a fling

Yes, it's true. We've had a fling. It was glorious, and I don't regret it for one second... Until it was over, that is. I'm talking about Spring Break. It's such a tease. It gives us gorgeous weather, days to sleep in, work around the house and just enjoy BEING. By about Wednesday by brain had completely made the transition to vacation mode and I actually caught myself thinking that it was summer vacation. Yeah, wishful thinking. We return to school and real life tomorrow.

Still, I have no complaints (we all had 10 days off! - what do I have to complain about??) and we truly could not have asked for a better way to spend our days.

Here are few highlights...

We did this everyday. Even when it was a pleasant 75 degrees outside but the water was much (MUCH) colder. They played through the pain.

Kelly & I both logged many hours of physical labor. I had intended to take before & after pictures of everything, but didn't think that you'd be interested in seeing ALL the details. Day one & two were spent outside loping (love that word) tree branches and overgrown shrubs, pulling weeds and tending to outside projects.

We tackled many inside jobs, too. What was once this...

Became this...

The wall color looks different in the two pictures, but that's only due to lighting. (Just another reason I love 'Relaxed Khaki'. Oh, the versatility.) I still didn't get rid of that yellow. Next on the list.

We were very fortunate to acquire some new furniture pieces. New to us, anyway. A fellow baseball coach has 4 (count em, 4!) storage units full of stuff that he's just dying to get rid of. We helped him by taking a few things. There is more I want to go back for. I felt a little greedy. Especially they all came at the low price of free-ninety-nine!

This little chest of drawers now hold my "unmentionables". All she needed was a quick sanding and a clear coat of poly. I really love her. She doesn't match the other, much larger, dresser in the room, and I think he'll have to go soon. Looking for a replacement.

Isn't she pretty? A little bit country, but I'm still smitten.

We also got this lovely little side table. I sanded the top and wiped on my trusty poly, once again. A basket I already had fit perfectly. Again, a little country, but it works.

We also got a round dining room set which we put in the study. It's exactly the size and shape I was looking for to use as a homework/craft/game table. I didn't take a pic, since I haven't decided if I'm going to refinish it or not, but I'm totally stoked on it (oh, there's the California girl in me coming out!).

I also hung some art, a Pottery Barn memo board, and added to the mantel. Here's the view as you walk through the front door:

Birds are EVERYWHERE this season. I don't mean the real ones. Pottery Barn, Crate & Barrel and every design blog in the nation is featuring birds, nests & eggs. I really like it. Very seasonal. Mine only cost $1 - from the Dollar Tree. Chirp chirp.

I'm still tweaking the mantel. The left side:

We had some other transformations, too. Plain ol' white eggs turned into this, with the help of Claire & Nolan:

The next day, they looked like this:

Yum! I learned something about myself, too. While I love carrot cake, one slice is enough for me. So when I made an entire 2-layer cake, it was a bit of overkill. Not to mention, I under baked the layers and they sunk in the middle. I enjoyed my piece anyway...

I mean, who wouldn't, with all that ooey, gooey, sickening sweet cream cheese icing?

So now we're just counting down the days until June, when our real vacation begins. Spring Fever anyone??

spring has sprung!

Last weekend was Les Amies' annual Easter Egg Hunt at the Lemee House.

(Last year - man they've grown!)

Ready to hunt

Gosh, I need a tan. And a trainer. And a haircut. Sheesh.

Major stress brought on by the lack of finding the golden egg.


They really do love each other.


To say that we've enjoyed our Spring Break would be a vast understatement. We have had a fantastic time, just being at home. Soon I'll catch you up on all that was accomplished, but for now, I've got one more day to squeeze in on my vacay before going back on Tuesday.

Happy Easter!

Here are Spann Family's top 2 songs to listen to on Easter morning. Enjoy!

Arise, My Love - Newsong

Hope's Song - Veggie Tales Easter Carol

gettin crafty

I'm dying here people.

I have so many design ideas for our house, I'm about to burst! I have a clear vision of what needs to happen in each room, I'm anxious to translate it to real life.

What's stopping me, you ask?

The pool man. Sherwin-Williams (yes, we bought so much stuff we have a contractor's account!). Oh, and that pesky credit card that's almost paid off. Don't forget that note we pay for that big white thing I drive everywhere with the stickers all over the back. (You know, the ones that say NSU and NCHS and Cane River Crushers and NSU E-Lab... the ones I swore I'd never put on my vehicle? Yeah, those.) Fundraisers and tuition and groceries. I guess it's just called life.

It'll come in time, I know. I'm just being impatient. (Just waiting on Uncle Sam... thank you home buyers credit!!)

In the meantime, I have been getting a little crafty. Black craft paint here, white spray paint there... a project with Nolan, a scrapbook with Claire. And I'm keeping my sanity thanks to my newly converted Armoire du Crafts! Yeah, I know...

What formerly held our large, bulky, non-flat screen TV now has a back and shelves and STUFF. Craft stuff! It's not organized how I'd like to be {YET} but I know where everything is and it's at the ready when I need it. That, my friends, is half the battle. So yes, I'm posting about my craft cabinet. I love it, and this blog is all about me anyway, right? Right! :)

why go slow?

when you can go fast?

Claire & Nolan played in their opening season tournament this past weekend. Claire started in her first fast pitch game ever. She's "playing up" which means that while she should be with the other 7 & 8 year olds playing coach-pitch, she's playing with 9, 10 & 11 year olds. She did amazingly well! She had 3 strike outs (and only one walk) her very first inning. I was beaming (and crying). Not too bad for this little 8-year-old, I'd say.

Nolan was stellar at 2nd base! Always at the ready and giving his all, baseball comes pretty easily to Nolan. It probably helps since he's been at the ballpark since he's been in the womb. That is literal, people!

Looking very tough

Claire's Cane River Crushers placed 3rd in last weekend's travel tourney. Are these some mean looking ladies or what?

Side note: When I was in college, I distinctly remember sitting next to my girlfriend at a basketball game. She and I were both faithful fans, if not actual athletes ourselves. (We left that to our other 2 roomies.) Anyway - the football coach and his family (which consisted of a gorgeous wife and 4 precious children) were at the game. "I could totally see myself married to a coach", my friend said. "Not me," was my reply. "I can't handle all sports, all the time. Give me an athletic guy, but I need someone a little artsy". Oh how funny life is! I actually laugh out loud now when I think of that conversation that took place over 14 years ago. (Wow, I'm old!). If you know Kelly, "artsy" is not a word that would remotely describe him. But I love my life. All sports. All the time. Who would want it any other way?

I'd rather be in...

Who wouldn't, I mean, really! This is Paris we're talking about. If you haven't kept up with us lately, then you wouldn't know that Claire has really taken to Paris and all thing Parisian, french or french-inspired. To most of you, this is not new information, but I must say, that it's no passing fancy. The girl is smitten. In fact, her love of the Francois is so great, that it has spilled over into the rest of the family (kind of like Nolan's Star Wars obsession of late, or the Thomas the Tank Engine craze from 2005-2008). Needless to say, the Tower Eiffel (as they say in Paris) is a dominate feature in her new room.

The snow globe is of Paris and the book is 'Baedecker's Paris' (a travel guide). She also has several textbooks and dictionaries, from which she is teaching herself french.


I have actually counted the towers in her room, and right now we're at 11. That is counting only the ones out in the open. It does not count the one on her school binder, the ones she painted on pottery this summer or the one printed on tin which was purchased in Paris at the Basilique du Sacre-Coeur by a friend. (I wish I could pronounce that with a proper accent!)

And of course, could we do a black & white, Parisian-inspired room without a bit of red? No, Monsieur! The curtains have chandeliers on them, which are so very fun!

And to think, that this is what it looked like, not so very long ago...

overheard

claire: nolan, do you know what "matchy-matchy" means?

nolan: huh? what? um... yeah.

claire: oh really. what does it mean?

nolan: oh, wait. i don't know.

claire: well, you know how there are different patterns in my room, like some are black and white and some have a little grey? well, they're all similar but they aren't EXACTLY the same. if they were ALL the same it would be too "matchy-matchy". get it?

nolan: ok.

mom: (smiling to herself in the other room) that's my girl!

those crazy people

... you know, the ones whose kids do a million things and they're never home and their meals are eaten in the car and laundry gets done very seldom?

Yeah, that's us.

If you haven't guessed by now, it's baseball season in the Spann Fam. Kelly's schedule is waaaay more lax now that he's coaching high school, but the kids' schedules seem to make up for it! Claire is playing on 2 teams (that's the really psycho-parent part), Nolan is keeping up with karate & baseball and both are in a play at church.

My anxiety level has been slowly increasing since baseball & softball tryouts, but how that they're practicing, I'm in full blown panic mode. Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating a little bit (I've been known to do that). We'll survive, we always do. We may just consume more french-fries and lunchables than the recommended daily allowance.

As long as they brush their teeth at some point we're good, right?