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Professor Brainard's Got Nothing On Me
He used a ray gun to control the weather, but I can do it by following these simple steps.

TO MAKE IT RAIN:

1. Check the forecast online and find out that it is not predicted to rain until late in the evening.

2. Turn on the sprinklers in the front and back yards of your home.

3. Go for a walk with your four year old and two year old daughters around the mile long nature trail behind your house, walking quickly in order to return in time to move the sprinklers to another location without flooding the yard.

4. Get halfway around the pond at the farthest point from your home.

Voila! Instant downpour!


TO MAKE IT CONTINUE:

1. Be sure that your four year old stops as often as possible in the rain to pick grass by the side of the trail. (This is the most important step if you want to ensure a really good steady rain-shower.)

2. Whenever possible, try to get your two year old to beg to be carried and then demand to be allowed to walk and then beg to be carried all while refusing to ride in the stroller that you brought along in anticipation of this situation. She is NOT a baby! This is also very helpful to make sure that the rain does not let up.

See? Only two easy steps!


TO MAKE IT STOP RAINING:

1. Arrive home.

This is the easiest of all. The second you step foot back on your own property, the sun will come out and the clouds will disappear. It really is quite amazing.
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Getting My Crafty On (Part Two)
Now where was I? Oh yes, the white paint was drying, and I was returning the green paint for red or black paint.

I returned the green and bought black, and when we got back from Walmart, we all changed into painting clothes.


The girls removed the price stickers per PJ's instructions.




Then Liberty wiped down the pots...




...and Mercy shook the can of spray paint.




Finally, it was painting time!


Oops, no one told me I should wear gloves or my fingers would be painted black.

Oh, well. While I waited for the pots to dry, I attacked the iron thingy with
Jeremy's power sander! Fun!
(If I look a bit confuzzled, it's because I was. I couldn't figure out how to hold the sander in one hand and the camera in the other. You should have seen how many shots I got of the house, the top of my head, the edge of the sander, etc. My finger slipped on the button with this one and accidentally took the picture. When I realized that it had actually captured me and the sander together, I decided to stop the ship-wreck that was a self-portrait, and move on with my life. Besides, I was so excited to use the sander, that I didn't want to waste any more time on photos.)

And here is what I did with that sander.




When the pots finally dried, I put them in their rightful places.


I love the way the terra cotta orange peeks through the black. At first, I planned to spray the black on over and over until all was covered, but after the first two coats, the patina was gorgeous with the orange showing, so I left it.

Now, all I need are plants to fill my pots.

And speaking of plants, you are not going to believe this, but I have revived my front porch flower! You know, the one that I was given in mid-April? I dead-headed it! I transplanted it! And it looks absolutely stunning! Hooray!
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You Know You Want To
http://www.examiner.com/family-recreation-in-fort-wayne/germanfest-s-family-fest-a-day-the-whole-family-will-enjoy

You don't even have to read it. Just click it.

"Pay the Missy!"

Can we start a chant?
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Mercy's Pants
This morning, my two year old, Mercy Jane, farted unexpectedly, and it was a long chain of loud farts. She gasped; her eyes got really big around, and she quickly grabbed her little bottom. Then in a tone of wonder she said, "Mommy! I have a motorcycle in my pants!"
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Examiner Article
My second article is up!

http://www.examiner.com/family-recreation-in-fort-wayne/taste-your-summer-at-auburn-s-strawberries-the-park-festival
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Getting My Crafty On
This post is dedicated to my bloggy friend PJ, who has inspired me to attempt some craftiness.

A week ago, another friend of mine, MaryAnne, gave me this flower pot holder. (Thank you, MaryAnne!)


I wasn't sure what to do with it or how I could use it, but I took it home and thought and thought. Finally, I decided it would be a great addition to my front porch, only it didn't match what I already had going on out there.





Here's where PJ comes in. I spent a while the other day catching up on her blog, and she totally inspired a bit of creative genius in me! I decided I wanted the new planter to match the old planter that was already on the porch.
(My flowers died while I was away for the Memorial Day weekend, but don't be sad for me. This is the very longest I have ever had a plant live! They were given to me on April 17th, and they have flourished for over a month in my care! Can you believe it?! Now, I'm just trying to figure out how to resuscitate them.)



So I went to Walmart and bought a can of white spray paint, a can of green spray paint (because I had decided to paint the pots green) and an extra pot (because Liberty and Mercy were "cooking" a birthday cake for me in one of the original pots and broke it -- the pot, that is, not the imaginary birthday cake).



I got so excited after making my purchases, that I rushed home, read a story to the girls and put them down for nap time. Then I ran to my closet, changed into painting clothes, and hurried to the garage where I did this.


Then I had to wait for it to dry, and while I waited, I decided that I'd rather paint my terra cotta pots either black or a brickish red to match the bricks on our house. Tomorrow, I'll return the green spray paint and purchase some other color, but I'm still undecided. Also, I'm wondering how I can get some of the white off of the wrought iron to get the same distressed look that is on my other planter. Can I just sand it in spots? I don't know.

Stay tuned for part two, wherein I get this thing finished. Hopefully.
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