Spring Snow Day

Some might think it's crazy to get a snow storm in April, after having sunny days with people wearing shorts and short sleeves, but...that's just Colorado!

Cleaning out the Closets

This weeks' cleaning task is cleaning out the closets.  I already did the linen closet, which I showed you last week, so on to more!

Coat Closet Before

Coat Closet After

I added nails to the board in the closet to hang the brooms and such.  I used our champagne holder, which we got for our wedding and never use, as an umbrella holder.

It seems that whenever a space opens up, the kids find a way to fill it.  They have made good use out of the open floor space in the coat closet, now.  F and Cb's like to throw all their blankets and stuffed animals in there and create a nest.  The older three have been playing some kind of games in there, not sure what, though.  I just hear the closet door opening and shutting and them running in and out.  Tiny A likes to go in, have you shut the door, and then he pushes it open and laughs when I say, "Peek-a-boo!"  Why do we even have toys?  I think I should get rid of all the toys and provide them with clean open spaces and cardboard boxes to play in.  If only I could bring myself to do it.

My Closet Before

My Closet After

Piano Playing Cb's

Last month, Cb's participated in Student Achievement Day.  It was for any music students in Fort Collins and it was held at the CSU music building.  Each student prepared a "Music in Nature" art project, one memorized piece, scales, and another piece which they played for a judge.  B and F took Cb's and her judge was so nice and sweet.  Cb's didn't even look nervous in the videos.  I'm glad she did this because I think it is really good practice and will help her to be more confident and not so nervous as she gets older.

She made a piano with her art teacher and used twigs for the legs.

The performances!

Afterwards, B took them out for a celebratory ice cream cone!  All performances should end with ice cream (hmmm, maybe that's been programed into my thinking because my mom and dad used to take me out for a blizzard after all my concerts).:)  The tradition continues!

Resurrection Day Recap

Dying eggs

We used a traditional dying technique for our eggs, this year.  Just dip and sit.  I look forward to getting more creative and adventurous as the kids get older.  This was easy, fun and doable for them, though, and that's the point. 

After church was over, we had a pretty relaxed Resurrection Day.  We only had one of the college students join us for our feast.  This was actually quite nice because he is a really sweet, kind of shy guy,  which allowed us to get to know him better without distractions of having to entertain a bunch of people.

 Lunch/dinner was turkey, Brussels sprouts, potatoes and rolls.

The rolls were stuck together in the freezer, so I had to thaw them all.  This made for some nice big chewy rolls.  Yum!  I love bread!

I made pumpkin pie bars for dessert.

On Good Friday we Jesus was crucified on the cross and then we buried him  in our Easter tomb.  So, on Resurrection Sunday the kids opened the tomb and Jesus' body was gone!  He has risen!

Dying Eggs

Project Simplify

My friend, Rachel, invited her blog readers to join her in Project Simplify, a spring cleaning challenge.  I love finding better ways to organize the spaces in my house, especially since I have eight little hands helping to mess it all up.  So, I accepted the challenge and am proud to say that I have officially re-organized and cleaned four spaces already this week!  This weeks' focus is on drawers and shelves. 

I have a dream of walking into my bedroom and feeling like it is a quiet sanctuary full of peace and tranquility, safe from the clutter and congestion of the rest of the house.  

Not so much, as you can see in the before pictures.  This has to change!  Which led me to my first hot spots to tackle, my dresser and nightstand.

I hung a self-adhesive hook by the door to hang my purse on, rather than setting it on my dresser.  I also down-sized my lotion collection.  How many lotions does one person need, especially after they've been sitting on my dresser for years.

I used this old CD holder I found in the garage to keep my books nice and tidy on my nightstand shelf.  Someone at church gave B this cute little flowered suitcase (intended for kid use, but usurped by me) which I'm using to hold my bible study materials.  Then, when I want to do my devotionals/bible study, I just grab the suitcase and have my quiet time.

Next, I grabbed my handy-dandy label maker (love it!) and went to work on the hall closet.  I was able to free up space by donating a lot of unused towels to the thrift shop.  

My rags used to be stored in a paper grocery bag, so I relocated them to a cuter pink bucket.  I put all my extra pillowcases in a little basket and then put the sheet sets together by putting the sheets inside their matching pillowcase.  

On the door, I had a shoe holder that I had cut in half, for another project, and hung that with adhesive hooks to hold spray bottles, cleaners, etc.

Last, I attacked this catch-all area.  This is the spot where papers get tossed and electronics get charged.  

After perusing cord organizing ideas on the internet and Pinterest, I came up with this.  

I found an unused basket in the basement and put the cords through the woven basket pieces.  The devices being charged can sit in the basket while they are being charged.  At the moment, F's mp3 player is the only thing being charged.  

I labeled plastic fasteners (from bread bags) for each device and placed it on the corresponding cord.  This will make it easier to locate the cord needed as well as bind it up to keep things from getting messy and tangled.

I have a few more hot spots that I'd like to hit in this week's challenge, so we'll see if I get to them.  So far, this project has been very satisfying.  I hope we can maintain these spaces.

My 33rd Birthday!

B planned a fantastic birthday for me.  He thought of all the things I liked and planned the perfect outings.

To start, he gave me my favorite candy (M&M's), a subscription to "Real Simple" (because I love organizing stuff) and a pair of cowgirl boots that I wanted (Fat Babies).

Then, B arranged for a friend from church to come over and watch the kids while he took me out to breakfast at my favorite restaurant, Lucille's.  Yummy!  Nothing like a truck load of powdered sugar poured on top of a beignet to start the morning off!

After coming home for a brief stint to hang out with the kids, two more friends from church came over to watch the kids while B whisked me off to one of my favorite restaurants for lunch in Old Town, Coopersmith's.  Again...yummy!

Afterwards, we walked around and looked at some shops, not forgetting to stop at my favorite dessert shop, Mary's Mountain Cookies, for a big M&M cookie.  Yummy!  While strolling through Old Town we stopped in on a new store, The Perennial Gardener, which had a plethora of fun outdoor/garden accessories.  I definitely want to go back there, it was a lot of fun.  They also sold these delicious smelling soaps that I am very tempted to buy.  Another yummy moment (for the nose this time).

We stopped at Whole Foods, which sells beautiful flowers, and B let me pick out a birthday bouquet.  Beautiful and they smelled so fresh!

He also swung by my favorite coffee shop, the Human Bean, to get me my favorite coffee drink, the Blue Moon (blueberry mocha).  Can I say...yummy!

In the afternoon, C and F took advantage of the snow left on the ground and built this snowman all by themselves.  Such great little builders and wonderful teamwork!

My caked was an orange M&M ice cream cake from Safeway.  As you can see, tiny A was a big fan!  

F was the videographer and B was the bagpiper, accompanied by the Maston Family Singers! It was a yummy cake!

B did so much for me during the day and I thought it was all over, but I was wrong!  After the kids went to bed, he drew me a bath with my favorite scented candle and bath salts (eucalyptus), and then set up a floor picnic complete with Mimosas, strawberries and M&M's.  We relaxed and watched Psych.  It was so wonderful!  

Thank you for being such an amazing and thoughtful husband, B.  You gave me the perfect birthday and I love you!  I loved spending time with just you and also getting to spend time with the kids in between.  A great balance to the day.  Overall, I'd sum the day up with one word...yummy!