This Says it All

If I were asked to make a list of all the things I'm thankful for this year, I'd have to point to this picture. It's got it all:



The big one, there, buried under the children - where do I start? My marriage, my support system, my partner, my heart's desire. He won't always laugh at my jokes, but he'll always love me; and I, him.

Those four wonderful, affectionate, healthy, sweet children. They're full. They're warm. They're loved. I couldn't stay up late enough to count the blessings just from the five people in this photo.

The futon that got us through last winter.

The walls that will get us through this winter.

The warm clothes on our backs, and the fact that we are blessed with living where we are, and are able to live our lives the way we choose.

I don't know what's up with that towel on the couch, but even that is a reminder of the many things, both financial and emotional, that we've been able to share with the children (it's one we bought for our Florida trip this summer).

The boxes in the background are filled with things to donate - good things that still have "plenty of life" left in them, and I'm thankful that we can be on the giving end for a change.

The globe we use for lessons - our lifestyle, our goals, our life.

The home Miss Emily was born in, and her brothers have helped to make. (I watched her truck down the hall, singing to herself as she looked for Smidge after supper, and I got teary-eyed to know that, God willing, she won't ever have to learn a new home, a new hallway, a strange place to call home while she's little. She won't stand in a dark hall at midnight, crying because she doesn't know which room is ours. I. Am. So. Thankful.)

There are only about eleven years of my life represented directly in that photograph, but they've been an amazing eleven, and have filled my heart and my cup to overflowing, with gratitude and joy.

Happy Thanksgiving!
Kiss those babies!
~Dy

My eyes hurt!

They're watery and twitchy. No, I'm not sick. I've just been putting together a Christmas wishlist for the boys today. They've spent the last week pouring over catalogs, although oddly enough, only at my insistance. I don't know if they're just used to never getting what they'd really like (anybody remember the breeding elves?), or what it is, but it took some serious tooth-pulling to get either of them to sit down with a marker and circle things they'd like. Normally, it's not much of a problem. They've always been so easy to shop for. But this year... this is the first year I've noticed that I'm *officially* clueless. The things I ooohhh and aahhhhh over, thinking they'd just go nuts about, they give me the same look I gave my mother the year she bought me a complete bedding ensemble that every six-year old girl dreams of... and I was 14. I try to keep in mind my own mortification at that time, and encourage them to guide me and keep me from going down that ugly, confusing road.

James did circle two items from the Mindware catalog. That gave me a place to start, at least. Then, when I logged into the Mindware website, he knew all about so many of the items and said, "OH, that looked really neat!" or "I would LOVE this one!" Well why didn't you mark it in the catalog, you goofball? Maybe he was just trying not to be greedy. *sigh*

So, I've got a wishlist started at Amazon. I noticed that I'd also started one, um, back in 2004, but I didn't start it until something like the 20th of December, and by then nobody needed ideas for the boys, so we never had a chance to play with it. (Beethoven's Wig is still on there, though - *I* really want that one! *grin*) Right now, it's just things we think the boys would like. Tomorrow, we'll get online with each one and let them each browse and pick. It's going to have to be them. There's so much junk available out there that I felt dizzy after sorting through it today. Hopefully, they'll have some ideas to start us off and we can get it figured out (and then, ordered and shipped without having to pay overnight shipping! WOOHOO!)

We're just getting too old for The Last Minute. Halloween about did me in. *wink*

And I know I've posted this place before, but if you haven't checked it out, you really need to. Even if you're done shopping. Just the catalog blurbs alone are worth perusing (although, seriously, they do get some mighty nifty stuff, particularly if you like things a bit quirky): American Science and Surplus. I have literally laughed aloud while reading through their Christmas catalog this week.

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Home Remodel - Kids' Rooms

OK, I'm no longer on the lam... Yay! For anyone interested in the play-by-play slideshow, complete with excuses, I mean, comments, you can view the pictures here.

For the less motivated (or those on dialup), here's a quick shot of direct before and afters. I tried to get shots from the same angles. Interestingly, there is only one existing photo of the nursery from its days as a blacklight bong water dormitory. Huh. Imagine that. So, in brief, here's the nursery:



As you can see, we still have "storage issues" to address. That will come. (Hopefully, so will closet doors!) There aren't many photos of this transformation, because this room was the first bedroom we did - it had to be ready by the time Miss Emily made her grand debut. So, we were a bit under the gun, as the kitchen and bath also had to be done fairly soon after we moved in. So. Well, there ya go.

The next set of pictures is from the boys' room. We took a little more time with this one. (As in, we still aren't completely done. We get to the trimming of the closets and sort of wander off to work on something else. It's a theme - you'll notice it with the other two bedrooms, as well. In ten years, when I get around to posting those pictures.) Again, more detail, and more photos are in the slideshow. This is just a brief before and after, side-by-side comparison. I give you, The Boys' Room:



I included that bottom picture for two reasons: it's really cute, and it shows the toy shelves we built. This was a quick and easy project, the fruit of my warped desire to make stuff and Zorak's equally warped need to make certain it's solid. We'll be building another one to put in the nursery, which will hopefully address some of the storage issues mentioned above. It's designed to hold three of the larger Sterlite bins, or four of the smaller ones, on each shelf.

Well, time to go play!

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Oh, for Pete's sake!

I just spent three hours uploading the before and after pictures of the renovation on the kids' rooms to a Yahoo! folder. They've "upgraded" the system, which meant that a great deal of that time wasted er, spent went toward figuring out the new system. OK, fine. But the pictures are up.

When I went to change the setting on that album to public, however, I received a nifty little notice that my account has been flagged as "age-restricted" due to violations of Yahoo's police regarding inapprorpriate images.

What.

The.

HELL.

Is up with that?

If I'd know that (oh, I don't know, perhaps a little notice via email would be a good way to let someone know they've set off a flag? a little heads up that there is, obviously, a problem! because I can guarantee you I'm not uploading or sharing ANYTHING inappropriate or damaging - argh!!) and I could have saved myself the time, effort and frustration of doing this tonight, just gone to bed at ten, and dealt with this during business hours.

I do hope tomorrow goes more smoothly than this did. Ugh. And really, I think it's neat that Yahoo has taken the extra step of looking out for folks who might be violating privacy or ethics concerns. I do. I just think that, considering the potential for the occasional blip in the screening process, better communication with its users would be nice, as well.

Oh, well, it's time for bed, anyway.

Dy

The week in pictures

Here's the proud boy with his first loaf of bread.



Miss Emily loves rice sticks and stiry fry!


Balto, head of QA for flooring installation...


And here, the boys are enjoying the spacious new layout. We threw the futon down on the floor for TV watching, and can stash it in the guest room when we're done. (Yeah, only one of them is actually watching TV. Seems the pad also makes a great wrestling mat and GP play area.)

Oh, and we don't usually live with newspapers and boxes piled around the living area. The overall clutter in the background is from the Blue Willow, which I was unpacking from storage when I snapped the picture! WOOHOO!

And Balto, ever so patiently letting Miss Emily play with his tail. I've got to try to get actual video of this, it's hilarious.


And that's pretty much been our week - laughing, learning, enjoying.

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Virtual Friday

I really like Zorak's work schedule. Every other Friday, he's off, so we have an extra day to work on the house, or play with the kids. We usually blow the evenings by staying up way too late to watch Scrubbs and then a movie or two, but the time spent together is really nice. Sort of makes up for those last two years of school, where we never saw one another, even on weekends.

Today was cold-cold. Not like Michigan cold, but colder-than-Yuma cold. I'd venture to say it was close to Denver-cold (Zorak says no, but he was inside... and I'm feelin' like a weenie.) And it was beautiful. The boys were content to stay inside and play, work on their lessons, eat. Smidge really wanted to go outside to play, but not alone. So he stood in the foyer with his shoes on, hoodie in hand. He just stood there, staring at us, just waiting for someone to cave. (Nobody did - did I mention that it was kinda chilly out there?)

The kids and I found a recipe for making mulled cider out of regular apple juice, so we just had to try it. Some may poo-poo the idea that the two are even remotely similar, outside the basic apple DNA, but I've gotta say a few things in favor of this little plan: economy, year-round availability, and sheer freakin' fun. C'mon, how often do you let your kids heat a dry skillet and throw whole peppercorns in there? Or stir a handful of cloves and broken cinnamon sticks into a whirlpool in a pot? If you're eight, or six, or three, (or, um thirty-three...) that's fun! The flavor turned out pretty good, so we served it up with supper, and Zorak eyed us suspiciously. The knowledge that we'd gleaned the recipe from a website called Cooking For Engineers didn't seem to help any. (Of course, the fact that we were having a mongolian-like noodle dish for supper probably didn't help any, either.)

And now, it's quiet. We read "The Strange Dog" chapter in Farmer Boy tonight, so the boys are feeling particularly appreciative of Balto Dog. I am, too, really. For all the deer he chases away, he's really a loyal and affectionate dog, and it is nice to know his early alert systems are functional. Wish we could turn it off til the end of hunting season, but eh, can't have everything.

Zorak picked up a movie this evening, and he's ready to get started on our long weekend lounging. Time for a little touchin' base, and general appreciative sharing all around. Good stuff, this marriage thing. ;-)

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

What's For Supper?

Here, we're having potato soup, fresh salad (boiled eggs, cheddar cheese, Dubliner cheese, red bell peppers, green peppers, onions, celery, all decorated with greens), and fresh breads.

For those who are WF/GF, if you haven't tried the French Bread rolls recipe in GFG Bakes Bread, OMG - they're to die for! And even better, if you just make one large lump on a baking sheet instead of little dinner rolls, it comes out flat enough to be used for foccacia, but just thick enough to be sliced horizontally and toasted for breakfast bread or used as sandwich bread. I think I'm in heaven, and I know John is!

We had a tornado watch today. James stayed in the hallway, with full canteens and his shoes on, reprimanding me on each trip I made up and down the hall for not keeping the baby by the basement door "just in case". We stayed home, cleaning, making sure we have enough clean clothes and pre-cooked food to get us through a power outage. (I live in fear of losing power with a washer full of wet clothes. Focus on the small things and the big ones will just whiz right by ya!)

All is well, and the ground is beautiful, buried among all the leaves!

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Missed it by "that much".

Drat. The new positions of the printer cabinet and the computer desk have left me without photo upload abilities. The cord is about two feet too short.

James made his first loaf of bread today. All on his own - prep, mixing, proofing, shaping and baking. I was there mainly to remind him not to measure right on the edge of the counter, to keep stirring, and not to measure right there, on the edge, of the counter.

He used the "Learning Loaf" from Marilyn M. Moore's The Wooden Spoon Bread Book, which is a wonderful one-loaf recipe that's easy for small hands to manipulate. The loaf turned out beautifully, not even "for a first loaf", but really nicely done. He was so proud. He ran about giving everyone a piece of bread, and while he'd originally thought he'd just eat the whole thing in one sitting (probably all alone, in the closet), the delight everybody else took in his creation called for cinnamon sugar toast all around! John is now anxious to make his first loaf of bread, and Smidge is really happy to have fresh bread any time he wants.

The others are still sick. Miss Emily has figured out what those white floaty things in the boxes are for, and she's not impressed. Thankfully, she hasn't begun Smidge's tactical maneuver of wiping the snot on a sleeve just seconds before the tissue comes within range. It won't take long, I'm sure. Right now, she's under the illusion that she can simply outpace us. It's cute, but kind of sad, because she's honestly baffled that we catch her every. single. time.

Going barefoot seems to be Miss Emily's answer to the traction issue. (Tried the shoes - she was having none of that, thank you for trying.) So, she stands at the diswasher and talks with me while I tidy the kitchen. I don't get much done, for all the staring down toward my knees and cooing to the baby, but it does make the chores a lot of fun.

You know, Zorak rebounds from these renovation pushes much more quickly than I do. Just thought I'd put that out there. We haven't even purchased baseboards yet, and he's already dreaming of vaulting the living room ceiling, adding the den, and turning the master bath into a closet. The most encouragement I can offer him, as I rub my toes back and forth on the floor, is a weak, "Yeah... that'll be... *gulp* great." Poor guy. He needed a wife with stamina. What he got is a wife with a sense of humor. Ah, well, whatever works, right?

I got a delightful surprise yesterday morning! Just the day prior, I was thinking that we hadn't had one of those beautiful, sparkling, fog-drenched mornings yet - the ones where the barn is just a shadowy sillhouette in a shimmering pool off in the distance. I loved those last year, and isn't it about time for more of those? Well, yesterday I walked into the living room to find everything illuminated by a diffused, glowing light. Looked out the window, and there it was - a Faerie Morning! Ohhhh, coffe just tastes better in that kind of weather.

And now, as part of my plan not to drive myself into an early grave, I'm going to head to bed before midnight! Woohoo!

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Weird.

Well, the computer has been acting up. The average page load takes anywhere from 15-30 minutes. So, no blogging, no returned emails, and no checking in on anyone. I *think* the problem is at bay for the moment, so figured I'd do something productive, like, um, well, blog. Wouldn't want to do something like pay bills until we know it's completely fixed, right? ;-)

Thought maybe I'd switch to beta, and ring in the new week with a fresh look for the blog, but Blogger won't let me switch. The help page listed several factors for not being able to switch over, the only one of which this blog might qualify for is the size. "Very large blog", which, honestly, I didn't think it was all that big. But then, I suppose if I saved all my dustballs every day for five years, that'd be a pretty big dustball. Put in perspective like that, yeah, I can see it.

Miss Emily has traction shoes now. We'll see how that works out tomorrow.

Smidge hasn't played in his room all weekend. He plays on "us new floor". He talks to the floor, too.

Zorak and I went back a few nights ago to read the posts from this time last year. We laughed, we exhaled a huge composite sigh of relief and gratitude. We got up and slid around the living room in our socks. The boys are no longer sleeping in a tent in the kitchen for warmth. The boys won't remember most of the hard stuff. Heck, they don't even remember last Thanksgiving. They thought we spent it with Melissa and her family, but that was two years ago - so, fortunately, they seem to have blocked most of last fall from their memories completely! WOOHOO!

Everybody here, from Zorak down to Miss Emily, with the exception of myself, has succombed to The Ick. They're not feeling so hot, so they've just watched movies and hung out near the Kleenex box. I spent two hours at the dentist this morning, having my jaw removed, beaten into a different shape, and then reattached with bailing wire (or so it seems, based on the residual pain), so everybody was kind enough to let me lie on the futon and whimper quietly for most of the afternoon.

I really hope the rest of this week goes well. I'm too tired to take on anything else. And on that note, it's time to check on the wee ones and head for bed, myself.

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

WE LIVED!

YESSSS! The feeling we have right now is tantamount to the sensation that causes people to yank up goal posts and run laps around the field. Zorak's "Plan A" worked well. Astoundingly well. I've got to say, this is why I'm not an engineer. Had it been up to me to formulate a plan in the first half of the alphabet, I'd be either buried underneath hundreds of pounds of splintered wood and hinges, or I'd be still (two days later) taking the thing apart, one screw at a time. Thankfully, he "gets" how this stuff works, and we managed to lift, load, move, and replace a 6' x 4' cabinet grouping in one evening. No swearing. No running or screaming. And, best of all, no splinters!

We're still three rows shy of completing the kitchen, but today was productive. We got the ceiling fan in the living room switched out, the bookshelves oiled and restocked, the corner hutch oiled and loaded. We've thrown out a ton of paperwork (yay!) and can once again see the dining table. Oh, and we finally, honestly, seriously, have-the-confirmation-in-hand, ordered a cabinet. The bookshelf will soon be liberated from kitchen captivity and left free to roam the... um, other rooms... ok, the metaphor breaks down pretty darned rapidly. It's late. I'm tired. Happy, but not terribly articulate.

James really doesn't like the new furniture arrangement, and he's hoping we are simply subjecting him to one of our less-than-humorous jokes.

Miss Emily is in dire need of little shoes with traction. She keeps trying to stand, but about 3/4 of the way up, her feet splay out and down she goes. I wish she had some hair to cover the little round impact marks on her forehead. :-S

Smidge has decided he is "fast, fast, fast!" Fortunately, the hall ends at a doorway and not a wall, as he can't quite stop, stop, stop just yet.

And John, wow, what a little worker bee he's been! He regularly requests projects to do, although today's came with the request that he have "something constructive, not destructive". I guess breaking down box after box of flooring stuff loses its appeal after a while. So, he was put in charge of sorting and arranging the videos and music, and he did a great job.

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Quick Checklist

Luncheon: check.
Cute kids at luncheon who did not snort food out their noses or make bodily function jokes: check.
Lovely day with friends: check.
Empty kitchen: oh, I've run out of checks!

We left here yesterday way too early to be leaving the house, and although we headed out from the arsenal almost an hour after everyone else (because, yes, we are always late - it's in our genetic code), we still arrived in time for the mass seating at the luncheon. *whew* We may not be faster than a speeding bullet, but we've learned how to dodge them quite well. Yay us! The spread was lovely, the staff at the restaurant was delightful. The kids were in good form, and we enjoyed visiting, eating, and visiting a bit more.

Me-Wa and Me-Tae invited us to stop by their place on the way home. They're always enjoyable to visit with, and it's so neat to see how their place is coming along. And the kids really love them. We're so blessed to have them living here now. Terry (Smidge's "Me-Tae") is so kind and so gracious. I'm hoping some of that gentleness she has will wear off on me. And as for the guys, well, it's seldom men really form those lifelong bonds of friendship, but Ward (Smidge's "Me-Wa") and Zorak really have. They laugh without restraint, talk politics and religion without anybody's nose getting bent. They enjoy one another on a level I rarely see men enjoying their associations. So, while Me-Wa and Me-Tae probably collapse on the couch in utter exhaustion when we pull out of the drive, we sure do enjoy the time we spend with them.

Today came way too early. Oy. But in a bit, I'll start the Unloading of the Kitchen. It'll be a good time to purge and sort, too. The new pantry order has been held off until this weekend, as Zorak remembered that Home Depot offers 10% off for Veterans. *grin* That's worth the wait. (I just hope I can remember where we hid his DD214!) 911 has been programmed into my cell phone, and James has instructions to follow in case "Plan A" falls through. Er, wait, I shouldn't use the term "falls through". Um, "doesn't go quite as planned". Yes, that's better. More comforting than the thought of our island lying on the floor of the basement with us under it.

Oh, and Susie! I can't find another way to contact you, so I hope you see this. I would love any recipes you'd be willing to share. Our only restriction is wheat free, but we work with a lot of the other allergen-free recipes, too, so that we're ready to bring food to gatherings for just about anyone. For the house, though, we can use yeast and dairy and whatever else. Thank you so much for your offer.

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

More Work, and a Little Play

The living room and dining room are now completely floored. We've put little fuzzy coaster things on everything that touches the floor. The kids are lucky they were in bed before we really got on a roll.

Tomorrow, I have to dump the cabinets in the island and clean off the corner hutch so we can move them and lay the floor in the kitchen. Zorak revealed his Plan tonight. We'll call it "Plan A". It's a very thorough plan. "Plan B" involves pre-programming 911 into my cell phone and teaching the boys how to use it. I'm really hoping Plan A works.

We also have a luncheon tomorrow. I think it's Zorak's company holiday thing. Not sure. I begged for attire guidelines and they were pretty vague. This serves me right for not knowing any of the women he works with. The boys are easy - navy turtlenecks and nice jeans. Miss Emily is a little harder, but that's just because there are soooo many cute outfits! (No, I did not just say that...) And me? Well, I have nothing that says, "Oh, sure, I may have four children and not get out much, but really, I'm holding up quite well, don't you think?" My best bet would have been to get my hair done three weeks ago, but that would've required advance planning. If I had a kaftan right now, I'd be tempted to wear it. Maybe with a belt.

(KIDDING!)

Jeans and a snappy little holiday sweater ought to work. *snort* I don't own anything snappy. I don't know. We'll see what doesn't look bulgy when I try it on.

And on that note, I've got to go to bed.

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Before & After Pictures: The Hallway

In going through our photos, I realized there aren't many of the hallway itself. That's probably because it was creepy. Then it spent the winter covered in plastic and we only went back there when we really, really had to pee. And honestly, who takes a camera for that? (No. I don't want to know. Suffice to say that we aren't among those who do.) However, I pieced together what I could, so here goes.

This is the hall, as seen from the living room, when we bought the place. The hallway was, as everything else in the house, carpeted.



You can see the orange carpet in one of the bedrooms, and just in front of that, what we've been calling "the icon closet" (it finally decided to become a linen closet). The door to the basement is open. I don't know why. You can't see the old coat closet (now the washer/dryer cubby), but it's just past that door. The hall looks really long, to me, in this picture. I'm not sure why.

Nothing new to report on the whole process; out came the paneling, the carpet, the subfloor, and the doors. (The basement door we just cleaned and left on because, really, that was better than leaving the basement exposed. Ew.) So, here it is, a bit barren, but no longer inciting the willies in passersby. (This was taken from the other end of the hall, looking back toward the living room.)



And here, as it has spent the majority of our time thus far, with walls, paint, subfloor. And, it has two lights, one at each end, rather than one in the middle. The exciting stuff is in all the wiring, but you can't see that. It's a little plain vanilla, but how much time does one spend in the hallway? It's clean and not health-threatening. We'll hang stuff later, when decorations rise to the surface of the priority heap, um, list.



And then, only a year later (*snort*), here we are!



Miss Emily is thrilled with the new floor!



There's a lot of trim and detail work still to be done. But it's the fine carpentry stuff (such as borders near a few edges for the paint changes, since we used bullnose beading on the corners and that doesn't give a good, clean edge for a color change, baseboards - you can see that in detail.) But don't they look happy? And mostly clean?



And, if you'll pardon the mess (it's only about 50 feet from the front door to the kitchen, as the crow flies, but with everything upended while we work on the floor, it's a good two-mile hike over everything), here's a look at the foyer, from the living area. That arch is my happy spot. When I get overwhelmed by it all and think we'll never be finished, I sit in the kitchen and look over at my arch. *happy sigh*



Tomorrow, more flooring to put down. We're a little over halfway done with all of it, so that feels good. There's just a lot of shuffling, feeding, and tending to be done amidst all of it, so it's a slow process. But thanks for being patient and encouraging. It's really coming along. We forget just how much, until we look at the "before" pictures. That drives the changes home pretty quickly. It's amazing how quickly something can become "how it's always been" - it's an encouraging sensation.

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

It's Down!

The floor, that is. Well, and Blogger's photo upload utility, it seems. But initially, I meant the floor. It's okay, though. I will try again tomorrow for a better picture. The ones from tonight are not only a bit dark, but they're kind of wobbly and off kilter. I'm hoping that's me, and not the floor.

However, there is now a floor, a Real Floor, in the hallway. It's so pretty! It feels SO good. Thankfully, it's a high-traffic residential/low-traffic commercial grade surface, because otherwise we'd wear the finish off from all our touching it and shuffling our stocking feet up and down the hall.

Miss Emily seemed to understand that this is just for her. She rolled around on it, played on it, crawled to and fro (giggling the entire time) on it, and dragged toys out of the nursery to play with in the hall. (She has never brought a toy out of the nursery.)

We couldn't keep the boys off of it. We asked them to wait until it was completely installed before they played on it: you'd have thought we told them we'd be serving only gruel from now until Christmas. When exiled to their room, they sat, wedged three abreast, in the doorway, peering out into the hall with the most pathetic big-eyed expressions I've ever seen. By the time we finished, they'd just about worn themselves out fidgeting and asking if it was done yet.

In all, we're happy with the way it goes in. We like the way it looks (and feels! Oh, my!) Our goal now is to go to bed before midnight (it's 11:44 now) and try to get up early enough that perhaps we can complete the project tomorrow. Baseboards will have to wait until the next payday, so the pictures won't show the completely finished project, but it's a far sight better than it was a year ago. Or last week, even.

And now I'm going to slide down the hall and off to bed!

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Home Renovation & Educational Maintenance

The hallway is almost ready to receive flooring. I've spent the last few days putzing about in there, getting all my stuff out of the way. Zorak spent tonight trimming door moulding. How exciting! We're still lacking three doors for the various openings in the hallway, but those are easy enough to put in after the floor is laid.

Since the kids survived running the gauntlet with me yesterday, I determined today would be A Good Day, with plenty of time to play, plenty of stories to read, plenty of time to just be. It worked. They played outside quite a bit, both the older ones spent over an hour this afternoon reading. Smidge and Miss Emily got extra snuggles and wrestling time and Stories For Little Guys. I set up James with his Latin, put Miss Emily down for a nap, and spent time doing a little one-on-one Latin work with John. (James graciously allowed Smidge to drive his little cars all over his head, back, and book while he worked. That child is so wonderful to his brothers!) Then John took Smidge outside and James and I worked one-on-one with his math while I prepared lunch. Today had a great rhythm.

We made a yeast-free breakfast bread, which turned out both delicious and beautiful. Then, while we were on a roll, we attempted Ms. Hagman's yeast-free bean bread again. Twice. I don't think we can eat that much bread pudding. And I still can't figure out what I'm doing wrong that's causing every loaf to implode like this. I cut the liquid by almost a full cup in this last batch, and while it was decidedly better, it still wasn't something I'd feed anyone not obligated to eat my cooking.

The boys are really taken in by both our current read-alouds: Farmer Boy and The Battle of Troy. Of course, the stories appeal to each boy in a different way, and James always wants to hear more Farmer Boy, whereas John's dying for me to read more Troy.

We wrapped up the majority of our prolonged Greece study tonight with a vase project. I don't think they're going to use the black figure or red figure painting (namely because I found our stash of paint, and we have no red). The vases really turned out great, though. James sculpted Balto, complete with three dimensional features, "almond eyes", and a bone tag on the collar, then wrapped the sculpture around the body of his vase. Very cool design. John built miniature ships which he attached to the rim of his vase. The rim has waves on it, to emulate a sea, and there's even a gargantuan cannon ball mid-way between the ships. I don't know how well the overall design will survive, but the concept is awesome. We'll bake them tomorrow and paint them in the afternoon, when the boys are tired of playing outside and we're knee-deep in flooring and underlayment.

Any suggestions for keeping a baby occupied and out of the way while laying floors?

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Friday already?

Tomorrow can't be Friday! It's just... just, well, there was Wednesday, I think. But where'd the REST of the week go? In hindsight, we've accomplished quite a bit, but it just doesn't feel like an entire week has passed.

We are not leaving the house next week at all, if I can help it. Ugh. Oh, poop. Nevermind. I think we have a luncheon to go to next week in Lynchburg. How much Rescue Remedy does it take to build up a good, calm level in the bloodstream? Is it too late to start putting in in our breakfast drinks?

Today was The Errand-Filled Day From Hell. *insert spooky noises, screams of tortured children, er, souls, and flames - lots of flames* Whew, we're bushed! We hit Aldi's, Wal-Mart, Lowe's, and Costco. I haven't done groceries for two weeks, and after today, I may not do them again for another two weeks. Fortunately, the Costco runs are only once a month. We are thoroughly prepared for several potential situations, however: unexpected company, growth spurts, overnight famine. Then we stopped at Me-Wa's and Me-Tae's for a visit. (We were sure Smidge was going to just walk the 50 miles to their house if we didn't go visit soon.) Had a lovely visit. Life is good. And the kidlets? Sleeping like couch potatoes after a triathalon. It's beautiful.

Productivity seems to be the theme for this fall. I have no idea how that happened, but there you have it. The boys love getting checklists each morning (I use the ones from Chart Jungle), and in the process of putting something together for them, it's inevitable that I also must have some idea what's happening. Next thing you know, Zorak's coming home and we've been busy all day long. Constructively, productively busy. With free time, even, to play in the leaves and run from the dog.

Meals seem to be coming easier, also (both ideas and timing). I've really got to thank Miss Maggie for that end of it. There's only so much you can do with hamburger, but it's evidently quite a lot more than I knew before. I need to spend a little more time stewing over lunch ideas (I really hate fixing lunch), but in general, it's getting easier to meet the needs of the crew with a good attitude and good food, you know, before nine PM - a winning combination in any book!

So in the vein of productivity, Friday will bring us more sorting, more cleaning, more decluttering. More second declension nouns, more math and more reading. We'll be spending time in the woods of New York, and on the shores of Troy. We'll probably bake some bread and paint some, erm, trim (it's okay, I laugh when I say that, too). But you never know. This is a magical season. It could happen. We'll move from Venus to Mars, and make some pottery. It will be a busy, productive day. And at the end, when it's quiet once again, I'm still going to be truly puzzled how this happened. Some mysteries are sweeter left unsolved, though, I think. (It's that, or admit that I'm getting old and uncomfortable with spontaneity. So let's stick with "mysteries", okay? Thanks.)

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

The Whole Crew

I had no idea trick-or-treating began around four! When I was a wee lass, we didn't start until after supper and after it was dark. Period. Ever. Zorak pointed out the safety aspect of going while it's still light out, though, and reminded me that we also took myriad trips cross country as youngsters, splayed out in the back of a station wagon, sans any safety restraint whatsoever. Um, okay, so the times they are a'changin'. But it still feels weird to go trick-or-treating while it's still light out. However, since I'm not on the ball with this sort of stuff (except the restraints, yes, the children are all properly strapped in like little astronauts on liftoff), we didn't make it out during daylight hours today, either. But we had fun.

And, since I'm not organized, either, I can't show you the fun we had or the amazingly decorated houses we saw, because we left the camera to guard the house. (??) I had the kids spread out on the rock in the front yard when we arrived home, though, and got a few shots. You can't see the angels singing, because they were behind me, but if you've got more than two children, you can spot the cause of my joy immediately:



Yep, all looking the same direction. Just couldn't top that, so I quit right then and there.

Life is good, indeed.

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

And a gooooood morning!

Well, my monthly goals are shot. Today is the last day, and if it weren't for that pesky holiday thing, I could possibly pull it off. But as it stands, I have small children who awoke this morning, asking if they could don their costumes right away. Er, no. You have two full meals to get through first. I'm pretty sure Bob the Builder isn't coated in oat crust by noon. Let's hold off a bit.

We did get many boxes of clothes sorted, washed and packed up for shipping. Now to get them out before postal rates go up again! (Which is, honestly, a whole new goal of itself.) The boys were a great help, sacrificing their room for the staging area, and playing with Miss Emily the Destructor while Smidge and I moved loads. It's so funny to see them excited about doing wash. Sort of like there's something wrong with their wiring. But you know, I'll take that. Help and happiness are just that, and not to be turned away, no matter how weird their forms.

Wish I had a clue what today's plan is, but I don't. Zorak is helping his brother with some science project, and so he's had the computer at night. The organizational portion of my brain can only be accessed when the full moon reaches it's zenith and the wolves howl on the... no, wait. Well, whatever it is, that part cannot be accessed in the light of day. So here I sit, with paint cans around me, kids eating oatmeal, cursing this early morning sunlight and wondering why we can't remember to get curtain rods while we're out. (For clarity's sake: I'm the one cursing the sunlight. The oatmeal eating children are stunningly chipper at the moment.) I know I ought to have a plan, but for the life of me, I can't get one to come together.

Well, it's probably not going to come to me, sitting here writing. Guess I'll go do the next thing and perhaps it'll all come together, no?

Have a wonderful day, and Happy Halloween!

Kiss those ghouls!
~Dy

Home Remodel, Stardate -317828.44

(Yeah, that really is the stardate - cool, huh?)

Well, we have a floor. It's currently five feet high, piled in the foyer and the guest room. But it's ours, baby! And having it here, taking up space, is much like getting a Vitamin B12 shot - we're ready to roll! The energy and motivation those boxes have spread throughout the house is nothing short of amazing. Even my beloved caffeine can no longer give me this boost.

And so, today we'll finish lessons early, head to Lowe's for more primer (because, evidently you kind of need that to paint a door -pfft- details, details), some screen and spline (because there's that whole pesky issue of storm windows and the desire to see through them, open them. whatever.) then home again to finish our work.

The flooring we purchased from iFloor.com - wonderful people to work with. We arrived right at closing time, thanks to our unfamiliarity with time zones and the fact that we'd be crossing one. But if Darlene and Jonathan from the Dalton store were quietly wishing us a slow and painful death from veering off the Interstate on the way home, they never let on. We appreciate that. They were most helpful, interactive, and thoughtful. I know that, for them, flooring is a daily thing. They probably have nightmares about wood floors battling it out with laminates. Everybody they meet is putting in a new floor, and soooo excited about it, and thinks they're the only people in the world who have ever done so. We get that. But they also treated us as if they cared that we're putting in a new floor, they were enthused by our excitement of it, and they never once felt the need to inform us that - hello! - it's an entire industry and no, we're not the only people in the world who have ever done this. That's salesmanship. Plus, they complimented the boys and thought Miss Emily was too cute. ;-)

We left with something completely different than what we'd intended to pick up. We got there, and it didn't say "buy me" the way it did on the computer. After an hour, Zorak clicked on what wasn't quite right about the kind we'd originally chosen. It looked great online, but in person, it was... mmm... well, he leaned over and whispered, "Doesn't that look just like the paneling we pulled out?" I snatched Baby Girl up off that sample and tried very hard not to let my flashbacks show. We went with something else. (Consider this a warning - shopping online can be a lot like internet dating. The hunk in the dark oak you met online could turn out to be nothing but a drunk in a dark paneling wife beater!)

We went with this. It's a little bold, but so was the Adobe Ghetto in the kitchen, and we love that. This goes with the cream, the green, and the adobe colors. I think we're going to love it. And if we don't, that's okay, too, because with four children, I doubt it'll be visible most of the time, anyway.

Sooo, between now and Wednesday, with lessons and Halloween thrown in there for good measure, I've got to get this house Floor Ready (you didn't actually think our plan worked last weekend, did you?) The goal today is to ship out boxes: boxes of clothes, boxes of borrowed things, boxes of gifts. There will not be anything left in our house that is not ours, or should not be ours. This is my dream, er, goal.

And now I've got to go actually be productive, rather than just writing about it.

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Party like a pirate!

Well, you'd think I'd have taken more photos, what with all the effort that went into this little project. But once he was in the suit, he was in character. Who knew pirates moved so quickly?


We made it to the party, had a fantastic time, ate tons of food (we brought beans and cornbread, homemade chips and green chile con queso - my mouth is still on fire). Most all of the photos have other people's children in them, and I am too tired to crop or blur all the faces, so I've only got a couple of pics. The Dads were great sports, and I think this was the all-around favorite game of the night:



Smidge went as Bob the Builder, but he wouldn't wear the hardhat. He kept it in sight the entire time, but just wouldn't put it on. He did, however, have a fantastic time!



I couldn't get James to hold still for any other pictures, and I was holding Miss Emily most of the time, so didn't get any shots of her but one (and I haven't edited out the background noise in that one yet). But for now, as you can see, we made it. We had a great time. And the costume has held up to a full 24 hours of wear so far! Yay, Tony!!

Kiss those babies!
~Dy