Sunday

I love Sundays.  I get to sleep in for one.  Tom and I trade off who gets to sleep in on the weekends.  He gets Saturdays and I get Sundays.  It gives us both a break from all the nutty craziness of mornings.  Both the kids get up raring to go.  Tom and I?  Not so much. 

Right now I'm finished with my coffee, although I'm considering one more cup.  Tom has some good music going on Pandora while he grades papers, Mia is napping, and Bear is in his room for some quiet time.  Bear seems to really like having his own room.  Little sister does not like this new situation.  Last night was there first night in separate rooms since she's been born.  Well, other than the first couple months when she was in with us.  She hated it.  So much so that she ended up in his room on the floor.  He is such a nice big brother that he was singing to her to comfort her.  He is the one person who can help her stop crying when she is really upset about something.  I love that about siblings.  Brothers and sisters have such a different relationship than parents and children.  Rightly so.  We need that close friend and enemy.  I don't think there is anything wrong with a single child but I do think we learn a lot about living in a society by having siblings.  An only child just has to learn those lessons through school or some other societal group.

In other things around here.  We have Halloween events planned for tonight with some friends.  The zoo has a Halloween Spooktacular set up.  We'll go do that and see what fun is to be had before we freeze out.  Yesterday I went into an antique store and bought myself a Hoosier style Sellers kitchen cabinet.  Something I've wanted for ages.  This one needs some restoration but has most of the original hardware and guts.  I'm excited to have a real baking station with a good work surface at the right level for short me.  Most standard counter tops are too tall.  And if they are like the ones we have here they have very inconvenient cupboards over the top that make mixing difficult.  They really could have used another 2 inches or so between the bottom of the cupboard and the counter top.  Well, I fixed that.  I don't have to use it anymore after I get my Hoosier in tomorrow.  That was deal clincher.  The shop would deliver the piece for me.  Hooray!  I don't have to figure out how to get it here.

I haven't decided if I want to paint the cabinet. It is white now.  The back needs replaced and it needs cleaned.  Springs on the flour bin need cleaned and lubed.  There are some missing latches that need either found or made.  Beyond that though mostly it needs a good scrub.

We may not have our farm but I have the beginnings of my farm kitchen.  Someday I'd like a wood cook stove too.  I don't think I'll get that until I have a place all set up for it and a pickup to haul it and several strong men to help with the hauling and lifting into place.  Those cast iron stoves are worse than the old cast iron tubs.

I suppose I should get going on a few chores around here.  Like laundry and vacuuming.  Maybe I'll get going on making some Christmas presents too.  Maybe if I start now I might get a couple done in time for Christmas.  Maybe.

It has turned cold.  For a few days anyway.  We had high 70s last week and yesterday and today we aren't even supposed to hit 40 for a high.  Brrrr. It is wonderful.  Yesterday was bright and sunny too.  Today is a bit grey but is supposed to clear this afternoon.  I love how the sunshine comes out here.  In Montana that just didn't happen the way the valley sat we would get inversions that would hold the grey muck in for weeks.  Ugh.  So happy to be done with that.  We are supposed to be back into the 60s by the middle of next week.  Funny weather.

I'm finding all the gaps and drafts in this house.  It is better than our other house but there are still plenty of drafts.  We'll have some weekend projects of pulling the last window ac unit and covering a couple of the worst windows with plastic.  That is to go along with moving Bear into his own room.  We've gone back and forth with it but I think to help him get the rest he needs we are going to have to.  He and Mia have way too much fun together and stay up too late or just plain don't take naps.  I've had to have him rest in Mom and Dad's bed in order to get nap time done.  That is tough too because that is fun for him.

Lots of projects going now.  As part of being a Mary Jane's Farmgirl I'm participating in a couple of holiday swaps.  It is a lot of fun.  Right now I'm building a stocking and gathering presents to go inside.  That and I need to get a stocking built for Mia.  Pretty sure she doesn't have a special stocking yet.  I've also been spinning a lot.  What fun!  This last time I met with my spinning group I picked up several different types of fiber to spin.  I'm working with camel/silk and a plain cotton.  Both are handled very differently than wool.  It is so much fun to see the differences in material.  Also, my sweet husband got me some roving for my birthday.  Such beautiful colors!  I'm excited to use the thread I've made out of them.  They weren't very big rovings but they are perfect for embroidery for what is known as crewel work.  I'm going to work that into the stocking I'm building.

So I have that stuff going but I'm also trying to decide which hoosier I'm going to buy.  I've always wanted one and this kitchen we have stinks for baking.  The one I really like needs some work but has all the original guts.  Flour bin with sifter, sugar bin, cook book rack and that kind of thing.  Some of the drawers need re-lined and it needs a new back.  Looks fairly straight forward though. But then there is one that is just the bottom section of a hoosier.  Much less money and doesn't appear to need much.  But it doesn't have the flour and sugar bins which is a big part of why I want a hoosier.  So I'm leaning toward the big and expensive one.  We'll see what I end up with.

Let's see, I think I filled in on Bear's parent teacher conferences in the last post.  In case you didn't see he got glowing reports.  I was very proud of him.  Mia is talking up a storm, running all over the place, and is a complete parrot.  She does and says everything that Bear does and a lot of times what Mom or Dad say or do.  Makes a person be on their toes.

I think it is time for me to go do something in another part of the house.  I think I'm keeping Bear up.

Cozy.

I think that is the word for the day.  It is a rainy dreary day.  We had an official play date this morning.  Up until today we really haven't had that experience.  We had fun.  I was very proud of Bear.  He was the oldest kid there and took charge of helping kids share and doing fun things while still watching out for little sister.  I was very impressed.  He's been making me very proud the last couple of days.  I had parent/teacher conferences last night.  His teacher had glowing reports for Bear.  Yay!!  I was a bit worried because at home we've had some issues with hitting.  I was happy to hear it isn't at school too.  So, we have a sticker board here that Bear is trying to fill so he can win a big prize at the end.  Every day that he doesn't hit he gets a sticker.  When he gets it all filled in he gets a prize.  If he hits either his sister or me then he loses a toy for the day.  I'm hoping that will work since I've been pretty frazzled by being hit on a daily basis.  We are now on day two of not hitting Mom.  This morning he hit his sister although I think it was more of an accident than on purpose.  He was swinging a belt and hit her.  He apologized but he doesn't get a sticker for not hitting today. 

Otherwise we are just snuggling in on this rainy day.  I have my last spinning class tonight.  I've loved having that.  There is a spinning group on Wednesdays that I hope I can get to once in awhile too.

Oh, last quick short story.  Typing is interesting since Monday night while I was slicing onions I proceeded to slice my finger as well.  I took a nice chunk off my left index finger.  Luckily no muscle but I took all the skin.  I'm thinking I may have a funny shaped finger for at least awhile.

I have a young man wanting to hang out so I'd better go do that.

A bit of Friday randomness

Its funny how when you think you are slowing down sometimes things speed up.  Although there are days I can get very bored with being a stay-at-home mom (see my last post) most days ended up passing by before I know it and it seems I can't get ahead.  Probably some of my boredom days are a retreat from days when time just flies by.  Who knows?

This morning is a perfect example of the time flying.  I swear I just got up.  And that was about 6:30 and yet I look at a clock and it is almost 10 a.m.  How did that happen?  It is supposedly quiet time here.  Naps for Bear are pretty much a thing of the past. :(  I miss his long nap times.  I'm happy he's growing into the young man that he is but I still miss nap time.  Especially since Mia has never napped much.  She's been my anti-sleeper.  Which is funny because if she gets up earlier than she wants in the morning she's a grump.  I think she just doesn't want to miss any of the fun.

I have lots of projects lined up.  One of the things I'm liking about this town and area is that there is no shortage of things to do.  This weekend there are several auctions, a fly-in breakfast, a volleyball game, a concert, a kid's expo, and I'm sure other things that I can't remember.  Next weekend there are craft fairs starting.  The middle of the week I have parent/teacher conferences for Bear too.  Like I said, no shortage of things to do.  Sometimes we are bummed because we have to choose one thing over another even though we want to do both.  Oh! I just remembered there is a boxing match Tom wanted to see too but it is during the concert dinner we are going to on Saturday.  Like I say, nuts.

In between all of the fun stuff to do (which reminds me one of the last farmer's markets is Saturday too) we have gotten some firewood so we can enjoy our fireplace, are trying to find someplace we like enough to buy, make this place tolerable, and just maintain our day to day.  Tom is going like crazy at work trying to re-vamp his ESL (English as a Second Language) department to better serve the students.  I must say I like how excited he is about his job.  I hope it all continues this well.  We are liking the community, he likes his co-workers and bosses, and Bear loves school.  Not half bad results for yanking up our roots and moving about 800 miles.  It certainly could be worse.

I'm off to work on some Christmas projects I think.  I'm going to try to do a bunch of handmade stuff this year.  One, I like doing it and two, it usually ends up being cheaper.  Not always but usually.  Now if I can just figure out what all I'm going to do for folks.  I do wish I had my herbs from a garden to use for some stuff but we'll go with something else this year I guess.  Next year...

Shhhh, it is a secret.

Don't tell anyone but being a stay-at-home mom can be boring.  I'm discovering especially so in a rental.  If I were in my own home I could come up with all sorts of garden projects, remodeling projects, yard clean-up, outbuilding fixes, and all sorts of odd jobs that go with owning your own home.  A rental is different.  There are trees that need cut down, rooms that need painted, vanities that need refinished, banisters that need repaired, lawns that need seeded, roofing that needs done on the outbuildings, and fences need mended.  That is just a quick list off the top of my head that our rental needs.  Of course those are all things I'm not willing to fork out the time or money for on a very temporary rental. *sigh* 

This all leads to a bit of boredom.  And from that some anxiety about why I'm bored when I should be enjoying staying home with my kids.  Is any of it really a big deal?  No, probably not.  Part of my issue is I really dislike cleaning and cooking.  Rather, I dislike planning the cooking.  Cooking I don't have a problem with.  Eating I really don't have a problem with.  Planning is a pain though.  I don't care for it in any form.  Whether it is meal planning, laying out a sewing pattern, laying out a sheet metal project, or following a recipe.  Don't like it. I never have.  For some odd reason I feel like I didn't do it if I'm following someone else's instructions but I don't want to take the time to plan it out either.  I just want to go and do it.  Probably why lots of my cooking and other projects turn out kinda funky. :)

I'm wishing we weren't entering the Fall and Winter season.  Not for any reason other than houses tend not to be for sale in the Winter.  Now Spring they all start to come on the market.  Since I want to get out of the rental and into a house I want it to be Spring.  Otherwise I'm tickled pink it is Fall.  I love Fall.  The leaves, the crisp cool mornings, the pumpkins, the colors, and the feeling of snuggling in by a fire.  I love the winter projects that Fall starts to bring in. 

I'm excited about spinning this winter.  I just need to stock up on roving and other materials to spin.  That and comb Buddy, my dog.  I think his hair would spin up quite nicely.  I could have a critter here but I wouldn't want to subject them to all the goatheads here.  Poor Buddy's paws.  He's learned where he can walk and where he can't for the most part.  Really he stays inside most of the time.  Actually we all do.  It is a dusty, prickly, noisy piece of property.  Oh I will be excited to pack up and move away from this house.  I'd love for it to be into our own house so we could unpack completely too.  I want to stop saying, "Its in a box somewhere."

Off to do that icky chore of cleaning.  Hazards of making banana bread.  Actually I made it into a Harvest Banana Bread.  I added some spices and some pumpkin.  Turned out yummy.

What we've been up to.

Bear is such a wiggle wort and a talker that I always know he has finally fallen asleep when there is no more moving or talking.  Poor kid got both Tom and I.  I talk and Tom wiggles.  Oh well.  Bear is doing well with school.  At least he seems to be on this end.  We have parent/teacher conferences next week.  Funny to think that those have begun.  Today we are headed on a field trip to a pumpkin patch.  Mia and I will eat lunch at school with Bear and then we'll ride the bus out to the pumpkin patch.  Should be fun.  I'm hoping anyway.  I'm not sure about that much time with almost 20 four year olds.  A little scary.

Mia is growing like crazy and becoming quite the character in her own right.  She is still way more snugly than Bear ever was.  She seems to need the hugs and cuddles more.  She is what I would call a sweet kid.  Bear is too but in different ways.  He needs much less physical contact.  Unless he thinks he can get a laugh from it.  Mia usually doesn't fail him there.  She is by far his best audience.

We are just plugging along trying to get this new life of ours figured out.  I should have firewood coming today.  I'm also slowly getting us unpacked and a bit more settled.  I find it hard to really unpack when I know we'll be moving again but we do need to feel more at home than we have been doing.  We'll get it figured out.  Slowly but surely.  I certainly don't see us buying this place so I know we'll be moving but at least we can make it enjoyable to be here.

I do hope that we can get rid of the property manager/realtor we've been working with.  She's the property manager for this rental of ours so we've been using her as a buyer's agent in the hopes that it'll help us get out of our lease.  I'm thinking now we'll just stick it out on our lease and get rid of her.  We've had a couple of showings that we didn't know about.  We're supposed to have 24 hours notice.  Also, she can't seem to make it to any appointment on time.  If she says 2 figure on 2:30.  If she says noon figure on getting rescheduled to 2.  It gets pretty frustrating. 

So I'll quit griping but that's what we've been up to for the most part.  Last weekend my mom came for a visit.  It snowed most of the time so we didn't do as much stuff as we had planned.  We did make to Sidney though and managed to go to the original Cabela's store.  That was pretty cool.  We went to the Oktoberfest too but couldn't get a beer because it was Sunday.  Huh?!  Why have it continue through Sunday then?  We did get some good brats and kraut and shopped the little farmer's market though.  We had fun and had a nice Sunday drive so it wasn't a loss.

I'd better get moving while the kids are sleeping so we'll be ready for the pumpkin patch...

Fall snippets of thought

The weather has turned.  It is now grey chilly days.  Although, tomorrow it is supposed to be warm again.  We've had our first snow.  I love the first snow.  It reminds me I need to get crackin' on the stuff to get ready for winter time.  I need to put away my summer furniture, bikes, and I need to sweep the patio and front porch.  I also need to get a load of wood for the fireplace.  I keep putting things off. 

I need to finish unpacking now too.  We aren't going to be moving for awhile so I may as well unpack stuff.  I still need to clean out and get rid of things but haven't managed to do much there.  I did make one Goodwill run.  I was going to do a yard sale, but I think I'll pass on that one.  I'm finding we need to get rid of more baby stuff.  Things like our crib.  Problem with our crib is that it is a drop side that has been recalled so I don't want to give it to anyone.  Plus when we moved some of the hardware ended up missing.  So, I need to find something else to do with it.  I just might have had a brain storm.  I might use it down in the basement as a drying rack for yarn after I've spun it. 

So, now that I have that figured out I need to figure out what I'm going to do with strollers.  I have 3.  2 I don't really use because they have wheels that pop when they encounter goat heads.  Plus we live on a scary busy corner of streets so I don't really walk anywhere.  It is a bummer because I live close to things but it is busy enough I'm tempted to drive through the intersection, park at the church down the street, and walk from there.  Dumb.  Oh well.  We won't be here forever.

And speaking of here.  Since we'll be here for awhile I think I'm going to get some grass seed and seed the lawn this Fall.  Maybe if I do it right we'll have fewer goatheads next summer.

Well, it is time for school prep time.  I'll have to figure out a to do list for my Fall projects.  Maybe if I write it down I'll actually do some of it.

Fall is here!

Fall really is here.  The days are cooler and I'm finally canning tomato sauce.  We went to the farmer's market the other day and a gal had boxes of processing tomatoes.  The only thing that made them processing tomatoes is that they had splits.  They are quite delicious eaten fresh as well.  Oh happy day I have good tomato sauce for this year.  I'm going to have to see if I can get one more box from her or someone else.

Let's see, I haven't updated on the kiddos for awhile.  Bear is loving school.  I'm liking him being there too.  I'm beginning to wonder what they'll do in kindergarten though.  It seems like they are learning all the things in preschool now that we learned in kindergarten.  He's had his alphabet down but now he's getting all the sounds of the letters along with learning to write.  They are also working on numbers.  He's known how to count for some time but they are working on some of the math concepts too.  A field trip to the pumpkin patch is coming up next week too.  That will be fun.

Mia is doing well too.  She is building on her vocabulary every day.  She is quite the talker.  Bear did not talk this much at her age.  She is growing like a weed.  30 pounds and 33 inches tall.  Most of her clothes are 2T or 3T.  She would love to be in school with Bear.  Most days we drop him off she wants to stay.  I'd love to let her but she's a tad small for that. :)

I'd better get a move on.  I've got tomatoes canned a girl that needs food and a boy that needs to get ready for school.

And it is gone

At least I'm assuming nothing has changed over the weekend.  The seller of the property we were trying to buy doesn't want to repair anything.  That means we don't get financing for the place which means we don't buy it.  It is a bummer but our offer that was agreed upon was not an "as is" offer.  There are other acreages so we are on the hunt again. 

I guess we just aren't meant to buy Abner at this point.  I'm bummed I can't be moving into my own house soon but we'll just make our rental work for now and keep our eyes out for another chunk of property.  There is an 8 acre chunk with a house and outbuildings that we want to look at.  Who knows how it will be.  It is a ways out of town so there is some investigating to do regarding which elementary school the kids would be in.  I'd love to live on a gravel road again.  So much quieter than the corner we are on right now.  It is crazy, there are times we have to either stop the conversation or shout to be heard.  I shouldn't have to do that in my own living room.

I have a few things I want to do with a farm.  I've been considering a farmer's market stall.  Initially my thought is to have cut flowers.  I haven't seen anyone here with flowers.  Also, now that I have a spinning wheel I think I may do some hand spun yarn.  In wanting to do the yarn I'm thinking about what animals I will want.  I don't want my own animals yet though.  We want to be able to travel for at least one summer before getting animals that will keep us at home.  So my first year here will be laying out a business plan and figuring out what we want and what we can do.