Big leagues

Today I bought fabric on the big rolls, baby. That's right, the big home decorator rolls. I felt like someone was a moment from escorting me away from the building the entire time.

I'm going to do another mistreatment to my windows. So exciting.

I also bought a white ironstone tray for a buck. A BUCK!

Thrifting

I love thrifting, I love going out and shopping (cheaply!) and finding treasures. I always come home with projects to complete. I don't always complete the projects though. Why IS that?

Long time no see?

Life, life is a crazy thing. Having 5 kids seems to only be a problem when illness invades my house. I can't fight a war on two fronts (didn't some elder statesman say were we supposed to be able to?) Respitory infections and some gastro bug don't mix. It's just wrong!

Anyway, everyone is healthy once again, and I think I'm almost caught up with laundry. yippee.

Happy St. President's day!

Today is the day where we celebrate a holiday with hearts and love isn't it? Oh whoops, it isn't? Don't tell my 5 yo Curly-Sue. Today we made a cake for our neighborhood (everyday at about 4 pm we all gather at our neighborhood park and the kids play play play. When evening colors sounds we usually all head in to eat our dinners and wash up) it was heart shaped with pink icing and most importantly ... SPRINKLES. What joy she had inviting everyone, and being a hostess. How easy this was for me, finding the cake mix and icing post V-Day was a $1 investment, but it was a lesson worth a much larger pricetag.

The big Day!

Every year I tend to spend the last two weeks of February with my feelings hurt. Yes, valentine's day and my birthday do that to me. I have expectations that dh doesn't meet, or perhaps I lower my expectations and then habor ill feelings towards dh because of it.

So this year I'm trying something different. I'm shamelessly stealing an idea that I read in the comment section of Like Merchant Ships and turning our guest room into a bed and breakfast love nest. While it's probably more for me than for my dh, it will certainly be *fun. wish me luck!

OUCH

Today the baby (who is 3!!!) got hurt. It reminded me once again how much I, as a parent, despise it when my children are in pain or suffering and I can't make it go away with a band aid and a kiss.

He fell backwards off a bench onto a concrete floor. The ::THUNK:: was horrific and made me queasy. We're pretty sure he had a mild concussion. The great thing about living in my neighborhood is that we have an EMT and Dr. across the street. Because I couldn't get him into the clinic today, they checked him out and just told us to watch him carefully.

By the end of the day he was playing and just generally being his happy little boyself. But so many many thoughts whipped through my mind as he cried and cried. I've been so blessed in the past 12 years, these situations have been minimal and not *really serious. I'm saying a little prayer tonight for children and the parents who are dealing with long term serious health issues. Bandaids and kisses don't always work.

Question

I'm hosting a card making workshop (no I'm not teaching my friend is!) But I'd like to serve some munchies. It is set for the weekend prior to Valentine's Day so I could incorporate that into my theme. Any ideas?

:::cue dora music now!:::

I did it, I did, I did it, YEAH!

I pared down the kid's book collection. Though some books that I chose to donate were perfectly good stories, we simply had *too many! We donated 2 large boxes of books yesterday, and about 3 garbage bags full of kids clothes. sigh. almost done.

Mired in Mud

That's what I feel like right now. Going through books and deciding what to keep and what to give away must be my kryptonite. Having five children ranging in age from 3-12 pretty much means that we're FULL of books... our shelves are at overflow. How does one decide what books to keep? How can I DO that?

I've got a great storage and display solution for them, but it means that we need to whittle down the collection.

boxes, bangles, and beads

So after much gnashing of teeth, and general sourness I made the kids clean out their rooms. And when I say clean out their rooms , think literally! We had many many empty plastic totes that were remnants of the great storage shed clean out 2008. So they had to clean EVERYTHING out of their rooms and place them in the totes. After a good deep cleaning of the room itself, we sorted, disposed of and placed the keepers back into their bedrooms.

They have never looked so clean and organized. When I figure out how to upload pics I'll add them!

I feel so good , even alpha-girl does. She said that when she woke up this morning to get ready for school she loved knowing where everything was and knowing that everything was where it SHOULD be.

Amazing

It never ceases to amaze me that when I pray and ask God to lead me, he does. I've been feeling lonely and isolated... God moves wonderful new neighbors in. So wonderful that we can watch American Idol in our robes and slippers together.

I feel led to become more focused in my homemaking vocation (and in turn create a haven for my family) and I find a wealth of blogs on the very subject.

Now if he'd only plop a blogger tutorial in my lap, all would be well in the world. (just kidding,kind of!)

New Year Revisted

The beginning of our New Year was hectic. We received news that a beloved member of our family was ill, and days later we learned she had died. We prepared for the 12+ hour roadtrip to Indiana, and I prayed the whole time. You see all my budgeting has fallen by the wayside lately and this unexpected trip was difficult. So we're back on board and trying not to fall off of the wagon again.


So in addition to clearing out our storage room and turning it into a crafting haven for Mom.... I want to do *better at home.

Happy new year

The new year is just about to begin. Every year it feels like this is the time to begin anew and put new ideas into practice.

I have many things that I could improve upon. LOL

Moment of thought

Today on our military base I had to take some last minute packages to be shipped (an online order was unexpectedly delayed... so I cancelled and sent via FedEx)

Anyway, as I was standing in line all five children were with me and in high spirits. I felt like I was remaining calm but was bein firm in direction. I also was starting to be VERY out of place as the rest of the customers were all single young military members... and I felt like they were staring.

As I stood there disciplining my children for the umpteenth time, a voice from behind me said " I miss my Mom"

I turned around and saw a fresh faced young Marine with lotions in his hand.

When I turned around and looked at him he said "I really miss my mom" "You guys are going to miss her one day" he said to my kids.

It was a little reminder to *me that though they are little and drive me crazy sometimes, they'll grow up too . I also am going to say a little prayer for those Military members who are far from the people that they love this Holiday.

My first Christmas Gift

My first gift this season came from Monkey boy (#5) As we were heading out to pick up the big brothers at school I look in the rearview mirror as he proceeds to get ill ALL OVER.


Chorus for the Alpha Daughter is tonight, I'm not sure who from the family will be attending now. She seems to have some sort of issue with her important nights and people getting ill, I think this makes 4 in a year?

sigh.

I never know what to say and what to share. I have issues, I know.

But the title of my blog is true! It is how I feel most days. This mothering stuff? I still wonder how I muddle through it all and have appeared to raise semi normal children so far.

Anyway, I hope to do this semi- coherantly and semi-regularly. We shall see!

creaaaaak....

That's the sound of me tiptoeing in. I've never blogged before, heck I think my longest journaling was in 6th grade when I was in *love with Jeff Hand (yes that was his name!)



Life gets so busy and kids do the darnedest things. I figured that having a place where I could share it would be a good thing , right?