House of Estrogen

R.I.P. Andy Griffith

photo taken March 2005 - that's Nina in the backpack and Elise in front with their cousins and Andy and Opie.

A Summer Afternoon

"Summer afternoon - summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language"

                                                                    ~ Henry James           

Simple Woman's Daybook, July 2, 2012

For Today...

Outside my window... J.C. spotted a deer in our backyard this week. We get lots of squirrels, bunnies, and foxes, but I think this is the first time we've seen a deer in our yard.

   

   I am thinking... that people who use their iPads to take pictures at school talent shows and camp skits look like idiots. Do they realize how ridiculous they look holding up those giant tablets to take pictures?  I would bet money that every one of them has an iPhone in their pocket too. Why not just take pictures with the iPhone like everybody else? Or heck... be really novel and buy yourself a camera. You can buy a decent one for half the price of an iPad.  Even though the iPad is capable of taking pictures doesn't mean you should use it that way. 

   

 I am thankful for... Addison's first day in her new pre-K class going well today. We requested to move her from the class she had been in to the class next door, and I was a little nervous about her first day. It should be a good move though.

   

 From the kitchen... chicken roll-ups, broccoli, corn on the cob, and biscuits.

     

 I am creating... creative meals out of the pantry and freezer this week. We're trying to make a dent in the extraneous food taking up space... should make for some "interesting" meals. Frozen pizza with ravioli and creamed corn on the side, anyone?

   

I am going... to go broke buying school supplies this week.

   

I am reading... Divergent by Veronica Roth. It is great so far. I've heard people say they liked it better than the Hunger Games series. I'm not convinced it will be that good, but I'm not very far into it yet.... perhaps it keeps getting better.

 

 I am hoping... that the weather cools down soon. These hundred degree days are killer for our aging a/c system.

   

I am hearing... Nina attempting to brush the tangles out of her hair.

   

Around the house... there are fans running everywhere trying to keep the house reasonably comfortable without burning out the a/c.

    

One of my favorite things... this scalp massager that the girls gave me for Christmas. I love that thing. Nina gave me a long massage this morning and then told me I owed her a dollar.

 

A few plans for the rest of the week... just trying to stay cool in the pool, at the movies, at the mall, and any place else that is under 100 degrees. I'm not sure if we'll do the neighborhood 4th of July bike parade or not.

 

Here is a picture thought I am sharing... the "Wall of Pain" at Elise's jump rope gym, with photos of some of the bad whip marks kids have gotten while jumping. Whip marks are almost a badge of honor. A jumper may accidentally whip himself when trying a new trick or jumping really fast, so a bright red whip mark earns some bragging rights.

 

  
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Great Room Swap, Part 1: Addison's New Room

When Nina and Addison first approached me about swapping rooms, I was all, "No way. Nope. Not gonna happen."  Nina was wanting a bigger bed, and Addison was jealous of Nina's bunk beds. I had put too much effort two years ago converting Addison's nursery to a big girl room that I was not about to undo all that work just for bed jealousy issues. Then the girls got J.C. on their side. It was three against one. I was outnumbered, and they were hounding me about it daily. I finally decided that if I could find a way to do it with a minimal amount of painting that I would tackle the swap. Nina's room was mostly lavender. Although I didn't love lavender with the mermaid bedding, I figured I could make it work.

Here is a before shot of the room.... not a bad space per se, just NOT Nina's taste at all any more.

She hasn't been into princesses since she was about five,

and the ballerina window treatment was so 2007.

The vibe of the room was definitely, "I'm three, and I want to be a pink princess ballerina when I grow up" rather than, "I'm eight going on sixteen, and my sisters better stay away from my lip gloss collection."

It just wasn't working for Nina any more.

Now for the big reveal. (These pictures leave me wondering why I didn't use this lens for the before photos. It shows so much more of the room.) My first task was replacing all the yellow with blue to coordinate with the mermaids. Excuse the mess in the top bunk. It is more of a play loft than an actual bed. I didn't bother to tidy it up.

I don't love the lavender paint, but not having to repaint the whole room made me like it more.

Hindsight being 20/20, I would have done this quote in some color other than white. To say it doesn't "pop" is an understatement.

I still love it though.

The room works reasonably well, and most importantly, Addie loves it.

She has her bunk beds now, so all is right with the world (even if the full-size sheets and comforter are a bit saggy on the twin bed).

Next up is the transformation of Addie's original mermaid room to Nina's new cool digs. That's going to take a little more time, money, paint, and furniture though, so don't expect pictures any time soon.