Current Lists

Thanks Betina, for your query about current lists. Oh boy mine’s a doozy. Suffice it to say I still have not changed out our car tags, updated any driver’s licenses, changed the mailing address for all of our bills, or unpacked all the boxes.

What have I done? I picked paint colors for the house. In case you’re wondering (and I know that you are!)  the new house color for the main rooms is Martha Stewart Cappuccino. For the dining room and the half bath: Martha Stewart Caraway Seed.

Here’s the list that is making me happy while I walk around the unpacked boxes and happily pretend for the moment that they don’t exist:

Future House Plans:

1. Paint all the colored ceilings a nice happy white.
2. Replace every insanely mismatched ceiling fan with white ceiling fans that will cool the rooms, but disappear into the soon-to-be white ceilings.
3. Replace the appliances in the kitchen. This actually should be number one, because this will happen about 1 week after we close on this house. (we’re doing a lease purchase and the oven is terrible enough for me to actually not ever want to use it. ever.)
4. Find the perfect shade of granite to use for the countertops.
5. And maybe, if I’m lucky, also find the perfect tile to use on the backsplash. (Why won’t Ernie love Subway tiles like I do??)
6. Knock out part of the wall from the living room to the kitchen and make that doorway bigger. It so needs to be bigger.
7. Close in the strange open doorways on either side of the double fireplace with built in bookcases in the living room. But we are definitely leaving those awesome windows!
8. Hang bead board in the sunroom. Not all the way up the walls, but how high?? Decisions, decisions.
9. Take down every set of blinds and replace with curtains. I really like to see out my windows.
10. Build built-in bookcases across the far wall of the sunroom.
11. Paint the master bathroom a much more manageable color.
12. Replace the current shower and tub with a larger tiled shower and a claw foot tub. (Ernie’s idea and it’s genius, in my opinion).
13. Eventually replace the some- not all- of the flooring. What do you think of my friend Jenny’s brick floors? (I love them!)
14. And to make myself feel better, I already changed out the hardware in the kitchen and it makes a huge difference! (please ignore my mess) Check it out: You can see more of the new hardware back in the kitchen picture I posted at the very start of this post.

Was that a school bus?

Yes, it’s true. The kids are back in school. HALLELUEJAH! Now- in all fairness- I love having the kids home and being together for lazy summer days and the like, but this has not been our typical summer and after awhile playing with your siblings and only your siblings loses it’s appeal. And then the arguing begins. And then mom starts wishing that everyone had a friend to play with to dilute the tension. Enter Public School. That wonderful place full of education and art projects, singing time, PE, and most importantly- lunch. The place where my kids are going to meet some new friends!

Today was everyone’s second day. The older kids love their new teachers and Max loves his preschool. I wish that I were a good photographer, or even a mediocre-but-consistent photographer, because this post would be better with pictures. Ah, well.

A few tidbits from the kids recounting of the last two days of school:

Emmaline: Mom, there are 4 other Emma’s in my class at school!

Me: Well, honey- tell them your name is Emmaline so people don’t get you confused.

Emmaline: No. I just told everyone to call me Smith.

This morning I got a phone call from the speech therapist at Nigel’s school. (Nigel graduated from speech therapy at the end of last school year).

Speech Therapist: Mrs. Smith, I wanted to speak with you about Nigel. He told his teacher today that he was in speech therapy last year and that he was still supposed to be going to Speech.

(really, as if I were the kind of parent that wouldn’t stay on top of something like that)

Me: Well, Nigel did ask me last night if he could go back to Speech, but he really doesn’t have any issues anymore. He graduated from Speech at the end of last year. We just moved here 3 weeks ago and he really liked his Speech teacher, and even more than that he liked visiting the treasure box. I think he just wants to revisit the happy memories and enjoy the one on one attention. So no, he doesn’t need any Speech Therapy right now.

After getting off the bus today (while eating snack):

Ernie: Mom, my pimple is really starting to smooth out.

Me: Good, honey- I’m glad. (The pimple saga has been going on for almost a week now and Ernie has been updating me constantly on it’s progress).

Ernie: Mom, can I take a shower tonight.

Me: No, honey. You took one this morning. You really don’t need to be showering twice a day.

Ernie: *sigh*

Ah, we’re now navigating the brave new world of having a pre-teen.

Overall I think it’s going to be a good year and everyone is already much happier. Hurray for school!