Best Teachers Ever

Andrew has the best JrKindergarten teachers in the world.  These two women go all out every single day for these 18 four-year-olds.  All out.  And the kids thrive.  Not having planned on sending my kids to school before 5 year old Kindergarten, I am so glad I changed my mind.  I could never do at home what they do on a daily basis.  Not that they get rich teaching at a private Christian school, but I think these ladies are worth $80,000/year.  They are nothing shy of excellent.

Mrs. Beth Allison and Ms. Brenda Duntsch, I honor you.  Thank you for giving my boy such a great start in school.  I will be forever grateful.

Love,

Spider-man's mom

Property

Abby wanted to play on the playset in the backyard. I told her she could go. She replied, "I not go out there by myself. I need an owner to go with me."

Happiness Is...

When you're 4 1/2 and you score your second goal of the game.

Movie Room

Paint color: Latte.  65" Plasma being delivered Tuesday (the built-in can hold an 80" but 65" is the largest size plasmas come in).  Sectional already here.  Ordering carpeting Thursday.  Adrian already has surround sound.  Already shopping for Popcorn machine online - with the red and white colored boxes, of course.  Buying milk duds, sour patch kids, and other various candy selection this week.  Already have mini fridge to hold cokes and beer.

Top Gun, next weekend.  Can you come?

The Super Heroes are practicing

These are the only things each wanted to be.  Andrew wanted to be Spider-Man from the beginning and waivered for about 3 minutes when he considered being a Red Crayon, but then quickly switched back to Spider-Man.  Abby, barely age 3, saw a Wonder Woman costume in a Halloween Costume magazine about 2 months ago and that is the only thing she considered.  Nothing else on the other 35 pages even vaguely tempted her.

Andrew said, "Spider-Man can stick to stuff.  Wanna see?"

Proper Expectations

I don't cook or bake. (which is why it's a good thing i married a former chef). But for a special treat for my 3 and 4 1/2 year old, I went all crazy domestic and bought two packages of Pillsbury Ready To Bake Halloween sugar cookies (the pumpkins and the ghosts). Bought them this morning and the kids have been going nuts all day that after dinner, we are going to have some huge cookie baking extravaganza (what, i think they take 8-10 min in the oven?). They are running around the house so excited that the 4 1/2 year old couldn't contain it anymore and just opened the front door and yelled at the top of his lungs, "MY MOMMA'S MAKING COOKIES!!!!!!!" Granted, it was dark and nobody was outside. Moral of the story: Set the bar low.

Craigslist is of God

This baby. (I enlarged my faves.)

Faith

Read this yesterday and loved it:

"Faith is what makes you feel the comfort of the hearth while you're shopping for the wood." 

~ Frank Clark

Doctrinal Clashes

This morning after breakfast, I told Andrew and Abby to go put on their shoes in the mudroom. Abby somehow hurt her foot while she was putting on her shoes and started to cry. Andrew layed his hand on Abby's foot and prayed.

Andrew, 4 1/2: Dear Jesus, please heal Abby's foot. Amen.
Abby, 3: NO Andrew, you have to pray to Jesus AND God!
Andrew: No you don't, Abby! They work together!


Abby: (shouting) Yes you do!
Andrew: (shouting) No you don't!
(Repeat 20 times until both kids are shouting and crying).

And this, my friends, is what we call "missing the weightier matters of the law."

My Plan B

If this preaching gig ever doesn't work out, I know what I want to do.  I want to be an interior decorator.  Not that I am especially good at it (I'm ok, not exceptional), but the real reason I will go into it is because I have so much fun doing it.

It's not just that I am a good money spender (which I am), or a good deal finder (which I also am), or crafty or good with fabrics, but I love making a space a home.  I love adding meaning and purpose to rooms.  I love making nests for myself and others.  This isn't just when I am pregnant and nesting - yes, it's intensified now, but I love this anyway.  I love hospitality and helping to create an environment where people (myself and others) can relax, refill, reflect, thrive, and rejuvenate.  In fact, if I ever do a interior decorator resume, I'll just make that my "Objective:" line at the top.

Or maybe I will open a bed and breakfast.  That would be great, too.

Or maybe I just want visitors all the time.  If you are one of my few blog followers, you have an open invitation to come stay at our house for as long as you'd wish.  We would love, love to have you.  There are fresh sheets on your bed and fresh towels in your bathroom so you are welcome to come tomorrow if you want.  We are always here and would love to have you.

Anyway, we had a very fun and productive weekend.

First, Adrian mowed the yard and sprayed and killed a yellow jackets' nest (which, don't underestimate the satisfaction that he got from killing the nest from which he got stung on the back of the neck 3 weeks ago while mowing).

Then, Adrian and I bought an executive desk for his office off Craigslist, and it matches all of our decor perfectly (cherry wood, french legs).

It matches our decor style nicely:

And then Adrian finished sanding, priming, and spray painting the rocking chairs (well, he still has to add the top gloss coat, but they are 95% of the way there).  He has spent so much time on these rockers - it takes much longer to sand, spray primer, and spray paint multiple coats than you'd think.  They are solid, homemade wood rockers made by the Amish south of Nashville.  They didn't sell finished rockers in white, so that is why we decided to buy the unfinished ones and do it ourselves.  Adrian was commenting on how these were such solid pieces of furniture that they could last 100 years.  Then he said something very interesting.  He said he'd like to leave one to each of our children since we bought and finished 4 of them.  He said "the rockers they grew up with".  I LOVED this idea - remember, I love meaning in spaces and sentimental items.  So, I got the idea and decided to go to Things Remembered and have name plates made for each of the kids which we can put on the back top of each one.  Something like:

Andrew Chapman

Love, Your Momma and Daddy 

Then Adrian ran to Lowe's, and started on the movie room last night.  The babies and I kept him company.  It had Barney purple walls and red carpeting.  While we appreciate the retro movie room color choice looking like the theatre colors, we've decided against keeping the colors that the former owners chose.  We are doing latte colored walls and doing a light berber-designed type office carpeting to make it stand out as a movie room (and not a bedroom).

So, Adrian began that last night as well.

I also did a little fall mantle decor and filled a wire basket that my mom just gave me.  I filled it with cinnamon pine cones.

Then today, I went to pick up the 62" Christmas Angel that I bought at an interior decor store in Collierville.  I put it together and I am going to leave it up from today, October 14, 2013 til probably mid-January, 2014.  She's lovely.  I figure if an 18" Christmas Angel is nice, a 62" Christmas Angel is nicer.  Adrian doesn't know anything about this beautiful, lovely, majestic celestial being standing outside of our bedroom yet.  He's going to think I'm nuts.  

Now, I'm drinking hot chocolate and blogging.  Adrian is traveling and we are lounging.  Andrew's school had fall break this past Friday and today.  Not having to drive him there and go pick him up 3 hours later has been nice.