarrow.
I love it even more that it's red because when I first met Mr. Nick
he referenced William Carlos Williams' "The Red Wheelbarrow".

But that's not all! Home Depot had their Adirondack chairs on clearance so Mom picked up four for us. Having been through this whole, "build your house with your bare hands" dream herself just a few years ago, she knew the importance of having a nice place to sit at the end of the day ... even in the middle of a construction site. But she wouldn't be my mother unless she personalized it just a little.

Mr. Nick's says "MR" at the top and "THINKER" on the bottom,
mine says "MRS" at the top and "DREAMER" at the bottom.

So it was a day of celebrating and presents ... a reminder to stop and enjoy the small successes along the way.

The Right Gear for the Right Girl

I celebrated my 27th birthday yesterday and, much to my shagrin, received some great new gear from "the moms". Getting ready to go into a long journey like this one, I think it's important to take advantage of the little things that will help get you through the cold and rainy days when getting out of bed seems like a chore and going to work on a construction site seems impossible. 

A few years ago Nick was working in Kyrgyzstan leaving me to manage our properties alone. Frequently making house calls began to wear on my happiness, I hated having to dig through Nick's tools in the garage to get what I needed. And so, I took matters into my own hands and bought myself a hot pink tool kit. It was tidy, portable and most important pink. Getting a call to go fix something meant grabbing my tool kit and taking care of business, it was empowering to be able to quickly get what I needed and it was cheerful for them to be pink.

I suppose that's a good lesson in life: Find the little things that make you happy, in whatever situation you may be in. And so, I know I will enjoy my hard hat, my tool belt and my safety glasses just as much as I have my pink tool kit. Thanks Moms!