Little Man turns 4!
May 30, 2007
On Sunday, Little Man turned 4 years old, so we threw a big party. While the primary purpose of my vacation last week was to prepare for visitors, I was less productive than I planned. Perhaps my list was too long? Anyway … here’s the story in photos.
Handmade invites by Wifey
What do you do the night before a party?
You don’t remove a toilet? Well why not? Doesn’t this look like fun?
Since that last photo was not terribly flattering, this is simply proof that MafiaBro has a nice rear:
How many Mafias does it take to paint a bathroom?
The next morning, we hauled a$s to finish the castle. For those who are interested, I present:
How to Build a Castle in 10 Steps or Less
1) Rebuild your pergola: those rotting beams that are broken and sagging in the middle under the weight of that ancient grapevine will not win the hearts and minds of other parents. [new pressure treated wood=$90]
2) Buy white sheets from Goodwill. [$6]
3) Dye them with “pearl gray” RIT dye. [$8]
4) Cut a stencil out of poster board. [$2]
5) Buy 4 cans of gray spray-paint and use the stencil to paint the block imagery. [$8]
6) Cut the castle top out of cardboard & spray-paint it gray.
7) Send your Bro to the ‘Po to get a staple gun and don’t let anyone else play with use your new toy tool as you staple the sheets and cardboard to the pergola. [$20]
Borrow an artistic soul (MafiaMom) who feels that colorful flags are necessary. Stand and watch while they paint two pieces of felt with Elmer’s glue to stiffen the felt, cut the triangles and attach the flags two small dowels.
9) Cut windows in random places.
10) Sit down and drink a beer while your kid goes nuts.
Ta Da!
** if you do this project, I have one suggestion — start early! When you wait until the last minute, your family will be stressed, and you’ll owe your Mom and Bro something big!
In any case, it’ll be a big hit.
Even the dog will think it’s cool.
To further the notion that Wifey is Martha Stewart [have you ever seen them in the same room at the same time? yeah, me neither], here’s the spread that she prepared while I was dicking around in the god damn yard building the castle.
Do you see the Little Man hiding under the table with his Tord Boontje t-shirt? The cycle of favorite t-shirts [freezer paper stencils + Mombian’s “one of my moms is blogging this” t-shirts) makes a crafty blogging mama proud.
Speaking of Mombian - we were delighted that Dana & Co. came to the party, had a blast, and brought a brilliant present. Seriously. Go make a PVC pipe construction set.
And speaking of kids presents, I made a new freezer paper stencil for Grace’s 4th birthday. Most of the design is free-hand, but I traced the outside flower lines from What’s This?, a beloved Barefoot Books book. If you don’t know Barefoot Books, go now. Quickly.
Her t-shirt was part of a garden themed gift. I tried to find What’s This?, but it’s not available at the big box bookstores near my house, so Eric Carle’s The Tiny Seed was a great substitution.
It was a fabulous weekend of happy people all around!
Stay tuned for a knitting & fiber update tomorrow.
Entry Filed under: Crafty, It's All About Me, Little Man, Ms. 1890, Nora, Peeps, Xifey. .
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1.
roro | May 30, 2007 at 1:09 pm
Happy Birthday, Little Man! You guys are ROCK STARS. Best castle party ever! And the photo with the armour - priceless.
2.
Kat | May 30, 2007 at 1:22 pm
Wow! I am impressed with your productivity. Hope everyone got to relax and play in the castle.
3.
Pi Grrrl | May 30, 2007 at 1:27 pm
Multi-post comment:
You may have a demolition issue. The castle is beyond awesome! I’m impressed with your vacation productivity even if some of it was off-list.
4.
Danielle | May 30, 2007 at 1:45 pm
Wow — looking good
In answer to “What do you do the night before a party?” — in our house, it’s “buy a lawnmower — mow the 18″ tall grass (yeah, the neighbors were loving that!) — buy a gas grill — assemble said grill next to the pool, in the dark, with only one flood light to guide you — buy a new chandelier — hang it the morning that the guests are arriving.”
Umm, and I wonder why people see similarities between us ????
5.
Beth S. | May 30, 2007 at 1:46 pm
Holy cow, that is a MUCH more elaborate and realistic-looking castle than I had imagined! I can’t get over the detail. Little Man must be beside himself.
6.
Francesca | May 30, 2007 at 1:56 pm
Buon compleanno, little man! That looks like a wonderful way to spend your 4th birthday.
7.
Cetta | May 30, 2007 at 2:09 pm
That castle idea is genius! It looks like a great party. Happy belated birthday - 4 is a wonderful year (we’ll be having a 5th birthday around here soon).
8.
pamela wynne | May 30, 2007 at 2:15 pm
omg, that castle is amazing! I would have been in geek-girl heaven if that had appeared in my yard as a child! Happy [belated] big day to LM!
9.
JessZ | May 30, 2007 at 2:16 pm
Happy Birthday Little Man! It looks like you threw him an excellent party.
If the wifey is afraid of blowing her secret identity that would totally explain her reluctance to let you photograph her for the blog. That or she’s just afraid you would put a pic of her butt up here.
10.
Cheryl | May 30, 2007 at 3:09 pm
Happy Birthday Little Man!
I ‘m constantly amazed at how handy you are. I have no idea what to do with things like pressure treated wood.
11.
Elinor | May 30, 2007 at 3:26 pm
Oh man, my kid needs a mom like you!!! That castle is way cool. You’ll be the envy of the neighborhood! And I’m so envious of your willingness to tackle huge home improvement projects!!!!
12.
Kathode Ray Tube | May 30, 2007 at 4:17 pm
The mafia deconstructs, wifey reconstructs!!
Happy Birthday LM!!
13.
Julie | May 30, 2007 at 4:45 pm
That looks like the 4th birthday to end all 4th birthdays. Happy belated to Little Man!
I aim to do some onesie stencilling this weekend - my godchild is due in a little over a week, and I think he/she needs a pirate onesie.
14.
Lisa | May 30, 2007 at 6:03 pm
Happy Birthday Little Man!
Mafia & Wifey - You have both outdone yourselves. You should be beaming with pride just about now!
Let me know when I can schedule the Mafia demo squad in Houston, as I have an old bathroom that is calling out for your assistance.
Can’t wait to see what else you two will come up with.
15.
Jill | May 30, 2007 at 7:50 pm
Once again, I want to live in your neighborhood just so **I** can play in the castle! Oh, wait, my youngest dd would love that too. Does that make me childish?
Finished bathroom shots? Love the color scheme.
You two rock!
16.
Suzanne | May 30, 2007 at 8:51 pm
A whirlwind fit for a prince. Happy Four, Little Man. Keep those princesses out of your wagon.
17.
Leah | May 30, 2007 at 9:49 pm
WOW! that is totally cool. a party fit for a knight!
a pictures of finished bathroom, both???
hugs and kisses!
18.
Emily | May 30, 2007 at 11:40 pm
OMG! I swear I have to read your posts a few times to take it all in. The castle! The toilet! You guys are CRAZY!!!!! It is all so great. Full of love and craziness. Big hugs to the birthday man. So cute.
19.
Dana | May 31, 2007 at 12:11 am
Let me confirm that we all had a great time, and that our son hasn’t stopped playing with the stuff in his gift bag, including the cool ribbon stick.
I’m even more impressed now that I see the story behind the party. (Or should that be “the behinds behind the party?)
20.
Stacy | May 31, 2007 at 8:18 am
You all inspire me. Unbelievable. Happy birthday LM!
21.
PumpkinMama | May 31, 2007 at 8:59 am
Happy Birthday to the Little Man. Looks like a kick-ass party, and the bathroom craziness - you are truly ambitious. My little dude will be 4 in one month, too bad for him his mama ain’t no Martha.
22.
PatchesMom1973 | May 31, 2007 at 11:16 am
I really like what you’ve done to the bathroom! The floor/wainscoting looks great with that fresh paint!
23.
Kat with a K | May 31, 2007 at 1:21 pm
Happy Birthday, Little Man! I’m very impressed by the castle.
24.
Rhonda the Stitchingnut | May 31, 2007 at 2:57 pm
Happy Birthday, Little Man! Love the castle … and I bet it was a hit with everyone there too.
The night before our party the DH was replaced the rusty burner in the grill. I played it cool and pretended I wasn’t even considering jumping into the car for a ride to Home Depot to buy a NEw grill. He fired up the grill, it worked /// and best news is that it worked all day of the cookout. So I didn’t have to pretend at all. But then we didn’t have to build a castle either …
25.
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