Giving Thanks 2012

I felt honored to get to host some of the Fox Family for Thanksgiving this year.

Especially because for the first time in my life, I'm living in a house that I own! It was kind of like a housewarming party too.

I had alot of fun making the decorations out of things I found on walks and in my backyard.

It was my fault that the pies didn't turn out as good as I had hoped. I bought Western Family brand pumpkin instead of Libby, which just isn't as creamy, we decided after tasting the pies. Plus, I didn't have enough evaporated milk, so we substituted cream for part of it, and it didn't taste the same. Now I know what to do differently, I guess.

It was alot of fun with all 8 grandkids together. It was loud (in a good way), especially with the rug-less wood floors (we have two more weeks to go until we can put them down after the refinishing). I really enjoyed spending time with everyone and soaking up all the interactions between my nieces and nephews and kids.

The spread! Holy pile of mashed potatoes (those are Travis' doing)!

And, Auntie Lauren flitting around the kitchen in her knitted scarf, setting rolls out.

I had alot of favorites, but these two were probably at the top of the list. They were like two little munchkins, hugging and smiling at each other when put in close proximity. It was like they both understood each others language in a sea of adult conversation. I wanted to eat them up along with my turkey dinner.

How about your Thanksgiving? Was it all you hoped it would be? Did you have alot of leftovers? Did you have a turkey trot? (I wished we did, but we didn't do one this year).

It was a memorable day for me and I am so thankful for my family and friends, far and near. I have alot to be thankful for.

Happy Halloween

From the bundled baby, Batman, Little Red Riding Hood, and the Ghost. Oh, and the Mom pushing the stroller!

Things are Getting Spooky Around Here

Thanks to Whitney for the wreath. I just added some Halloween-ish ribbon and voila! Instant holiday theme.

It's also spooky how quickly this little munchkin is making his way around these days. One minute he's standing, holding onto my pantleg, the next minute, he's getting into the cleaning supplies under the sink. Scary, that one.

And, this one? Downright devilish! She even has her trick-or-treating bag already.

Oh, and this project has "spooky" written all over it: painting trim! Oh, the joy. You know what I'm talking about if you've ever painted trim, and lots of it. It's getting a little crazy around here.

Hauling Rocks

I spent 4 hours this morning hauling rocks from behind our garage, depositing them above a concrete wall along our backyard.

There was a huge pile of fallen rocks from the hill behind our house and we had to move them so we could put metal sheeting behind our garage. These are my hands. They are calloused, dry and leathery-looking. I must have hauled 100 heavy bucketfuls of rocks.

After I was done, I kept sneaking peeks behind the garage to look at my handiwork. (I have to give Travis credit because we'd already spent last Saturday working on it as well).

I tell people that I like projects because they give me immediate gratification in the midst of sometimes not-very-gratifying work as a Mother. Now, don't get me wrong: I love being a Mom and there are definitely instant perks along the way. But, sometimes, after all the dirty diapers have been changed, messes have been cleaned up, and fights dissolved, raising children can test even the best woman's patience! So, I like working on projects to entertain my need for immediacy in something. And, to prove that I can do things and finish them in a reasonable amount of time (unlike the eternal nature of Motherhood).

So, there you have it. The deeper explanation of that long pile of rocks. And you thought you could read without any of my relating things to Motherhood!

Batman Turns 3!


Thank goodness he finally turned three because I couldn't take his terrible-two-ness anymore. Miles has been such a blessing to us though and I'm glad I get to spend my time in the trenches with him. When I wished him Happy Birthday Monday morning (his birthday), he said, "What do I get?" He's very clever, that one, at three. :) Love that kid.

First Grade, Welcome Finn


I know, I know, school has been in session for weeks now, and I'm just now getting around to actually taking a picture of my boy in his school garb, let alone posting it! But, Auntie Erin, you asked and this one's for you.

Project Central in Pictures

T-dawg still has some pieces of trim to add to the roof (see tar paper sticking out from under roof sheeting), but otherwise, this baby is done! It was a major job, but it's done. Can I get a hallelujah?

With all the funding for our projects being sucked into big things like the roof and floors, we didn't have very much to spend on mirrors, but the ones in there were just boring to me. So, instead of buying a set of mirrors, I decided to use the mirrors already there, cut them down, and add custom frames to go around them. I bought some MDF crown molding at the building supply store, cut the pieces (myself!) and glued them together. After a few coats of paint and some distressing with stain, they were ready to hang. This bathroom is no where near being done, but now at least the frames are more up my alley.

These pictures don't really do this project justice. It was a huge sweat investment. We're talking lots of hours of chipping away at the foundation with a special tool hooked up to the air compressor, scraping, cement applying, painting, etc. It feels so good to have it done.

I didn't take a good "Before" photo, so this isn't a great comparison, but you can see a glint of the old silver-painted mirror that used to be in the bathroom (and the blue paint). I took the original mirror, had it cut to fit an antique frame from my Mom, and replaced the existing mirror. I love the texture of this frame. And it was only $5 a cut to trim down the mirror, making this whole project $10. The warm beige color is now throughout the house. More pictures to come!

Design Inspiration

Living in the active remains of the good ole Wild West, I have gotten used to the decor 'round these parts (okay, I'll stop the cowboy-ese). The popular decor consists of lots of natural wood- wood cabinetry, wood flooring, wood paneling. While I love wood and appreciate the warmth and earthiness it can lend to a space, I don't like to overdo it.

So in trying to design my own home, I have had to keep in mind the future buyer of this space and not completely remove the rustic, Western-y flair. It's a challenge. But, a fun one. These pictures are all ones I am loving right now. I love a considered mix of vintage, antique, and modern. So, to marry my style with this area's, I've decided on a few things for my home:

• emphasize the natural maple kitchen cabinets by picking a paint color that makes them pop
• keep the wood on the floors as well, only replace the laminate wood flooring with either original or installed hickory in a matte Swedish finish
• paint the wood trim white to give the home a more traditional feel (again, I'm trying to keep the wood look but not go overboard)
• use vintage accents and accessories (like lighting, furniture, rugs, curtains, etc.) to express the vintage/eclectic side of me

I hope I can pull this look together. I want to work with what I have (wood kitchen cabinets, some wood flooring) and yet still make the space my own. I'll keep you posted on the progress!

Family Home Evening 10/10/11

Dirty Jobs with S. S. or Money Pit or What We've Been Up To

Here's an excerpt from my weekly family letter that gives the run-down on our floors:

Initially, we were going to have the living and dining room floors refinished, plus add wood to the kitchen and have that finished as well. So we pulled up the wood laminate flooring in the dining room and the carpet in the living room this week. We discovered there is a very stubborn layer of old linoleum (with impossible-to-remove tar-like adhesive) on top of the wood. This adhesive is also known to have asbestos in it, so we had to be extra cautious working with it, putting up plastic barriers, using window fans, wearing a respirator, and showering immediately after exposure. Travis spent all day yesterday pulling up just the tiles. We had already spent several hours scraping away areas of the adhesive, trying various methods of getting it off. It was very slow going. I was discouraged. Then the floor refinisher came yesterday from Bend to deliver the wood for the project (it has to acclimate for at least two weeks) and once he saw the exposed wood in the dining room he said it is fir, not hickory like in the living room. So, with fir being a softer wood, and wanting to match the hickory that will be in the kitchen and living room, we decided to just rip up the whole dining room floor and put in new hickory. After looking at all our options and our budget, we decided do the living and dining room and wait to do the kitchen. In a few months when we can afford to do it, we'll have him come out again and do the kitchen. Phew. I am so glad I don't have endless nights of scraping ahead of me!

Above was when I looked like one of the cast members of Mary Poppins. Here's a description (again from my weekly letter) to fill you in on why:

We spent the week before last taking shingles and nails off the garage, then I cleaned them all up, hauling 3 loads of heavy shingles to the dump. I looked like a chimney sweep the whole time, black and dirt all over my face and arms---those shingles are dirty! Travis has been working on putting on the new metal roof to match the one on our house and he's 95% finished. It looks really good. He's only got some thin pieces of trim to put up and more screws to fully secure the roof and it's done.

I've also painted the inside of this house betwixt blog posts, so I'll have some before/after pictures of that coming soon!

A Spontaneous Hug

I did not prompt this photo, only grabbed my camera to shoot it. Sometimes they actually treat each other like the sweet things they are.

On an Early Fall Night...

...Sir Fix-a-lot works away on one of the many projects around here...

...a babe motates around the yard with as little knees touching the ground as possible (that rough terrain is not good on the knees!)...

...Batman roams the neighborhood, waving to passing cars and pedestrians alike...

...and the views (sigh)...those trees...never get old.

Henry Turns One

Yesterday was a joyful/sad day for me, as it marked one year from the birth of my babe. I was glad he has made it thus far and has blessed our lives immensely. I was sad because my wee babe is growing up. In other words, I want to have my cake and eat it too (literally and figuratively in this case).

He had plenty of help getting that candle blown out. In fact, if we hadn't plopped a huge cake right down in front of him, he wouldn't have even cared, for he was more interested in pushing around the car he was holding. The cake was just a formality. And, he didn't get any presents from his mom and pop because, let's be honest, he has plenty of toys (most of which are household items like cupcake pans and shampoo bottles).

I am always making this cake, Martha's One-Bowl Chocolate Cake, and it never disappoints. It is moist, light and dense at the same time (how does that happen?), rich and chocolate-y. And so, as the woman who gave birth to this little bundle who turned one, I chose the cake flavor. Maybe in future years, when he actually develops favorite flavors, he will have a say in his birthday cake. But, this year was my choice and even the day after I'm still reveling in it. Cake for breakfast, anyone? Yes, please.

Let the Chips Fall

While I love this house and the kitchen especially, I want to move the back row of cabinets into the dining room to make the walkway bigger (see those ones with the glass-fronts? Those and their base cabinets).

My mom, ever the designer/space planner/efficiency expert, was here last week and she was the genius behind the idea. We're going to move that row of cabinets here, along the back wall of the dining room. This will free up precious space in the kitchen walkway, filling in the less-used space of the dining room.

I'm very excited about all of this. And I've got paint on the brain. There are paint chip trails stuck all over my kitchen. I'm trying to find the perfect shade of gray to make my hickory cabinets pop. Life is in the details...

Afternoon: Down and Dirty

I usually don't like (okay, I dread) those two afternoon hours from 3 to 5 PM. There's something about the stretch between post-nap and dinner-time that drags and tugs at my patience.

But today was different. Under a cushioned cover of overcast skies, we played out that dreaded chunk of time in dirt, driving little metal cars, and spectating Lucy's bike parade extravaganza (I played announcer).

Above: the scene of my posterity in the thick of it.

And who knew that "onions" (aka: gladiola bulbs) burrowed in the front flower bed?

New Terrain

We made the move! It's been an exhausting, relieving, rewarding and crazy past several days. We've got the remains to prove it: a fort in the basement made of boxes, for one (you know Finn was behind this one: anything involving construction, boxes and tape he is all over). And, a basement! We finally have a house with room enough for a basement! (Not that I'm a fan of basements, but now we have more room to nest our brood).

Exhibit No. 2: Henry christens the new kitchen sink by taking a post-dinner bath

Exhibit 3: Batman himself watches YouTube videos of himself (or the Warner Brothers one) from the new kitchen computer post

And, this photo is from our old house, but it shows the lackadaisical nature of the Matron of the house (me), in the midst of all this moving, unpacking and general chaos. I never would've let child number one lounge on the dishwasher door! I'm turning into a softie/crazy lady!

All jest aside, it feels so good to get settled into a more permanent living space. Plus, with the new school year, the daily drop-off and pick-up of the school bus, the cooling of the weather, and the settling of the memories of Summer, life feels like it's settling. What a welcome sensation.

I think I've left the house twice in the past three days, and have maintained my standard pajamas-while-at-home dress code. Two kind friends took my kids for hours on end so I could move and then unpack. They are angels. I got so much done with no "helpers" around. Between unpacking spurts, I have moved sprinklers and pulled weeds, only to come back inside to continue the "untying-of-the knot" effort.

I feel like I'm finally getting my bearings (much like after giving birth, or getting married, or any major life-change). I'm not hanging pictures yet (that will come after lots of painting and replacing carpet, etc.), but I might make a trip to the gym or the grocery store. I might not change out of my pajama attire, but I will make the attempt to resume my "normal life." (Normal here implies still a dirty house, disheveled-looking children, random piles of stuff scattered around the house, and holes in some of my favorite shirts).

So, life moves on and we've crossed a hurdle, for which I'm thankful. I've read alot in the blogosphere about the happy anticipation of Fall (i.e. pumpkin bread, crisp weather, sweaters, etc.) and I have to say, I am also looking forward to the upcoming season. This morning, as I bent over the overgrown front flowerbed in my multi-colored polka dot pajama bottoms and hole-y gray shirt, weeding, I felt a warm breeze slide through the general crispness of the air. It felt good. Just like being in this new terrain: our new home.