Sleepover!!

Tonight Hailey and Makayla are spending the night with us while Amy uses the evening to do boring things like go to a movie and spend time with friends. I picked the girls up from school and headed to the mall. I've had a groupon twofer deal for Build-A-Bear for awhile and decided today was the perfect day to use it.

 The girls each picked a bear (or in Hailey's case, a cat) and rubbed the bear's heart on their nose, left hip, chin, and right elbow to make it worked before dropping it into their chosen bear/cat.

After their bear/cat was hearted and stuffed, the girls gave them a bath.

 I've never been to Build-a-Bear and was a little surprised at the *ahem* generous selection of must-have accessories.  Makayla seemed to have no problem at all determining exactly what her bear could not live without,

including a bear friend and a bear chair.

It was not easy convincing Makayla we would not be spending $9000 on bear paraphernalia that day (or any other day).

We finally tore ourselves away and made it home to try out the bear/cat snuggliness of our chosen item. They seemed to be in working order.

The girls played for awhile,

 and then (as you can tell by Hailey's "concentration tongue") we got busy on a project for Amy.

Target had a great sale on their valentine frames and stickers and I bought a couple for the girls to decorate.

We probably needed a couple hundred or so more stickers, wouldn't you say?

No sleepover is complete without a little nail polish.

Megan (and her endless collection of nail polish) was always my go-to girl for this little adventure, but she refused to come home tonight and help--something about a hot date with yet another RM. Seriously Megan, haven't you dated everyone on campus at least once now?

It didn't take long to figure out that Hailey was the one who had the hardest time sitting still till everything was dry, as evidenced by her splotchy paper towel.

Finally it was brush the teeth time

 and the traditional goodnight "Popcorn Popping on The Apricot Tree" song,

and then our two little angels went right to sleep. 

Oh wait, that was me. I was the one that went right to sleep. These two will sleep until 9 or 10 tomorrow morning, then quietly sneak down to the kitchen and pour themselves cereal, right?

Yeah, it's probably good I'll be up for that broadcast in the morning...

Done!!!

My head is almost completely healed now, although my eye is still slightly swollen. Almost all I have left in my ploy to gain sympathy is a sore rib and a bit of dizziness,

which, of course explains why I spent Thursday and Friday up on a ladder priming and painting the living room/kitchen. I couldn't help myself. I don't like invalidhood.

Stan predictably spent Saturday fixing all of the less-than-perfect spots he could find under my new coat of paint. One thing I've learned about Stan, now that we've spent so much time remodeling together in the last year, is that he is an extreme perfectionist about his remodeling projects. I just wish he'd perfect everything BEFORE that last coat of paint.

You would never know there use to be a six foot long fluorescent light behind a cheap and ugly plastic panel at the top of this wall. I wish I'd thought to get a "before" picture.

I love our new and improved popcorn-less living room.

The removal of the old light and the new recessed canister lights were almost an afterthought--and yet they are a huge improvement we're going to love.

I've already got some ideas for our next do-it-yourself project. You know how it is when you renew and change something in your house. Suddenly that old, stained carpet looks completely unacceptable.

You've Gotta Have A Good Story

When I was a child, I loved to hear my Grandma Kenison tell stories. She told us stories about herself and her pioneer ancestors; Grandma was a great storyteller. One of my favorite stories was about a scar on her forehead. As I remember the story, as a young girl, Grandma had fallen off the roof of a shed, a place her mother had instructed her to stay off of, and cut her head open when she hit the ground. Her mother put sugar on it and told her not to look at it in the mirror. Grandma reports that she did, and promptly fainted. I loved to hear that story over and over again, imagining my ancient grandma as a young, slightly rebellious young girl, forever scarred by her disobedience. 

It was a great story. Each time a received a cut as a child, I secretly hoped it would scar so I'd have a great story to tell my posterity.

Finally, my wish has come true:I'm working on a bona fide head wound scar. Sadly, I just don't have a great story to go along with my healing forehead. It just isn't as exciting to say "I slipped on the ice" as it was to say "I disobeyed my mother and fell off a building".  Hailey and Makayla have examined my wound with horror, asking again and again why I didn't cry, and offering to hold my hand as I cross the ice from now on. That makes me feel like I'm 90.

My stitches have been removed, my bruised face is fading to a sickly yellow, mostly disguised with make-up, the swelling in my eye is almost gone, and other than some dizziness when I look down for too long, I'm healing. But I'm healing without a good story. 

Did I mention I was running from a grizzly bear when I slipped on the ice, which I then fought off with my bare fists? I do have that teensy scrape and bruise on my wrist from that desperate fight for my life. 

Yup. That's my new and improved story, and I'm sticking to it!

I Just Keep Getting More Purdier

YES! I'm icing.

I've iced till my eyeball is frostbitten.

A Matter of Prespective

Not everyone is finding our weather objectionable.

Makayla and Hailey were delighted to go outside and build a pint-sized snowman with Grandpa...

...while I stayed in and played invalid. Here's today's slightly puffier, more colorful eye. Last night it was too dark for anyone to see the extent of my injuries as I picked myself up from the sidewalk. I didn't realize until I got into my car last night that the liquid pouring down my face was blood, not water. Today it's harder to hide the results from my little fall.

Other than picking kids up from school, I'm going to go hermit.

In Over Our Heads Comes To A Slight Pause

Stan has now fixed all of the cracks

 repaired all of the water damage

and finished the priming.

This light in our  entry wall was green. Yup, green. It was cool in the early 90's. Stan spray painted it a groovy bronze.

Random alert! This isn't a picture about painting. It's just a lovely sunrise from this morning.

Although if I could paint it, I would.

Next comes the all-important choosing of the new wall color.

I finally settled on one, set up the ladder, and spent the afternoon painting.
What happened next did not involve a ladder. 

Just a evening meeting at the church, a sidewalk, and some ice.

Followed by a trip to the emergency room, five stitches, lots and lots (and lots) of blood,  

and a slight headache. 

So.
Embarrassing.

 

I did have the good sense not to lose consciousness, saving myself the inconvenience of a scan and an overnight stay.

I've been promised a black eye and a 2 1/2 inch scar. Just between you and me I'd rather not have a permanent reminder of my lack of grace....

In Over Our Heads And Making Progress

Last night Stan was suppose to be at the temple with the youth, but they cancelled due to the 10 feet of snow and -50 degree weather we've been enjoying.

That is good news for our little project because suddenly, Stan had an unexpected free evening to finish drywalling over the old lights

and touching up a few spots

 and still leaving me enough time to clean-up. I don't care how much protective plastic you put down, there will still be dust, spackling, and popcorn ceiling everywhere.  I spent hours filling garbage bag after bag with tons of heavy remodel garbage just in time for

 the grandkids to come. Makayla asked as I was getting her out of the car "Is your house still crazy?" Actually, I managed to uncrazy most of it

 and Makayla helped me clean up the rest, scrubbing dust and spackle off of the windows.

 Makayla got a tiny water spot on her pants while spraying water on the windows, and of course, being Makayla, wanted them washed, dried, and pressed.

 After we picked up Hailey from school, she was equally eager to help wash windows.

How is it that kids are so excited to clean things (especially if it involves spraying something), and so reluctant just a few years later to pitch in?

All of that spraying and scrubbing wore us out.  Just a quick nap, then

 eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow I paint!