Tuesday, September 7, 2010

A Quick History of My Weekend

(The wallpaper that is no more, plus a mask Will made in kindergarten and an arrow Jack made in Scouts. The mask is saying, "This wallpaper is really boring! Boo!!!" )


(Two of the paint colors we ultimately didn't choose, though the Man and I both loved the paint on the left.)


I just got home from errands and have about ten minutes before it's time to pick up the kids from school. After that, it's a getting-to-know you conference with Will's teacher, in which we will try to steer Mrs. L. into believing that Will is a bright, charming, perfectly normal almost-eight-year-old. It will take some doing, and the effort will most likely exhaust me, so I need to write this now.

Saturday morning: Went to Farmer's Market with Will to see my fiddle teacher play in his old-time band. Will immediately made friends with the banjo-picker's sons and ran off into the wilderness. I tried to keep an eye on him, but Jack's fifth grade history teacher happened along, and we started chatting. I kept glancing in the direction of the hill I'd seen Will run up, but I couldn't find him in the mass of kids.

Finally, feeling slightly panicky, I went up the hill to look for him, wondering what sort of mother lets her young son run off with the banjo-picker's children? Everyone knows that can only end in tragedy. They'd probably boarded the Partridge Family's multi-colored bus and were on their way to Berkley to smoke drugs.

Nope. I found them in the basin of the skateboarding park, well-below sea level, throwing their shoes at each other and having the best of times. Will wants to go back next week. He plans on wearing sturdier shoes, though, the better to pellet virtual strangers with.

Saturday and Sunday: The living room/dining room wallpaper stripping/wall painting extravaganza. We tried samples of all sorts of wonderful orangy-yellow paints, all of which we loved, none of which was less than terrifying. This is a Big L of a space we're talking about here. Deep marigold is fabulous, but too much of it will drive you fabulously insane. We loved it; couldn't do it.

Finally, we settled on Cornmeal. Can you imagine? Oh, but it's beautiful, and yes, it is the exact right color. Yesterday morning and afternoon, I painted trim, and the Man primed, and then last night I watched one of my favorite movies, "The Last of the Mohicans" while the Man painted the living room part of the Big L. You probably think I'm lazy, but really, the Man had let me help as much as he could stand. He'd been waiting for three days for me to run out of steam so he could finish the job properly. Out of steam I was, and everybody was perfectly happy.

Okay, it's time to go, and I didn't get to finish writing everything I was going to tell you. Rats! More anon! Maybe even tomorrow, definitely by Thursday. Maybe I'll even have pictures of the finished room.

8 comments:

Gumbo Lily said...

I like the mask and arrow and not so much the wallpaper. I do, however, love golds and yellows in paint and I can't wait to see your cornmeal walls. Do take a pic to share.

I know you can convince Mrs. L. that Will is a perfectly wonderful boy. You KNOW he is, so.... rest easy and don't wear yourself out. I'll say a prayer.

Deep breath, carry on!
Jody

Sara Padrusch said...

Frances! I am so excited for you! Out with the boring and in with color! Please share lots of pictures- before and after if you have them! Am so impressed with you both!

On the subject of allowing your children to run off with the children of a banjo picker- well, it sounds very homeschoolie if you want to know the truth!

xoxo
Sara

The dB family said...

Sounds like a fun and productive weekend. Yellow is marvelous on walls -- even if you didn't dare go with the marigold, I'm sure you will enjoy the cornmeal. Looking forward to seeing the finished room!

Blessings!
Deborah

Leslie said...

Great mask! Glad you got a picture of that. I want to see what cornmeal looks like! I love paint colors and names.

I let my children run off all the time. No drugs yet. :)

Pom Pom said...

Can't wait to see the finished room. I like the writing on the wall. It's there, will be covered up, but it gives the house voice, don't you think? We wrote all over the floor boards before we put down new floor coverings and when a carpet man came a few years ago and read the messages, he was blessed. I wrote "the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord" on the wooden steps and now they are covered with dog vomit proof vinyl but I know the message is still under there. Fun.
I love it that Will ran off with the fiddle picker's kids. I'm sure his teacher is already crazy about him. How could she resist?

Angela said...

What a satisfyingly busy weekend.
Isn't there a nursery rhyme that goes a bit like this -
"Tom, Tom, the fiddle-pickers son, found a boy called Will and away they run - hey diddle diddle, the boys and the fiddle, they threw their shoes over the moon"....
I LOVE yellow walls. My kitchen is sunny yellow. Blessings x

Susan said...

Frances! I was so excited when Mary Beth's gifted progam reading list came home and the fourth book on the fourth grade list is Dovey Coe. Just think, you're listed among great children's lit. like A Cricket in Times Square, a Wrinkle in Time, and Island of the Blue Dolphins. I'll happily purchase Mary Beth's school-issued copy of Dovey Coe b/c goodness knows I won't want her to use my copy that's autographed.

magsmcc said...

Oh yes, please- lots of pictures of your new room. All clean and lovely and untouched by the vagaries of quotidien grime! But let's hope there's not a drop of paint on your immaculate wjite t-shirt. I am however impressed- my one still very white t-shirt is reserved for work or special occasions! Sun 1, aged 7, is insisting on walking home from school ALL by himself tomorrow. I won't sleep a wink!