What's under the tree?

Last week I got a request to share what's under the Christmas Tree for the kids.  Almost everything was purchased from Amazon so if you decide you need something from the list it will still arrive before Christmas....well before if you have prime.  The only thing I hate about Amazon is how quickly they make my recycling bin fill up. 

Confession.  I purchase things for the kids that I want to play with. Also, for us, it's not a quantity thing.  We don't buy them a ton of stuff, but what we do buy is good quality toys that should last a long time and hopefully hold their attention for a long time. 

Oliver, age 6

A set of 60 unit blocks made by the always wonderful Melissa & Doug.  Unit blocks are the basic blocks that every kindergarten class has had, before academics completely took over.  I pretty much think they are the perfect toy, a castle, a house, a garage for cars, a zoo, ramps, endless options.  Oh and I was lucky enough to catch these blocks on lightening deal so I got them for $35, which is a total steal. 













Snap Circuits.  Setting up circuits to get stuff done, like a fan and a siren, and a flashing light.  


Lego City Police Crooks Hideout  This swamp police series is Oliver's favorite set of Lego books, and he has a few of the smaller sets that go with it, so I think he'll really enjoy this.



One thing Oliver specifically asked for was a doctor kit.  He saw a doctor kit in a teacher store magazine, but it was one of those little kits with all plastic instruments and I wasn't sure it would hold his attention that long.  So I hit facebook to ask friends what should go in the kit, then I hit amazon and purchased a bunch of real, but cheap, doctor tools. I found a doctor bag and put everything in it and wrapped it up as one set. 

Lab Coat, yikes the current price is much more than what I got it for.
Reflex Hammer
Blood Pressure Kit
Ace Bandages
Otoscope
Eye Chart  Eye Occluder (the thingy you cover one eye with while testing the other)
A doctor bag to carry it all in
Oliver has some x-rays on his amazon wish list

Flatbed truck with off road vehicle.  These Bruder brand trucks are the best, their price is the worst.  Amazon is NOT the place to find these.  If TJ Maxx has one around Christmas time, I buy one, if not, I don't.  Last year he got the mobile crane and he loves it still, so I'm pretty sure he'll enjoy this.  I loved that I paid $29 for it, not $77. 





Lydia, age 3

A set of 60 unit blocks made by the always wonderful Melissa & Doug.  Because 120 unit blocks will be way more fun than 60. 













74 piece set of Magna Tiles.  Lydia got a 100 piece set for her birthday last year.  Everyone likes playing with them, we needed more.  Combine a target gift card, a coupon code, and target RedCard savings and we got them for a great price. 




This set of windows, doors, and fences, to go along with the above blocks.  I've been told they work together. 



Playmobil playground.  Lydia is really into playing with figurines and acting out different events and I really think it's helping her speech. 




and a few small sets of playmobil people

Mom & kids

Lady with puppies, puppies!!

Boy driving a car


I can't wait to play!  Is it Christmas yet?  We are celebrating Christmas on the 24th since that's the day Jim officially has off.

                                                                              last year

Happy 3 Sweet Lydia

She started out as a surprise, her arrival was a surprise, and the person she is becoming surprises us daily.  Lydia is a cool girl.  She's quiet but adventurous.  She loves to travel and explore new things.  Loud noises  make her nervous, she hides out in the guest room while I blend her smoothies.  If she loves you, she'll let you know it.  One of my favorite things she says is "my mommy, my favorite." And it's obvious that her favorite place to be is right where I am, my it be so for years to come.  Lydia loves to build with legos, play with her baby doll, ride her balance bike (she's a pro), paint herself, and occasionally paper.  She's beginning to count, learn colors, and her speech is coming along.

More on speech.  Lydia had a transition meeting last week.  She transitioning from working with infant toddler services to receiving services through the school district.  When Lydia started receiving speech services it was because she had very limited language...she wasn't saying much.  She has language now.  I wouldn't say Lydia is chatty, but she talks now, which is fun.  The services she will receive now are for articulation.  She's talking, but apparently, according to the evaluation she is only 61% intelligible and someone her age should be 80% intelligible.  I understand her, but that doesn't really count.  Starting Wednesday she will receive 30 minutes of one-on-one speech therapy once per week. 

We haven't even looked for a doctor for us of the kids, so I'm not when she'll get her 3 year check up, but I think she's around 31 pounds and about this high. 

 Today was our first birthday party out here in California.  We played outside, it was 73 and sunny, and pretty close to perfection.

we decorated inside with our birthday bunting

                                            some art we snatched from Lydia's room

                                         and the crazy ribbon curtain we made last year

outside we hung up a bunch of balloons and put a bunch of stuff to play with out in the yard

watercolors on the outdoor table

                                                                          ready to sing

she had no interest in even attempting to blow out the candles

I'm excited to see what three brings, with Oliver I think three was my favorite.  This year Lydia will be traveling to Boston and Scotland in July and will probably start preschool in August...I hope I'm ready for that!  Other than that it's more of the same, exploring Southern California, playing at home, avoiding shoes, meeting new people, and playing toys. 

guest bathroom makeover

The family that lived here before us began to update the house.  They painted much of the interior, did a great job in the kitchen, and decent work in the master bathroom.  However, once you start fixing up a home the parts that you haven't yet gotten to stick out and seem to yell "help me!" I've already saved our walk in closet, our bedroom, Oliver's room, and Lydia's room.

Now, welcome to our main floor bathroom/guest bathroom/laundry room

|

first we demo

Project list

-new floor

-new toilet

-take down the blinds and frost the window...I didn't, but I now know, you should do this project at night when light isn't shining in the window.  When the window is lit up you can't really see many air bubbles and you think you're fine. At night, it's a whole other story.  oops. 

-new sink and faucet, lowes.  Jim didn't think I could do it, but I totally ripped out the sink myself and replaced it with a new one.  I could have done the faucet too but the pipes were really corroded and I couldn't get the supply lines removed to replace them so I swallowed my pride and called a plumber. 

-new mirror, Ikea

-paint the walls, polar star by valspar made in the sherwin williams sample size.  The Sherwin Williams sample paint is my new favorite...it's a decent size and only 3.48, it took two to paint this space. 

-paint the cabinets, blanched pine by valspar

-replace the shower control knob

-hang the ironing board, large coat hooks
-remove the medicine cabinet and patch the hole.  We have textured walls and I didn't know how to recreate that so I hired a handyman to help...he taught me how to use my air compressor to make the texture, so next time I need to texture the wall I can totally do it myself. 
-replace a piece of trim. I had to rip out a piece of trim around the sink because it was such a tight fit for the new sink.  I was finally brave enough, and had enough time, to learn how to use my nail gun and air compressor...it's super easy. 

So lovely now!

yes, I know, the light is off center
why did the builder not center the electrical work, unknown?
what I do know is I wasn't willing to move it over...yet. 
but isn't the mirror beautiful?

   

plain and simple has always been my favorite style

Up next I'm going to work on our tiny off the garage hall where coats light sweaters and backpacks and shoes live.  Considering a board and batten (ya! nail gun) wall with plenty of hooks. 

sweet, sweet, October

People swoon over October.  And rightfully so.  Crispy golden leaves.  Fresh, humid free hair.  Warm enough days and cool window open nights.  A world filled with pumpkin spiced everything (did I see pumpkin spiced dog treats at Trader Joe's yesterday, yes I did).  Fall is a brief time to let go of summer and escort in the best season of all, winter.

 Well, that's what fall was like in every other place I lived.  I grew up in Upstate, NY, I lived in Boston, and have traveled all over New England.  New England wins fall, there is no debating it.  I mean people go on vacation to see trees change color.  Lincoln and Kansas City have fall too, it's not as spectacularly beautiful but it is very welcome after a long hot humid summer.  

I don't live in any of those places anymore.  I haven't worn socks or pants since.... 

I think it was 87* today, which is considered cool.  We went to the beach this morning.

I decided to take inspiration from the L.M. Montgomery quote in Anne of Green Gables and make my own warm weather version. 

Cheers to fall!

master bathroom and closet mini makeover

Jim moved into our house a few days before I arrived with the kids.  I remember calling him one day and asking him what he thought of the house now that he was living there.  He had buyers remorse.  He wasn't happy with the house, and thought maybe one of the others would have been a better option.  That was hard for me to hear, because this is the house I pushed for...I love neighborhood! So I asked what it was he didn't like, "the closet" was his answer.  That was hilarious to me because often when I clean the house the closet or laundry room is the first place I start and that would always drive Jim mad.  "No one sees the closets, Trisha, it doesn't matter what it looks like." Well apparently it does matter.

The main problems with our mater closet were

1. It wasn't painted,  just wallboard
2. The rods were painted white and all scuffed up from the hangers sliding on them
3. The rods crossed over each other making them less useful
4. The light was awful
5. It just felt grungy

But let's start in the bathroom.  The bathroom just needed paint and a new light fixture.

I painted the walls sea salt by sherwin williams, that's the same color we used in the bedroom and I painted the vanity and mirror frame white...well it has some fancy name that I don't rememeber, but essentially it's white. 

                    

 Hooks for towels and photos of the beach 

That tub is filled with bath toys.  We keep the curtain shut.

 

closet door
and proof I occasionally wear non workout clothes 

before

I'm so short I just throw the towels up there

Step 1, remove everything and paint

Step 2, cut new rods
I measured and cut and stained them all in the closet
of course, I used my most favorite java gel stain
the dark stain won't show all the scuff marks like the white

When I hung the rods back up I made sure that they didn't cross each other.  

That helped maximize the space.

Step 3, put everything back in

Step 4, add new light
so pretty!

got stripes, yes!

 

added a hook for scarves
and one of my favorite wedding photos 

extra hangers
a bin for Jim's shoes
a bin for some travel stuff

luggage and shoe storage 

helpers 

Up next I'm going to bust out my nail gun and build some floating shelves for above the toilet.  

Then I can store the towels where I can reach them. 

I'm really happy with how everything turned out.  It was mostly paint and some new rods and two new light fixtures so the total cost wasn't crazy, about $225.  

before and after 

new, new job

Back in March, I wrote this post telling you that we were moving from Kansas City to Southern California.  Jim left Kansas on April 1st to start his new job.  Now it's September 2nd and Jim just got a new job.  A new new job.  A different job than the job he came here to do.  He's past the part where you apply for jobs (who applies for a new job after only doing a new job for 5 months anyway), we've reached the point where people notice you and your performance and ask you to go to the next job, and we are left to hope and pray that the next job is in a place we want to live.   Luckily this job doesn't actually involve us having to GO anywhere, it's a different job at a different office, but it's right here, no move.  We've decided to call the original job a summer internship. 

The only draw back to this job is that it doesn't come with a company car, so yeah, let's get another one of those.  I told him he should get a Vespa, really embrace SoCal. 

Cheers to extending my California vacation.  Which beach to visit this weekend?