Pay Off

It's Murphy's Law that when you pay off a car, that's when you have a large repair bill. We took the van in on Saturday to get a "regular" tune up.

You know that it's never good when the repair guy calls before it's time to pick up your car. The phone call involved something about grinding brake pads and leaking axle fluid. Ouch, that's never a good thing to hear.

Debbie had the closest guess without going over at $700. Apparently it's not the parts for the car, it's the labor cost that'll get you in the end. Darn you Murphy!

Asparagus

As much as I love the wheat color, we need more color. At first I was thinking a dark brown accent wall, but was gently reminded that it's a basement. We don't need any "cave like" colors.
The plan is to continue the green into the bedroom. I can almost see the light at the end of the tunnel...almost.

Deadlines

We knew that the carpet was coming today, so Michael and I stayed up last night and tried to get as much done on the built-ins as we could. I primed the bottom edge so that I wouldn't have to paint next to the carpet. Michael worked on the trim detail. I keep looking at it and imagining it painted. If I keep imagining enough, will it paint itself?!
The tack strip got mostly installed today and the carpet pad installed. Tomorrow is the big day for carpet.

"Almost" Completed Bathroom

We missed a step in the communication department and the finish plumbing got done today. We would like to put up beadboard in the bathroom...eventually. The tile was also finished. Now we just need to save our pennies and get a shower door.

Shopping

We went ahead and started looking for a couch today. We know that we're getting carpet on Wednesday and Thursday and we'd like to be able to sit down on something once the carpet is in. That's the last big thing that needs to be done. Of course there's a laundry list of little things that need to be touched up (oh and painting the bedroom).

Wardrobe Malfunction

Last night we went to a Graduation Open House up at the church. About ten minutes before we head out the door I have the kids clean up a bit. The kids had been playing all day and looked rather grubby. Lily actually had a swimsuit on in hopes that I would get out the wading pool. No, I didn't get out the pool. I did let her wear the swimsuit for the entire afternoon.

Lily heads upstairs to change out of her swimsuit and comes downstairs in a dress. I look at her and ask if she still has her swimsuit on. She says, "Nope." We then head out the door.

We're at the open house and a Lily sees her friend Lauren. She is an aspiring babysitter (turns twelve next month) and loves kids. Lauren picked up Lily, lifting her dress in the back, and I notice the wardrobe deficit. Instead of asking if Lily took off the swimsuit, I should have asked if she remembered to put on underwear. Opps.

And So It...

Ends. Today is the last day of school. I've been anticipating and dreading this day for a while. I am looking forward to no homework, washing uniforms, and the driving to and from school.

I am wholly unprepared for the Summer. Last year I was angsting about what to do with the kids during the Summer that I was slightly more prepared. I had workbooks, summer programs scoped out, and swimsuits ready for the pool. This year? The kids bikes don't have flat tires. That's a step in the right direction, right?

Tile

Originally we planned on random blue tiles on the floor. A geometric pattern won out in the end. So, the plan is to get the the rest of the tiles done tomorrow and hopefully grout as well.
*Can you find the missing blue tile? I didn't notice it until I took the picture. Guess I better remember to tell the guy tomorrow.

Hurry Up and Wait

Michael needed to get the carcass of the "entertainment" shelves done before the carpet is installed. I think the carpet is coming next week.I needed to paint the bathroom before the tile gets installed. I should have painted before the electrician installed the lights...oh well. I believe the tile guy is coming today. (fingers crossed)
The rest of the stairwell got painted...who wants to help me remove the blue tape?

Motivation

It's the last week of school and I think that we've checked out. The kids don't have homework... which means that I don't have homework. I have had to keep up on the end of year field trips and when I need to send sack lunches to school.

I think that I am getting excited for the mornings when the kids can "sleep" in. Of course it will be a case of Murphy's Law; When you can sleep in, you don't sleep in. The kids have been staying up later and have had a tough time getting out of bed before school. I should be waking them up sooner, but I like to have quiet mornings. Is it better to let them sleep in and then rush around like crazy, or wake them up earlier and take just as long getting ready?

Sunday Talk

I found out Saturday night, as I was going to bed, that Jack had a talk for Primary. I don't need a lot of time, but at least 24 hours notice is good to have. We pretty much sat through Sacrament writing his talk on 3x5 note cards. I then had him take the cards to class and "practice" reading his talk.

Jack starts his talk off a little shaky. He fumbled over the word Nazareth, but recovers nicely and talks loud and clear. I can tell he's getting to the end of his talk, he's in the middle of a personal story. Then, mid sentence, he steps away from the podium and bolts to his chair. From the back row, I try and tell him he has one more note card, but he's sheepishly sitting with his class trying to melt into his chair.

Next time, we'll forgo the note cards and write his talk on a regular piece of paper. Hopefully we'll have more notice.

Dog Day

Today we went to the Longmont Humane Society fundraiser. My neighbor is on the board and I was asked to take some pictures of the event. I *almost* want a dog. There were some really cute dogs, but I think they look cuter through a camera lens.

*Michael took this picture. If I had to pick a dog I would bring home, it would have been this one.

Oh Scrap

I haven't scrapbooked in quite a while. The end of year gift to Jack's teacher is a scrapbook. I asked the kids to turn in a page on Tuesday, hoping that most would make it back by today. As of Thursday night, I had 13 of the 26 needed.

In a burst of desperation, I went to school during recess and stalked the kids with my camera. I ended up missing one kid...I can live with that. Ok, maybe not, I'll probably end up going to school on Monday and trying to get one last picture.

After school, another Mom and I got together and started assembling the book. Most of the pages were missing names, which we started adding. The rest of the pages got a sticker sneeze and we moved on. The book just needs a first and last page and then I'm done. Last day of school is next Friday, it's good to have a deadline.

"T"rouble

Lily decided to find out what charcoal was at the park.

Sleeping In

Lily's still asleep and it's past 8 AM, I had to check if she was still breathing. It's a rare day to have Lily sleep in. She managed to sleep through Jack and Emma getting ready for school. I can already tell it's going to be a good day.

Crazy Day

I'll be "off grid" for the day. Emma has a dentist appointment this morning, then Lily and I are heading to the park for a boot camp class, followed by visiting teaching and then babysitting for a friend. I may fall on the couch exhausted by 2 pm.

Oh wait, there's Enrichment tonight.

Paint

We're in the homestretch with the basement. It's crunch time for the budget and I had to made an economical decision regarding the paint. I already had a 5 gallon container of the "wheat" color from the rest of the house that I'm in the process of painting. Since I had the paint, I went ahead and used what I had instead of investing another $125 in more paint.

We started painting Saturday night. I was able to tape and caulk the bulk of the room. I happy to report that the bulk of the room is painted. I still need to go up the stairs with the paint and tape off the soffits.

Mother's Day

A good Mother's Day should have cards, presents, and children fighting. Oh wait, NO children fighting. I was close to getting all three.

Emma made me some pocket clay item at school. It didn't survive the trip home. Emma cried more than me...it's no macaroni necklace, but I would have kept it proudly displayed on a shelf.

Pregnant Pause

Getting the basement done is like being pregnant. It goes really slow when you're the one having the baby, but if it's someone else, it goes by quick. It's been just over a month since we started, but it feels much longer for me.
This picture probably has the most bang for our buck as far as trim work goes. All the doors were hung and trim around the windows, doors, and floors got installed. The closet got a couple shelves and the sump pump has a hinged lid to cover it. (That's under the few shelves in the corner).

The next step is getting the trim work painted, that's happening tomorrow. I believe that the tile is going to be installed next week.

Doors

What a difference a few doors make.

Trim work started today. Doors and baseboard are getting installed.

Paint

After getting a quote to get the basement painted, we went ahead and primed the entire thing over the weekend ourselves. Michael is pretty good with a sprayer. Me? Not so much. Is it wrong to leave the ceiling with just the primer on it?

Shopping Made Easy

Michael and I went to the carpet/tile store to pick out tile for the basement bathroom. We had budgeted for the $2 tile, but I wasn't excited by the choices of beige. Instead we chose white subway tile for the shower and hexagon tiles for the floor. I think we were in and out of the store in 30 minutes. Easy peasy Parcheesi.

*This is not our bathroom!* Just a general idea of what we're going for. The subway tile is going in the shower. The liner (accent) tile is the same flower/leaf design but in a cobalt blue.