Blue on Center

Neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt

I didn't have neighbors, that's why they call it hood. - B.o.B. The Sherman Park Easter Egg Hunt was amazing this year. I think this may be our ninth year. In past years, we've been doing the egg hunt in rain, cold, and snow. It kinda sucks some of the fun out of it. But not this year. The weather was perfect, the turnout was great, and there were many neighbors who stepped forward to make it happen.

And they're off!

I laughed when I saw the above photos. I see Pete, the adult in the red shirt, playing defense to slow down the big boys to give the little kids a chance.

It's funny how much prep work goes into stuffing the eggs and hiding them and the whole thing is done in, like, seven minutes. The kids of Sherman Park are the fastest children on earth, according to me. To make the egg hunt last a little longer than seven minutes, we have pastries and coffee so that people can hang out a little longer.

The kids usually keep the candy and dump the plastic eggs into a bin so we can reuse them next year. But this year, we're going to dump all the eggs because finding the matching tops and bottoms to years-old plastic eggs is a maddening task. Next year, we'll start over with a fresh batch of eggs to save our sanity.

For me, this egg hunt is especially meaningful. When I was a child, the adults would hide eggs all over town for us kids. And now, these are beautiful memories for the kids of Sherman Park. It's one of the things that make this little nook in the city a special place. We are neighbors, bound together by geography, but also by our love for this neighborhood. We don't just live near each other--we live with each other. And we try to do that well. "Dang, Laura," you're thinking, "it's just an egg hunt. You're getting a little heavy-handed with the sap here." Maybe. But once you become a Sherman Parker, something happens. You become part of a culture that struggles and celebrates together. When a community has seen some hard things, a simple gathering with some hidden eggs for the kids is held with thankful hands. Thank you, everyone, for helping out and showing up. You're awesome. post signature

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33 Easy Steps to Hang Ikea Ekby Shelf in Two Short Days!

Hey. It's been a minute.
I've been working on several cool projects that I'm excited to tell you about. Also, I've been spending some time becoming an adult, and you'll be hearing from me about the projects and all that adulting another day.
But today, folks, you're in for a treat. Today we're going to take a well-deserved break from those home shows where everything fits perfectly and gets done right the first time and show you some real life DIY.
At least, real life for me--a person whose imagination greatly outweighs her skill level.
I decided to hang a shelf in the laundry room--a room we've been chipping away at for the past couple of years. I'll post photos of the room someday, once it's finished.
I picked up a couple of Ekby Valter brackets from Ikea because I liked the price and the simple wood shape. I also picked up a precut shelf from Home Depot, approximately 8" d x 47"w for about $7.
Here's the space:

This is how I DIY'd this project.
Step 1: Pick up your kids from school so that all of them are running around while you're trying to figure out shelf placement.
Step 2: Find the stud finder. The girls play with this thing like it's a spy device so it really could be anywhere. I gave up looking after 35 minutes and borrowed one from the neighbors.
Step 3: Use stud finder to find studs. This seems pretty straightforward, but because there's so much plumbing/pipes/electrical in the wall, the stud finder didn't work. I'm sure all you carpenter people are cringing because if I would have just done ____, then it would have worked. And I just don't want to hear about it. It's too fresh.
Step 4: Abandon stud finder and feel anger rising in throat.
Step 5: Start tapping nails into the wall every few inches until I find a stud. Pounding nails in the wall helped me working through some anger issues. Fill all the nail holes with spackle and mutter something about how Emily Henderson never has to deal with this type of crap.

Step 6: I chose four long screws with gold heads. I felt so proud that I had four matching screws. This was surely a sign the rest of the project would go well.

Step 7: Drill holes and level first shelf bracket. The first bracket hung beautifully level. I am amazing. I can do anything. I should have my own tv show.

Step 8: Drill holes and level second bracket. As I was screwing in both screws, they both got stuck about 1/4 inch from completion. I pondered this and then remember that there's a metal pipe in the wall behind the sink that I was probably hitting.

Step 9: Feel rage rising in throat. If I have to move the bracket over, then it's going to be right above the faucet and I wanted both brackets to be centered on the faucet. This shelf is dumb. This project is stupid. Nothing ever works out for me. I am an idiot. Pinterest, I'm breaking up with you.

Step 10: Abandon project and make salad for Wednesday night dinner with neighbors. Complain to all neighbors that the bracket has to be placed directly above the faucet and how this type of injustice just shouldn't be. All neighbors sympathize, but my complaints are met with mostly blank stares.
Step 11: Return home and put kids to bed. Debate lighting shelf on fire.
Step 12: Switch to shorter screws to avoid pipe.

Step 13: Bracket falls down: screws too short. Vein bulges out of forehead.
Step 14: Use plastic toggle things to hold screws in. Place shelf on brackets. Shelf is level. It's a miracle.
Step 15: Go to bed.
Step 16: Wake up and check shelf. Shelf is still there, still level. It has not fallen down in the night as anticipated.
Step 17: Find screws to mount shelf to brackets. First screw holds shelf in beautifully. I am amazing. I can do anything.
Step 18: Second screw falls behind dryer. Farewell, old friend.

Step 19: Get new screw of same size out of toolbox. New screw won't screw in. Curse the screwdriver.
Step 20: Get other screwdrivers out of screwdriver collection.

Step 21: None of the screwdriver turn the screw. Curse all screwdrivers.

Step 22: Change Pandora station from that happy music it's playing to something more epic and dismal.

Step 23: Debate lighting screwdrivers on fire.

Step 24: Get another screwdriver. Hold other screwdrivers hostage until their fate is determined by performance of new screwdriver.

Step 25: New screwdriver turns screw slightly. Check screw. Screw head is completely stripped which is why it's not going in.

Step 26: Inform screwdrivers that I will not be lighting them on fire as previously determined. Apologize to them for hostage situation and get back on their good side.

Step 27: Take out stripped screw. Light it on fire and dance around the flames.