Home Improvements

Don't we all have house projects that get thought about and stared at for months, maybe even years before we actually get around to doing anything about it?  I have my list and constant reminders for sure, but somehow more immediate and important things take presidence.  However, the past two weeks I have been able to tackle some of those long desired projects.

Jonathan will be the first to admit he does not enjoy handyman work, but he does it when asked, for those tasks that are beyond my strength.  I don't mind doing most household repairs.  In a strange way it gives me great satisfaction to know I can unclog a sink, change a kitchen faucet, organize, maintain the yard etc.  Maybe it is the farmer's daughter coming out in me.  The summer months are the perfect time to work on home projects, especially considering we are only here every other summer.  Jonathan has his enormous summer projects of translating apologetics articles, editing and mastering over 3 hours worth of original music, vision casting for our church and fall ministries and the list goes on.  So with all that is on his plate, I did not bother to ask him for help in repainting the kids' bedrooms.  As long as he ran me to the store that was enough for me.

With wall registers for heating and mold issues in the winter, the dingy white walls needed some help and repair in some places after four years.  I painted the upstairs bathroom earlier in the summer.  Emma wanted the color green, for the color of frogs (of course), and I obliged.  The boys just needed a color to match dirt that would hide well any finger and feet smudges on the walls.  The painting is done and everyone is pleased.  That is all, except for my poor hands that are now quite displeased with me.  Oh well, they'll recover.  Now to hopefully get some inspiration on decorating the walls.  Here are some after pictures...the true colors are a bit more vibrant in person, but you get the idea.

And some shelf making and organizing was done too along the way....

Adding the top shelf allows me to keep all our games in one place instead of in the closet and two containers under the bed.

Before...that upper wasted space was killing me.

After...that top shelf will be empty come cooler weather and return of comforters to the beds.

Okay...now I'm off to plan and prepare for two hosting engagements this weekend.  Happy summer project time to all!

Zoom Torino

Wednesday was a heavy day of thunderstorms in our area.  We debated going grocery shopping on a warmer or cooler day, and finally opted for the cooler choice not only for our sakes in our A/C-less van, but for the groceries as well.  Little did we think that we would arrive home drenched to the core.  Wish I took a picture of us all--we were a soggy lot!  We just chalked it up as our morning shower.

Thursday was a gorgeous morning with clear blue skies and clear view of the Alps.  Needless to say the day after a heavy rain is a wonderful thing!  We thought it was a good day to get out for some exploration.  For our family fun day this week we decided to head to the Torino Zoom Park.  It is the closest thing to a zoo here, but considered a biopark where the animals are in larger and natural surroundings.  So you won't find anything caged.  That means there are less animals to see, but you can definitely get closer look at the animals.  You can even buy entrance too a beach and pool area where you can swim alongside penguins!  Maybe next time we'll splurge for that.  The pool was hidden from view so the kids didn't really pick up that there was one.  Although maybe they wondered why everyone was walking around in their bathing suits.    

 Set and ready to see the animals!

 Meerkats

 Emma's favorite animal of the day, the pony.

 Samuel's favorite animal of the day, the owl.

There was a show featuring birds that we saw.  It was definitely our highlight of the day!  The audience was in an amphitheater and they had a wide variety of birds that swept over the heads of the audience as they were called back and forth from their trainers.  We saw several owls, hawks, eagles, crows and vultures.  We were instructed to keep our food tucked away and purses close as some of the scavenger birds have stolen bags from the audience before.  The show was amazing and very fun to watch birds catching food in the air.  Watch the video clip below to see what I am talking about.

 This guy landed right behind our heads on the wall.  You literally had to duck as he flew over you.

 Vulture

 Learning about tigers while getting a better view from Dada's shoulders.

 He just got out of his bath.

 Bridge walk to see cranes, ducks, deer and monkeys.

 Monkey island. (Love those clouds)

 Luca's favorite animal..."the mammal."  I think he got confused from his book "Is a Camel a Mammal?"  He fed them leaves and loved to pet them.

 I know this is a nature park, but really would this fence hold up to the weight of a camel if he really wanted to get over it?

 No fear or intimidation in this boy!

 The closest thing to seeing a giraffe.

 A wonderful play area with slides, zipline, swings and more...

 Luca enjoyed swinging us is this giant hammock type swing.

 Peguins from South Africa.

A very fun day to be had by all!

The zipline was quite thrilling for our kids.  That is once they got the hang of how to jump and sit on the seat.  Luca didn't quite master it, but was quite content to just hang on with sheer upper body strength. He could have cared less to do it right, as long as he was doing it ALL by himself.  You'll see him in the video clip below.

Open Air Service

Last Sunday we decided to hold our church service outside.  With the weather being hot, who wants to cram 25-30 people into a 30 square meter room with just one floor fan?  Thankfully the Farina's have a huge yard that we enjoy very much during the warmer weather especially for our agape meals.  Who doesn't enjoy a summer BBQ?  It was a beautiful morning of worship together followed by great food and fellowship under the trees.  

 Everyone just shifted their chairs with the shade during the service.

 The down side was trying to keep little ones in their chairs when the great outdoors was calling their names to play and run.  I did a nature walk with them for our lesson.

  

 This is how we roll in the summer for meals together.

Afternoon entertainment always provided by our in house magician--Mago Joseph