His-N-Hers

After many evenings of having to take turns on the computer after the kids are in bed, we broke down and got another computer/desk setup so we can both get our stuff done in the quiet hours of the night. Our mudroom-turned-office is pretty crowded now, but at least we have a space to dedicate as an office! Most of the homes we looked at didn't, so we're lucky to have this room.

Whenever Hazel sees me on the computer during the day she pulls me off, and Steve obviously works all day so the only computer time he gets is in the evening as well. And since I have firmly resolved to buckle down and learn Adobe Illustrator, I need LOTS of computer time to get that powerful yet difficult software in my brain sufficiently to do what I've been talking about doing for 2 years now.

Can you guess which work station belongs to me? Steve is happy not to have to work at a desk with hearts, flowers, and polka dots on it. My desk is actually an old (as in 80's) kitchen table that we sanded down and refinished back when we lived in Hawaii. The hutch is something I made a few months ago...I should do a tutorial on it because it was really a very easy project. I used 3 MDF shelving boards measuring 12" x 48" each and added the trim after I built the shelves. The only power tool needed is a miter saw.

This is what Steve flies when he's working at an air station! Go Coast Guard go. I did this painting for him years ago, when we were first married. Not the best watercolor in the world, but it gets the point across. In high school I did a lot of watercolors, but I'm pretty much out of practice. It's harder than it seems to keep a watercolor painting from looking overworked (like this one is) but hey - it's the thought that counts, right?

Not to change the subject or anything, but I think Hazel is going to be my girlie-girl. Here she is peeling off some of the six skirts she put on at once. Earlier that morning she had me put a bunch of bows in her hair and she was wearing fancy shoes, but as you can see the bows are gone and the shoes didn't make it down the stairs.

Hazel has already become extremely opinionated about what she is and is not wearing (she will literally kick and scream for 10 to 20 minutes if I try and put something on her that she doesn't want to wear...so I've decided to back off unless it's a really important occasion). Her first phrase that she ever spoke was "I wan' weaw dat" (I wanna wear that) followed by "NO weaw dat!!" Oh - and Hazel LOVES shoes. Especially the red slippers that she has worn so often that they stink to high heaven. They are currently in the freezer to temporarily kill the stinky feet germs. :-)

Eliza didn't show any preference to clothes until 3 1/2, and even then it was more of a power struggle than a genuine interest in clothing style. I wonder how long it will be before Hazel refuses to let me help her get dressed? Looking forward to that...