a cleaning hint

you know it's time to clean if you find dust on the toilet lid.

i would not personally know of a situation like this.

really.

so talented!

the girls had a little talent show at church last saturday. they had a program for kids to sing, dance, play the violin, hit a ball, do a "rock dance", etc. it was so cute and very funny at times!

they also had tables set up to showcase non-performance based talents. afton displayed her sewing talent. she made the cute pink and yellow craft apron. it has numerous pockets to hold scissors, needles and various other crafting items. she copied this idea from a kit that ella had received for her birthday.

what a smartie!!!

ella chose to display her newly discovered piano playing talent.

she played "the speedboat". she did a great job!!!

our little monkey

ella is such a monkey. she climbs all over everywhere and jumps off things and climbs up my legs and skips and hops around all day long. we decided she might like gymnastics.

today was her first day and she l-o-v-e-d it!

miss amy is her teacher.

today they worked on the vault and the trampoline.

elle says she "wants to go to gymnastics on saturdays and thursdays too".

did i mention that she loved it?

independent thinkers

check out that super cute scarf! miss belle picked it out at her favorite store in the mall...justice. she loves justice because everything is fun and sparkly and the mom groans in anguish and agony when she is dragged into it! this girl had her very first violin lesson on tuesday!

thanks marmee and gg for the violin! it's working out very well and has been adorned with a pink luggage tag for safe keeping.
aftie was delighted with this particular clothing ensemble. she said "i think this is the cutest outfit i've worn so far this year!"

and there's that scarf again.

it's official

just wanted to say for the record...i am officially a crazed-pta lady.

i stay up late at night dreaming up ways to increase our membership and get parents excited to volunteer.

i stay up late putting together a ridiculous number of pta info portfolios.

i even stay up late making glittery stars to dress up a clipboard.

seriously, it's only the 2nd day of school and i'm worn out!

only two years to go.

first day of school!

i can't believe these two are back in school already! didn't we just finish up the last school year? they are mostly excited and a little nervous to meet their new teachers and find their classrooms. (i did offer to take them to school and help them, but they both wanted to ride the bus with their friends. a good sign)

i have to laugh at myself because i always envision such different first day outfits than they choose. ella is most excited about wearing her purple tanktop, which no one will even see! and afton did not care to have her capri's rolled, thank you very much. whatever makes them happy and feel confident is what's most important, right? right.

i am excited to hear about their teachers and which friends are in their classes. the first day is always so much fun and so looked forward to. i just pray they don't have homework, so we can lounge around all afternoon and chat about school.

golfing

on friday, ry had the day off so we all went golfing. it was the girls first time on a real golf course.

we had a fun time even though it was hot and humid!

ella's favorite part was finding the ball washers throughout the course.

afton had some great shots!

even i had a few nice shots. it's been a long time since i've golfed, but i think i'll try some lessons in the spring.

fun day!

bathroom update

just in case the floor pictures weren't enough for you, i've got bathroom photos for your enjoyment!

up first...the shower. although small in size, the travertine-tiled stall is large in luxuriousness. a choice of two shower-heads, a travertine bench to perch oneself upon, and ample room to turn around in, makes this shower nearly spa-like. it will be even more lovely when the permanent glass doors we have yet to find, replace the mold and mildew-proof plastic shower curtain.

here we have the bathtub with a gorgeous mosaic tile backsplash. and silver towel racks placed conveniently within reach.
the mosaic tile continues around to serve as a backsplash for the custom built vanity. featuring his and hers vessel sinks and surrounding counterspace, as well as shelving below for personal items.

from another angle...the shower is reflected in the stunning silver mirror. also notice the exposed (sort of) beam, that we feel adds a touch of rough hewn whimsy. also let's not forget to notice that shine on the vessel sinks. courtesy of yours truly.

hello beautiful!

merry christmas to us. that's right. my parents gave us new flooring for christmas last year. but we couldn't start on it until we finished our master bath project. so now we're finally ready to replace our dining room and entry way flooring. seven long years of waiting. i swore that green carpet would be the first thing to go when we looked at the house seven years ago. maybe i shouldn't have sworn. bye bye ugly carpet.
goodbye you slippery old tile.

hello beautiful bamboo floor!

thanks anne and kev!