Halloween 2013

We had a jam packed Halloween. Our day started bright and early with Belle needing to be at school for intramurals at 7:15 am. The Boys and I then spent the morning playing in the basement until it was time to head off to Belle's school parade & harvest party. 

It rained most of the day so the students processed around the halls, rather than the exterior of the school. Afterwards, it was party time. I wasn't a room mom last year and I was so happy to be back in the action this year.

Once school was out we loaded up in the van and headed to trick or treat at the grandparents' homes.

 We rushed home to the neighborhood pre-trick or treat pizza party. Thankfully the rain held off and after a delish dinner Belle, Peanut & Hubby headed door-to-door while Bear and I returned home to hand out candy. 

The kiddies assessed their loot, selected 4 pieces each & left the rest for the Candy Fairy. They are now sound asleep, all the Halloween decor is packed away and it is time to countdown to the Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning….where did this month go!?!

Parade & Possibility

2013 Costume Parade

Today Peanut had his Halloween Parade at school. He swam his way through the hallway truly enjoying the chance to FINALLY wear his costume.

After school I did my best to quickly throw together a spooky lunch. Given I had a 20 month old appendage for most of the day, this wasn't too shabby.

Possibility

And the reason for the cutie pie on the hip…..Bear woke up with a fever. After a visit to the doctor, and a temp of nearly 103, we were diagnosed with the "possibility of roseola". 

That means we are in for 3 days of a fever followed by a rash and according to my fabulous pedi, "he'll be crabby as sin."  Sick baby + 2 sugar high kiddies = need for large quantities of wine and a few extra miles on the treadmill. Fingers crossed our pedi is wrong this go around. 

Kid's Bath Reveal

After quite a few setbacks and work arounds, I am over the moon to announce the kid's bath is complete. To refresh your memory, this project was more of a refresh than a makeover since we opted to work with what was there including the tile, counters, fixtures, wallpaper & window treatments. These items were all here when we moved in 3.5 years ago and I just set to work freshening up the space.

To start, I painted the vanities SW Comfort Grey, which actually is an aqua/mint. After my initial freak out (big blogger shout out to all you who talked me down off the ledge) the cabinets turned out exactly as I was hoping. The playful color makes the space kid friendly, yet is subtle enough to grow with the little ones as they age. And you all were spot on; mercury glass knobs are just what it needed.



I kept the counter top accessories practical: cotton balls, toilet paper, q-tips, a clock & framed print of our family mission statement.



In the commode area, Hubby removed the towel bar to the right of the toilet. For the life of me I can not figure out why anyone would want to use a towel that was hanging 2 feet from the toilet!?! Especially one that is used by a 4.5 year old boy…need I say more?

To help draw your eye up to the vaulted ceilings (and cover some of the lovely wallpaper) Hubby hung the Lisa Golightly prints I blogged about earlier. I was able to locate the artist on etsy & procure two prints for $22 a piece, quite a savings over the several hundred dollar canvases I originally found on OKL. I am very happy to report that both Belle & Peanut made unprovoked comments that the paintings are of themselves and siblings at the lake. The fact that the subjects are faceless doesn't bother me like I worried it might.

As most do in the bathroom, I used towels to introduce color. I assigned each little his/her own color and this has alleviated the nightly blame game when it comes to wet towels left on the floor. Belle had a set of monogrammed pink towels so I simply picked up 2 sets of navy & teal towels for the Boys.

And to ensure that those newly assigned towel are hung up, Hubby added a set of peg hooks at kiddie level to the wall behind the door. They use to be at home in the mudroom prior to the makeover. I had thought to give the oak finish a coat of paint, but I was concerned it would peel seeing as how these hooks are intended for wet towels. The chalkboard art was a quick addition crafted from a left over bulletin board and some chalk paint.

Last but not least, the bathroom is also home to Peanut's 9 month portrait….quite possibly my favorite piece of the entire makeover. And with that I am marking this bath off the list. The family room is nearly complete (still have to tackle the fireplace screen) and then I'm only left with the dining room. My goal is to have the entire list complete before the Christmas season begins…I better get on it.

Find Me At:

DIY by Design

Rain on a Tin Roof

Savvy Southern Style

The Scoop @ Cedar Hill Ranch

StoneGable

Polish vs. Patina: What's your preference?

I am a big fan of patina on silver. I adore the look of silver peaking through the the caramelized tarnish. I find it lends a feeling of warmth to an otherwise pretentious piece. But, every 6-8 months my silver get a little too tarnished for even my liking.

A silver bowl holds an assortment of gourds on the kitchen table.

There are numerous silver polishing methods, like those mentioned here and here, but I've always stuck to the tried and true silver polish.  I am quite tempted though to give toothpaste a try next go around. 

After a quick shine, the pieces are gleaming again. The freshly polished tea & coffee service are at home in the living room secretary. While the large service tray is displayed on the dining room buffet.

So what are your thoughts; polished or patina? 

October Whereabouts

I can hardly believe October has almost come and gone. Our schedule has been jam packed with family and fun times. 

Last week we went to visit Hubby at work and took the Boys to lunch at California Pizza Kitchen Kitchen…..Peanut has declared it his new favorite restaurant. We had to wait an insane length of time for our meal so the waitress offered us a free dessert. I selected the pumpkin cheesecake & it was aMaZiNg!

Peanut & I had "Mommy & Me" evening at school. I soaked up every moment as he paraded me around the classroom explaining the ins and outs of his day. Here he is drawing a portrait of moi. I'm hoping the round shape is not a reflection of the effects of the aforementioned pumpkin cheesecake.

My sweet nephew Y turned 2 this past weekend. Here are Belle, Peanut & cousins E & Y with chinchillas on their heads at the party. Did you know they are the furriest mammals on earth? I also learned the hedgehogs can have up to 23 babies at a time….there's some cocktail trivia for ya!

We continued the birthday celebrations with Big Papou's (Hubby's grandfather) 94th birthday this past Sunday. How blessed he is to celebrate with a house full of his children, grandchildren & great-grandchildren.

Hubby & I managed to escape into the city (huge thank you to YiaYia Terry & Papou Yianni for watching the littles) and attend our first NHL game that Theo N orchestrated. There were over 20 of us taking in the friendly rivalry between our Blackhawks & Thea L's Maple Leafs. Afterwards we headed out to a bar and enjoyed sitting shoulder to shoulder with the Blackhawk's Coach Q. We contemplated bothering him for a photo, but in the ended opted against it.  I am loving this late night shot of me with Bestie J & Hubby (who was seated in the next booth over the reason for the gap between us).

Finally, this is what homework looks like in the B house. Bear's favorite game is to run up and hug Belle while she sits at the table. He then runs a lap around the first floor (kitchen to dining room to living room to foyer to kitchen) before reappearing grinning ear to ear ready to attack again. How I'm going to miss these days.

Happy Friday everyone! I'm off to prepare for Hubby's Name Day celebration tomorrow. Click here to check out Bear & Bopi's Name Day party last year.

Basement Reveal Follow Up {What it looks like now}

As we begin to usher in the holiday season and soon the start of a new year, I am quickly working to check items off our 2013 House Goals. The kid's bath is complete and I'm hoping to share the reveal with you all next week. For today though, I wanted to go back to the very first goal of the year, the basement. I thought it would be fun to show you all what the room looks like today….10 months after we've used & abused it.

So this is the space prettied up for the reveal.



And here is what it looks like now (don't mind the photo bomber…I didn't even try to keep him out of the pictures).

The train table in the center of the space is a new addition & rotates between the pictured location and being pushed up against the wall. The toy box that use to reside along the far wall under the silhouettes, now acts as a side table. Other than that not too much has changed except a large explosion of toys.


In the "game room" all the toys that use to live in the closets are now at home either under the air hockey table or built in buffet. Having items out in the open helps for two reasons:
1. Toys that are visible are used.
2. I turned the closets into storage for my entertaining and party supplies.





The addition I am most excited about is the shoe cubbie turned car lot. This is the best way to corral all the Boys cars and makes for kid friendly clean up.

So there you have it….my real life update on what our space looks like after the makeover. I'm still loving the colors & decor although I think the space could benefit from an adult sized chair or two. Seems like I'm always sitting on the floor. Then again isn't that the nature of a playroom?

Halloween Teacher Treats

While pouring through photos and flagging 293 images for Bear's baby book, I came across photos of the Halloween Teacher Treats I sent off with Peanut for his preschool teachers last year. The simple goodies were packaged in cello bags, wrapped with a tone-on-tone chevron ribbon & finished off with a sweet little rhyme.



I'm hoping to put together another batch for this year's teachers over the weekend. Are you all are staying warm today….they are calling for SNOW here today!?!?

Mpix Sale & Grandparents Pics

In the modern days of digital photography it seems like I never get around to ordering pictures. Well the sale I've been waiting for is here….mpix (the site where the crazy pricey studio I took Bear to for his baptismal photos orders their prints) is offering 25% off all cards, photo books & prints. Just use code SALE13.

Which is just in time. Not only have I yet to create a baby book for little #3 (ummmm he'll be 2 in February), but YiaYia & Bopi took photos with their grands and I can't wait to add the picture to our photo wall.

Do you have any special pictures just sitting on your computer just waiting to be printed? How about the baby book? Please tell me I'm not the only who has a trilogy for the 1st, a book for the 2nd and TBD for the 3rd. Happy Monday Everyone!

PS- mpix has no idea who I am so this post clearly isn't sponsored…just love passing on a good deal on  a quality product:)