Saturday, June 27, 2009
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Weekend in Michigan
We spent this last weekend in Michigan, visiting some friends. We figured it's our last chance to travel for a while, and it was great to get out of town and reconnect with some Hillsdale friends we haven't seen in a long time. They live in Grand Rapids, and have 3 sweet little girls, all a little younger than our three. Unfortunately, none of the pictures I took on our zoo outing turned out, but here's a picture of all the kids watching a movie before bed:
After getting stuck in Chicago traffic on the way up, we decided to take a different route home. When we realized that the new route would be going within 20 minutes of Hillsdale, we decided to take a couple of hours and wander around the campus. It was a great time, mostly because the camput was deserted, and nobody minded the kids running and climbing on things they're probably not supposed to climb on.
Campus has changed a lot since we went there, with a lot of new (and in our opinion, too swanky) buildings. Another new feature is something called the "Liberty Walk", where they have statues of famous conservative statesmen. Starting with Margaret Thatcher, here are pictures of the kids climbing on ol' Margie, George Washington, Abe Lincoln, and Thomas Jefferson. We missed climbing on Winston Churchill, who was in the student union.
Before leaving, we found the spot where exiting seniors get to scribble on the concrete. We found Auntie BJ's name a couple of times, and a few other names we knew, though mostly because we had known their older siblings.
All in all, it was a very nostalgic trip. We really enjoyed the Simpsons in Grand Rapids, and then felt it was very surreal to be letting our children run around the campus where we met and were married. Maybe someday David will get a job there, but for now we have to be content with visiting!
After getting stuck in Chicago traffic on the way up, we decided to take a different route home. When we realized that the new route would be going within 20 minutes of Hillsdale, we decided to take a couple of hours and wander around the campus. It was a great time, mostly because the camput was deserted, and nobody minded the kids running and climbing on things they're probably not supposed to climb on.
Campus has changed a lot since we went there, with a lot of new (and in our opinion, too swanky) buildings. Another new feature is something called the "Liberty Walk", where they have statues of famous conservative statesmen. Starting with Margaret Thatcher, here are pictures of the kids climbing on ol' Margie, George Washington, Abe Lincoln, and Thomas Jefferson. We missed climbing on Winston Churchill, who was in the student union.
Before leaving, we found the spot where exiting seniors get to scribble on the concrete. We found Auntie BJ's name a couple of times, and a few other names we knew, though mostly because we had known their older siblings.
All in all, it was a very nostalgic trip. We really enjoyed the Simpsons in Grand Rapids, and then felt it was very surreal to be letting our children run around the campus where we met and were married. Maybe someday David will get a job there, but for now we have to be content with visiting!
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Ta-da!!
Remember these?
Yeah, me too. And I can't say that I miss that 80s print.
Finally, here is the updated version!
I realized, sitting in the newly-finished chairs, that I didn't ever sit in them before tearing them apart. Fortunately, they are very comfortable :). I reupholstered them in indoor-outdoor fabric, which is durable and stain-resistant. It is gaining in popularity lately, so fabric makers are no longer only making colors to go on your outdoor umbrella, but in awesome prints like this.
So, the big questions: Am I happy with it? Yes, totally. It's not a professional job, but only I know the places where that shows, and I'm not telling! Would I do it again? Not this year, certainly. Maybe in about 5, when I've forgotten how much time it took. I pulled out thousands of staples (I'm not exaggerating), and put in about 3000, between the two chairs. It took just about 40 hours and 10 yards of fabric for both chairs, if you want to try! In the internet research process, I did find one website that I love:
diyupholsterysupply.com
They have great videos for the hard sections, and all the supplies you'll ever need for much cheaper than JoAnn's.
So, that's it! I'm done!
Yeah, me too. And I can't say that I miss that 80s print.
Finally, here is the updated version!
I realized, sitting in the newly-finished chairs, that I didn't ever sit in them before tearing them apart. Fortunately, they are very comfortable :). I reupholstered them in indoor-outdoor fabric, which is durable and stain-resistant. It is gaining in popularity lately, so fabric makers are no longer only making colors to go on your outdoor umbrella, but in awesome prints like this.
So, the big questions: Am I happy with it? Yes, totally. It's not a professional job, but only I know the places where that shows, and I'm not telling! Would I do it again? Not this year, certainly. Maybe in about 5, when I've forgotten how much time it took. I pulled out thousands of staples (I'm not exaggerating), and put in about 3000, between the two chairs. It took just about 40 hours and 10 yards of fabric for both chairs, if you want to try! In the internet research process, I did find one website that I love:
diyupholsterysupply.com
They have great videos for the hard sections, and all the supplies you'll ever need for much cheaper than JoAnn's.
So, that's it! I'm done!
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Overheard this morning...
Ellie went with me yesterday to check out a garage sale just up the street from us. I didn't find anything interesting, but she found two pairs of dress-up princess sandals for herself and Laura. We brought them home, and the two of them have had lots of fun prancing around in them. This morning, I tried to catch a few more minutes of sleep while David hopped in the shower before church. As I dozed, the girls went traipsing into the bathroom in their (noisy) shoes to talk to Dad. Here's what I overheard:
David, just out of the shower: "Are those your new shoes?"
Ellie: "Well, they're actually God's, but He's letting us use them for a little while."
David, just out of the shower: "Are those your new shoes?"
Ellie: "Well, they're actually God's, but He's letting us use them for a little while."
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Officially ABD!
I'm sure that means something in latin, but the joke is that it means "all but dissertation." David defended his prospectus before his dissertation committee yesterday, and they gave comments, suggestions, and told him he's free to write the rest of it! This is the last official hurdle he has to cross before finishing. Here we are at Chipotle afterward, celebrating.
Yesterday was also the first day of two weeks of swim lessons for Carver. He's doing great. I think just spending vacation in Hawaii and California makes him very comfortable in the water. He's not afraid to try anything they ask him to do, so he's doing great!
Here are the girls, watching the action in the pool:
Yesterday also marked 34 weeks of pregnancy for me--the end is near! The baby is doing great, growing exactly as she should, and I'm feeling great, apart from being big and bulky. We're praying that these final weeks and the delivery go well! Sorry, no picture--I'm not brave enough to take pregnancy pictures :)
Yesterday was also the first day of two weeks of swim lessons for Carver. He's doing great. I think just spending vacation in Hawaii and California makes him very comfortable in the water. He's not afraid to try anything they ask him to do, so he's doing great!
Here are the girls, watching the action in the pool:
Yesterday also marked 34 weeks of pregnancy for me--the end is near! The baby is doing great, growing exactly as she should, and I'm feeling great, apart from being big and bulky. We're praying that these final weeks and the delivery go well! Sorry, no picture--I'm not brave enough to take pregnancy pictures :)
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
7 children for the afternoon...
7 sandwiches and 7 apples eaten, only 1 cup of water spilled.
7 kids sunscreened up.
1 kid down for a nap.
1 injured finger (volleyball for 4 boys--maybe not safe.)
6 kids playing inside because it's 90 degrees outside.
7 kids under the age of 8? Glad they're not all mine :).
7 kids sunscreened up.
1 kid down for a nap.
1 injured finger (volleyball for 4 boys--maybe not safe.)
6 kids playing inside because it's 90 degrees outside.
7 kids under the age of 8? Glad they're not all mine :).
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
