My husband loves me...THIS MUCH!!!

Okay, I admit it...I am a bona fide Type A clean freak...with some issues.  And those issues come in the shapes of 6 boys, two dogs, a flock of chickens, a herd of preschoolers that come daily, and a husband.  :)  Combine those issues with the fact that one must sleep a few hours a day and working full-time, and the house can spin out of control in about 2 nanoseconds.  There are literally nights I lay in bed and focus on not having a panic attack about how messy I feel my house is.   In reality it is probably not as bad as I see it...right??

I am so delighted that Spring Break is here!   Because that means that I get to SPRING CLEAN!!  And while my children are less than delighted at the idea of cleaning during some of their break, they certainly appreciate that happy mama = happy family :)  Too bad that rationale doesn't work for other things around here...like doing homework, putting the toilet seat down, and brushing their teeth.  But one can dream, right??

One of the blessings of being a mother of 6 boys is that there is never a dull moment around here.   But it also means that there are mass quantities of laundry, unmatched socks, and sports uniforms that need washing.  Jane Jetson had it good...well atleast when it comes to the laundry.  And can I just say that homes built in the 1970's really weren't designed for a large family with a gazillion loads of laundry to do every day...literally.  The laundry room in this house is large enough for my washer and dryer and that's about it.  I hate it.  And for a room that I spend a lot of time in, I hate it a lot.  :)

So my super-husband (complete with his cape) came to the rescue this Spring Break and turned that little room in to a space that doesn't cause hyperventilation.  Beautiful, Pinterest-inspired pedestals create an additional 14 inches of storage space, but the difference is AAAA-MMMMM-AZING.  And while I will still have billions of pounds of laundry to do every year, I will no longer have them waiting on my laundry room floor for my attention. Here's to Big Daddy and his little elves for making my break fabulous and I'll be thanking them every day I'm in that little FABULOUS space.

Enjoy the before and afters...but please don't look at the piles, the dirt, the stacks, and the clutter.  Those are just figments of your imagination...really. 

Before...Notice the nice two tones of paint

The cupboards on the right are pretty useless because of the piles of  C-R-*-P...just sayin'

Someday their wives will thank me :)

Dad's love helpers

The almost completed pedestal...Oooohh

Painted black and distressed.  Can you say "FAB-U-LOUS"!

Yup, my husband really does love me...THIS MUCH!!

To download the plans for these beauties, be sure to visit http://ana-white.com/2011/01/sausha%E2%80%99s-washerdryer-pedestals.  BEWARE...her site is addicting as Pinterest.  I'm already planning the most FAB beds for the boys room, and laundry sorters, and...but I don't want to freak out Big Daddy.  He needs to rest and recuperate from this project before I drop the bomb.  LOL

Middle School Music Festival

Several weeks ago, BJ had the opportunity to participate in the 2012 Spring Music Festival in Nampa.  He chose to participate in the vocal competition and sung "How Great Thou Art" by the Irish Tenors.  The ALWAYS AWESOME Lisa Spjute accompanied him...I just love her and if you see her, tell her that she's just the bomb-diggity because well....she just is!

The video below is of his actual performance for the festival.  You will need to turn your volume up in some places.  We were there a little early and heard several young ladies perform before BJ.  It was nerve wracking (I don't recommend it for future competitions...LOL).  The judge was fabulous but he wasn't holding anything back on these young ladies --- critiquing them, asking more of them, pushing them to be better musicians.  He even called one girl's performance "nice if you like vanilla".  I just about wet my pants -- what was he going to say about BJ's performance and would BJ be able to handle it?!!  Oh my...nerve wracking!  You'll see what happens in the video, so I won't ruin it for you.  But needless to say, it was one of those moments when as a mother you are freaking out on the inside while giving your child the thumbs-up sign with a wide-toothy grin for encouragement right before they go on stage.  My heart was beating out of my chest I was so nervous for him.  And then when he was done it was everything I could do not to jump up and down and embarrass him....I really had to contain myself.  Enjoy the video...and the love Big Daddy gets at the end from the Judge.   :)

And again, a HUGE thank you to Lisa for just being so great to work with and very patient with our teenage (yes...our first-born is a teenager...UGG).  She put up with his burps, his giggles, and even his apology for spitting on her flowers (he missed while spitting out the window) right as he handed them to her.  Its a good thing I love this kid....and she loves him to.  Thanks Lisa....I {LOVE} your guts!