OWAN Invitations

The invitations are complete, and I worked on getting them stuffed and sorted.

To add a little pizazz to the envelopes, I stamped all 450 envelopes.

Ridley loves to help me, and it melts my heart.  She was barely out of bed this morning, when she started stuffing envelopes.  She is a total little busy bee!

Muffins

It was a lazy Saturday morning in our pajamas, so Reed and I baked some delicious blueberry muffins.  It has been so long since I made these, and it took me back to summers with my Grandmother Sue.  Oh, that yummy crunchy topping.  I was thrilled to share it with my little man.

CHCS Thanksgiving Feast

Chapel Hill always does an amazing Thanksgiving feast.  All of the children had a decorated vest, necklace, and head dress.

Each child picked out their name.  Reed selected Brave Deer.

Reed and I before he heads back to class.  I was thrilled to help with this event, so I could spend special time with Reed.  

The centerpieces had leaves for each student.  The leaves had things that the students were thankful for.  I just love Reed's items. 

Reed loves his silly Ms. Pam.  She is fun loving and interactive with them which makes her a favorite.

Lunch Buddy

I couldn't wait for lunch today.  It was finally my turn to be a lunch buddy at Ryland's school.  I spent the lunch period opening bags, milk, and ketchup and taking care of every little bit of assistance a bunch of 5 and 6 year olds need.  Ryland was excited to see me, and I enjoyed meeting his friends.  He told me that the cafeteria gets loud, and he was right.  My goodness!

Helper

Reed loves to help take care of Ridley.  He wanted to hold her this afternoon and watch his favorite show, Paw Patrol.  Ridley refused to sit in his lap and wanted to lay across his legs, and he thought this was hilarious.  I think she wanted to look at him, because she wouldn't take her eyes off of him.  I love to watch them build a relationship. 

My Helper

The upcoming week is all about Christmas fun and activities.  It will be the last week of pre-school for the boys before break, so we have lots of parties, decorations, and gifts to finish.  Ryland was all about helping with every detail.  I loved sharing the special moments of chatting and creating festive fun with him.  

Mess

What a beautiful nursery?  More like, what a mess!  Since we are completely re-doing the master closet, the nursery is the temporary storage area.  I quickly realized that I have way too many clothes, and I have been holding on to some older items that I need to give away.  Today I decided to doing a little purging, and I had two little blonde helpers that were in the middle of all the action.  Can you find them?

 

Superhelper

Once again the caped hero is offering assistance.  Ryland ran into my office with his cape and Superman sunglasses and wanted to know what he could help with.  He was too cute, so I couldn't say no.  He helped shred, stack, and organize papers for about 10 minutes before he remembered other "missions".

Time to wash?

I bought Ryland a new shirt, and he was very excited to wear it.  Now. 

I told him that I would wash and dry it, so he could wear it later in the week when it warmed up outside.  He asked me if I had washed and dried it about 30 minutes later.  I told him no, and this is what I found in the laundry room....

 

Ryland threw the clothes in dryer on the floor and put the wet clothes in the dryer.  He then informed me that the washer was ready for his shirt. 

 

He wasn't so subtle in telling me it was time to wash, at least he is helping with chores.

Lesson Learned

How can a simple vase teach me a lesson?  It started out as offering a little help to a group for a big charity fundraiser, and it has turned into a big lesson for me.  I need to learn to say "no" and sometimes just to be quiet. 

After working with a wholesaler for several years, they unexpectedly closed without notice last week.  The really bad thing is that I had received a price quote for a few things for the charity event.  I passed along my price, so that they could enjoy the savings and the decorating budget could go a bit further.  Now that the wholesaler is closed, I can't find the same prices at any other wholesaler.  I haven't exhausted all options yet, but like I really need one more thing on my plate. 

I did go ahead and "fix" the vases they are using.  While removing glued on crystals, digging out the old styrofoam, painting the ugly green and purple to a glossy black, gluing on new crystals, and putting new foam and moss inside, I had plenty of time to think. I love working on projects like this, but I do need to learn to slow down.

Cabinet project

 

We have been wanting to add another shelf to our custom cabinets in the family room for a very long time, but we have let it slip down the to do list.  I have been back in the project mode the past 2 weeks, so we decided to tackle this minor one today. 

We removed the door brackets and the small rectangular box that floated above the TV.  We added the shelf and a double speaker box at the rear of the shelf.  Only a little bit of caulk and paint to go, and we will have another task off the list.

 

Ryland and Reed were eager to help cut and drill.  Ryland puts on his safety glasses, while Reed gathers some of their toy tools.

The boys discuss their plans, and Ryland explains what he is going to do with hand gestures.

 



 

After they finished with the plans, they both started laughing hysterically.  John Chris and I should be scared.  Very scared.

 

Ryland hammered on the wood with his plastic tools, so it would fit.

 

Watch out!  There is no telling what Reed will wack.

 

My helpers

I ordered some new license plates for my truck, so I headed down to Fort Worth to pick them up.  The boys were in awe of the big, tall buildings.  The courthouse was our favorite, because it was "made of big pink blocks that was real high".  I love to see things through their eyes.

Right before we walked in the administration building, Ryland pointed out this "puma" statue.  I told them we could check on him when we came out if they behaved nicely.  It worked like a charm, because they were complete dolls.  My helpers were so excited to pose by the statue.  When I told Ryland it was time to go, he jumped off and then kicked the "puma".  When I asked him why he kicked it, he said he was trying to wake him up.  It was time to go.

Mr. Accessory

I have been working on cleaning out and re-organizing the master closet, and the boys have been right there to help.  One item that caught Reed's attention was a hot pink croc embossed handbag.  He loves it!  He put blocks and cars in it and has been dragging it around.  Between the handbags, bracelets, and shoes, Reed knows how to accessorize.



Organizing

I love to organize, and I have been on a total rampage of getting my house together this month. The previous owner of our house left tons of Elfa shelves, tracks, and all the installation pieces. I was shocked that she left these behind, but pleasantly surprised. I pulled all the pieces out of the attic to make an inventory list.

Both the boys were immediately more interested in what I was doing than any of their toys. They quickly made their way over to my piles of Elfa. Ryland had lots of questions, and he helped me count all the pieces. Reed crawled back and forth over the stacks of shelves.

It took a couple hours to complete the list, and I realized just how much Elfa I have. I can just about complete our walk-in pantry. It was ironic because in my quest to organize, I made a total mess, and my boys were more excited about the mess than anything else in the playroom.

Daddy's tools

I realize my boys are way more interested in Daddy's tools than Mommy's craft supplies, but come on. Reed is totally blown away by the air compressor. I am really surprised, because it is loud, but he loves it. Even when it is off, Reed is drawn to it like a magnet.

I guess I could always contract them out. Hey, I might have the supplies to make a great sign.

Mini electricians

We are reaching the end of our bathroom remodel project, and they boys are still very interested about what is going on in the room. They wonder in every chance they get. John Chris and I were hanging the new vanity light when I noticed Reed had the electrical outlet tester. (This is a tool that beeps if the wires are hot. They are great to use to make sure the power is off before you start working.)

Reed tried numerous times to stick the tester in the outlet. (Please know that the power was off, and the outlet has a built in child safety plug.) Ryland was right there to tell Reed to stop.

Ryland told Reed to "stop sticking that in there. I will take it away." Reed didn't stop, so Ryland snatched it away. This led to a little confrontation between the mini electricians.

Ryland eventually gave up or lost interest, so Reed grabbed the tester. He went right back to attempting to "test" the outlet. He is hardheaded!

Painters' tape is yummy!

John Chris and I are finishing up the re-painting of the kitchen cabinets, and we had a few little ones wanting to help. The painters' tape made both of them happy for a moment until Reed decided to chew on it. He was pretty upset when we took it away, so I am sure it is yummy!

Packing the fall

It was time to pack up the fall decorations. The boys were contently playing in the family room, so I slipped into the entry hallway to finish placing everything in the plastic tubs. It wasn't long before my two helpers came to help. It quickly turned into a discussion led by Ryland's favorite word "WHY?". We talked about the seasons, turkeys, and the attic, while the boys crawled all over the tubs and the decorations. It seems to be the simplest chores make the sweetest memories sometimes.

My assistants

I am so lucky to have three dedicated assistants. They are always right there to help with whatever project I am working on that day. Today I was working on a diaper cake for an upcoming baby shower. I needed to finish rolling the diapers, so I could start assembling the cake later this week.
I would roll the diapers. Ryland would hand me a rubber band. After I wrapped the diaper, I handed the diaper to Ryland. He would then strategically place the diaper in its specific place.

As we worked on this project, we talked about who it was for and the occasion. He was extremely chatty about Brad and Chanda having a baby. I asked him if he was excited about meeting their baby soon, and he informed me that he already had a baby. I tried to explain, but he continued to tell me "no mommy, baby Reed".

We finished rolling all the diapers today, and we will work on assembly later this week. This project is sure to be remembered. I am so lucky to have such wonderful helpers.

Threshold issues

We replaced all our exterior door hardware and installing new satin nickel knobs and locks. Our front door had a brass kick plate and threshold, so we had to remove them as well. We ran into a little problem with the threshold. Our threshold has a width extension that we can't find at a local store. We had to order one online, and it will arrive in a few days. Until then, we have a major gap under the door. We now have a blue beach towel stuffed under the door - CLASSY!

Ryland thinks the gap to the outside is cool, and I keep catching him peeping out.

The boys remove the old caulk and glue to prep for the new threshold. As always, Ryland is right there working with Daddy.