Weekend trip to Utah and Projects

 

The week of October 11th is mostly gone and lost. I worked hard to get our house back into order while working around all the other things going on. I worked on the table, painting it with a milk paint for the top and enamel cabinet paint on the legs. The milk paint is so finicky, it left terrible streaks and often rubbed right off certain areas like the corners, the worst damaged areas of the top and etc. I tried to cover up a few select areas but the paint was a different color, the pigments settle and if I don't mix the paint throughly enough the tint and color is off. I left the frustrating project in the garage to rot...until I plucked up some more energy and nerve. In the meantime I worked to edit a couple photo sessions before the kids and I headed to Utah for the weekend. Everett was able to join the "Walk to School" activity on Wednesday. He didn't wear a helmet so had to walk his bike instead of riding. I picked up his bike as the kiddos walked by. Sara worked for a couple days painting all the baseboards on the lower level. Now the doors look dingy. Jana just did the same thing in her house! Replaced the flooring, had to paint the baseboards, doors, and etc. Feels like we moved. 

The kids had Friday off of school because of a teacher work day so we made a very quick trip to Utah for the weekend. The van door stopped working (again) it would not even open, the lock was engaged and would not release. I took it back to Brother Leavitt hoping he could look at it before we left for Utah. He did look at it and figured out the lock actuator went bad, a $200 part. I still wanted to drive it to Utah but he had the door completely taken apart and tools scattered inside the van. I made the impromptu decision to take the truck. I do not enjoy driving the truck. I hate how it steers, the wide turn radius, the cloudy windows, and the cramped conditions. I felt like a rolling trailer park! We stuffed our bedding and pillows into trash bags and dumped it all into the truck bed. Phillip did not secure his beloved pillow underneath something heavy. I made an emergency stop along the freeway to stuff his pillow under the anchoring straps. It was floating and dancing by the time I got the truck stopped. We made good time, stopped for lunch in Tremonton. Charity found out we were coming down for a visit per Jana posting on FB about a family reunion. We wanted to surprise her, boo hoo. Charity's new flooring looks amazing! Kenny is working hard to replace the floor bit by bit. We made a stop at Grandma's house to give hugs to Grandpa, Grandma Jean, Jared, and of course Grandma. She got her surgery results back saying that the cancer was contained, albeit angry and ready to spread. The surgeon removed several compromised lymph nodes as well. He said it was the best cancer to have...contained and easily removed. Mom is a bit tired but bouncing back quickly. I helped Dad organize his garage, you know work while he works and where he works! Courtenay showed up for some cousin time around the dinner hour. We had to leave because Jana had a yummy dinner waiting for us at her home. Courtenay and kids came a while later so the kids could all play on the girl's new playset outside. It is epic. Amelia, Phillip, and Everett went home with Courtenay to spend the night with the Lances. Amelia was especially thrilled to stay with Lia.  

Saturday we took Hannah and Rachel with us to Grandma's house while Jana went to the gym. Dad showed off his newest toy, a 22 pistol with a scope that allows you to shoot with the gun pressed on you cheek! The best part was watching Jared go into soldier mode to show how awesome the gun is. The little girls and I went to IKEA for an hour, which is not enough time EVER to walk around the store. I really wanted to get another cube shelf for the loft, online their stock showed one more unit was available. We busted a move around the store just for fun. I added some fun items to our cart like a plastic bag holder, supply bins, two cute baskets, a lazy Susan, a Koala for Josie, a lap desk for Evelyn, and a tea set for the girls.  I was in such a rush that I left behind two big bins, a set of plates for Courtenay, and some bag clips. Parking at Thanksgiving Point was a crowded mess. I hate parking the truck because it is big and feels too large for most spaces. I found a spot way out past the Science museum. I always wanted to try out Cornbelly's because it gets raving reviews. Yes, it is awesome BUT it was overwhelming with 1,000s of people in attendance that particular day. Getting around was a challenge, had to wait in line for most activities. We mostly stayed with Jana, Rudy, and the girls. Rachel was my little shadow. She could feel I was weak...she'd put up her hands for someone to hold her, I melted and held her. Jana said they won't hold much anymore. Melted my heart to have that sweet squish snuggled into me. I saw glimpses of Jared, Jeremy, Joe, Amelia, and Lia. My crew loved the corn pit and maze best of all. All the cousins love baby Rachel! She gets lots of attention. We stayed until around 6 pm then headed to James and Miekka's home for dinner of chili and cornbread. Nadia was well-loved by the cousins and Aunts. I hear that the kids had a really fun time playing with Jared. 

Sunday we gathered at Jana's house around 10 am for family photos. It's been years since Jeremy's wedding photos and the last family photos. So sad we were missing Justin, John, and Jeffrey this time around. Uncle Jon helped take the photos once I arranged everyone and primed my camera. Nadia even had her moment for some photos in her cute blessing dress. Nadia was blessed around 10:30 surrounded with lots of family who love her. The kids were amazingly quiet for the blessing. Kat said Pasha was licking her knees at one point! Jana and Rudy whipped up a yummy brunch for the Lances. Those smoked sausages were...yummy. The kids ran outside and played for quite a while, Rachel was the Queen all the cousins her subjects. All too soon it was time to head home. Jared and Dad helped secure the load of trash bags and IKEA schtuff. Dad peeked into the truck cab, backed up and wished me and my raggedy guardian angels the best of luck. Indeed, the truck cab was stuffed with kids, snacks, and the pieces of our lives that came along on the trip. Every so often this week I start chuckling, imagining my raggedy angels hanging on for dear life as they protect my family. We stopped to visit Charity and family for an hour before heading home. We arrived home shortly after it got too dark. 

This past week my goal was to get the house back in order. I almost walked in and turned around for the door to exit. Gah! The office was a disaster, the bathroom torn apart, the table sitting in the garage and the loft a fancy mess. I painted the bathroom first which required silicone to seal the sink back to the wall. While the paint dried I worked on the office, sorting through paper, supplies, and figuring out the best way to get it all back in place. 

Poor Everett came down with a cough and head cold so stayed home Monday and Tuesday from school. He got lots of rest and read several books until he was feeling better. 

Directly after dinner on Tuesday the 19th we loaded up in the truck and went to watch Phillip perform with the percussion drum line. The jazz bands and concert bands were quite excellent! Phillip got to play 5-6 different percussion instruments during the recital. I loved the drum line performance, some kids played buckets! We were all blown away with the Columbia Marching bang performance. The guys playing the xylophone were on point. Evelyn and Josie now want to be Color Guard dancers after watching the girls perform. Phillip was beaming after his recital, well-done!

I taught Great Artist Program (art moms) last week for the 3 younger kids. I was introduced to the program in AZ but here the moms teach every month instead of volunteering once and have two moms per classroom. I taught Warhol (soup cans) in Everett's class. The kids art turned out really nice with the watercolor pencils. Next I was in Josie class teaching Hopper's Lighthouse painting. The kids mostly rubbed chalk all over the paper, desks, and hands. Josie was thrilled that I was in her class, she declared it was the best day ever. I was thrilled to have most of her classmates tell me how much they love Josie. Friday I taught Miro's Singing Fish in Evelyn's class. Her teacher forgot I was coming so that was a little strange. Lesson learned: email a reminder! I arrived 35 minutes early to ensure time to gather supplies and set up the class before teaching. I carefully calendared out the year making sure no other mom was teaching the same grade (and artist) on the same date or near the same time. Still, some mom showed up and taught the same artist on a whim before my class. That meant I had no lesson plan, supplies, or visual aids. Double whammy! Thank goodness my middle name is "winging it." We winged it and made the best art we could with limited supplies and imagination. The best part was Evelyn's beaming face, excited to have me there. 

It is report card time around here as first quarter ended. Amelia and Phillip had Parent-Teacher conferences last week. We went to Phillip's school first. He is doing amazing things! Phillip earned 3's and 4's in all his classes. He earned two 2's one for not practicing his drums at home and another for missing an assignment. Easy to fix! All his teachers said Phillip is very well-behaved, helpful, and courteous. We ran (literally) to Amelia's school next. She earned straight A's this quarter. All her teachers said she is amazing and a joy to have in their classes. Her English presentation was so well-made her teacher used it as an example for the other 9th-10th grade classes. By the time we finished it was dark and the kids late for mutual. 

Thursday I finally worked on the table after a morning of shopping at the thrift store and the dollar store. I had to strip off the table top with a sander then paint it again. The paint adhered much better this time with the rest of the previous finish removed. I was adding a last coat on the edge, gah...the paint was more green than blue. I did not shake the can hard enough before adding the last dredges of paint. I had 3-4 brush swipes of greenish paint left in the can...so I purposefully messed up the rest of the table with swipes of the lighter green color. Stupid paint. I waited a few minutes then sealed the top with polycrylic. I also spray painted the vents to better match the floor. 

Amelia and I got crafty this weekend. The forecast was for rain, rain, and more rain all weekend. It was perfect to stay in PJs and relax. Amelia worked on upcycling a Monster High doll with new hair, paint, and makeup. I made a mess making curtains, hemming the kid's choir outfits, and sewing fabric scraps into pumpkins. Got my crafty on! Amelia worked on painting Mabel's symbol on a sweatshirt for Halloween. The paint never fully cured, when she was done the paint stuck to itself and peeled off. That was frustrating. I ended up sewing a knit scrap applique over the star and rainbow. Saturday we worked to clean up the downstairs. It looked so clean and bright...for a couple hours. Justin and I went to see the new 007 movie. Sooooo good. Amelia got to join the youth for a special fireside with Elder Christofferson. 

Sunday was Stake Conference with Elder and Sister Christofferson as the speakers. We were able to be at the Stake center this time. We heard lots of messages about love, attending the temple, being a good neighbor, and etc from the speakers. Once the meeting ended Elder Christofferson invited the children and youth to come up and shake hands! That was an amazing experience for the kids!