High Five for Friday (5.22.15)

I nearly sliced off the end of my (right hand index, OF COURSE) finger this week, so because typing takes about twice as long as it did pre-cut and hurts, you'll find fewer words than usual in today's post. I promise to return to making short stories long as soon as possible!

1. After a stressful dress rehearsal and an epic meltdown just hours before Hallie's first recital last year, this year's recital was a relative walk in the park. I now know how to whip up a beautiful and secure bun, the trick to applying mascara to blinky six-year-old eyelashes, and exactly how long it takes to transition my girl from beauty base zero to recital ready.

When my sweet girl took the stage, she flashed her perma-grin (Hallie's stage smile is worth a million bucks) and danced her heart out.

"I like to dance, but I LOVE the stage". And the stage loves her back.

2. After a many-year hiatus, the 4th Grade Variety Show returned to my kids' elementary school this week. Two friends of mine and I volunteered to organize this event, not because we have 4th graders (none of us do, actually), but because we believed the experience would have value for all students - from performers to backstage helpers to audience members - during their elementary school years. We spent MANY hours watching auditions; helping kids practice their singing, dancing, gymnastics, comedy, mime, recorder, and violin acts; searching for, downloading, and cutting music; mapping out the order of acts, microphone adjustments, set changes, and curtain calls; and just plain wrangling more than 40 4th graders. But in the end, every minute and every ounce of hard work was worth it.

I won't have a 4th grader next year either, but you can bet I'll return to do it all again.

3. My master bathroom is almost finished! The professionals still need to take care of a few grout touch-ups, a small hole they accidentally made in my wall, and installing the shower glass. We I still need to give everything a good cleaning; touch up paint the cabinets, walls, and trim; wash and rehang the blinds and curtains; rehang the artwork; and finally put our toiletries, towels, etc. back where they belong. Here's a little sneak peak - I promise to post more pictures once everything is complete!

4. Make these cupcakes today. Right now. I made them last week (and forgot to high five about them), a batch for our final PTO meeting and a second batch for our final dance rehearsal. I bake A LOT, so over the years I've tried quite a few different cupcake recipes…these are my favorite.

5. I hadn't planned on posting Happiness Highlights anymore, but here I am, about to do it again. It was a busy week, but a happy one too.

I found - after temporarily misplacing - the apology note Lily wrote
after refusing to hug Hallie goodbye the last morning of their visit. Yes,
the words zigzag a little, and the "s" has been replaced by a "z", but Lily
is still a full 15 months away from starting kindergarten. Smart girl!

Tom's kind of into memes right now. 

He's also into assembling beautiful and delicious appetizers for me.

These boys. Mine on the left, a friend's on the right.
It makes sense that Will loves spending time with Grayson - he's
one of the sweetest, kindest, most respectful 4th graders I've ever
met. Will couldn't have picked a better "big kid" role model.

"You get what you get and you don't pitch a fit."
I'm glad to see Hallie was listening after all.

Will modeled his black bear habitat after the Lincoln Lodge,
where we regularly see our "pet" black bear, Black Smokey.

 Two sweet friends at their little sisters' dance recital. Afterwards he
gave her flowers because he couldn't attend her recital the following day.

Happy Friday, friends!

Linking up with High Five for Friday!

This post turned out to be just as long as every other HFFF post - I guess short and sweet just isn't my style. Signing off to go ice my finger...