Have you ever wondered?

Have you ever wondered what it is like for those people who organize and run the big events at school?
Well,  I was in charge of the school carnival for the second time this year.  In many ways it went much more smoothly because I learned a few lessons last year.  BUT....there are some things that just can't be done ahead of time.  So I thought I would show you what happens to my world during the last week before the carnival.....( and I can't get that picture up there to move, so just pretend it is below this paragraph please) (carnival also happens to fall right in the middle of canning season, so you can see all my canning supplies and apples being pushed aside and hoping to get finished off before they spoil)

For several days my house gets taken over by very large posters, and a few games I am building and adding to the party this year.  Yep, I made that very cool bean bag toss game.  I end up staying up very late into the night, and spend the rest of the night worrying and planning when I should be sleeping.

 And then things get sort of crazy and I have to enlist the help of the children to get some things finished up....because I have about 30 emails a day coming in as I attempt to organize a small army of volunteers.

 And then things get even crazier and my family sees notes like the one above way too many times to be admitted to.

But the carnival comes anyway.   And my van looks like this.  Brooklyn had to crouch on the floor in the very front of the van and Kobe had to sit Indian style in the front passenger seat.  It was an eventful ride to school.  And yes, that is 350 cans of soda, supplies for 15 carnival games, posters, 3 different kinds of tape,and anything else I might need--cuz I'm not coming home today.

 Oh, and there are also 6 cases of bottled water, 6 coolers, and 8 extension cords in the middle of the van.......and that's just the supplies I have at home.  (not in the picture are 70 2 liter bottles of soda on the floor under the coolers) I will unload this stuff at the school and spend the rest of the day driving around and picking up more stuff from other places.

 

 And then everyone comes and has fun.  I should have gotten pictures of the set up.  It's pretty much organized chaos, but it always seems to work out.  However I was too busy directing the chaos to get any pictures.

We had even more people come than last year, but I was too busy to take pictures during the first half of the carnival.  So these are toward the end when people were starting to leave.

But I think it was a success, and I'm pretty sure it is now time for someone else to take a turn.

I didn't even get to have a rest, because the carnival happened on Thursday and I hosted Alex's Homecoming group for dinner on Saturday.  I'll do a post on that as soon as I get pictures done.  HINT:  It went great?

So now I need a bubble bath and a long nap.  Thank goodness for 1:00 church! 

project reveal!!

Very quickly before I start--Tia has started her own blog.  I put her link up on the blog list over there on the right side of this pages with the other family blogs.  So if you'd like stay informed on her college adventures, you can find her there.


As most of you already know, Tia moved out at the beginning of the summer.  This started "the great room swap"---because Tia's room was now vacant and available.  This also coincided with Brooklyn's great desire to have a desk.  She tells me daily of all the wonderful things she could do if she only had a desk.  But our upstairs kid rooms are small.  And I also can't bear the disappointment on her face.  So I start looking for solutions......and I find the answer on the Ana White website.  Yep, a loft bed will fix everything.

So I print out the plans and naively jump in and start.  (special thanks to Cory for loaning me his saw)  And I find out that building stuff is really really really fun-even if it takes longer than originally planned.

I'm really quite proud of how it turned out.  Because I just couldn't bring myself to paint over the awesome periwinkle color on the walls in Tia's room, we moved Brooklyn over there (luckily her bedding and lamps also match this wall color). Then we made Brooklyn's room into Kobe's room. So now Alex has an awesome man cave all to himself in the basement.  And we all live happily ever after because all the children finally have their own room. (at least that how I think it should work......) 

Here is the whole loft bed (I even built that ladder!) (the chair came from IKEA--but since I painted it and put it together I'm still taking credit for it):

Full bookshelf at the foot of the bed:

 Desk!!!!!

I painted magnetic primer on the back of the tall bookshelf so it can be a magnet board for hanging projects.  (Brooklyn made her own custom magnets)  That's one of the cool things about building your own furniture.

Kobe wanted orange.  I was a little scared of that idea, but Jen's sister Tamaryn had some great inspiration on her blog. (thank you Bree for sending me over there)  I even got brave and went a little darker than she did.  Kobe loves his room. This was my first go at doing multiple colors.  I just painted a white stripe in between them to help the white furniture tie into the room. (He's stuck with Brooklyn's old nightstand, chest, and bookshelf--although I did remove the picket fence headboard)  I'm still looking for some wall stuff.  I've learned that boy bedding and accessories are very hard to find if you don't want Disney characters or sports teams!

better late than never....

I've been working on a very big project for the past month, so I am now under condemnation from Brooklyn for delaying this post.  (I'll be ready for the big project reveal in a few days.) 

So this post is for Brooklyn.

You probably remember that last October Brooklyn shocked us all and decided to drop out of gymnastics and try dance.  She has loved it!  In the middle of June she had her big year-end concert.  She did such a wonderful job.  We are particularly proud that she was chosen to do a solo dance.  I'm posting the video below.  She chose the music and choreographed it all herself.  She was pretty nervous, but she did a great job.  (you will maybe recognize her costume, as she wanted the same one her sister used---without the extra sparkles)

                                                                I just love her leaps!!

Here's the solo video  (remember you have to double click it for full screen or my blog format will cut off the side)

Graduation

So today was the big day!  Tia has now officially graduated from high school.  We are so proud of her.  She is excited to be moving on to college and living with Lorna and Chad this summer (thanks guys!).  We are all going to miss her--especially Brooklyn, who has just gotten to the age where she can appreciate how cool her older sister is. 
 Truthfully, it really hasn't fully hit me that this day is finally here.  I'm full of so many emotions right now!
 But mostly I am so proud of her and all she has accomplished so far.
 I'm excited to see her move on to the next phase.
 And I'm going to miss her excitement and energy around here

 This is all the ladies before the ceremony.  I had to make her put on the gown.  It was too big (as most things are without her mother's altering skills) and she hated that her hands didn't show.

                                                  Here she is getting up to go backstage.

                                                                  Almost there!

 I have a picture similar to this one at my own graduation.  I wish our scanner worked so I could put the old picture in for comparing.  I am the same age in this picture as my mother was when I graduated!  Her hair will take color though, so she doesn't show as much gray (I'm considering a little Photoshop action......)  Steve and I didn't even plan our matching shirts, honest.

                                                                              Sisters

Senior Prom

Today was Tia's senior prom. 

I think I get just as excited about it as she does....because of my own fun dance memories.

So we learned our lesson from last year and we didn't even bother with dress shopping.  We just went straight to the fabric store and picked out a pattern and fabric. The pictures don't really do the fabric color justice.  This was the prettiest purple ever!   And then the work started (for me).  Tia picked a really great looking dress  In fact, I've never seen anything like it in a store or on the internet--so we know she'll be totally unique. 

( I did remind her that my Grandma Harris made my senior prom dress.  And there was actually another girl at the dance with the same dress done in the same fabric.  So it really does happen!)

 This dress was really, really hard to make.  I had several complete redoes on the bodice.  I had to do some pretty complicated pattern altering.  And I had to make up my own pattern for the sleeves because the pattern call for an off the shoulder look. However the results were perfect, so it was worth it.  I learned quite a bit of good sewing techniques on this dress (most of which I had to come up with on my own because the pattern had terrible instructions and not nearly enough pictures) I am particularly proud of my hidden zipper that comes out perfectly with the V back!.  And yes, there are 723 crystals--each individually glued on by me. 

Of course, we were saved by Bree for the hair.  I really, really can't do hair.  But Bree is amazing and we are lucky she is so willing to come over and help.  

I decided that more than just the high school kids should see this dress.  But Tia wasn't willing to put it on and take a walk around the neighborhood, so I'll just have to be satisfied with putting a lot of pictures up on the blog.

And I'll enjoy a 5 year break from fancy dress sewing while Brooklyn does a little growing up.

Happy Easter

We just had a great weekend of celebrating Easter. I really love this holiday, but I was having a hard time getting in the mood. I even went so far as to just ask my kids what they wanted in their Easter baskets--not even bothering to try to surprise anyone. BUT, then we got together with my parents, Bree's family, and Cory's family for a Saturday afternoon Easter party at Cory's house and everything came back into line. Here's a few highlights:

Brooklyn was very proud of this peace sign creation (it matched her shirt--and we all know that in Brooklyn's world fashionable matching stuff is very important)

There was lots of egg coloring. Grandma donated 10 dozen hard boiled eggs so everyone could decorate to their hearts content.

There was reading time. Tia is currently burning through the "39 clues" series. (admittedly, I did the same thing a few weeks ago--these are hard to put down!)

There was basketball.....

Since my boys were present..... there was soccer!

...and there was soccer mixed with trampoline jumping (?)

....and there was regular trampoline jumping

There was also lots of great food, but since I was eating it no pictures got taken.

I'll just add that on Sunday my primary class of 10 6-year-olds soared to new heights as they redefined the term "sugar rush". It was great........

I hope you all had a fun holiday as well!

Idaho Dance Competition

Wow! multiple posts in one month.....

I had a solid week of being sick with a sinus infection and all the other symptoms you can think of. And then I had to pull myself out of bed and pack up for a weekend in Rexburg, Idaho to watch Tia compete in a ballroom competition. My mom and Aunt Marsha came with me.

Can I say, this was so much fun! I haven't ever watched a big competition like this before (it was a national competition). The dancing was fabulous (it almost made me think I could learn to like dancing, but not quite) and the dresses were amazing. There is nothing fancier than ballroom dance gowns.

This was Tia's first time competing as a couple in the Cabaret, so I needed to be there to watch her. We made her costume. She glued on nearly 700 crystals. I did the sewing and trim. It was an adventurous project, but well worth it. She was beautiful. Her partner is Brayden Roberts. They were both pretty nervous. But they came out with 4th place (whoo hoo!), and they only missed third place by less than a point.

Here's some video of their Cabaret and a video of Tia's favorite group dance. (She's on the front right when the dance starts. You'll have to follow her from there)
PS After you click play, double click the screen to get a full screen version--otherwise the right side gets cut off.