Calling all Spare Opinions

As the title would imply, I am looking for opinions. Any opinion will do. Any spare ones lying around the house, or in the corner of your brain. Yup! Those opinions. Actually, I would like an extra opinion on one subject in particular. My house.


We finally made some headway in the kitchen this past weekend. That would be, in part, due to the fact that we finally actually started working on the kitchen again. Amazing how something little like that will change things! Anywho, we were able to squeak out the extra space we needed to mount the microwave (which is truly a long, whiny post for a different day), make, sand, mount, and paint the cabinet box, and actually mount the microwave! And get this... I used it to make dinner on Saturday night: LEFTOVERS!!! And, true to the literature on the box and website, it works! Yay!!! I don't think I have ever been more excited about leftovers in my life.


However, here comes my dilemma: I wanted plenty of space between the microwave and cook top, but, being that I am somewhat challenged in the area of height, I could only go so high. Because of where I wanted to mount the microwave, this now leaves me with a somewhat oddly sized space above. To be exact, it is somewhere around the dimensions of 8.5 x 30 inches long. My question would be thusly: What in the heck do I do with it?

My options are not as few and far in between as I would like, because that would make the decision easier (in my opinion) to make. However, a few important things to remember. The space needs to be able to open, however it shouldn't have to open all that often, if ever. Also, I don't really plan on storing anything inside it.

These are my thoughts thus far:

OPTION A: Make a face frame and center style with 2 "doors" up there. Keep in mind they would probably end up looking like drawers, and that the handles would be almost as big as the doors themselves. My concern with this option is that, well, it would just look dumb, but I feel kinda like I might need to do something like this for continuity purposes.

OPTION B: Hubby says he can make a piece of wood that will just go across it, so that it will look like it would be built in. I am concerned about this option for a few reasons, mainly that I don't think the seams would look as good, and that 9 inches is too much space to just leave empty. That, and it could be extremely hard to open.

OPTION C: Make it look "built in" but put something on it, like a rod iron decoration, or a wooden applique. This could be a decent option, but I have yet to find a rod iron decoration that will fit in the oddly sized space, and I am afraid that a wooden applique won't fit with the style of the rest of the kitchen.

OPTION D: Make one long door. I think at this point it would hinge up, with a single handle on the bottom. I think this may be what I am leaning towards, but I am not strong enough in this opinion yet.

I am sure there are other options. Feel free to leave me a comment and pass on your opinions or ideas. I am completely open at this point :)

Kari's 6 yr pictures

I have meant to put these up for quite a while. But, it was a bit of a process to get them from the website, even though they are meant for sharing.

Yes, I flat ironed her hair and bangs. I quite like the effect.
Even if it is paired with the occasional cheesy grin.

This is the first time I have let her bring props. But, I figured that they were such a part of her, that it would be ok. These are all her Spongebob Cuddle toys. I love the half grin :)

This was the other prop she brought. I didn't really know about this one until she brought it out. She bought this with her good behavior money at the "Flowers Market" (Mrs. Flowers is her kindergarten teacher).

I also love/hate that this is one of the few genuine smiles of the whole shoot, and it is half hidden by the glasses.....

Although, this one is pretty cute too :)

Cheese :/

I love my big little girl!

Denth Denth

Today was Dentist day. But, if you are Kaitlyn, you pronounce it denthdenth. This is probably Kari's third visit. It was supposed to be Kaitlyn's first. Let me first tell you that I love this dentist. She explained everything to Kari the first time we went. Let her feel and try all the equipment. She talks to her on her level. And, they have Dora playing on the TV in the background. Kari did fine. Well. Great, even.

Kaitlyn, on the other hand, would not even sit in the chair. She wouldn't even open her mouth for the hygienist to look inside. After much persuasion, Dylan sitting in the "magic chair" and going for a ride, and a bribery offer of a happy meal, Kaitlyn did climb into the chair. But, then, slithered out as she sobbed. I eventually got her to be still long enough to hold the "tickle toothbrush" and then to let it spin on her fingers to see what it felt like. But, for some reason, putting those things together was not going to happen. So we gave up and left.

Our lovely dentist also gives the kids tokens to "buy" toys with once they are done. You know, the little gumball machine toys like silly bands, bouncy balls, necklaces, etc. I told Kaitlyn she didn't get any money because she wouldn't let Ms. D brush her teeth. While I dealt with the administrative stuff, Ms. D snuck a token to Kaitlyn who bought something. As much as I appreciate Ms. D being nice, it didn't help the situation. Kaitlyn was still pitching such a fit when we went outside, and admittedly I was already frustrated, that I took the toy away. They are for people with clean teeth, which she didn't have.

This caused a whole new wave of tantrum. In all my days as a mother, I have only seen one other fit like this, with Kari, several years ago. As we drove down the road towards home, and returning Kari to school, I have never in all my life understood the urge to beat a child as much as I did then. In truth, I did pull the car over, climb into the van, and get right in her face/on her level and make her calm down. It was a tense situation.

Now, I know that she was scared (apparently). And, that fears are in no way rational. But, what really got my knickers in a twist was that she was pitching such a fit over her own choice. I am sure that isn't how it felt to the 3 yr old sitting in my back seat, but I felt like it was important to not reward her behavior. Those toys were for children who got their teeth cleaned, whether they were scared or not.

So, here we sit, back at the house, watching a movie to help both of us calm down. Maybe next time will go better. Maybe next time she will remember how gentle the tickle toothbrush was and how tragic it was to not get a toy. Then again, maybe not. Fears, and 3 year olds, are not particularly logical.

Sit on it

Each child has their own personality. Each child is different. You think you understand that before you have kids, but you don't. Just for an example, all of my children have had the same toys pretty much since they have been born. Kaitlyn played with the toys Kari got when she was a baby, as does Dylan. However, they each play with different toys, either in a different way, or more often.

Here is another example. Kari is a collector. Once she gets one of something, she wants several more. She has a collection of sack puppets, pencils, a place to put her collection of marbles (even though she doesn't have any yet), and every single Home Depot project she has ever made. She has 3 Zoobles and wants 8 more. She has 6 Spongebob cuddle toys, and wants 3 more, even though I am not sure they exist. I could keep going, but you get the idea.

Dylan hasn't particularly manifested many preferences, except for anything with wheels. He loves his cars. He calls them (as best as I can reproduce the sound in print) "sigh"s. He carries so many around, he can't possibly play with them, because that would mean that he would drop at least one, if not several onto the ground. What fun it is to simply hold toys, I'm sure I don't know. But he seems to enjoy it. That, or he "drives" them over everything (I remember my little brother doing that {Hi Jonoman!}). And lines them up. It never ceases to amaze me the interesting places I find cars lined up. And, they always have to be lined up before he leaves them... whether it's for bed, or for running errands, they must be "parked" before he leaves.

Kaitlyn.... Now, Kaitlyn is a hoarder. It doesn't matter what it is, and most of the time it tends to be rocks and sticks. Which is somewhat odd to me, considering she is the one who wears high heels and skirts every single day. Once she is done playing with it though, no one else can play with it. She puts them all in a pile, and guards it. She has, to her credit, come up with a rather inventive way of doing this. Most of the time, she puts them on the couch. Puts a pillow on top. And sits/lays on the pillow.

What can I say? Kids are a different breed of animal....

The Jeep + Pa's House

I know this is going to sound strange, but there is something so majestic about Pa's mailbox. With the rather large, moss covered tree in the background, and the picturesque old tree holding it up, I just love it. It's almost a pity that we had to replace the actual box recently. The old one was so rusty, that the mail was getting wet when it rained. Still, something about this picture says comfort to me :)

And this is a picture from down the road towards Pa's house. It is quaint. Comfortable. And, if he didn't live so far out in the middle of no where, I would say it was a good place to raise kids. Plenty of room to play and explore. Except I think my kids would kill me because they would never go to play groups because I would refuse to drive the 30 minutes into town. And, because we would probably end up eating bread and tomato sauce for dinner because I didn't get everything I needed at the grocery store, and, well, I didn't feel like driving the 30 minutes into town. Are you seeing a pattern yet?

In the category of "Fun things to do at Pa's house", the Jeep ranks pretty highly. Kari is the only one I trust to drive it so far. And, she takes her responsibility, and her ability to ride every time without ever having to sit out a turn, very seriously. And, thanks to Pop, she can quite successfully negotiate a 3 point turn. I am hoping this is good training for when she turns 16.

I love how Dylan looks simultaneously ecstatic to be riding and terrified to be going the whole 1.45 miles per hour the battery allows.

I love how this one is obviously taken while moving. Kari, being the diligent driver she is, is looking at the road. While, Kaitlyn is smiling at me, totally comfortable to have her chauffeur take her all over the place.

And this is what poor Dylan does when it isn't his turn.

He still doesn't understand the "taking turns" thing yet.

I got them to sit still for a second for a picture.

But why is it that I feel like this is the view I will more than

likely be getting for the rest of my life?

The Coat

For Christmas, Dylan asked for a coat :) And, Grandma was happy to provide.

Again, it reminds me of A Christmas Story, because we intentionally got it just a little bit big... That way, we hope, he can still wear it next year.

And, while I am not so happy that the flash washed him out...

He still looks pretty happy in his new coat.

Thanks Grandma!

Funny Face

It is so very sad to me, that a happy little boy like this:

Looks like this when he falls on the driveway outside.

At least it doesn't seem to have affected his personality :)

She did it again

Aunt Pam. Bless her soul. I love these little jackets.

They are so trendy. And cute.
I almost wish I had one. But, I don't think I could pull off the headband.

Thanks Aunt Pam :)

Random Pictures

Its hard to beat cute posts like yesterday's :) And, I have some random pictures that just don't fit anywhere else. So, why not use them? :)

These are the blanket bucket buddies.

(And yes, those are Dylan's toe nails painted... why do you ask?)

And this is just a cute sleeping picture. Ironically enough, this is how his daddy sleeps too...
This is all I could muster because I stayed up too late last night reading this:

Its a pretty cute story.

Things I Have Always Said

I have always said that you can tell how much the children have missed their father because it is directly proportional to how quickly they want to wrastle with him when he gets home.

Often times, he barely gets through the door. They run up and give him a hug, and then immediately push him and run aways screaming.
I tend to get my camera at this point.

I love to capture the pure joy on their faces. All their faces.

Dylan has also started to get in on the action. He used to just sit with me on the sidelines.

More often than not, I get a lot of dog pile pictures.

But, once in a while, I get some truly fabulous ones :)

I have also always said that I think we ought to charge money for people to watch this wrestling debacle.

Because I find myself just giggling the entire time.

And, as you can tell, the kids don't mind it either. :)

Also, may I just say how impressed I am with hubby. He knows were each of the 3 kids are, how to play with one while protecting the other, while cuddling with the third. I mean, that's pretty impressive man!

One of Kari's more inventive moves. I don't recall how this particular move turned out.

Dog pile!

Dog Pile Again!

I also love this picture :) I love it because it shows how adventurous Kaitlyn is, and how much she trusts her daddy. Also, how much her daddy puts up with. Because this picture was timed perfectly to catch both of Kaitlyn's feet off the ground, as she jumps onto her daddy's back. It makes me laugh every single time I see it.

Who needs a gym? When you can lift dead weights :)

He is so inventive sometimes.

But, the kids love it. :)

And, if I've said it once, I'm sure I'll say it again: If WWE can get $50 a match on PPV, then I can't imagine what we could get :)

Happy Valentines Day!

On our last day in Utah, we had a lot to do. Packing, plumbing, caulking, eating, etc. It went a little bit like the last day of a vacation typically does: much too busy, and entirely too quickly.

Dylan got a little tired of waiting for someone to pay attention to him, so he pulled out a puzzle and climbed up into Umpa's lap.

And, I honestly can't think of any better way of saying I love you, than to have a toddler climb up in your lap with a puzzle.
That, and I love to see my family with my family. It makes my heart melt.

Just a sweet little reminder of what Valentines Day is for: Love and family :)

Happy Valentine's Day!