After-School Closet

This past weekend my hubby did the greatest thing. One of many of his greatest things, of course.

We have re-done (well, almost re-done. . .you know how those ends of projects--the little details, the little fix ups, the last coat of paint--last forever!) our kitchen. In our "older" box-like home, we had a closet at the top of stairs. We had turned it into a pantry soon after we moved into the place as we needed the space to store stuff as our small kitchen/lack of cupboard space didn't allow for the room we needed. Now that our kitchen has a few more cupboards and drawers, I didn't need all that space for pantry anymore.

I love the new kitchen, but I was getting annoyed at the mess made by the school bags, dancing bags, diaper bags and extra junk sitting around the living room and kitchen--and I was making that mess too! We just didn't have a spot to put it all that "worked." I had talked to the hubby about converting that closet into and area for all the "bags," and he had said he would do it one day, but. . .you know how that goes.

So maybe it was the fact that I had thought I had checked all the pockets of kids' clothes after the school week was done. I have kids who like to find treasures and a hubby who likes to keep candy wrappers in his pockets, so this is quite a ritual for me. Maybe it was because it was Friday night and work week #3 was done for me. . .but apparently there were crayons in my son's pockets. They went through the washing machine just fine--and gave no sign of them being there. But then when I was getting the clothes from the dryer. . .it was a tie-dyed mess! Primary colours were EVERYWHERE!!! (I was suddenly cursing the meal out we had (you know , the kind of meal out where they give your kids crayons with the menu that somehow ended up in my sons pockets!!!)--even though it was really nice not to have had to cook that night!). So there was me, googling to find a fix. This and the accompanying articles saved me! All the clothes are spotless and the dryer is cleaned! Phew! Don't think I want to test that out ever again! I figured if I were ever going to have to clean up a crayon mess, it would be from kids colouring on the walls. . .nope not me! I get to be the one to figure out the dryer!

Maybe when the hubby came home on Friday night really late and saw me crazy at work (and maybe a little annoyed!) prompted him to get started on this closet project the next morning. Or maybe it was just on his to-do list.  At any rate, I am totally happy about it!

First he took out all the shelves, with the help of two fine workers.

He enlisted the help of one of those workers to take out all the old screws and brackets. . .

 Then he was busy constructing away. Here is (kind-of) the end result. I have two storage/pantry shelves above a space of hooks for the bags, backpacks and so forth! There are hooks for the brooms and aprons, and he mounted one of those plastic storage things for re-using plastic bags.

(The big paint bucket is our current recycling bin, so I have to get a new one of those, and there is space on the bottom for storage, too. Again, those ice-cream buckets have to go, but I had them for now, so they are in the photo! I was just so happy with this closet! I had to post about it right away! The rush out to get proper containers will happen next week or so!)

It needs a little organization and rearranging of the food items, bins, etc, but that will come. It also all needs a coat of paint and a few holes filled. . .you know, all those kinds of details that take forever to finish. . .but right now it is very functional, so I am a happy wife and a happy mom!

 Here is a closer photo of the hooks under the shelf. . .

 And the other side. . .

 And, once the door is closed, you'd never know that there is a lot of junk hiding behind it! Now my living room and kitchen isn't scattered with lunch kits, backpacks and the like. . .and I love that!

I think my hubby is the greatest!

Airplanes. . .

A highlight of the summer for us has been the airshow.

We were very lucky this year and my daughter won (well, her name was drawn to win) a colouring contest that got her a family pass to the show. Maybe is was random, or maybe it was the excessive pink and purple used to colour the photos of these old fighter air crafts. Who knows?!?

The family (some of us) also went to the airshow thanks to the wonderful berry farmers who let some lawn chairs be set up on the edge of the property for a few hours. :)

 Here is E's (and one of Princess A's) collection for the airshow. He spent some time on the website researching the air crafts he would see and wanted to be sure that he could make up his own airshow at home based on what he had read and what he saw.

 Checking things out. . .

 Gotta love kids and binoculars!

 See Princess A eating? I think she really goes along for the snacks.

 Here is one of the photos they got from the fields of the snowbirds. Not too bad. . .

But then, back to the actual airshow. Dad hadn't been there last year to look at the museum, so we took him along this time! Here we are checking out some of the army vehicles.

 Here are the kids trying to fly one of the HUGE ones (this is a US one--there were more of those and they were bigger.)

 Not a bad shot, I think. Especially when you are trying to take a picture right beside two people who have the big, specialized Nikons and Cannons with all the bells and whistles. This is the result of a cute little point and shoot!

 Here is some of the family in one of the big ones again.

 This is how Princess A enjoyed the airshow. . .although I don't think Dad minded too much either.

 My cutie!

 My other one! Sporting his Airshow T-shirt. . .

 And another shot from the show. . .it was a fun afternoon.

Good-bye Summer, Hello School

Gone are the carefree days of summer,

staying in pajamas late

going outside to play early

Mom having a cup of coffee in semi-peace

when the kids would play all day

together

pretending to be everything imaginable

 and exploring the world around us.

Oh, how I savoured those last few days!

Good-bye summer!

Hello school days!

Welcoming first days of school and students!

 This year was a little different as mom and son both had first days of school! It was I who welcomed  a batch of my own group of primary students, and it was Dad who brought E to school on the first day.

(And as a result, fewer pictures than I would have taken!)

 But he met his friends and met his teachers and started all the exciting things school had to offer a "bored-summer-mind,"and it was okay that summer was over for him! School was way more exciting. . .plus there are still hours after school and in the evening to play and bike and swim!

 Princess A was a little bit jealous and a lot bit going to miss her playmate. She needed a first day of school for E picture, and took a few days to get used to playing without him. But soon enough she got to start a "school" of her own. . .

Dancing!

What kind of princess can resist wearing pink and prancing around???

And I rush out the door--some days with no coffee at all--wondering,

"Where has summer gone?"