Don't they look nice?

OK, so as I posted previously, I finally did it. I sorted through all of the kids toys and got rid of what they absolutely do not play with. Again. I then organized them into categorical labeled see-through bins and stored them in my new cabinets in the sun/play room.

This is what is behind door number one:

Door number two:

And door number three:

The upper cabinets are still empty. I managed to fit the majority of their toys in the lower cabinets where the kids can easily reach them. They still have a few things in their rooms, but now everything is so much neater!

Don't Panic.

It seems we were on the go most of the day. We finished our errands around dinnertime, coincidentally near a Pei Wei restaurant. The kids love the Chicken Lo Mein (the adult kind, not the kid version that comes sans veggies) so we decided to pop in for a little dinner.

After dinner we headed over to choose our fortune cookies. This is always a lot of fun. Brandon's said "Your co-workers will enjoy your creativity." Very fitting, considering he is a writer. Emma's read "A good laugh and a good cry both cleanse the mind." Okay, pretty typical. Aidan's read "Hope is the most precious treasure to a person." I opened mine last. Mine simply stated:

I am fairly certain that I could win a "Weirdest Fortune Cookie Fortune" contest hands down with this one.

I can't believe it is March!

February was a busy month. It seems the four of us were sick for most of it, which is a shame. But it was not all bad. Some pretty exciting things happened. Aidan turned three. Emma lost TWO teeth. I finally got the kids' toys organized into labeled bins. (More on this astonishing development later.)

I have decided that my kitchen needs a little makeover. Nothing extreme, I actually love my cabinets. I would LOVE LOVE LOVE new counter tops, but that project will have to wait. For now, I am going to do a little painting and add some new fabrics. Primarily, Anna Maria Horner's delicious Sketchbook from her Drawing Room collection:

If this doesn't brighten things up, I don't know what will! I know it is not super clear in this picture, but there is a gorgeous teal color splashed throughout the fabric. I am going to match paint to it and use it to paint the wall under the chair railing. I am not exactly sure when I will commence this project, but I hope to get started in the next few weeks. Once I begin I will make sure to post plenty of before and after pictures.

I picked up three wonderful chairs at an estate sale a few months ago, and sadly they are still sitting in my garage begging to be updated. Now that I have picked my primary fabric, I can finally recover the chair seats. Unfortunately they need new webbing, too, which if I remember correctly is a bit of a pain, but I know I can do it because my mom is a super hero who can do just about anything. And I know she will help me. (Mom, you ROCK!) Anyway, I think I will use a coordinating fabric on the chairs, maybe the pressed flowers. There are so many pretty coordinates, how is a girl to choose?

Three

Today Aidan turned three. I don't know where the time goes, but one minute I was in the OR looking at my new, perfect baby boy, and the next I was lighting a "3" candle on top of a birthday cake.

The family party was great. Aidan chose a menu of white salmon (Halibut), broccoli and baked potatoes. Brandon picked up a special treat at the fish market -- homemade hush puppies. They were yummy!

My mom made a fantastic cake (as always) which was, at Aidan's request, decorated with his favorite bad guy Zurg (from Toy Story). On her way to my house, someone swerved into her lane of traffic and slammed on his brakes, forcing her to slam on hers. The cake went flying. I am not sure I can properly convey how upset she was that Aidan did not have his Zurg cake, but we were all just happy she was OK. Brandon ran to the bakery and picked up a chocolate cake, and all was well.

Aidan was not not upset at all. He was just happy to have everyone over to celebrate his birthday. He was so excited to open all of his cool presents. Unfortunately, no matter how quickly I tried to move around, most of those photos ended up looking like this:

Or they were a complete blur. He moves fast!

All in all it was a fantastic day. And we have his kid party to look forward to this Saturday. He will have a Zurg cake for that party, and maybe by then my mom will stop feeling so bad about the first one.

I don't know how I ended up so lucky, but I am so blessed to have such a wonderful family.

Complete!

Our sun room is complete! Well, actually they still have to install the window sills, which will be done on Monday, but otherwise it is done! Here are a few pictures. Again, I do apologize that they are not better pics. One day I will get around to taking that photography class. You know, in my spare time.

And here we have storage. Ahhh...so wonderful. My kids cannot wait to cram the cupboards full of toys and games. In fact, Hulk, Spiderman, a giraffe and that clown from Gymboree are already residing in the cabinets.

There is still much to do. We are going to do a major sort of all toys and keep only the ones we really play with. Hmm...seems I did this just a couple of months ago. Anyway, toys will all be re-sorted and labeled into clear containers with lids and stashed neatly away in the new cabinets. We will be so organized! I am not saying that I will never again step on another Bristle block in the middle of the night, but I think my chances of doing so will be greatly decreased.

The paint color is not too evident in these pictures, but we went with a nice calming light green. It looks good with the dark wood. Emma was v. disappointed we did not go with her choice of pink paint, so I have promised her a pink room. Finally. I must start on that project next week. Poor Emmie has wanted pink walls for 4 years now. It is about time I honored her wishes. Aidan said he would like orange walls, but thankfully he is super easy-going and is just happy to have a new room to hang out in.

Now for the fun stuff -- I get to choose some fabrics and furnishings! We have not even begun our search. Brandon and Emma have been sick, and I got sick this week as well. Hopefully I will feel much better next week so I can do a little shopping. We want to keep everything kid friendly which roughly translates to WASHABLE. So far that is the only thing I am not willing to compromise.

So this is the room. We couldn't be happier with the way it turned out!

Loose

Emma, wearing her new very favorite princess nightgown, wiggles her first loose tooth.

We just discovered that Emma has two loose teeth. Our dental hygienist pointed this out to us at her last appointment in October, but they were barely wiggling. I don't quite know how I have managed to miss this, because I still insist on helping her brush her teeth every night. Honestly, she does a really fantastic job by herself, but I have a thing about dental care. I know, I should step away and quit with the helicopter parenting.

So one tooth is really rather loose. The other is loose, but in no danger of falling out over the next week. I am in a panic to have her pictures made before the tooth falls out -- they will be the last pictures of her with all of her baby teeth. It goes so fast.

Another Good Day

Happy Friday Folks!

Today was another good day. Emma seems to be feeling a bit better, although she gets dizzy when she turns her head. I am thrilled the pain seems to be nearly gone, as well as the fever.

Emma and Aidan got to spend a couple of hours with CiCi again today. They always have such a great time with my mom. Today they went to a toy store and got Lincoln Logs, which I remember playing with for hours as a child. Then they went to the grocery store and bought ingredients for Emma's snack mix. I wish I could share a picture of the finished product, but the kids polished it off! I am so proud of my girl. She is so confident and creative when it comes to cooking. I am especially pleased that there were left over apricots. So yummy!

Our sunroom now sports a tiled floor. It looks as though the project will be complete next week. I am still amazed it has moved along so quickly. Despite losing nearly an entire week due to inclement weather, it very well may come in ahead of schedule.

Have you seen the new Provo Craft toy, the Yudu? Amazing. Jen and I keep saying we need to try to screen print, and here Provo Craft has designed a machine to make it easy for us to do just that! I think accessories might be a little expensive, but it might just be worth it.

Oh, another thing I fell in love with today is Anna Maria Horner's new "Good Folks" line. Delicious. It makes me want to start sewing right away!

Speaking of sewing and creating: this just in! Read etsy's breaking news report about the CPSC's one year stay of certification and testing of certain products! Yea!

Here's to a good weekend!

A Good Day

Today was a good day. I feel like things are getting back to normal. We left our house today and even Brandon was ecstatic to get out. We kept it simple since Emma is still not feeling well. We took the kids out to lunch and then went to the pediatrician. As I suspected, Emma does have an ear infection.

The kids got to enjoy a couple of hours of play at my mom's house today. Low key, but the change in venue was priceless. I think this change of pace did wonders for everyone's state of mind.

Exciting things are happening in the sunroom. This was the scene last night:

And this is what it looks like tonight:

Granted there is not a great deal of perceptible change, but the walls and ceiling are now completely taped, mudded and textured. And the tile has been delivered. The tile guys will be here bright and early in the morning to lay the floor. And someone else is coming to shoot more insulation in the attic above the new room. We are getting so excited!

I can't wait to decide on a paint color. I don't have much time to decide. I may try to post some swatches and get some third party opinions. I want to keep it light, but I want a little color, too. Decision, decisions. If only I had a fabric in mind this would all be so much easier.

The trim carpenter is coming Monday. I can't wait for him to build our cabinets. They will provide us with so much storage space. The best part is that I can simply close the doors and not have to stare at the stuff.

Hope you all have a fabulous Friday!

My Week Thus Far

What a week. We got hit with an ice/sleet/freezing rain/small-sprinkling-of-snow storm Monday. We have not left the house since Sunday. As a girl who likes to be on the go, I am climbing the walls with cabin fever. Brandon has taken it all in stride. He likes to stay at the bat cave. He is also recovering from strep, so the downtime has been a welcome gift. Emma is sick. We are taking her to the pediatrician in the morning. I am sure it is something viral, but I want to make sure she has not developed an ear infection. Thankfully this just came on and we did not have to drive her to the doctor in the ice. Aidan, who is much more of a home-body than I am, is just as ready to get out of here as I am!

I thought I would get so much done this week. After all, I could not escape the mounds of laundry with easily justifiable errands. I did make a dent in some of the household chores, but I did not accomplish half of what I wanted to get done. I did finish Aidan's birthday party invitations. They are pictured here:

I think they turned out pretty cute, and most importantly Aidan LOVES them! They are all addressed and ready to mail as soon as I leave the house tomorrow and buy stamps.

We started construction on our new sunroom two weeks ago. It is coming along at record speed. A guy was here to tape and mud the sheet rock today and he is coming back tomorrow to texture the walls. The tile guy is coming tomorrow as well. After that we just have the cabinet installation, heat & air installation, paint and wood staining, and light fixture installation. I can't believe it has come together so quickly! The kids are excited to have a new playroom. I am excited to have a place to organize the kid clutter. I'll post a couple of pictures tomorrow.

One last thing: you may have read today's earlier post. I have since written my congressperson and senators, urging immediate reform of the CPSIA. If you are interested in reading about this further, I recommend checking out www.handmadetoyalliance.org, Sarah Jane's blog, this etsy blog, or Design Mom's blog. The topic has also made it onto Change.org's website. I just can't imagine not being able to make, sell and buy handmade things anymore. It is just too sad. Thanks for your help in saving handmade!

Birthday Girl

New Year's Eve. I don't believe it. Where did the year go?

In our house New Year's Eve is a huge deal because it also my Emma's birthday. She turns FIVE today, which just seems so impossible. I can still so easily picture they way we had her nursery arranged. I can still remember her smell as I nursed her and rocked her for hours on end in the comfy yellow chair, see the shadows cast across her peaceful face by the soothing glow of her low light lamp. I can feel her soft curls and sweet breath on my neck as I hold her and tell her stories and sing along to Coldplay.

And now my baby girl thinks she is all grown up. She can't wait to go to Kindergarten. She loves to sing and dance to Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus. She has a very keen sense of fashion and loves to shop, though this is not something new for her. She watches Cyberchase instead of Sesame Street. She wanted, and received, an iPod for Christmas instead of toys. But she still loves to snuggle with me, and for that I am eternally grateful.

My Thanksgiving Dinner Contribution

It is Wednesday morning, and it has just occurred to me that I have no Thanksgiving plan. Actually, I don't host, so I have it easy. I am responsible for making my Nana's dressing, though. No pressure there, right?? At least I don't have to make the pies. My mom makes them. One day I will have to master pie crust -- it just won't be this year!

I have not even done my shopping yet. I cannot believe I am this ill prepared! I am usually a little more on top of it, but not this year. I think I am in denial because everything is coming up so quickly. I host Christmas every year, and a week after that is Emma's birthday. And I haven't even planned her perfect 5th birthday party yet. UGH. OK, back to the task at hand...

I have to hit the grocery store. I have to wash, chop and saute. Then we are off to lunch with my mom and Aunt Kelley. Then we are back home for a little down time, I will make the kids dinner, the sitter will arrive and Brandon and I will leave for a movie with friends this evening. I am not entirely sure how all this will play out, but I think I can get it all done. I can always finish up in the morning.

Hopefully you are all more prepared than I, and you will be able to enjoy your Wednesday. Maybe next year I will look back on this post and it will remind me to be more prepared. But probably I will have forgotten all about it and still be in the same rush I am this year. Oh well, at least I work well under pressure. Have a stress-free Wednesday and a very Happy Thanksgiving with your loved ones. Because really, that is what it is all about. Love to all!

My Very Unconventional Thankful List

I was not going to do a blog about all the things I am thankful for. For one, it would be long. And maybe a bit boring, because I am sure it would echo every "what I am thankful for" post out there. So I am mixing it up a bit. These are all things that I am thankful for, but they are not the typical things you would expect. So, without further ado, here is a short list of a few of the weirder things I am thankful for. They are listed in no particular order of importance.

• That Pottery Barn Kids does NOT sell the Star Wars sheet sets in King Size. If they did, I am fairly certain that it would be only a matter of time before my husband dragged them home.
• My husband's total acceptance and understanding of my crazy irrational fear of clowns. In a very understanding manner he eloquently and effectively explained to Emma why we cannot bring home the child-sized Gymbo clown doll from Gymboree. Thirteen times.
• Paper and fabric and all of the great designers out there that make them.
• Book, books, books.
• Appointment calendars, without which I would be a complete mess. Oh, OK, an even bigger mess than I am now.
• My gorgeous Kitchen Aid Mixer (in Claret). My kids love to make cookies, and nothing whips them up faster. I can't tell you how many hand held mixers I have blown up trying to mix cookie dough. It just doesn't work.
• Music - a special shout out to Coldplay for being Emma's bedtime music since day one and Jack Johnson for being Aidan's bedtime music from day one as well.
• Emma and Aidan's sleep-overs at CiCi's house. This occasional treat is the only only good night's sleep I get. Thank you, thank you, thank you CiCi!! My mom rocks!
• The color pink because it is Emma's favorite and she is so passionate about it.
• Toy Story and Toy Story 2 because of how much Aidan loves them.

OK, so there it is. A very small sampling of things that I really appreciate. Of course these things can't compare to my family, God's grace, my friends, good health, etc. You know, all those usual things I wasn't going to mention!

Have a great Thanksgiving!

Catch Up

I cannot believe it has been a month since I last blogged. Where did October go? Where did the majority of November go, for that matter?! Only 10 days (well, 9 really) until December. How is this possible. Maybe I would be more productive if I did not waste so much time pondering where all of my time has gone! Here are a few of the things I have been up to this last month:

My darling girl finished her first season of soccer. I may have mentioned in a previous post that she scored THREE goals at her last game. I am so proud of her! This was her first team sport and she worked really hard. Here is a picture of her after she received her medal at the post season soccer party.

This is the beautiful pink soccer ball cake that my ridiculously talented mom made for the team's party. Of course it is pink, and of course it is complete with little pink ladybugs she made with icing. Seriously, is there nothing my mom can't do?? And did I mention it tasted great, too?

Aidan wanted to be Buzz Lightyear for Halloween. We found this extremely cool costume at The Disney Store. It even lights up! He loves the costume now, but he almost didn't wear it. It came with the purple hood thing that Buzz wears and Aidan did not care for that part of the costume. For some reason he thought he had to wear the entire thing. Once he found out he could go sans purple hood thing he was elated! I love my boy to infinity and beyond!

Emma made her mind up about her costume a year ago. She LOVES Wonder Woman because she is a Princess and a Super Hero. I don't think I need to point out that my mom made the entire costume, including the cool tiara and bracelets. Not shown are her super cool red boots and her golden lasso. We could not find blue fabric with white stars so she just appliqued them on. Emma is my favorite Princess Super Hero. I am fairly certain that given a cape and a nice tiara, my girl can save the world.

I have managed to do a couple of small shows recently, but I decided to limit myself in this area as of late. I love doing shows, but there is always so much work involved to get ready. And with holiday orders, it just has not been feasible to do as many as I would have liked to have done.

The girls and I got together last weekend for craft night. It was so much fun. Eve worked on a few scrapbook pages and Lucy and I made frames. Jen couldn't make it, but she will be here for the next one on the 29th. Lucy will likely still be out of town for that one, but we are getting together again in early December. We are thinking about making these darling little cupcake bath bombs that Little Birdie Secrets was kind enough to share with the world. I think they will make fun little stocking stuffers and I know my kiddos will love them. They beg for bath ice cream every time we go to The Makeup Bar. If they are pretty easy to make I will let them whip up a batch themselves. They love to cook and they love to craft, so this will be right up their alley. I will make sure to post our results, no matter how they turn out!