Party Prep

Tomorrow my little Cupcake turns 2!!!  How did that happen?!?!?!?  She has grown SO much in the last 2 years.  It is absolutely amazing!  She talks nonstop, is running and jumping and climbing ALL THE TIME, she can do puzzles, she loves to read and for the most part is a happy girl.  The girl can definitely turn on the ‘tude, though!

We decided to have her party the weekend after her birthday since the weekend before was Mother’s Day and because we’ll have some out of town guests we didn’t want to interfere with any plans they may have.  So that means party prep is in full swing here!

It started with this.

The deck looked awful!  That’s why I power washed it last week.  And that just made it worse (which is what I was going for).

It was a two nap and one night (with a helper) project, but it’s done!  Have I ever mentioned that our deck is huge?  We wanted to repaint it last year before Cupcake’s birthday, but it was too rainy leading up to the party.  In the end it didn’t matter since it rained the day of the party any way!  So far it looks like sunny skies for this years party.  Let’s just hope that doesn’t change in the next few days!!!!

See the difference?

We will not be entertaining any guests before Saturday because the dining room table looks like this.

Actually it looks worse now!  I did some food shopping and a little more craft store shopping.

I’ve done a little more spray painting, some wreath making, banner hanging, serving dish washing and some furniture rearranging!  I’ve been cleaning as well, which will be a continuous process over the next few days until party day!

It’s going to be a busy week!!!

Spring Cleaning

Warning: You are about to enter the danger zone!

OK, maybe it wasn’t as bad as I thought, but this is a garage.  And currently there are no cars in this garage.  And that, to me, is unacceptable.  Between painting projects, stocking up for the big birthday party and “I used it, but didn’t put it back where I found it” syndrome this place is just disheveled.  At least the big pile of cardboard made it to the recycle center, but it wasn’t enough.

My biggest pet peeve?  The shelves!  I would love to show you the close up before picture, but after 5 failed attempts at uploading it I quit!!!  The shelves used to be sorted.  Everything was categorized.  Unfortunately things weren’t put back where they were found and we had a random empty shelf, while the others were all random and messy.

So the bikes were taking up a bit of room in front of the cornhole boards, but there was just enough room for hubby to get his car in.  But it’s still not the best solution because if you actually wanted to use the bikes you had to move his car.  If we are going to the trails we use my car to transport them so it’s no fun to move both cars for that.

Ta da!!!  A new bike rack!!  I found this gravity stand and it seemed like the best solution for the space.  And the price was right.  It was super easy to assemble and although it can just rest against the wall it does come with a strap to attach it, which I did.  I don’t want a toddler getting attacked by falling bikes!  I’m super happy with this solution.  My bike has an odd cross bar, so a lot of the racks and stands we looked at wouldn’t have worked with it, but this one is very adjustable.  And the bikes are happily tucked away in the corner now.

And here we have the newly reorganized shelves.  I wonder how long they’ll stay this way………….

Up top we have not often used items such as the battery pack if you need a jump start and a big bottle of green clean and garage towels. Then we have car cleaning on the next row on the left, drill attachments, wrench sets, and the circular saw on the right.  Below that is the spray paint/caulk/antifreeze collection and the toolbox holding all the little things and the battery charger for the trimmer. On the second to last shelf we have all the power tools in their cases (drill, router, orbital sander, jigsaw, staple guns) and then the gardening supplies. Lastly down low we have potting soil, mulch, gas cans, tool tote and an empty spot where the power washer lives (which was waiting to be used on the deck).

When we bought the house it had this rack on the wall which I think is supposed to hold shovels or something, but it’s never been well utilized.  So I spread the hooks out and started hanging things!  Buckets, hoses, and step ladders are light and easy to hang.

After this picture was taken I actually decided to hang Cupcake’s bike trailer where the step stool is because it was hogging the space where the trike goes (which Cupcake was pushing up and down the street with daddy while I was cleaning).  I’m going to buy another hook to hang the step ladder from.

This side of the garage is MUCH cleaner.  This wall was were things would go to die!  Everything was resting against this wall as we didn’t need the space between hubby’s car and the wall because he would always back out if he was planning on loading a passenger.  What’s the point of the pegboard and hooks if you’re not going to use them?  So I hung everything I possibly could!!

Ta da!  Look how clean hubby’s side of the garage is!  You can fit a ’64 Ford Galaxie in there.  No, really, I hope you can because we’ve got one coming this afternoon.  Yeah, did I mention the urgency for cleaning out the garage is because hubby inherited a classic car and he seems to think it’s going to fit in here?  My side still needs a bit of work.  That dresser is finished and I moved the drawers inside, but I cannot help hubby carry the dresser up the stairs (it weighs a ton!) so it will sit until another big strong man comes help him move it.  I also moved my headboard project and my chair project over there since the drawers are no longer taking up the space.

We moved the hook that was next to the bike stand next to the cornhole boards to hang the car bike rack, which is very awkward and heavy.

I still plan to get two more hooks to hang the step ladder, which will go over the trash cans on the left and to hold the spreader, next to the door on the right (currently the spreader is just sitting in front of the trash cans).

I should be able to finish the headboard project today so that will be one less thing in the way, but it really doesn’t solve the “my car has been parked in the driveway for a month” problem.  Darn dresser!!!

Is your garage clean enough to fit both your cars in it?

 

UPDATE:  The Galaxie fits!!  And so does Pete (my car) after about a month and a half of driveway parking. 

A Day in the Life: The Last Day of April

Apparently my alarm was set for 6:30.  I don’t remember setting it that early, but it starting pounding at the door and yelling my name around that time.  The good news is she wanted to snuggle.  So we sleepily moseyed back to my bed and got our snuggle on for a good 45 minutes.  And then we giggled for a good 10 minutes and eventually made our way downstairs for breakfast.

We had almost no milk in the house, so hubby wasn’t allowed to have cereal for breakfast.  That left enough milk for Cupcake to have some in her cup and in both of our bowls of cereal.  We opened a new box of Kashi Triple Berry Crunch.  I approve!  Cupcake also had some applesauce and I had some OJ.  We got a little bit of play time in before we had to get ready for Stroller Strength class.

I totally overdressed for Stroller Strength.  By the second lap around the park (1/2 mile) I had to take my jacket off.  It got warm fast.  We worked on legs and of course did cardio.  I ran (at my 4 month pregnant pace) and I’m sure I’m going to feel it later.  The kids had a great time playing on the playground after class.  I forgot my phone in the car so I couldn’t take a picture of her in her cute new, wide legged jeans going down the slide.  She also had a great time pushing around a dump truck she stole from the older boys (they weren’t actually playing with it, so………).

We stayed at the playground for an hour, so my plan to get groceries was out the window because it was now lunch time (and I forgot my coupons anyway).  Back home I made Cupcake a peanut butter and jelly, served up with some raisins and pasta salad.  I had leftover pulled pork and pasta salad.  She ate maybe half her sandwich before the neighbor came over with her daughter (who’s almost 5).  The kids played.  Moms chatted.  I gave away an Amish Friendship Bread starter (woo hoo!  now I only have to make one!!) and then I kicked them out because it was naptime.  Oh, and I was supposed to put the chicken in the Crockpot at noon, but I got distracted by the company.

I had intended to put a coat of paint on the dresser but Cupcake was not cooperating with the nap, I still needed to fine tune my grocery list (yeah, I was going to go to the store underprepared) and get a shower.  I sent her back to bed twice before I got in the shower.  I again sent her back to bed once I was done showering.  It sounded like she got the hint, so I headed down to the basement to hem the neighbor’s new curtain (the main reason for her visit earlier).  She brought it to me like this.

Smart girl!  She has no sewing experience, so I was impressed with her method of marking the desired length.

I got to try out a new method for ensuring even hems!

I listened to the buzz of my sewing machine, while watching some Samantha Who? on Netflix, and listening to the silence on the baby monitor.

Success!!

OK, so the silence on the baby monitor was not a toddler sleeping like I thought.  She discovered how to escape from her bedroom!! As I was coming up the stairs I could smell Old Spice and was quite nervous about what I would find when I got to the top of the stairs.  I found a toddler saying “uh, oh, blankie” and discovered said blankie covered in bits of a blue, smelly gel in daddy’s bathroom.  At first I thought it was shaving gel, but I didn’t really have time to investigate.  I quickly looked for the source of the blue gel, but had to move along.  The hubs was walking in the door and I had a dentist appointment to get to.  (Turns out it was deodorant.  She apparently thought it was fun to tear it up into chunks.)

No cavities!!  A little bit of pregnancy induced gingivitis, but that’s pretty normal.  It’s actually not too bad (I think it’s less than what I had with Corinne) which is probably due to the fact that I brush and floss a million times a day thanks to my Invisalign trays.

A quick to the grocery followed my dentist appointment.  We didn’t have enough milk to make dinner so it couldn’t wait.  At least it was a quick trip because I was toddler free!  And I didn’t forget my soda on the bottom of the cart! (I don’t buy soda, like ever, except when I have a party coming up that I tend to leave my soda on the cart when I put it in the cart return.)

I came home to discover a toddler sitting on top of a daddy who was laying on the couch. They were watching Dora the Explorer.  Cupcake was so entranced she didn’t notice me come in the house, which means she didn’t get off her daddy, which resulted in me lugging the groceries in by myself.

Time to make dinner.  Chicken and Dumplings.  I used this recipe.  It was fantastic!  Cupcake asked for seconds!  (Luckily my chicken was cooked at a reasonable time, since I forgot to put it in the crockpot when I originally planned.)

Hubby’s car needed to be dropped of at Mazda as it will be in for a few days of repair.  She who did not nap fell asleep on the 10 minute drive there and back.  (If she’s going to fall asleep during a quick car ride I’m going to assume she still needs the afternoon nap that she has been fighting so hard the last 2 weeks!)

Cupcake continued to destroy the house.

Hubby mowed the lawn.  Momma did the dishes.

Off to bed for the little one.

Back to the kitchen for the momma.  It was day 10 of my Amish Friendship Bread adventure, so it was baking day.

It doesn’t look very appetizing right now, but I can assure you it tastes fantastic! (I don’t know why they call it bread……clearly it’s so sugary it’s cake!)  Have you ever had this stuff?  OMG! I love it!  I’m always afraid to give all my starters away because it’s so good, but my thighs really don’t need a loaf every 10 days!

While the bread baked momma cleaned.

This guy helped.

See I told you so!

I enjoyed the smell and sounds of rain and the cleanliness of my kitchen and living room before heading up to my comfy bed with my chic lit.

The day ended with one tired momma who hoped that the alarm was set for at least 7:00!

I didn’t take a single picture today

We slept in. We went to stroller strength class. We played on the playground. We went to lunch. We went shopping. Cupcake took a nap (with a small break for pulling all her toys in the bed). I shampooed carpets. We played with the same old toys.  We read the same old books. We ate leftover pizza for dinner. We played and read some more. Cupcake got a bath and went to sleep. I tossed a load of diapers in the wash.  I potted my sad looking marigolds that I purchased a week ago and have let sit on the porch since (even through last night’s freeze). Emptied the fridge. Loaded up the dishwasher.  Took out the trash and recycling.  And forgot to take the compost out to the bin before it got dark outside.  Lastly, I spot treated the stubborn spots on the carpet.  I was going to give myself a pedicure, but I wanted to curl up in bed with my computer so I can finish making Cupcake’s birthday wishlist at target.com.

If You’re Wondering

If a bedroom can be painted in a toddler’s naptime.  The answer is yes!  After Cupcake slept in (only because she stayed up 2 hours past her bedtime the night before at the babysitter’s house) we rushed off to her last tumble bunnies class until the fall.  I decided it was best to take the summer off since we usually have a lot going on.  It kind of breaks my heart that we won’t go next week because she absolutely LOVES her gymnastics class!  But we’ll do fun things in it’s place!  After class we headed over to the mall with some friends.  We had a $20 off a $40 purchase coupon to use at Old Navy!  My intent was to buy some new maternity jeans since the ones from my pregnancy with her are WAY too big and I don’t anticipate my thighs growing enough to fit them.  (I started this pregnancy 2 sizes smaller!)  Yeah, I didn’t find any pants for myself.  But I found a few cute things for Cupcake and a few cute things for baby #2 (if it’s a boy).  I did get myself a pair of gaucho pants, though.  Because that’s what every short girl needs to wear.  After we shopped it was off to the play area to let the kids burn off more energy.  And I wasn’t in a hurry to get home because the hubs might have been sleeping (he’s working 3rd shift these days).  Cupcake insisted on wearing the new slippers I bought at Old Navy even though they are two sizes to big.  I took a picture of her on my phone sliding off the back end of the play car (which she did about 20 times), but I don’t know how to get it off my phone and on here, so here’s the link.  After playtime it was back home for nap time!

I was pleasantly surprised to find that hubby had cleaned out the office earlier in the day.  I vacuumed. And I painted. I started by cutting in.  Here you can see a corner and around the closet door.

I checked the time and saw that I had at least 45 minutes before naptime was over, so I thought I’d get rolling.

I was actually surprised at how quickly this went.  This is the only room in the house I haven’t painted already since we moved in over 7 years ago.  40 minutes later I had blue walls!  The blue walls really made the beige trim look pink!  Ewww!!  Don’t worry.  The trim will get painted, too.

I did some cleaning up.  Had a snack. And cleared out my Google Reader while I waited for Cupcake to wake up from her nap.  Post nap we made a trip to the grocery store.  And in a very uncharacteristic manner we returned home and ate processed food for dinner.

I don’t typically serve chicken nuggets in this house.  I don’t typically have chicken nuggets in the house.  But hubs is working 3rd shift, I hadn’t really planned dinner, and a friend of mine recently moved and brought me all her frozen food before she left.  The chicken nuggets were in that stash.  Cupcake immediately dived into the sweet potato fries, but as soon as I offered her a chicken nugget the screaming ensued, the plate was pushed away and she was done eating!  Apparently I won’t be serving chicken nuggets again!

In her raging state Cupcake demanded that we go outside after dinner.  It wasn’t even 50 degrees out there.  Nope, no outside play!

How about we play with your new slippers?  Yep, those are fun!

We played with our flash cards.  First we went through the letters and pictures.  Then we drove over them with cars.

We moved on to blocks.  She only wanted to play with the m block.  Her favorite picture is that of a mouse.

Soon it was time to head upstairs to get ready for bed.  We had to head up a little early because this was waiting for me.

Unfortunately for me the laundry hadn’t put itself away, yet.  And there wasn’t a night time diaper ready for me.  So I put diapers away first.  And then I started working on the clothes.  Cupcake loves when I put laundry away.  She can hardly wait for me to empty the basket………….so she can get in it.

With a sleeping toddler it was back to the office/guest room for me.  A second coat of paint, rocking out to the CAKE station on Pandora, and hoping the neighbors aren’t watching me  through the big window that has the blinds up so I don’t accidentally paint them.

And then the worst part…….

Cleaning up……but I treated myself with some ice cream when I was done.  And a blog post. And now I am off to read some Catching Fire and sleep.