Fall Wall

This year it's a little different . . . .

 It's a half-wall that divides the living room and dining room. It seemed like the perfect place to put the pumpkins. The family who lived here before planted them, and we happily harvested them.

My favorite are the small gourds with high contrast.

Throw it out TH

Nearly every day when I wake up I feel overwhelmed. Actually, I usually feel great for a couple of minutes until the barrage of thoughts about commitments I've made and things I have to do floods in.

I don't have very good systems in place for taking care of paperwork. Clothes that are too big and small, and clutter in general have been bogging me down, too. And then there's the shoe closet. If I showed you a picture of it, you would die. Perhaps I will take a before and after picture of that one.

I am de-cluttering.

I named TH, "Throw it out TH." I will make an effort every TH to declutter my house, brain and life.

I started in the laundry room but didn't stay long . . . . . then I moved to paperwork.

I threw out 7 expired vehicle insurance policies.
(Ha, ha, ha, how many do you have--hopefully less than 7).

4 copies of summer activities in my city.

Found a $10 gift card that belongs to Andrew.

Have a small load to take to Goodwill. (DONE).

And I feel happy--like I made headway instead of just worrying about it.

(Still have a missing library book that I might be paying for soon--can't find it anywhere, and I need another recycling bin in my office, and my email inbox has a lot of emails I can delete).

If you join me for throw it out TH, let me know.

Independence Day

Today:

One walk.
Two loads of laundry.
Three trips to the hardware store.
Four "Hungry, Hungry Hippos" (played heavily during the afternoon non-nap hours).
Five kids watched "Mary Poppins"
Six times I said to Nathan, "I can't believe how bad the smoke is today!"  *****
Seven happy mouths
Ate (8) our first homemade ice cream.

We wanted a quiet, stay at home and get work done kind of day--it was nice.

My mom gave us her ice cream maker, too. We are going to use it.

In TX, a neighbor gave us a loft bed he'd built. We love it and have used it ever since. The first modification was to add a ladder. Today's modification was to add a bunk at the bottom for another bed. It's not done yet, but it's a lot closer.

Every picture of Nathan was blurry . . . except when I asked him to stop moving. I can't keep up.

****The fires are not very close to us physically, (ie we are not in direct danger). The biggest change is the air quality. Most days are not too bad, we carry on as usual. Today was one of the worst I've seen. I didn't want my kids outside longer than they had to be, which isn't typical for this time of year. The smoke was strange . . . not too bad in the early morning, but changed during the 30 minutes we were in Lowe's. It is like the campfire you can't get away from--so smoky. You think things are OK, but sometimes when you are out driving you think to yourself, "Hmmm, I can't see the mountain today."

I've been praying for help for the firefighters, but perhaps I should pray for rain?


Dear Dad: I did wash all those dishes. They are back under control. For now.

Do it daily: updated

What are some of the things you DO every day to have your house (and mind) run smoothly?

One of mine is dishes washed. If they are not washed by the end of the day, I can't sleep.
(believe me I've tried . . . . like last night. 4:14 a.m. wide awake . . . . .)

(Update)
Another of the things I have to do every day for a peaceful night sleep is make sure there is bread in my house. As long as I have at least one loaf that is available for use, I can sleep soundly. But if not, I will be up at 5 am driving to Walmart to buy some, or in my kitchen trying to grind wheat quietly to make some. Not my favorite places to be at 5 a.m. 

One of mine is NOT sweeping the floor. I've never been up at night due to crumbs on the floor.

Just wondering.

(Confession: I have been known to hide dishes in the oven if they aren't done and someone is coming over. This usually doesn't work out very well because I forget they are in there and turn on the oven . . . melting something plastic. So I try to use this only in emergencies).

Mission accomplished

We found a lovely place to rent in CO.

It is approaching quickly, we have only three Sundays left after today!

It reminds me of the "Glen" in Glenview, though I don't think it's quite as expensive (for my Chicago readers). High density living with common parks, workout room, and party room if you want to rent it. Bring your rollerblades when you plan to visit. Our house is tucked away--no houses on the other side of the street. Three children are registered for school. We will be 3 stoplights from the freeway . . . which Nathan will be using. The plan is to stay for a year or two as we save for a house, and then buy close to this one. It costs slightly less than what we were paying in Chicago, but 40% more than here. The city we are moving to is very environmentally "green," cyclist friendly, and growing. It is going to be great. Several times on our trip I used the words "almost too good to be true" to describe my feelings about living there.

Two doors down

One of the bonuses of having lived in several homes is meeting new neighbors. We've had wonderful neighbors in all the places we've lived. Some of their names are Virginia, Gena, Vivian & Denny, Claudia, Victoria & Isaiah. My children love greeting them when they are coming or going. They've become cherished friends. 

On Saturday, my neighbor brought roses to me from her yard. As you walk up the sidewalk to her front door, you can smell the herbs growing there. She also introduced me to lemongrass and moong beans. Enjoy the beauty of her green thumb.

gecko frito

Found underneath Ed's bed today

Dead
Fried
Dried
Gecko

Thank goodness for the boy who found it, taking it out to the garbage can, without my asking him to do it!

He commented later, "It was really skinny and shriveled up."

(Not the first time we've found dead fried dried geckos inside).

Today in my backyard

St. Patrick's Day

I planned to put on a shamrock sticker, but I forgot.

I was cleaning.
We are on the market again!

The house we live in was for sale when we came to look for housing. Since our landlord wasn't able to sell it, he started looking for renters. It has worked out very well for us, and is a nice house in a good location.
When I think negative thoughts about keeping it clean, I remind myself that it didn't sell when he was living in it either. Then, I feel better.
"It won't be my fault if it doesn't sell," I chant to myself.

Fall Wall: Complete

Our fall wall is a work of art! Everyone colored a pumpkin and a turkey, but we also had pilgrims and Indians, cornucopias and fall leaves. We've loved the color in the kitchen. My favorite turkey is this one that's smart enough to hide.

I have used this website for many pre-school ideas, and we used this one for all the fall wall pictures.

We've finally turned on the heater and put on the flannel sheets.

It's time for Christmas cards, winter scenes, homemade marshmallows and hot chocolate! Happy December!

Fall Favorites

Flag football
Fall colors on the trees in Chicago
September weather there
Butternut Squash Soup
Baking
Hot cereal on a cold morning--if I wake up in time to make it.
Harvest time: My neighbor brought me green peppers, fresh salad greens, fresh herbs, and lemongrass. She promised more to come. Yum.
Fall fabric centerpiece. Bought the fabrics on my only Black Friday early morning shopping trip EVER. In Ohio, with Sarah.
Halloween Pumpkin shirts (matching hand me downs in two sizes from two sources).
How I love those cheeks! So kissable.

Time is ticking.
Soon it will be Thanksgiving, my Favorite Fall Favorite.
What pies are you baking?
We are having:
Two Pumpkin
Rhubarb
Apple Cranberry

A new favorite: FALL WALL "Blank Slate"

I read (too many) blogs with great design and great photos. One of them featured a wall covered in scrapbook paper and it got me thinking. Since we don't have fall colors here, why not make my own? The first photo is the "blank slate," including the helper who helped me put it up. It is in our kitchen, right behind Nathan's spot at the table. The second photo contains our fall artwork. I hope my kids remember me coloring with them.
It's one of the best parenting duties.


Did I mention my kids don't have art class at school?
Can you imagine elementary school without art?

Diana this morning at breakfast: "My pumpkin is weird."

Hangin' around

One of the best toys in our house is Nathan's pull-up bar. It's good for a little tension release anytime. For almost anyone. 5 out of 6 of us use it.
Guess who doesn't?

It's OK to scream

At some point in my college career, I remember writing a list of things I'd learned so far. I don't remember the whole list, but I do remember (years later) chuckling as I read:

"Sometimes, it's OK to scream."

I can't remember the incident that sparked such brilliant writing, but it is quite true.

Tonight I was in the kitchen making dinner and I opened the cupboard in front of my face to get something out of it.

I nearly screamed then, because I saw a flash of something, but it moved so quickly I couldn't find it. I thought something had fallen on the counter, so I looked there, too, but nothing was in sight, and I was holding Diana. OK . . . perhaps I was wrong . . . quietly I went about my business--trying to forget that I was pretty sure something moved out of the cupboard.

A few minutes later, when I closed the cupboard door, a lizard fell on top of my stove. I think when I opened the door, he scurried out onto the front of the door, so that when it was open, I couldn't see him. As I closed it, he knew he was busted and tried to scurry once again to safety, but fell to the stovetop.

Thankfully, he landed between the two covered pots I was using for cooking, (not sure what dinner would have been without his landing away from the food. Although, at least I'd know where he was if he ruined my dinner).
I screamed once, and again when he ran to the counter. I called Andrew "Lizard Catcher" into the room, and asked him to get it. He couldn't find the lizard on the counter . . . and neither could I. In my defense, the counter is cleaner today than it's been in months, see below*******
Finally he reappeared on the counter
(I screamed again, and so did Diana)
and then he ran to temporary safety, this time behind the stove . . . . We watched carefully and I had Andrew stay in the room much longer than he wanted to so he'd be ready to catch him if my fine reptile friend showed up again.

Questions:
1) How did he get into the cupboard in the first place?
2) From Andrew: "Do you think the lizards have a breeding place in our house?"
3) Why do lizards bother me so much? This one was not more than 3 inches long at the most--but they really give me the creepy crawlies.
4) I can honestly say I do my very best to stay out of all lizards' way, why can't he stay out of my kitchen?
5) How are you supposed to cook with lizards falling onto your stovetop?
6) Where is he now?
7) When am I going to find him again?
8) Will either of my lizard catchers be available then?
9) Why do guys think lizards are so cool?

Of course I called Nathan and asked him to come home as soon as possible, (it was after 5pm anyway) and when he got home, I broke into tears when I asked him #5.

We have at least one lizard on the loose, but we will catch him . . . I just hope I don't have to do it alone. The last lizard I had to take care of ran to the back door, so I quickly let him outside, thanking my lucky stars it wasn't more complicated. Hopefully this one is his relative and knows where the back door is.

*****Two realtors have shown our house in the past 36 hours. They are the first ones to do so . . . they are not going to have them come everyday, but it adds considerable stress to my life to get a phone call like this:
"Hi, I have a realtor who'd like to show your house in 20 minutes, is that OK?"
The side blessing to the realtor stress, however, is that I am keeping my house tidier than normal. Who knows? The next one to walk in the door could be my new landlord.

My conclusions: It is OK to scream, sometimes. And there are no lizards in my heaven, at least those who violate my personal space, which includes my kitchen. And someday I will laugh about tonight--but not tonight.

P.S. I did laugh tonight, too.

Wanna be my landlord?

Yes, the house we live in is for sale as of 10 am.
Just in case you wanted to invest in property in TX.
We pay on time, don't smoke or have pets, and if you buy now, you get to rent to us until June! Thanks for looking!
There are two others in the cul de sac that are for sale as well, but if I were you, I'd pick ours.

Heard at the Hunts

Andrew: "Everybody party on the bed!"


Certainly the first bunk bed night in our household is worthy of a photo. We've had them for a little while and Nathan and the kids set them up tonight. I am nervous about the proximity of little heads to the ceiling fan . . . but we are proceeding anyway.

It will probably only be a party with 4 on St. Patrick's when we hold our traditional family sleepover. We've held a couple and missed a couple, so here's a 6 month reminder that it's coming. Andrew offered to let me have a spot on the bunk beds that evening. Now did he say top or bottom?

Here's a photo of Nathan's dorm room at the University of Michigan. He had the room to himself, but rearranged the beds into bunk beds anyway so he'd have more space.

He said, "It would have been easier to put them up with 2 people."
Somehow, he managed by himself.

A week's worth

Last year we checked out a fun book called What the World Eats. (photographed by Peter Menzel ; written by Faith D'Aluisio).

The published describes it this way: "A photographic collection exploring what the world eats featuring portraits of thirty families from twenty-four countries surrounded by a week's worth of food."

It was great! Food and diet are generally interesting to me and I enjoyed flipping pages to compare diets around the world, along with the major health problems people in those countries faced, which were also listed. I learned that in other places in the world people die from unsafe drinking water--while here in the US it is heart disease and diabetes. It would be interesting to take a photo like that of our family and what we eat in a week . . . but first I'd have to figure out exactly what we did eat in a week. The most striking was the family from Africa (can't remember which country) that had 4-5 large bags of grain in front of them and were sitting outside their tent. If your library has it, it is recommended reading from me. Let me know what you think.

Anyway, this isn't our typical weekly diet, but it is our typical week's worth of laundry. Of course a few things are different, Nathan normally has 5-6 button up shirts instead of 2, but this is a pretty average week for our laundry. I begin after breakfast and finish somewhere close to dinner time--it is usually 5-6 loads . . . can't remember today's exact count. I wash ALL the laundry on Monday because I like saying it is DONE, (even though that only lasts a few minutes) and then I usually wash another 2-3 loads at other times during the week--towels, sheets, and kitchen laundry, as well as the item that has to be done so I can wear it.

I like doing the wash on Monday because it is the day I generally stay home for "Weekend Recovery" and avoid needing to shop. I love the Wrinkle Guard feature on my dryer that will keep spinning the laundry every few minutes up to 2 hours, because it seems like the next load is always ready to come out when it is meal time or I am headed out the door, or something else inconvenient sneaks becomes more urgent than taking out the next load.

I wash 98% of the laundry in our house, but I only put mine and Diana's away, and she is in training. The kids frequently help with moving laundry from one place to another as well, and have enjoyed living in a one level house for laundry duty. Many weeks I designate a "Laundry Helper" whose job it will remain throughout the entire day, but often I do not. I usually listen to a general conference talk or two while sorting and folding. One of my favorite family home evenings a long time ago was teaching Andrew and Bryn how to match socks. Even Caitlin "folds" her own socks, she was frustrated at me last week for not doing it her way.

My favorite solution for stains is OxiClean. It works really well on our typical stains, and has only ruined only one item of clothing because it was too harsh. (Actually I think my letting it soak TOO long was the real reason). I use liquid All and Tide--it depends on how dirty the load is. Tide is for dirtier loads. I also use mostly cold water since it is less expensive and works just as well for most things, but I do use warm or hot on loads that are more heavily soiled. My machine has a cycle called "Whitest Whites" that really does make them brighter than when they went in. My fabric softener is Target brand dryer sheets.

For most of you, this is more information than you want, but if I'm not around on a Monday, someone in my family might need this information! Washing laundry is one of my favorite household chores. I guess it's because of the visible evidence you've done something with your time and mostly the machine does all the work. My aunt wrote a memoir of my Grandma Parks titled, "My Mother, the Laundry Guru" so I guess it runs in the blood. My mom also likes doing laundry and Monday was always her day, as well.

The saddest laundry time in my life was our first year in Chicago when our dryer didn't work. We hung everything somewhere in our apartment until it was dry. It was a long, cold, wet winter. That period ended when Keith, my brother in law, fixed it with a 4 inch piece of wire in about 30 seconds.

The happiest laundry time in my life has been the past year--since my parents gave us our new washer and dryer, and my kids have grown to be such great laundry help. They make my Mondays a little brighter! Happy laundry to you.

Easter Traditions

Disenchanted by large scale egg hunts, we've done a family egg hunt as long as I can remember. This year, for the first time, we were able to move it outside! We have close to 50 eggs which we re-use each year. The sports theme eggs made their debut this year, because I am the shopper and love them.

Nathan hides. Whoever finds the yellow egg with spots gets to hide the "adult" eggs, which are larger in size and fewer in number, (4). Since Nathan worked last Saturday (the day we usually hold our egg hunt) we had it last night, for Family Home Evening.

Bryn was the lucky finder last night, so she got to hid eggs for us. Nathan found 3 before I did, but was kind enough to let me pick it up. We fill ours with chocolate and jelly beans. Diana asked for jelly beans at breakfast, hopefully I'll get her to wait until after lunch! We missed having Stephen and Tara, and our cousins Odessa and Ada at this year's egg hunt.

For our lesson, we used this visual aid that Diana brought home from nursery, read a few verses from the New Testament, and sang "Jesus Has Risen." It was a great, short lesson that I think we'll use next year, too.

For the Love of Texas

My mom loves Texas. Especially when it it cold in Wyoming, which is most of the year.

Last week while Nathan was out of town, she came to visit, to help me manage the chaos that is our home life. She is a precious resource--and was able to do some very fun, and some very routine things while here. First, the fun:

Mom took each of my kids on a "date." I should have taken a picture of her leaving with Andrew, Bryn, and Caitlin on their individual turns. My camera was with Nathan in Chicago.

Andrew and Grandma went to Pizza Hut. She said, "Beth, he's different when he's not around the girls." They talked and enjoyed a little pepperoni pizza with some Buffalo chicken appetizers. Since I'd been at Bryn's soccer practice with the girls, Andrew shared the leftovers for our dinner.

The next night, Bryn and Grandma went to El Chico, a mexican restaurant not far from our house. My kids get a kick out of the name, they think it is so funny to have a restaurant called, "The Boy." Bryn ate a corn dog without the corn, french fries and tortilla chips. She misplaced a crayon in the car on the way home. I couldn't understand why it was such a big deal until mom reminded me that it would melt here, very quickly. Thankfully, the crayon turned up in the driveway the next day.

And Saturday for lunch, Caitlin and Grandma went to McD's, for her first Happy Meal ever. I think it is actually the first happy meal for ANY of my children, can you believe that? We must not be real Americans, but it's true! (I'd much rather go to Wendy's!) Back to my story about Caitlin, she loved having a chance to play in the play area, and was so excited for her toy, Dr. Cockroach, and her BOX.

Diana didn't get an official date, but she did enjoy plenty of playtime with my mom--reading books, watching my mom dry her hair in the bathroom every morning, and being pushed in the swing. She has asked for you a few times for you since you left, mom.

The biggest excitement while my my was here was on Sunday, the day after my mom arrived. It was beautiful weather, so we went for a walk, right after placing 2 loaves of banana bread in the oven. We looked at Nathan's watch, and went out the door. We took our time and enjoyed a little stroll. Towards the end of the walk, someone needed the bathroom, so we gave the keys to the kids, and let them run ahead to the house. As we approached the cul de sac, however, Bryn was slowly walking back to us and said that the key broke in the door.

No garage door opener.
No hidden key.
No key in my pocket, I was wearing a skirt.
NOTHING!
We saw a neighbor, who lent us a phone book and we called a locksmith, who said it would take him 25 minutes to get there. Remember the banana bread?????? UGH. I am trying to perfect it, because mine is usually overcooked.

While waiting, Nathan removed the key with a tool from his car.

We waited patiently in the Buick and out of the Buick, remember some of us can't sit still for 25 mintues. Or 25 seconds, for that matter. "Pop A Lock" came and let us in, and we gave him a well-done slice of banana bread. I will have to try again on the banana bread another day.
(The latest in our long history of lock outs, another post for another day).

Other routine things Mom got to see: lunch with Andrew in the school cafeteria. Bryn's school program--her gym class put on a program called "March Madness." Bryn did a great job with her b-ball skills! We took her to the Rocketship park, a must see the next time you are in town, whoever you are, and an evening of Cub scouts, and Sam's Club. What more could a grandma want? How about an early morning soccer game and photos? She helped sort laundry, wash my dishes, and was able to visit a quilt store, our public library, and we had friends over for cinnamon roll baking and lunch.

She watched my kids while I went to a general practicioner for the first time in a LONG time. I had a tetanus shot, my last one was my junior year in high school, which was an even longer time ago. My doctor said, "How did you slip through for so long?" So glad I haven't met any rusty nails in the interim. I'm good now for the next 10!

She waited with them while I had my blood tests the next day, got my haircut, and went on a date with Nathan to Target. And she helped me make this:



26 pint jars of canned chicken! You don't have to spend much time in my kitchen to hear about my love of canned chicken. (Most of my readers live over a thousand miles away, anyway!). It is a staple in our house since September of 2005, when I first tried it. A friend from our IL days taught me how and I've used it ever since. My mom & Nathan stood at the counter to cut it into pieces while I worked on my class. Then, my mom and I put it jars and sealed it so it will last a year. We use it a jar or two every week, and tonight I made one of my mom's recipes, Chicken Tortellini Soup with it, which I will post another day.

Mom loves Texas, but I think she loves us even more. She's visited us in UT, MD, IL, and TX. Hopefully the next time we'll see you in Wyo!

Makin' Some Noise

Yesterday I substituted for Cait's Primary class. The lesson manual told me to make paper trumpets and let each child pretend to be Moroni. I had 7 four year olds makin' some noise. It was a blast. I don't know about the class next to me, I guess I should have thought about them. Since it was nursery, I won't worry too much.

It went so well we re-enacted it for Family Home Evening tonight with Cait as my assistant.
(Use it soon if you want to liven up your FHE).

What's on your bathroom wall?

So, I've been in lots of bathrooms in my life. Some fancy, some primitive. Some I'd like to visit again, others I'd rather not. I've seen simply decorated, no decorations at all, and truck stop. One friend has wonderful pictures of her kids at the beach. Another friend tells me she writes in lipstick on the back side of the mirror, but I've never dared to look. What's on yours?

Anyway, I learned something when I went to visit Nathan's family (before becoming a part of it). Throughout his growing up years, (no idea when this began or ended), his mom typed a quote and hung it on the bathroom wall. This was the most accessible bathroom in the home, the main--upstairs, gets all the traffic, close to the kitchen kind of bathroom. When I asked about it, I was told that the quotes were so you would have something to look at while brushing your teeth. Perhaps my memory isn't so great, correct me if I need to get the story right. I love this idea, thank you Nancy!

I've always loved a good quote, and what better thing to look at while brushing? It is a tradition worth carrying on, so here's what's on our kids' bathroom wall.

What people think

and believe

and plan

are all very important,

but what they do

is the thing that counts most.”

Joseph B. Wirthlin

My own bathroom walls are bare, maybe you will give me a great idea of what I should put up there.

ps. I love Joseph B. Wirthlin. If you want some good reading, search his conference talks. That's where I found this one.