In like lions

March weather has definitely roared around here lately.  This evening the girls made some cute (and not at all ferocious) lions.  Here's what we used:

 

Light brown/gold paint, yarn, red paper triangles, squares of orange tissue, 

small paper plates, and googly eyes.

We painted the plates.

Then we used the paint to adhere the tissue paper "mane."

Finally, we added our eyes, nose, and whiskers.  You can use the paint to make them stick. If your kids are OCD like mine (they come by it naturally) and take so long with the mane that the paint is dry, use glue.

Roar!

They each have their own personalities.
The more I look at it, the more I'm thinking Mufasa and Scar.

I hope next week the weather will suggest we make lambs...

Envy comes in shades of... white?

Our house is finally wallpaper free!  It has only taken us about 5 1/2 years, but it's all down.  The halls, kitchen, dining room, girls' room, and two of our bathrooms have all been painted and otherwise loved in the past few years.  Our living room and guest/playroom still need a new coat of paint, but they've gotten new furniture and are good for now.  That leaves one big project on my immediate agenda: Our master bedroom and bath.  Hubby and I have always been terrible about letting our bedroom become a) the place to stash any and everything, b) the room that we neglect when updating, decorating, or even cleaning, and c) the exact opposite of the haven it should be.

So, I've been looking for ideas. I'm one of those random people who likes a little bit of anything and everything, so deciding on what to do with a room can be overwhelming.  I flipped through a few pages I tore out of Better Homes or Midwest Living over the years (yes, I know I live in the south. I'm just not sure I decorate like it...) and watched countless slideshows on hgtv.com.  And then I found it.

I have never, ever, ever, ever found a room more... well... me. 

 

This bedroom comes from Donna at Funky Junk Interiors.  I hope she doesn't mind me linking to her blog post or posting this photo, because I claim NO credit for it's fantasticness.  Yes, I made that word up.

There are a few details in the other photos of the room that are a little more feminine than, well, me.  And they definitely would be a little filly for the hubs.  

But the style, the color, the roughed-up, unique, story-to-tell pieces...  I'm kind of drooling on my keyboard.

Here is a post that includes more of her home.  More to love.  And, those of you who have seen my house, work-in-progress that it is, will notice a lot of similarities in the color schemes.  I just wish I were as creative as she is!  Below is her blogging space.  AH-mazing.

 So... anyone want to hit the antique mall with me?

Song for Sunday: But we'll stay...

This isn't a really profound choice.  It's just a fun love song, and I love my husband.  Getting away to the mountains really did make "everything look perfect from far away."  Now that we've come back to life (back to reality...  Does anyone else randomly start singing En Vogue?  No?  Just me, huh? Oh well.)  things are definitely not perfect.  But we're home.  Together.  And even if we had to come down from the mountains, that's how we'll stay.

Such Great Heights

By Iron & Wine, or The Postal Service, or Ben Folds (see Youtube video below)...

I am thinking it's a sign
that the freckles in our eyes
are mirror images
and when we kiss they're perfectly aligned. 

And I have to speculate
that God Himself did make
us into corresponding shapes
like puzzle pieces from the clay. 

And true it may seem like a stretch
but it's thoughts like this that catch
my troubled head when you're away
and when I am missing you to death. 

And when you are out there on the road
for several weeks of shows
and when you scan the radio
I hope this song will guide you home. 

they will see us waving from such great heights
"come down now" they'll say
but everything looks perfect from far away
"come down now" but we'll stay 

I tried my best to leave
this all on your machine
but the persistent beat
it sounded thin upon the sending. 

and that frankly will not fly
you'll hear the shrillest highs
and lowest lows with the windows down
and this is guiding you home. 

they will see us waving from such great heights
"come down now" they'll say
but everything looks perfect from far away
"come down now" but we'll stay 

they will see us waving from such great heights
"come down now" they'll say
but everything looks perfect from far away
"come down now" but we'll stay 

they will see us waving from such great heights
"come down now" they'll say
but everything looks perfect from far away
"come down now" but we'll stay

Isn't that a great version?  Is it okay to end a post about how much I love my husband by admitting I have the teensiest crush on Ben Folds? No? Okay.  I won't do that... 

Get away

 My husband and I ran away for a few days!  We took advantage of a Groupon deal and stayed for two nights at Brasstown Valley Resort in Young Harris, GA.  It was wonderful to get away from everything and relax.

We rode horses for two hours the first day.  I hadn't been on a horse in about 7 years. And this one kept tripping on the trail.  Yes, tripping.  I had to alternate between standing in the stirrups and gripping the saddle tightly with my legs.  So, yeah, I feel like I did about 2,317 plies.  (That should be read like the french ballet term, not the word that rhymes with "dies," although there were times I wondered if that was what might happen to us on some of the steeper mountain trails.... but I digress...)

The hotel had a great heated indoor pool, whirlpool and sauna.  We took advantage of those every day, in part to recover from our trail ride.  I also enjoyed the most indulgent spa experience I've ever had.  I'm going to recount it here, just so I remember it when the laundry starts piling up and the kids are attacking each other with the ferocity of rabid raccoons.  Indulge me, will you?  And try not to be jealous...

I started off with a half an hour before my appointment to soak in a Eucalyptus steam room, take a Swedish shower, relax and change into my robe and spa shoes.  Next I went to the "relaxation room" (which was a fancy waiting room, pictured above) with the most comfortable adjustable chairs, delicious hot and cold herbal teas, trail mixes, relaxing fountains, and a smoky fireplace/incense smell.  Then came my massage.  I love, love, love getting a massage.  I love everything about it, from the enya-esque music to the aromatherapy oils to the amazingly comfortable table.  I even love the way my eyes look all scrunched up from the face rest when it is over.  And I especially love the relaxation.  (I do not, however, express my love for massages like Claire does...)

After the massage I sat a little longer in the relaxation room.  I stood at the windows and looked out at the sundeck with its hydrotherapy pool and the Cherokee style hothouse and then to the golf course where Hubby was playing his 18 holes. It was too windy for me to go out and enjoy the outdoor portion of the spa, and nearly too windy for his golf game, but otherwise the weather was beautiful.  And, because it was cooler and "off-season" we had almost the entire resort to ourselves.  In fact, when we went to breakfast the first day, we found that they did not even set up the buffet because there were less than 30 guests in the whole place!

We spent a lot of time enjoying the views, reading (and soaking) in the quiet, and even star-gazing.  I also beat my husband (badly) in a game of checkers in the fireside lounge. It was relaxing, romantic, and reinvigorating all at the same time.

 I appreciate my parents for coming down and staying with the girls and the dogs and making it possible for us to get away.  Little Sis was worried the first night when we called to check-in, asking me where we had gone and then saying, "but we don't have a mom and dad anymore."  Even if she didn't understand when I said we'd be right back, she knew she was in good hands with Nana and Papa.  And we could relax because we knew it too.  Thanks again, guys.

It was just what we needed!

 

Muddy Mamas launch

I'm going on radio silence for a few days.

But in case you need something to read, how about a new Mommy Blog? I think it is going to be great (although I'm a bit biased since I'm one of the mommies who'll be contributing!)

Click on the picture to head to Muddy Mamas and meet some of the other lovely ladies sharing their hearts in this new endeavor.

"Happiness is the way"

This is for a few special people on my mind lately:

• my kiddos who can't wait to be "big enough for _____" (fill in the blank with developmental milestone of your choice)

• the other mommas like me eager to move beyond "this stage"- whatever the current challenge might be, but also wishing they could keep their little ones little

• the family member coping with the continued consequences of a terrible violation of trust

• the co-worker anxious to find a full-time job and "start life"

• and the wonderfully strong woman whose diagnosis this week shocked us all into remembering to treat each breath as a precious gift.

"For a long time it seemed to me that life was about to begin- real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be gotten through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, a debt to be paid. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life. This perspective has helped me to see there is no way to happiness. Happiness is the way. So treasure every moment you have and remember that time waits for no one. Happiness is a journey, not a destination."

— Souza

This dog...

... only looks sweet and innocent.

Okay, actually she is really sweet. She's the clumsiest, snuggliest, biggest lapdog I've ever met. (Well, there was this Great Dane I met when volunteering at a shelter once, but besides him, it's Sophie, hands down.)

But she is not innocent.

She has started chewing again. Chewing everything.

A few days ago the girls and I came home from the playground, and I stumbled upon a macabre scene. Tinkerbell's head, arms, torso and some shreds of her clothing were scattered under the dining room table (aka Sophie's Den of Destruction). The rest of her dress (actually one that was borrowed from Cinderella) was in pieces in the living room. Fortunately, I was able to hurry the girls upstairs and secretly dispose of the evidence. Does this make me an accessory?

Besides the gruesome attack on an innocent fairy, Sophie has recently destroyed a bean bag (that wasn't messy at all), a stuffed cow, two Dora sippy cups, a flannel fitted sheet, a few plastic snack bowls, a swing for zhu zhu pets, three pencils, some semi-important papers, countless crayons, and more take-and-toss cups/lids than I care to recall. She has also stolen cloth napkins from the table, towels from the kitchen and laundry basket, and socks and dirty underwear (!) from the laundry room.

I'm filled with dread every time I come home (or even just downstairs) and am greeted by her guilty face and apologetic tail wag. It's like she's saying "I did it. I can't lie to you and I know you'll be mad. I JUST CAN'T HELP IT."

I think it's boredom. We try to get her exercise, and she and Al love to race around the yard. But the mornings have been cold and dark and our afternoons/evenings so inconsistent that we keep putting off that "walking routine" we dream about. It might also be pent-up frustration; she spends a lot of time on a long tether (because she still jumps the fence), watching squirrels and neighborhood cats that are just out of reach. Even inside, she watches...

So for now, we just have to try to remember to keep things out of reach. And give her new things to chew.

Anyone have any suggestions?

Or any empty peanut butter jars or pizza boxes my dog can tear up?

The clean-up is a pain, but it is much better than the alternative.