Oh man Sunday was fun. In that nontraditional I’m-sure-some-other-moms-might-not-get-it way. The whole weekend was sort of an extended Mother’s Day extravaganza since we made time for visits to the farmer’s market and a Bon Air parade/festival with Clara and John on Saturday (Burger’s afraid of firetrucks and loud noises, so he skipped the parade). Then on Sunday, I was awakened by the bean who was holding a handmade card (she scribbled all over it with crayons- so cute) along with an equally sweet card from John and Burger. I was also given a printout that was entitled “The Tale Of Sherry’s First Mother’s Day” which explained that John tried to hunt down the gold Calypso for Target dangly earrings that he knew I had been drooling over, but they were sold out in two stores that he drove to as well as online. So he snuck onto my Pinterest boards and saw that I was also obsessed with these lovelies (found here on Etsy)…
… so he ordered them for me instead. Yes there was excited arm flapping. I love them so much. They kind of remind me of lemons which take me back to our wedding day. And I love that John thought to check Pinterest to find something I was obsessing over. Smart man.
Alas, my new lovely lemon earrings didn’t arrive in time to be handed over in the flesh, so a picture of them was sweetly included in my little First Mother’s Day printout along with news that John was also getting me a Mother’s Day massage to continue the tradition that he started last year when I was hugely pregnant and desperate for some prenatal massage relief. Wahoooooo. He intentionally didn’t book the massage for Mother’s Day (he told me to pick a later date because he knew I wanted to spend the whole day with Clara). Sweet, huh? Thanks hubs. For the Mother’s day rubs and the beautiful baubles.
Anyway, after my little wake-up slash card & gift fest, Clara and John and I went to Einstein Bagels (one of my favorite breakfast spots) where I got an asparagus and mushroom flatbread sammy (for two bucks with a coupon- haha). It was so delicious I can’t even say. John and Clara shared a muffin and a coffee cake in case you’re wondering (suddenly this play by play got very specific). Then we headed home for Clara to catch a nap and John parked me on Karl The Sectional to watch some delicious reality TV (Pregnant in Heels) while he went outside and got back to work on the patio. The plan was for him to work for two hours while Clara napped and then come in and shower and play with us for the rest of Mother’s Day.
Here’s where Mother’s Day veers of into the nontraditional realm. By about two hours into Project Patio it was apparent that John needed waaaaaaay more time to make progress, so I decided the best possible way to spend the day would be to play with Clara while daddy kept working on the pavers (what mom doesn’t want a finished patio for Mother’s Day?). So Clara and I played with blocks and puzzles and crayons and had some lunch and brought daddy some granola bars and even practiced walking a little bit (don’t worry, it was all assisted so John didn’t miss any true first steps). We even got outside for some fresh air and had fun on the patio while John worked away in the background.
Burger was especially excited to have some fun out there too, and it was cute to see both of “the kids” enjoying our new space- even before it was completely finished.
And about eight hours of hard hubby handiwork later, I had my Mother’s Day patio! John had completely cut all the edge pavers – he just needed to add sand between the cracks, which he planned to do on Monday (final “after” pics should be up tomorrow morning for ya, btw). And we had just enough time to enjoy a nice family dinner (burgers from Five Guys – mmmm) and then it was time to put the bean to bed and enjoy some sofa chillaxing (John wrote Monday morning’s post while we watched a criminally long episode of The Apprentice – seriously three hours is about two hours too many). But it was the best Mother’s Day ever.
Abigail says
it sounds like the perfect laid back day! and those earrings!!! lucky girl. of course you deserve all of it – happy belated mother’s day :)
Her Late Night Cravings says
Love Sherry’s comments during the newscast!! So glad to finally see what the whole story was with why y’all were going to be on the local news. Clara is precious, but was Burger camera shy??? :)
Mendi @ Her Late Night Cravings
YoungHouseLove says
I know! I wish Burger would have made a cameo but he couldn’t be bothered. He just slept in our bed the whole time and came out to bark as everyone left.
xo,
s
Christie says
Happy Mothers Day! You are hilarious :)
Mercedes says
That video of Clara clapping is adorable! BTW, Saw you guys on FOX 5 in DC last night about blogging for money. I was heading off to bed and I heard some familiar names pop up on the news!
YoungHouseLove says
Wasn’t that random? We didn’t even know it was going to be on and don’t get that channel here! Thankfully they posted it on their website so we could peek at it. True to tradition, I waved my arms around. But there wasn’t any mention of aliens…
xo,
s
Kylia West says
whats the link to the nursery crashing? I went looking for it…
Kylia West says
found the link on previous post you can ignore my previous comment…sorry
Ashley @ newhouseontheblog says
Love the new earrings!
Meg says
LOL Awesome Mother’s Day! Glad you enjoyed it. And Ryan Nobles used to be at our local station – looks like he still has some “Utica” in him with comments like “home improvement you can smell”. ;-)
Tracy says
I think my favorite part of the outtake is before you guys start laughing because the look on your face is totally priceless. You can tell that you’re having an inner conflict because you desperately want to acknowledge this new milestone/trick but you also don’t want to screw up the interview. Kudos for being a mommy first. Mr. Newscaster you can wait, because -hello- my baby is CLAPPING FOR THE FIRST TIME! I love when people celebrate the small stuff.
Dana says
We celebrated Mothers Day at Five Guys too. Well actually, we celebrated more than Mothers Day…Sunday was also our wedding anniversary AND our son’s birthday! So of course the day belonged to our little man, and he picked Five Guys for his birthday dinner! I didn’t complain…how can I say “no” to a delicious and cheap meal that I don’t have to cook or clean up?!?!?!
Happy first Mother’s Day Sherry!!
Amanda M. says
My Layken girl is wearing the same shirt today that Clara has on in the clapping video! Only it’s a dress on her! Way too cute guys!
Erin O. says
I love how you and John both noticed she clapped for the first time but didn’t want to say anything :o) It is such a mom thing to get all excited and want to tell everyone!! I love it.
Kristin says
You guys make me laugh! I really love reading this blog.
Donna Huebsch says
I think a perfect Mother’s Day is getting to do exactly what you want to do, and it sounds like you had one! Sitting with your baby and dog-baby on your brand spanking new patio, looking forward to those gorgeous Etsy earrings :o) And the video of Clara clapping is too cute!
Lisa says
OK, now I saw those earrings you got for mother’s day and went to the Aubepine Etsy shop and found a pair I had to have. And the Internet makes it too easy to just click and buy them, which I did. Darn it. Have you tried Heartsy.me? Discounts on a rotating group of Etsy shops every day. Got a voucher for $19 there that was worth $50 at Wrenn Jewelery (formerly byTonetti), which has a style similar to Aubepine. Fun stuff!
YoungHouseLove says
Ooh never heard of heartsy.me but it sounds dangerous and delightful. Off to check it out!
xo,
s
Heather Leet says
Hi,
I have been reading your blog for about a year and really enjoy it and all of your house projects, and but I have got to ask that you stop refering to yourself as crazy. I work for a small non-profit in Illinois that provides housing and support for adults with mental illness and the biggest challenge we face is the stigma of mental illness so if in future post you could refrain from using crazy( trust me I know it is hard I still catch myself trying to use it) ,but with the number of readers you have you do have the power to make a difference and by simply changing the way we speak we can change people’s opinions. Also anytime you want to house crash one of our supportive housing units just let me know.
YoungHouseLove says
We certainly never mean to offend (we try to make YHL our drama-free happy place). I’m just self deprecating and weird (see there I go again). But thanks for the kind reminder.
xo,
s
Jill says
I love the play by play of the weekend and my mouth is watering over that flatbread sammy. My husband worked outside all day ripping out a handicap ramp (came with the house) and reconstructing a front deck (cost is $0 so far!). I played with the kids nearby (like you did with Clara) and helped out when the baby was napping. Not exactly a traditional Mother’s Day for us either but in my book, it was a wonderful day. The news video is awesome – don’t be so critical of yourself. Crazy is the new black! haha
Wom-mom Ethne says
I actually thought of you on Mother’s Day. After reading Clara’s birth story, I thought of how special the day would be for you – and many more to come! But don’t worry, I didn’t dwell on you too much and got back to my own kids who were making a dirty mess on my mom’s brick patio. PS – one of our blog followers told us about a “Pregnant in Heels” episode where the parents got a professional namer, a focus group and close friends together to pick out their baby’s name; then they didn’t go with the name that the group picked. Seriously, who thinks this stuff up?
YoungHouseLove says
It was the best episode ever! John and I were laughing out loud at the absurdity.
xo,
s
Heather says
A. Dorable. You guys and Clara are the cutest.
Jana says
Lol. Love the news spot! And that’s so sweet that John searched everywhere for those earrings! If you like the Calypso line of jewelry and home decor, you might like the store Ten Thousand Villages (www.tenthousandvillages.com). They sell handmade goods from artisans in several different countries and have some really beautiful stuff. They have several capiz items too. Anyway, I’m glad you had a great Mother’s Day!
Jessica says
Oh gosh I can’t believe I missed that on the news! I live in Colonial Heights, a few minutes away from Chesterfield…maybe I should do some Radon testing myself! :) My hubs and I just moved into our “new” house (built in the 60’s)…do they sell the Radon testers at Home Depot? Thanks guys & great debut on Channel 12! :)
YoungHouseLove says
Yup, there and Lowe’s. Good luck!
xo,
s
Amy says
Sherry,
Where did you get your beautiful yellow cardigan?
Amy
YoungHouseLove says
Old Navy. I think it was $12 on sale.
xo,
s
Danielle says
I hope you had a wonderful Mother’s Day! I love Clara’s pink owl sweater and adorable pants! Where did you purchase??
YoungHouseLove says
The sweater was a gift (it says Trumpette on the tag if that helps) and the pants were on clearance from Old Navy.
xo,
s
Jenny says
You have me busting up here at work! I love the look that you give John and you both start loosing it. Aren’t you glad that was caught on tape? How cool of them to send it. :)
karynjewels says
LOVE the lemon yellow and am totally searching the internet now for that color to use in designs…thanks for the inspiration:)
p.s. Happy 1st Mother’s Day, Clara’s adorable!
Christina says
That last outtake video is the best! I watched it a few times because I just love everyone’s reaction. Happy belated Mother’s Day and congrats on the finished patio – it looks great!
Ashley says
Prissy… no,
cute and fun…yes. : )
I always think you seem like someone I’d totally be friends with. Gotta love a little fun & craziness in your friends.
Amanda says
Just as an FYI I have the Calypso earrings but they are very very heavy. My ears can’t take the weight.John went the right way with buying you the etsy ones.
YoungHouseLove says
Someone else told me that too. What a bummer!!!
xo,
s
Bobbie Brown says
First I laughed so hard at the video! Loved it! 2nd, go John for sneaking into your Pinterest boards for gift ideas!!!!! Yay!
Jenny says
Thanks, you guys for the radon info. And the clapping outtake was hilarious.
Tara says
Okay, so I was totally lemming those Target earrings after seeing the link to them in your post….and we don’t even have Target in Canada (yet)! Ebay to the rescue baby!! There’s several pairs for sale on there….maybe John could buy one and put them away for your birthday. ;) I love the ones he got you though too–I’ve marked that site in my “favorites” on Etsy now as well. I’m such a sucker for bright, shiny baubles! :)
YoungHouseLove says
Ooh thanks for the tip!
xo,
s
Jesse says
Hey Guys!
My husband and I are in love with your patio! Can’t wait until we can start ours! Congrats on being done with all the hard work!
Who is the seller of those earrings on etsy? I tried the link you posted and it said it no longer works… I am giving my husband hints for our anniversary coming up! ;) Thanks so much!
Jesse
YoungHouseLove says
Here’s another link to her earrings! Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Betsy says
Filigree leaf earring similar to your pintrest earring on sale for $3.99 at body central.
http://bit.ly/kELDIj
YoungHouseLove says
Pretty!!!
xo,
s
Holli says
It is amazing to me how much I read your blog without even realizing it….! To see Clara (we are totally on first name basis, didn’t ya hear?) growing up and how her face is taking shape and becoming a little girl is so cute! I didn’t even realize how much I am on here till I saw this picture of her and thought, wow, she has a little face now, not just a baby face…then I realized I don’t even know her and I can see these changes in her, ha! My husband and I always are wondering what our little lady will look like as she gets older (currently 5 months) and it is fun to see her develop. Thanks for letting me a part of you day and your life, I really enjoy it.
ps I totally showed the clip of Clara clapping for the first time to my husband explaining that we aren’t the only ones that get so so so excited about the “firsts” that our little Sora accomplishes! Keep it up, there are fans of you out there that just love you guys for who you are!
Alex says
Random, but Sherry, you look just like Danaerys (sp?) from Game of Thrones (who’s gorgeous so it’s a compliment).
http://images4.fanpop.com/image/photos/17600000/Daenerys-Targaryen-game-of-thrones-17630408-864-486.jpg
She looks sort of serious and scary in that photo, but you get the idea.
YoungHouseLove says
I get that all the time. And I totally see it. Only problem: she’s naked all the time on TV. Awkward. Haha. But she has a much better body so I’ll trade!
xo,
s
Margaux says
That clip of Clara clapping was hilarious! So cute and wonderful that they sent you the clip….great blog. M
Sarah says
hey – that newsman’s name is Ryan Nobles. I read his wife’s blog! Small world!! (sorry that’s a little off topic :))
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yeah, Karey’s got a great blog. And we both have little girls names Clara. They actually had a playdate a while back and took a little nature class together over the summer. They’re good folks!
-John
Emily says
Am a new homeowner with my husband and I have been telling him since day 1 of home ownership that I wish I had become a licensed contractor. Since that’s probably not going to happen, I decided to become an avid DIY googler…. which later caused me to stumble upon this blog. I just want to say thank you! My summer project is going to be my interior door knobs … goodbye brass! I’m so excited and crossing my fingers it’s a success. I appreciate all the good tips and pictures!
By the way, I stumbled upon the youtube video and got wayyy excited seeing that you guys live in Chesterfield. I was born and raised in Chesterfield (Midlothian to be exact)!! Wave hi to Chesterfield for me as I no longer live there :(
Thanks again!
YoungHouseLove says
Chesterfield County officially waved to for you!
-John
Essie says
Random mother’s day question – did you give anything “Clara related” to your moms? We have a fairly new baby and I’m excited that I can start gifting our family all kinds of baby things – like photos in frames, homemade cards, etc. Just curious what you guys give to your moms (and grandmoms) for Mother’s day – if anything. And if it had to do with Clara in any way (like a card with her handprint or something.)
Thanks!!!
YoungHouseLove says
I think the first year we did framed pictures of her and stuff along with other gifts for our moms. Not sure we have anything planned this year yet- ahh!
xo,
s