A Day In the Life...

I think I will just post like this every once in a while.  Just a snapshot of day to day living.






First:  Here I am at 27 weeks -

It is really hard for me to take pictures of myself like this...
But I do wish I had more pictures of when I was pregnant with my other kids.
So I will be a sport and try to have fun with it.

 NEXT:  An unexpected food success!  There I was, 7 O' Clock pm, and no dinner on the horizon and not much in the way of groceries at our house.  I scraped together some ingredients and made Black Bean burgers...

The whole time I'm thinking to myself, "Just sell it like it's going to be absolutely delicious and maybe the kids will go for it."

The LOVED them. 

My favorite part was the sauce I made to put on top. I mixed up a concoction of  sour cream, lime zest, lime juice, cilantro and salsa:   I could put this on a lot of things and be very happy. 

SPRING FEVER: I am loving the warmer weather and beautiful days.  I am constantly finding myself taking breaks out on my front porch so I can take it in...

...It beats being inside and having to look at this:

I should have a "no flat surface" policy at my house.  They all end up like this, UGH.


Finally:  I should take a picture of our new toilet (but I won't).  It cost us a pretty penny (old homes don't make any fix up quick or easy).   I suppose I would need to include a picture of our new main drain as well.  I'm just going to have to tell our new baby that he had to sleep in a drawer* because the rest of us needed a toilet that would flush the first time, every time.   We only have one toilet.  It needs to be a good'n.  You know?

One day he'll be grateful. 


I realize that most of these pictures are poor quality.  Not to mention the entire post being kind of pointless.  Still, it's the most journaling I've done in months, so it's just going to have to count.   Plus, it keeps me from having to face that ecclectic pile-o-junk  atop the dresser in our living room.




(*I'm kidding - we have a crib.)

day thirteen: Myself With 13 Things...

13 items (give or take) left after cleaning up today's painting job...

Remember when I painted the bathroom?  Well, I painted over it.  It just wasn't working out.  Back in February I wanted something a little daring, interesting, a contrast. 

I got exactly what I wanted but in the end, I found what I really wanted was something clean and cute.  I am happy with the change.  It's like a stone/cream/light color.  Basic, simple, lighter...

so that's my silly picture for the day.

day eight: A Bad Habit

{I rarely make my bed.  Maybe this could be my July, 30 Day Challenge... }

I Say '1936' and He Says '1934'

  I really think I'm right.


Things I love about my house.

• The victorian style and round arch over the front door.
• It's brick. 
• It's cottage like.
• It's cozy.  
• It's uneven and delightfully imperfect, charmingly old.
• Our original hardwood floors. 
• I LOVE the hex tile in our bathroom.  It's not in the best shape but I LOVE it.  
• Only having one toilet to clean.  I'm not a fan of cleaning toilets.
• We get our water from an Artesian well that is in our backyard.   

 Things that I don't love about my house:

• The plaster walls.  
• The uneven...everything. (walls, floors, etc. It's charming, but also a pain in the rear.)
•  Our original, broken, chipped and stripped hardwood floors.  We've been hard on 'em...
• The plaster molded around our fireplace in the shape of bricks.  ech, it just looks so bad.
•  Our tiny, tiny, tiny and ONLY bathroom, which I have been trying to paint today.  If I can't make it bigger, than I want to at least cutie it up a little.

But what do I know about decorating?  Nothing.  For seven years almost, we've lived in this house and I have been deathly afraid to do anything.  I feel incapable and daunted by the potential of putting work and money into something that I might end up hating.  But when Sam suggested that it really couldn't get any worse in our bathroom, I felt daring enough to try.  Really, in the last year or so,  I have challenged myself to try and make this place a little more homey...and it's been slow going and I'm not sure it's working out so well.

I re-caulked around our tub today and I've been trying to repaint, and freshen things up.
We have this tile on the walls in our bathroom that Sam really likes.  I'm not a fan, but I also am not willing to rip it out either, so, I will paint the upper half in hopes to improve the looks of things.  I chose "French Grey" because I wanted a color that would look earthy, like stone or something and go along with the 'lilac' color on the tile.  Also, I hope the contrast of the white trim will give an appearance of "crisp and clean".


Painting drywall is playing harps on soft clouds while attempting to beautify plaster is nothing short of a purgatorial experience. 

When painting anything, if it's to be done right, prep is a tedious process - which I actually don't mind - the filling in of holes and sanding and spackling and sanding again and again, and then taping every thing...

See how big I am compared to my bathroom?  haha.

 ...Unless it's on plaster.  I tried to do a good job.  Neat, nice work.  But in the end, it's a hopeless cause.

But I've blogged about this before and I can't believe I'm doing it again.



And this fascinating post is way longer than I intended it to be.

And I'm too tired to proofread and having been stuck in a small room with fresh paint, I'm not sure I'm in my right mind, exactly.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?  Too dark for such a tiny space?  It doesn't look so green in person...I really would like your opinion!

Mostly, I'm posting to pass the time.   I'm waiting for the paint to dry so I can add another coat.  The can claims that it will dry in 30 minutes but that I should wait 4 hours to put on another coat.
Are you kidding me?  A person like me (lazy and hurried at the same time) is not going to wait an unnecessary EXTRA three and a half hours to paint a wall.  I don't do this for a living.

CHRISTMAS CHALLENGE: DAYS 27-31

I have had a few challenge ideas for the last days of the month:

"Take down" and clean up Christmas before January 1st (DONE)

• This is new, I usually don't get it all done until after the kids start up school again.  Imagine my disappointment when, during cleanup, our nativity was massacred. Blasted cats jumping onto the mantle! At least, that's what the kids say happened...

   









 Get a head start on at least one resolution  
(DONE) 

• Just for the sake of feeling like I'm getting a running start on 2011.

• I'd tell you what my resolution is, but I recently saw on Ted.com about how you SHOULDN'T tell people your goals because it gives you a false sense of accomplishment.  Maybe it's weird, but I'm willing to give it a try -plus I really want to see this one through!   ...and no, it's not a fitness/weight loss goal.   Does this concept of "keeping your goals to yourself" intrigue you? Is it already your approach?  I'd be curious to hear how others go about achieving their goals...

  
Get the house really clean BEFORE the New Year
(ALMOST DONE)

• Housework is never "done", but I have a few things on my list that, if I finish by tomorrow, will also contribute to the feeling of getting a leg up on the new year.  Having my house in order [finally] makes me feel like this: 

Source:  "Dance at Dusk" by icklemissmerry (click)

 Try Something New & Fun

AND Simple

(DONE)



MUFFIN 

TIN

PIES!

Of course I would use my grossest muffin tin...

•  How cute is this idea?  I bought some pie crust (homemade is always better, but, you know)...and just put some cherry filling inside.  A little egg wash and sprinkling of sugar on top and....VOILÁ!   So easy and good, especially with a scoop of ice cream. 

So, that's about it for the Christmas Challenge.  A friend of mine did a recap of the holidays and posted it on her blog.  The things she will and will not do next year.  I like that idea.  I might post a list of my own just so I can make next year even more fun!

But that's a challenge for tomorrow...

Subtle Hints You Are Coming Back

The light streaming through the window creates long, reaching shadows against the vegetables I am  about to chop.  Have you noticed how cold air makes the sunshine thin and clearer somehow?  I like it.

I'm happy in this moment, standing here with my knife in hand, because it's the first real productive thing I've attempted to do for my family today and I'm glad I'm finally doing something worthwhile with my time.

Well, I mopped the floor today.  I guess I can count that as well.  I almost forgot  about that because I mopped while talking on the phone with my sister.  It wasn't a thorough job, but it improved things.

Using my neck to pin the phone to my shoulder, I mopped and listened to my sister talk about Luxury. Maybe I should think about it, she says.  Perhaps I could try having a perspective that embraces luxury, see what happens?
I thought about it for only a minute.
Then I looked up the dictionary's meaning of what I before perceived to be a profligate pursuit.  As I scanned the page my eyes snagged a few choice definitions for "luxury": 
sumptuous
refinement
delicacy
indulgence-

But that was earlier.

Now it's dinner time.  I continue to chop up the food and the oiled pan heats up- all while the thin, clear sun shines through my window and onto my workspace.  "The days are getting longer, " I hear a deep, handsome voice say from the couch.

No wonder I feel so good.
I am making dinner in sunshine.
It's been awhile.
It feels
Luxurious.

A 5am Miracle

is me waking up without an alarm.   AT FIVE O' CLOCK IN THE MORNING.

A totally random picture that I like, of Ada and me.

Sorry if you were expecting something that was an inspiring sort of miracle.  But it was a very lucky thing, because in less than 36 hours my whole house has gone south.   All of my SOPs had been ignored and so getting ready for church would have been a miserable experience had I slept in until 7 (or so).

So I got out of bed (it took me 20 minutes to actually get out of bed) and by 8:30:

• I had washed 3 loads of laundry and folded about 7 loads. 

• Ironed a shirt for Sam.

• Cleaned up a bunch of garbage in the basement and put a few things away.

• Wrote a love note to Ada and left it on her dresser.  (I haven't been very patient with her the last few days).

• Made and cleaned up breakfast for the kids.

• Got dressed for church and helped my kids get their clothes ready.

• Planned my menus for the week and made up a grocery list for tomorrow.

• Cleaned off the tote that sits on the top of my dryer (collecting legos and change and whatever else doesn't belong in the basement).

Generally, I don't like to do a bunch of house work on Sundays, but everything, every room, was a mess.  Living in a little house means that it takes less than 36 hours for the chaos theory to spread and prove itself to every inch of my dwelling.

Why don't I wake up this early every day?  The momentum feels so good, like I got a head start or something.  It reminds me of a quote I read once.  Wait...I'll google it...

Couldn't find it.  And I need to stop looking, because spending too much time on this thing is what got me in this whole messy house fix...but I did find this one, which is equally good:

Lose an hour in the morning, and you will be all day hunting for it.  ~Richard Whately

Ain't that the truth?

Aw yeah, it's all starting to come back together, and I think I'll be able to enjoy my Sunday.
That is, if I get off this thing, now.
Happy Day!

Christmas 2009 Memory #2: Christmas Magic

I learned this year-
When you don't have it together,
You can still have Christmas.

Christmas Eve morning I stood in my messy, messy (I mean, messy) kitchen.  Dishes overflowed the sink and onto the sticky crumb-filled counter tops.  Garbage and neighborhood holiday gift carnage strewn everywhere.  Heaps of laundry sat in piles downstairs.  We were out of towels and pants and I had not one clean washcloth with which to wipe my dirty counter tops.  I was overwhelmed by the hustle of the season.  And my house seemed to be past the point of restoring order.  I couldn't keep up.

As I stood in the kitchen, looking at the fruits of my disorganized and distracted (let's just say it) lazy nature - I had a decision to make.  Will I make toffee before Christmas?  I really tried to prepare for Christmas, but I only got half of my Christmas cards out and I just couldn't get my act together when it came to our yearly tradition of toffee and braetzlis. 
Dishes first.  I need to at least see the counter tops before making a decision.
I strapped my ipod to my arm and turned on the hot water.  I  began singing loudly with the music (not Christmas music, I wasn't in the mood) only to press pause periodically when my kids wanted to speak with me.

My family is often plagued by the sound of me singing along with my ipod.  Being able to hear oneself is an important aspect of singing well.  Also, it's nice to have an accompaniment.  As the one wearing the ear buds, I am oblivious to the negative effects that occur when these two elements are removed.  My family is generally very patient and long suffering in regards to my loud habit.  On this morning however, when I paused to speak to one of the kids, I noticed that Sam speedily took advantage of the moment and plugged in some Christmas music before I could start up again.  I took the subtle hint and turned off my ipod.

The  kitchen counters began to emerge. Once the pots were clean I felt like I could make some candy.

And that fast it felt like Christmas.  Even though my house was a disaster,  Even though I knew I wouldn't have time to deliver this toffee before Christmas.  I was working in the kitchen and my family was all around and I felt happy.

Eddie and Jack were at the table, drawing.  Ada had spent the last few days working on a story.  It's about a girl named Ann who will prove to her father that she can be a warrior, even though she is a girl.  I stirred the boiling candy and Ada stood beside me reading about Ann bravely facing the black knight and cleverly getting past the moles and into the thick forest using her clever sense of humor.  Ada's big eyes expressed focused vibrancy as she used different voices for each character, or looked up at me to make sure I got the funny parts. Occasionally, she would pause to explain the specific details that will go into the movie once her story is bought.  Every few minutes, she would be interrupted by one of her brothers who came in to show me their new creations of fierce, scaly eyes for the dragons they were drawing.  Dragons that blew ice crystals instead of fire.

And in the background I heard sweet sounds of Hallelujah and praise for the One who makes up the difference.  It was at this moment when I realized, It is a joyous Noël, because I fall short.

Hallelujah!
He is born.
I am warm in my messy house.
I am filled with His love and compassion as I look upon my own.
I am supported by a dear friend and companion who refuses to give up on me.
I am determined to be better.

Christmas Magic.

Today I Woke Up To Friday,

Thinking about plans for my weekend.
Thinking about the HUGE pile of laundry I need to fold and how much cleaning I have to do today.

And because I'm spoiled by living in such sickening profligacy (which I daily take for granted),  I almost forgot.

Today many others woke up to heavy, dark grief.  Aching for a lost loved one.  Many others woke this morning to an anniversary that changed their lives forever.


My heart goes out to them today.

Artwork created by Danielle on the one year anniversary (source found here)

And with all it's flaws, I am glad to live where I live.  USA is my home and today I feel a great desire to do better, to live in a way that helps make my home a better place to live.   I refuse to be apathetic about this country.  I refuse to forget how much has been given to me.  And I intend to keep hope and faith in this country and even (gulp) our elected leaders. 


Those who lost their lives, and their loved ones, and those who sacrificed so much on this day, eight years ago...it wasn't for nothing.

Preparing Sunday's Roast:

How many onions have I cut up since I chose this life?
How many times have I felt the sting in my eyes until they burn wet?
How many more will I prepare?
How many meals will come from my hands?

I realize I have no way of guessing.

I slice, turn the gathered layers, and chop. Redolence expands throughout the room. A meal is coming.
My hands, the onions- both come from the same place, and I wonder how I can make my skin shine like sunrise and earth turned into silk paper.

(This is what I’m thinking about.)

Lola

How many dinners did she prepare? I know her eyes burned. I saw it happen.
And what about her mother?
Do my hands look like hers?
Were they this dry in the winter? Surely they were cold.

Mary

Always, a meal was coming.
I remember her hands were soft.
I know her hands were cold in winter. I saw it happen.
She must have cut into so many onions, maybe.

I have no way of guessing.

Taking another and peeling the gold leafing, I think to myself once again –
It’s worth the sting.

All of it.

You Know The Feeling -The Sensation That Someone Is Watching You?

Well I got that feeling tonight, as I was doing the dishes...

....And when I looked over:

Lego Spy, scouting from the Aloe Vera Jungle.

***

Can I just tell you how much I love being a mother? It's either Lego-spies, or a doll tucked under a washcloth in my drawer, or homemade icicles in the freezer - and lots of love notes and pictures. Just yesterday, Eddie wrote "I {heart} You Mom" on the mirror with his finger, so when I got out of the shower, I could read his cute steamed message.

And how about this:

Having a daughter who likes to mother people can really be a help sometimes! She just wrote this note one day and stuck it on the fridge. (The picture of the "cowch", crossed out with exclamations - it just kills me - I love that girl!)


It's the best. THE BEST -- being a mom. Having little sidekicks around. It's the absolute best (did I say that already?)

You Know what?

After discovering the Lego-guy, it occurred to me that I really am being watched.

All the time.(see?)


Only, it wasn't that sort of guilt trip feeling. I just felt grateful, and wanted to be better, and let my kids see how happy (how unbelievably happy) I am to have them around.

It goes by so fast.

My One Decoration...

It's my door. I paint it every year. My uncovered-south-facing porch does not provide a very supportive climate for any outdoor decorations. So I do this instead.

(I also paint birthday messages on my front door for my kids' birthdays).

I had a friend back in junior high school who's mother painted their front window every Christmas. And she was AMAZING. I remember super detailed portraits of Santa and winter scenes...Thanks to those memories, my ideas always start lofty but after hours of trying to get it done, I'm happy to settle with average.

Past years have included:
~Skeletons dancing in the graveyard (I think I've done this twice)
~Jack-o-lanterns and bloody messages -
~I think I painted a witch once, a long time ago
~Oh, and ghosts, because they are easy to paint!

This is my favorite one yet (even though it didn't turn out exactly like I wanted it to).

It's fun and I like doing it.

sweltering...

(oh help.)

The inside of my house was a piping 86 degrees when I went to bed last night. I think it must have gotten even hotter.

At one point in the middle of the night, I lay in an overheated, dreamy daze...I was dreaming about my elderly neighbor, who is a widower, and wondered if he'd survive the night. I thought at one point that I didn't care if I was only wearing my underwear, I'm going to get up and sleep outside. No blankets. But then if I moved, I would only be generating more heat. So I laid there, sprawled out. Per.fect.ly. still.

Various children woke in the night, complaining of feeling sick and miserable...I sprayed water on them and their sheets with a squirt bottle.

When the alarm went off at 5am I couldn't wait to get out of bed. (I haven't been up that early in weeks).

"Herbed Ice Cubes" Came from this blog.

The A/C guy is coming today "afternoon-ish". I will sit and wait and look out the window like an eager dog for his owner.

I am SO hot. I vaguely remember saying to someone a few months back, "I am cold all the time. I can't WAIT until it's 90 degrees out and I can lay in the sun and be sweaty-hot".

They looked at me like I was crazy. I'm not crazy. I just say dumb things without thinking sometimes. When I said it, I was visualizing myself on a beach, with a nice cool ocean near by...

OUTSIDE: currently 61 degrees
INSIDE: currently 77.9 degrees

SHEESH!

On the to-do list:

1. Water my plants/veggies.

2. Water them again in the afternoon, and then,

3. Probably once more.

4. Go get Slurpees. Or Ice cream or Popsicles or something.

5. Pay the a/c guy happily and gratefully, whatever amount he wishes.

"For in the dew of little things the heart finds its morning and is refreshed"

-Kahlil Gibran

10 (plus) flower pots for 10$--hooray!

Wednesday's Whetting

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LAST WEEK:

This was a good goal for me to make. It was nice to be up before anyone else (except Jack) and enjoy the quiet mornings. I spent my early mornings mostly doing things I have a hard time fitting in during the day, like; reading, writing, practising scales on the guitar, fun stuff.

I was also able to get a head start on the laundry and other home projects. My mornings weren't rushed. I loved being up to wish my kids good morning and see their sweet, sleepy faces. I really liked having a load washed and folded, and breakfast cleaned up before I left to take the kids to school. To spend a little extra time curling Ada's hair and make my bed.

It's definitely not a habit. And I never did manage to get to bed before 11pm. But I will continue getting up early (though I won't check in here everyday)-I like the benefits.


THIS WEEK

I've been putting this off for so long, it's embarrassing!

I talk about this all the time, but I have serious issues when it comes to decorating my home. I'm completely paralyzed. To commit and decide on a paint color, a picture frame, a piece of furniture is almost impossible. I don't really know why this is. I would say that my house has no style. A friend once put a generous spin on my lack of decorating - "Your style is minimalist. It's cool, I thought it was intentional". Well, it is and it isn't, I guess. It isn't cool that my kids' rooms are falling apart. So this is my challenge this week:

WALL REPAIR AND PAINT

Ada's room is in the unfinished basement and it has always needed some serious TLC. We quickly realized after we moved in that the whole north side of the house did not have rain gutters and when it rained, the water would seep into the crack of the driveway that lined our house, and would cause water damage on the basement walls. We have since solved the gutter problem. But I need to repair and repaint Ada's walls. Up 'til now we've just been covering it up with furniture...(nice, I know. It's called, "solving problems, Homer Simpson style").

Also, the boys room: Being boys, they somehow managed to make a small dent in the wall one day...Having chipped a little paint, they discovered that their room was once painted a very bold blue and couldn't resist peeling away the top layer to get a better look. The hole in the plaster has gotten much bigger thanks to the late night picking and peeling of the wall by some bored kids who weren't ready to go to bed.




Just thinking about this is stressing me out. Not the actual repairs, but the painting afterward. I'd like to pick some nice colors. I don't really have a color "scheme" in their rooms yet. We don't exactly have matching furniture or bed spreads.. and I'm not ready to commit to all of that. Am I so ridiculous? I know it's just paint (and plaster!?#@!!) - One step at a time...

Yeah, I NEED this challenge.
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