princess

painting | crystals

Our Wednesday art adventures continue! I must admit I’m having as much fun as the girls. The ideas are flowing right now and I have several weeks of projects for us already planned. I can’t wait to share them all. Check back with me in a few months…it may be a very different story…
This week we painted bisque “peeps”. The only thing I may enjoy more than these little guys are actual Peeps. They remind me so  much of Easter as a kid. Even as an adult my mom still spoils us with peeps. I think you either love them or hate them – I’m definitely in the love them camp!

 We tried out a new technique painting with underglaze crystalites. Oh my goodness, the underglaze is messy, messy, messy! We had it everywhere but managed to get a little on our bunnies too.

The crystals in the glaze “explode” in the kiln when they are fired and create amazing patterns. It’s hard to envision what they will look like when they are fired, but you just have to trust the process a bit. That can be a challenge for kids. Honestly, it’s a challenge for adults too.

Love the mess of it all!

I can’t wait to see how all these bunnies turn out!

The absolute best part of these artsy days is the time we spend together. It has evolved into so much more than a few hours of painting together. On Wednesdays they hop in the car and the first thing they ask is “what are we painting today?”. There is so much excitement for our afternoon together. They are eager to learn and be creative. There is a lot of patience and kindness and love at our little painting table… and let me tell ya, that ain’t a small thing around there.

As promised, Bunnies post kiln firing. 
They turned out so much better than I expected. We love, love, love them!

back to school bagels

All good things must come to an end….and it was time to go back to school after spring break. No matter how much you like school or your job that first day back after vacation is a shock to the system.
Monday morning those alarms sounded and quite a few grumbles could be heard through out the house. B hopped up because he doesn’t seem to loathe mornings, which I will never understand. I was dragging myself through the morning routine when I realized it was awfully quite in Gwyneth’s room. We had 10 minutes to get out the door and that little lady had fallen back to sleep. 
I ran into to wake her up and she burst in to tears. She thought she was in trouble and that girl hates to be in trouble. She certainly was not in trouble but we sure were in a rush. (I have nothing but compassion for anyone who doesn’t love mornings)
We ran downstairs to find Annabelle waiting for us at the backdoor with bagels! She had quietly went downstairs and made us all breakfast to go. She had toasted our bagels how we each like them (everyone likes them a little more or less toasted) and with the perfect amount of cream cheese (everyone likes a little more or less shmeer). Each bagel was wrapped in a paper towel labeled with our initial; made perfectly for each of us.
That Annabelle took what could have been a dreadful morning and completely turned it around for us. We were all smiles and laughing and hugging and so grateful for that girl. Even Gwyneth was laughing at herself and how she might like her bed a little too much. We sure do love our Annabelle!
We scurried to the car and made it to school with a few minutes to spare. I was sad to send them off to school; I always enjoy the time they are home on break. They turned back with big ol’ smiles and air kisses, but I know they couldn’t wait to get back to their routine and to see all their friends. 

girl scouts | escape room

Annabelle’s troop met up Sunday afternoon at Theme Escape. They earned their Detective Badges in the escape room. While the girls worked their way through the clues the moms walked across the street for a margarita. It was a lovely way to spend the afternoon and catch up with a group of ladies I have known for so long but don’t get many opportunities to see. 
The girls did not quite make it out of the escape room in the time allotted. When I asked if Annabelle if she had fun anyway she said “NOPE! I hate those rooms. I felt so claustrophobic!”. Ooops! I’m proud of that girl for doing something outside her comfort zone. She never complained – she was laughing about it on the drive home as she was telling me how much she hated it. She shared stories about each puzzle they had to complete and how she screamed and everyone was being silly. She had some pretty fun tales so I’m not sure she hated it quite as much as she thought. Gwyneth asked to plan a family day to check it out but Annabelle said “no way!”. 

spring break and st patty’s

I like to think as a family we’re pretty good at adventures. We may not travel to the most exotic locations, but we always have a little something fun on our calendars. 
I have no idea what it is about spring break that just doesn’t seem to work for me. I always feel like I’m dropping the ball. I have grand plans for Disneyland, a beach, a mountain get away….and then we end up in Aurora, Colorado. Ha! 
As I was typing this I was wondering if that above statement was reality or insecurity. I looked back at previous Spring Breaks on this blog. We’ve been to Capitola, stayed home, Disneyland,  Breck and Vail. We’ve had variety. Not all years have been grand adventures, but they haven’t been a bust. Why am I so insecure about spring break???

I had some unexpected mishaps occur at my studios and I was grateful to be home to tackle them. B and I balanced our hectic work schedules and were able to each spend time with the girls. We didn’t have much family time all together during the week, so as I was heading down to Southlands for the weekend we decided to get a room for the family. I worked (I narrowed down 42 applications to 9 interviews and eventually hired 5 new employees in one very exhausting but efficient day!) while  the girls swam. We were able to have dinner and the evening together which was more than I could have hoped for after a trying day. I’m so grateful for a supportive husband and this little family that sticks together so passionately. 
My sweet little swimmers
Dinner at Mt Fuji, which Annabelle graciously agreed to try again because she has not enjoyed it in the past. 
That onion volcano sure is a shocker. 
The Tyler’s invited us for a St. Patty’s celebration. We stayed the night because we didn’t want to be on the roads with anyone who may have had a few too many green beers. The girls were thrilled to have some time with those little puppies they love so much. We always have such a blast with the Tyler’s and this evening was no exception. Lance and Sheila are the hosts with the mosts! 😉

painting | bubbles and stencils

It’s spring break so I offered the girls a reprieve from our weekly painting session. They were not having it. They wanted to paint and they even asked to invite a friend along. 
This week we painted with bubbles. I wasn’t very confident with this technique. These girls were super patient as we worked out the best mix of paint, water, and soap. They loved blowing the bubbles and created super cool backgrounds for their “Under the Sea” stencils. I’m loving the little plates that they created. 
Completed masterpieces. They did so great!

spring break | girls day

I let the girls choose our activities for the day and they requested a trip to Barnes and Noble to spend gift cards. We spent way longer than I anticipated at the book store but everyone left with way more books than anticipated as well. Naturally they just wanted to spend the entire afternoon reading. That’s my kind of day. 
Afterwards they requested lunch at Olive Garden. I agreed mostly because B really can’t stand it and it kind of makes me giggle that they like it so much. 

happy birthday, B

Our second day of adventures started with a quiet breakfast in the room. I grabbed bagels from downstairs and the girls watched the runners take off for the Runnin’ of the Green. The starting line was right outside our hotel. It made for a little madness in the morning but the girls had front row seats. 
Our hotel was hoppin’ in the morning. It’s such a beautiful, grand hotel right in my favorite part of the city. 
Enjoying the views
We walked on over to the Hungry Lion for lunch but we were all still feeling breakfast. Luckily they had a sensational brunch menu.

What could be better on your birthday than Kegs and Eggs?
After lunch we had a few hours to hang out before the Nuggets game. We explored Union Station, checked out books at Tattered Cover and the girls got a free ice cream at the Milkbox. When you stay at the Crawford each guest gets one free ice cream each day which may have been the absolute high point for Gwyneth.
The hotel offers a free car service. We rode to the Nuggets game in style. The girls are certain we should trade in B’s Jeep for Tesla now. 
We were so lucky to have a weekend full of great games. The Nuggets pulled off a win and we had so much fun cheering for our home team. 
Annabelle decided she could eat all of these plain…
She changed her mind after ONE! 
B’s sister, Jen, and her family were at the game also. We were able to meet up for a half time beer. 
We had a little time to kill before dinner so we checked out the Crawford bar. It sits above the terminal with great views of the mountains and the city. You have to stay at the hotel to access this bar so it was far less crowded than downstairs. Although quite beautiful it was a bit stuffy for our liking. 
We grabbed B’s birthday dinner at Mercantile. We had been so eager to try this hot spot but we were a little underwhelmed. The food was ok and the service was pretty rotten. We are glad we tried it, but we can’t see a return visit anytime soon. 
We had two fun-filled days celebrating B’s birthday. He’s a great dad and husband and we love him dearly!
I can’t get these pictures to flip but wanted to keep the memories. 

birthday eve | avalanche game

The girls and I planned quite a weekend for B’s birthday. It was the kick off to their spring break also so we didn’t have to worry about bedtimes or homework. We stayed in town but managed to squeeze in a lot of fun. 
Our first day of fun included an Avalanche game, dinner at Mortons and a stay at the Crawford hotel. It was quite a day!
We had great seats for the game just 15 rows off the ice. There were TONS of fights, which Gwyneth loved. I don’t know about that girl. There was lots of scoring too and the Avalanche pulled off the win. 
We grabbed a pre-dinner cocktail and snack at Next Door. Gwyneth was getting hangry and we didn’t want any crabby kiddos at dinner. Annabelle snapped this picture of us and cracked up because it looks like the guy behind us is taking a picture of us too. Ha!
Happy girls after a little snack
After hanging out and enjoying Union Station we walked on over to Mortons for dinner. So much food and fun with this family of ours. We had such a great day and were all quite worn out after a full day of adventures. 

Painting | Sponges

Gwyneth has been asking for art classes and I have been unsuccessful in finding anything promising for her. I searched and searched and then came up with a plan to give her some creative options at my studio. 
I think she would enjoy venturing out and learning about other mediums of art. I don’t want to limit her to just painting pottery. This is a good start for us right now though. 
While B is working Wednesday evenings, we head to the studio and I will do my best to teach her something new and hopefully have a little fun along the way.
Here we go:
Annabelle had her choice for the evening. She could paint with us or hang with B at the Kitchen. She chose painting but wasn’t quite on board for learning new techniques yet. She painted a mug and did a great job. She quickly decided she wanted to get in on learning the new techniques though too. I think I’m winning them over. 
Tonight we worked on painting with sponges. It’s by far the easiest technique and was a good jumping off point for us. Gwyneth did a great job of experimenting with color layering and was thrilled to make Shamrocks for St. Patty’s day. She made a sample for the studio and then a few shamrocks for gifts for her friends. 
Our first class was a hit and now this girl has my mind spinning with all the possibilities for our sessions together.