She's crafty

Here is our project of the weekend. I LOVE stuff you can store stuff in. So Ava and I bought these plain brown stacking hat boxes and we bought a three dollar stencil and painted them up. The top one has a scrapbooking stamp and some ribbon. The bottom two I sanded a bit to give them a faded look. I love the pop of color they add to my room. And extra storage, what is not to love?

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Dining room fun

Our whole house is white. Well, the new house. We decided to sit on the white walls until the summer which is

A. Better for Ava's asthma
B. Helps give us time to look at back splashes and accessories
C. Gives us time to live in the space and get a feel for what will work

So I wanted to add some color and they happen to have canvas on sale at AC Moore. I bought a 30x 40 and went to town. Our kitchen is black and gray with the warm hues of the bamboo on the floor. We have red accents in the chair cushions and the teapot...So I knew I wanted red and warm....

This is what we got so far!

Work in progress but so far I love it! It reminds me of a dock and the setting sun. What does it look like to you?

I wish upon a star...

We decided to style up Ava's new room with some rub on star appliques. Even Michael got in on the action. It was super easy, and although they were a bit expensive, they are easy to remove and do not damage the paint. I made a chalk line to help lead us across the wall and the kids did the rest!

Organization

I LOVE organization.

Love, love, love it!

So when I saw these at Marshalls I knew I had to have them. They are perfect for library books (centralized location so we don't lose any) and for random toys I pick up throughout the day. As well as those odds and ends we like to keep around but don't have a designated place for.

The chalk markers Meghan and I found recently came in handy again. They don't smudge as easily as chalk and therefore are better to handle. 

Or

All me

 A friend of mine mentioned recently that she loved what they did with my hair. Me thinking back realized nothing had been done with my hair in a long time. When she said "It's all sparkly!" I knew it was time to do something about the gray.  So, I spent Saturday day at the adorable Options Salon and Spa. And I came out with the cutest hair cut. Ava took some pictures of me to share. And the highlights and lowlights cover the gray perfectly. I think it was just the pick me up I was needing!!

Special O

Every year I think, this is it. This is the year that he isnt going to want to participate in the special olympics and every year he is SOOOO excited to go. This year he told me one of his friend's parents wouldn't let him participate and it made me so sad. Derek and I talked about it and we can't imagine why anyone would say no. It is such a rewarding and positive experience. And although Michael looks normal on the outside and is very high functioning, so much so that most people don't realize his issues until getting to know him, he still has his challenges. I would sign Ava up if she would qualify because it gives all people a chance to interact with others that have special needs and to be cognicent of how hard other people have to work and how special each and every one of us is. I think that if more children had this exposure they wouldnt be so quick to judge and pick on other children.

There is a little boy on our bus who has physical challenges and the kids pick on him mercilessly. Ava always tells me that the other kids are mean and that she sticks up for the little boy. (So proud!) And Michael reports that the other kids are mean and tease the little boy but he doesnt know what to do about it so he looks out the bus window. I asked Ava what does Michael do when the other kids are mean? And she said, "He looks out the window." So I guess that is his coping mechanism. We talked ALOT about bullying and telling the bus driver and trying in our own subtle ways to express how this mean-ness makes us feel and others feel. For each person that we teach to be accepting and understanding and patient is another person on our side.

Tubby time

The kids LOVED the tubs at the hotel. Especially Henry. It only got better when Mama Sue bought the kids some Avon body paints and delicious smelling body wash!

Lions, mice and bears... oh my!

We had so much fun the first time we just had to sign up for spring cupcake class. We made - mice with cheese, polar bears and lions. They were cute and delicious! And we had a blast!!

Where do I begin!

It has been so long - I don't even know where to begin! Believe it or not, life didnt stop just because we were living like nomads. Bear with me as I try to catch you all up on some of the happenings around here over the last month!

Here is Michael with his Maine delicacy (whoopie pie). This happens to be the BIGGEST whoopie pie ever, from his favorite breakfast place, Big G's. He came home with it after his big boy weekend with just him at Mama Sue's and Aunt Patsy's.

Good thing he had 4 other people to share it with! This called for - LOTS of teethbrushing.

Home sweet home...

We aren't there yet, but we are getting closer. You can feel the excitement in the air as we wait with bated breath to hear the "It's safe!"

We have been displaced now for nearly a month. Living at first at a very kind friend's house and then in a hotel the last 3 weeks. And although we are enjoying the towel fairy (that cleans up the towels off the floor), the pool and the already made and waiting breakfasts, we are SOOOO ready to be at home. In our own space. In our own beds. Eating our own food.

The kids will miss the pool but they are going to be so happy to be reunited with their toys.

One of the first things I am going to do? Probably cook and clean. And I wont worry if the kids are too loud or if I have to raise my voice. I wont worry about the trail of muffin crumbs Henry leaves where ever he goes. I wont have to worry about hotel keys, carrying bags of stuff up and down the stairs and driving to and from daycare, school, work an extra 15 miles.

I can't wait!!!!!

Swimming in love

During this time of extreme stress Derek and I have felt nothing but blessed. We may be living in a hotel, eating fast food, herding our children from place to place like nomads but we have ultimately been soo lucky.

We have had people coming out of the woodwork to offer their help during our time of need. Our church community has been fantastic. I have never felt so lucky to belong to such a caring and friendly group.

Our friend's the Bishop family let us live at their house! All five of us and trust me- we are not that quiet. We are anything but unobtrusive. They made us feel nothing but welcome in their space. It was amazing.

Michael's teachers made us meals. Big home cooked piles of comfort food. With love just pouring out.

The cleaning ladies at my work bought an enormous bag of toys to keep the kids occupied while in the hotel. Things to color, to read, robots, balls and squishy toys for Henry. Princesses and pixies for Ava and (of course) cars for Michael.

MamaSue and Patsy have watched the kids, even when Michael was puking - because it wouldnt have been a typical Samoluk disaster without the GI bug thrown in for good measure. And bought them body paints and bath toys to keep them clean and entertained in the tub. Bought Michael a remote control car (direct line to his heart) and kept him for a special big boy only weekend.

My friends called rentals, real estate agents and strangers to enquire about places to for us to live. They helped us find a lawyer (a great one). they covered for me at work when I was running late. They put up with all of our complaints and tears of frustration.

My Dad's endured lengthy phone calls brimming with fatherly advise. They helped walk us through expectations and construction details.

I'll admit it. I did spend a few days feeling sorry for myself. So frustrating after nearly 6 months of living admidst construction to be ousted for something so small but so serious. But after I calmed down and thought about it I realized: We are all alive. We are all together. And we can afford it. We dont want to because it wasn't our fault, but we can. And then with all the support and all the caring from all of those around us -how could we not be happy?

The new and improved Junk Drawer