It is Finally Done!

Well, as done as it's going to get for a while.

Do you remember this post? or these pictures? I couldn't stand it any more. The Aileen's tacky glue finally got to me. I couldn't find it. I knew that I had at least three unopened bottles and at least two opened ones, but couldn't find any of them. If I dug into these piles, I might find them, but then I couldn't shut the door or get out! (Keep in mind, these pictures were taken in November, it was sooo much worse.)

So on Saturday, I just pulled everything out and put it in the playroom and started going through it all. I found the glue along with the two boxes I thought I had lost in the move and a box that I thought I had lost in the orginal move from Utah. Is is exactly as I want it? No, but I find myself thinkng of reasons to go in the bonus room now, instead of opening the door, tossing unneeded items and then quickly slamming the door shut.

My next project is shelves in the garage above the garage door. I can put all my totes up there and get the bonus room ready for Jensyn-and me. I have grand ideas for a craft area outside her bedroom.

An Update, Sort Of!

Just wanted to let you all know that we have finally booked our flights to Utah for our annual summer trip. We will arrive in Zion on Wednesday, July 21st and return to the Old North State on Tuesday, August 10th.

I do have lots and lots of other things to post, and promise to get to them this week. I equate blogging to visiting teaching. As long as I get it all in before the end of the month it counts, right??

The Fairy Party

Leighton decided that she wanted a fairy party. She wanted everyone to dress like a fairy, have fairy wands, play pin the wand on the fairy, have a fairy treasure hunt, and have fairy berries, pixie sticks, and cake. I decided to hit up invite our friends to join the fun. Riley's birthday is the day after Leighton's. We decided to have a double party. Riley's actual response was, 'Ms. Leslie, I want to DO it.' Jessica rented a bowery (pavilion for those of you not in Utah) at the local park and away we went. I made most of the decorations and Jessica picked up last minute things. She was going to order the cakes, but Leighton couldn't make up her mind. Hence, Riley had an awesome fairy cake and Leighton had a plain homemade cake.

But, on to the preparations... Leighton insisted on picking fresh strawberries to make her fairy berries. Can you see her in the picture? She had to pick the best ones for her friends. This is her haul.




On to the day of the party....

It all started at 10 a.m. and was scheduled to be over at 11:30.
(Thanks for the advice, Megan 'The Birthday Guru")
I had made a tulle canopy to hang above the table, but it fell and was taped up on the side. The girls loved it! The flowers in the canopy were actually hair clips. The fairies got to pick two of their favorites as a party favor.

These flowers were attached to "pixie" sticks and served as a centerpiece until the end.

On to our fairy treasure hunt. Leighton and Riley had hidden little gemstone rings in the woods and the fairies went searching. They didn't want to give up when there was only one left. This took way longer than I thought it would. This was also where I stopped taking pictures. I misplaced my camera and Super-Jess took over. Thanks!

Now on to Pin the Wand on the Fairy. I used the school's overhead to trace this fairy onto poster board. The girls each had a star with their initial in **GLITTER** on it. I forgot a blindfold, so we used a pair of Jensyn's pants.

When they were done, they wanted to play it again.

Now on to cake....I do want to mention that I brought my luncheon sets that I have been collecting for several years. The girls were great and I didn't lose one piece.

Also, the fairy berries--ARRGGHH! My thought was strawberries dipped in melted white chocolate that was tinted pink with food coloring. Well, adding food coloring to the melted chocolate changed the consistency and we had scooped berries, not dipped. If you closed your eyes and ate them, they were fine. And since they were all eaten, I guess it wasn't a total failure.

The whole clan of fairies.

Blowing out the candle. No, her face isn't dirty she got poison ivy, AGAIN!

Next, decorating the edible fairy wands.

So good (SUGAR!) that it made her eyes roll back in her head.

Riley decorating her wand and showing her blue tongue.

We didn't have enough time to open presents, so each girl picked her two flower clips, her pixie sticks and that was that. We were cleaned up and cars repacked by 12:02. That is how you do a party. Thanks, Jess!

We have decided to follow the crowd and only do a friend party every other year, so Jess and Riley you are on your own next year.

Leighton is 6

This is Leighton first thing in the morning. She does not like to get up early for school and fights valiantly to stay in bed just a little longer. I asked her what she wanted for breakfast on her birthday, expecting some extravagant item that would require me to wake up at five and begin preparations. She came up with Poptarts, brown sugar and cinnamon. Look at the happiness!
The night before, Dee and I realized that because her party was Saturday, we had neglected to get her a present to open on her birthday. Blogger to the rescue. I took a shirt that she had refused to wear on numerous occasions, picked out some cute fabric and using Pellon fusible webbing (which I found out is made by Dee's new employer), made her a 'new' birthday shirt. Not bad, for two hours before bedtime and no trip to the store.
She also wanted to take her lunch. I know, she is just full of demands!
Well, here comes the tough part. I, regrettably, showed her rainbow cupcakes in a magazine. To which she excitedly exclaimed, 'I want to take those to school!'
Way to go, Leslie! Next time wait until after her birthday to show her stuff like that.

I dropped the girls off at school and got back to start on the cupcakes.
I separated the batter into six different bowls and colored them appropriately.
I slowly layered, in 24 cupcake liners, purple, then blue, then green, then decided that this was for the birds and started dumping, quickly, yellow, then orange, then finally red. It was incredibly time consuming and I was complaining the entire time.

They came out of the oven like this: I was dying to break one open. But, 22 students plus one teacher and one assistant equals 24, so I had to wait. I brought them to school and started passing them out. The kids were 'ooh'ing and 'aah'ing and 'cool'ing. That made me hate them a lot less.

This is a very blurry picture of the teacher assistant's.

The smile on this little girl made it all worth it! She got home and said that it was her best birthday ever!

Mine too, baby, mine too.

Anyone for Tea?

Leighton and Carly were invited to a Mother and Daughter Tea with the Girl Scouts. They had finger foods, punch, learned about fans, the language of fans, and etiquette. I forgot my camera, but Michelle and Melissa were nice enough to share the pictures they took. (I am still waiting for the pictures of Leighton stuffing her face full of sugar cubes right after the etiquette lesson.) This is Leighton, Autumn and Taylor. Carly was in rare form. She was posing anytime she saw a camera. She was cracking me up.

A full body pose.

The girls speaking with their fans. This means follow me.

All of the girls from their troop who attended. They all grow up so fast.

Note: Carly and Autumn will both turn 10 this summer, Taylor is almost 6 months younger and at least a foot taller. Lucky girl!

Can You Spot the Difference?

After nearly twelve years of service, the cream couches have gone.They have been replaced with these chocolate microfiber beauties. Now I must revamp my entire decorating scheme in this room. (Yeah, right! Maybe next year.)

International Festival

The girl's school put on an International Festival. Carly wanted to wear traditional Mexican clothes. This was as close as I could get.

I am thinking a little closer to Bollywood, but she was happy and that's all that matters. Anyway how can we compete with kids whose parents are actually straight from Mexico? Carly did an excellent job with the words and the hand motions. She was very animated as you can see from these pictures.

Leighton was asked to wear a plain red or orange shirt for her 'The World is a Rainbow' song. This is as close as she got (oh, I had plain red and plain orange, but nothing that suited her)

She, amazingly, participated in the actions and the singing and here is proof.

I love the expression on the little boy to Leighton's left. 'You want me to do WHAT?'

It's Not MY Fault

My friend, Amanda, dropped off Leighton's car seat this morning before school. She had a few minutes until drop off and didn't want to wait for me in the parking lot. (Okay, so I usually hit the parking lot at three minutes until the bell rings and turn in on two wheels, whatever!) When Carly saw Ms. Amanda, IN HER MINIVAN, she got so excited. Amanda, innocently, asked if the girls were ready and mentioned she could just drop them off along with her kids.

Carly had been dragging her feet all morning and still had to wash her face, brush her teeth, do her hair and put on her shoes. (Now you see WHY I am always running late.) I told Amanda they weren't ready, thanked her and closed the door. Carly was crushed. She ran up the stairs as fast as she could, huffing and whining. I could hear her coaching herself as she brushed her teeth, combed her hair and washed her face, 'I can be fast, I can be fast. Fast, Fast, Fast.'

As she came down the stairs, three minutes later, she told me, "Call Ms. Amanda and tell her that I am ready." "I want to go in her minivan!" I explained to her that Ms. Amanda was already on her way home. I told her that she should hurry a little faster in the morning. That way, the next time Ms. Amanda comes over in the morning, she could go in her minivan. Carly looked at me with an exasperated facial expression and said, 'It's not my fault, I have slow feet!'

You're telling me?