End of Year Interview 2016

Two years in a row! I remembered two years in a row! Yes, it's time for the end of year interview with Princess.

What kinds of things do you and your friends do together?
Talk, role play, watch videos, play games.

What kind of music do you like?
A lot. There are too many kinds. I can't say them all.

Who is your favorite singer or group?
Hamilton -- Lin-Manuel Miranda

What are your favorite books? 
Warriors, Harry Potter

What are your favorite TV shows?
Steven Universe, Once Upon a Time

What are your favorite video games? (DS, Wii, on-line)
Undertale, Overwatch, Minecraft, Sims

What is your most favorite toy?
My drawing monitor, or Webkinz I guess, or LPS.

Have you seen any good movies lately?
Zootopia  
  
What is your favorite food?
Spaghetti

What is your favorite food that I make?
Spaghetti  
  
What food do you never want to eat again?
Spinach 

What do you want to be when you grow up?
An artist/animator. And yes, she said slash.

If you were going camping, what would you take with you?
Food, water, a tent, a pillow so I don't get scared, my parents so I'm not alone.

If you could be any kind of animal, what would it be? Why?
Dog, because dogs can lay around all day. They can't draw, but they can lay around all day. 

What fairy talent do you wish you had?
There is an artist fairy, so I'll probably be that. 

If you had three wishes, what would they be?
World peace, Trump not being president, everyone to be happy.

Tell me some of the best things that happened in the last year.
I got a Wacom tablet. I had a bat mitzvah. I turned 13. I met AMAZING online friends. I got involved with Undertale. There's probably a bunch of stuff I'm missing but I can't think of it. (This makes me so happy! So much better than last year.)

Kitchen Reveal

This is the original kitchen. So very seventies and really, not the best layout or use of space.

Then we gutted it, installed new windows, removed the fourth window and framed for the door in its place.

All the mess was well worth it. This is my most favorite kitchen ever! I love the quartz countertops and the size of the island. I love the backsplash. There is so much storage space and prep space in this kitchen. I love it!!

Winter (Kinda) Formal

Princess is growing up! Sometimes I look at her and can hardly believe it. Seriously, how did my baby turn into this lovely young lady?

The learners council at our homeschool resource center, Village Home, recently coordinated a dance. The Winter (Kinda) Formal. The kids were given the option to dress in any way they like, from formal to casual. This was Princess' first dance ever and she was SO excited!!! The Lizard King and I were excited as well!

Princess chose to go formal. I love that she got to wear her flower girl dress from my sister's wedding. Doesn't she look beautiful?!

Thank you to Cheryl for letting me use these pics from the dance. The kids all had a blast!

Princess danced all night long! She is already looking forward to the next dance!

I am so grateful to our homeschool community for opportunities like this!

Junk Drawer?

I shared my Kitchen Organization post on Facebook and my brother-in-law commented, asking to see the junk drawer. Well, since learning about (and embracing) the KonMari method, I no longer have a junk drawer.

The closest thing I've got is this drawer. I didn't use dividers here. It didn't feel necessary.

And one more smaller drawer.

They definitely aren't junk drawers, just drawers with miscellaneous stuff. So, what do you think, Uncle D?

Snow 2015

Princess loves snow, but we rarely get any. She was ecstatic when she woke up this snowy morning!

The snow worked well for throwing at the Lizard King, but sadly wouldn't work well to build a snowman.

Still, it was a fun day for Princess! And you get a glimpse of our back yard (and construction zone).

Kitchen Organization

Organization is my thing. Working in a brand new kitchen gave me a blank canvas.

I found these customizable dividers at The Container Store. They were simple to use and I love the organization!

I think the spice drawer is my favorite. I used "chalkboard" labels and "chalk" pens. Now I don't have to dig through a spice cabinet, trying to find what I'm looking for.

My napkins, all folded KonMari style, so pretty!

These pull-out trays are awesome in the pantry. It's so much easier to find what I'm looking for!

My bags of backup herbs and spices are stored in this basket.

The kitchen is so close to completion. LK needs to finish the trim and the backsplash. We are so very close!

Tu B'Shvat

Tu B'Shvat is the birthday for the trees, sort of a Jewish Arbor Day. Princess and I celebrated by drawing pictures of trees. After that, we then went for a walk that included the "secret forest" near our house and the two of us singing happy birthday to the trees.

What a lovely day we had!

Rockin' the Wall

Princess and I got to use our rock climbing Groupon.

It was so much fun! We are definitely doing this again.

Messy Work

For our kitchen island, we wanted the countertop to extend to accommodate seating. There are two options to support the countertop—install supports that extend down (that I will certainly bang my knees on because that's what I do) or install flat steel (no knee banging). We chose flat steel.

It is a very messy and extremely loud job. After one support, I pouted until I got found that I needed some safety gear.

Routing wood is a very messy business. Truly. I have never seen such a mess! Thank goodness for the ShopVac!

More kitchen updates to come!

New Door

The kitchen is still in process, but nearing completion. Lots of other project are getting done . . . like a new front door! I forgot to take a picture of the original door, so this is the best I've got. It certainly doesn't hurt to have a cute girl in the picture.

This is the new door. So pretty! It's staying white. I checked the direction for Feng Shui color choices. The choices include a shade of dark blue or white. We're going to stick with white. It makes Princess happy (she didn't want blue) and it makes the Lizard King's life easier.

I really do love the door!

Guys and Dolls, Jr.

In December, Princess performed in her third musical, Guys and Dolls, Jr. With her part in the ensemble, she took on the roles of Hot Box girl, crap shooter, and a police officer. She and all the kids did such an amazing job! The talent is truly incredible!

Being involved with these musicals is definitely one of the highlights of Princess' year. Lizard King built sets for the second year in a row and I even got to help. We all had such a good time, we can't wait to do it again next year!

The new musical for December 2016 has already been announced. We can't wait for Elf, Jr. the Musical. If you're in the area, be sure to contact me for tickets.