Sunday, December 30, 2012
Another Hit Christmas Present
We are finally entering the stage where the girls will play games together. Woo Hoo!!
The Big Christmas Present Surprise
I built a stage for the girls for Christmas (complete with background scenery). I saw one on Pinterest and have been in love with it ever since. So this is the last year that I can probably construct a surprise right under the girls' noses. I built, stained and painted the stage in the garage. They kept asking what it was and I kept being evasive. Bri even said at one point "oh she isn't telling us what it is.....I wonder...."
After the girls would go to bed on a couple of nights I would have Dan help haul it out of the storage room so I could hang the brackets for the curtains and figure out where to paint the tree. I would take it all down and put it back. I even tried to cover up the tree with boxes but came down and Mia was sitting between the box and the wall staring at the tree. So I had to give that up. Bri then wanted to know what the silver brackets were on the walls up high. That girl is just like her mother and doesn't miss much. They love it.
Is it any wonder that Dan's girls are performers!!!
We don't yet have a good video of Hadley but I think Hadley dreams all night about being a popstar. She does nothing but watch Barbi the Princess and the Popstar over and over. She has every move down. It is quite a site to watch.
After the girls would go to bed on a couple of nights I would have Dan help haul it out of the storage room so I could hang the brackets for the curtains and figure out where to paint the tree. I would take it all down and put it back. I even tried to cover up the tree with boxes but came down and Mia was sitting between the box and the wall staring at the tree. So I had to give that up. Bri then wanted to know what the silver brackets were on the walls up high. That girl is just like her mother and doesn't miss much. They love it.
Is it any wonder that Dan's girls are performers!!!
We don't yet have a good video of Hadley but I think Hadley dreams all night about being a popstar. She does nothing but watch Barbi the Princess and the Popstar over and over. She has every move down. It is quite a site to watch.
All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth
Mia lost her two bottom front teeth on the day after Christmas. She was so close to getting to sing the song. Amazing that my girl is so big. Her little smile is too cute. The only bummer is that in the middle of the night she also woke up burning up with a fever. So not such a fun time. What would Christmas break be like if we weren't all sick.
Elise
Elise
Monday, December 24, 2012
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Mia's latest creation
I love watching Mia's creative mind at work. Items used: hockey sticks, jump rope, bilibo thing, and Brianna.
Monday, December 17, 2012
A Christmas Gift from Mo
Too cute. And the girls LOVED wearing them. They were all excited to get in the right order and spell the word for people at church.
Precious.
Precious.
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
A Family that Films Together Has Fun Together
If you didn't catch this at church or on my facebook page, check out the Deeble gang. It was a blast to do together. And yes it took a lot of sweet talking to get me to do it.
A Dining Room on a Dime
So I know that Craigslist is not for everyone but I just have to show you what you can do with a little Craigslist, paint, stripper, stain and fabric.
On Mother's Day, I dropped the dreaded words to Dan right after he got home early from church to spend the day with me: Craigslist. Dreaded because we have learned several lessons like don't send Dan alone -- he might come home with a bed with missing parts. Don't drive too far. Again....might come home with bed with missing parts that he drove 2 hours to pickup. And of course Dan has always been insistent that I not go alone or worse with the girls. I have begged and pleaded several times and then always had to say "Thank you for not letting me go, that was creepy".
This one was risky because it involved driving 30 minutes. I now kind of have a rule against driving that far. But someone had listed a dining room table, 6 chairs and china cabinet all for $150. I was in love with the chairs and thought $150 is a steal even for 2 chairs. Let alone a table and china cabinet. But it was a dilemma because I was losing my special day to pile the whole family into two cars and drive to Lee's Summit. But we did and I was very grateful.
After painting the first table white and living with it upstairs for a while, we decided that it would eventually need to be replaced. We then found a second new table for the dining room for $60. Another lesson learned: always go with lots of smaller bills. We weren't entirely sure we wanted to take it because the leaves didn't have an apron but the guy was desperate to get rid of it and would have taken $50. But we didn't have change ARGH!!!!
Lastly I had been looking at buffets since Mother's Day to go with my furniture but either they were all more than $150 or they were selling an entire dining room set and didn't want to split it up. Then to my complete astonishment one day someone was selling THE MATCHING buffet to my china cabinet. All my friends said how did you know it was the matching piece. Well take a look. Same color, same lines, same hardware. I was floored. These are stanley pieces from the 1950s. What are the chances.
So then after buying the new table in October and with hosting Thankgiving quickly approaching it was mad refinishing time. The only thing that started to cost was I could not decide what color to paint the china cabinet. First it was white, then it was yellow (yes had a wild haired moment). Then it was black, then it was gray then back to black. Phew. Final product is done and we LOVE IT.
Here was what the dining room has looked like for the last 2 years - Playroom:
Here was the china cabinet and table and chairs that we got for $150. (Ignore the cute little white china cabinet in the picture with the table. That is a piece from my grandmother that I have had for 15 years that is now in my room.) What a deal huh!!!
On Mother's Day, I dropped the dreaded words to Dan right after he got home early from church to spend the day with me: Craigslist. Dreaded because we have learned several lessons like don't send Dan alone -- he might come home with a bed with missing parts. Don't drive too far. Again....might come home with bed with missing parts that he drove 2 hours to pickup. And of course Dan has always been insistent that I not go alone or worse with the girls. I have begged and pleaded several times and then always had to say "Thank you for not letting me go, that was creepy".
This one was risky because it involved driving 30 minutes. I now kind of have a rule against driving that far. But someone had listed a dining room table, 6 chairs and china cabinet all for $150. I was in love with the chairs and thought $150 is a steal even for 2 chairs. Let alone a table and china cabinet. But it was a dilemma because I was losing my special day to pile the whole family into two cars and drive to Lee's Summit. But we did and I was very grateful.
After painting the first table white and living with it upstairs for a while, we decided that it would eventually need to be replaced. We then found a second new table for the dining room for $60. Another lesson learned: always go with lots of smaller bills. We weren't entirely sure we wanted to take it because the leaves didn't have an apron but the guy was desperate to get rid of it and would have taken $50. But we didn't have change ARGH!!!!
Lastly I had been looking at buffets since Mother's Day to go with my furniture but either they were all more than $150 or they were selling an entire dining room set and didn't want to split it up. Then to my complete astonishment one day someone was selling THE MATCHING buffet to my china cabinet. All my friends said how did you know it was the matching piece. Well take a look. Same color, same lines, same hardware. I was floored. These are stanley pieces from the 1950s. What are the chances.
So then after buying the new table in October and with hosting Thankgiving quickly approaching it was mad refinishing time. The only thing that started to cost was I could not decide what color to paint the china cabinet. First it was white, then it was yellow (yes had a wild haired moment). Then it was black, then it was gray then back to black. Phew. Final product is done and we LOVE IT.
Here was what the dining room has looked like for the last 2 years - Playroom:
Here was the china cabinet and table and chairs that we got for $150. (Ignore the cute little white china cabinet in the picture with the table. That is a piece from my grandmother that I have had for 15 years that is now in my room.) What a deal huh!!!
Second new table before picture. The first table we just couldn't stand the trestle legs all down the middle and the leaves would split apart. It is now in our storage room as an extra table, when needed, because it folds down to nothing.
The matching buffet for $85. So so crazy!
And last but not least, the finished product. After tons of hours of labor, paint, stripper, sanding, bondo, stain, more paint and new hardware. You can hardly recognize it huh?
One more note. If you want to learn how to make these cheap shelves. Check out one of my FAVORITE websites:
http://ana-white.com/2010/10/plans/ten-dollar-ledges
These are a fabulous way to fill up a large wall. However Dan and Mia keep asking what happened to all the pictures that use to be in the office and in my bedroom. Oops.
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Catching Up
Daddy and Brianna on a date to Clara's Dream (dance school's version of nutcracker)
Haddley and her guineas
A lesson in creativity. All it took was a little nudge from mom and what followed was two hours of planning and construction of a tunnel and train station for the Christmas tree train. It was awesome.
This was Brianna's journal of the calcuations for how many bricks it was going to take to build the tunnel.
This is how Hadley rolls to preschool. Long sleeves is very unusual. We usually wear a spaghetti strap sundress even on 30 degree days.
The guinea pigs riding the train.
Hadley sound asleep before daddy got to pray for her. Seeing our little force asleep always helps us start the next day. Actually, after reading an amazing book at the advice of our child psychologist we are ALL doing SO MUCH BETTER.
Our weekly ritual on Sunday. Reading books in the church bookstore after visiting dad.
Mia learning from Uncle Mike how to play her new "real" guitar from Butde and Papa. Had Christmas a little early at Thanksgiving so they could see the girls open their gifts.
Hadley with her Christmas present. It is now in the basement. And I (mom) had to admit to Butde that it is louder than I thought it would be (even down there with the door closed.) Should have known Butde was right. She raised 2 drummers.
Brianna and Caroline, her Christmas present from Butde and Papa. The two girls are the best of friends.
Thanksgiving
Dan and I feel all grown up now. Why?
- We hosted our first thanksgiving!
- I brined and cooked my first turkey
- I made my own stuffing from scratch
- Our dining room is no longer a playroom but a dining room (I love Craigslist!!!)
- I got to set my table with my wedding china
- I got to see my girls be all excited to be eating on china at the adult table
- It was a blast
Here are just a few pics
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