Spring Cleaning

This week I plan to get my house set to rights. Life has been a little hectic lately. It seems I need to actually spend some time at home in order to make it more of a home.  Maybe I’ll enlist Jack-Jack’s help.  I used to strap sponges on my feet as a little girl in order to help my mom mop.  I think his way looks equally fun.  Maybe I’ll even join him for old times’ sake.

I also hope to open a can of “spring cleaning”. (I wish it was as easy as opening a can.) So, I’m making my list and hoping to be scarce on the virtual scene while I tend to my real, tangible life. God’s blessings!

Smiles

Today was filled with color. The morning, by God’s grace, was spent at a brunch with women I admire and love. The evening was spent in fellowship at our Pathway’s Christmas party. Both events were filled with lots of laughter and good moods. Not an ordinary day where people are in varied states of mind.

Instead the mundane things were set aside and the heart was made glad.  These colors made me smile today too.

Last night we had a talented Scout dad set up his keyboard in our living room for our den meeting.  He played beautifully.  As I looked around the room, I noticed our house was filled with smiling faces.  It was wonderful.  Music makes the heart glad.

Luke and Gabe recently told me they don’t see me smile enough.  I have to admit that it made me pause to realize how often my brow is  furrowed and concerted throughout the day as I tick things off my list.  It’s not that I am upset usually, but it’s just not my natural disposition in the midst of busy days to smile.

Maybe I should be more intent on following the lead of these little dimples. Whatever the case, there was no need to work at it today. It was just a day of smiles. Thank you Lord!

Tagged

5things I love

the Lord, my family, sleep, singing, contentment

5 things on my to do list

order a replacement for our first-ever broken window, pay medical bills, make 2 pans of caramel french toast for a bridal shower, get Britta and Jack’s photos taken, finish some thank you notes

5 favorite snacks

nectarines, wasabi peas, chocolate ice cream with pecans and coconut, lime tortilla chips with guacamole, popcorn

5 things you might not know about me

I’m graying prematurely, my husband runs his own business (see #1again!), I got married in college, I have broken the same ankle 4 times, I used to want to be an actress.

5 places I’ve lived

nothing exciting here: I’ve lived within a 100 mile radius my whole life

5 jobs I’ve had

cashier, world’s-worst waitress at a huge TGIFridays, executive secretary, marketing rep, mama

I hope you’ll play along too, if so leave a comment so I can learn about you!

Behold the Butterfly

Don’t these look like earrings on a rack? They’re not. They’re butterfly cocoons. I’ve tried several times throughout recent years to maintain a chrysalis.  But being a bit of a clod with delicate things, I’ve never managed to keep even the caterpillar alive.

My dear neighbor shared some tricks with us as they’ve been hatching Monarch’s all summer. Before they left on vacation, she brought over a cocoon that was set to open while they were away. She thought the kids would enjoy it and I was pleased that the hard part of keeping the darn thing alive had already been done.

We checked on the little green dangler every day. Finally on the fifth day, though we didn’t witness it’s reveal, we saw a beautiful Monarch in the netted bucket. The kids were pretty excited about it-especially Jack-Jack.
My neighbor mentioned that if we wanted to watch it a while that we should give it some honey water. Ok…honey water. Easy enough.

I put some honey water in a small ramekin and in the process of setting it in the bucket, Kevin watched as I bumped the butterfly right into the water (Clod!).  It wasn’t very pretty as the young insect laid in a puddle of honey water.  I tried to help it out only to find it wasn’t budging.  So a bit pessimistic, we went to bed hoping things would look brighter in the morning.

Nothing had changed by morning.  The butterfly was still in the ramekin and was now not moving at all.  I was going to have to tell the kids, and worse yet, I was going to have to tell my neighbor that we killed it!

I did tell the kids and they immediately took it outside and sadly buried it in “the graveyard”.  This consisted of Luke turning the bucket over on the butterfly and leaving it to deal with later.

When they got home from school that afternoon, Gabe went to check on it.  When he lifted the bucket, to all of our surprise the little Monarch flew away.  We didn’t kill the Monarch…it just had wet sticky wings.  Maybe it had wished we did kill it given the circumstances, but after a little perseverance, it made it through an entire chrysalis and a week at our house.  That is indeed a miracle.

These photos are not of Monarchs.  They were taken earlier this summer at a butterfly house. Guess I was too caught up in the moment to get any of “the one that got away.”

Holding Pattern

My camera is in the shop.  I’m afraid I got sand in it when we were on vacation last month and it went from bad to worse fast. Thankfully it’s under warranty and will be ready next week.

I’ve grown accustomed to it and I can tell just how much by the number of times I’ve said “oh, I miss my camera!”

Before blogs, I would have wanted it so as not to miss what the kids were doing.  I still do, but added to that is the want to speak with photos.  I’m learning and am such a novice still, but it’s becoming another way to communicate. Nature, projects, disasters…words can’t do justice sometimes.

I have a few of the disaster-types I’ll share next week. Never a dull moment in a house full of spunk!

Sticky note

One more sappy mom post to come in October, then my year of birthdays is complete till January. Thanks for enduring the goo.

Here’s something that might make you laugh. Happy Weekend!

What’s Wrong with this Picture?

I used to love Highlights Magazine when I was a little girl. I looked into getting it for my kids, but for whatever reason, I never have. I didn’t have my own subscription as a girl either, so I loved going to my dentist’s office and finding the “What’s wrong with this picture?” puzzles.

Well here’s a real life one for you. Aside from the fact that my sons are near a kitchen set- which may or may not be problematic-what’s wrong with this picture?

Any guesses? Maybe it’s just me… if I didn’t know better I’d think that was a gleeful baby doll in that high chair. But alas, it’s a 6 month old, heavily supervised, Britta joyfully playing with Ty and Gabe.

Plan of Attack

I took a few days off due to the full-on flu. I can’t remember the last time I felt so bad. My sweet husband called his dear mother who took our 3 littles for the day while my 2 older ones had school. I was literally in bed until 5pm. I could hardly move. Aches, chills, fever, cough, etc. I’m thankfully feeling better today. Hopefully I’ll be full strength soon. I keep praying I won’t go into labor until I am full strength. Can’t think of anything more miserable than going through labor with the flu! Enough sick talk.

On another note, I am finding this blog to be therapeutic in alot of ways. Sometimes people ask me when I have time to craft. My answer is always the same…it’s therapy for me! And how! This blog is fitting into that same category. I try to do it after the day is done and the kids are tucked in bed. It causes me to take stock in the day and often make plans for the next. I’m enjoying the posting process.

Thanks to those of you who are checking in. Drop me a note to say Hi! and by all means, stay away from that nasty flu bug.

“Bish” Tank Catstrophe

One of Kevin’s hobbies is his 55 gallon fresh water aquarium. He buys more trinkets for the 2 turtles and 5 fish that live in it than I think he’s ever bought me. Not that I’m complaining! I’m well taken care of.

The cool thing about the aquarium is the life science happening right in front of our eyes. We’ve seen 2 of the female Sicklets carry their eggs (in their mouths) on 3 different occasions and have almost seen them hatch…until the mother ate them all, that is. I guess no one ever said wildlife was for the faint of heart.

My favorite fish is Lemon. The picture of her below was taken by my kids so it’s a little blurry, but she is a saucy little fish. Amelia claims Lemon as her fish. Two year old Jack argues that no, in fact, it’s his “bish”!

Tonight he laid claim on the fish tank in a way that no one else has. I was downstairs when I heard all the kids shouting Jack name with sincere urgency. I rushed upstairs to find a sopping wet Leap Frog Leapster and a dripping Webkinz lying in a pool of water on the carpeting. Thankfully, Luke reached in and fished out the valuables Jack had tossed into the tank. Just what I wanted to do tonight, launder a pug puppy, wet-vac my carpeting, and dry out electronics. I just hope the last one still works! Wow, there is really NEVER a dull moment.

We did all have a laugh at dinner tonight as we told Kevin about it, and Jack beamed as for the first time he called Lemon his “F”ish instead of his “bish”. My, what learning can take place through error.

One Man’s Trash

…really is another man’s treasure. Outfitting a house with free furniture is an art that my friend Rose taught me years ago now. She was the master at finding potential in curbside castoffs. I took copious notes as she transformed old beaten dressers and sates into something that might have leaped off the pages of a Pottery Barn catalog. Since those days I’ve transformed my own share of thrifted and gifted furniture into recharged decor. I would still love to be able to win a sweepstakes to Broyhill someday, but for now I’m content with my transformed works.

This bookshelf was a Sauder-type freebie that was worn and creaky. I did some repair and paint work, backed it with excess curtain fabric, and made a garland of scraps. It sits in my daughter’s room and because I used what I had on hand, it cost me almost nothing.

I topped it off with my favorite print from The Black Apple and a Lambkin I made last winter. Whenever I walk past it, it makes me smile.