Love Sick

Happy Valentines Day! I'm not going to lie, it's been a long love day. It started at 5:30 am when Ryder came into my room crying because his ear hurt. After telling me he was feeling better a couple of hours later, I made him doctor appointment for the afternoon and let him go to school (I couldn't let him miss his Valentines Day party!)  

All the while we were planning to go visit my parents this weekend. But then a little bug also got a little tummy bug--and before I knew, it I was more worried about Hazel than Ryder.

 Ryder and Penny's Valentines this year. We put a little Hershey's kiss on their lips and called it a day.

I picked Ryder up and as soon I saw him said, "How are you?! I've been worried about you!" He laughes and says, "Why?" So, I was happy to see he was feeling better and thought well, at least the doctor visit will bring me the peace of mind knowing he doesn't have an ear infection.

As usual, Hazel leaving a trail of hugs and kisses wherever she goes.

Nope. 

He totally had one. 

It was at this point I delayed plans with my parents a little, which wasn't cool. And now, if you'll excuse me. I'm going to go to sleep.

Creative Notes: The Cave

Do any of you have random, what some might consider decorative, alcoves in your house? There might be one in your entry way for perhaps a vase with some sort of stick thingys. Most commonly, I seem to find them above fireplace mantels, for what I think was originally intended for a television.

BUT.

WHAT IF I DON'T WANT TO PUT A TV OR VASE WITH STICK THINGYS THERE?!?!

The best "Before" picture of The Cave that I could come up with.

Obviously, we have one. Above our mantel. And its massive. I mean like 4 foot cube. We have come to lovingly call it "The Cave". And its been a decorative crux of epic proportions.

I mean what can you use this space for, if not for a TV? A statue perhaps? Ya know, since I'm really into statues. I even thought I could line the bottom with a mattress and make it a bed for when guests visit.



Realistically, I just wanted that thing covered.  However, I didn't want to invest a lot of money. We're renting right now, so not only can't I mess with the structure, but I don't want to invest my time and money on customizing something that I can't take with me when we leave this lovely home one day.



There were a number of different ways I could go about covering it. But I knew I was onto the solution when I  happened upon these huge mirrors at Hobby Lobby that were 50% off. A harmless committment that ended with me having fun shopping for a mirror. I was even hopeful, this would solve the problem entirely.

After placing the mirror. I loved the look but hated that I still had about 10 inches of The Cave showing on each side.

Something more had to be done.

I had a lot of "light" going on with the cream walls, mirror and white mantel, so I knew I wanted something darker with more texture, which quickly led me to dark, grainy wood. In order to make it slightly more interesting than a few boards hammered together, I wanted to add some sort of creative element to it. Nothing overpowering, so I thought the two-toned stain with a very simple aztec design did the trick. Plus, it ended up tieing in nicely with this IKEA rug I have in the room.



So far, I'm quite pleased. I decorate and re-decorate my mantel almost every day trying to figure how what combos work best for my new solution, so we'll see. In case I ever got sick of the aztec design, I thought it would be nice just to flip the panels over for a simpler look...buuuut I totally messed up the back sides, so that's not an option unless I want to make two entirely new panels. :)

 

Frozen Phenomenons

Let me guess. You thought I was going to talk about the mooovie, Frozen. Because, well, any movie's soundtrack that has the power to entertain pretty much any group of children for at least a half hour or more is a phenomenon in my book. I just try to ignore the fact that Penny's favorite line she keeps belting out on repeat is "that perfect girl is gone!"

No, no. I'm here to talk about a different frozen phenomenon.

On Martin Luther King Day, Phil had the day off, so we thought we would be good parents and take our young saplings out into the world for a fun and educational experience that would inevitably create lasting memories.

(Here, Phil had them get in some sort of slippery crater for a fun photo op)

We chose the Ice Castles in Midway. And although our hearts were in the right place, our ideal outing ended up being a little rough around the edges. I guess all in all considering, I'd give it a 6 out of 10-- which when you think about it, with three kids under 6, is pretty respectable. The ice was gorgeous. I just wanted to sit there and take photo after photo...and so did the hundreds of other people there.

Sadly, it was waaaay too crowded to enjoy its full potential. After waiting in line for a half an hour, we entered a mass of people walking around in what I can best descibe as deep ice gravel, many of whom were holding on to each other for dear life to avoid falling. Plus, I couldn't help but notice all the employees had helmets on...which really made me want to ask them if there was a chance that one of these ginormous icicles could fall on our head...but why ask questions we already know the answers to? And there is the possibility we could have dressed our children a tad bit warmer. But you live and learn, but in the end we were glad to get out of the house and see something you don't see everyday.

It's a Hopeful Thing: The 12th Man

Sorry for the poor quality: it's the only proof we have of our grand effort to scrounge up everything "Seahawks" for the the big game.

I don't really get interested in sports. (I suppose the exception to this is when Ryder is playing, and then something rises within my chest that if I'm not exercising extreme amounts of self control has the ability to turn me into a rabid dog. But I'm sure that happens to every parent). I especially don't get into sports on a professional level. The last time I remember being entertained by a professional sports event was the 1998 NBA playoffs between the Utah Jazz and the Chicago Bulls. Classic, right? (However, it was more by default really, because my brother and dad had monopolized the TV and if I wanted to watch something, I only had one option. Plus, I liked basketball. And I don't like to brag, but I even played a little basketball in eight grade.) But I especially don't like football. (I mean, where is the dang ball!? By the time I figure out which beastly man has it, the play is already over...and it leaves me feeling somewhat disgruntled).

And who did I marry? Sports-loving-fanatical Phil.


So while we're in our usual routine of trading episodes like Downton Abbey here for a game there, I can't help but pick up a few tid bits from my very informed husband. In the specific case of the Seahawks, anyone living in our house knew the Seahawks had a great chance of making it into the Super Bowl this year. So a few weeks ago, when the Hawks played the Saints, I thought I'd really stretch myself and try to be a supportive wife and sit down and actually watch the game with him. It was an exciting game...what was this feeling? Fun? Excitment? Did I just scream at the television screen? Nobody couldn't have been more surprised by this reaction than myself.

An identity crisis ensued.

As much as I tried not to care. I did. I mean, I had watched an entire game! And I watched the next. And before I knew it I was a Richard Sherman fan. It was at this point, I knew there was no turning back. I even got appalled that our local grocery store didn't have Skittles as one of their snack items in their Super Bowl Party promo display. Do these fruitcakes not know anything?



Along with the fun I had these last few weeks being a Seahawks fan--being proud I have ties to such a great city and my wonderful friends who live there, it was good to be reminded of a couple of things. As much as I'm a fan of the "it's just a game" mantra, sports (and perhaps some other things I don't always understand) end up being more important because they bring hope. And yes, I'm fully aware that I rode the coat tails of my 12th man fan--but I am glad I did and was grateful for something exciting and fun to drown out the weary doldrums of winter.

Way to go, Seahawks!