Get That Term Right!

I just love some of our conversations with the kids.  It's so enlightening and entertaining!

At every meal, there is a constant flow of conversation, or at least some sort of noise.  Today's lunch conversation included talk of puberty, a new term that we have discussed in basic outlines during science.  There was some general speculation on when they would reach puberty, and then some comments about how I was in puberty.  So I corrected them, saying that I was past puberty.  Then I posed the question:

"What comes after puberty?"

Lucas shouts out:  "Adultery!"

The Mother of Invention

You know, necessity.  But in my experience, my personal experience, laziness is the mother of invention.

Which is why I find every possible reason to crochet without a pattern.  Every time I use a pattern (twice) I have to learn something new.  Oh horrors!  So to save me this tedious process of learning, growing and improving, I look for shortcuts.  Which brings me to a couple of hats I made while we spent two weeks traveling to the old hometown of Champaign in Il and to visit relatives and friends in Ohio and Oklahoma.

Pixie hat for Julia:

Kinda hard to crochet with this funky yarn.  But it's cute!

And so is the model!

Circle hat for Aidan:

Classic example of learning something new.  In the past, I have sewn hats from the crown to the rim, expanding as I go.  However, one pattern showed me how to start from the edges and take up stitches as I go.  I like it!

A couple mistakes...  too much slack at the opening, as seen here.  And it is just a wee bit tight halfway through.  I should have taken it in more slowly as I worked my way to the center.  Oh well!  Wool stretches!  =)

Thin Hair

My husband was trying to describe to me the reasons he loves my hair.  He's apparently a big fan, and likes the way it looks.

"It's thin and flat.  That's what I like about it.  Oh, you don't like the word flat?  It's fine.  It's thin and fine.  It lays straight against your head."

Snape comes to mind.  At least he didn't say it was greasy.

I just try to remind myself that I probably give him "compliments" like this all the time.  And a lucky lady like me knows when compliments come from the heart.  Even if you've always wanted thick, wavy/curly hair that stands off the head.

A New Skirt

Today I had an itch to sew Julia a skirt.  Her closet is woefully empty.  I should take a picture!  I'm the worst mom in the world because my daughter has so few clothes.

Well, I got online and looked up skirts from fat quarters.  I have a million fat eighths, which work nicely for little girls.  So I looked all about and found some great ideas.  Then I went and made something up out of my head.  And I think I'm tired of gathers.  Maybe a few gathers, but it really makes things too bunchy.  So I'm going to experiment with that some more.  I didn't actually gather this skirt, I let the elastic do the gathering, but either way: too much!

For today:
I sewed 8 fat eighths together, then backed them up to a piece of muslin.  When I do this again, the muslin will be a teeny bit shorter than the skirt fabric, so that it rolls under nicely to avoid showing the muslin.  Right now, I'm just counting on a decent ironing job to keep things in check.

I left the sides open, and sewed the muslin to the front fabric at the top and bottom.  Turned it right side out, ironed it, then sewed a casing for the elastic.  Popped the elastic in, measured it on Julia, then sewed up the back seam!  Oh yeah, before I put in the elastic, I ran some eyelet ribbon across the lower half of the skirt for cuteness.  Looks better than blanket binding!

Note on the previous blanket skirt: Julia was visiting with a lady who expressed surprise that the skirt was not a blanket but was indeed made that way "on purpose"!  

Here, I had sewn the fat eighths together and then a piece of muslin for the lining.

Forgive the bruise, not sure how it got there.

 I turned the fabric right side out, ironed it flat, NO HEM!!!!  

Stitched some ribbon on for good measure.

 Up close of a me and Julia's favorite fabrics.

She likes the dark one with curlies, I like the one on the left.

 Julia models this for me.

Notice how all seams: side, hem and waistband are HIDDEN!

Except the one seam in the back where I sewed the skirt together.

 Only complaint is bunchiness.  Gotta slim it down up top, but then it's harder to line.

I felt that lining was necessary for two reasons:

fabric is kinda see-thru; she'll want to wear it this winter

Bit of a twirly girl!

Not super twirly, but enough for fun.  And generous enough for running about.

I think I might try an A-line skirt, found a fat quarter wrap skirt that looks SOO GOOD!  I'll see how easy I can make it on myself....  

Parental Button-Pushing Technique

"Now my dears," said old Mrs. Rabbit.  "...(inhales to speak, children moan and groan)

I have been using this Peter Rabbit phrase often, and my kids are sick of it.  I say everything with this phrase at the beginning, including the "said old Mrs. Rabbit" part.

"'Now my dears,' said old Mrs. Rabbit":
"It is time to fold the laundry."
"I want you to pick up your room."
"Put on your shoes and get in the car."
"Please pass the hot cereal."
Et cetera.  You get the drift, so do they and it drives them crazy!

I love having a way to irritate my kids if need be.  =)

I will leave you with a little poem that I am not sure whom to credit.  But it fits well with this great post about rearing children with love, patience and respect.

Speak roughly to your little boy,

And beat him when he sneezes.

He only does it to annoy,

Because he knows it teases!

More Glasses In The Family

A few weeks ago, Aidan bashed a chunk out of his cornea with the corner of a book he was reading.

After he saw an eye doc and healed quickly from that injury, I scheduled their very first eye appointment, ever!

Shane thought it might not be so necessary; we can be hands-off that way.

However, it turns out two kids are far-sighted enough to warrant reading glasses!

They were pretty excited to pick out frames and then yesterday the glasses came!

Aidan couldn't keep his glasses on for the entire writing lesson.  It might take awhile to get used to them, but hopefully it will make these early years of learning to read and write less frustrating.

They read and write already, but there is still a lot of progress to be made!

Another Patio Picture

Here's another update!

We are at a stopping place, now.  We have to wait for the concrete guy to come back and pour the floor before the wall crew can stucco and lay the flagstone.  Still, it feels good to have this much finished! We've already had a fire in the kiva, and we're looking forward to this fall!

My goodness, this looks really tipped over.  I had to go check outside to make sure everything is level.  I think maybe all the dirt piles around make it look tipped or something.  Looks fine in real life, and the level tells me it's okay, too. =)

The Back Patio Takes Shape

This was the progress at the end of today!

I'm so excited to get this project complete and start living in the back yard.

There will be a step so that when you enter the partial circle with the kiva, you will be lower than the patio around you.  And that will have flagstone in it!

Backyard Shenanigans

Okay, so nothing going on in the backyard is really secret misbehavior or anything.

BUT!!!! I have some catch-up to do from over the last two weeks:

The ground has broken on a new patio project and we have more concrete driveway, now!  Yay! Our car doesn't hang off the back of the slab anymore, woohoo!

I suppose I could show you the concept... It's probably on here somewhere.  If I find it, you'll know.

So far the footings have been poured for the wall and bunco seat and kiva and posts for the ramada. =) The kiva is a fireplace, the ramada is a wooden shade cover that is not solid, just beams across the top.  Can't have it solid, the wind would just be too freaky!

One thing about New Mexico... things don't get done in a hurry.  We hear about how there isn't any work, but it takes weeks for people to get back to you and get the job started.  And we are just happy to have a go on the project!  Our brick layer was supposed to start the brick yesterday, but we haven't seen him yet.  He'll be around, though.  It's going to be so cool!  Come and see us when it's done and we'll live the high desert life!

The backyard before, with all tumbleweeds neatly mowed.

The really awesome excavator!

Digging the footings.

The guy climbing out is the boss, and he is amazing!  He has an equally amazing mustache that I might be able to show in a video.  Awesome!

Around the front, we(they) widened and lengthened our driveway.

That job was done two weeks ago and it's finally useable!

The footings for the patio wall, bunco and kiva, and the blocks on top were laid out by the brick guy who will be back sometime to start mortaring it up.

The patio in context with the back of the house.

There you have it!  The patio house project going on outside, while I project away on the inside.

Let me go prepare the schoolroom for more pictures! =)

A Reminder of Time Passing

I caught this little moment right after we got back from the library.

It lets me know that we are now past the "learning to read" stage of life.

It is a bittersweet moment, because the discovery of reading is so magical, as a child makes sense of the groups of letters, then the groups of words.  

But I have something else to rejoice in:

All my babies love to read!

And maybe rest time will be more peaceful this school year.

=D

Note: I was on the phone when I took this video and you can hear my sister asking "Did you get my message?"  

House Project: library painted

The closet turned library is painted!

We used the dark color from our bedroom for a little contrast wall.

The rest of the closet is painted our living room color.

I am happy to report that I did NOT paint the ceiling.  Just the walls and shelves.

I will paint the school room this light color, too.

Here's a quick peek at our new master bedroom!

Shane's office and our bed.  How cozy!

I plan to get a few tuscan touches around the room.  But first I must get all the painting done and all the decluttering finished.  Gotta save the icing to reward my effort and provide motivation.

House Project: Final Phase Begins

Hi y'all.....

Been awhile, eh?  I've been sitting around on my tushy trying to find motivation for further de-cluttering.  I love the results, but I'm on the hardest part, now.  Decluttering MY things!

So here's some pictures of the before, and hopefully I'll be so woefully embarrassed and shamed that I'll hurry up so I can post the redeeming pictures.  I love run-on sentences!

So tomorrow I'll take some pictures of my room (HP:room 2) that are in daylight.  Shane's finally moved his Office in there... =)  (We just need his name on the door!  Gotta go search that out on the net!)  So the room in all it's squishy coziness can be fully revealed.  My husband and I are now officially in a room with no closet and no bathroom. =D  Exciting times!

Enough about that room.

Here is room 3, Old Master, New Schoolroom, in all it's terrifying glory.  No, I won't let you see into the bathroom.  It could ruin friendships.

This is the sight awaiting you, as you peep into the bedroom door.  

I actually cheated and put all the books back in the bookcase before taking this picture.

Behind the loveseat (yes, the nasty greenish gold one!) are piles and piles of... stuff.

School stuff.  To be organized... which for now means sorted and re-stacked as I haven't yet been to IKEA.....

The above picture was taken from the below doorway.

The below picture was taken from the left of the above keyboard.

The doorway to the left is Shane's old office, the new school library!  I think it's such an exciting idea, can't wait to tweak it.

It WILL have a fake, vinyl window in it for the kids.

And it WILL be cute.

Amen.

Below:

Said office, just itching to be turned into a library.

Currently, this is still Shane's closet, because I have no room in mine.

And you can't see it.  

I don't have to share everything, for goodness sake!

Someday, I will make room for the hubby in my closet and he will move in with me. =)

This is an icing project, it has to wait til last.  But I want to do it TODAY!!!! 

So we are planning to pop over to IKEA this weekend.  But plans, as ALWAYS are up in the air.

Oh yeah, and today one bobcat and one huge tractor tore up my yard and some guys put down forms for a bigger concrete driveway and the forms for footings for our back patio!  whoop!  =)  Yippie Skippie! I've got pictures of that to share, too.  

Another day!

Inspiration for Homeschooling

Last week, I began using the internet for more serious inspiration for organizing.

I have issues with this...  deep-seated, prideful, stifling issues.

I don't spend too much time looking at the coolness of life out in blogland because it makes all my insecurities rise to the frothy surface of my mind.  And if it's "hip" and "in" and "everybody's doing it", then I want to make sure that I don't accidentally do it, too.

Like I said.  Pride issues, mostly. 

Back in high school, I was the worst, and let me just clarify WORST dresser there.  It was truly shameful, but there it is.  At some point, the fad of wearing knee socks came "in".  I had already been wearing them, but you can bet I stopped the moment I saw girls in the preppy crowd wearing them.  

But the time has come to set aside foolish pride and....  wait, I think the time to set aside pride came and went many years ago.  But I guess I had to wait until that fad passed...???  

Point being, I found some great ideas for getting organized as I perused the web and I wanted to share. You have got to see this wizardry.  One gal did a review of the most amazing homeschool room I have EVER seen.  At least, it speaks to me.  So go check it out and then I'll tell you what I loved about it.

******INTERMISSION******

Incredible, eh?  I love the huge gobs of storage that don't look sloppy or slapped together, stuff hanging out.  I love how the bins are shelves and can be pulled totally out and set on a table or work space, then loaded back up and put away.  I love the wood, I love the clean lines, I love that it's a bunch of IKEA stuff, too!

I love the wall storage up high, I love the expedit bookshelf that has books plus box storage in it.  I love how so much STUFF is organized in a way that doesn't tire the eye or the mind.  (I know about tired mind!)

So my latest plan is to:

*finagle an IKEA trip out of my husband (check!)

*catalog EVERY item in my house related to kids or school, record it's dimensions and decide what size/quantity of container I need for it

*choose which styles of trofast shelving I want and everything else I want from IKEA

I must still:

*clean the old master brm for transformation into school room

*rip out carpet (but save and store it)

*put in flooring, probably cork, hence the reason for saving carpet

*paint (ugggg!)

*convert Shane's old walk-in closet office into a kids LIBRARY!  Isn't that great?  I'm filled with too many ideas already.

How in the WORLD am I going to start school this century???  

A List of Quotes by Aidan

While de-cluttering, I came across this scrap of a grocery list with a few things that Aidan said.

While folding laundry:

"Mom, your butt cheek is as big as my head!"
Not a word in common usage around here, as it's discouraged. And I guess with undies on your head, it makes the comparison more... obvious

While playing at the park:

"All the kids are in awe of me!"

and to a little girl:

"Did you see me eat that bagel?  Pretty awesome, huh!"

"Look!  He's plunging to his doom!"

I asked Aidan:

"What's the prettiest part of my face?"

"Nothing, really."

"Not even one little part?"

"No.  Not much."

That's what I get for trying to wrangle a compliment from a child!

House Project: done with 2 out of 3!

I have finished painting a second bedroom!

Hooray!  Let the rejoicing grow louder and more thunderous!

The room today: The Littlest Room, which is transforming into me and Shane's room, the new master bedroom.

Once I moved the boys out of this room, they left a huge mess behind.  It needed sorting, tossing.... mostly tossing.  But I had the boys help me, so that slowed me down a few days.  But we managed to get the mess clear, and then I began to paint.

This time, in my painting journey, I did a few things differently.
1) I pulled up the carpet so that I could get a smooth paint job all the way down.  Baseboards are not terribly common in NM.  And...  I'm not going to shell out for them, yet.
2) I did all the cutting by hand.  Shane helped me on this room, too.  We did tape the wood window trim, but taping it works there.  =)  So don't be too harsh when you notice mistakes on the wall. ;)

So here's the pictures to show you the blow by blow and the play by play.
(Shane thinks it's too "pink".  I say it will make our skin look great!)

Palette: boys old messy room

Getting started erasing that bear of a dark blue ceiling.

The ceiling and two walls are all this color(Clamshell), but it looks so white here!

Laying down some clamshell on the wall.

Clamshell again.

At night, with bad lighting, but almost done with clamshell color!

You can see the carpet pulled back.

Nice not to worry about cutting in yet.

Now for Earth Tone.

Almost done!

The east wall

The west wall

The north wall, and room is READY!

And the south wall by day.

My plan is to go a bit Tuscan in here.  I'll see what Hobby Lobby has to offer.

There won't be much room in here, though.  Our queen bed goes in here, along with Shane's desk and two work computers. =)  Should be cozy!

Regretting It Later

'Member what I said in my last post about regretting it later?

This morning I headed out (with my camera) to see the new chick that was hatching last night.

On the ground outside the coop lay a partially hatched chick, flattened.

Crystal was happily sitting on the rest of the eggs on her nest.
This stupid bird apparently loves to just sit on eggs for the fun of it.  Hatching throws her WAY off, like what is going on??  Peeping?  A defective egg!  Quick, peck it and get it out of here!  It's ruining my quiet time with these other eggs!

Today marks week 4 for the original two eggs, so I took those out and threw them away.  I did not open them, I just threw them away.  I was going to take away her last egg, but I thought I'd let her do the sitting and turning.  I'll check back and when I notice peeping or pecking I'll take it away from her and hatch it in the house.  IF it hatches at all!

Just so you know, Crystal is going to the butcher.  Her special brand of talents are not really needed around here.  I accuse her of pecking other hatching chicks last year, but I had hoped she'd be better this year.  At least last year she mothered a little baby!

Now, I have to go on today and not take out my irritation on the kids and Shane.  I hate chickens!!

Peeping!

Oh, oh!  So exciting!

This morning I went out and lifted Crystal to the side... and one of the eggs had a little peep hole in it!  I went back to check on her an hour later, and the eggs were rotated and nothing new had happened.  So I read up on things....

And found out that after the air hole is pecked, the chick rests for 8 hours.  This helps it get used to breathing the outside air, I guess?  And then the baby turns a full circle inside the egg, pecking as she goes until the top comes off.

So this afternoon, I went out and lifted up Crystal again, and the baby is peeping!  It's still in the shell, but it's making noise!  I so BADLY want to supervise this, and make sure the baby makes it out okay.  I read about people helping babies out of their shells and the babies being fine.  But I'll just leave things alone and regret it later if the chick dies.  =)

But I am very, very happy that things seem to be progressing for Crystal!  And I would have a picture, but it's very hard for me to crouch down and peer into the coop, let alone with a camera.  I can't lift her up and snap a pix at the same time. =(  But I'll take pictures when the baby is running around!

Oh, happy day!

Ps:  I've done a little painting, too.

New Bike Riders!

Julia picked up the trick of riding a two-wheeler and was closely followed by Aidan.

All the kids start their bike training here on this little hill.  They can coast and practice steering without having to worry so much about pedaling.

It was fun to see and hear them as they got confidence.  Julia was especially fun as she'd go outside and sing while riding.  She'd say things like "Mom, this is so much FUN!  I didn't know how much FUN it was going to be until now!"

Aidan is pretty good, still a little wobbly, but can ride alone.  His only problem is that he would much rather watch his front tire than the road ahead of him.  So he rides at breakneck speed while staring down between his knees as the tire spins.  We shout, we encourage, we discuss being smashed by a car.  He continues to ride with his head down.  Sigh...  These are the kind of lessons you have to actually live through if you want to learn them.  Or you have to learn them in order to live.

In this video, Julia is singing a song introduced to her by Papa: "I can ride my bike with no handlebars".  

We went on our first Family Bike Ride this weekend.  It was funny, I'm sure.  I had to run beside Aidan on the uphills (it's hilly here) while holding my bike and pushing him.  I got a workout, let me tell ya!  Lots of complaining and such.  But they want to go again! =)

**********

Well, I get back to this post a few weeks later, and you already know about Mom being the one who falls off her bike!  Still, I have some pictures that I want to add to this post and show you my big babies all riding bikes, if not like pros, at least with enthusiasm.

No, Greyson did not run into the street, I promise.  By the time he runs to where the kids are, they've gone back and forth a few times. =)

A Mama Hopeful

Chickens!

Lucas' chicken, Crystal, has been laying on some eggs.  We got off to a really rough start and I suffered many a temper tantrum.

Crystal lets us know she is going broody by staying in the laying box.  Forever.  Well, we only have two laying boxes, which is fine, but the chickens will only use the one being USED.  It must be the best one.  So they try to squeeze in there next to Crystal and lay another egg.**  Sometimes they boot her out.  So I had already made a "maternity ward" for her all to herself and for her to raise the babies.  I went and got 3 fertilized eggs (since we have no rooster) and she would NOT sit on them!  Well, she'd sit on them in the main coop, but not the maternity coop.  Crystal wanted back in the main coop with the other birds.  I decided to let her back into the main coop, since the clock is now ticking on these fertilized eggs.

So we thought we'd move Crystal in the dead of night to her new coop.  But I kept forgetting.  Dead of night isn't when I think of chickens.  Except when I wake up at 2am and think "Shoot, I forgot to move Crystal!"  And that's the last time I think of it til the next night at 2am.  And then, one day:

One of my chickens ATE one of the fertilized eggs!

We about had chicken for dinner that night.  I was so mad!  MAD, I tell you! Furious!  I'm getting mad just writing about it.  The only reason I didn't kill a chicken on the spot was because I didn't know which one it was.  We had already had Cannibal taken to the "butcher".  So now we're down to two fertilized eggs, that have been iffily sat on.  But anger can do some great things.

I put the eggs in the maternity coop, put in some water and food and locked Crystal inside.  Then we peeked at her all day and for the next couple of weeks.  We'd occasionally let her outside for a dirt bath and to stretch.  She'd sit on the eggs if she was locked in, but if let out, she'd try to fly over the fence. But finally this last week, she'd go back into the coop on her own.  And on the 7th, she'd sat for 21 days.  But we have no babies.

So I'm worried that Crystal will have done all that sitting for nothing.  However, last year the babies were over FIVE days late, and we are only two days out from the due date.  We are waiting to see what happens!

**Oh yes!  There's more!  Crystal is an Australorp, a lovely black hen.  She is laying on Americauna eggs, because I want a few more green egg layers.  Well, I have one Americauna that went and laid another green egg that Crystal adopted along with the (fertilized)others, and it was a little hard to figure out which was hers.  It mattered, since now there'd be an unfertilized egg in the mix.  Two fertilized eggs were easy to tell, but the other one was chancy.  I took the chance, but now I have even more reasons for doubt.  sigh....

This post was written over several days.

UPDATE: I just found a lady with eggs she was going to take out of her incubator tomorrow and she sold me two!  =)  So now Crystal has her two originals that she's sat on for 26 days, and two more that are supposed to hatch tomorrow. =)  I am now happy!  Except... I just left Crystal in her little coop yard pacing and trying to fly back into the big coop.  I'll give her 10 more minutes, then I'm shutting her in the little coop again.

House Project: checkin' in

Just a quick note, and no pictures.  Sorry.

I have FINISHED painting the boys room (again!) and they are moved into their new (old) room.  This is the room they were in when we first moved into this house three years ago, but they have landed back there once again.  No pictures, because I want to post a picture once I put up shelves and mirrors and the final "decorations" in there.  And right now I am storing a love seat, bookcase and calendar easel in the middle of the room.

Because I am switching things around SO much, I have called the four rooms in the house as follows:
The Master Room (will become the school room)
The Small Room (no closet, will become the "master room")
Julia's Room
The Boys' Room

The small room is my focus, now.  As I am redoing each room, I am de-cluttering as I go.  Julia's room is good to go, the Boys room is good to go.  But the mess that Lucas left behind in the small room... !!! He's like his Mama, poor child.  We discussed the ramifications of storing "stuff" for years, and he was quick to observe that the room wouldn't hold everything.  So together we weeded and weeded and organized and made places for things... whew!  And we aren't quite done, but we are on the downhill side.

The problem I'm running into, is that I have nowhere to stick stuff as I clean out rooms.  Stuff is getting pushed ahead of me, like bookcases and furniture.  And a little pressure will be relieved when I paint the small room and can put my bed and Shane's office in there...  but the entire master bedroom will need to be emptied so we can put in a cork or bamboo floor.  WHEW!!  All of this "ceiling to baseboard" cleaning and de-cluttering is SO good for me, though!

So that's the latest.  I might have a "before" picture for the small room that will soon be MIIIIIINE! in the next day or two.  The saddest thing is that it is a beautifully painted blue room for the boys, and my previous masterpiece that I must now paint over.  No, I WANT to paint over it.... it will be my new masterpiece.

"I never look back, darling.  It distracts from the now."

House Project: more boys blue bedroom

Here is Tuesday's progress:

A start on the ceiling... what a hassle!

At least I had a bunk bed to use for part of the ceiling.

At this point, I felt a bit like Michelangelo.

Minus the talent, of course.

It comes together!

I did the right hand crack BY HAND.

I will do the wall crack by hand as well.

Maybe.

Yes, walls have cracks.

And this is where I left off.

I think you can tell which two cracks need attention.

Attention for another day!

Story:  Tonight we took a Family Bike Ride.  (We say it in capitals.) As I was doing my famous "ride up beside little kids and give them a helpful shove going uphill" I almost bashed into Aidan's back tire. Since I didn't want to do this, I didn't turn, just let the bike fall over, but somehow missed catching myself with my foot.  Hiney high, wide and handsome, I slo-mo'ed to the ground, landing on my knee and elbow.  In gravel.  Gracefully, I got to my feet and turned back to observe my Honey's reaction.  He was carefully sympathetic, and never once cracked a smile at me!  I did have a mildly scraped up knee. But I'm fine, especially since no neighbors were out.  So if they saw me, they had time to back out of their window before I looked around.  

Also: As I was suffering through this ceiling, Aidan told me that I could paint until my heart was content.  Then he asked me if my heart was content.  So I said, no, that my heart would not be content until the painting was done!  He suggested I just stop painting and that I would find my heart was content after all.  I suspect he was right, but forced myself to keep going, regardless of my heart's contentment level.