MAKEOVER ! (of a lamp)

     Here is the before and after of the lamps I just did a makeover on. The one on the right is the before. The lamp shade was actually coming unglued at all the seams. I can't complain though because I originally bought these two lamps for $20 dollars at Walmart 10 years ago and they looked good, fit my decor, and gave me light.
     If you look to the left you can see the after. I found new lamp shades and a tube of this stuff you rub on that turned the metal silver. I wanted to change the look and I think it was a success. I love the way they look, a little more modern and new again and the price was definitely right!

Olivia's Independence or Not!

 Learning to ride a bike, brings with it a new freedom. You can get where you want to go faster, you don't have to wait for anyone to pull you in a trailer or push you in a stroller anymore. You are finally one of the big kids, no longer watching from the side lines. Ah FREEDOM!

 Today my subject isn't actually freedom it is FEAR, one of a mother's worst fears. A MISSING CHILD! Yesterday at 5 pm Olivia, who is 5 years old asked me if we could go to the park. The day before, Kevan and I had taken her on a walk with us and stopped at a little park that just has a couple of swings and monkey bars, about 1/2 a mile from our house. She has just mastered riding a two wheeler so she rode while we walked.

 Well, she really wanted to go to the park last night and I told her we couldn't because I had to make dinner. I told her she could ask her brothers and sisters if they would like to take her. They all said NO, they were watching a movie.

 In the meantime everyone thought that Olivia was with someone else, I thought she was upstairs watching the movie, her siblings thought she was downstairs cooking with me. After about 30 minutes I walked upstairs for something and checked on everyone, but didn't see Olivia. We soon discovered that she was not in the house. This is when PANIC set in!

 I am glad I have older children and lots of them.  The search began, we checked the neighbors houses, no one was home. Then Ali went one way and the boys went the other, to the closest park, which is just one block away. At the same time Sam and I discovered that a bike was missing. We hadn't noticed before because Olivia's little purple bike was in the garage. She had taken the next size bike, Isaac's old 16" bike.

 As Ali called to report that she wasn't up the hill or anywhere in sight, Samantha jumped on her bike and took off to the little park we had visited the day before.  She only got about 4 houses away and ran into a little girl named Olivia on her way home.
Needless to say, she was back, safe and sound and is now GROUNDED. No bikes, no parks, no nothing for a while.

 She had gone to the park and she received a lecture about the dangers of leaving alone. Her first reply, "No one took me!" Hopefully that will be the last time I have to freak out about a lost child. She may not be a baby, but she sure isn't a big girl yet.
(sorry if the clip is long, it is my first time doing a video post)

Starting Again!

Ok, I am starting this blog up again. It's been almost two years since I put anything on here so as you can imagine much has happened in my life. I will hit the highlights. In June I will have two adult daughters. My youngest is now 5 1/2 so we no longer have diapers or highchairs and soon we won't have training wheels (she is quite determined). If all goes as planned I will only have 4 children to care for physically on a daily basis come September (Jess and Ali plan to attend SVU, waiting on Jess's acceptance letter (transfer students seem to take longer to process). It will be weird having 2 gone and Sam is only 14 so I will miss my extra drivers. Ughhhh!

I myself have also made a few changes, after 18 years I am growing my hair out, I've made it to my chin so far, don't know how much longer I will go.  I started weight watchers, and was successful, but have gotten lazy and gained some back. I know how to fix that though so I should start again. I am still homeschooling and Olivia will join us as a kindergartener in the fall. This year's highlight so far is that I got to go with Kevan to Japan. It was great!

Life is still good, we have our little ups and downs but nothing different from the norm. Everyone is healthy and growing. I now have one violinist, 3 pianists and a guitar player.