Swimming Lessons

Kendry had his second swim lesson yesterday.

This time I asked Justin to come along to take a few photos.

He took at least 100, plus 6 videos.

What can I say? The man is efficient.

Kendry did so well at his lesson this week. He is a pro at putting his face into the water to blow bubbles. He is doing a stronger flutter kick, and worked in some doggie-paddle motions this week.

Opening song: "If you're happy and you know it wash your face!"

Catchin' the ladies' eyes already.

 At the first lesson Kendry had no interest in jumping off the ledge into the pool. This week he couldn't get enough of the jumping. He also learned how to climb out of the pool onto the deck by himself.

At the end of the lesson the kiddos play in the shallow end. Kendry still does a few unexpected dunks here and there but is quickly learning how to keep his balance while walking in the water.

One of the 6 videos:

I Have This Nagging Little Problem...

...and the problem is that I can be a nag.

While in my own mind I see it as simply reminding my hubby about things that need to get done, he hears nagging.

You know, Mars and Venus and all that good stuff.

Finally, after five years of marriage, and too many arguments about nagging to count, we have agreed to try another technique:

The Honey-Do task board!

Justin felt that the board reminding him of his Honey-Do tasks was a little less unnerving than my 'nagging'. Did I take offense to this? Nope. Perhaps I would have earlier in my marriage, but now its about finding a solution that works for both of us.

Plus, I got to do something crafty as part of the solution!

I found a gold framed mirror at Goodwill for $3, spraypainted the frame with lagoon, followed by slate gray, and then glazed it with Valspars Antiquing Glaze.

{Sorry, but I was so excited to start I didn't take a before picture.}

Then I painted over the mirror with my (new) Rustoleum chalkboard paint.

{Following the tips of other bloggers/crafters, I initiated my new chalkboard with a one time, all over coating with the chalk. This is supposed to keep your first notes on your chalkboard from getting permanently imprinted onto your board.}

Now I just write a task on the board, starring it if its a priority, and Justin is reminded non-verbally every time he sees the board.

We have it hanging on our new 'command center' wall (more on that later).

Will this solve Mars and Venus' nagging problem?

Only time will tell.

{Note: I used regular chalk for the sake of this post but have actually ordered some liquid chalk markers which are supposed to be more fun, and cleaner than regular chalk.}

Mommy's Little Helper

Remember this video from last May?

Talk about a moment of pride for this Mommy.

Kendry was helping with laundry before he could even walk!

Ever the little helper (and future neat freak), Kendry is now even responsible for putting his own dirty clothes into his hamper after every clothing change.

If I could pick just one more chore for him to love it would be the dishes.

Remember how I don't have a dishwasher?

Wish granted!

Blogolution Update: Gert

{GERT}

This pretty lady was a labor of love.

Maybe more labor than love, but who is keeping track?

First, have I ever told you that I took piano lessons for nine years when I was growing up?

I love the piano.

I wish I had a piano.

Some day...

{On a side note, I am blessed to have a hubby who understands my heart's desire to have a piano in our home some day. Every so often he surprises me by mentioning one he saw on craigslist or in the classifieds. Have I told you how much I love this man? Now if only we actually had the room for a piano. }

One Saturday morning last year I noted a dramatic increase in the traffic on our dead-end road. Curiousity got the best of me and I ventured out into the chilly morning to see what all the commotion was about. Imagine my delight when I discovered that my neighbor was having a spectacular yard sale. Much like myself, this neighbor enjoys thrifting and re-finishing furniture - and here she was, getting rid of some of the projects she never got around to. I oohed and aahed over a bunch of her goodies before taking home a large flower pot (for Justin), two wooden sconces (I can't wait to show you the makeover on those) and this beat up piano bench ($5).

 In hindsight, I should have snatched up my neighbor's entire stash of wooden shutters too. Bummer.

But this bench called my name. The paint was chippy, although not in a good way.

 The fabric seat was worn and stained. But oh the potential!

Potential that sat for several months until I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it and where I wanted to put it.

My vision: a simple bench in the guest room, positioned beautifully beneath one of the windows. A place for our guests to set their bags or pull up a quick seat, not to mention an extra seat at the dinner table when needed. (We only have four dining room chairs - a detriment when we have dinner guests.)

And like most piano benches, the seat opens - a perfect spot to store spare linens for the guest room bed, and perhaps my stash of sheet music that I refuse to throw away.

First I tackled the seat, removing it from the legs and stripping away all the fabric, nails and staples. I knew I wanted to line the inside of the bench somehow and add new padding and fabric to the seat. I picked out my fabric at Joanns, but still couldn't decide on the perfect lining for the inside.

And thats when I had my 'aha!' moment: I found two old church hymnals at my Goodwill store.

I grew up singing most of these hymns in church, not to mention that I learned to play a handful of them throughout my many years of piano lessons. These songs are very dear to my heart. Which is exactly why they they needed to be incorporated into this bench.

I leafed through one hymnal and cut out my favorite songs: Nothing But the Blood, I'll Fly Away, Just As I Am, The Old Rugged Cross, Amazing Grace, Softly and Tenderly, When the Roll is Called Up Yonder...

There are too many to name!

Then I Mod Podged them to the inside of the bench.

B-E-A-utiful! 

{I am reserving the second (completely intact) hymnal for that glorious day when I finally get my very own piano.}

With the new seat and the interior completed I busted out my sander for the bottom portion and oooooh baby! She was a doozie!

I seriously spent more time sanding this little lady than I did painting her. I counted five different colors of paint as I sanded, along with a crackling medium in their somewhere. All those nasty layers really did not want to come off.

By the time I got her all sanded down I was sick of her altogether - thus the name Gert. So I threw her a couple more evil glances and then set her aside for a few weeks until I was emotionally ready to deal with her again.

Eventually she got a coat of primer, followed by two coats of Sherwin Williams Creamy. Then I gave her a little distressing with sandpaper before a protective clear topcoat.

Here she is in her new spot in the guest room:

And her beautiful interior lining: 

I love her!

Up next on my Blogolution:

Trying out some new decor on the walls.

I will be needing your honest input on my ideas thus far so stick with me!




I am linking up with these parties:
Making the World Cuter Monday
Motivate Me Monday
Get Your Craft On
Take-A-Look Tuesday
Transformation Thursday

Thats Gonna Leave a Mark

"Richard, do I have a mark on my face? It really hurts."

"Nope, nothing. I thought I hit you on the shoulder."

"My shoulder doesn't hurt very much, but my face does. Right here. Not here or here so much. Right here."

"Nope. Ship shape!"

{5 minutes post-incident}

{1 hour post-incident}

Our kiddo took a dive into the corner of a wall today.

OUCH!