Caterpillars

Last Friday the Fed Ex man rang the doorbell in the middle of Drew's nap. She was up at once thinking it was grandma. Instead it was our caterpillars.

Yes I said caterpillars.







These babies are going to crawl around in their cups and eat and get bigger for a week or so. Then they will climb to the top of the lid and make cocoons, or "tutoons" as Drew would say. Then a week or two later and we will have ourselves some butterflies!

(Katie, you better believe I've got you and our first graders on my mind!)

I ordered my kit here. So far it's the most exciting thing that's happened at our house.

Kitchen Transformation

Befores and afters. I wish this was a Chelise transformation post then I could show you this "before" of me on a grungy morning sweeping the kitchen, and a glamorous "after" of me in make-up and heels. Unfortunately I look pretty much the same at the moment as I did in this before shot two months ago. I HATE to post this, but it is the only before shot Jason got of this part of the kitchen.

Before:


After: (enter Chelise in a glamorous gown... or at least dressed for the day)


Before:


Afters:




Before lighting:


After lighting:


Before:


After:


Before:


Afters: (Hi Jason!)






Things to notice:

Jason made the most amazing bench under the bay window area. He can do anything.

I love these curtains I made out of cheap broadcloth fabric ($2 a yard) and added the vertical ruffles. I think they probably cost me about $20 for all four.

The spoon calendar! I have been collecting baby spoons and forks for a couple years now to make a magnetic calendar. I got the idea from my sis in law Brittney who made one out of her collection of skeleton keys. Just cut some sheet metal to fit inside a frame and glue craft magnets to whatever kind of collection you have.

New above the range microwave.

Why does my fridge look the same in all befores and afters? I could have it least cleaned it up a little, dang it.

Countertops went from pink to dark. This was a small budget remodel so we stuck with the laminate and spent about $600 instead of $4000 if we were to get granite. At this point in our lives we are really happy with the way the laminate looks and it was just the amount of money we wanted to put into the house anyway.

The cabinets are pretty white! We actually had help because Jason's dad owns a cabinet shop up in Show Low so we took down all the doors and sent them up to him to be sprayed white. Then we sanded all that was left and used a roller to get a smooth paint job on the rest. We bought new handles and hinges which made a world of difference. FYI- do not spend $6 a piece on handles or hinges at Home Depot or Lowes. We bought ours at Woodworker's Hardware for about $1.50 a piece. Although their site is a beast to navigate.

Rose bushes are the best. We have about a million roses right now.

Still more little things to do here and there, but for now it is done!

New BB stuff

Now that the Easter dresses are done and I am not a slave to my sewing machine anymore, I am in the works of adding new designs to my shop. I am really excited about this since all of it has been in the works since December. But there is only one of me so it takes until April to see out my ideas. If I start now maybe I can have spring 2011 stuff ready in time for next year.

Here's one of my new items... a swimsuit! Drew officially has a perfect body. Except for the scuff she got on her knee when she tripped while modeling these pictures for me. I'm glad she hasn't figured out worker's compensation yet. And that she still lets me pay her with mini Reeses candies.

Remembering Easter

Drew loves to reminisce about all the fun things we do. Combine that with her slight stutter and she reminds me exactly of Chris Farley in The Chris Farley Show. It sounds like this:

Drew: (some stuttering and in a really excited voice) Remem-remember when we went to California and we went to Disneyland and we went on the Tall Tall Mountain ride and there was a white bear and we said Raaah! and we weren't scared? Remember?

Me: Yeah.

Drew: That was fun!


She starts reminiscing about things as soon as five minutes after we've done it and this Easter weekend she has had a lot to reminisce about.

Re-remember when we painted the Easter eggs and I put them in the colors and my hands got all dirty and they were so pretty?

Remem-remember when we made cookies and I put on frosting and m&ms and sprinkles and I ate it and it was so yummy? Remember?

Re-remember when the Easter bunny hid the eggs and I found them and there were treats inside?

Re-remem-remember when I blow the bubbles and daddy went Yah! and popped them? Do you remember?

As Drew would say, "That was so fun!"

Happy Friday