Each morning when I look at the date on my calendar, I'm surprised again at how fast time is flying by! How can it already be the end of November? We've been busy here (like everybody else) with school, finishing up some fall activities, and the beginning of the holidays. We dropped out of Scouts to add some breathing space to our lives, finished up the fall semester of co-op, and are just about done with the first term of our school year. It feels good to have some space back in our weekly schedule! Caiden starts basketball next week, so a little bit will be taken up again, but he's excited to try a new sport, and I'm just thankful it's inside!!
The last several weeks have been a storm of household management. That sounds crazy and boring, but after cleaning out the junk drawer a while back and realizing how much I love order, I've been bitten by a decluttering/organizing/simplifying bug! My mom has jumped on the train with me, like she generally does, which makes it much more fun. We text each other photos of before and after, and she came to visit me last week and was genuinely interested in checking out my newly-decluttered cabinets and closets. Moms are good for things like that! Who else would care about my closets??
What I'm seeing is a house that's much easier to keep picked up, now that so much of our stuff has been sent to live with somebody else (Good riddance!), and a better chores/allowance system that has helped greatly. The kids are loving the idea of an allowance, and Addie is so pleased to be big enough to feed the cat and take care of her room and clothes that she usually has her chores finished first! And now I have the time to do things I rarely ever did before, like cleaning the oven and scrubbing the bathroom floor in the guest house. Before, I was always busy running around and picking up and cleaning--but somehow nothing ever felt cleaned or stayed picked up. I can't believe how much easier it is to keep a house clean with less stuff and a better-defined schedule! It's just in time for the holidays, when "more" feels so much more anyway!
My husband's parents are here for Thanksgiving. Being a ministry family, we don't travel for holidays. The holidays add so much to our schedule that when the actual day of the holiday comes, we don't want to do anything but stay in our pajamas and lounge around, recovering from all the extra church services. So we decided after traveling for Christmas when Caiden was an infant, that we'd stay here and welcome anybody who wanted to visit. (Except for Christmas, which we decided after a couple years of company that we needed that holiday to be just us.) Chris' parents drive here from Tennessee each year, and it's the perfect time for them to visit. Chris' mom is a wonderful cook, and we've come up with a pretty good system--she makes the traditional Southern dishes, like pecan pie, sweet potato casserole, and the cornbread dressing; I make the mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie, etc. Chris takes care of the turkey. (Funny story: last year when I found out Chris' dad doesn't eat pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving because it's a "Yankee" food, I was aghast. Chris cracked us up when he reminded his dad that Thanksgiving is, after all, a traditionally-"Yankee" holiday. So true! But last night, when we reminded him of that story, his dad said "Yes, but we Southerners improved it! That's why we now have sweet potato casserole and pecan pie!" So funny! As an aside--no offense meant by the term "Yankee." Chris called my parents that for years because they lived in Pennsylvania, and when they told him that only East Coasters truly qualify as Yankees, he said that as a Southerner, anybody above the Mason-Dixon line in Kentucky is a Yankee! Funny Southern boy!!)
This year will be especially fun, though, because my parents are going to drive over for dessert in the evening. We've never shared a holiday with both sets of parents, and I am so excited! Even more sweet is that it was Chris' idea to invite my parents, and I am touched that he offered to share the holiday with his in-laws!
So today will be the traditional day-before cooking. I love wearing my apron and working on tomorrow morning's cinnamon rolls and getting everything ready that can be done ahead of time. I love setting the table beautifully for our meal, creating Thanksgiving "thankful" crafts with the kids, and everything else about Thanksgiving! It's my favorite holiday, hands-down, and having mounds of mashed potatoes (That only Chris, Caiden and I will eat, leaving more for me!) only helps. Chris camped with the kids in our back field last night, possibly starting a Thanksgiving tradition?, so I imagine I'll have some nappers this afternoon, making preparation even easier. (As I write, my little campers are all snuggled up in their mummy sleeping bags on the family room floor, playing "Christmas-opoly" together. My sweet in-laws gave the sleeping bags and game to them yesterday for their combined birthdays, and there's not much else that could have delighted Caiden more than a new Monopoly game! He's like playing with Donald Trump; don't play with him unless you bring your A game!!)
I hope your Thanksgiving week is beautiful, filled with friends, family, and gratitude for what the Lord has given you this year. I am so thankful to have family here with us, especially when earlier this year we didn't know if Chris' dad was going to survive a serious health scare. My house is full of people I love, and I am so very thankful for what the Lord has given me! Happy Thanksgiving to you!!
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Monday, November 14, 2011
A little while back I stocked up on bats, balls, and other outside play stuff. I realized we didn't have any left because somebody's rotten dogs had eaten them *all. Now that the weather is out of the 100s, my kids will spend hours and hours outside, and I will do anything to further that! (That's why Addie has my serving spoons outside in a muddy pit beside the shed. She's "cooking.")
It didn't take the boys long to suck Daddy into before-work pitching sessions:
I love watching all my boys, making memories of playing together. And I love being married to a man who'll let his coffee get cold on the fence post so that he can throw the ball to his boys. Sweet fall memories! Someday I'll be watching my little boys do the same thing with their boys . . .
*Since then, somebody's dog ate the shock collar and was able to wander around the yard one night, "shopping" for balls, which he then took back to the side yard and devoured. We still have a few left, although I don't have high hopes they'll last long. It's a little scary what a mastiff can eat.
It didn't take the boys long to suck Daddy into before-work pitching sessions:
*Since then, somebody's dog ate the shock collar and was able to wander around the yard one night, "shopping" for balls, which he then took back to the side yard and devoured. We still have a few left, although I don't have high hopes they'll last long. It's a little scary what a mastiff can eat.
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Keeping Up
I am trying so hard to be faithful to writing here regularly. I did for a long, long time, and then I felt burned out for a long, long time. But I realized a little while ago that even if nobody reads it (except my mom, who of course reads it because she is, after all, my mom!), I love this blog and want to be able to relive our memories years from now.
But I have to be honest--consistency is not my strong point! I'm not very consistent about very many things, other than the most important things. Everything else comes and goes as I make time. I'm also trying hard to be present in each day, not so busy behind the computer or iPhone or camera that I miss out on what I'm trying to record. Does that make sense?
So here are a few snapshots of what we've been up to.
Two weeks ago, we got our fourth batch of chicks. We ordered 35 this time, to make up for recent losses, and they threw in an exotic chick for free. As of right this second, all 36 are still alive, although I'm not counting my eggs before I eat them! We've discovered in nearly 3 years or raising chickens that life as a free range chicken has very low odds for long-term survival. We have three of our original 19 that are still alive, and we call them the "old ladies."
The kids were super excited to pick up our box from the post office. The lady made us wait nearly 10 minutes at the door, and I thought Caiden was going to burst a blood vessel from prolonged excitement!
Chris built a critter-proof nursery inside the stall for our chicks, and so far no snake or possum has figured out a way in. I hope these cute little ones make it to adulthood! If they don't, it won't be for lack of trying. Caiden is still as passionate about his chickens as ever.
And I'm still decluttering. This was the contents of my dining room cabinets. This is the project that propelled forward multiple other areas being cleaned out, and now I'm down to just two closets left. It's amazing what a tidy house can hide behind its cabinet doors! Now the house is much, much tidier--mainly because I gave away everything that continually was being left out and was driving me crazy. Ironically, nearly four vanloads of stuff was taken to Goodwill, and nobody has asked me for a single thing I got rid of. That's a pretty big clue that we had a lot of junk we didn't need or use!
It got cold here, and the kids acted like they were freezing. I think Grayson just needed an excuse to raid the hat/gloves bin. It's supposed to be 80 degrees here today, and I'm beginning to wonder if it's ever going to get truly cold! On the bright side, the kids are able to spend hours outside every day.
We are almost done with this semester's co-op classes. The kids have had a blast with their classes, and now that Addie is in kindergarten, she and Grayson are in the K-2 class together, and I love watching them interact. Generally it involves lots of elbowing and jockeying for the best seat, but that's pretty par for the course for a brother and sister only 1 1/2 years apart. I'm trying to be patient with the sibling squabbles that seem to have come out of nowhere lately--telling myself that they spend 14+ hours a day together, 7 days a week, helps a lot. I'd probably feel the same way.
Caiden is taking a recycled art class, and it has been such a neat class! He's made pumpkins out of sweaters and Wal-Mart bags, frisbees out of pantyhose, and now a chicken poster with reused lids. It's not finished yet, but it's looking really neat. He loved tracing the chicken shape on his foamboard.
Gray and Addie are taking a Spanish class and are making pinatas. Notice Addie's new scrunchy grin. It makes me laugh every time!
In Caiden's PE class one day they played indoor games, and we discovered that 9-11 year olds love marbles! Definitely a good stocking stuffer idea for Christmas, I think.
Painting his chicken before gluing on the lids.
This week I'm getting ready for Thanksgiving. Chris' parents arrive Saturday for about 10 days, and I'm trying to make sure menus are planned and shopped for, and that my house is clean. My vacuum broke, which is a grave matter when you have an indoor golden retriever and a Persian cat, so my mother graciously offered to bring hers when she comes in Tuesday. I'm already excited about vacuuming, which is weird. My floors are in dire need!
And I've discovered Pinterest, which I've totally fallen in love with. Right after I told my sister I didn't think I'd like it. See? Not very consistent. But I love having an organized bulletin board where I can store all my ideas! It's so much easier and more convenient than bookmarks on the computer. I've also found so many great ideas on other girls' boards. It's so much more fun for me than Twitter or Facebook, but it can suck away just as much time, so I'm trying to not love it too much.
So that's what's going on around here. A little of this, a little of that. Nothing big or earth-shattering, and that's exactly like I like it. I hope you're having a happy weekend, too!
But I have to be honest--consistency is not my strong point! I'm not very consistent about very many things, other than the most important things. Everything else comes and goes as I make time. I'm also trying hard to be present in each day, not so busy behind the computer or iPhone or camera that I miss out on what I'm trying to record. Does that make sense?
So here are a few snapshots of what we've been up to.
Two weeks ago, we got our fourth batch of chicks. We ordered 35 this time, to make up for recent losses, and they threw in an exotic chick for free. As of right this second, all 36 are still alive, although I'm not counting my eggs before I eat them! We've discovered in nearly 3 years or raising chickens that life as a free range chicken has very low odds for long-term survival. We have three of our original 19 that are still alive, and we call them the "old ladies."
The kids were super excited to pick up our box from the post office. The lady made us wait nearly 10 minutes at the door, and I thought Caiden was going to burst a blood vessel from prolonged excitement!
And I'm still decluttering. This was the contents of my dining room cabinets. This is the project that propelled forward multiple other areas being cleaned out, and now I'm down to just two closets left. It's amazing what a tidy house can hide behind its cabinet doors! Now the house is much, much tidier--mainly because I gave away everything that continually was being left out and was driving me crazy. Ironically, nearly four vanloads of stuff was taken to Goodwill, and nobody has asked me for a single thing I got rid of. That's a pretty big clue that we had a lot of junk we didn't need or use!
It got cold here, and the kids acted like they were freezing. I think Grayson just needed an excuse to raid the hat/gloves bin. It's supposed to be 80 degrees here today, and I'm beginning to wonder if it's ever going to get truly cold! On the bright side, the kids are able to spend hours outside every day.
We are almost done with this semester's co-op classes. The kids have had a blast with their classes, and now that Addie is in kindergarten, she and Grayson are in the K-2 class together, and I love watching them interact. Generally it involves lots of elbowing and jockeying for the best seat, but that's pretty par for the course for a brother and sister only 1 1/2 years apart. I'm trying to be patient with the sibling squabbles that seem to have come out of nowhere lately--telling myself that they spend 14+ hours a day together, 7 days a week, helps a lot. I'd probably feel the same way.
Caiden is taking a recycled art class, and it has been such a neat class! He's made pumpkins out of sweaters and Wal-Mart bags, frisbees out of pantyhose, and now a chicken poster with reused lids. It's not finished yet, but it's looking really neat. He loved tracing the chicken shape on his foamboard.
And I've discovered Pinterest, which I've totally fallen in love with. Right after I told my sister I didn't think I'd like it. See? Not very consistent. But I love having an organized bulletin board where I can store all my ideas! It's so much easier and more convenient than bookmarks on the computer. I've also found so many great ideas on other girls' boards. It's so much more fun for me than Twitter or Facebook, but it can suck away just as much time, so I'm trying to not love it too much.
So that's what's going on around here. A little of this, a little of that. Nothing big or earth-shattering, and that's exactly like I like it. I hope you're having a happy weekend, too!
Tuesday, November 08, 2011
Throwing It Out! A Very Long Post on Decluttering
I have been, for lack of a better phrase, throwing out all our stuff. (This is going to make my husband first cringe, then panic.) About a month ago I realized that I was stressed out all. the. time. And that I was also picking up stuff all. the. time. That my junk drawer had earned its name, I couldn't find things, and piles were piling up in every room.
Now, I'm a very tidy girl, thanks to my mother's brilliance/cruel & unusual discipline when I was 12 (That's a great story for another day, by the way.), so clutter and random things make me twitch. I think I've mentioned previously that I have three (four, bless his heart) people working against me at any given moment, and we homeschool, which means only 1/5 of us leaves the house on a regular basis. All that combined to make for a house packed to the gills with stuff.
After feeling melancholy and stressed out and overwhelmed for about two weeks, I decided to control what I could, so I cleaned out the "junk" drawers. Chris questioned my timing--workmen were in the same room repairing a hole in the ceiling, and sheetrock stuff was everywhere. But I explained that all the messes were making me nuts, so I needed to tidy one thing I could control. It took over an hour, but I was left with two drawers that are perfectly organized and hold all the things we need: flashlights, Gorilla glue, iPod earphones, address book, etc. And then I did what I should've done a long time ago: I held a family conference, explained that nobody under 35 is allowed to even touch the counter/cabinet space, and that permission had to be granted before borrowing anything from the drawers. I did it very nicely, but very firmly. And a month later, I still have three working flashlights, can find my scissors and glue in a second, and know where to find all the other little random things I never could seem to locate before.
And you know what? That small little space of order looked and felt so good that I moved on to my bathroom closet. And then my bedroom closet. And nightstand. Dresser. Pretty soon, I'd taken an entire vanload of unused clothing, belts, shoes, and just stuff to Goodwill, and I started feeling a little less stressed.
I took a two-week break to visit with my sister, but as soon as she left, I hit it hard! Our dining room has a built-in buffet with 6 large cabinets--a spacious dream, but they had never been cleaned out or organized since we moved in, in 2008. It took another 3 hours and a trip to Goodwill, but afterward they were nearly empty, with appropriate things in them (unlike the tire cleaner and power drill that had been in there). I walked around opening them all day long, just to admire my work. (I even made Caiden look in them, for affirmation of their lack of stuff!)
On a roll, and fueled by adrenaline, I attacked the family room cabinets--another set of six large cabinets completely wrecked by DVDs, Wii games, unorganized family albums, Christmas decor, and other weird things. Another three hours. Another van load. And then, just because I was on a roll, I started removing things from the family room itself--books, decor I don't love, and whatever struck me as not necessary.
Next day? Schoolroom closet--whoa. Enough said right there. And guest house cabinets. Another set of six, and these were the most random of all because we were just tossing everything that didn't go somewhere else in them. Our house generally appears clean and tidy, but that's because we have mass quantities of storage--two attics, even. I've realized that much storage space is dangerous! But open a set of cabinets, and you'd see how much too much stuff we had. A lot of the stuff in the guest house was old decor or gifts I didn't use anymore but felt bad getting rid of. I parted with them this time!
So today, I wandered around our house, looking inside cabinets, pulling a few more books (like, 40) off various shelves, and admiring how much tidier our house has stayed all week long. I headed up to my sewing room, really thinking it would take me five minutes, because I really didn't have anything to get rid of. Four hours later, the kids were scrunched up in the back of the van, and we made our third trip to Goodwill. The entire van was taken up with stuff, and that didn't even count the three huge bags of fabric I'm giving to a friend! I have to admit I was ashamed at how much I'd accumulated in the name of crafting--three garbage bags went in the trash, and I think what went in the van to donate could've filled a small sewing shop. I hated seeing how much money we'd spent in the last four years that was wasted--not because I gave the things away, but because I was never going to use them! It was a serious wake-up call. Anyway, the lady at Goodwill tried to tell me to come back later because their truck was full, but I think she saw how desperate I was to be rid of the stuff inside my crammed car, and she relented. Two of those huge carts later, and we drove home happy. I treated myself to a peppermint mocha from Starbucks--still sweaty and exhausted from a million trips up and down the stairs with all the stuff. My sewing room looks radically different--so clean and calm, and while I still have all the supplies I need, and a small bookcase of fabric I'll actually use, there's nothing in there that could be called clutter. It makes me want to sew, it's so nice!
Overall, my house doesn't really look all that different. (Except for my sewing room.) I didn't take down any of the decor or get rid of any furniture. Everything that went--three packed minivan loads--was inside cabinets or drawers, or sitting in baskets. It was all hidden to the eye, but I knew it was there, and I was constantly putting it away after somebody else had dragged it out. I read recently that we'd have 40% less cleaning to do if we could part with some of our stuff. I believe it! My house might look basically the same, but it feels radically different. At our 5 o'clock pickup each night, it has taken less than 5 minutes to have the house completely picked up. That is a huge improvement! I feel so lightened, as if I lost weight, that Bridget keeps laughing at me on the phone--she says I'm giddy, and I think I am! It feels so good not to be burdened with constantly picking up stuff, or opening a closet and feeling like the chaos inside is making me crazy. I don't feel behind anymore, and the overwhelming feeling is gone.
Now here's the challenge: not to replace the stuff. Not to relax and allow unneeded stuff to creep back in. I've already gone through the kids' clothes and toys, but pretty soon I'll go through them all again, keeping in mind that with Christmas coming soon, I need to get rid of as much as they'll likely bring in. Toys they don't play with or have outgrown, clothes not needed to be handed down, and excess amounts of particular toys, like Legos and baby dolls. It doesn't hurt them to live with less, and the extra time I have to spend with them, that I was formerly spending on picking up, is more valuable to them anyway.
This is a seriously long post, and I wouldn't even read it if I hadn't written it, but I'm leaving it here to remind myself that too much stuff is a burden, and that less really is more! For good reading on simplifying, organizing, or living with less, here are a few sites I've just discovered:
Small Notebook
Steady Mom (follow her links to her homeschooling site for simplifying homeschool organization)
Simple Mom
And my mom is joining in on the decluttering/simplifying, too, and you can find her here.
And, appropriate since it's November, I'm feeling very thankful for Goodwill this month. I'm glad our extra stuff can be used to bless others--but I'm hoping that this time next year, I don't have quite as much stuff to give!
Now, I'm a very tidy girl, thanks to my mother's brilliance/cruel & unusual discipline when I was 12 (That's a great story for another day, by the way.), so clutter and random things make me twitch. I think I've mentioned previously that I have three (four, bless his heart) people working against me at any given moment, and we homeschool, which means only 1/5 of us leaves the house on a regular basis. All that combined to make for a house packed to the gills with stuff.
After feeling melancholy and stressed out and overwhelmed for about two weeks, I decided to control what I could, so I cleaned out the "junk" drawers. Chris questioned my timing--workmen were in the same room repairing a hole in the ceiling, and sheetrock stuff was everywhere. But I explained that all the messes were making me nuts, so I needed to tidy one thing I could control. It took over an hour, but I was left with two drawers that are perfectly organized and hold all the things we need: flashlights, Gorilla glue, iPod earphones, address book, etc. And then I did what I should've done a long time ago: I held a family conference, explained that nobody under 35 is allowed to even touch the counter/cabinet space, and that permission had to be granted before borrowing anything from the drawers. I did it very nicely, but very firmly. And a month later, I still have three working flashlights, can find my scissors and glue in a second, and know where to find all the other little random things I never could seem to locate before.
And you know what? That small little space of order looked and felt so good that I moved on to my bathroom closet. And then my bedroom closet. And nightstand. Dresser. Pretty soon, I'd taken an entire vanload of unused clothing, belts, shoes, and just stuff to Goodwill, and I started feeling a little less stressed.
I took a two-week break to visit with my sister, but as soon as she left, I hit it hard! Our dining room has a built-in buffet with 6 large cabinets--a spacious dream, but they had never been cleaned out or organized since we moved in, in 2008. It took another 3 hours and a trip to Goodwill, but afterward they were nearly empty, with appropriate things in them (unlike the tire cleaner and power drill that had been in there). I walked around opening them all day long, just to admire my work. (I even made Caiden look in them, for affirmation of their lack of stuff!)
On a roll, and fueled by adrenaline, I attacked the family room cabinets--another set of six large cabinets completely wrecked by DVDs, Wii games, unorganized family albums, Christmas decor, and other weird things. Another three hours. Another van load. And then, just because I was on a roll, I started removing things from the family room itself--books, decor I don't love, and whatever struck me as not necessary.
Next day? Schoolroom closet--whoa. Enough said right there. And guest house cabinets. Another set of six, and these were the most random of all because we were just tossing everything that didn't go somewhere else in them. Our house generally appears clean and tidy, but that's because we have mass quantities of storage--two attics, even. I've realized that much storage space is dangerous! But open a set of cabinets, and you'd see how much too much stuff we had. A lot of the stuff in the guest house was old decor or gifts I didn't use anymore but felt bad getting rid of. I parted with them this time!
So today, I wandered around our house, looking inside cabinets, pulling a few more books (like, 40) off various shelves, and admiring how much tidier our house has stayed all week long. I headed up to my sewing room, really thinking it would take me five minutes, because I really didn't have anything to get rid of. Four hours later, the kids were scrunched up in the back of the van, and we made our third trip to Goodwill. The entire van was taken up with stuff, and that didn't even count the three huge bags of fabric I'm giving to a friend! I have to admit I was ashamed at how much I'd accumulated in the name of crafting--three garbage bags went in the trash, and I think what went in the van to donate could've filled a small sewing shop. I hated seeing how much money we'd spent in the last four years that was wasted--not because I gave the things away, but because I was never going to use them! It was a serious wake-up call. Anyway, the lady at Goodwill tried to tell me to come back later because their truck was full, but I think she saw how desperate I was to be rid of the stuff inside my crammed car, and she relented. Two of those huge carts later, and we drove home happy. I treated myself to a peppermint mocha from Starbucks--still sweaty and exhausted from a million trips up and down the stairs with all the stuff. My sewing room looks radically different--so clean and calm, and while I still have all the supplies I need, and a small bookcase of fabric I'll actually use, there's nothing in there that could be called clutter. It makes me want to sew, it's so nice!
Overall, my house doesn't really look all that different. (Except for my sewing room.) I didn't take down any of the decor or get rid of any furniture. Everything that went--three packed minivan loads--was inside cabinets or drawers, or sitting in baskets. It was all hidden to the eye, but I knew it was there, and I was constantly putting it away after somebody else had dragged it out. I read recently that we'd have 40% less cleaning to do if we could part with some of our stuff. I believe it! My house might look basically the same, but it feels radically different. At our 5 o'clock pickup each night, it has taken less than 5 minutes to have the house completely picked up. That is a huge improvement! I feel so lightened, as if I lost weight, that Bridget keeps laughing at me on the phone--she says I'm giddy, and I think I am! It feels so good not to be burdened with constantly picking up stuff, or opening a closet and feeling like the chaos inside is making me crazy. I don't feel behind anymore, and the overwhelming feeling is gone.
Now here's the challenge: not to replace the stuff. Not to relax and allow unneeded stuff to creep back in. I've already gone through the kids' clothes and toys, but pretty soon I'll go through them all again, keeping in mind that with Christmas coming soon, I need to get rid of as much as they'll likely bring in. Toys they don't play with or have outgrown, clothes not needed to be handed down, and excess amounts of particular toys, like Legos and baby dolls. It doesn't hurt them to live with less, and the extra time I have to spend with them, that I was formerly spending on picking up, is more valuable to them anyway.
This is a seriously long post, and I wouldn't even read it if I hadn't written it, but I'm leaving it here to remind myself that too much stuff is a burden, and that less really is more! For good reading on simplifying, organizing, or living with less, here are a few sites I've just discovered:
Small Notebook
Steady Mom (follow her links to her homeschooling site for simplifying homeschool organization)
Simple Mom
And my mom is joining in on the decluttering/simplifying, too, and you can find her here.
And, appropriate since it's November, I'm feeling very thankful for Goodwill this month. I'm glad our extra stuff can be used to bless others--but I'm hoping that this time next year, I don't have quite as much stuff to give!
Our Family Fall Festival
My sister was an elementary school teacher, and she is really creative when it comes to fun with kids. We had already planned on having our brother and his family and our parents out for chili and costumes and all that, but she took it up a notch and planned a fall festival for us. While driving back and forth from church, she and I came up with a list of fun activities and supplies. Saturday night after church, we made a late-night Wal-Mart run (Where, incidentally, she potentially saved my life from a car about to crash onto the sidewalk and right into us. I say "potentially" because we realized later that the honking, screeching car full of ninny high school boys wasn't actually going to run over us, but it sure seemed like it at the time, and she literally shoved me out of the way and tried to heave me over the retaining wall. It was hilarious--after we stopped shaking.) Anyway. We discovered that there were no pumpkins to be found at Wal-Mart two days before Halloween because our local pumpkin patch had bought the entire town out! But we got everything else we needed and headed home.
Sunday after church we set up my backyard with a table for pumpkin carving,
one for stamping shirts for the kids, a face painting table, and areas for pumpkin ring toss and pumpkin bowling. We set up fun Jack Johnson music on the deck and let the kids decorate. They drew little ghosts and bats and hung them from our trees. Addie contributed by drawing "pumpkin hop scotch," which was really drawings of undiscernable things strewn all over the deck.
My dad manned the pumpkin carving and decorations table.
Caiden contributed by playing on my sister's phone. Not super helpful :)
Leslie painted our faces, which was probably my favorite part of the entire afternoon.
Papa posing with half of his mustache. Isn't he so cute? I love him!
She looks serious, doesn't she?
"Sarry Potter"--my kids don't know about Harry Potter, so they thought it was really odd that I had a crack down the middle of my forehead!
Grammy got a flower while Addie observed, waiting for her turn.
The YouTubed bun is still holding, 10 hours later!!
Now it's Grammy's turn to draw on Leslie, and we didn't let Les choose her design:
I can't tell you how much I love seeing my sister with a pig nose! It's seriously unfair that she's still this cute, though.
Then Leslie drew an Indian chief headband on Chris' head, since he was in and out of the house sneaking peeks of the Redskins game. He's a diehard fan.
He's so cute! I love him, too!
Finally Addie got her turn
while the guys got busy carving pumpkins. This was Caiden's first time doing his by himself, and he LOVED it. Actually, the next morning he carved a few little ones left behind, he loved it so much! I just think he liked getting to handle a knife.
Fairy eyes for Addie,
but my adorable niece Jae Beth opted out of makeup.
Leslie and Landon made his pumpkin shirt, and
Grayson had Mom paint his face silver with a red bolt down the side, to be some Star Wars person I can't remember, but when he realized that the silver was actually glitter, he ran inside and scrubbed it off! He HATES anything remotely girl-related. So he ended up with a face with a red bolt and remnants of silver glitter :)
My brother's pumpkin was awesome: it was a fly fishing fly, really intricate, because he loves carving pumpkins and has years of experience! But because I don't know anything about flies, I thought it was an armadillo! Poor Dan. He was so proud of it.
Addie and Landon bowled with a pumpkin and paper towel ghosts,
and my sister-in-law Janae held Superbaby Daniel, our newest family member. I got to hold him for a long time and rock him to sleep, and he is sooo fat and cuddly! It gives me baby cravings just to think of it . . .
Addie and Jae Beth played with the pumpkin ring toss,
while Les modeled our shirts which turned out really sweet. They glow in the dark!
After we finished all our outside activities, we all ate chili and orange cupcakes inside. My parents brought the kids their treat bags, so they sucked down Pixie Sticks before Leslie and I intervened! Then we all crashed in the great room. It was hilarious because the kids changed out of their costumes, but all the adults still had their face makeup on. My brother Dan had a full "beard" painted on by Leslie, and it was so funny but a little creepy. See him in the left background? Janae had just realized he was behind her and was laughing so hard at him!
Papa and Addie got in some good snuggles before we put the kids down and sat around talking, with coffee.
Our little pumpkins glowing on the deck:
Only my brother and sister know what this is, but I almost wet my pants laughing when it happened. This is here simply for posterity! Les, I'm sorry, but I had to post this.
One more photo of Janae, who kindly let Caiden decorate her face (He drew hearts and "I love Dan" all over her), and tired JaeBeth.
It was such a fun night, and I'm so thankful I have a creative sister who loves to make memories, or else we would've just eaten chili and had the kids trash the house. This was so much more fun, and by playing outside all night, we ended up with sleepy kids, a clean house, and great memories!
And because there aren't nearly enough photos in this post ;), I saw this on Facebook and had to add it, simply because it's so cute:
Sunday after church we set up my backyard with a table for pumpkin carving,
And because there aren't nearly enough photos in this post ;), I saw this on Facebook and had to add it, simply because it's so cute:
Saturday, November 05, 2011
A Few More from the Lake
I forgot about these photos (I'm posting and cleaning the Happy Room at the same time, so I'm a little disorganized about this!) But I couldn't leave out these photos for my sister to see:
Caiden, after we made him "release" his dead gar, found another disgusting (or awesome, if you're a boy) fish carcass. The good news is that he's really good about washing his hands after he comes up from the beach!
Grayson is such a funny kid. He's really quirky, an inventor and creator, and loves shiny things, especially gadgets. When Caiden was three, our pediatrician asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up, and Caiden said, "An encouraging squirrel," at which our doctor nearly fell out! He said in 20 years as a pediatrician, he'd never heard that. (Go figure!) And today, 7 years later, Caiden is really an encourager. But Grayson is definitely the squirrel! He loves to snitch shiny things, gadgets, small "treasures" that I consider junk, and hide them. (When it was his turn at the doctor, he said when he grew up he wanted to become "a man." Very realistic goal. Now he'd definitely say "Lego engineer.")
Landon, being 5 like Addie, loved playing with her. They played Rescue Heroes in the Dollhouse, as a compromise.
"Toasting" their breakfast.
After we left Mom and Dad's, Leslie and I drove back to my house and got the kids dressed up for Treat-Tastic at church that night. This first picture is really good, primarily because 3/4 of the kids have on masks. The boys went with a Star Wars theme, and Landon's costume as Yoda impressed Grayson deeply. We had so much fun with that little costume! Addie went with her favorite thing on earth, ballerinas. I YouTubed a video on how to make a bun, and it involved cutting a hole in a sock, rolling it into a donut, and wrapping it around her ponytail, then tucking the excess hair around it. It was weird but really good! About a million bobby pins later, she had a bun that stayed in.
But this photo is especially for my sister. If you zoom in, you'll see that Caiden's eyes are shut and he's sitting like a total boy, Addie looks mad, Landon has a poser smile, and Grayson looks bizarre. Or constipated. We laughed so hard when we saw this one! I love it so much I think I'm going to frame it for my fall decor, just because it is so characteristic of these four crazy kids!
Sunday we headed back to church, so the kids got to wear their costumes again, and this time we made them wear their masks. Much better, although not nearly as funny!
Caiden, after we made him "release" his dead gar, found another disgusting (or awesome, if you're a boy) fish carcass. The good news is that he's really good about washing his hands after he comes up from the beach!
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