a gypsy caravan

Paper Plates

I love them.  I hate them. 

I know all the pros and cons.  But I'll tell you, right now I could use a pack.

The dishes are piling up.

We have all been sick  with some sort of stomach virus.  Mary''s sick again.  Annie, Ben and I are sick right along with her.   We are canceling everything this week, as we did for a good part of last week.  Chris' birthday is this weekend.  I hope that everyone is feeling better by then.  In the meantime, we have been doing lots of reading while spending the days in our pyjamas and nightgowns.  I've updated the booklists in my sidebars because it is easy to sit and type while nursing a baby in bed.

My one consolation is that I had ordered some of this tea last week when the stomach virus hit.   It came in the mail on Saturday and I have had three pots so far.  Yum.  It is a combination of chamomile, peppermint and rooibos, perfect for soothing an upset tummy... or two... or four.

For KC and Stef, who commented about the spice rack being Martha Stewart-y, I need you to know that the spice/baking rack  is the only thing in my kitchen that is neat right now.  The counters and stove are covered with plates and pans and glasses.   People who have been to my home know that I struggle immensely with keeping this tiny house running smoothly even when I am well.  One meal of dishes not done, one load of laundry not folded and put away makes the whole place a disaster.

Well, the girls and I are off for a nap.  While most people dream about sugarplums or far away tropical islands, I'll be dreaming about paper products. :)

Cleaning Up and Blog Withdrawal

I have not posted much for some time, nor have I been reading blogs like I used to.  I miss you all very much.  I have actually gone through "blog reading withdrawal".  It sounds kind of funny but I really think it was a type of weaning for me. 

I needed to do so to get my house in order, which really is happening (though rather slowly).  I did decorate the house for Christmas and spent some quality time with the children (made a gingerbread house and read many books) while I have been "away".  We had a lovely Christmas day thankyouforasking. :) It was nice to stay home this year and just relax together.  My mom came over and we ate many yummy hors 'd oeurves, drank some wine and made chocolate fondue for dessert to go with our Baby Jesus cake. We also are still lighting the candles on our Advent log each evening and singing carols for the twelve days of Christmas.  It is a lot of fun. 

I have also cleaned a few terrifying places in my home.  I consider my bedroom finished (photos to follow) and tomorrow I am tackling the closet that is now my "throw everything in and slam the door" closet.  It will become my honey's and my closet for our clothing.  Imagine that, a closet for clothing right in your own room!  Who-da thunk? 

I currently keep my hanging clothing in the girl's room's closet and Mike keeps his in the boy's room's closet.   I have a dresser in our bedroom and Mike stores his foldables under the boy's beds.  That makes dressing a logistical nightmare, needless to say.  All the closets in this small bungalow are single door width.  The only exception is the one I am working on tomorrow, which was an addition after the second floor was finished.  It is twice the width.  Right now it contains an overflow of homeschooling debris and many neglected toys as well as a few shelves of books that will need a new home.

This would be handy...

...but, alas, it does not exist does it?  Instead, I am laboring away by hand and with love in my heart for the sake of my family who surely deserves a welcoming, happy place to live.  It has given me hope and much motivation to see the kids' and Mike's responses to what I have done thus far.  Everyone is surprised and delighted.  That, in and of itself, is reward enough for me.   

Wish me luck because my next mission is a dangerous one!

 

(Fun images courtesy of Imagechef.com)

My Home Journal

I was so inspired by Kim and Elizabeth's home management notebooks that I worked on mine this past weekend.  

I used the same divider headers that I found on Kim's site although I also plan to make some others for our family's needs.  I'd like to add a Recipe divider and a Schedule divider as well. I also plan to add a plastic pocket in the back for stamps and my monthly calendar. In the meantime, here is what I have done so far.  The photos do not show the colors very well but they are mainly browns, pinks, plums and greens.

My cover

(Stole the quote from Kim.)

I used printed papers and added some embellishments like raised stickers and transfers.

I have kept a home management notebook since my Flylady days but it was neither as pretty nor as thorough a resource until I began compiling mine using Kim and Elizabeth's ideas.  Their series on the homemaking journals has been especially helpful to me.  I was going to link all of the pertinent posts from Kim's site but rather, if you go here and start from the bottom up, you will find the posts in order.  Elizabeth's pretty notebook can be seen here.  Maybe you'd like to make a notebook for your home! 

Woodworking Skills: The Tea Table

Both of my sons enjoy working with hand tools. Benjamin began when he was four, hammering nails in a piece of soft pine.  We supplied him with the real things although he was very young.  He had a great respect for the tools and used them correctly from the start.  At that time, we kept a small workbench in our basement that I had purchased from a Montessori school that had closed.  It was just the right height for a young child to work efficiently and safely.

I would like to tell you that the bench is neat and orderly but that is not the case.  It is now kept in our garage (among many other tools, bikes and toys) but it still gets quite a bit of use. Benjamin now does his work at his father's workbench or outside because he has grown too tall to use the small workbench. Christopher, on the other hand, is able to use it comfortably.

Last week the boys disappeared into the garage for quite some time.  When they came back in the house, they told me that they planned to build a tiny tea table for their sister, Mary, out of some scrap wood they had found. Mary just loves to play with her miniature tea set and sets up elaborate parties with her dolls and animals.  I told the boys that the table was a great idea.  They went back outside and set to work.

After building the table, they sanded it smooth.  Then, they consulted their sister as to what color she would like to have it painted.  She chose dark purple.  Since we did not have any dark purple paint in the house, we took a trip to the craft store to pick some up.  While we were there, they also chose some sparkly "jewels" that they used to decorate the top.

Here is the finished product:

It stands about 7 inches from the floor, just the right height for a little girl and her dolls to sit around and share a spot of tea.  :)

While this table is not "professional" quality, it was made from the heart. It serves a wonderful purpose for its recipient, who will never forget the little tea table her brothers made for her.  I also think the skills used and learned while making it are so valuable.  But most of all, I shiver with happiness that these boys chose to spend their afternoon doing something to bring joy to another person.  That, to me, is worth more than anything.

Autumn is here!

Unfortunately, I did not compile a post in time for Michele's Loveliness of Autumn fair.  Please, do stop by to read  the wonderful posts and ideas that are shared there!   

There are so many ways that we can make our homes welcoming with each season change.  I really enjoy the change from Summer to Autumn, not only because the latter is my favorite season to be out of doors but because the changes within my home are the simplest for me as well. 

Our previous home, which was a rental, had gorgeous woodwork and leaded glass windows with built in china cabinets and window seats.  We now live in a 1940's bungalow which has small rooms that do not have a whole lot of character.   This home really relies on its decorating colors and furniture to make it interesting.   I have painted most of the rooms in warm tones so Autumn decorations really work well here. 

This is the view into our front door.  The wood burning fireplace gets a lot of use in the colder months.  I try to decorate the mantel and the area above it for the season at hand.  I purchased this wheat wreath from a small, family-owned company several years ago.  I hang it from the beginning of Autumn until Advent.   The mantel is decorated with some silk autumn leaves and small artificial pumpkins/gourds.  These, I purchased at a Dollar Tree store.  The entire mantel's decorations cost $5, excluding the candles which I bought many years ago.

Some other ways to highlight the seasons are by using interesting photo frames around the house.  I often purchase these after the season is over and they are much less expensive.  Added to a table with some other photos, it gives a little touch of Autumn for a small amount of money.  This one, of iron leaves, adds a little character to the table alongside the vase of fall flowers and foliage that I change each season.

Also in the living room is the piano which just asks to be decorated!  It is here that we place our Advent log during Advent, decorated with greens and berries.  During the fall, we use fall candles, seasonal photo frames and other decorations to bring it to life.   

The view from this room into the dining room...

My dining room is our only eating area in the house.  It is home to a table and six chairs.  There is no room for anything else.  I keep the decorations simple in there, just a runner (also used at Christmastime) and small basket of leaves and gourds.  Once again, the basket and gourds were less than $5 at the dollar store. 

Here is a shelf in my little sunroom, which is joined to my dining room.  My mother likes to bring fresh flowers for me now and then (which I really love! ) This time she brought mums to brighten my day.  They really add a nice fall flair to the room. 

On the outside of our home, we have a couple of these fellows hanging around the mums and pumpkins.  The littles really like them .  When it is dark in the evening and I have come back from being out, I have been known to jump pretty high, thinking they are a real person by my door! 

Thanks for letting me share these few, simple ways that I have tried to bring Autumn to my home.

Perhaps your home has a season that looks just right within its walls.  My mother-in-love's home is a wonderful, festive place in the winter with all of its decorations for Christmas.  For which season do you most enjoy decorating your home?

Hanging the Wash

Today is a great day for me to catch up on all that laundry that has been haunting me for the past few days.  Pre-baby #4, I was washing every day but have found myself scrambling to get it done these days.  The joke around here is that when the children start to wear Halloween costumes as clothing, it's time to do the laundry.  When Mary showed up to the table this morning wearing a pink poodle costume, I knew it was that time again. 

I love to hang out the clothes to dry on a clothesline.  I used to think it was old fashioned and time consuming to do it this way but the reality is that the clothes dry faster in the sun on the line than they do in my dryer, especially in this 95 degree heat.  My grandma used to hang all of her laundry on the line, outside in the summer, downstairs in the winter.  I have fond memories of living with her and helping her do her wash every Monday.  After she brought in the laundry from the line, she ironed it all.    I recall watching her iron underwear, sheets, undershirts of my father's.  The only things that I did not see her iron were towels and socks.  I iron only when necessary and never the sheets or underclothes! :)

 

Don't you just love the fresh clean scent of sheets hung on the line to dry?  When you fall into bed and lay your head on the pillowcase, the scent of sun, fresh air and sweet clover just make it impossible not to fall asleep with a smile on your face.   Ever spend a day in the sun, on a boat with the wind blowing through your hair, only to fall into bed and snooze like a baby, your lungs full of fresh air?  Sheets on the line have the same soporific effect, an instant ticket to a blissful night's sleep.

We have two retractable clothes lines on our property.  One is at a lower level for the littles to hang up their things.  This is a fun and satisfying activity for the children to do.   The children, from about the age of two, can take a clothespin from the bag that is hanging on the line and practice hanging their clothing to dry.  As they get older, they can be quite helpful by hanging the family's wash on the line without assistance.

Speaking of hanging the wash, I just have to share this picture, which is one of my favorite images of Our Lady.  I really like the paintings of her doing everyday things.   

The sweet little Christ child sitting on the ground always makes me smile. 

Children and Work

There is a thought provoking post at Tales of the Bonny Blue House about training our children to have a strong work ethic early in life.   I have been rethinking the system we use and the amount of work that I expect of my children.  In my home, too much free time, without a fair amount of hard work breeds unhappiness.  When the children are allowed to slack off at their chores or if I do not inspect their work, the overall tone of our home changes from cheerful to grumbling.  There is much joy and satisfaction to be had in a job well done.  My kids are happier when they are doing work that really benefits the family, not just busywork.  How much work, other than personal care of self, do you expect from your children at each age?