Our way around the city today instead of a cab...

Mom and I are doing a weekend in San Francisco.  Dinner at the Burger Bar across from our hotel...

Last night when I picked Lulu up from Camp Fire, she had big news to share:

 

This is huge, huge, HUGE for everyone in our family, especially her. 

Our family went out to Laurelwood for dinner last night to celebrate this wonderful achievement for her!

Lulu has been in Camp Fire before and after care since kindergarten. Each year we've all hoped she would get the opportunity to be Student of the Week, but, no dice. 

Admittedly, the last three years have been interesting, to say the least, in the behavior department for her.

Which is why this is such big news! One of the Camp Fire counselors shared with me last night before we left school that they have been so impressed with Lulu's behavior since she's started third grade this year. They've seen dramatic improvement, especially from last year. She's also great with the first graders in the program and has joined their leadership squad for the year, too. They hope, as well, that in giving her this honor, her great behavior will continue.

We can only hope. 

I can tell you right now, "Best Big Sister of the Week" is not an honor she's getting any time soon at home.

Today was Lulu's first day of 3rd grade, and at a new school. (Her school has routed the first and 3rd graders due to overcrowding at the other two campuses.) It's probably better to let Eddie tell of how the morning unfolded, though it's all PURE LULU.

Her is his email to me, to catch me up to speed after he got to work:

So. You leave and I realize I have some time to put a load of laundry in the washer and clear out the dishwasher and start another load. Lulu comes up and asks if she can play the Android. 

"Are you ready to go? Do you have everything together?"

She says that she does.

"Okay, the Android is in the kitchen. We should be ready to go in 15 minutes or so."

I finish my morning chores and get myself together and I announce that we need to get out of the house. 

We go to the tree and take some photos, our girl is growing up. =)  

 

We start walking up the hill. 

About halfway up she sudden stiffens and says, "Daddy, I forgot to eat breakfast. I'm hungry."

On the one hand, we are the parents, it's our job to make sure our kids are clothed and fed. On the other hand, she a third grader, 8 years-old, she knows how to make cereal, toast, bagels. Bean knows enough to get the cereal out, sit her bottom down and ask that I make her cereal. Why didn't Lulu think to eat? Cuz' she's Lulu, that's why.

So she starts to get all grumpy and pouty. I start to think about how cranky she gets when she's not eaten.  

We get to school and as we are walking Piper jumps next to us and shouts "boo!"  Lulu glares. "I'm sorry Piper, someone is a little cranky this morning." This does not help Lulu's mood. Happy Squirrel manages to cheer her up a little but by the time the bell rings and we go in, it is Frowny McFrownington time.  I snap a picture.  We go up to the third floor to her new class room. The school looks like an abandoned school that has been hastily reopened in order to deal with over crowding (which it has). It's already kind of warm inside.

We meet the new teacher and the first thing she says to Lulu is, "My, you don't look very happy to be here." 

After I explain the situation and that I don't have any snacks, she suggests that maybe I could get some and come back. "Would that be alright?"

"Sure."

I am greatly relieved since no one will want to be around our girl if she has not eaten. No way to start off the new year. So home I go for a yogurt stick. I also stop at 7-11 for a granola bar.

When I get back to school, it's easy to park nearby. Back up the stairs I go to find an empty classroom with just the teacher, Sadie, there. It seems the kids have all gone down to art class, which seems a weird way to start the first day of school.  Sadie thinks so too.  

She leads me down and Lulu hops out of her seat when she sees us. 

I walk her out to the hallway to eat, reminding her to go back into class as soon as she is finished and to through her wrappers away in a nearby trash can.  She immediately seems much happier and gives me a big hug and a kiss.

There you have it.

I spent the weekend tackling my vest knock-off similar to this one I love on Pinterest!

I used more of an old sheet I have available and used up scraps of lace and ribbon. I also pulled vintage buttons from my stash, most of which belonged to my grandma. I made ruffles out of strips of sheet as well. They ravel like crazy though, and make a bit of a mess. But eventually they'll fray down to the seam edge stitching to stop it from going any further. I do like the bohemian quality of the finished product! (and the fabric used on the buttonholes is also used as the lining inside.)

Here, I paired the vest with my fast and dirty skirt from a previous weekend. The slip that shows underneath I made as well. I love my new Victorian boots with it. Can't wait for proper fall weather! I just need to adjust the fit of the vest a bit. I was trying out an old, old pattern I had for size before using some other fabrics in my stash. This size, gaps a lot at the front armholes. I need to figure out the best way to make that fit, better...

 

My new boots!

 

It's a good thing Bean doesn't do our finances, as I don't trust her rationale at this point.

She told Eddie this morning that we need to get a new refrigerator because ours is stinky!

The fridge is only three years old. I will however, do a better cleaning job when I get home tonight. It did smell "milk-sour" though I can't for the life of me figure out where that could be coming from. (We got new milk over the weekend!)