Room Re-Do Part One

Madison has been talking about a possible room remodel for her birthday in June and I thought it sounded like a good idea.  At our old house we had spent so much time on adding paint, stencils, molding, flooring.... for both girls rooms before they were born.  When we moved into this house we had other things to focus on along with 2 busy little girls and their rooms never felt really done.  Here was the state of her room at the start of the project.

 So Maddy and I have been discussing the remodel and she was drawing up little ideas and plans.  Then I stumbled upon this on Pinterest.  And my goal with Pinterest is not just to pin items but to actually DO them!!

(and if you have no idea what pinterest is, you are missing out and we must have a conversation). 

Madison's had the bed portion of the picture and her room is so small that it is difficult find space for all her goodies while still making it look put together.  I showed the plans to Tom and he was as inspired as I was.  So although her birthday is still 3 months away we decided we should get started while we felt inspired.  Tom and Madison got going on making the plans, which was a great time to use a little math in real world application. 

Then the building started.  Maddy wanted to be a part of the process the whole way through and I think was somewhat helpful.  It was a really fun activity for Dad and Daughter to work on together.  I have no photos of the numerous Home Depot trips we made over the past 3 weeks.  It was a bit ridiculous, they may even know us by name!

After the building came the painting.  I was a bit concerned giving color choice to Maddy but she made some great decisions.  We used a darker teal blue as the accent wall with a lighter blue for the other walls.  I have to say painting the cabinets was a bit of a pain getting into all the little corners and edges.  Painting has never been my strong suit.  And lets not discuss the room painting with cutting in on those edges and moldings..... 

 Then we had the moving in.  Maddy and I worked ALL DAY Sunday on organizing.  I really wanted to take the time and do it right so we went through every piece of paper, book, toy, figurine, stuffed animal that was in her room to decide what was being kept and what needed to leave her room - either garbage, recycling, garage sale pile, find another home.....  We even went through her "memorobilia drawer in her bed.  Both girls use one drawer to put all their special papers, pictures, art projects... in.  You know all those things that sentimental people (like myself and the girls) can't get ride of but have no home for.  I would say Maddy and I cleared out half the drawer which felt good.  Wish I had some photos of how the room looked in the middle of this process.  I was a bit worried that we would never see the carpet again.  But we persevered and got things all put away.  The closet is completely organized even with empty shelves and the new shelving is looking good.  We still have a ways to go on the remodel.  Still debating on bedding, this fleece blanket Maddy made this winter and just happens to match well so we will take our time looking.  I need to make some type of window treatment, find artwork for above the bed, finish painting as I only did the area around the bed, make a reading corner and find an area rug.  But I am so pleased with how the bed area turned out.  We are using the left side as her desk space and Tom is planning to put doors on the lower right cabinets.  The upper cabinets can hold books, trophies, figurines, jewelry boxes and so much more.

Dolly and Me Tea

We have concluded the final piece of birthday celebration with Nora's friend party.  She choose a Tea Party with 7 of her friends and their favorite dolls.  We went all girl and all pink with this one.  I don't think our house has seen this much pink in all 9 years of having girls but it was fun to decorate and be girly for a change. side note: I got some adorable photos of all the girls together with their dolls and their "dance party" but I am not comfortable posting photos online of kids if I don't know their parents are okay with it so I had to select from the other photos instead. 

We hosted the tea party up in the playroom loft.  The big girls had their table and the dolls had their own.  Here is May, Nora's doll, all ready for her friends to arrive.  Each doll had her own place setting complete with cake, pie, napkin and lemonade.

And the big girls' table

The guests of honor!  The girls made jewelry for their dolls.  Maddy helped with a few hair-dos on the dolls along with "hello my name is...." nametags for each doll to wear. 

The cake was not my finest of productions but luckily 7 year old girls are fairly easily impressed!



The dolls enjoyed their teaparty time too

Wii Dance Party was a big hit and could have kept them entertained for hours I think!  Best party activity ever!  None of the girls used controllers we would just put the song on and let them go.

We ended the party with more tea while decorating picture frames with a group photo of the whole gang.  Overall this was a very successful and fairly easy party to manage.  Treat bags consisted of the girls taking home the place setting for the dolls complete with mini-eraser cakes and pies and the lemonade drink along with a mini i-phone eraser for the dolls and then each girl got to choose one of the primrose centerpieces to take home. 



American Girl Outings

Grandma Margie was in town for Nora's birthday so we celebrated on Sunday by taking the girls on a special outing to the American Girl store.  That is quite the experience!!  It was a bit overwhelming for the girls, especially Nora, to make choices.  This was especially true since they were spending their own hard earned money and wanted to make sure they made the best choice possible.  Both girls got the dolls' ears pierced and then chose a new outfit for the dolls.  Very fitting of the girls - Madison chose a track suit and Nora a pretty party dress.

We also enjoyed a fun birthday lunch in the Bistro.  The food was better than what I had anticapted and they certainly make the kids feel special and include the dolls in everything.  If you plan to go on the weekend, make sure to get reservations!  I saw many very disappointed little girls and parents who expected to come in and get seated with none and were turned away.

Overall it was a fun experience that was good for a special occasion outing.  I have to say these dolls are quite the hit in our household.  I wasn't too sure when the girls started requesting them but they LOVE them and I really like the fact that they are being so creative and imaginative with them.  And must admit that I am a bit hooked myself:-)

12 on 10 Birthday Edition

(Nothing like a birthday to get a person out of a blogging slump.  Let's see if it continues past this weekend!!)

Breakfast in bed with homemade cinnamon rolls

A bit of a rush job on the cake-pops this morning

A brief reprieve from the rain allowed for a fun photo shoot

And tree climbing

And scootering

A little quiet time for everyone

Nora said that getting her report card on her birthday was a great gift!!

Nora's dinner choice: steak, homemade rolls and honey butter, tossed salad and melon

Present time

The final gift suprise from daddy!  Now we all mountain bikes and Novara brand like any good REI family should.  And Nora finally has a bike that isn't a hand-me-down.

Birthday Ice Cream

My gift was matching jammies for Nora and May along with a lunch trip to the AG store that we will take on Sunday.

Birthday Girl - Through the Years

One Minute Old

1 Year Old

2 Years Old

3 Years Old

 4 Years Old

5 Years Old

6 Years Old

7 Years Old



Weekend Wrap-Up

We had a really fantastic Thanksgiving weekend full of fun, food and friends.  The only negative is that I took very few photos (and the ones I did get weren't of great quality), so will need to wrap up the memories with words so I can remember the special weekend for years to come. 

We started off the 4 day weekend by spending Thanksgiving day skiing at Crystal Mountain.  The weather was a bit chilly and windy for my liking but we had the mountain almost to ourselves while everyone else enjoyed their dinners.  The girls were a bit nervous that they may have forgotten how to ski so we did one run on the bunny slope for them to prove that they were right where we left off in March.  The first half of the day had very icy snow conditions which isn't ideal for the first ski of the year but the girls did great taking it slow with lots of turns and made us so proud.  Then the snow began to fall which gave a nice top coat that made skiing easier and allowed the girls to be more confident.  Here's a video Tom took of them going down their favorite "cat track". 

Looking forward to a great ski season.  It is going to be so much easier this year with the girls beyond the beginner level.  I am just a little concerned that I am going to be the one holding us back and Tom and the girls will be leaving me in their dust (or powder). 

Friday we were lucky enough to have the Brown Family come down from Canada to spend a few days celebrating American Thanksgiving.  Dinner turned out well and the timing seemed to work out pretty well.  There were a few recipes I tried that I won't be doing again (green beans and apple pie) but the majority of things seemed to be good.  I tried a few new things with my cranberry recipe that was well received and the layered cheesecake/pumpkin pie was delish!!

Saturday we entertained the "dog crew" from our old neighborhood.  We spent a great deal of time with these 3 families living in the old neighborhood.  Our dogs brought us all together and we enjoyed many walks, dinners, births and more with them.  This was the first time we all were together again in probably 5 years.  The kids all had a great time playing and we enjoyed a good brunch and lots of catching up.  We promised it would not be 5 years again before we got everyone back together.  I can not believe that I did not take one photo of the reunion:-(

Having the Browns around for a few days was so enjoyable.  The kids entertained each other for hours on end and were really pretty amazing for being confined in the house for 2 solid days with no arguments or major problems, just a few minor tears.  A few highlights and low lights from the visit:

• Derrick finding the missing hamster in the bathroom garbage can after his shower.
• All 4 adults spending the first half of Apple Cup outside searching for a lost cat that ended up being in the house all the time. 
• Tom and Derrick showing off their criminal skills by getting the Brown's car unlocked when the keys were inside and cutting off a shoplifting ink cartridge from a shirt with great success.
• Watching our traditional horrible movie when the kids were in bed.  This time it was "Bad Teacher" and it was really awful, which is hard to say when it had Justin Timberlake in it.  But even he couldn't save this one.
• The girls having sleepovers and finding them all cuddled together in bed. 
• Sous Chef Madison helping in the kitchen
• MANY MANY laughs, way too much good food (diet begins NOW), lots of noisy/content children and plenty to be thankful for!

The Browns left this morning and I spent the final day of the weekend recovering on the couch.  I watched 3 football games in a row, didn't get out of my pajamas all day and ate the majority of Madison's Muddy Buddy creation.  Really glad I didn't take a photo of that.  A perfect end to a perfect weekend.  Now a really crazy week begins that includes someone in this house turning the big 4-0!!!!

On the Menu

I think I have the weekend menu plans almost finalized.  We are delaying Thanksgiving by a day so that we can celebrate with the Brown Clan when they come down from Canada on Friday.  Our meal on the actual Thanksgiving day will be whatever they are serving up at the Crystal Mountain cafeteria, as we will be spending the day on the slopes.  So most likely we will be having soup of the day and cheese pizza.
Friday will be the feast at the Kimmet household and I wanted to share what's on the menu along with some of the recipes.  The most boring component of the meal will be the turkey itself.  I saw a few amazing recipes I wanted to try but our family is really not into turkey and it is just an excuse to have all the side dishes so I am taking it easy on that part and just got a turkey breast to throw in the oven.  We will be sending the 2 free Fred Meyer turkeys we have acquired to the food bank where they will be much more appreciated than in our home.   NOW, bring on the side dishes!!!
Mashed Potatoes of course.  I stay fairly straight forward on these for Thanksgiving.  Other times of the year I will throw in cheese, bacon, chives and more but when you add gravy to the top it is best to keep it classic.
Coconut Candied Sweet Potatoes (this is pretty much dessert during dinner for me, not sure anyone else in the family likes it but that means more lefotvers for me)  recipe link

 Homemade Rolls with Honey Butter - Nora's favorite part of the meal

Stuffing - I seem to alternate years between going with a new recipe to the basic family stand-by and this year the old family favorite wins out.  Nothing fancy, nothing extra just the basics, which will make Madison happy.
Cranberry-Apple Sauce - My own special secret recipe which includes orange juice and lots of apples
Carmelized Green Beans - recipe here

And then onto the desserts for the evening.  I am doing 2 this year.
Layered Pumpkin Pie Toffee Cheesecake - a pumpkin pie on top of a layer of toffee cheesecake.  Recipe here

Crumb Topped Apple Pie - Half pie, half cobbler recipe here

Feeling like I am missing something but maybe that is it.  Then we are having more friends over for a Saturday brunch.  That menu will include homemade cinnamon rolls along with a potatoe and bacon breakfast casserole.  We will add a few leftovers from the day before, fruit salad and veggie and cheese trays. 

So now I have to devise a cooking itenerary for the next 4 days.  Tomorrow will be cinnamon rolls to put in the freezer so they just need to be thawed and baked on Saturday.  Wednesday will be the pumpkin pie cheesecake that requires almost 3 hours of baking time along with the prep.  I will also take on the cranberries on Wednesday.  Thursday I can get the sweet potatoes done and get some prep work done for other items.  And then Friday will require the delicacy of timing all the dishes just right to have all components ready at 3:00.  This usually requires a detailed timeline taped to the cabinet doors with all utensils, serving dishes and ingredients laid out in assembly line fashion.  And thank goodness for oven warming drawers when all else fails.

Hoping everyone has a wonderful and delicous Thanksgiving day or days as the case may be!!