This and That

Believe it or not -- and despite my already prolific posting of late -- we have had even more stuff going on over the last month, beginning a few weeks ago with Grace's ever important "Bridging Ceremony" from Daisies to Brownies.  After going out one sunny yet chilly Saturday morning to distribute bags for the annual "April Showers" drive (collecting personal care items for charity), the families of all the girls met up at a nearby park (that had a literal bridge for their symbolic "bridging") and watched as they all crossed that great divide from Daisy to Brownie.  And then ate some real brownies for a treat.  Grace has really loved doing Girl Scouts these past couple of years and has made some really good friends in the process. 

Soberly walking the plank.  I mean crossing the bridge.  Hahahaha.

A brand new Brownie -- not a girl, not yet a woman.  

Hanging with her besties and eating a treat.  

Next up is Ethan whose Film Festival was a red carpet affair.  Literally.  It was actually really kind of cool.  They gave him a lanyard for his VIP badge as soon as we got there, and if we would have been on time he could have been "interviewed" before walking down a red carpet to get to the auditorium where the films were being played.  About half of the winning films were played in the big auditorium, and all the rest were available in the lobby where there were kiosks set up with giant TVs hooked up to computers that had links to each and every film. 

Ethan found his video for us on the way out -- we only made it through about 30 minutes of the festival before Jane couldn't handle sitting anymore -- and we viewed his masterpiece on jumping rope.  Hahaha.  His film was comprised of a story he had written and then turned into a video using some program at school where he scanned in his pictures and then recorded the narration in a voice-over for the film.  He was really excited about it.  And more than a little hyped up for the rest of the evening.

As for me (in my single-minded drive and focus) I have zeroed in on a brand-new project that has filled up any and all spare time I have these days.  I've been searching for the last little bit for a hutch of some sort to put in our dining room and house all of my fabric and other sewing/quilting paraphernalia when not in use. I figure the dining room will look slightly classier if I can close a door on all of the junk that has currently been sitting in plastic bins piled in a corner when not spread out all over the table.  And since we do occasionally want to eat in my "studio," a solution of some kind was in order.

Enter the most perfect sized and shaped "Antique" Hutch for my purposes.  I had seen this baby at my favorite local thrift store a few weeks ago but there was no way I was willing to fork over the money for the hefty price tag.  Especially since I'm pretty sure that furniture crafted in antiquity isn't made with plywood.  Not to mention it was slightly rickety and in need of a good "tune-up."  Well, when I checked back again last week while Laura was in town, it was still there.  And marked down to a third of the price!  Hot dog.  I snapped that puppy up before anyone else could and I hauled it home with visions of sugar plums dancing in my head.  Hahaha.  Not really, but I was daydreaming of all KINDS of improvements to eek out on this poor little hutch.  Of course, the irony is that even though the hutch itself was a good price and deal, the 4 trips (and counting) that I've made to Home Depot since setting up shop in our garage have started to add up.  It is still a work in process, but I'm REALLY excited for the finished product.  And I'm pretty sure that I want a power sander for Christmas.  

{My inspiration for the paint color is from a blog I follow called Simplify.  I went with the color she used on her hutch which is "Aqua Smoke" by Behr.  I used a semi-gloss finish and I'm quite pleased with it.  Here is a picture of my inspiration piece.}

Gone is the funky scroll on top.  Gone are the ugly wooden plaques on the front door.  Gone are the outdated and equally ugly door pulls.  I've sanded, spackled, caulked, and painted.  I've bought MDF boards and had them cut to my specifications for shelves.  I've had a piece of plywood cut to fit in the back so that the gaping hole will no longer be a glaring eye sore.  I have grand plans of covering that plywood with batting and a piece of quilting fabric to create a beautiful backdrop for all of my junk.  Grand plans, indeed.  All that's left now is a final coat of paint and reassembly.  And then it's fingers crossed that we can move it into the house without the whole thing falling apart.


In other news, the end of the school year is rapidly approaching and I still haven't quite figured out what to do for end of the year teacher gifts.  I guess we can always go with last year's approach, but we shall see.  As for summer vacation itself, I'm looking forward to it with equal parts excitement and trepidation this year.  I'm excited that I'm not pregnant this summer and thus able to do a lot more stuff with the kids, and I'm excited for lazy days at the pool and not having a set schedule of having to be anywhere at any specific time.  But the irony is that on the flip side of the equation, THAT is also the thing I'm most worried about.  Too long without any kind of schedule makes ALL of us feel a little crazy.  Also, making me feel a little crazy?  Oh, I don't know. The idea of twelve whole weeks of having all five kids home with me all day long.  Hahahaha.  No seriously.  I love my children, but too much family togetherness is not always a good thing for us.  The fighting, squabbling, bickering, etc. tends to escalate when they're home with nothing else to do.

Fortunately for ALL of us, the school district offers a fairly cheap "summer school" program for the entire month of June.  And when I say summer school, think more like summer camp.  The three older ones will be taking classes from 8-12 Monday through Friday for the entire month.  And I have to say I'm kind of jealous.  Sophie will be doing "Jumpstart to Kindergarten" the whole time, but Ethan and Grace each picked out 2 classes that sound like a lot of fun.  Especially for them.  Ethan is going to further is film skills with a "Movie Making Madness" class and then brush up on his gaming with "Games Galore."  Grace's artistic side will be nurtured with a "Clay Creations" class and then her animal-loving side will be given a dose of "Animal Genius" as she learns about all different kinds of animals. Right up her alley, I tell ya!  While the older ones are having fun at school, I will be at the gym with the little ones getting my Ironman Triathlon Challenge on.  Wait, what?  Yeah, you heard me right.  The gym is sponsoring a month long challenge to finish the distances for an Ironman Triathlon.  This means that by mid-July I will have run a total of 26.2 miles, biked 112, and swam 2.4. -- with the main motivation being the prospect of losing the rest of this baby weight. Wish me luck!  Hahaha.

And finally, in unrelated tangential news, here are the latest quirks from the kids:

•  Ethan came back from our Easter trip to Indiana intent on getting a Kindle Fire.  His (much older) cousin had gotten one for Christmas and Ethan thought it was pretty awesome.  He also seems to think that we should just go out and buy one for him without him doing a single thing to earn it.  And even though I have told him over and over again that he needs to work to earn the money to buy it himself, he fills pretty much every empty space of conversation with demands for a Kindle Fire.  His unrelenting tenacity is fearsome to behold.  
• All is surprisingly quiet on the Grace front.  This always makes me a bit nervous.  Other than the fact that she has recently developed a "fear" of being by herself at bedtime there is not much new to report.
• Sophie is trying to teach herself to read.  And to write her name in the "Kindergarten way"  {Capital S, lower case everything else + her last name} The funniest thing I've heard her say recently was yelled at Jane while we were in the car one day and Jane had grabbed Alex's hand and squeezed it hard enough to make him cry.  "Jane,"  she yelled -- "He is not a juice box, so why would you squeeze him?!"
• Jane.  Jane, Jane, Jane.  Our adorable little feral animal.  She pretty much does what she wants all day long.  Any attempts to tame her are brutally rebuffed.  Hahahahaha.  No, seriously though.  She's kind of hilarious.  Except in the middle of the night. 
• Alex is still my little Lover Boy.  The thing that I love most of all about this little fella is the way he attacks me with his slobbery kisses.  It is so funny.  He will literally grab my face and in open-mouthed fury bombard me with his love.  Perhaps not so adorable 5 years down the road, but for now -- what can I say?  He loves me the most...