May Superlatives: Ninja Turtles & Hairy Sherry: a house log

As our freshly painted stools dry in the sunroom (woot! pics tomorrow!) we thought we’d at last catch up on the May superlatives that we owe you (sorry to those who have been asking about them!). So here is a look back at all the stuff that we check off in May. We even tossed in some never-before-seen stuff for kicks. You can check out all of our superlatives dating back to January of 2011 right here (it is over a year of projects crammed into 16 posts). Plus, since I got to play model a lot this month (hair model, permit-getting model, etc) I threw in a new shot of me sporting next season’s hottest look at the end of this round-up. Simply remember you saw it here first.

Biggest Party Girl: Clara, who was pumped for her 2nd birthday party this month… or at least pumped for some of the supplies we picked up.

Wormiest: Clara’s birthday party, which was a lively, color, and worm filled day thanks to the theme that the birthday girl selected herself.

Most Gigantic: Clara, at least in comparison to the sweet family of pigs that reside in the new dollhouse that we built…

… and decorated for her.

Tidiest: Our new and improved bathroom drawer, after it got a little re-organizing and de-disasterizing as part of our organization week.

Most Secretive: Our storage ottoman (and other kiddie storage areas), which now houses a bunch of secret surplus toys that we can cycle in and out without having a sea of toys all over the place all the time.

Simplest: Sherry’s beauty routine, along with other ways we shared for keeping life plain around here.

Prettiest: Our reorganized Projects section that is now been beautified with the addition of project thumbnails for easier browsability.

Most Appreciated: The new light in our kitchen (Ikea’s Aläng) because it is at last bringing some illumination to a side of the room that is been shadowed for months.

Dirtiest: My basement workshop, which I shamefully owned up to. It is been in a crazy state of disarray and still has not improved much since admitting this, although I did share some updated shots here.

Most Likely To Embrace The Chaos: Us, as we chatted about taking your time and enjoying the journey that is Hands-on.

Most Level Headed: Me (but only on occasion). Like when I managed to get a fairly straight picture of our new hall bathroom fixture whilst serving as a tripod and balancing the camera on my head.

Class Shopaholic: Sherry, for this “window shopping” post where we shared our latest loves (this time at Target). We gotta get back into more store-cruising posts thanks to all of the enjoy you folks showed for it!

Most Likely To Contain A Hosta Pun: This post, which was all about using what we had (some spare hostas) to upgrade our weedy mailbox garden…

… and add a bit more greenery to our work-in-progress planting bed out front.

Most Likely To Become A Teenage Mutant Ninja: This turtle that we brought in (along with some hydrangeas and petunias) to our patio. He wins the award for no other reason than being a turtle. C’mon – have you ever heard of a Teenage Mutant Ninja Hydrangea?

Oh and we also transplanted some already-owned boxwoods to the planters on our front porch (update: have not killed them yet!):

Math Nerd Alert: Me, for using algebra to relocate and rehang these two Alaska botanical prints between our bedposts.

Most Potential: The “alley” where our new deck is gonna go, according to this plan of attack that we outlined here.

Best Score: This giant 9 x 12′ rug for our bedroom, that we scored at a $1,000+ discount at a local tent sale. Holla!

The Brick-Breaker Award: Clearing out the area where our new deck will go, which involved hauling over 100 bricks from an area that we previously dubbed “the shrine.”

Most Noodled: Our bedroom, which in addition to the rug and art change, was sporting new lamps and pillows by the end of the month too. It is far from complete, but our new rug is certainly inspiring us to keep working in here!

Most Likely To Get Wood: Us… for our deck (get your mind out of the gutter people) after weighing plenty of options, and making the decision to skip composite and go for pressure-treated wood.

Most Chipper: This especially fast and low-cost ($0!) hidden clipboard project that Sherry made for our microwave cabinet (to assist keep our menus and grocery lists handy). Sometimes it is the little things.

Hairiest: Sherry, in fact – at least after giving me a Hands-on haircut that we at last documented for everyone to see. And I got to be a hair model for the first time. Not sure how I feel about it (embarrassed. mostly embarrassed).

Best Dressed: Me, in the “permit getting outfit” that helped boost my confidence to get the permit to build our new deck. High five.

Most Likely To Rock The Runway: All of the rugs that strutted their stuff in our little kitchen rug “fashion show” to assist us pin down the ideal color and design.

Worst Dressed: Also me, for this lovely look at Clara’s birthday party. But c’mon, what dad would not see the new ballerina skirt that his daughter was gifted and immediately think “this needs to go on my head.”

What’d your May look like? Any major (or minor) projects checked off? Have you ever made a list of accomplishments to look back on? Feel free to use the comment section of this post to list what you’ve done (or simply toss out a few highlights). It is consistently lively to take a break from adding things to the to-do list for a second, simply to look back and appreciate the things that are done-zo. We totally think it helps keep our momentum up – especially when it comes to tackling things like our big deck project, some kitchen stool painting and some tile-updating in the bathroom among at least a dozen other things at the top of our list. What are you folks most looking forward to tackling this month?