My Big Project This Week

Recently we had our house painted inside. We've now lived here for over 7 years and the walls were looking pretty dingy. So along with the new paint, I have been trying to do a couple other updates. We have one big great room that has really tall two-story ceilings and I have always struggled with trying to fill the space. I had a bookshelf in the corner that I liked but it was really small and this week I found something that works!

I love hunting through the old furniture at Salvation Army and Goodwill to find things that I can repaint and redo to my liking. So I found this big ole piece of oak junk at Salvation Army for $35.55. I knew it would be a lot of work but I had a vision.  Here is what it looked like when I bought it:



Notice the sweet 1990s oak, the frosted glass in the doors and the lovely hardware.

I knew what I wanted to do - replace the hardware, take the bottom doors off, move the shelves around a bit and add a new shelf. Then take out the glass and add chicken wire, oh yeah, and add a back pice to hold it all together.  Here are a few pics of the process:

I painted a coat of primer, and then a coat of the bluish color I liked. After letting that dry for 24 hours (did I mention the weather was in the 90s this week and it was REALLY hot working on this in the garage.) I took out my new sander and a file and my antiquing stain and went at it. The thing I like about distressing furniture is that you can't mess it up. So I had to hit the whole thing a few times with a sledgehammer to get the nails in? Who cares, love the dents it makes.

So after all that work - here it is, and I love it! Though it did occur to me that I took an old piece of crap, and made it into . . . another old piece of crap!

Bits and Pieces

• Is Paris 15 years old already? This morning she told me that I am "ruining her life" because I wouldn't let her have a popsicle for breakfast.
• By the way, Will wore two different shoes to school today. Whatever, at least he didn't scream at me when I woke him for school.
• Cooper's new favorite pastimes are searching Youtube for useful tips like making a fake quarter to hack into a vending machine and using cologne and a lighter to make a blowtorch. In case you were wondering how to do this, it really works.

You know you are getting old when . . .

You wake up and are so busy that you both forget it is your 13th anniversary! I had given Austin an early present so I wasn't thinking about our anniversary today. I was focused on all the errands and cleaning I have today and how annoyed I am at the Siskey YMCA rennovations that left me with a crappy little weight room with only two sets of weights this morning.  Austin was a little late for work and then had to come back because he forgot his laptop so he was a little frazzled. Then when I looked at the calendar I finally remembered that our anniversary is today!

I called Austin to tell him Happy Anniversary and we both laughed that we forgot. I also complained to him that I felt so stressed about the day. He said not to worry and just get what I can done. Then I said, "I know I will be happy when you bring home my 2-carat diamond today! " He just chuckled, alas I don't think this is the year, again.

Happy Anniversary to you Austin, my best friend, confidant and person I can always trust and be myself with. Thank you for always trying to lift me up and tell me positive things. I'm glad that we can still laugh together. It's fun when we joke that it feels like we've already been married for 20 years. I love you. Here's to 70 more great years and hopefully eternity after.

Really, Cooper?

Cooper and his buddies have been working diligently on a fort in the woods behind our backyard. It has been fabulous, boys outside playing, not in front of the TV, etc. Paris and I were just settling down for a little snuggle and reading time today with the monsters outside, when they came back in all worried.  Apparently Cooper was preparing to spray paint the fort. Spray paint? I didn't know that was part of the plan. Anyway, the can exploded and Cooper got spray paint all over his face, and arms. He was crying at first because it was in his eyes, but after a nice water eye bath he was fine. Then after a lot of baby oil, scrub and elbow grease, he is clean! (mostly)

Freakshow

I bought Will a new suit last week for church and just wanted to take a couple nice pictures of him but instead this is what I got . . .

Gingerbread Houses with Nonni

Every year if Nonni is here, she makes gingerbread houses with the kids. Here are some cute pics of them constructing their masterpiece.

Oh, you didn't know that a hair dryer is an essential part of the gingerbread making tool kit? Well it is, just need to hurry the drying process up a bit.

What, you don't use all natural, organic cleaners to polish your microwave? 

Squishy face

 

The finished product and Paris with her Fabio hairy chest action.

Nonni asked if we were going to wait until Christmas to eat the gingerbread house, yeah right, not in a house with five candy fiends! This was taken less than 24 hours after the house was finished.

Black Friday Bonanza

Cooper and I and our stash - actually the nicest picture of Cooper I have seen in awhile!

Cooper and I went on our yearly black Friday shopping sale this morning.  After looking at the ads yesterday and doing some online shopping, there wasn't really anything that I felt compelled to wake up at 4am for, but Cooper had his heart set on it, so we went. I told him that I would prefer to wake up closer to 6am than 4am but that he could choose. In the middle of the night he came down and woke me up, and guess what? It was 4am.  ( This is from Cooper, the boy that likes to have a 40 minute window to drive to MARA 2 miles down the street to make sure we get there on time.)

Our first location was Gamestop.  Cooper decided that he wanted to get a new xbox 360 so I told him he could try to trade in all the Wii stuff to see if it would be enough money. So he lugged the Wii system, the remotes, the accessories, the Wii Fit Balance board and all the games. Cooper called Gamestop before we arrived and they told him that Wiis are worth $160 and the Wii Fit is worth $30. With all the extra things he brought, he thought he would definitely have enough for the $199 price tag on the xbox 360.  When the lady at Gamestop told him that all his stuff was worth a grand total of $70, he was fighting tears as we figured out that the pre-owned Wii and Wii Fit prices are what he was given on the phone, not the trade-in values. So we took back all our Wii paraphernalia and he picked out a couple of new games and accessories for Christmas.

This was the drama of the morning, we next visited Target; Kohls; Bed, Bath and Beyond; Hancock Fabrics; World Market and Costco.  We got lots of great presents, stood in long lines and are happy to be home!

Will

Will has been especially sweet to me lately, often surprising me with a big hug and telling me that, "I just wanted to tell you how much I love you mommy." He also has his moments where I feel like I am going beserk, but I guess that is all part of the deal. We took this picture when we went on a speical date recently, he was pretty easy - a quick trip to Bruester's for a dinosaur sundae and then we came home and played Mancala.

It is finished!!!!!!

Over a year ago, a couple friends and I had the crazy idea that it would be fun to make a copycat Pottery Barn advent calendar.  After many hours of blood, sweat and tears, it is done! Halleluah! I sent mine off for an early Christmas gift with fun ideas for each day of December tucked inside the pockets. I hope they like it.

Happy Thanksgiving!

 Thanksgiving was a great day for us today. Austin and the boys left early to play in the annual Turkey Bowl leaving Paris and I to a leisurely morning. We went for a short run - I ran, Paris rode in the jogger.  Then we came home and Paris helped me make our special Pumpkin Crunch Cake and then peeled potatoes.  Later we ate dinner at our beloved friends', the Gunsons, house. We stuffed ourselves silly and ended the day giving thanks for all we have.  Here are some snaps from the day:

Paris working hard on the pumpkin cake

Peeling potatoes is so much fun! Cooper was trying really hard to get out of the picture, he hates having his picture taken lately.

I told Will that it would be the happiest day of my life if he would wear a button up shirt and jeans to Thanksgiving dinner today. I don't think it was the happiest day of his life though - he said he kept tripping over his jeans.

Austin and I at dinner

Paris, Cooper and Will in a forced by mom pose

Happy and stuffed!

Hand Sanitizer

Looking for a way to save time?  Maybe you can start by slurring some of your words together instead of taking time to pause between.  After Paris goes to the bathroom, she always asks for some "hansitizer, please" instead of the more lengthy hand sanitizer. 

Thanksgiving Feast at Pleasant Plains Pre-School



My attempt at an artsy pose of Paris before we left for preschool.





Paris and her teachers Ms. Jennifer and Ms. Sarah. They are standing in front of the turkey that has feathers to show what the kids are thankful for. Paris was thankful for "Cooper, Will, her blankie and Mommy and Daddy."



Paris and her handprint turkeys.

Paris and Mom

San Francisco Trip

Last weekend, my sister Shawn and my sister-in-law Tiffany and I visited my parents at their lovely penthouse apartment in San Jose.  My sister-in-law Brandi was supposed to come too but was too sick with pregnancy throwing up and nausea. We missed her but could understand how horrible she feels and why she would stay home.  My dad loved spending so much time with his girls though we might have done a bit more shopping than he was hoping for when we were in San Francisco. 

 Below are some shots from our trip. I was FURIOUS when I found out that I forgot my camera on the day we actually went into San Francisco so I will rely on my mommy hopefully emailing me some pictures to add.

 Shawn claimed the blow-up bed next to the fireplace as soon as she arrived, so Tiffany and I slept in the guest room and I am sure she got to know me better than she may have planned!

 This was a cute place in Los Gatos called Sweet Pea. They served delicious quiche and crepes, we ate ours so fast that we forgot to take a picture.

 Me, Shawn and Tiffany

And the infamous "craft" I made us do on the trip. Beaded watches! My mom is going to love this picture, but I thought it was so funny of Shawn deep in concentration and my mom squinting to read the directions. Tiffany is fine though, she actually likes to do this kind of stuff!

My mom and dad have been religiously attending several ball-room classes a week for the last year or so and so they took us to a dance class at the Cheryl Burke dance studio they go to. It was more fun than I thought, though a little nerve-wracking. My dad was my favorite partner. And he of course loved taking four ladies to the class with him!

Adorable note Will wrote to his football coach

 It says, "Dear Coach Bryan, Coach, I'm going to play football next year and I'm going to be on the white team.  I wanted to give you something that glows in the dark. A football and a football hellmitt.  Thank you, Will"

For all his drama and screaming, Will has a very tender heart. He came up with this note to his football coach all on his own and even cut out a football and "hellmitt" out of glow in the dark paper for him.

Halloween Fun