Our Sunny New Table & Chairs

Our dining room was feeling sad, so we gave it a makeover.

BEFORE: Dark and depressing and all black. It's like it's in mourning.

AFTER: Sunny and cheery, the dining room I've always wanted.

I think I'd spent way too much time surrounded by the blackness of it lately. This 1000 piece puzzle was littered all over it for a whole month, holding us hostage to the gloomy table and chairs.

On a whim one day, I decided I'd had enough. My mom helped me drag the heavy thing outside, and I spent a whole day sanding. I couldn't feel my hands by the time Mark got home, so he got to finish off the last bit. It only took him about a quarter of the time it took me. Muscle.

(He's not very happy with me--my man dreads coming home to my projects.)

But what a difference!  Sanding, staining, painting, stapling, distressing, sewing slipcovers (from our old tablecloth!)... it was a ton of work, but worth it!

I just love those yellow lemons, tulips (perhaps my favorite flowers from our yard in Colorado growing up) and the bubble glass bottle from my mom.

I was so inspired I decided to tackle another project all at the same time (What-was-I-thinking?!).

Mark complained in his Eeyore-way we'd never have a home office after we splurged on tickets for a big trip this summer. I surprised him by pulling together this desk and building it for a wee pricetag of--wait for it--seventy dollars! Gryffy helped me carry the door (top) through Home Depot and up the stairs. Such a big help he is.

It was Mark's Valentine's Day present. He loved it.

Our Family's "Prayer Pot Stew"

We've started a new tradition before meals: I modified a long garden-inspired inspirational e-mail into a shorter before-dinner "Prayer Pot Stew." The kids get all stirred up over their Prayer Pots, and it's fun to watch them throw their ingredients (BAM!) into the pot with each phrase.

We couldn't find artificial veggies to match the prayer, so we had to be creative. I think we came up with even better stuff with interesting textures from the dollar store: green bath puff=lettuce; copper scours=turnips; sponges cut into squash (they get great enjoyment from really squashing them when we "squash" the bad stuff); puff balls=peas; and a shaker of thyme.  I printed out the words and made copies for all the families in our small group, too, and hope maybe other friends will adopt it and pass along the fun!

Here are the ingredients:

LORELEI'S/GRYFFIN'S "PRAYER POT" STEW

GOD, STIR IN US…

ONE HEAD OF LETTUCE:
Lettuce love one another

TWO TURNIPS:

Turnip on time

Turnip to serve

THREE CUPS OF PEAS :

Peas within

Peas with others

Peas on Earth

FOUR SQUASH:

Squash gossip

Squash grudges

Squash grumblings

Squash negative thoughts

AN ABUNDANCE OF THYME:

Thyme for family & friends

Thyme for wellness

Thyme for talents

Thyme for You

Cover us with living water so that we bubble over with joy and thanksgiving.

In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit: the Maker of our Feast.

Amen.

Leprechaun Poo

To bring some Irish cheer to our lucky neighbors and friends (oh yes, you know you're lucky devils, you--;0), we filled a bag with green jelly beans, and attached a poem I wrote as a fun gag gift. I think this will become another Connelly tradition...

Leprechaun POO!

A fresh heap of it

I spotted at the rainbow's end

A leprechaun and his gold

He did a jig then sprang away

I frightened him, I'm told.

For all the blarney devil left

(To skip straight to-the-loo)

Inside his pot, instead of gold

This pile of leprechaun POO!

Tomfooleries and Shenanigans

St. Patrick's Day began with Irish kisses.

 I had the privilege of writing the St. Patrick's Day article for KC Parent Magazine, and enjoyed some of the projects in the article with our family.

 Here the kids are stuffing stockings with seeds and potting soil to make chia-inspired leprechauns.

 They began to sprout in about a week...

 And it was full-on hair come St. Patty's Day. We used items around the house (googly eyes, pom-poms, old t-shirt paint) and didn't find anything for beards. Still, they turned out cute, were super easy, and we had fun making them! I think this will become a St. Patty's tradition!

 Here are the kids, showing them off.

 Guess who came knockin' on our door? (Actually, he sneaked inside...

 ...to use the loo.) Leprechaun tinkle.

 And luck o' the Irish! Our friends, the Bell family, invited us to join them for a second year on the O'Connell Family trolley in the Kansas City St. Patrick's Day Parade (insert heel click and a frolic)!

 Gryffy loved the trolley ride and was mesmerized by the parade. He acted so grown up today--behaving like gold!

 Irish eyes are smilin'!

 Lorelei with her buddy J.P.. They've known each other forever and are dear friends.

 Photo op with Slugger. Go Royals!

 Life's ruff.

Their favorite spot--the front of the trolley. 

 Peering out at all the excitement.

 Gryffin, Lorelei, Nolan and J.P.

 Kiss me! I'm Irish! 

 Greeting the crowd... because they all came out to see the Connelly kids and Bell boys.

 Gryffy waving his streamer. He really entertained the crowd with his cute little arm waving, but got tired halfway through the ride (it's a long parade)!

 Clover Queen.

 I love special times with my kiddos.

 Mr. Curls.

 A blarney good St. Patrick's Day!

Colorful Handprints

We picked up our handprint Christmas plate--here's the "after." The kids did such a great job with their hands!

And here's the "before" pic. It was hard to picture how brilliant the colors would be from these dull pastels. I like that about pottery--the end result is a pleasant surprise.

 I put up a few shelves on our bare walls with this year's holiday card and our Christmas trolls. I know, it's too early to decorate, but when I pulled out the plate, everything else just followed. I love the anticipation of the season! 

Painting Pottery

With Grammy's help today, the kids and I went to Ceramic Cafe in Leawood. I wanted to capture the kids' handprints while they were still tiny enough to make a Christmas tree on a plate! Lorelei painted her own project, a miniature tea set (appropriate--we have several cuppas a day).

 Gryffy branches out into ceramic arts.

 These are our finished projects, before firing. They'll be much brighter and deeper in color (i.e. the pink rim you see will be deep red).

 I can't wait to see the results! I'll post a before/after in days.

Teacher Gifts

The year is winding down and summer vacation fast approaching, and it's an appropriate time to thank teachers for the wonderful blessings they are in our children's lives. Every year, Lorelei and I make a very special gift for her preschool teachers. Lorelei paints a flower pot herself, I add the teacher's name with a paint marker, and together we plant a flower (marigold). Then to label our plant, we tape a laminated picture of Lorelei to a popsicle stick, with the message: "Thank you for helping me grow." It's extra special because the teachers know Lorelei made it, and it's so important to me that she understands how grateful we are for teachers' hard work, dedication, and love.

Box of Chocolates

This Valentine's Day, I made a fun gift for my Hubby--a box of chocolates filled with things I love about him.  I think he liked it.