Snippets of Conversation Tonight

Jayden: Avery, Mom was right when she said you were really rude at the table last night. It's rude to blow chocolate milk all over your face and then wipe it off with garlic bread.

* * * * * * * *

After getting out of the shower and being handed a pink polka dot towel,
Jackson: I don't want that towel. It has poo on it.
Me: No it doesn't. (I switch to the next towel in the cupboard, a solid green one.)
Jackson: That one has poo on it.
Me: It does not.
Jackson: (studying every square inch of it) yes, here it is. (Pointing to a brown speck.)
Me: Well, if it does have poo on it, it must be yours since you are the only one who poos on things instead of in the toilet.

(Of course he refused the washed towel and ran across the wood floors with nothing but dripping water on.)

Hometown Fair

While Brad was working one Saturday, I brought the kids to the local fair. We think it is awesome that a small town fair is only a short walk from our house.

After a very rainy May, we took our rubbers out to brave the muck and check out the school age art competitions . . . and surprisingly Jayden had one fifth place for his "Farms Feed Cities" poster! He was so excited. Next year, he vows to be in the top three (that is where the "big money lies . . . $5). Jackson had artwork displayed too and he "won" a participants' ribbon.

While at the fair we got our face painted (well, Avery did anyway), went on pony rides, (where Avery was photographed for the local paper), played one mid-way game (because that's all mom could afford after spending over $50 for admission and food!--not to mention everything else was just too mucky to get to--even in my thigh high Hunter boots!).

Oh, we also milked a cow! The dairy farmer's association had a model cow for kids to practice their milking technique!!

(Photo disclaimer: all shots were taken with my iphone and in hopes of maybe catching up with my blog posts, none were edited. Obviously.)

Finished-ish: Master Bedroom

This project most definitely is "finished-ish" in the loosest sense possible.

After all the other rooms, (and especially the earlier-than-planned kitchen mini-reno), the budget was scarce. As in, I had to sell blood to buy paint. (Okay, not quite that bad, but I probably had to buy a few extra days of spagetti for dinner this month to buy the paint.)

Obviously there was zero money for furniture, or accessories, etc. But I was sick of feeling like my house will never be "finished" (ish) and this was (kind of) the last frontier. An un-touched room with some spackle on the wall from the year end repairs, and a few blocks of various paint colours on the wall that I was testing out. Needless to say, it was bothering me, so I bought a gallon of paint.

I was going for a lighter, refreshing look since we have so much colour every where else in the house. However, Brad refused to buy beige paint because it would "look the same", and I figured that if we couldn't get furniture a shot of colour could be enough of a transformation for me to feel satisfied. For a few months anyway. The lady at the paint store convinced me to go darker. I must say, it has taken me a little while to get used to it, but I do like it now. (Mostly I was just worried about realtor's photos for resale purposes.) And, once I save my pennies (and i do mean A LOT of pennies) and put my bedding and dream furniture in there, I think it will look amazing.

So, here are some pics . . . but I will warn you: our bedroom was depressing beforehand, and even though it is better now, it's still underwelming. Or sad.

One day it will be the amazing master retreat I have dreamed up . . . once I save my pennies for these:

The bedding:

Trying to decide between these beds:

This one converts from this

to this:

And I LOVE this night stand, but I always have a lot of stuff near by so I probably need this, or a bombay chest.

This would be Brad's side (so he has a bit of an office somewhere in the house).

This for the TV disguise:

And, we would need some kind of seating . . . haven't gotten that far yet.

(I do have some white drapes that need to come up from the living room and be hung up here . . . I just need some one to help me hang the new living room drapes first. Any volunteers??)

Apparently someone thought I was having too much fun so she decided to get in on the action when my back was turned!

Next projects on the list: the drapes, and repainting my celadon bathroom. (To beige!)

Back to School??

As my kids' school days wind down for the year (and they are still not out for summer) . . . I got an email with a check list of things to do before school starts.

Are you kidding me??

Did summer go by that fast??

At any rate, I thought I'd post it for those of you who are at wits end trying to manage your kids who have been out of school for one month now . . . and anyone else who is an organizational nut.

backtoschoolchecklist

My Precious

Okay, I'm not that obsessed.

Really. I'm not.

But, I do look forward to blow drying my hair everyday just so I can watch it sparkle in the mirror!

And, when someone is sick or in a down mood I sing the Repunzle song . . . to see if all the sparkles offer any magic at all. ;) (As of yet, all they do is lift my mood.)

I took some glamour shots for the insurance broker and thought I'd share.

Now to get around to editing the gorgeous shots of my real "preciouses" (aka, kids!).

Finished-ish: Jackson's Room

Jackson's room was finished pretty early on. He picked out a fish theme at PBK months before our move. And, since their previous room was surf-themed, I had artwork all ready to hang. Add that to the fact that I had extra paint from the nursery that happend to coordinate with his bedding . . . and his room was "finished-ish".

I've debated about buying the shark/fish decals for the walls, and we do have to put in more permanent window treatments . . . and the whole furniture thing too would be nice. But, for all intents and purposes, it is done. Check.

Now . . . to get some shots of the good looking kid who lives in it! (Maybe once Uncle Ted gives it back to him.)

Finished-ish: Jayden's Room

Here are some pictures of Jayden's room, now that it is "finished-ish."

And some of the amazing boy who lives in it!

The bedding, drapes and paint turned out fantastic. The walls . . . they were pretty bare until I found some glo-in-the-dark star decals from PBK. (Jayden was sick and home one day so we had a great time posting them up.) They were the perfect addition to an aerospace themed room. (Also can double for a Star Wars theme . . . which I am sure is around the corner!)

But the furniture is going to be needing replacement soon . . . but not before the sad master bedroom! And the walls are still a little barren . . . I may have Jayden paint some canvases of planes or Star Wars characters this summer.

Finished-ish: Kitchen

I had the kitchen project slotted much later on my "to-do" list . . . we just had so many other expenses that were more pressing at the time. But when my neighbour came up to me and started telling me about her deal on granite . . . I saw the money signs and our "pressing needs" turn into merely hopeful thoughts.

It was a bit of a whirlwind. To take part of the amazing introductory price, we had to get it all done within a few weeks. I was certainly NOT prepared for this. If anyone knows me, I research things to death and start planning my minor projects (like what colour curtains I should get for the bedroom) at least 2 years in advance so that I know exactly what I want and so I know I am getting the best quality for the price I can pay.

But, this deal was thousands off my previous price quotes, so I knew it was a good enough deal to not pass up. Off I went to the granite warehouse to pick out my slabs. It took a total of about 5 minutes. Not the stark white granite, nor the Italian golden granite. An off-white, ivory white in fact. With a few specks of chocolate and mocha gray. Perfect! It didn't even look like granite. (Which I learned I really HATE the look of! Mental note for the next place: no granite. It will have to be marble, corian, or a really high end quartz.)

The real nightmare began though when I tried to find a tiled backsplash to coordinate with it. Everything was stark white or beige. A few places had a yellowy white too. Since we were also getting a steal on tile install, it seemed silly to spend over a thousand on backsplash, so budget factored in too. (Although, with 55 sq ft to tile, it still put a dent in the budget.)

It took about 7 day trips to 10 different tile showrooms, kids screaming in tow, until I finally narrowed it down to two. Budget almost ruled and I almost went with the cheaper tile . . . but it wasn't sitting well with me in certain types of light in the kitchen. It seemed to scream out "I'm a backsplash" at times. So, much to Brad's annoyance, I decided on the expensive one. Painted glass subway tiles. At least it coordinated in all lights. I just hoped it would prove to look as amazing as the price tag dictated.

Of course I was having all of this done THE SAME WEEK as a big party for Jackson was planned. And in fact, they were still installing the backsplash until 9:30pm the night before Jackson's party! So much for running errands or early prep work!

And having to watch these guys work . . . scary!! I never thought I would harbor such strong feelings for a house! But it really felt like they were performing open heart surgery on my child! And let's not even discuss the annoyance of not having my kitchen for three days . . . right before a birthday party!!

But, now that it is all said and done, we're happy that we did get it all done, and so quickly.

And, we both agree that the tile is absolutely perfect . . . worth every penny.

Although, my favourite part about the "new" kitchen is actually . . . the HUGE, DEEP sink! (I can hide SO many dirty dishes in it!!)

Dad! Look, I'm a Princess!

Livvie LOVES all things girly.

Loves bracelets. Loves necklaces. Loves handbags dangling from her arm.

She even LOVES having her hair done and wearing bows or hairbands.

Today, she was excited to be a "big girl" like Avery and have Avery place a beautiful hairband on her head. She proudly displayed it to Dad and refused to let anyone touch it to take it off.

Isn't Avery the nicest big sister?? :)