in an octopus' garden...under a new shade

Remember the art work BSD made for the Big Ballerina out of the old fence pickets? Well...we promised the Little Ballerina that she would get one too. We didn't want the same design so we asked her what she wanted. Her reply...

"a lavender octopus on a green background"

Alrighty then. 

A lavender octopus on a green background you shall get.

BSD is the bomb!

And you'll also get a new hanging lamp for some shade. 

A lamp that I originally bought on a whim for the Big Ballerina's bedroom from one of those online flash sales. I think it was Joss and Main. But BB vetoed it. Luckily, LB is not as picky. And she is happy with the cozy space it creates.

What I couldn't stomach was that nightstand. Splattered with Barbie stickers that don't simply peel off. And Daddy's cell phone number written on the side. 

While I would have loved to replace the nightstand with something a little bigger to fit the space better. I decided to just grab a can of paint I recently used on another piece in the house. That just so happened to be a shade farther down the paint strip from her wall color. (oh...which for the record. I still don't like. But it's staying. For now.) And went ahead and gave it a fresh coat of paint and some new glass knobs.

So we ever so slowwwwllllyy continue to work on the ballerinas' bedrooms. And every other room inside and outside our house. It's a process. Our motivation ebbs and flows. As do the funds to make it happen. But half the excitement is discovering what we can create for next to nothing. As in the case of the octopus art. It cost us nothing.

PS - The octopus is painted with all paints we had already. The green background is the minty green paint (mixed with a darker green) that I had Larry first paint the kitchen with. That made me want to cry. hehe...I like that it now has a happy ending.

All she wants to do is dance...

I am all baa-llet'ed out.

It's been a whirlwind of performance after performance for the Big Ballerina.

I think it was even getting old for BB and her Peep.

But they are being trained to be true professionals. The show must go on, you know. So they put on their biggest smiles.

And danced with all their hearts...

and feet.

Next weekend it's on to recitals. Where this little one...

Will also get her turn in the spotlight.

Before and After: The Little Ballerina's Book Shelf

It's still project central over here. Just downshifted into slow gear while BSD is away. But there is one project that is basically complete that I can't wait to share. So here goes.

One of the goals of our redecorating is to gain some sort of organization. As I've said a million times. I am not an organized person. Put that together with a young ballerina who loves to play with all-things-small-parts and you get one big-fat-mess. That mommy has to either clean up. Or shut the door so she can't see it.

Finally fed up with this chore, BSD and I decided both ballerinas needed a desk in their rooms. We were all set, thanks to a dear friend who took the ballerinas for the night, to drive four hours each way to IKEA to get each girl a desk. At the very last minute, BSD said, "I don't think a desk is the answer."

*crap*

So...we scrapped our overnight trip to DC and made it a local date night instead. Stopping off at a local furniture store along the way. Where I spotted this fun shelving piece.

I love this piece. But I have no space nor place for it. I just tucked it away in my head as FUN! And $2,000. And off we went to dinner.


Weeks passed. I cleaned up many toyswithmanyparts. Many times. Until BSD, pumped up by his recent hallway project success,  finally told me, "Find some baskets. And I'll build a storage unit for LB."


That was the plan. Until one day I stopped by my favorite Habitat for Humanity store. And I stopped short. In front of this.

Are you with me? Do you see where this is going?


If not, that's OK. BSD didn't either. He thought I was just dragging home another piece of junk to clutter up his precious garage.


Not this time. This time I had a clear vision. I was motivated. I got right to work. But still wound up needing BSD to bail me out on the finishing paint layers. Because I am a lousy painter. I don't know WHY I can't paint well. But I can't. And BSD thinks I am ridiculous for being paint-impaired.


ANYWAY...


That doo-doo brown, faux wood grain piece of ugliness became this oh-so-fun, Steven Shell inspired storage shelf for the Little Ballerina.

And the best part was all I had to buy was a second matching tote on the bottom right. Luckily Target still carries that pattern because these fit perfectly. And now house her American Girl doll clothes in one. And her Barbies in the other. The upper purple tote holds all her Barbie clothes. Although it's a bit overflowing.


And the VERY best part??! LB helped me organize it like this over a month ago. And I pinky swear that I did NOT clean it up before taking this picture today. She is keeping it clean HERSELF! *snoopy dance*

I still need to finish hanging the art on the wall above it. But I can't seem to locate the poster I bought over 3 years ago that I want to put there. hmmm...imagine that.


Oh, and I have to tell you about that drawing. I got it from my neighbor. It was a wedding gift from the artist to my friend's husband and his first wife (who sadly passed away). The artist now fetches a pretty penny for her works. Everyone in my family hates the picture. I love it. Before I hung it up in her room, LB told me, "That scares me." I thought perfect! It kind of looks like the person is in jail. Hopefully, it will scare her straight!

Ten on Ten - May 2012

I have had many thoughts bouncing around in my head that I've wanted to write about. But they just won't come yet. I know I'll feel better if I write about them. But I'm not there yet. I need to sit with them for a while longer.

In the meantime, I've been oohhing and aahhing over some gorgeous photography out there. Studying it. Trying to figure out how. How did they do that. How can I do that. Or rather. How can I incorporate that into my vision. The deflating answer is always the same. Learn Photoshop.

blech.

I.do.not.have.the.patience.for.Photoshop.

So instead. I share with you my non-edited-in-photoshop Ten on Ten set. Did you join in this month? I can't wait to see what your day looked like. Mine was uneventful. Busy. But uneventful. Kind of like it like that though.

.........

Can you read this?

How 'bout now?

Yes, please. One of each.

Spinach break

cotton ball clouds

coming and going

cute shop

young 

and restless

and killing time

Check out more Ten on Ten sets here.

tickled (not) pink...

Just a sneak peek at the Big Ballerina's bedroom. It's all painted out. I even channeled my inner Martha this weekend. And sewed a duvet cover for her bed. 

I haven't done that in years. But I got tired of trying to find "the perfect one" in stores and online. So I went back to Macy's where I bought her sheets. Grabbed a set of Martha's sheets in the perfect blue.

On clearance. With an extra 30% off. *woot*

Took the flat sheets from both sets. Cut them to size. Finished the bottom edges. And sewed them together. (Leaving an opening at the bottom, of course.)

An hour and $15 later. Her bed was made. And LB was asking me to do the same for her room.

I decided to use different sheets for each side of the cover so she'd have options. And so she could actually make her bed herself. Just pull the duvet up. Fold over the top. Done. Instant coordinated look.

There are still a bunch of changes to make in her room. But tonight she actually chose to go up to her room to read.

And LB couldn't resist ambushing her.

Oh no, she di-int....

Oh yes, she did.

And, sadly. Because she did. She bought herself a one-way ticket back to the chicken farm.

BSD and I let the chickens out of the coop the morning before school started and we both heard it. It was really quite pathetic. We weren't even sure it was what it was. But it was.

We didn't quite know what to do. So we called up our new buddy, Chicken Ronnie. The chicken expert who sold us Henrietta. Chicken Ronnie said, "Bring her over." 

And so we did. And as soon as BB carried her out of the car. And Lola heard all the others. She did it again. And again. And again.

Yep. Lola found her voice. Unfortunately it was not the voice we expected. And we had to leave our favorite "hen" with Chicken Ronnie. The hen who won our hearts. But who was actually a rooster.

 

But we didn't come home empty-handed. Nope. We came home with two dozen farm fresh eggs. And a new hen. 

We were smart this time though. This time we made SURE to bring home a hen. Not a rooster. 

Meet Lucy.

Yes. I know. We're really a bunch of ding dongs around here. I think we just like making the trek out to visit Chicken Ronnie and all his animals. Heck...we've got a 50/50 shot that this one's a hen. We'll keep you posted...

Meet the brood...

I graduated from the University of Vermont. With a Bachelor of Science. From the school of agriculture. I was even inducted into Alpha Zeta. The agricultural honor society. Yet during my four years there. I never sowed a single seed. Nor handled an actual animal. Unless you count a hairy frat boy or two. After a night of quarters. Heck, I didn't even have a plant in my dorm room.

I wasn't a crunchy granola. I didn't wear Birkenstocks. Or live in Slade Hall. With the clove-smoking vegetarians. But I did attend of a few of their monthly pot lucks. Because my parents took off to Europe. And forgot to load money on my meal card.

I was basically a city girl. At a country school. But UVM was my school of choice. Because of the easy access to some great skiing.

Maybe it's karma. Maybe it's the residual fumes from Slade Hall. Maybe it's this damn fear of cancer. That prompted their adoption.

But we've had them about a month now. It's about time I introduced you all. So without further ado. Meet our newest family members.

Henrietta

Dixie

 and Lola

Also known as ...

Nugget, Patty and Fingers.

Yes. We have a sick sense of humor.

Dance Moms

Getting ready this morning, BB was watching one of the morning news programs. On popped a segment about a new Lifetime series. Dance Moms. I had to stop and watch for a second.

 

Oh, baby. I cannot wait to pop a big bowl of popcorn, grab a diet coke, and prepare to be entertained.

I'm picturing Toddlers and Tiaras in jazz shoes.

 

Now, let's be clear. My girls aren't competitive dancers. They are ballerinas. Big difference.

 But that doesn't mean it can't get ugly. Or competitive.

Oh, yes. I can't wait to watch.

I'm afraid they may have caught me on the show.

If so, I know I'll be among the company of some of the other dance moms from our studio. Cheers!

The Final Count...

157 out of 180. That's how many behavior stickers the Little Ballerina earned this year in first grade. That's an 87%. B+. Not too shabby. I'll take it.

An excerpt from her sticker book. Or bible. This thing ruled her life this year. It determined whether or not she had dessert. A special treat at the end of the week. A play date. The ability to attend a birthday party. Whatever the collateral was for the week.

Displaying these pages is probably not very fair. These were tough months. For everyone in our family. Not just LB. But they do show how much emphasis was placed on this little booklet. What good communication looks like. And how we went from...

"Don't EVER sign me up for school again!" LB, on the last day of Kindergarten.

to... 

"I don't want this year to end! I love Mrs. C!" LB, on the last day of first grade.

What a difference a year makes. And a good teacher.

And yes. Those two quotes were the first lines of my Thank You card to LB's teacher this year.

Thank you, Mrs. C! For helping LB soar.

The Walk of Shame

 

I wish this post was a reminiscence of a drunken college night. I would much rather be posting a picture of me walking back to my dorm wearing the same clothes I had on the night before. Instead it's a different fall from grace. A dose of reality.

Today the Little Ballerina got suspended from the bus for the day. It seems she spit at someone. I have no idea why she would do something like this. I have never seen her hock a looey. I don't know that she knows how. But she will stick her tongue out and blow. Whatever she did. It's disgusting. And embarrassing. 

So today I walked to the school when it was over to retrieve her.

"Why didn't you bring the car?" she asked.

"Because you don't get the privilege of riding in any vehicle. You can walk home."

And so she did. She didn't complain. She didn't whine. She didn't cry. She carried her backpack and her special crystal in a cup that she was so proud of. The whole way home.

I told her if anything like this happens again she will walk home carrying a sign that says, "I can't ride the bus because I spit on people." And the next day on the bus she will wear a sign that says, "Don't sit next to me because I spit."

She didn't have dessert tonight. She is not going to her best friend's birthday party tomorrow.

I sure hope this makes a difference. If not, I'm going to have some killer legs come summertime.

Just keepin' it real, folks.

Now excuse me while I drown my sorrows in a box of Thin Mints and a bucket of Diet Coke.

Joy of Love: Day 22: Portraits

The Joy of Love class is winding down. I would love to go back and make sure I hit each day's assignments, but I doubt that is going to happen. I do have grand ideas for a few of the ones I've missed. But they require warm weather. And members of my family to be home. And willing participants. Three attributes that rarely go together.

OK...so today's assignment was portraits. Close up. Head and shoulder shots. Indoor. Natural light. I should be a pro at these by now. Right? So..how come I'm not? I'm blaming it on my house. My gear. And the weather.

My house is just not conducive to beautiful indoor natural light photos. I'm convinced. Not sure why. Is it the way it's positioned in relation to the sun and the windows? Is it the lack of windows on the sides of our house? Is it the paint color?!?!?

Since I can't do anything about the way our house is positioned on the earth. Or where the windows are located. Or the weather. I guess I'll just have to paint the walls. Something bright and neutral. This deep yellow/gold color? It's gotta go.

As for gear? I know it's not the gear. I have a great camera. Some decent lenses. But I can't help lusting after a 50mm 1.4. I have the 1.8. It works well enough. I just feeelllll like the 1.4 would be so much better. I've heard mixed reviews on the 1.2 and with the $1500 price tag that bad boy is not in the cards. Anyone here upgrade from a 1.8 to a 1.4 or 1.2? Did you notice a big difference?

Ok...so enough excuses. Oh wait, one more thing. There was NO light today. Totally gray and overcast. But here are my pictures for today. Both are taken with the 50mm 1.8.

The Ones They Love...

One week down. I'm still cookin' on the Joy of Love assignments. I skipped Friday's assignment because I want to wait until BSD returns for that one. But Saturday's was "The Ones They Love." This was very easy for both of the ballerinas.

Meet Bunny.

Bunny was given to the Big Ballerina when she was born by my mom's boss. Out of all the stuffed animals BB had, Bunny was the one she latched onto. BB's name used to be embroidered across the bottom, but that, along with the stuffing in Bunny's left arm are now long gone.

I can still picture BB toddling down our street in San Diego dragging Bunny behind her. She never went anywhere without Bunny then. And even though she doesn't take her everywhere she goes anymore, Bunny is still the first thing she packs when she goes on a sleepover. I know I'll shed a few tears when she no longer needs her beloved companion by her side at night.

Meet "Bumpies"

Can you tell what it is? This is the Little Ballerina's most precious possession in the world. It is the bumpers from her crib. They have gone everywhere with LB since we removed them from her crib rails. They have been left behind in stores. And I've had to drive over an hour back to retrieve them. The Little Ballerina sleeps with it every night. Cuddles up to it in the car. And cries out for it when she's sad or hurt. Nothing calms her down like her precious bumpies. It even got her through her most recent trip to the dentist.

Bumpies is literally in tatters. I have sewn it dozens of times, but the fabric is completely threadbare. And bits of fluff can be found throughout the house. Time is running out for this loved one. I honestly don't know what will happen when it finally disintegrates. Hopefully it can hang on for a few more years. Or LB will be completely lost.

What They Wore Wednesday...

The Joy of Love assignment today was "how they look." You could interpret this any way you wanted, but since it's What I Wore Wednesday, I decided to combine the two. And since this workshop is about love I tried to play up the Valentine's aspect of the outfits they chose for school today when I was editing the photos.

For the Big Ballerina that meant trying to make the pink in her shirt pop.

top - Dillard's

jeggings - GapKids

Boots - Amazon.com

The Little Ballerina was actually a walking billboard for Valentine's Day today. Her shirt was decked out in hearts. Her skirt in frills. But the colors were subdued so we added in her umbrella since it was a rainy day here today. SEVENTY TWO DEGREES...but rainy. It was insane to have such a warm day in the sea of near freezing temps we've been experiencing this winter.

shirt, skirt, headband and leggings - GapKids (gotta love their 45% off sales!)

booties - Marshall's

umbrella - Dollar Tree

OK...and since this IS What I Wore Wednesday, I'll go ahead and post a picture of my outfit too. No fancy processing. Or background for that matter. But hey, I did wear pink too. And ruffles.

sweater and belt - JCrew

tee - Target

jeans - Lucky

necklace - local surf shop