a breeze of organizational air

So, a lot has changed in our new kitchen since even this picture:

(And I think you'll agree that it's come a long way since this.)

But at least you can see our new new paint color. (Remember awhile back I promised I'd post one? Or have you forgotten since it's been so long?) Click here to get an even better idea of what the color looks like. Then toggle over to the Silver Sage color swatch on the bottom left. And, that's it!

I haven't taken an updated picture yet. Call it: Julia got strep, then the twins got an ear infection paired nicely with pink eye, Julia got over strep but woke crying last night because of her ear, and now I feel as if I have a tennis ball in my throat each time I swallow.

Sooo, we've been a wee bit busy in the land of 4underfoot!

But we have cabinets, a table, a super deep sink, and trim now. Yipee. It's like a thunderstorm for seedlings--exactly what we were waiting for.

I promise, er-I guess I can't promise, but I'll see if I can get a really updated one taken soon.

I'll try.

But I have to tell you, the uber best part of all of this, is how organized my cabinets have become. It's like a breeze of fresh organizational air swept through our new space and labeled, stacked, and positioned for convience every kitchen item I own.

I'll tell you all about later. As for now, I'll leave you with what our 4under3 looked like last year at Easter.

Remember, I tweeted about how my mother computer--that holds all my pictures--is buried under "stuff" that hasn't found a home in the kitchen yet?

This will have to do.

Happy Easter.

Again.

A bit of Easter Wear

Some days, I'm a bit uncertain who these two really are:

You would have thought it was the Easter bunny who popped out the back door--behind Mr. Marvelous and I, at my parents house on Sunday--as we tried to snap a normal Easter picture of the children. When in fact, it was Grandpa who got a whole lot of hoots and howls from Norah (L) and Hazel. (Julia and Luke were left uninterested.)

But it's no surprise that these little faces can produce such bizarre expressions.

These two girls are known to deviate from the norm.

Well, there was no deviation when it came to eating jelly beans from plastic eggs. They followed suit well while dribbling juice down the front of their dresses.

You just gotta let 'em go

There are some things that you just have to ignore, then you look the other way and make no bones about them. You just gotta let 'em go.

Like when your existing and new wood floors--which take up the majority of your main floor--have been sanded down and treated, and you're told to keep your feet your children's feet off them until they dry. For two days in a row. Even though you don't want to load everyone up in the car and spend the entire day away, again, you just do.

And then you let it go.

Or, like when your MIL invites you and the children over to her place--which is over an hour away--on a day when said floors are drying, you get all excited because you know it's supposed to be a gorgeous day and you imagine how much fun everyone will have playing outside in her wonderful backyard on her playset. Except, your oldest daughter ends up showing major signs of illness. So, you spend most of the day snuggling inside while trying to nurse her back to health.

You just let it go.

Or, like when you realize your daughter's tonsils are as big as kumquats on steroids, so you and your MIL load everyone up and take her in to the Fast Care clinic in the closest grocery store near your MIL's home town. Then you're told she has strep. And you're asked if you have any other children at home that your daughter might have passed it on to.

You just let it go.

And while you're waiting for her prescription, you walk around the store looking for fun, soothing consumable treats to cheer up your kumquatie daughter. Like frozen fruit on sticks. While you wait for your prescription, you two sit together and slurp lime and strawberry popsicles. Then when you return back to your car full of children--that your MIL is watching--you realize that you would have a bigger situation to deal with if you were to withhold the frozen fruit sticks from your other children. So you cheerfully unwrap one for each child and then...

...you just...

...let it go.

a punk chick flipped me off

Some punk chick flipped me off the other night.

I was minding my own business at a stoplight--behind a car full of girls--patiently waiting for it to turn so I could pick up the pizza I was headed for, then return it to my hungry Mr. Marvelous and his little brother who were hanging out at home.

Apparently, the height of my vehicle was just right to shine the headlights dead on in her driver's side mirror. Which evidently ticked her right off.

As soon as I noticed her place her hand over her mirror in an attempt to shield the glare, I thought, "Oh no. Oh, shoot. How do I turn these things off for a bit?"

You know, that'd be a nice thing to do. And, I like to think I'm a nice person.

I've never hit or cussed at anyone. I don't steal, talk smack to people, or use the express checkout when I have more than 12 items.

I'm a square sista. I mean no harm.

Obviously the girl didn't, because she flew the bird out the window as the light turned green and she drove her posse away.

For pete's sake. It was dark out and our windows are quite tinted. For all she knew, I could have been her little old grandmother borrowing a big, black Titan.

And really. Who flips off their grandmother?

P.S. That picture up there is the first and very wrong color--and the one that's long gone--that we chose for the kitchen we're remodeling. Remember what it used to look like? The painters graciously repainted the new color the next day. And I love it. Like, really love it. Like love love gooey love. Updated photos coming soon.

Candice Olson, where are you?

Turns out, on this 3rd day of April and 15th day of Spring, we've got 6 inches of snow heading our way. Nevermind the 71 degrees we were teased with awhile back.  I was thinking flip flops and skirts were overrated anyway.

Not!

But we're ready for it. There's no point in rocking the boat while Mother Nature is trying to drive.  Right Norah?

And since I apparently left out a number of details in my last post about my mom's lost wedding ring, I tweeted answers back to your burning questions.  Did you find them?  Then I figured, I would be dying to know exactly what the two missing rings looked like, therefore I'm sure you all are the same way, so have at it:

We're not back in our house yet. However, Mr. Marvelous has assured me that the appliances are back in place and our new space is starting to look a little like a functional kitchen.  Luke and I will see for ourselves tonight.  We're headed back home for a few days to try and make a dent in the construction dust and pick a paint color for the walls.  Thanks for all your ideas.  And I'll have you know, after much deliberation, Mr. Marvelous and I have narrowed our color choices down to an undecided shade of gray and shade of aquamarine.  We'll look at the floors, cabinets, counters and natural lighting and decide tomorrow.  

If only I were an interior designer and had some sort of common knowledge of paints and walls, and such.  

For now, I'm off to click around in cyberland to find more inspiration kitchens.  Time is tickin'.  Candice Olson, where are you?

I lost my Mom's Wedding Ring.

It's beyond embarrassing telling of how I lost my mom's wedding ring.

[silence]

I know.  I know!  I've been living with that baggage for the past 2 years. 

It's not something you just get over.  No matter how understanding and comforting your mother is.  No matter how much your mom puts your feelings, unrightfullyso, in front of her lost wedding ring feelings.  You just don't forget about it.

Walk back with me to October, 2 years ago.

We were getting ready to move into our new house, I was planning for Julia's 3rd birthday, and my mom had taken her ring off to help paint four coats on every inch of our walls and ceilings.  She forgot her wedding ring at our house, but we were planning on having Julia's party at my MIL's who lives in the same town as my parents.

"Don't worry Mom.  I'll bring it over to Julia's party.  It's no big deal."

That's what I thought, until it came time to hand it over just before singing Happy Birthday and I had no idea where it was.  I felt like I was nosediving in a never ending black hole.

And as if feeling like the lowest daughter ever wasn't enough, 2 weeks later I took my ring off--to paint our laundry room--forgot that I shoved it in the pocket of my hooded sweatshirt, stowed it away in the back of my closet and lost that ring for a good 7 months.

And I wonder how I ever was a good Maid of Honor.

It didn't matter that we had just moved to a new town, that I had just found out we were pregnant with #3--that ended up to be #3 & #4--and that we were planning for the upcoming holidays.  I had just lost 2 wedding rings in less than a month and I was pleading with God to turn over my mom's WAY before mine.

Which is what didn't happen.  Of course my mom found my lost ring while perusing through my closet one afternoon.  Tell me.  How's a girl supposed to act excited when that happens?

But the page that made this drama take a turn for the best came last night when my MIL said she had been dusting her corner cabinet and found a ring pushed way to the back.  She was wondering if it belonged to my mom.

It did!  It did, it did, it did!

[sigh]

So, after my dad and I conspired a bit, we decided to put it in a small box and surprise her with it this morning.  The exact way my dad did when he proposed.

That's when....they lived happily ever after.