A is for Apple....

Between the kids' nap last Sunday and their playing pretty peacefully together on the morning of a snow day (we've had a bunch this year), I was able to knock this out!

This same artwork was in the kids' playroom in the old house, of course.  It was inspired by a photo I saw in a Pottery Barn catalog that had the same concept on the wall of a nursery.  I didn't keep the catalog, and this is the only photo I could find online of the inspiration.  You can see the bird, but you'll have to trust me that the apple and caterpillar are up there, too.

It's funny to think back to making this for the old playroom before the kids were born.  We bought the frames with a gift card from the shower on the same shopping trip that I bought the pants I wore to the hospital.  I painted the chipboard letters and craft paper backing in our old basement with no distractions at all, aside from a big ol' belly.
 

 

I sketched the stencils with my feet up on the couch, the way I spent a lot of afternoons back then.  I thought I kept the cut-outs just as keepsakes. Turns out it was so I could do it all over again!

I don't have a very vivid memory of painting the design in the old house (pregnancy brain?), but I'm sure later on I'll remember the kids playing around me this time around as I tried not to mess up.  Mike pointed out before I began that we have no more yellow paint for the playroom, so touch-ups would not be an option.  The pressure made me feel all Michelangelo.

I believe I will also recall Sophie telling me I'm very good at painting and asking, "When I grow up to be a teacher, can I paint on the walls like you?"  That teacher thing came 100% from her, despite my suspicion that she has it in her.  I told her yes, by the way. 

Above is a photo I took from my painting perch on top of the toy shelves.  Later I discovered that I dripped paint in Sophie's hair.  Better there than on the walls!

While it was certainly easier to paint with two munchkins peacefully rolling around in my belly, this was admittedly more fun and rewarding, especially when Michael came down from his nap to see what I had started and declared it a "Great idea!" 

Sophie exclaimed that my work was "just beautiful" when it was done.  Best patrons ever.

 

Mike and the kids also added a shelf to the kitchen area this weekend.

 

I can't believe how much better this playroom feels to me now.  It's all warmed up with memories of preparing for these two, of infants crawling over my legs, and of a couple of toddlers stumbling around gumming teethers.  We're filling the space now with games of Candyland and Memory and all sorts of imaginative fun, of preschoolers making observations and playing contentedly by my side.
 

Phase One: Before and Afters

One of the things that drew us to our new house is its not-so-badness.  We know it will feel pretty comfortable until we are able afford to take on the heftier projects, and in the meantime it has some nice, neutral features and the potential to be lovelier with some quicker fixes. For example it came with...

...white cabinets that are in great shape, including some uppers with glass doors and a wine rack...

...big windows with a view of a grassy hill and trees...

...an island with storage, electricity, and space for my little chefs-in-training...

...all open to a family room with a fireplace.

And here's how those spaces look today!



In addition to painting (Benjamin Moore Revere Pewter color matched by Valspar again), Mike replaced the brass knobs, handles, and hinges in the kitchen and hallways.  

New appliances freshened things up quite a bit.  I love the oil-rubbed bronze doorknobs that we added throughout the house, but I'm considering switching again to nickel drawer and cabinet pulls for down the road when we update floors and counter tops in the kitchen, but that's a ways away.  Right now I think the dark ones add some necessary warmth and contrast.

The family room lamp and kitchen pendant are from Ikea.  The drum shade you might recall from the old place.

As much as I look forward to updates to our fireplace facade and so on, I'm finding myself much more patient about improvements with this second house than I was with the first.  We'll get there!

This is my favorite view right now, the one I see when crashing on the couch after a long month of settling in!

Michael's Big Boy Room

Unlike Sophie who was thrilled with her new room immediately, Michael took a little more time warming up to his.  Thankfully, he has also been sleeping pretty well, but it has taken a little more snuggling and storytelling to settle him in.  

The beds were Mike's when he was growing up, and his parents were gracious enough to let us paint them navy blue (Royal Navy by Valspar).

Speaking of paint, Michael's room looked pretty feminine when we moved in.  I'm glad I didn't give in to the pretty purple walls and delicate windows that suggested it could be a better choice for Sophie.  I knew their furniture would fit better the way we have them.

His dresser was part of a set we picked up at a garage sale years ago for $60 (the longer dresser is now our family room TV stand). The lamp is from Ikea and lived in our old basement family room for years.

The airplane and double-decker bus pillows came from Etsy. The quilt sets are from Target. I have a number of ideas for wall art for both kids' rooms including a box of industrial gears from eBay for Michael's.  I hope you'll check back in to see those details down the road.

Sophie's Big Girl Room

While Michael and Sophie's rooms still need art for the walls and window coverings, I'm pleased with how they're shaping up!   On tours of our new house Sophie literally jumps up and down with excitement to share hers, so I think I did well.  She also goes to sleep and stays asleep in it almost every night and nap time.  Hallelujah!

We painted our kitchen, family room, and both kids' rooms Benjamin Moore Revere Pewter (color matched by Lowe's/Valspar).  Perhaps we'll get more playful as time goes on, but so far it really is the perfect neutral it is often touted to be on Pinterest.  

Sophie's bed is from Ikea, cost about $100, and I love the idea of painting it another color one day. Red has been on my mind, but we'll try it out as is for a while.  We chose to go with a queen so it can function as a guest bed and would allow the kids to sleep in the same room if they ever request it.  We weren't sure how this transition would go, but so far no loneliness issues.  (Michael has two twin beds for the same reasons...another post is in the works.)

It took a lot of online shopping for me to get a vision for Soph's room. While reading this book at bedtime in the weeks leading up to our move, I told Mike I would be thrilled to find a quilt like the one in it for her.  I wanted to get away from the pastels of the kids' nursery but still create a room that clearly belonged to a little girl. 

I was thrilled to discover this quilt here and loved the bold colors that are also youthful and girly--that was a tough combo to find.  I like it even more in person.

This lamp was a $1 garage sale find, already painted the perfect robin's egg blue (that color is sneaking it's way into a number of places in this house--mildly obsessed at the moment). The shade is from Ikea.  The side table is a treasure, one crafted by Mike's grandpa.

Sophie's dresser is obviously the tall one from the kids' old room, complete with the same accessories on top, for now at least.

I can't wait to share Michael's room with you as well!  Stay tuned.

3rd Birthday Party

We invited some twin club friends and friends from school to the Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum for a birthday party on Saturday.



I brought two of the pictures, the stars, and the "three" from the kitchen wall for decorations.  With the push-up pops (see the end of this post for details on those) and a few balloons, that was plenty to add a personal touch to the party room.





As always, the kids had a great time with the trains, rockets, water tables, blocks, balls, fire truck, giant bubble maker, floor piano, ambulance, and so on at the museum.





Fitting with the theme of the party, Michael, Mike, and some party friends launched rockets!

At busy events like this I always wish I just relied on my phone's camera and left my big ol' one at home since chasing after kids and trying to soak in the experience myself makes it even tougher to get good photos anyway.  But even out-of-focus moments are pretty special.





"Hey, fire fighter!  How old are you?"



For a little while I was on my own with Soph as she collected balls in her bucket from the giant machine.  While taking these pictures, I was really struck by what a little girl she is now, by how much my babies have grown in three years.



Back in the party room, the kids made slime, ate snacks, and we sang "Happy birthday."  We ran out of time toward the end for presents, but that time was probably better spent playing.  Three and four year old's prefer that anyway, right?




Below are some of my party planning details:

Rocket Party Inspiration

I scanned this fabric for the invitations, push-up wrappers, and some signs.

Rocket Push-Up Cakes Inspiration 

Our Rocket Pops!

I made the push-up wrappers in PowerPoint using the scanned fabric.  I printed them, cut them with a paper cutter, and glued them with glue dots.

The cones I cut out of scrapbook paper (love that stuff although I don't actually scrapbook) by cutting out circles, cutting them in half, rolling them into cones and taping.  I used a dot of that sticky putty stuff for hanging things on walls to hold the cones on the pops since it's easier to pull off than glue dots.  All of that was manageable while catching up on shows after the kids' bedtime.



Brownies, Strawberries, and Cream Recipe

Our Rocket Pops (naked)

I probably should have followed this full recipe rather than finding semi-homemade short-cuts.  I bought brownie bites from Costco hoping to avoid actually baking and cutting, but they were a tad too big for the containers.  I set aside time the night before the party to trim those down, which wasn't too bad.  I also just used a can of whipped cream, but the cream cheese mixture in the recipe probably would have held up better.  Even with waiting to assemble the pops until just a couple of hours before the party, the whipped cream lost its whippiness and the brownies got pretty soggy.  The kids thought they were good, though, so whatevs!

DIY Push-Up Pop Stand

Mike knocked the stands out over a few nights after work.  He had a 4 x 4 cut into four chunks at Home Depot, carefully measured out 12 spots on each, drilled, sanded, and painted them.

We intend to reuse the stands and push-up containers in the future.  They're pretty darn cute.


We're having family over today for the kids' actual birthday.  Stay tuned for pictures of the kids riding their 3rd birthday presents.  ;)