The New, The Improved

Lily's Cardboard Kitchen!

Here is the finished stove and sink! 

A couple close-ups:

Sink = New

Stove = Improved.

Getting a little use (Lily would not cooperate for pictures when I took these):

I finally finished these a couple of days ago. (Woo Hoo!) I think they look kind of retro with the black and blue. Lily was disappointed they are not pink. She is going through a pink phase. "Blue is for boys!" "No, no...this is baby blue, and blue is for everybody!" -- I feel kind of bad now... I was being a tight wad and didn't want to buy the extra large roll (they didn't have pink in the small size). Why I get caught up in a matter of like $6 difference when the rest of the project was made entirely from cardboard I got free and packaging tape and items I already had -- I do not know... I guess I am in perpetual save mode. I need to gain a little better perspective on 'the big picture' when I am out shopping. Plus, pink would have gone so much better with her apron and tablecloth... Doh! I feel bad, but no way am I re-doing them any time soon. The doors on that sink were too much work to cover -- I am just happy to check that project off my list! 


Lily played with them quite a bit today...after she was done playing superhero with her silky green tied quilt as a cape. She made me a delicious soup out of Mr. Potato head parts, 3 noses and a muscly arm in my bowl. She let me taste the flower and mustache in her bowl. Mm-mm good! When I was done she made sure to wash my dishes. I think she'll survive her disappointment! She did tell me she liked the striped shelf paper I made for the cupboard, but I don't think she got the duct tape circle drain. We had so much fun playing today we just skipped nap-time. I will have to post a sound clip of Lily making up a story that we recorded on my laptop this afternoon. Fun times! :)

Projects and Priorities

It's nap time, and this is what I'm determined to work on today:

Of all the things I could be spending my rare moments of child-free time on, yes - this is it. I made this little cardboard stove for Lily a long time ago, but it got badly faded, and she's grown...so while making the sink to go with it I made the stove taller. I plan to cover both with some paper I found at the Learning Store that's supposed to be fade free (we will soon find out). This is one of those projects that I started so long ago it's gotten to the point of: Finish it now or just throw it away!!! It took me one day to make the stove originally, so I don't know why it has taken me this long to do the other parts! I think because it's harder to work on stuff like this with Lily playing simultaneously at this age because now she wants to "help." And there is definitely more drive for a new creative project than an extended re-do like this. Lily still wants to play with it so I'd better just be done with it! I've been working on it a little here and there for the last couple of days. I just haven't had a long enough stretch of time to make real progress. I feel more like blogging than working on it so that is why I am on here posting about it so I feel like I can't go back on my plan. I already got my exercise in for the day (patting myself on the back) -- so no excuses there. I even got a little reading time in while I was exercising...and it's a book I've read before so I'm not tempted beyond my powers of self-control. I know I have a lot of cute pictures I could post, but I am determined to get this project done! So of all the things that we've been up to lately, this is what you get. Sorry! I am currently in the small appliance business.

First Decade

I totally had plans to write a post dedicated to my husband as we celebrated our 10th anniversary, but I think we were too busy laying flooring together... I let it slide. He's so busy he hardly thinks to read this blog anyway, but I thought it would be a nice little something for him to come across when he did get around to it.

I think I've already written posts about how we met and how great he is in years past, so I wasn't sure what exactly I'd write about this time besides "Happy Anniversary" and "10 years! 10 years? Really?"...Feeling sorta old....

But lately it's just been coming home to me again and again in simple everyday ways how glad I am to have my dear husband as my companion. So better late than never!

I wish I was a really good writer so I could truly capture the feeling that I want to express, but I know whatever I say will fall short anyway. It's hard to express love in typewritten text. It's hard to nail down in words all those moments when it just hits you for one reason or other.

I just want you to know, Mike, how deeply grateful I am for your love in my life! For your hard work, your example, your devotion to your family, your good dreams and your good heart. I know this last 10 years hasn't gone the way we thought it would, but it's good to have you by my side! It's good to share so many dreams, ideals, and memories. It's good to look over and smile at you and know that if life isn't all that we hoped it would be, at least we're both putting our all into making it the best that we can. What more could you ask for, really? That's real love, all for you, and it's still growing! Love you my husband and friend!