School Supplies

First Grade List



1 school box


1 box saltines


1 pointy scissors


1 paint shirt to share


2 Elmer’s glue


24 #2 pencils (sharpened)


2 containers play dough


1 big box Kleenex


2 large pink erasers


1 granola bar


10 glue sticks


1 watercolor paint set


1 box baby wipes


1 two pocket folder


1 box 8-10 ct washable markers


2 boxes crayons (24 or less)

I have most of it already.... he got to pick a folder... Batman.  I still need to get glue sticks but I'm waiting for a sale.  And I haven't gotten saltines because we will just eat them.
 
Is it wrong to re-use the water colors from last year? 
 
Play dough?  Like... play dough?  Huh.  Ok... forgot to get that.... Since I tossed all of our dough in the ongoing craft-cleanout I guess I'll have to buy some. 
 
Tuff got into the Elmer's last night.... she made gorgous glue-pictures and had a blast gluing things on cardboard.  Good thing I got a few extra bottles when it was 25 cents a bottle last week. 

I couldn't leave it alone.

Because you knew I couldn't leave it alone without looking.... looks like maybe primer under reddish paint?  Is it fir?  I think it is fir.  I'm voting fir.

I'm having a rug made (so much cheaper than buying) by getting a carpet remnant bound.... looking at carpet this weekend.  So, in theory, I really only have to clean up about 18" all the way around the edges... then cover the rest with carpet. 

What do you think?  Wood floors plain or painted?  Hmmmm.  What I really want is wood floors plain with the pine wainscotting painted bright white.  Is that a cardinal sin to paint wood white? 

Oh Shit: Moment One. Flowers?

This is me.  Going WTF?  Flowers?  On flooring?  Oh what have I done?

It is Saturday afternoon.  We've had a lovely morning of projects and a nice leisurely lunch at Spring Meadow.  Now everyone is down for naps.  I have an hour.  Let's rip.

Two walls have that sort of yellowy-pine wainscotting half way up. The two inside walls don't (but guess who forgot we built the walls over the carpet... oops... a fresh blade in my trusty sheetrock knife and I was back in business). Paint color is Peaceful Jade by Benny Moore. Ceilings are semigloss white.

Here it is.  Carpet hauled to the dump.  Downstairs bedroom. 

Now what?  The floors are an odd painted shade of reddish and very splattered.  I'm thinking of painting a dark and glossy brown... like melted chocolate.  Then getting a chunk of carpet bound for an area rug.  Something sinfully soft.  What do you think?

What color and what size area rug?  The room is 9x12.

Wagons Ho!

So one kid went to football camp and two kids went to daycare.... who do you think came home with worse injuries? 

This is our first major boo-boo.  Her buddy was giving her a wagon ride and turned a little short.  Tuff said she barely cried and wanted back in the wagon.

Mission Organization: The Candle Edition

So the game is back on.  The weekly organizational challenges. 

This week we are doing candles.

I've been slowly purging candles from my life because they make my husband batty.

I'm down to a shoe-box sized container of candles and holders and I'm not replacing them as I use them up.  Most of them are seasonal so by this time next year I should be done with candles... anyone want to place bets on that?

I am keeping the three white-with-greenery candles in my bathroom.  I don't know why but I like them.  I might burn them.  And I now have two fake candles.  One in the bedroom and one in the living room.  I like them.  I kept a few pillar candles for Christmas... not because I love pillar candles but because I have these cute little Santa and wife decorations that go on pillar candles and they remind me of my Gram.  So they stay. 

I donated several good candles and quite a few candle holders.... including one beautiful and fairly pricey holder that reminds me of a time in my life I don't really want to dwell on.

My sister has and loves Scentsy.  Anyone have an opinion?

So, yeah for me.... progress.  Not perfect yet but making progress.

Birthday Girl

My dear girl-

I'm so sorry our lunch date was delayed because of pink eye.  We have a lunch date for potstickers and spring rolls next week.  And I'm so sorry your brother gets to have a sleepover tonight and you don't.  We are going to do something fun this afternoon... just the girls.  So think of what sounds best.  You pick.

Love you,

Mama

Crikey.

Sweet bejeebus in the morning. 

What a week.

And it is, like, the 4th Monday of the week.

Pour me some wine.  Shit.  Give me a smoke.

Things that have happened this week.

Still moping about the non-visit to Colorado.  Trying to be a grown up but failing.

Gymnastics camp for Tuff M-TH 9-12.  Wondering how other mothers do this activity crap.  Seriously.  And, also.... I don't like other mothers.  Sorry.  True.  Not social.  Really.  It's me, not you.  Also... while on the subject... how the hell can you afford that super-fancy SUV, those fancy clothes, that pricy cut-n-color-n-pedi AND be a stay-at-home mom?  Really.  I want to know.  Because I'm running my ass off, wearing threads from Target, sporting grey hair and killing myself... slowly but surely. 

Pink eye.  Or conjunctivitis (sp?).  First Bugsy, then Sweet.  Who will be next?  (On a positive... the walk-in clinic behind the old Big R.... GREAT.)

Tuff's birthday lunch cancelled.  See above pink eye.

Tuff's birthday party.  Sunday.  Still finding gifts I hid that I forgot to give her... guess that means my Christmas shopping is about done. 

Rash.  I have a rash.  On the back of my neck, across my stomach and now all over my legs.  It comes and goes.  I think it is stress.

Worms.  Turns out the cats DIDN'T have round worms... because they are still yakking up worms after medication.  I KNEW they were tape worms.  Also... top this for nasty.... the little linguini try to flee from the puke piles and end up stretched out and dried up several inches away. 

Hot's job.  He has been getting to work at 6 and coming home after 10 most of this week.  Fantastic.

Ok.  I'm done.  I'll be back when I'm a little happier.

And then there is the dreaded laundry corner

No, not this corner... this corner is ok.... so is this one....  I'm talking about that mess that is the water heater, dog food, cat food, kitty litter, spare cat pans, drying rack, recycling tub, can recycling, mop & broom.  THAT CORNER.  I've tried to make it cute and functional but I just don't know what to do.

Also... though I know they might be going out of style.... don't you love my chalkboard wall??

Time for some Potty Talk

We are thinking of reconfiguring our giant-but-solitary bathroom into more of a dressing room.  Now.... WHY would you make the only potty in the house a place to leisurely dress and do your daily grooming?  Because your husband wants to do it and, if your husband wants to do a project, you jump on it.

The deal is this.  All of Bugsy's clothes are in the bathroom.  In the top drawer of that two drawer dresser that used to be the changing table.  The rest of her clothes are in a laundry basket in the next room.  Classy, right?  So I nicely ask Hot to give me back the bottom drawer and he says.... No.  He likes having that drawer in the bathroom.  So back to the planning board I go.

So here is what we have to work with.... The photos are a bit old but it gives you the idea.

So here are some options:

1.  Take out the top shelves in the big square shelf thingy and put a hanging rod across for Hot's clothes.

2.  Put more of Bugsy's clothes in wicker baskets in the shelf thingy.  Note:  There are currently 3 baskets in there..... one for jammies for each kid. 

3.  Put in some sort of closet system from ikea.

4.  Take out everything and start over with.....

I'm completely at a loss.  I don't know what to do.  The longer term plan could involve a total remodel of this room so I'm open to ideas about that as well....

Finishing Projects

Elle says I am her "finisher" of projects and she's been saving projects for years for me to finish when I visit.

First.  I will remind you what happened last time she was here.

Then.  I will tell you about painting projects we have done.....

Next.  I will post a picture of my dining room.  If I can find one.  I started painting it just after Bugsy was born.  The Bugsy that just turned one.  See the unfinished green dining room wall?  How about that unfinished tan wall?

Finally.  I will remind you that in my previous post I mentioned getting a new trim brush..... do you understand why??

Buyer's Remorse

So to address the recent rash of retail therapy in the blogosphere....

Yes, I have buyer's remorse and, yes, I have a small pile of returns to make because of it. 

I'm returning the wine glass rack that won't fit in my cupboard.  I may return the over-the-door rack that I didn't need... but it was on clearance so I might use it somewhere else instead.  I bought 2 extra rugs at Ross but paid about $5 each so I'll hoard those and use them to replace other rugs as the cats yak on them and whatnot.  I'm also returning the 6 cube cubie storage thing I bought at Lowe's.... I don't think it will work and, at $40, it was pricey.

I'm keeping the over-the-door organizer I put in the front closet.  I'm keeping the cheap shelf unit I bought for the laundry room... although it may go to organize the shed because it isn't working well in the laundry room.  I'm keeping the clothes pin bag because I've needed one for about 12 months and it was on clearance.

I'm totally keeping the 2" paint trim brush and the new organizing tubs... love them both.

And the paint and flooring samples were free.

I'm still shopping for the perfect organizing shelf system for the laundry room and now I'm shopping for a good way to turn our bathroom into a dressing room.... Damn... why isn't there an ikea in Montana?

Is it Wednesday?

I'm so restless right now.

I'm supposed to be in Colorado.

All week.

And I'm not.

And I'm resentful.

So I've been starting things and not finishing them.... an old bad habit that I fight on a regular basis... I've had it more in control the last few years but when things go bad it comes right back like an eating disorder or hoarding or something.

Is starting and not finishing a certifiable disorder? 

Add to this... my sister-in-law has been here the last few days.  So there is that added bit of stress... it isn't a huge stress or anything because generally she's easy to tolerate and I know she always means well. 

It's just another of my many inadequacies....    I'm a score keeper.  Her kids are involved in all the activities and excel at everything.  Her ten-year-old has a nicer ipod than I do.  Her seven-year-old has nicer clothes than I do.  Forget feeling bad for my kids... I feel bad for me!  It really does strike me how ridiculous I sound when I put it like that...

So to recap:
1.  I start things and don't finish them.
2.  I keep score and secretly deem myself inadequate because I never rank.

Obviously I lack self-discipline.

So I must regiment myself.

1.  Last night I made up kid beds and tidied their room, I set up my flowerbed sprinklers and I cleaned off the front porch.  Can I tell you there were a pair of male socks balled up on the porch (and they weren't from the child....)?  Also an empty cat litter pan and a pile of rocks.  I also stopped on my way home from work and bought treats for "movie" day today at daycare.  I grilled burgers and dogs and played on the hammock with the kids.
2.  This morning I finished cleaning the bathroom, did some laundry, picked up the living room, reconfigured the laundry room, cleaned the fridge and tidied the kitchen.
3.  Tonight I will re-reconfigure the laundry room because i don't like it and banish the new flimsy shelves I bought to the shed where they will help me organize.  Then I will rethink the dreaded laundry room corner.  Pictures soon.  I must also fold the laundry I did this morning and someday I HAVE to vacuum the living room.
4.  Things I have purchased that must be returned:  The shelf hanger thing for wine glasses (doesn't fit my cabinet), the cubbie cubes I bought at Lowe's (too expensive and not the right thing).
5.  Things I must buy:  shaving cream for Hot, kid claratin for Tuff (she's all runny nosed and itchy-eyed for some reason... so I will try claratin), 3 big boxes for the laundry room to store kid memory stuff in.
6.  Things I should clean but haven't:  the computer corner.... A solid 30 minutes of filing and cleaning would probably take care of it but I just haven't done it. 

Ugh.  This is like the third Monday this week.

Why does it look like a freight train went directly through my house??

I always think I have more time in a 3-day weekend than I really do. 

As is typical, I started more projects than I could finish.... Here's the list I emailed to Hot on Friday:

Projects for the weekend: Survey house room-by-room and decide what to pack up for storage. Work on next phase of swing set. Clean carpets again. Work on escape-proofing the dog pen. Sort stuff in the shed and garage. Recycle cardboard. Find basket for Bugsy’s jammies and clear out spare bedroom. Sort & file paperwork. Set up watering system for flower beds (Can you believe it is July 2 and we haven’t watered the flower beds yet??)

Want to know how many of those things actually got done?  Um.  Two.

Hmmm.

Ok... here's what did get done:  Cooking:  meat-on-a-stick (ok, there were veggies as well), steaks on the grill (we need a new grill), rolls (for burgers.... but we ate them all so I have to make more), beans & ham (still need to package and freeze).  Cleaning:  Bathroom is clean (except the shower... I was going to do it this am while I was in it but Bugsy was trying to crawl in with me), Laundry is down to one load and our sheets.  The wind and cold weather are messing with my clothes line.  Spare bedroom is in progress.  I'm trying to decide if I should put the brass full-sized bed frame in there... it would make the space very tight but would give me the option of putting underbed storage for toys.  I got out the next size up clothes for Bug and washed them.... but now I have to figure out how to fit it all in her drawer in the bathroom.... it isn't pretty.  I put her jams in a basket on the bathroom shelf like the big kids but she still has a lot of stuff.... if her FATHER would give up the bottom drawer so she had two drawers my problems would be solved but he thinks he needs it... for what?  I think he is being sentimental... he used to keep his fire clothes in there so he could dress without waking everyone in the house. 

I made a deal with the two big kids....  help me clean your closets and I'll get the little people out of the toy tub in the garage.  We managed to clear a giant laundry basket of clothes out of their room.  Still need to do Tuff's two drawers (summer shirts and summer bottoms) and I left her long-sleeved shirts in the closet even if I think they will be small by fall.  They played little people in the spare bedroom for several hours.  Bugsy would go in, grab a handful of people, and run away as fast as she can... giggling the whole way.  The big kids were not impressed.

I planted iris bulbs and did some retail therapy in the form of storage shelves and a new trim paint brush and lots of paint and flooring samples.  I put all the cardboard in a stack but then realized I might need boxes as I clear out the garage so I didnt' recycle.  Next weekend.  I sorted and purged a few gardening items but I couldn't really get in the mood. 

I put a few more boxes of junk away in the house.... mostly glassware.... I think boxing it all up and then unpacking it is sort of theraputic.  Hot says, "Why not leave it boxed until we really do remodel?" and I'm thinking, "Because it could be years?"  So, to compromise, I'm leaving his glasses boxed up.  That would be the 47 Elk Foundation beer mugs, the giant pilsner glasses we got as wedding gifts and have never used, the 268 "special" coffee mugs and all the rocks glasses.  Ok, not true.... I put the rocks glasses away last night.  We only have 4. 

And, to continue the obsession, we have a lot of wine glasses.  I break them as often as I can but we have a HUGE set of wine and water goblets that all match that were from our wedding.... they take up the whole top shelf... I will break all the wine glasses eventually but we rarely use the water goblets.  We broke both the champagne flutes from our wedding.  We have a set of very sturdy and vaguely ugly wine glasses from our wedding night.  A set of smaller glasses with cobalt blue on them that are a nice smaller size.  And 4 GIANT glasses with painted flowers.  Beautiful and drunk.  A half-bottle of chilled white will fit in one.  A set of very sturdy glasses from Target that I let the kids use sometimes.  And I have a set of gorgeous crystal goblets a friend gave me.... with a long sentimental story behind them.  She also gave me a set of 8 "juice" glasses that are teal and amethyst footed glasses with a special grape pattern on them that reminds me of my grandma.  And a set of tiny vodka-drinking glasses.  And a set of champagne flutes.  And margarita glasses.  And that isn't counting regular drinking glasses and coffee cups.  Oh my.  So much glassware and only one mouth.

I remember when I only had 3 wine glasses and none of them matched. 

Daddy's Girl

Game

Do you play the CVS game? 

I used to play when they had good monthly freebies but I haven't been for a while.

But I needed more sunscreen.

So here's the deal I did today:

(Buy $25 of aveeno, get 10 ECB)
Aveeno face spf100 3oz.  $11.99, sale:  $10.99
Aveeno lotion spf85 4oz. $11.99, sale:  $10.99
Aveeno skin relief 11oz. $11.99, sale:  $9.99
Total Purchase:  $31.97
ECB:  $10
Aveeno rebate:  $10

Go back and get:
Schick Hydro Razor $9.99
Schick intuition blades (3pack) $10.99
Use the $10 ECB from above
Pay $10.98
Get another $10 ECB (buy $20 Schick, get $10ECB)
Then send in for Schick Hydro Rebate of $9.99.

So all in $56.95 worth of stuff.  Saved $4 in sales.  Saved $20 in ECB.  Saved $19.99 in rebates.

Not the best deal I've done but pretty good for all things I want, need and use.  I love the Schick Intuition razor and blades but they are so pricey I consider them a bit of a splurge for summer.  And Hot really needed new razor blades... this way he gets a razor and 5 blades for free.  And we had to buy new sunscreen before this weekend anyway so why not do a deal, right? 

Now to check the ad online to see if they have any other good ECB deals... I've got $10 in ECB to roll before August 1.

Next Project

Well... I have some ideas for the arrowhead display.  But the honest truth is I will probably pack it up and store it before I get to it. 

To the question... are the fires really that bad there?  No.  Not yet.  But we had a wet spring so all the grass and undergrowth is big and drying.  And we have lots of red beetle-kill trees.  And I have a husband who will be at work if the fires are burning and three kids to think about.... so we decided the prudent thing would be to have everything all simplified so if there is an evacuation I can grab the kids, the dog & the cats and get out quickly without worrying about taking anything with me.  I'm buying a second external hard drive and I'll keep everything I have scanned and all of my pictures on it at my office.  That's the most important stuff to me.  I'm slowly but surely scanning older photos into the computer so there are fewer old albums to worry about grabbing.  This weekend I will re-video everything for insurance purposes.  Our insurance agent will keep a flash drive at his office with our video and images on it... so I need to snap pics of computer id's and other things.... all in the name of making my life easier should the shit hit the fan in a real way.

But... the point of this post.... since I won't be working on the arrow head project any time soon.... what do you think of this for a project?  It's the ceiling fan in our room.  Hideous, yes?  Although the paneled ceiling looks much less "yellow pine" in this particular picture.  This was snapped when we first moved in....  I'm thinking:

1.  Change out the glass covers.  (But to what?  And keep in mind it has those swirly-q bulbs in it now.)

2.  Paint the base.  (Silver?  White?  Black?)

3.  Paint the fan blades.  I did the ones in the kids' room navy blue.... mostly because I had some spare navy blue spray paint after my sister did a pair of rodeo queen boots.  What color?  The same color as the walls will someday be?  (I like "smoke" by Benny-Moore.)

These are the other light fixtures in our bedroom... but I kinda dig them.  I think if the bases were painted black/white/silver it would be better.

This is the bedroom in general.  Although that random calendar is off the wall now... WTF?  Obviously Hot saw a spare nail in the wall and couldn't leave it alone.  So you can see there are, basically, only two walls in the bedrooms.

Oh and here's a sneak peak at what is under that ugly peach carpet... I think it is fir.  (Forgive me the milk carton boxes in my closet... I took this when we were packing things up because we thought we were doing a major remodel... I think those boxes were candles and breakables I didn't want to pile in the shed in case they melted.