Commence the Makeover

My summer project started! On the hottest day we've had so far this spring...Actually, it's only the second hot day we've had at all, it's been a cold and rainy spring (my kind of spring!!). But, of course, we chose a hot day with an east wind to stay inside painting all day.

The small minions supervise.

A few things I learned:

1. I don't really know what I'm doing. Honestly, I was slightly afraid to open the paint can... I was a little intimidated with the getting started. Do I use a brush or a roller? Which wall should I start on? Oh, I should have taped the trim! Let me run down to the basement for the 50th time to see if we have...drop cloths, small paint brushes, a rag, and plastic container, etc, etc, etc.  Luckily my mom was here to help and she had no qualms diving right in and directing me on where to start and what to do - thank goodness!
2. I'm not a good painter. I don't mind painting at all. In fact, I kind of enjoy it. But I'm not very good at it. I have weak arms and my hands are much shakier than I realized. It's probably good that I didn't become a surgeon like I dreamed about... 
3. I cry when I paint. Not really, but my eyes do water periodically so if you didn't know any better you'd think I was the saddest painter there ever was! Seriously, I had tears dripping off my chin at one point.
4. There was a time when I thought that I might be stuck with a lavender room...Not really what I was going for. Luckily that second coat made all the difference.

The expert guides my ways...

With three of us working on it we're practically done with the painting already! It's thrilling! Especially because now that it's dry I love it!

On to the next steps.

More later.

Dino Screams

Dinosaurs. Exciting, silly and fun. The Princess LOOOOVES dinosaurs! So, when the zoo announced that their dinosaur exhibit was returning and that we could get in for free ONE DAY ONLY I immediately put it on the calendar. In Pen.

Friday morning there was no dwaddling over breakfast, no dithering over what to wear, no long drawn out conversations about why it's important to wear socks, shoes, hats, any article of clothing that could possibly be seen as optional...  We had lunch packed, girls dressed and excitement in place as we headed off to meet the dinosaurs.

Apparently everyone else in the are got that special announcement too because the place was a zoo (ha!).  Seriously, this is the first time that having a zoo membership has really paid off in terms of bypassing the 500 person deep line to get in. We sailed in, skipped all of the animals and headed straight to the dinosaurs, The Princess chattering beside me.

The first roar was heard as we presented our tickets for entry. (Do dinosaurs really roar? I think it could be described more like a rough scream...) The first flicker of unease passed over The Princess' face.  Two more steps towards the bamboo fence and another 'scream' erupted eliciting excited ooohs and aaahs from the other kids scrambling to get through the gate. The Princess stopped dead in her tracks and said that she might be a little scared. I reassured her that it was going to be great and in we went, reluctantly.

The first dinosaur appeared ahead of us, sharp teeth and beady eyes in close proximity and that's all it took. The Princess decided she wasn't an "in person" fan so much as a "safe in my house" type fan.

Yes, I let her sit in fear for a few minutes while
I made sure I got a picture of her expression!
It's important to document the trauma!

I ended up carrying her through the entire exhibit while pushing Sweetpea in the stroller, who took the whole thing in with a calm, cool and collected interest...

Captured Moments

I, like every parent, am trying to capture the magic of my kids in pictures. I just wish that I was actually talented in the photography arena. Sure, I've got lots of snapshots of everything, I try to think about lighting and squinting and not getting my gigantic pile of yet-to-be-folded laundry in the background. But, I envy the people who can capture the sparkle and whimsy of childhood in their photos.

Sweetpea lays on what could be a pile of laundry
- but it's just a carefully draped photo prop...

Since it's obvious that I'm not going to capture IT, this talented person isn't nearby to help me out and I can't afford the boutique photographers all the time I turn elsewhere.

It's the elf ears...

Sears.

The clasped hands, the little toes...
she really is that diminutively ladylike

No, it's not glamorous, it's not whimsical...it's not expensive, it's even a little cheesy. BUT, somehow they've managed to capture that something special.

Fresh from no nap and a small breakdown..There's the "hold it together" mouth, the red rimmed eyes, the "just waiting to drop" tear...and of course those little hand dimples and peeking toes.
Could she be more pathetically cute?!!

Fast Moving

Would you believe that not even 24 hours ago this room was spotless, including the floors which I was on my hands and knees cleaning?

It was scarier in person

Please note that the dishes are crawling out of the sink
because there's no more more room for them inside. 

Sometimes life moves a lot faster than I do...

Inspiration

We painted our house when we first moved in and I've loved the colors every since. But...sometimes you just need a change. And when you've been slogging through the days change starts to sound really good!  So I've come up with a plan for our bedroom. In my former life (read: before children) this would have been a weekend project. Now I'm being realistic and calling it my summer project.

Goal: New wall color, new light fixture, painted bed and dresser, new quilt for the bed (this will probably be a fall project since it's pieced and ready to quilt, but the thought of sitting under a thick blanket in July and August while I hand quilt it sounds revolting. I'll have to wait until the weather cools!)

The before "pieces"...

Wall Paint:  French Silver (It's gray...I know it might look blue on some of your screens...)

This will be so calm, cool and pristine.
Just like all of our lovely rainy days (yes, I'm serious!)

Furniture Paint: Picket Fence by Martha Stewart (apparently her new enamel paint is formulated for furniture!)

Not my exact bed but do you know how hard it is
to find a pic of a mission style bed painted white?!!

 Lighting: Kristaller by Ikea

Oh Sweet Chandelier!

Bedding: Providing the punch of color for the room

Not my favorite creation but it'll do for now.

Stay tuned...I may even provide a peek into the "process" (which will involve Steve being forced to paint and me holding back the small minions intent on "helping"!)

Awesome Mundane Importance

I've been struggling to define why I'm in the slog. There's not one event to point to, no difficulties or overwhelming problems. Maybe a little lack of sleep but nothing insurmountable. But I'm mucking along and not feeling like I'm making much progress.

And then I came across this quote (thanks Linda - you resonated with it first and passed it along at just the right time.) I think this might sum it up nicely.

I thought, how can it be that two strangers are exchanging such intimate things? Well, most women are full to the brim, that’s all. That’s what I think. I think we are most of us ready to explode, especially when our children are small and we are so weary with the demands for love and attention and the kind of service that makes you feel you should be wearing a uniform with “Mommy” embroidered over the left breast, over the heart. I (used to sit) half watching Ruthie and half dreaming—trying, I think, to recall my former self. If a stranger had come up to me and said, “Do you want to talk about it? I have time to listen,” I think I might have burst into tears at the relief of it. It wasn’t that I was really unhappy. It was the constancy of my load and the awesome importance of it; and it was my isolation.
—Elizabeth Berg, The Pull of the Moon

Day to Day

I've gotten caught in the daily slog...and right now I'm struggling to see past my own front door.

But this is how I want to face the world.

I'm searching for my enthusiasm again.