Back to "Normal."

C returned to school today and though he couldn't/wouldn't tell me what he had for snack or what he did for art, he was willing to share that he did a cart wheel in tumbling.  Today was his very first day of tumbling and he seemed to enjoy it.  His coach reported that he did really well, but when she asked him to do one of the exercises, he responded by saying "That just doesn't look safe." 

Why don't his safety concerns ever kick in when he's hopping from the coffee table to the arm chair across the room?

I've spent my day working on classes.  I'm dreadfully, fearfully, insanely behind, but I feel like I'm getting back into the groove of things so I'm feeling better about it than I have all week.

Still...I'd rather be sewing.  Maybe sometime this weekend...

What we've been up to today.

The day is almost over--where did it go? 

• C was home from school (again!) due to "inclement" weather, but his friend M (and M's mom and baby brother) came over to play and we really enjoyed having a break from the regularly scheduled snow day schedule.
• I'm happy to report that our ice maker has made a spontaneous recovery.  We have no idea what happened--why it stopped or why it started again.
• I secretly believe that the recovery occured when the ice maker saw the three ice trays I had filled and realized that we were serious about not paying to have it fixed. 
• Either that or my spur-of-the-moment-freezer-cleaning--required for the previously mentioned ice trays--inspired the ice maker to "live its best life."  Not sure which.
• C just announced that I "officially have a great kid who does a lot of housework" and added that, "your kid is the best cleaner in the whole house." 
• This announcement comes as he scrubs the front of our refrigerator with water and his "special soap ingredient."
• He's now moving on to the oven door and microwave. 
• Will C's cleaning technique result in major streaks on our black appliances?  Yes.
• Do I care?  Not so much.
• Is my apathy the result of three snow days in a row?  Probably.
• One last thought:  If our school district closes school for three days when we receive two inches of snow, how many days would they be closed if we received one foot?
• Yeah, I don't know either!

Love Birds.

Want to know what makes me happiest in the world? Taking a stack of materials like this:

and turning them into something like this:

Such fun!

Snow Day.

Yesterday, I wished for a snow day. 
Today I learned that snow days with a five-year-old boy mean:
 
 

Star Wars figures everywhere.

 

Baking peanut butter cookies.




Max and Ruby.



Max and Molly.

Did I mention that there are cookies?

Peanut butter cookies.

Now, I'm hearing talk about going outside in the snow...
What are the odds that he'll wait until Jason gets home?

4:13PM:  Apparently, the odds were against me.  We just came back in after shoveling, running, and building a tiny little snowman.
 It's been a good day, but our house is trashed and I'm ready for bed!

Snow!

I sure hope that Squeaky is warm and cozy in his little house!

Is it wrong that I'm hoping for a snow day tomorrow?

Someday Decorating: Master Bathroom Edition.

We have a very modest bathroom by HGTV standards.  We do have two sinks, but we do not have:

• a separate shower  
• a spa tub 
• heated floors
• marble counter tops
• anything fancy at all!

Sure, a fancy bathroom would be nice, but honestly--I would much rather have a great craft room than a fancy master bathroom.  Having said that, it would be nice if our current bathroom was a bit prettier. 
I will be painting very soon and the color I have picked out is Sherwin William's Netsuke.  It's a creamy ivory.  I'll also switch out our wire shelving with some wooden shelves (the next time my carpenter visits). 

But, someday...I would love to have new tile floors like this:


Source:  http://www.laminateflooringtexas.com/productdetail.php?id=292


Next, I would paint our vanity dark brown thanks to inspiration in this post from Centsational Girl:  http://www.centsationalgirl.com/2011/01/budget-bathroom-makeover-linky/


I'd replace the faucets with something like this:

Source:  http://www.lowes.com/

...and then I'd pick out some new cabinet knobs:

I'd switch out the light fixture with something like this:

Source:  http://www.homedepot.com/

 pick out a new shower curtain:


Source:  http://www.dillards.com/

and some cushy towels:

...and, finally, super-soft bath mats like these:

I'd wrap things up with some thrifty finds and some handmade artwork and then I'd call it done...at least for a little while.

Hi Ho.

"Hi ho, Hi ho

It's off to work we go..."

Well.  My vacation is unofficially over.  I've spent a good part of the day trying to set up timelines for my spring classes and editing materials from last semester.  The goal is to be 100% ready by this time next weekend and classes begin on January 18th. 

I wish that I could say that I'm excited about it, but right now, I feel like the dwarf on the far right of the picture above.

Perhaps a little crafting will ease the transition...