MAKING SENSE OF THE UNIVERSE

Dear Olive,

I just devoured this book.  Do you think that we knew each other in past lives?  It must be so.

PLAYHOUSE

Dear Olive,

My hunt for someone to build the playhouse is at an end.

I interviewed contractors, handymen, and playhouse construction companies for the past year.  Each person I spoke with said that the project was either too big or too small.  None of the playhouse companies would do custom.  Ultimately, we called the local Career Center.  The teacher was unbelievable.  They completed the entire playhouse as a student learning project for the cost of materials alone.  Here it is being built.

At first, I advised them to build it 8 feet by 8 feet.  When I arrived on site for a visit, it towered over me and I slightly panicked as I realized that it would be 16 feet high and would take up most of our backyard.  

The instructor was uber cool about it and they cut down the frame to be 6 by 6.  Basically, it is just an octagonal turret with a cone roof.  I had been planning this project since my childhood.  I was first inspired for the turret by pigeonniers, which were fancy pigeon coops in the 1700s.

I found salvage windows and had plexi-glass inserted into them.  The dormer window was originally from the first house we owned.  My husband snuck it into our moving truck for posterity.

At the end of the school year when the project was complete, we hired a truck to transport it to our house.  This was perhaps the most dramatic feat since the roof kept hitting low tree branches on the 6 mile trip.  It ended up knocking off and crushing the top cone, which we had to replace. 

I wish you could have seen the kid's faces when we pulled in.  We took out the front picket fence and backed it into the yard.  

Now that the project is finished, we have great plans for a faux fireplace and ceiling chandelier. 

I love your idea for a rain barrel-fed sink inside.  That's gotta happen.  So cool!

GO THE FROCK TO SLEEP

Dear Olive,

Do you remember when I bought this book?

Well, now that the girls are a bit older, we qualify for this website as well:
50 Reasons Your Toddler is Awake Right Now

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If I don't get some sleep soon, its about to get real around here.

FAMILY TIME CAPSULE

Dear Olive,

So, you know how I've been rather myopic in my pursuit of a library card catalog?  Scouring Craigslist nightly to no avail?  What did I find whilst walking into my favorite thrift store?

This 78 drawer beauty is to be our new family time capsule.  Its salvage from the College library across the street.  A stamp on the side says that it was custom made by a wood makers guild mid-century.  I plan to fill a drawer a year to store pressed leaves, baby hospital bracelets, shells, ticket stubs, and other trinkets that don't fit into our photo albums.  We'll bring everything out to review on New Year's as a family tradition.  This year on December 31st, we'll open it to find invites for a "secret pizza party," prophetic Chinese fortunes, and tiny prizes from our first trip to the fair.

HOME MADE HALLOWEEN COSTUMES

Dear Olive,

I don't know what possessed me to form this rule that Halloween costumes must be homemade.  Each year it feels like that 3rd grade salt dough map project.  I put it off for weeks and then end up staying up to do it all in one night.  Right now I am making mermaid tails for our girls.  You should receive the package on Wednesday.  Let's see if they turn out better than my previous years attempts.

Remember this spider one was black socks that I safety pinned to Gabriel?

And this year I ended up stapling on the claws of his Max Wild Things suit.

I fared a little better with the shark suits.  I was pretty proud that Ella's connected to the Baby Bjorn.  She kicked her fishtail all night. 

This year, Gabe wants to be a Spiderman Jellyfish.  Wish me luck.

SECRET PIZZA PARTY

Dear Olive,

We love this book.

So a few days ago, I sent the kids these invitations:

3 layers of construction paper cut into pizza.  Then I rolled and stapled the crust.  Each pizza layer had a different detail of the party included.

We made our own pizzas and then read the book.

Secret pizza parties give me the happy screams.

DON'T EAT WATERMELON SEEDS.

Dear Olive,

I fully plan to hack this shirt for you.  Beware.

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