The writing is on the wall, so to speak

It's spring!

Spring has sprung! 

And ... it sprang back just as quickly.

Bummer.

We have a few Projects in mind for this summer.  Prioritizing and budgeting for these Projects has really helped. A spontaneous trip to Lowe's resulted in Mr Lemon planting two pink flowering almond shrubs and a forsythia bush at 7pm one day last week.  We also saw a white flowering cherry tree that will be perfect for that one corner of the backyard that we can see from the upper deck.  

We went ahead and budgeted for THAT ONE TREE by using some of my panel testing compensation to buy a Lowe's gift card specifically to save for THAT ONE TREE.  

Then my darlings "decorated" one of the walls downstairs with crayons.  For the thirty seconds that I attempted to put away the mountain of clean clothes they produce.  

People. I have tried everything, and it is not coming off.  Clearly I should have chosen the better road before me and colored with them instead of folding laundry, assuming they were quietly occupied in sibling love.

It shouldn't be a big deal to me, because we are planning to paint downstairs anyways.  But Zesty's upcoming birthday party is scheduled before the painting is budgeted.  And although we are in the process of getting the mortgage in our name, it would be really great for my self-esteem if our landlady and landlord do not see crayon on the wall at said birthday party.

I'm seriously having a hard time keeping that Lowe's gift card sacred to the Tree Fund.  I can buy two gallons of paint with that gift card to save my self-image for a three-year-old's birthday party, or we can follow the plan and have a lovely tree to enjoy for years to come.

Or I can consider moving around some furniture to block the crayon marks.

Hopefully, my sister-in-law will read this post and laugh good-naturedly at my paranoia.  Maybe she'll even have a secret stash of special crayon cleaning products she can recommend, since she introduced me to the wonder that is Resolve.

Or maybe she won't notice the recliner sitting in the middle of the play room.