Hell's Kitchen

My kitchen has been reduced to this:We're making progress don't you think? Who needs anything more that an old stove anyway? Running water is highly overrated. And...walls schmalls.

It may not seem so, but we made incredible progress this weekend. Randal took a few vacation days to get the kitchen ready for cabinet installation tomorrow. Some issues were resolved and we were able to sneak in time to finish enough of the wood floor to make way for the kitchen professionals. Thanks to Andy and Patrick for all their help Saturday. Tomorrow the kitchen will begin to be a kitchen again. I cannot wait!Many of you have asked for pictures. I haven't wanted to post the mayhem until I have great after shots to show we don't actually live in a shack. Soon.

In the meantime, let me wet your appetite with these:

old door

new door

What will we be doing for food in the meantime? Well, McDonald's changed their happy meal toys. I consider our slate wiped clean when new toys are offered thus erasing my shame. Yet another bonus to get us through the next few weeks!

(Addie with TWO McDonald's watches. Oh there's a third one kicking around here somewhere. See what I mean by shame.)

Slogan Central

I'm worried. My son has a new past time--advertising sponge. He excitedly tells me the of the latest and greatest products he has seen advertised on TV, even repeating phrases right out of the commercials. For example, the other day he asked if I was aware that Sketchers "feel like you're walking on air." For weeks he has been explaining the key points of the rather extensive Wii fit campaign. (I think he's got me sold on that one.) And his latest--cereal straws where, he says, you can "dip, sip and munch." He is on an all-out campaign to get me to buy them.

For the most part his interests have remained with children's products. But last night, in the car, he noticed a billboard for Progressive car insurance. He launched into a HUGE explanation about how we could save on our car insurance if we were safe drivers. He figured I could probably save but Dad wasn't a safe driver on account of his speeding tickets. "So Mom," he finished, "You can 'call or click today' and save some money."

Let me just emphatically mention my kid does not watch that much TV. We were, in fact, driving home from the library when this conversation took place. He happens to have his dad's uncanny ability to accurately memorize lines from movies, television and music extremely well. (At least that's what I tell myself to justify any bad habits.)

Egg-Cellent

Yesterday Ethan had the day off from school. It was a little too chilly to spend any kind of time outside and I was very busy handling a renovation complication. By mid-afternoon I started to fell badly that the kids had done nothing all day.

Thanks to Family Fun I found a last-minute Easter activity--paper mache eggs. A little messy but a lot of fun.
As Adelaide was intently working, her egg brushed up against her forehead leaving a sticky piece of tissue behind. Each time she tried to focus on it her eyes would cross. It was so dang funny. I cannot believe I managed to get a picture.Seeing this had been so funny, Ethan wanted to join in too. His piece of tissue was intentionally placed but his desire to make me laugh was sincere.
I wish I could show a lovely picture of our 3 beautiful eggs, but they cracked and ripped during drying. I was a paper mache dropout in grade school. What made me think this time would be any different? Oh well, we had an hour of fun together and I do not feel compelled to keep the projects hanging around, so win win anyway.

Yes We Can!

A good litmus test construction is dragging on a bit too long:

1. Enlisting a 2-year-old to do the work...
2. ...while sporting a workman's half-moon.
and
3. Utter exhaustion after long days of blatant child labor violations.

Go Green

Ethan declared this St. Patrick's Day to be the best day ever! I wouldn't go so far as to say it was the best ever but we sure did have a lot of fun.

Randal and I decided we needed to jazz up some of the lesser known holidays without going too over the top. After a visit from pesky Leprechauns who rearranged furniture, mixed up couch cushions and left gold-wrapped Rolos behind I think we achieved it. By the way, rearranging furniture in a displaced house because of renovations is no small feat. We wondered if the kids would be more likely to notice the changes if instead we actually cleaned up the place.

Ethan and Addie ran around to see what had been done in the night. Ethan excitedly said the Leprachauns had really messed up the bathroom counter but did not leave any Rolos. That was not the intention, it was just my mess of hair and makeup from the day before.

The kids' favorite part was the Leprechauns gift of Lucky Charms--a box for each of them so they wouldn't have to share. Although the entire day I couldn't pry the green, theater-size box of Mike and Ikes from Addie's hands so she would probably argue they were her favorite part.

We took advantage of the great spring weather we've been enjoying the past two days to fly some dollar store kites gifted by the Leprechauns. With little wind Ethan still managed to figure it out. Addie let Randal fly her kite--it was too difficult to hold on to the the string and the mangled box of candy.
I'm not in to coloring food green. It gives me the heebie jeebies. I did manage green beans and green punch with dinner. Ethan even made a centerpiece honoring the night visit of the Leprechauns.

And come to think of it, I love Rolos--perhaps this was the best day ever.

But why am I feeling like such a liar?

Peaches vs. Blueberries

Have you ever had a day where you work and work only to find yourself right back where you started having accomplished nothing?

That was Saturday.

After a long, but extremely successful, painting process in the kitchen I moved on to the family room. Randal and I had chosen a paint color we both liked. We even purchased a small sample can and painted patches around the room to ensure we still liked the color. Well, after an afternoon spent painting the room I HATED it. So did Randal. It was awful. It hurt my eyes. And worst of all, it looked strangely peach in color. I hate peach. I was so frustrated. Randal kindly primed the walls again for me but by that time it was too late to begin again. We went to bed with the room in the exact same condition it had been that morning.

Thankfully I had one of these babies in the freezer to console me:

A while back, I found a recipe for Best Ever Blueberry Muffins in a magazine. I find I have to try any recipe that claims to be the best...ever. It turns out these muffins weren't just giving themselves airs. Yum! The recipe makes a lot, but they freeze nicely--perfect for a miserable day painting.

Best Ever Blueberry Muffins

2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
4 large eggs
16 oz. sour cream
10 Tbs. unsalted butter
2 cups brown sugar
2 cups quick-cooking oats
2 cups blueberries (if using frozen, do not thaw)
2 Tbs. sugar

Line 2 muffin tins with liners. In a saucepan, melt butter and brown sugar; cool 5 minutes. Combine flour, baking powder, soda and salt; set aside. In a separate bowl, beat eggs with sour cream. Beat brown sugar mixture into egg mixture; stirring frequently. Add oats. Fold in flour mixture. Gently stir in blueberries. Fill muffin cups. Sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 375 for 25 minutes. Cool 5 minutes then remove to finish cooling on rack.

PS--I only managed to entice 4 people to take my challenge in the post below. One was my mom and I'm certain she was just humoring me. It's not too late to leave a comment so I can send you something in the mail. I promise I'll make it worth your while. I may not know how to do much, but I have been known a time or two to rise to the occasion when it comes to things handmade.

Pay It Forward

I absolutley have to do this! From my friend Jill's blog:

So, here's how it works: the first 3 people to leave a comment on this post will receive, at some point during the year a handmade gift from me. What it will be and when it will arrive is a total surprise! The catch is that you must participate as well. Before you leave your comment, write up a pay it forward post on your blog to keep the fun going (or copy and paste like I did). Then come back, let me know you're going to play and sit back and anticipate the arrival of your gift! Come and play!

For anyone who is interested leave a comment. I'll be glad to send something to everyone who leaves a comment, not just the first three! This is going to be so much fun!

Have you heard of paper?

I failed to mention our trip took us through Scranton, PA again. We passed Staples. Randal and I wondered if it was this Staples.

If I haven't said it before, I love The Office.

Family Retreat

We took a siesta from painting for are little fun in the sun. Actually no sun. Well, fabricated sun.

We stayed two nights at the Great Wolf Lodge in Pocono, Pennsylvania. We were looking to run away from home for a short trip. Hotel amenities with an indoor water park seemed just the ticket. In the lobby Ethan wondered what kind of animal is a wolf. I told him it was like a wild dog. He asked, "wild like this?" and proceeded to flail around in his crazy dance. More like eat people wild was my response. In the most manly and unafraid tone possible, he asked if there were really going to be wolves in the water park. I truly did not intend to scare him, I just wanted him to stop looking like a dance fever victim. What a great time! (If you do not include the speeding ticket Randal received not two miles from home and the wild goose chase in the back woods of PA at the hands of our GPS.)

The water park is open only to those staying at the lodge. It's huge. Not Raging Waters huge, mind you; but large enough to have a number of slides, a wave pool and plenty of play places shallow enough for Adelaide. It was fun, kid friendly and clean. As clean as pools can get, that is. I tried to ignore the band aids I saw washed up in the grate of the lazy river. Eew! Grosser still--Adelaide trying to convince me the water tasted good.
Ethan and I were slide buddies. He's about as adventurous as I am so we're a good fit. I did talk him into trying the one that takes a more sudden drop into something like a toilet bowl that swirls you around and around until is sucks you down the center hole. We faced our fears together. Just once. Once was enough for both of us.

Randal's number one goal of the trip was to get Adelaide to stop calling him by his first name. He failed. She's still calling him Randal. Yet judging by this picture clearly she loves him best.
Ethan did learn a lesson in gaining one's trust. Adelaide had figured out how to relax and float on her back in her life jacket. She liked having Randal and I gently push her back and forth in the water as she floated. Ethan wanted to join in. We made a triangle passing her to one another. It wasn't long before Ethan peskily shoved Adelaide so that she would flip and get a face full of water. She expelled him from her circle of trust. This really bothered him. After a chat about earning back her trust, he tried everything under the sun to be her friend. Soon she let him join the game again. He was so careful and protective this time. I hope he remembers the lesson.
We ate dinner at Red Robin--a special treat given it's a family favorite and we no longer live near one. The place was busy and noisy. Exhausted after a day in the water, Adelaide slept the entire time unfazed. She never took a bite. Strawberry shakes didn't even rouse her.
The lodge had more than the water park. There were activities and games too. One game consisted of a magician's wand ($$--Randal is such a sucker!) and quests to find hidden clues and crystals in pictures and treasure chests positioned around the four floors of the the lodge. Ethan loved this. Randal patiently took him on quest after quest so that he could find enough tokens to slay the dragon (and get our money's worth). Meanwhile I stayed in the room with a sleeping child and read. Score!
And now we're home. With three less layers of skin on the bottoms of our feet. Relaxed but tired. Feeling like we've tasted a hint of summer even if it was under false pretenses. One thing was missing, however...we remain untanned.