Seven Quick Takes (Vol. 27)

The Biting Off More Than I Care to Really Chew Edition:

1.  I had a yard sale a couple of weeks ago.  Our bedroom furniture (bought in the days we lived in the deep south where all new construction homes come with a bedroom the size of our current living room and entryway combined or larger) is far too big for our current teeny-tiny bedroom.  So there was an oversized nightstand we never used that went out to the sale.  Long story short, I mentioned to the lady looking at it she could have the rest of the set too… because I was in “Sell! Sell! Sell!” mode.  Suddenly, the sale is over and my bedroom looks like a (no so great) frat house.  Mattress on the floor, clothes in plastic bins.  My strong DIY streak and the fact that we didn’t actually budget for an entirely new bedroom set thisverysecond meant I got myself a Craigslisting because I can’t deal with that type of situation too long. Soon, I am the proud owner of this beat up charmer and her two correctly sized nightstand companions.

2.  Well, looks like I just added to the to-do list.  Go to Lowes, get some spray paint and things are moving along… Coffee helps too.

3. And while we are spray painting and trying to glean inspiration from Pinterest, apparently my bedroom would look nicer if I could not only have white furniture, but a hint of coral would really make things pop.  Up in the attic I still have that desk I used to use that would really make a wayyyyy better vanity.  Now it turned coral.

4.  The kicker here is that we still sleep on the floor and we still have a couple of spots that need better storage, so despite my efforts, we still live in a room that is only slightly improved.  The summer project that lingers…. fantastic.  I’ll start running to take my mind of such things.  Running is awesome, I’m making great strides (you like that? I thought you would.) in terms of distance and endurance.  But, really I now have lost exactly zero pounds and have another thing on my to-do list. Yeah.

5.  And gosh darn it, we are still homeschooling and field trips are still on the agenda.  Off we go to the museum!

6.  But I also need something to wear to the family reunion photo that is in the fitting color scheme chosen (by me, who organized the photo and found the photographer so I sorta figure I can pick the colors I prefer to wear, right?  It isn’t like khaki, navy, light blue, and white are that challenging for anyone else though.  I’m trying to be reasonable here.) and since nothing fits the way I like it to these post-partum days I suppose I need to sew something! Add that to the list.  Helen (the dress form and sewing buddy who listens to all my mutterings) is far to small for my actual current size (she’s a pre-partum model) so I did some pinning and made the outfit look better than it ever will on me.  Then had some wine.

7. In the backyard a garden also grows.  Thankfully, we’ve been living in the rainiest spring in a while so the watering is happening by God’s own hand rather than mine, but the bunnies aren’t helping my harvest.  Here’s a photo of my sugar snap peas though – they are yummy and will probably not ever be on our table because I just snack on them whenever I am out there.

Go to Jen for far more interesting takes!

Yarn Along

Linking up with Ginny for the weekly yarn along.

You know the best laid reading plans can sometimes get derailed.  Sometimes the focus needs to shift to improve one skills rather than enjoy a story.  Around here, that’s what I am doing.  This book is helping immensely.  As for the blanket.  Slow and steady progress.  We are on a vanilla stripe again, and thinking of that little baby girl urges me along as I knit hundreds of stitches, purl hundreds of stitches… repeat, repeat…. 

Ode to Dance

I would like to write an ode to my daughter’s ballet studio.  Why? Allow me to expound upon the ways they make this mama happy…

1. They had me at NO RECITAL.  Yes, girls and stage moms love recitals.  Dads and grandparents enjoy the parts where their child is actually on stage.  No one else wants to be there.  No one.

2.  In lieu of a recital, there is a show.  An actual ballet, start to finish, like you would pay to see professionally. So even when your child is not on stage, you can follow along with a plot and enjoy the story.  The show is also complete with professional rented costumes.  Leading me to…

3. No immodest, blingy, belly-baring, spandex costumes that I have to pay hundred of dollars for!

4. I may have failed to mention that this studio is ballet and folk dance only, meaning none of the acts on stage are little girls doing something that looks like this:

5. The lead ballerina and owner of the studio is also a very lovely, homeschooled, former professional ballerina.  While this is neither here nor there, it is lovely to come in and see pictures of her gracing the stage everywhere from Boston to Moscow.  She knows what she is doing as well as being a kind and caring teacher to all her ballerinas.

Genevieve is just about in despair that she will not get to go there again until September as her show is this weekend.  Until then, we prep for this year’s show – Sleeping Beauty!  Photos to come!

Introvert Alert.

Can I just say that moving to 4 different major cities in 9 years gives an introvert a certain bit of comfort.  Why? Because each new town gives a certain sense of anonymity.  Going to the grocery store or the Starbucks gives little or no chance of running into someone you know.  My anonymity shield however, is cracking.  You see, I’ve been living in the same place for over 4 years.  In spite of myself, I’ve made some friends.  Or should I say, that I’ve taken my kids places and met other parents who I have become friends with (because really, if I was childless, I think I’d just hang on my couch and read through Amazon one book at a time.  Sad, but true.)  To add insult to injury, a brand new (!) grocery store with a Starbucks (!), Lowes, Chipotle (!), and coming soon a Chik-fil-A (!) has moved right in the middle of my house, the neighborhood most of my new friends live in, and my Parish.  This means that I now… run into people when I leave the house.  Most people might think this is normal and good and fine.  I suppose that logically I do too, but it also fills me with thoughts of “Should I change my clothes?”, “Is my makeup ok?”, “Is there spit-up on my shoulder?”.  I now completely understand all those ladies who won’t go to their mailbox without lipstick  -  It is because they actually know their neighbors.  I’m pretty sure my neighbors think I am a hermit.  We’ve got that unsocialized homeschooler street cred to keep alive though, so I’ll wait a while before I befriend them…

Yarn Along

Linking up with Ginny an doing some mini vacation (one night away in the poconos!) knitting while baby naps.
I’m calling this the ice cream blanket after one of last week’s comments. It is just the colors of vanilla and strawberry ice cream and just as smooth and creamy feeling. Though it does tempt me to put a chocolate brown blanket stitch around the perimeter when I am done for a Neapolitan look!

Project List

So, the summer project list has been assembled. I figured if I told the internets about my summer project list, the level of accountability would rise. Let’s aim high here people.

1. Paint all trim in the house, including doors (ouch!)
2. Paint second coat (only one year after the first coat!) in master bedroom, hallway, and dining room.
3. Replace attic windows
4. Waterproof basement near fireplace
5. Organize schoolroom (this has a sublist of its own – paint table, purge, sew curtains)
6. Decorate master bedroom (also a sublist – paint dressers, nightstands, vanity, picture frames, sew curtains, yadda, yadda, yadda)
7. Clean out laundry room
8. Organize and purge kids’ clothes
9. Organize basement (in progress already…)
10. Organize garage

If we get this stuff done by the end of summer, it will lend itself to a very lovely fall. Nothing like starting the season of “indoor weather” off with an organized, neat, and hopefully beautiful indoors to surround you.

Seven Quick Takes (Vol. 27)

1.  I bought a craigslisted pedestal table and it is getting painted this weekend.  I would appreciate your help in the finish as I am rather torn.  Points to ponder: All the shelving is white (from ikea – nothing ornate or fancy), the walls are grey, there isn’t a lot of color in the schoolroom other than the tons of books and schooling stuff.

Option a. Do I paint it all white?  (Pros: Easy! Uniform look, which I tend to like…  Cons: A white table top that has to deal with paint, ink, crayons, etc….)

Option b:  Finish the wood on top.  (Pros: more durable table top, richer finish lending more to a library-ish look… Cons: too “country”?, Is two-tone lame?)

Why don’t I stain all the wood and make it a lovely pedestal table in a nice, rich finish all over? Because the idea of sanding the circular leg and all the nooks and crannies well enough for the table to take stain evenly makes my OCD twitch kick in and quite frankly, ain’t nobody got time for that!

2.  For half a second, I considered the option of an all-over pop color for this table after I saw this:

But then I wimped out.  I couldn’t decide on just the right color… I already have a lot of yellow around, will I get sick of a turquoise table too quickly, would I hate an emerald green one?  Too much brain power was being call into action for this and away from other matters so I gave up on the pop color.

3.  Did I fail to mention that the look I was going for is something like this in our schoolroom?

 or…

 or even…

My kids have honestly outgrown our current layout and our curriculum has also moved on from this rather pre-school centered room.  My kids are by no means old, but our curriculum has become more literature based and Charlie is an independent reader now so I would like to have a room that feels like a cozy family library where you can lose yourself in a good book rather than a regular school classroom.   That being said, my budget is nearly non-existent and so I am searching my friend Craig’s list for interesting chairs and furnishings.

4. After seeing this picture, I think that the room must have an ornate chair and a good stack of books in the corner… don’t you?

5.  If you are ever considering a room remodel, don’t go on Pinterest with your kids hanging over your shoulder.  Charlie saw this and it is now his one and only request for the schoolroom – a reading nook of his own…

6.  Lastly, I am also going to scour the list to find a vintage typewriter.  I think the kids would have a ball and it would spur on some “writing”.

7.  How did people get decorating ideas before Pinterest? HOW? I ask.

Go see Jen for more quick takers!