This little thing is finally an official walker! She is LOVING her new found freedom.
This stationary bike was the highlight for Eliana...even though it was technically out of order, ha ha!
Tuesday, June 5, 2018
Primary Temple Trip
Last week, our Primary hosted a temple tour for the primary children to learn more about the importance of the temple as they walked around the grounds. We enjoyed going together as a family to take in the beauty and peace of the temple grounds.
Home Improvements - Round 1
To motivate the process of unpacking to move along, I didn't allow myself to start any improvement projects until I had all the boxes emptied. I admit, not all boxes are completely empty...I haven't hung much on the walls, so all the pictures and decor are still waiting to be sorted. But, since we are functioning and in line to becoming more organized, I gave myself the green light to start changing a few things.
Since the weather had finally warmed up, I was able to stain the beautiful mantle Dad made at Christmas time. I love this piece so, so much!
I figured I might as well stain other things at the same time, so I sanded down my Adirondack chairs to get a much-needed makeover
and then before I could think about it too much, I made the decision to stain the railings on the staircase. I was probably a little ambitious with this last one...but I'm happy to report that it's finally done!
The stairs took almost a month to complete. One thing I've learned is that people who write DIY tutorials lie. They downright lie to your face. I can't tell you how many people bragged about how easy it was to refinish railings! I am here to set the record straight. It's a lot of detailed work, people! Is it worth it? Yes! Is it easy? No! Okay, maybe it's easier than tearing the entire thing down and rebuilding...but I don't use this word 'easy' lightly. Anyways, enough of my ranting. The gel stain I used definitely lengthened the time it took to complete the project. The first coat took a week to dry! Yikes! Needless to say I was pretty nervous if I got myself into a pickle, but everything worked out in the end. It just took four coats of stain, primer on the spindles along with two coats of paint, and then touch up work before I sealed the whole deal with polyurethane. During this time, touching the railing was off-limits, so the morning I announced to the girls they could finally touch the thing, Eliana made sure to touch every single square inch of wood. Oh, she makes me giggle.
While the gel stain was curing, I decided to start some painting. I tackled the front doors and mailbox first. I spray painted the doors and side panels and have come to the conclusion that spray painting indoors is NOT a good idea.
No matter how much protection/coverage you use, the over spray will still haunt you. For a week, the girls' feet (and knees) were blue at the end of every day. Even after I mopped and mopped the floors and wiped things down, it took a long time to get rid of every trace of blue. Thankfully, I'm happy with how the doors turned out!
Since I was painting door trim, I thought it would be great to give the fireplace a face lift.
And last but not least, I finished painting a closet I transformed into a mini mudroom.
We have family coming in town this week, so I've packed away my sandpaper and paint brushes...but there is more to tackle after I enjoy my little break from projects!
Any guesses on what's next on the agenda?
The first thing on my to-do list was to make what I affectionately refer to as my 'command center'.
Since the weather had finally warmed up, I was able to stain the beautiful mantle Dad made at Christmas time. I love this piece so, so much!
I figured I might as well stain other things at the same time, so I sanded down my Adirondack chairs to get a much-needed makeover
and then before I could think about it too much, I made the decision to stain the railings on the staircase. I was probably a little ambitious with this last one...but I'm happy to report that it's finally done!
The stairs took almost a month to complete. One thing I've learned is that people who write DIY tutorials lie. They downright lie to your face. I can't tell you how many people bragged about how easy it was to refinish railings! I am here to set the record straight. It's a lot of detailed work, people! Is it worth it? Yes! Is it easy? No! Okay, maybe it's easier than tearing the entire thing down and rebuilding...but I don't use this word 'easy' lightly. Anyways, enough of my ranting. The gel stain I used definitely lengthened the time it took to complete the project. The first coat took a week to dry! Yikes! Needless to say I was pretty nervous if I got myself into a pickle, but everything worked out in the end. It just took four coats of stain, primer on the spindles along with two coats of paint, and then touch up work before I sealed the whole deal with polyurethane. During this time, touching the railing was off-limits, so the morning I announced to the girls they could finally touch the thing, Eliana made sure to touch every single square inch of wood. Oh, she makes me giggle.
(No, I do not miss the red walls!)
While the gel stain was curing, I decided to start some painting. I tackled the front doors and mailbox first. I spray painted the doors and side panels and have come to the conclusion that spray painting indoors is NOT a good idea.
No matter how much protection/coverage you use, the over spray will still haunt you. For a week, the girls' feet (and knees) were blue at the end of every day. Even after I mopped and mopped the floors and wiped things down, it took a long time to get rid of every trace of blue. Thankfully, I'm happy with how the doors turned out!
(I know it's picture overload, but I'm kind of pumped about the finished results!)
Since I was painting door trim, I thought it would be great to give the fireplace a face lift.
And last but not least, I finished painting a closet I transformed into a mini mudroom.
I've order some shoe cubbies...but I didn't want to wait until they came to post about it on the blog!
We have family coming in town this week, so I've packed away my sandpaper and paint brushes...but there is more to tackle after I enjoy my little break from projects!
Any guesses on what's next on the agenda?
To be continued...
Hylie's Last Day of School
It was wonderful to see Hylie become comfortable with her new surroundings at school--but that didn't stop her from being excited for summer break to arrive!
On the last day of school, Ms. Marino invited the parents to come to the classroom. During this time, she commented on how each student contributed to the class.
The students then got to go outside and enjoy a popsicle. Needless to say, Eliana and Lillian were pretty thrilled they got to have the treat as well!
Mother's Day 2018
I am so extremely grateful for families. Through the roles of fathers and mothers, children are able to be guided, protected, strengthened, and loved. I am still in awe of the blessing I have to be a mother--I yearned for this blessing because of the love and guidance I receive from my mother. I desired to provide the same blessings, opportunities, and care my mother gave me to children of my own. I am so lucky to have my mom just a phone call away as I continue to figure out my role and how I can best fulfill it. Daily I am humbled by what I lack, yet Heavenly Father blesses and strengthens me so I can be enough for my husband and children. I look back at where I was when Hylie was first born and can see how much I've grown as a woman and mother--and I see where I still need to grow. A dear friend once taught me, "The atonement of Jesus Christ bridges the gap between the mother I am and the mother I want to be." I have seen the Savior's hand in my life as I strive to do what is right and best for my family, for this I am eternally grateful. How I hope I can continue to draw from His love so I can bring that love to my family.
Pony Ride!
When living in Morton Grove, our route to church passed a spot where pony rides are offered in the summer. All winter long, Eliana would ask when she would get to ride a pony and even after we moved, she kept asking. After Hylie's dance recital, we took the girls to finally get their pony ride experience!
Once Eliana was on the pony, it seemed she wasn't sure if it was such a good idea...
I thought this was as close as Lillian was willing to get to the ponies,
but she did actually sit on one. As indicated from this picture, her time on the pony wasn't long!
but she went on the entire ride and when we were in the car asked if she could do it again another time.
Geoff took one for the team and walked along each pony...in the mucky mud!
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