Friday, February 3, 2012
February 3
Every Friday Sophia attends dance class. I'm not sure it's her favorite activity, but the discipline is good for her. :)
Thursday, February 2, 2012
29 days of Photos
Not gonna lie, I dislike February. And I'd feel bad for February, but it's so yucky I just can't. For this often bad-mouthed month, my goal is to take one photo a day. I'm aiming to find one positive thing each day and post a photo daily to capture a bit of what the month brings us. (hint: it better NOT be snow.)
I took this photo yesterday, so it counts as February 1. This is the gorgeous tree that sits outside Kennydale Elementary, Isabelle's school. It was literally a selling point for me when we were looking at potential schools for her. This tree is gorgeous in the late spring and the beginning of school when the leaves are lush and green, stunning in fall when they change colors and fall off, and spooky fantastic in winter with bare branches. I've never been a chain-myself-to-a-tree-to-protect-it kind of person, but I might if anything ever threatened this beauty.
I took this photo yesterday, so it counts as February 1. This is the gorgeous tree that sits outside Kennydale Elementary, Isabelle's school. It was literally a selling point for me when we were looking at potential schools for her. This tree is gorgeous in the late spring and the beginning of school when the leaves are lush and green, stunning in fall when they change colors and fall off, and spooky fantastic in winter with bare branches. I've never been a chain-myself-to-a-tree-to-protect-it kind of person, but I might if anything ever threatened this beauty.
Monday, January 9, 2012
Steady As She Goes
I never managed to make it back to the blog before Christmas to post my wishlist, but needless to say I got exactly what I really wanted for the big day: a wonderful holiday season with my family and joyful kids on Christmas morning. We also got a lot cleaned out of the house over the holiday break, with multiple trips to Goodwill and the dump. That, my friends, was truly the Christmas miracle.
And as a small bonus, we finished one of our projects set for completion in 2012. Less than two weeks into 2012 and I can already check something off the house "To Do" list for this year....yessss!!
Behold, our redone bar chairs. (iPhone picture, so please forgive the quality) I wish I had a "before" picture, but can't seem to find one. Alas, here is the finish product. I bought the chairs off Craigslist for a mere $40 for all three. They started off as a bad oak-like color with off white, tweed chair cushions. This is what they look like now.
Here's what it ran us:
Chairs $40
Fabric: $16
Paint: $8
Total for project: $64
Cost per chair: $21.33
If I saw these in a store, I'd pay $21 for one. The best part? They are completely one of a kind now. We're pretty in love with them. Next up...our new glass-tile backsplash in the kitchen. I'll provide pictures when it's complete.
And as a small bonus, we finished one of our projects set for completion in 2012. Less than two weeks into 2012 and I can already check something off the house "To Do" list for this year....yessss!!
Behold, our redone bar chairs. (iPhone picture, so please forgive the quality) I wish I had a "before" picture, but can't seem to find one. Alas, here is the finish product. I bought the chairs off Craigslist for a mere $40 for all three. They started off as a bad oak-like color with off white, tweed chair cushions. This is what they look like now.
Here's what it ran us:
Chairs $40
Fabric: $16
Paint: $8
Total for project: $64
Cost per chair: $21.33
If I saw these in a store, I'd pay $21 for one. The best part? They are completely one of a kind now. We're pretty in love with them. Next up...our new glass-tile backsplash in the kitchen. I'll provide pictures when it's complete.
Monday, December 5, 2011
We interrupt the holidays....
My next post was going to cover my Christmas list and all the wonders I'd love to see under the tree on Christmas morning, but instead I'm interrupting the holiday season for a birthday party. That's right, we celebrated a birthday this past weekend. If you assumed it was mine, you'd be assuming wrong. Then again, you know what they say about assuming....
No, this weekend was the official party to celebrate Miss Sophia turning 5. Though she actually turned 5 the end of October, our schedule just didn't work (and Kelsey Creek Farms didn't have any party openings) until now. Sophia didn't mind the extended birthday - who wouldn't love more presents six weeks after your actual birthday - and got to spend the afternoon touring the farm and seeing the animals with all her little friends.
Happy Birthday my darling, spirited little girl!
No, this weekend was the official party to celebrate Miss Sophia turning 5. Though she actually turned 5 the end of October, our schedule just didn't work (and Kelsey Creek Farms didn't have any party openings) until now. Sophia didn't mind the extended birthday - who wouldn't love more presents six weeks after your actual birthday - and got to spend the afternoon touring the farm and seeing the animals with all her little friends.
Happy Birthday my darling, spirited little girl!
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Believe
Each year I watch my kids start months in advance prepping and preparing their Christmas lists. For Hudson and Sophia we mostly translate, though this year Sophia can write her own list for the first time. The lists always have pictures that go along with them, just in case Santa gets confused and needs some visual aid. For Isabelle, the list is long and extensive and complex above one's wildest imagination. Oh, and expensive. Did I mention expensive?
Fortunately, as least as far as I know, Isabelle still believes in Santa...and it literally brings tears to my eyes that she does. Some might say it's naive, that she's too old to believe in such a thing, but I adore that she believes, and that she encourages her brother and sister to be good so Santa will come. I want her to believe for as long as possible. I see no reason to burst the bubble and tell her that Santa, in the way she knows him, does not exist. I accept that the day will come, and every season I pray "please don't let it be this year," but I accept it's coming. And when it does, we'll keep the magic alive for Hudson and Sophia as long as possible and she'll find the joy in being excited for them like we are right now. But when it's gone there's no getting it back, so I'm enjoying it now.
I remember making my Christmas list growing up. The anticipation, the hope that when you wrote something down on that piece of paper that maybe, just maybe, you'd find it under the tree on Christmas morning. I wish I could give my kids the world. I wish I could give Isabelle every single item on her 50 item (no joke) Christmas list. I wish I could give Sophia all the American Girl dolls that she wants, or Hudson every Lego set on the Lego aisle. Alas I cannot, but I still encourage them to write, encourage them to wish, and encourage them to believe.
Next update...my Christmas list. :)
Fortunately, as least as far as I know, Isabelle still believes in Santa...and it literally brings tears to my eyes that she does. Some might say it's naive, that she's too old to believe in such a thing, but I adore that she believes, and that she encourages her brother and sister to be good so Santa will come. I want her to believe for as long as possible. I see no reason to burst the bubble and tell her that Santa, in the way she knows him, does not exist. I accept that the day will come, and every season I pray "please don't let it be this year," but I accept it's coming. And when it does, we'll keep the magic alive for Hudson and Sophia as long as possible and she'll find the joy in being excited for them like we are right now. But when it's gone there's no getting it back, so I'm enjoying it now.
I remember making my Christmas list growing up. The anticipation, the hope that when you wrote something down on that piece of paper that maybe, just maybe, you'd find it under the tree on Christmas morning. I wish I could give my kids the world. I wish I could give Isabelle every single item on her 50 item (no joke) Christmas list. I wish I could give Sophia all the American Girl dolls that she wants, or Hudson every Lego set on the Lego aisle. Alas I cannot, but I still encourage them to write, encourage them to wish, and encourage them to believe.
Next update...my Christmas list. :)
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Four minutes of sanity
It is exactly .89 miles from Sophia and Hudson's preschool to my office. I completely bask in the glory that is the two minutes (each way) of alone time that this trip allows me. In fact, I'm pretty sure it's these four minutes that allow me to cling to my sanity at times.
Each day I cannot wait to walk both of them to class, give them a hug and kiss, wish them a good day, threaten them that they better be good, and then wave goodbye as I leave. The threat is a guarantee; the hug and kiss may or may not happen depending upon their attitudes in the car going to school. But the threat? I fear for their teachers, if I were to forget the threat. Sophia gets dropped off first, and then Hudson. After my last "be good," I am practically skipping out the door and up the steps to the car.
People must think I'm just that excited to get to work. Hardly.
In reality, I know the next two minutes are all mine. The music I listen to is something I want to hear and it's typically some pop song that is no longer "cool" in Isabelle's eyes. Most days you will find me around 900 AM driving through Factoria singing at the top of my lungs, head bobbing and ear drums on the verge of shattering. The kids make fun of me when I sing (I suck), and complain when the music is too loud. They are incredibly lame and I can hardly believe they are mine most days. Other days I listen to sad bastard music that reminds me of older times and when played in the car with Isabelle causes her to start making gagging noises followed by her simulating death. (Missing You by John Waite...More Than Words by Extreme...Be With You by Mr. Big....man, it's 1993 all over again.) She doesn't appreciate my high school classics.
At 300 PM the cycle starts all over again. I leave work and know that my two minutes are counting down from the moment I hit the car. At this point, I usually don't care enough about the day anymore to attempt excitment over a song. I merely ride along in silence, gearing up for the night ahead...homework, soccer practice, constant requests in the car of how to spell something, breaking up fights like a WWE ref (foreign objects in the ring a given), after school activities, dinner...you get the idea.
But those four minutes? Man, they're good.
Each day I cannot wait to walk both of them to class, give them a hug and kiss, wish them a good day, threaten them that they better be good, and then wave goodbye as I leave. The threat is a guarantee; the hug and kiss may or may not happen depending upon their attitudes in the car going to school. But the threat? I fear for their teachers, if I were to forget the threat. Sophia gets dropped off first, and then Hudson. After my last "be good," I am practically skipping out the door and up the steps to the car.
People must think I'm just that excited to get to work. Hardly.
In reality, I know the next two minutes are all mine. The music I listen to is something I want to hear and it's typically some pop song that is no longer "cool" in Isabelle's eyes. Most days you will find me around 900 AM driving through Factoria singing at the top of my lungs, head bobbing and ear drums on the verge of shattering. The kids make fun of me when I sing (I suck), and complain when the music is too loud. They are incredibly lame and I can hardly believe they are mine most days. Other days I listen to sad bastard music that reminds me of older times and when played in the car with Isabelle causes her to start making gagging noises followed by her simulating death. (Missing You by John Waite...More Than Words by Extreme...Be With You by Mr. Big....man, it's 1993 all over again.) She doesn't appreciate my high school classics.
At 300 PM the cycle starts all over again. I leave work and know that my two minutes are counting down from the moment I hit the car. At this point, I usually don't care enough about the day anymore to attempt excitment over a song. I merely ride along in silence, gearing up for the night ahead...homework, soccer practice, constant requests in the car of how to spell something, breaking up fights like a WWE ref (foreign objects in the ring a given), after school activities, dinner...you get the idea.
But those four minutes? Man, they're good.
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