Odds & Ends ~ Spring Edition

As I close out my reminiscing of spring for our family, there are, as always, random odds and ends that didn't quite make it into a post:

1. Phoenix got to go on an overnight field trip with all the 4th graders at his school. It was put on by 4-H in conjunction with the University of Kentucky. He had a blast.

It was a rainy couple of days, but they still managed to have lots of interesting classes and fun activities . . . including KP duty (see top) and a class on native Kentucky mammals (above).

I attended the overnighter as a chaperone and, along with two friends (other moms from Phoenix's class), was in charge of a large cabin full of girls. I also had a blast!

2. With the days getting lighter as we moved toward summer, Lutece had problems getting to sleep at night. She decided to sew herself a sleep mask to combat the issue.

She actually used it for a couple of weeks at the end of the school year.

3. With summer in our sights, I loaded up on new books at the Scholastic Educators' sale. I use these books as summer reading prizes for the kids. Every time they complete a library reading log, they can choose a free book from our selection.

Those library reading logs also get put in a raffle to win some prizes from the library. After 8 years of trying, Lutece finally WON the library's raffle! Woot! She and Phoenix promised each other they would split the prize if either of them won, so they each got half of a $25 gift card to Joseph Beth Booksellers. Eighth time's a charm!

4. All the schools do award programs at the end of the year, and the kids were both recognized for various awards they'd earned throughout the year. Lutece was pleased to receive the Poe Award for Creativity from her Language Arts teacher who said something to the effect of, "Lutece is the most weirdly creative student I've had in a long while." Compliment? We'll take it.

It's not surprising to receive a creativity award for language arts, but we were a little surprised to find that she'd ALSO won a creativity award in Math. She had made a wacky little Powerpoint presentation to explain a certain math concept. Maybe that was it? Our crazily creative Lutece.

She was also recognized for winning the District Science Fair. She racked up the awards this year.

Phoenix also had a good awards showing. He was also recognized for his wins in the Governor's Cup competition, but the real surprise was that he won third prize in his division in the school's Art Show. I didn't even know he'd entered. He won a ribbon and a large basket full of art supplies, which he used all summer long. Awesome!

5. MY end-of-year award was a new car.

After researching and test-driving what felt like every car on the market (but was really only a moderate selection) for a couple of months, we finally decided on a 2015 Subaru Outback. Then we found a dealership that would sell it to us for the price we wanted to pay.

On the first day of summer for the kids, we drove down to Louisville together and picked up our new Subbie. Love it!

And then we proceeded to drive it all over the country and put 7,000 miles on it within three months. I STILL love it! Let's hope I can say that in 10 years.

All in all, a good spring.

Summer Odds and Ends

I was going to post some back-to-school photos of the kids, but alas, just as I was downloading the pictures onto my computer, my camera battery died. TOMORROW! Instead, I will do an end of summer round-up with random pictures that didn't seem to fit into any other summer post. Although it doesn't seem like the end of summer (90+ degrees outside today . . . oh, and the fact that it's still August), the advent of school necessarily thrusts us toward fall.

1. We had a really cool (as in, temperature), wet summer. I didn't mind it at all, but the kids took exception to the weather, especially since it cut into swimming time. A few times we got swimsuits on only to hear thunder in the distance . . .  a sure sign that all pools in the area would close for at least the next hour. May as well veg in front of the TV until the thunder subsides.

Or . . . go outside and wash the cars instead.

 

Seriously, it was a very thunderous, very rainy summer.

 2. We went blackberry picking on the last Saturday of July. The pickin's were good and the kids were even better. I really do love this stage of life when they are old enough to help out (REALLY help out), but young enough to enjoy such simple activities. I spent the rest of the day making a big batch of blackberry syrup jam. So maybe it didn't completely gel. It's still delicious.

3. Ever since learning how to make "resurrection rolls" during Activity Days, Lutece has wanted to make them with the family. For her Family Home Evening lesson last month, she taught us about the Resurrection of Jesus Christ and for the treat, we made our own "resurrection rolls." (Google it.)

I don't know why I took a before shot and not an after shot. Ah well, they were good.

4. Stayc occasionally has to speak in other wards (congregations) with his new church calling (High Council). Lutece wanted to go with him last month, so he roped her into speaking in the Danville Ward with him. Then she went to Primary as a visitor (she's so brave). Phoenix and I walked together to our own ward. On the way there we suddenly remembered that he ALSO had a talk in Church that Sunday that we had completely forgotten about! We talked about it on the walk to Church, then he wrote it during Sacrament meeting. Whew!

I told you the pictures (and stories) were random. 

Odds and Ends: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

It was a busy end of the school year, with some fun events, some sad situations, and some truly ugly disasters.

The Good: The kids landed us four free tickets to a Lexington Legends baseball game just for reading some books. It was a fun, child-filled night out.
 

The Good: Stayc and the kids treated me well on Mother's Day (although I wish Stayc hadn't taken pictures of me with a towel on my head). Pancake breakfast with flowers and cards, a peaceful afternoon with no work to be done, time spent with my children. Definitely one of my best ever Mother's Days.

The Bad: Lutece and Phoenix practiced their Spring Recital piano pieces for over a month, but when the day final arrived, Lutece was sick with the flu. Phoenix went and played extremely well (that was good), and he and I collected Lutece's many piano awards from the past year (that was also good). Sadly, Phoenix's teacher forgot about Phoenix's well-deserved "superior," so he didn't get an award (bad).

A week later, their piano teacher told me she simply couldn't teach Phoenix anymore. It wasn't working out. He was difficult and not receptive to instruction. Sigh. Stayc and I are sad.* Stayc is now teaching him again, like he did in China.

The Bad: The kids' school held their huge Spring Concert the week before school got out. Stayc and I had a blast; it was super fun to watch the kids sing. The kids, however, hated the whole thing. I bribed them to smile (instead of scowl the whole time) with ice cream afterward. It was good for us, but bad for the kids. They can't even hear the song "Happy" without gagging.

The Ugly: So many things have gone wrong with our house these last couple of weeks, it would be painful to detail them all here. This is the ceiling in the office/guest room where the toilet slowly leaked over the last couple of weeks. So. Fun.

So ugly.

I would say that things can only get better, but I know they could be much, much worse :). I will hope, instead, that we can get through this and find more good than bad and ugly.

* This is, of course, the barest and simplest version of the story. There is a lot more to it, but it's best just to leave it at that.

Conference Bingo

The day after returning home from Spring Break (Sunday) we settled back into life at home by watching General Conference on BYU-TV. The kids made their own Conference Bingo boards. All I had to do was supply the M&Ms (which, luckily, I had on hand).

We were sad to miss the Saturday sessions due to driving, but happy to hear the Sunday sessions, on our own TV, no less.

p.s. I have tons of photos and all sorts of things to blog about, but I've been hindered in my normal routines by a very sick child. Lutece got the flu a week and a half ago and missed nearly an entire week of school. It was a nasty business, but I'm happy to report that life is finally getting back to normal.

What to Do on Another Snow Day?

A play date with shrinky dinks, of course.

I think all the snow days are are behind us now. Looking forward to warmer weather, more sunshine, and better times.

Home Projects: A New Life for an Old Desk

Actually, two old desks.

The kids have been needing new desks,* so I looked into various options, but I kept coming back to their little old desks that we've had since Lutece started Kindergarten (!). Why buy new when you can refurbish old?

So I pulled the old desks apart, scrubbed the tops, sanded the metal bases, and spray painted the life out of those little desks in the kids' chosen colors. Seriously, I sprayed so many thin coats of paint onto these desks that my snot was purple for days. I know. Ew.

But don't you think it was worth it? Look at how cool these NEW old desks are! When I put them back together (with new, non-corroded screws), I raised up the bases considerably to fit their older, taller bodies. Phoenix's is the blue one, while Lutece asked for red.

They will be really nice paired with a cooler, more modern chair, but for now, the kids are using some old wooden ones Stayc and I bought in Pennsylvania during our first year of marriage. It goes with the whole "cheap" theme, don'cha think?

Now if I could just get them to actually use the new old desks . . .

* Ok, ok, maybe need is too strong a word. In fact, I thought they could use new desks, but the kids rarely use them, preferring instead to do their homework in the family room. I recognize this as a good thing, since they still want to be around the family (most of the time) instead of ensconced in their own private domains. Lutece's desk gets occasional use when she gets sent upstairs for rudeness :).

Home Projects: The Birthday Tent

Despite the fact that Lutece got a little neglected on her birthday comparatively speaking, she was still pretty lucky (and spoiled) as far as, ummm, let's say, global standards go. That is, she got everything she wanted, and more.*

Several years ago, I saw this heavy canvas tent on clearance on Hearthsong and I couldn't resist. I can't remember how much the original price was ($150?), but I DO remember that I got it for $20 (and I think shipping was included!). Whatever it was, it was a steal, but then I sat on it for years, letting birthdays and Christmases pass us by. Don't ask me why.

Fortunately, Lutece isn't too old for having an awesome tent in her room, so this was the YEAR! When she saw it folded up in its original packaging on the morning of her birthday, she wasn't extremely impressed (although she was gracious). She clearly didn't yet understand the potential of that large hunk of canvas.

The next day, when grandmothers were gone and the kids were at school, Stayc and I spent a couple of hours in her room searching for wall studs and drilling holes into them (one of the main reasons I had held off giving it to her for so long). Because our upstairs ceilings curve into the walls, we couldn't hang the tent from just the ceiling. Instead we hung it from both the wall and the ceiling, but I think it turned out very cool.

Lutece and I rearranged all the furniture in her room, we lay down the rug inside the tent, and it's like having an entirely new room. The inside of the tent walls are covered with pockets in which to put all sorts of junk, and there are small loops on which to hang a string of lights if you are so inclined. Seriously, it's awesome! Don't you wish you had a canvas tent hanging from the ceiling of your room?

* Sadly, I didn't get very many pictures of Lutece on her birthday, and the ones I did get were bad and blurry. Here she is eating her birthday breakfast the day before her actual birthday. Such a cutie, especially when she smiles.

Home Projects: A Tale of Two Quilts

I have wanted to make a denim quilt for a long, long time. A few years back, I started saving any worn out jeans we went through, but let's face it, little boy's jeans with tears in the knees don't lend themselves well to making quilts. The quilt would have to wait.

Then last month, everything changed.

We spent a Saturday morning at the I-127 yard sale, the longest yard sale in the United States (and, I assume, the world, because who else does yard sales?). We came across a woman who was selling clothes by the bag . . . as much clothing as you could fit into a large bag for $5.00, and she had oodles of VERY large jeans. Stayc shoved more jeans in that bag than I would have believed possible, and a quilt was born.

I looked online for denim quilt ideas and, since I've never actually made a quilt, tutorials. There are tons of versions of denim quilts out there, let me tell you. I finally settled on this general design, which fit with my neat and orderly sensibilities, although I didn't bind it the same way, nor did I quilt the top of it. Is it actually a quilt if you don't stitch the top of it? I'm not sure.

I backed it with a lovely medium blue flannel sheet that I purchased from jcpenny.com's clearance section for just $12.00 (for the whole set!). In fact, their flannel sheets got such rave reviews online that I purchased a king set for our bed, and later, another twin set for ANOTHER denim quilt. I am extremely pleased with the sheets. They are very high quality for a fantastic price. JC Penny is once again on my radar.

I am tremendously pleased with the result, which of course, was a birthday present for my little boy, who loves the feel of a HEAVY blanket. It's a little warm for these late summer days, but it will be perfect when Fall really hits. And as you can see, the shark pillow that Lutece made goes with it perfectly . . . almost as if the shark were swimming in the ocean (which, of course, is the effect we were going for).

After making Phoenix's quilt, I looked at my pile of leftover denim and thought, "I'll bet there is enough to make a second quilt." I laid everything out, and sure enough, there was ample denim, so I got to sewing. My denim selection was a bit more limited this time around, and I wanted to try something different, so I chose a more random design, which I still like very much. (The picture is somewhat misleading as the lighter patches of denim don't stand out quite so much in the real quilt.)

I backed it with a more wintery flannel sheet so that Lutece can use the leftover fitted sheet and pillowcase on her bed come Fall/Winter (the red matches her room . . . and also by this time, the selection was also limited on jcpenny.com :).

Look at that awesome heavy denim quilt, sitting in the family room, just waiting to be wrapped up in. Do you have a preference? Which quilt do you like better? Or do you think both of them are tacky and uncouth? (Tasteless heathens.)

Magnetic Notes

It's amazing how the right toy can last for years. I bought these magnetic letters when Lutece was just learning the alphabet, some seven years ago.

Now the kids use them to announce their daily activities . . .

. . . and for word games. This summer, they started writing silly sentences with the letters. Then one of them had to use only the letters available on the trash can to write another silly phrase. Crazy kids.

Home Projects: Finally! A New Dresser

I've been working on several home projects, so I thought I would showcase them here on the blog under a NEW heading: Home Projects. How appropriate!

This first one has been a long time coming. We have been sorely in need of a new dresser (or dressers) in our home for a long while. Can you believe that all four of us have been sharing two dressers for eight years? I scoured Craigslist for a month or so before I came across this tiger oak one that seemed like it was nice and affordable at $200.

It isn't perfect, but it's workable. Stayc cleaned it up and fixed the drawers. I lined them and purchased new hardware for them. The small glass knobs are original, but the handles on the larger drawers were hideous knockoffs that needed to be replaced. These brass reproductions look much better, but set us back another $40.

 

What happened to our old Ethan Allen dresser that Stayc has had since he was a boy? Phoenix now has his own dresser (as does Lutece). They were both so excited!

 

He arranged all his stuff neatly about the top of the dresser.

Everything in order.

Now we just need one more small dresser and everything will be in perfect order. I'm in no rush, but I keep checking Craigslist and the antique shops around town. I'll find something one of these days.