Project Friday

Here are a couple of Before shots from
the toy room, affectionately known as
"The Hide Out"

The kids' artwork adorned the walls, taped haphazardly here and there

What girl can head into a project without her trusty
pink construction tools?
(one of my favorite Christmas presents from the past)


a piece of masonite, for the chalkboard


Magnetic paint!

More magnetic paint!

and, what girl can head into a project without her MAN
using the dainty pink construction tools to help her out?

a work in progress

FINISHED!!!!

...and around the corner.

my favorite part...the right-hand wall is all magnetic!

Now we can play and display without a Scotch Tape mess everywhere!

There were many steps to getting the Hide Out in decent shape:
1. de-junking MANY toys
2. sorting the toys
3. emptying the hide out completely
4. painting Magnet paint on one wall
5. Painting 5 coats of magnet paint on the chalkboard (hanging on the left, soon to be framed)
6. going to Home Depot multiple times for a few supplies
7. Painting the walls green.
8. Painting the chalkboard with 2 coats of chalkboard paint
9. cutting the wood for shelf supports
10. cutting the wood for shelves
11. painting the shelf supports (green)
12. painting the shelves (2 coats each!)
13. hanging a heavy-to-lift-hard-to-handle homemade chalk board
14. hanging the shelves
15. painting the little white floor shelf (3 coats of paint)
16. finally....re-sorting the toys into the fabulous new bins from Target!
(more are on the way, but we're beyond the budget for now).
17. Letting the kids PLAY on the CLEAN floor of the Hide Out!




Now, for NEXT week!
we are taking it down a notch or two...
down to the ground, quite literally!
This week, I am working on the neglected baseboards
throughout the entire house!
They need some SERIOUS TLC!
(it's not that I don't clean them, it's that some of them need some obvious EXTRA attention)

behind the laundry baskets in the laundry room

under the snack bar, by our red barstools

high traffic area in the kitchen
(ps. I swear these look WAY worse in these pictures, and Ryan's not thrilled about me showing our yucky house parts. )

down to the wire...

But I WILL finish my Friday Project...

Fun Day!

I can't imagine the day when my kids are too big to go to the park to play.

I hope it never comes.

It's ok to take your 17 year old to park to swing on the swings or go down the curly slide, right?

For now, I will be grateful they love to play. Grateful I can take them to the park. Grateful they WANT to go to the park with me. And most of all, grateful I can PLAY with them at the park!


(there are no pictures of me going down the slide, or swinging, but you bet I was...before the belly gets too big!)

So, even though we're all so busy and have loads of laundry, tons of dishes and chores to be done...go PLAY! In the sun, in the snow, inside, outside...just PLAY! It's such a good excuse to be a kid again!

A little history

This new header - I LOVE- is actually the entry sign to the CITY OF SOUTHWELL, in England!!! Our friend is there right now and was in the city of Southwell for the day (neighboring Nottingham) and sent us a ton of wonderful pictures from that city. It's especially neat to us because both Ryan and I have a long line of English history. So, we are taking a few of our favorite photos from Southwell England and displaying the art in our home!

Project Friday

So, I'm sharing this idea that my friend, Ali, brought to my attention. Every Friday I will choose a "project" to do during the week. I will take" before" pictures and post them. And the following Friday I will (hopefully) post the "after" pictures. Some will be smaller projects, others, probably more than I can chew...like this one!
I decided for my project this week I would do the "hide out". It's the closet under the stairs where all the toys are stored. I've had big plans for this place since we moved here...and it STILL has to be done...after 2 years!

So, here are the before photos. Wish me luck!

liberating feelings

A few random thoughts:

* Getting rid of junk in my house, under the bed, in the closet, under the dresser...junk from ANYWHERE makes me feel so liberated!

*When I was about 16, I went on a walk at 2 a.m. with some friends. As a train passed by us (about 6 feet in front of us) we YELLED at the top of our lungs! oh what a liberating feeling! There are times I think about that and want to do it again.

*When dancing filled many hours of my day, 6 days a week, the most liberating feeling was to
a: take off my restricting, oh-too-tight pointe (yes, it has an "e" at the end) shoes and wiggle my free little toes. AND
b: go home and get out of my tight, worn-too-long-stinky leotard.

*Almost hate to admit it, but taking my twins to pre-school for the first time (4 years ago) was an ENORMOUS feeling of liberation!

*I've also heard that running into the ocean with very little on can be a liberating feeling. But to me, I think I'd feel more vulnerable than liberated...that's just me. :)

**Oh...and as I type, my 2 -year-old has taken off his clothes...all of them, and is jumping on the trampoline. Wow, liberating. I better go...

So what kind of things make you feel completely free! (remember my little ones read this sometimes :) )

A little Update (revised)

I wish I could say it was an update on my wardrobe or hairstyle....however, it's better than that!

I thought I was only 8 or 9 weeks along.
I'm 12! Yea
Due Date: Aug. 1, 2009
(in other words...the end of July).
so far, so good, and we are excited!
I made him check 3 times in the ultra sound...and there's only one baby. PHEW!

Melt My Heart...

Jaydon is a boy of few words.
He's shy and doesn't like to be "center stage."
My mom found this on her computer after we left.
Just knowing that he went in, all on his own,
and recorded this makes being a Mom completely worth it!

Fabulous Five!

5 cents

famous 5
(love the hair)

powerful, yet lovely

cute book

5 points

5 pockets

world-famous-five

one of my childhood FAVORITE books!

5 sunflowers, Van Gough style

oh so sweet

Classic

another classic

speed limits

high fives

even better high fives

soon

it's the top rating, right?

The favorite birthday

best movie to see

most of us have five on each hand

different

yes, it is

a nice amount to have handy

(20's better, but I'm not going that far)

We're excited to say...We'll have FABULOUS FIVE in the summer of 2009!

This girl...

I love how helpful and happy she is in our home.
I love her creativity and imagination.
I love her willingness to share her talents.(I wish she'd give me some)...
I love her love of family.
I love her love for all things crafty.
I love that she is independent and is confident to be herself.
I love her good example to her family and her friends.
I love that she wants to be my helper these days.



Emily is lucky and gets to share her birthday with her Great Grandpa Kennan (Papa). This year, she turned 9 and he turned 87!


Happy Birthday to two of my favorite people!