Showing posts with label ellie. Show all posts

When Ellie Made a Splash at the Super Bowl!

Monday, February 8, 2016

My kids love hearing stories about the funny and embarrassing things they did when they were small. I think it's because the persons who were embarrassed were me and Marc so it's kind of like we are the punch line of every story, "...and then mom had to drag me away with her face flaming red, her head bowed in shame and a fierce vow never to let me out in public again. Mwah ha ha..." What's not to love?

Image result for super bowl
So in honor of the Super Bowl (Go Broncos!), I bring you the story of when Ellie made a splash at the Super Bowl.

 It happened when we first moved to California. We came here for Marc's job and he had only been working at his new law firm for six months when our family was invited to a Super Bowl party at one of his colleague's home. A colleague who is, naturally, a big deal partner at the firm. In spite of his intimate knowledge of our family and how weird we are, Marc was very intent on all of us going and making a good impression. I know, right?

 I'd like to insert an aside here where I wonder how some people get children who are quiet and docile, attached to their parents, and only interested in silent reading. Is it a levels of karma and reincarnation thing? And if it is, am I more evolved and the universe thinks I can handle crazy kids or am I less evolved and, well...?

 But I digress.

 So we all six go to this fancy party at this ginormous and beautiful house where the couple hosting have no children but instead a massive collection of original artwork including sculptural pieces grouped on low side tables scattered tastefully throughout the home, and outside (Heaven help me), a crystal clear pool with attached hot tub. In other words, hell. 

 I need to add that this was about seven years ago. Ellie was an adorable and incorrigible six year old.
Marc and I swiftly assessed the situation and ascertained that the pool/hot tub combo was dubious but still a better fit for our family than hanging out inside with the priceless art collection. We immediately impressed on each of our children the extreme importance of staying away from the water and the equal importance how much we were going to kill them if they could not stay away from the water.

 So Jonathan and Ellie started playing by the water.
Here they are around that time. Cute little devils.
What follows cannot be blamed on us. We parented. We warned and threatened and redirected and distracted and ALL THE THINGS. For reals, not our fault!

 At some point people tried using this social event filled with firm employees and clients to schmooze with us, clearly not understanding the eminent danger of embarrassing us that our children teetered on the precipice of, and in an attempt to be polite and perhaps a little shmoozy ourselves, we took our eyes off the children. 

 Cue horror music.

 Our eyes, and everyone else's, were brought back to said children when Ellie started screaming as she wrestled her way out of the hot tub (where she'd been fully dunked)and began clawing at her brother like an angry wet cat. Do you have kids? Do you know how loud a mad six year old girl can be? It's loud. And not to be shushed or reasoned with.

 Oh boy were we mortified! Marc basically scooped up Ellie and made a b-line for the car. I understood intuitively that I should grab the other kids and quickly follow. Sometimes our minds work as one. That is what the crucible of parenthood does to you.

 And that, my friends, is how Ellie made a splash at the Super Bowl.

 Fun fact: Marc was so upset about this that we didn't bring Ellie back to the annual Super Bowl party for three years. Each year she would be angry and insist that it wasn't her fault because Jonathan pushed her in, and each year we didn't believe her. But two years ago Jonathan decided that the statute of limitations was up on punishment for past crimes and admitted that he HAD pushed her into the hot tub.

 Sheesh.

 This year Ellie came with us as her sweet and socially amazing self. In fact, I was able to sit and visit with friends while she worked the party with her dad, shmoozing like a pro.



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Tween Girl Bedroom Makeover Reveal

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

I thought I'd have the before and after pictures of Ellie's bedroom posted yesterday but I am dying of a disgusting head cold and it's slowing me down. It's almost all I can do to lay in bed watching old episodes of "Gilmore Girls" while eating chocolate chips. Which is sad because I can't even taste them that well. What a waste!

Anywho, better late than never!

Here is her room before. And there are a few more pictures plus my original plans here.

And here it is now.

 After sewing the blackout curtains, one of the biggest changes are the white walls which shall henceforth be referred to as "The White Walls From Hell." When we painted the wood paneling in the kitchen we got a lot of bleed through so we knew that this time we needed to prime before we painted. First I hit all of the knots in the knotty pine with a layer of oil based primer, then Marc sprayed the whole room with two coats of Kilz. Things were looking good so he went ahead and sprayed the walls with a coat of Benjamin Moore latex interior white paint. The next morning we found this.
  Disgusting brown bleed through in several places. I may have had a major hissy fit/crazy break at that point, I mean, we'd spent an entire Saturday prepping and painting and the room looked awful. So on Monday I marched myself down to Sherwin Williams and demanded a product that would "FIX THIS MESS!" Poor Sherwin Williams paint guys. I was not in a good mood. I was directed to the white pigmented shellac which I now fondly think of as the Holy Grail of primers. It smelled a little, but it covered everything! Unfortunately Marc had to work so I ended up rolling it on myself and then brushing over it to get out the bubbles that kept happening. Because it's a shellac it dried with a bit of shine and I decided to stop there and be happy because I was sick to death of painting! 

The paint pros said that a lot of things can cause bleed through on old wood paneling, tannins in the wood, old tobacco smoke, or even residue from furniture polish that people used to put on them. In short, next time (yes I have two rooms left with unpainted wood paneling) I'll start with the shellac primer. It's expensive, but so worth it!
 Hooray for smooth white walls! Everything after that was pretty easy and went according to plan. Ellie loves comics so we framed some in these clip frames from Hobby Lobby.

Batgirl is a favorite. She's also loves Batman, so he went on the door here.
I'm curious how other moms decorate with their tweens and teens? I really wanted Ellie to feel like the room was hers, but she is only 12 and doesn't totally understand design. I kept having her look at teen rooms on Pinterest with me and trying to get her to identify what she liked about the rooms she was drawn to so we could replicate them. We'd have conversations like this:

Me: So you like this room? Awesome! What do you like about it? The color? The lamp? The area rug?
Ellie: I like the giant 6 foot canopy bed.
Me: Right. But remember your room is tiny. So we need to find things you like that we can do in your room.
Ellie: I like the two huge chairs shaped like space pods in front of the giant fireplace?
Me: arrrrrghpftttt.

I finally decided to ask her to help pick specific items for her room, but I'd decide how it was all going to go together. So I found her dresser on Craigslist, and she picked the paint color for it. More on that makeover here.
 There wasn't room for a nightstand, but I wanted her to be able to read in bed and she picked out this little spotlight lamp for her wall from Target.

Her stuffed animals that she couldn't part with got corralled on shelves.
You can read a cute story about that little pink piggy bank here.
She wanted to hang this plaque she got from her Young Women's church leaders when she turned twelve.
 It's interesting because she loves the way everything came out, but her perception of things is that I designed her room. And my perception of things is that I love how it came out, but I definitely didn't design it how I would have for me. I think all that wood paneling would make for a perfect cottage bedroom, but when I showed Ellie pictures like this
 She said no way.

So we ended up with this, and we are both very happy! What do you think about decorating your child's room? How much input do they get? Would you let them have something you hate? I hope you'll leave a comment and let me know what you think.

Linking up!
The Turquoise Home The Seasoned Homemaker Just a Girl and Her Blog Live Laugh Rowe Redoux Interiors

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Orange Is The New Black

Thursday, November 6, 2014


Here is the first (finished) part of Ellie's bedroom makeover a.k.a. "cosmetic fix for tiny, dark, cabin-like bedroom".
I am fairly annoyed with myself because while I was messing with my camera I accidentally deleted the before photos that would show you what a banged up bit of cheap inexpensive kid furniture this started out as. Also you would appreciate all the stickers I had to get off it. But, no use crying over spilt milk paint (ha! I'm funny, right?). First, more pictures, and stick with me to the end for the how to, my review of General Finishes Milk Paint, and what I would do differently if I were doing this project again, 'cause there's no sense in you making the same mistakes I did!


Ellie and I decoupaged this great blue fabric on the inside of the drawers. I love how it adds a hidden bit of sophistication for her to grow into. 
 Initially I planned to spray paint the hardware black or gold, but after I was done painting the dresser it felt like the original finish worked, and it's a nod to the original princess style 1970's furniture-here's a photo from the internet-Ellie's was basically exactly like this only more beat up. It looks like they could be from the same set.

Love the scroll-y feet with the persimmon paint.
Am I using the word "love" too much? This color just makes me so happy. I'm thrilled Ellie chose it, I feel a smile tugging at my mouth everytime I look at it.

Okay, let's get to the nitty gritty of how this cutie went down. I can't write "nitty gritty" without hearing Nacho Libre in my head. It's okay, I like him there. Ahhh, Focus! First a quick rundown of the paint process.

  1. Remove hardware and clean with simple green.
  2. Prime with oil based primer.
  3. Sand with 120 grit sandpaper and wipe with paper towels.
  4. Three coats of paint with a really light sand in between each coat.
  5. Decoupage drawers with fabric
  6. Wash and replace hardware.
  7. Admire work!

This was the first time I've used General Finishes Milk Paint and I super like it. Like a lot a lot. I am recommending it to you with vigor. I have no idea why it's called Milk Paint though because it comes mixed in a can and it doesn't chip at all, it also dries with a bit of a sheen that isn't present in regular milk paint unless you seal it with something sheeny. It isn't like chalk paint either. The closest I can think of is maybe latex trim paint in semi-gloss?



Anyway, I am in love with the color choices and it goes on beautifully and dries quickly. It has almost no odor too. I think the reason I like it so much is because no matter how much I love the look of Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paints or Annie Sloan Chalk Paints (and I really do), I always wish they were a little bit shinier and this paint is!



Now, what would I change? First, I drove way way too far to get this piece off of Craigslist. And when I got there I saw that the piece was in really bad shape and not particularly well made. I should have negotiated the price down from the hefty $30 I paid, or maybe even not bought it and waited for something better. I think that driving so far made me feel like I had to get something, so in the future I'm going to narrow my driving parameters. Even though I love how this came out, I wouldn't spend the time and money for supplies again unless it was free or something I already had. 



But since I do have it, let's look and smile one more time (you can see it in her finished room here.)

I have a favor to ask, I'm trying to grow this blog in preparation for selling some of my furniture; if you popped over from Facebook and feel like commenting, would you please do it here on the blog? Maybe we can trick Google into thinking I'm important :-)

I'm linking up at:
The Shabby Nest
Miss Mustard Seed
French Country Cottage
I'm Not a Trophy Wife
Under the Table and Dreaming
Huckleberry Love

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It Goes with Everything

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Yesterday I cleaned my room. And tried to catch up on house type chores like washing clothes, folding clothes, and putting clothes away. Ah, dear laundry, so much goes into being dressed.

 I also had time with Ellie. Last week was so busy that even when I was home I wasn't plugged into my  kids the way I usually try to be. So she had a LOT of talking to do-making up for lost time and whatnot. On a side note, once she asked me, "Mommy, if you die and go to heaven will you still be able to hear every single thing I say to you?" and Marc whispered, "It depends on if she's in heaven or not." Such is Ellie's need to keep me apprised of all things she is thinking.

 So here are some of the gems I got to enjoy today.

 When we were in the car on our way to Trader Joe's she said, "Mommy, did you know some people think that the sun is alive?"
"No," I said, "Some pretend people on Doctor Who thought that the sun was alive."
"Right," she answered, "But the people who made up Doctor Who thought it."

 Later we were at the mall and when we walked past Abercrombie and Fitch she asked, "Mommy? What is that place?" "It's a clothing store," I said. "Then why does it look so much like a club?" she wondered. "I don't know," I answered, "Maybe it's so people feel like they are part of a special club when they shop there."
"That's dumb," she decided, "Anyone can go in. It's not that special."

 Right on I thought.

 We were at the mall because Ellie got her ears pierced for her birthday and now she has had the earrings in long enough that she can take out the original cubic zirconium studs and get fun ones from Claire's. She has been living for this day, I tell you what. 

 So we were at Claire's. Looking at earrings. Lots and lots of earrings. For a really long time. And I was oohing and ahhing over all of the cute little animals, and peace signs, and butterflies when she exclaimed from the front of the store, "I FOUND THE ONES!" 
"You did?" I said, "What are they?"
"They are DONUTS and they have GOOGLY EYES and they are so CUTE and I LOVE THEM!" she told me excitedly.

 So we bought them and put them in her ears right there in the store.


It's a donut. With google eyes.
And it just made me happy, listening to her all day today...in a way, it is heaven.

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That's What Friends Are For - Using Their Stuff

Monday, July 23, 2012



Last summer Ellie asked our friend Dayna if she could have her birthday party in Dayna's rockin' awesome backyard that has a pool, tire swing, and tree house. Dayna, of course, said yes, but I was having a lame-o summer so I never actually got around to it. Both those colored parts have links about those stories.


On a side note, Dayna was such a good friend last summer (my bummer summer of depression). She kept offering to bake the cake and get a pinata and all I would have to do was get Ellie and some friends there. But, ack, it was impossible! I also remember a day when she called and asked me to go to the gym and then have lunch with her and I said, "um, I don't really want to do that," because I was too out of it to even come up with a good/polite excuse. But we both laughed and she loved me anyway and let us have the party this year. Which was better anyway because - DOUBLE DIGITS!


Ellie turned 10! My baby! 10!  I don't know why I'm yelling except that this is very weird...only one more year of elementary school to go.


The party was perfect. Dayna busted out her chocolate fountain which was a giant hit. Turns out ten year old girls lu-huv giving themselves chocolate beards and mustaches. 
They swam and posed and posed and swam.


Dayna was having escargot for lunch (I know, right?) so I called all of the girls over to watch her take a bite. Other parties have magicians for entertainment.
I do hope she doesn't care that I post this picture. Take in their faces.



It was such a nice party, if you have a friend with a great backyard I totally recommend this route.

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Mormon Helping Hands

Saturday, April 30, 2011




On Saturday Ellie and I cleaned up trash near the top of Mount Diablo as part of the Mormon Helping Hands project. The rest of the family was scattered to the winds with other activities, and I admit I was tempted to stay home and maybe snuggle and watch Pokemon with Ellie, but I decided "service is important," so we went and I am so glad we did.

You know how you never know which lessons are actually going to teach your children something? Well, this one seemed to particularly take with Ellie. When we got up the mountain (after a very long and twisty drive with Dayna and her girls) it was super windy and cold. The ranger was talking about hacking brush off of the trail and I was thinking "how can I get Dayna to turn around and take us home right now because Ellie is going to hate this and I don't want to deal with her?"

Such are my tiger mom skills.

But I knew Super Dayna wasn't going anywhere...so. Then the ranger said if we weren't prepared to work with a pick ax we could collect trash. He gave Ellie a reacher thingie, and me a bag and off we went.

And boy, oh boy did we collect trash. Ellie was a machine I tell you what! Most of the trash was sneakily hiding where it had been blown into these large low thickets. I am too big to crawl in there, but Ellie just went for it-crawling on her stomach at some points to get tiny bits of paper and stuff like bottle caps.

The best part was to see how proud she was of herself for taking care of the earth. She mostly gets that from school assemblies, but let's pretend it's because Marc and I taught her.

At one point she stopped me and pointed out the wind blowing the long grasses up the hill from us and commented on how it looked like a silver ocean. Then she said it was like the grass and trees and even the earth was singing.
I felt so glad we were there to experience it together. After an hour or so we snuggled up in a little grove of trees that worked like a wind break and just watched the grass sway.

It was like a million times better than Pokemon.

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Field Tripping

Monday, October 18, 2010

On Friday I got to go on a field trip with Ellie's class to a local ranch that is preserved as it was in the early 1800's.

Here's our girl pumping water and listening to the Ranger.
The picture of the stove up there? That's from inside the house; I am having lovely daydreams about making bread and stew-just like in "Little House..."

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Ellie's Baptism

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Another lovely thing that I can't skip blogging about is Ellie's baptism. All year long she has been talking about when her Dad would "bapmatize" her.

I have absolutely loved each of my smalls baptisms. I feel like the road to eternity is illuminated for a moment and it is so sweet to see my angel on that path.
It was wonderful to have Marc's family with us! Becca and Troy flew out from North Carolina and one of the most lovely parts was when Becca and Katie sang "I Like to Look for Rainbows." Made my waterworks work overtime.
Sadly, I forgot to charge my camera so I am low on pictures but here are some of the shots I did get. I love that little Ellie so much and I was so proud of her.

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