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Love you sis!!


   A moment in the life of a mother of four

While cleaning yesterday I let Simon run around care free with no diaper. It seemed reasonblae as he had already had a poop.  While trying to chip away at the toothpaste that had turned to plaster on the counter I hear Ryland who is pooping on the potty screech GROSS. 
Leaving my plaster work I race to the scene.  Simon is comfortably squated playing horses on the shag rug. The dog is sleeping peacefully . Her sister is guled to her MP3. As I wander out of the room to question Ry I notice that Simon is too comfortably squated.  You guessed it POOP. On the three inch shag.  I scoop him up and race to the changing table passing Ryland on the potty. The dog moves in swiflty gulping poo before I can go back and shoo her out the room. Passing Ryland on the potty again I return to my poo covered son.  She has been sitting there awahile. It must be a big poo I think.  Back at the poo covered baby, I scrape and scrub.  It is only after a moment that I turn and look at Ryland legs dangling from the potty when I realize to my horror she has just pooped on top of a cloth diaper soaking in the potty.  Days don't get much better than that. 


 

Posted in: on Tuesday, December 30, 2008 at at 9:25 AM 1 comments  

This is Eagle

Posted in: on Monday, December 29, 2008 at at 8:59 AM 0 comments  


There is nothing like a full moon the last week of December.
It certainly feels like we have stolen a day from spring. 




We are crazy motivated by 70 degree days and sunshine. 
We added on to our fire pit and even hung wire hangers 
on an old sheapards hook for future smores  ,
should it ever get cold again.  

We finally put the garden to bed. Always a sad but wonderful sight
I love the neat look of a winter garden. 
Usually it's because I let the summer garden get so weedy and 
out of control.

We fixed up our compost bins. They are no longer a horror to my
husband. Who also thankfully took down the  drooping half working 
Christmas lights. 
It looks great around here. So good I'm actually ready for our
annual news years day party. 
Of course the house is trashed. The girls decided it was
time for them to share a room this weekend. So Coulson has
been sleeping on their floor ever since
He will not be sleeping alone!

I am trying to put Chritmas away but the weather is
to nice to stay indoors. The bunnies have noticed the 
weather too. We are very worried as one of our babies
did not come home last night. It's Eagle and I only
hope he is applty named. There where three gone last night. 
Thunder and Dragonfly came home. I haven't told the kids
yet. I keep seeing little white flashes in the yard
I hope that whatever got him took him
far from here. It will be a long day if the kids find him. 
I did like that one so much. You can see a mark on his 
back that looks like and eagle in flight. 















Posted in: on at at 8:02 AM 0 comments  

These are the things that make the Holidays so worth while.
1. Gingerbread with good icing
2. Sausage balls (you'd never eat them otherwise)
3. Finding and giving something wonderful
4. Drinking hot chocolate three days in a row and wondering if you should have more.
5. Clementine's
6. the lights, the music, the children
7. The end in sight
8. sleepovers with siblings
9. coffee and the fireplace with no where to be
10. Moments of solitude however brief to remember why we are here and how much we enjoy all of it.



Happy holidays

Posted in: on Monday, December 22, 2008 at at 7:39 PM 0 comments  

Things to do while waiting up for your mother in law

Tell Christmas Whoa Nelly!!

Then forget about Thanksgiving again and.....
Cut out the template from Bella Dia. Then.....

Trace it onto an old cereal box. And cut it out again


Next find this wonderful fabric, cut it on the bias and voila....


Tomorrow we starch and starch and starch.
This fabric is so thin and pretty I don't want to make it too stiff.
However it simply won't hang right on it's own.
The plan is to get about six out of this remnant (how do you cross fingers on line),
then string them together as a garland for my living room.
It's late here. I'm going to need sleep tomorrow.





Posted in: on Wednesday, November 19, 2008 at at 12:04 AM 0 comments  


I love sneaking out before the kids are up and moving. Coffee that stays hot and a little brain time. I can hear the cd player of the oldest already turned on. She has listened to Anne Green Gables so many times we are going to have to download a new one. I am alone for the next couple of days and so rather lazy and overwhelmed. The kids are great when Michael is out town, but there are still four of them and there are still 10 or 11 animals here. Plus we are watching the neighbors dog. Michael's mother arrives tonight and while I would love to be cooking and making it nice for her, I will just be getting by .

So I thought I would post what I would be doing if it where calmer and I didn't have to load up four kids to go get supplies. I got this from belladia's blog ( http://belladia.typepad.com/). It's last years but craft but it's new to me. check her out lots of great craft ideas. I may have to do that fantastic turkey. Happy felting.


Peacedoveornament






Activity: Peace Dove Ornament

Supplies:
•white or cream colored felt for dove
•shade of green colored felt for olive branch
•embroidery floss to match your felt
•embroidery needle
•poly-fil for stuffing
•3" length of ribbon
•scissors
•template (sorry for the quality of the template - my scanner is acting up and I had to work with a photo)

Step 1: print out template and cut it out

Step 2: using the template, cut out two pieces for the dove's body from white felt and one piece for the olive branch from the green felt

Step 3: fold ribbon in half and insert between the two felt pieces as marked on the pattern and pin in place - make sure it is perpendicular to the dove so it hangs straight

Step 4: start stitching the two dove pieces together using a running stitch, leave an opening at the bottom for stuffing

Step 5: lightly stuff with poly-fil beginning with the tip of the wing, the tail, and the head; finish stitching and knot it off

Step 6: stitch the middle of the olive branch to the tip of the dove's beak with your coordinating floss and you're all done

Posted in: on Tuesday, November 18, 2008 at at 7:34 AM 0 comments  

Oh baby it's cold outside....and rainy. YEAH. Oatmeal and frozen fruit season is open. It's just me and the baby this morning. The weather has kept everyone snuggled deep under cover. I had time to pick each and every blueberry out of his oatmeal for him.

I think I can turn on the Christmas music today. It' cold enough and close to Thanksgiving.

Simon unplugged the computer and the dog just ate the all catfood, again. Harper is up and in need of panties. I guess I'm done with cold and dreary and peaceful. I needed more coffee anyway. Peace.

Posted in: on Friday, November 14, 2008 at at 8:07 AM 0 comments  

There are two sides to every story



In a life with four children, I am allowed to set out to accomplish one thing every day.
Sometimes I can do more but I can only schedule the completion of one thing.
Say go to the Library, or dig under the tomatoes.
They can both happen in one day but are in truth unlikely to with out something else
suffering terribly.
You know you cook an amazing meal have a great bottle of wine
and the kids eat it.
Job well done.
But you worked so hard preparing and thinking about this meal that you are too wiped out after it to even clear the table. Obviously you over booked yourself.


Well....my livingroom got an overhaul yesterday.


Doesn't it look nice.

Feels a little like a hotel it's so clean and ordered

Here is the room that got left behind.

Even the vacuum didn't get put away.
How lazy do you have to be not to walk that the
10ft to the closet. I could have even had a kid do it.

Of course the kids are the reason I live a house that looks likes this.
Oh I could tell you "we don't live like this normally" But come back in a month and you will see
WE DO.
The worst is the babysitter who comes once a week and sees the same mess as last week. The one I said I was getting too. I am not even getting to hygiene on a daily basis. How the heck am I going to put that box of this and that, that I collected from here and there into the right storage box, that I do actually have labeled and stored.

SO any way. I love my living room. It's a little stiff for my taste. But it looks great and feels so refreshing. I have visions of knitting in front the fire with the children at my feet reading and having thoughtful conversations. I don't know when I am going to find time to learn how to knit. Or where I will find these children that can sit contemplatively within a foot of each other.
I'm sure I will get there though.

This was my one thing to acomplish today. I'm babysitting a friends four children (triplets and a nine year old) today and I have to go pick up the 1/4 cow I bought. I also have to return our library books or I may as well buy them. So you see today already setting up to be crazy.
Can you say mac and cheese dinner. MMMMMMM.


Posted in: on Tuesday, November 11, 2008 at at 7:59 AM 0 comments  


Take your kids, take your neighbor go vote. Michael took three kids there at 7:00 this morning in the rain. They are so thrilled to be a part of history. Coulson thinks it's not fair that he can't vote and wanted to know why you can't vote a couple of times for you candidate. Ahhh youth.

Manic Monday has been pushed to manic Tuesday and now we are off to the store for election provisions; hot chocolate for the kids bourbon for me. I am so excited and nervous about this election. Big pot of red beans and rice are on the stove, friends are gathering. Hope is in the air.

Harper's presentation on presidents is due tomorrow. She wanted to wait until todays results came in. Had to explain election 2000 to her. We might not know for weeks who our next president is. I hope not but with it this close who knows. She has so throughly enjoyed doing this research project. Even though I have been there every step of the way I am interested to hear what she has to say and what she has gathered from all her work.

Enjoy the process today.

Posted in: on Tuesday, November 4, 2008 at at 12:44 PM 0 comments  

Babies no more

Here it is the dear, sweet, wondrous crib. The heirloom I sought out for months while I was pregnant. Only finding it a week before I gave birth. I had wonderful visions of my children and then my grandchildren sleeping in this crib. The reality so very different in every way from what I thought I having children would be like.

Not a one of my four children ever s pent more than an hour or two in it. Certainly not the night. They slept with me. Snuggling to me all night long to nurse or talk. Being close until they where two or four in the case of my our third Ryland. The cats found a safe haven and dozed luxurious days of peaceful slumber in the safety of the crib. So glad I had paid such a ransom for a cat bed to shelter them from that screaming thing in their bed. While my babies learned the dangers of falling off the bed. My grandmother bought the crib for us. We all thought it the central point to this unborn child's world. Silly me. I was the central part of my child's world. Everything about me.

For nine years now someone has shared our bed and our life. Often overlapping considerably. They have made this life so much the better, and messier. I don't have a clean house or a pretty garden anymore. I wore mismatched socks day. They where however both Halloween socks. So there same holiday. I don't shower every day and I never wake up alone. Or with my husband.
I have wonderful children who think having their mom as a teacher rocks.

But the crib in leaving now, for sale on craigslist. There is no point in holding on to this emblem of babyhood that I never used. I hope the next person to have it finds it as useless as I did. There is no moment in life so sweet as that of waking with a tiny warm body next you. Sleeping contently because you are there. It is so fleeting and seems so long some days.

Posted in: on at at 12:34 PM 1 comments  

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