Happy 11th birthday, Sydney!

Our Sydney is 11!

It feels like yesterday that she was born, and it also feels like we've known her our whole lives.

She remains THE most fun and adventurous person I've ever met, and is the best "guinea pig" firstborn for our family.

We celebrated Sydney's day with plenty of sugar, Popeye's fried chicken for dinner (her choice), presents, and a lot of outside play.

Happy, HAPPY 11th birthday, Sydney! We love you!

Finished Bedside Drawer Sets

I keep wanting to call them bedside tables, but since they're not tables, I'll go with drawer sets.

I realize at first glance this appears to be a picture of only our white bed, but it was difficult to get a good angle that included both bedside drawer sets (this spot is the furthest I can back up in the room without being in the closet). 

I'm really happy with how they turned out, and the spray-painted gold hardware makes a big difference all on its own!

We already spray-painted the hardware for the dresser, but I don't imagine us actually painting the dresser until well into February. Which is fine. 

Happy Tuesday!

Happy Sunday!

How was your weekend?

Ours was enjoyable. We all went to Lowe's Saturday morning, then I went to the grocery store afterward. This morning we went to church, after which we picked up donuts (this has become our Sunday morning post-church tradition).

In addition to those things we did laundry, fixed meals, washed dishes, recovered from last week, and prepared for the next week.

Speaking of last week, LAST Friday (as in, over a week ago) I mopped the floors (a chore I had neglected entirely too long, and neglected again this week because we've had rain and it feels pointless to mop the floors when the ground outside is wet and muddy). Anyway, every time I mop the floors I move the kitchen chairs into the living room, and the kids play "train." It's a fantastic game, because one of them hands out books and magazines, and they all just sit there reading for a long time and the house is really quiet while I mop. Monster played the role of conductor:

This picture was from church last week (I didn't take a picture this week):

Let me remind you that Monster is a very tolerant cat. Ruthie wrapped her church cardigan around him like a scarf, and he was totally fine with it:

Have a GREAT start to your work week!

Back to School

The kids and I go back to school tomorrow, by which I mean that our homeschool group starts its Tuesday meetings again tomorrow. 

Usually I am beyond ready to go back, but this year I've thoroughly enjoyed the break, and may have a bit of trouble getting back into our normal routine.

(I always tell Lorelei she has angel hair.)

Also, we FINALLY finished Chet's and my bedside tables. Here is one of them (Chet's):

They were NOT finished by the Monday after the New Year (January 4th) like I had hoped/planned. The weekend had ended, and Chet and I agreed we could work on them throughout the week. But then Monday (January 4th) our washing machine broke, so Chet had to take it apart to determine the problem Monday night. (He thankfully DID determined the problem and ordered the parts; my neighbor was out of town and gave us permission to use her washing machine at our convenience for the week.)

Tuesday was Ford's birthday, so there was no painting to be done that day. By the time Wednesday rolled around, we had lost painting steam. 

The washing machine parts arrived Friday, and Chet fixed it Friday night. (Hallelujah!)

Saturday and Sunday (January 9th and 10th) we finished the dressers. I keep calling them dressers, but they are more like mini-dressers/bedside tables. The actual (large) dresser still needs to be painted. We accept and appreciate all prayers that it will get done before we move this summer.

Happy Monday!

Happy Birthday, Chet!

It's Chet's birthday!

I was actually gone most of the day, to a previously-scheduled tutor planning meeting for our homeschool group. Chet worked from home to stay with the kids, and even though he still had to work, he said it was really nice being home on his birthday.

When I got home from my meeting, Sydney said, "Dad talked on the phone all day." I replied, "Well, he WAS working." This made it sound like he talks on the phone for a living, which is probably sometimes what it feels like to Chet.

We ate steak and grilled zucchini and squash for dinner. Chet cooked, because he's better at it. He would happily cook every night (and I would happily let him), as long as I do the meal planning and grocery shopping. Those tasks he enjoys less, and I don't mind them (much).

Chet always chooses key lime pie for his birthday dessert:

Ruthie asked, "What's in this?!" (She wasn't a fan.) Lorelei said, "Keys and lime."

Everyone in the family except me loves whipped cream, so this ALWAYS happens when there's a can in our refrigerator:

Yikes.

After dinner was cleaned up and the kids were bathed, Chet opened his cards and presents. We gave him a Naval Academy sweatshirt and a meat thermometer. Ruthie was insistent he needed something else, so she took the box his shirt was wrapped in and put two of her stuffed animals in it. When it was time for bed a few minutes later, she asked him, "Is it okay if I take this one back?"

Now Chet is downstairs on the couch, putting his feet up and watching woodworking YouTube videos (a great way to end a birthday). We really, REALLY love him, and hope that he feels as special as we think he is!

Happy birthday, Chet!

Happy 7th birthday, Ford!

Our boy is seven!

It's fun living again in the town where he was born (I felt the same way last year). It makes the memories of his arrival so much more...I don't know. Connected? 

We had a pretty normal day, and a couple of his presents (from us) have yet to arrive, but it was overall a great birthday.

This picture was last night (his last night of being six), right after his shower:

Sydney made pancakes this morning:

Chet was able to come home for lunch and watch him open a couple of presents. He played outside all afternoon with neighborhood friends, his usual and favorite activity (a HUGE bonus of living in the south -- outdoor play all winter).

He elected to have ice cream sundaes instead of cake for his special dessert:

It was a LOT of sugar (for all of them):

Tonight, while we were putting him to bed and he was saying prayers, he said, "And thank you that I turn seven in two hours." (He was born at 9:59 p.m.)

That's Ford in a nutshell for you.

Happy birthday, Ford/Buddy! We love you!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

After dinner and baths last night, we watched the movie "Spies in Disguise" with the kids. It was enjoyable, but I, of course, fell asleep anyway.

The kids went to bed a little later than usual (9:30 p.m.), and Chet and I were in bed by 10 p.m. 

We didn't even attempt to ring in the new year. MIDNIGHT IS SO LATE.

(I was awakened by fireworks at midnight though, so in a way, I DID ring it in, right?!)

Today I started the painting project, specifically painting MY bedside table:

There is no "after" picture yet. The project is still in progress, and I've learned many things about painting furniture today.

I had planned on doing the project all by myself, but when I asked Chet for some sandpaper mid-afternoon, he inserted himself into the project.

Which is a good thing, because it turns out I don't really enjoy painting furniture, and he happens to be really good at it.

Even though Chet is already a painting expert, he learned a thing or two about chalk paint today. We decided to water down the paint a little, and started painting HIS bedside table with the thinner paint. It's working much better.

I need to get a new paintbrush at Lowe's tomorrow, and probably a different sealant than I originally bought, but we will recommence tomorrow. Hopefully mine only needs one more (thinned out) coat of paint plus the sealant, and Chet's probably needs two more coats plus the sealant. I'm optimistic we'll start the week with two finished products.

So far, so good, 2021!