 |
| Santa Claus is comin' to town! |
Okay, moment of truth here. This is the first picture I took of them:
I only include this photo to make you feel better about how you keep your house and raise your family.
You're welcome.
Thursday, December 22, 2011
You better watch out...
Okay, moment of truth here. This is the first picture I took of them:
I only include this photo to make you feel better about how you keep your house and raise your family.
You're welcome.
Monday, December 05, 2011
Quick Takes Monday
I understand what parents of large families mean when they wish each of their children were an only child. En masse, they're sort of a terror, but individually, they're delightful. You really get to appreciate the gift of each one when you can focus on them without any distractions. Even Joseph becomes the sweetest, most charming, utterly delightful little boy when we take him shopping by himself. (whereas today I would cheerfully sell him to gypsies for a nickel) (just kidding) (...mostly)
All this is to preface that last week Katie and I got to attend Mass together, alone. (Even though it was only last week, I forget the reason why. Probably one of the kids wasn't feeling well so we had to do tag-team Masses.) It was just so delightful spending time with her alone. I moved her booster up in the car so we could chat more easily. She kept asking questions during Mass, noticing all the changes. (Wow! She actually has been paying attention! Who knew!) We shared a missalette so we could sing the hymns together. And then she whispered a question that made my day:
"Mommy, were you an opera singer before you got married?"
Awwwww.
Only a child of mine would think my voice sounded that good. :) I explained that Aunt Mary could be an opera singer, but I only used to sing in the church choir. She was still impressed with that.
----------
Speaking of Katie, one of her birthday gifts was a set of beads for stringing into necklaces and bracelets. It came with login info for some online virtual jewelry-making club for girls. She begged and begged to join, so I visited the website, entered the secret code, and lo and behold, was welcomed to the website by a scantily clad, cartoon pre-teen!
Are you JOKING me? A short halter top and daisy dukes??
I was in shock. The set seems to appeal to the pre-teen set, i.e. girls under 13. You know, who have no curves yet. The fact that the mascot for this site modeled a body image that was impossible for girls this age to attain just stunned me. I know that our culture trains our girls to be dissatisfied with their bodies at a sickeningly early age, but I still felt ANGRY that this garbage had come into MY HOUSE to poison MY precious little girl.
Katie begged to join, and I gave the evasive answer, "Well, I'll think about it..." I should have just blurted out what I was thinking: "Over my dead body!" and then explained why I thought the site was e-vill. WHY do little girls have to think about fashion and body image when they're 7? Why can't they still be encouraged to stay in childhood and play dress-up princess? WHY do we have to take this natural desire to be beautiful and to wear pretty things, and warp it into a desire for an unattainable standard and perpetual dissatisfaction?
Of course, we do know why. "Show me a culture that hates chastity, and I'll show you a culture that hates children" (including their innocence).
/rant
Of course, big girls, even big girls raised in healthy homes with limited exposure to the culture of death, still feel the effects of unattainable standards and dissatisfaction with ourselves. I've heard this book is excellent, and I want to read it:
It's so hard remembering what's important about oneself when all around you are images of only one kind of beauty, and the least important, at that.
----------
I went Christmas shopping yesterday. On a Sunday. A Sunday in Advent. A Sunday after a long week. Even though I found what I was looking for, and mostly enjoyed my time out, I still felt so conflicted. I felt I was compromising my principles, betraying my identity as a Christian, falling short of Auntie Leila's ideal, and generally contributing to our misdirected consumerist society. Was it worth it, to get that shopping done before St. Nicholas' day? Should I have waited until tonight? Of course, the easy answer is that I should have managed my time better so that I could have completed all necessary shopping before Sunday. (If I were that organized I'd be running the world.) But we're talking about real life here, MY real life, which involves sick children and other unplanned events in addition to scheduled events and family members needing Mom's presence plus tendencies towards procrastination. Real Life is messy.
I guess that's my answer -- even though the ideal is to spend Sunday afternoon at home, doing peaceful things, sometimes the fallen world breaks through and we have to choose which is more important to us. Celebrating St. Nicholas' feast day by hanging and filling stockings is important to our family, and Sunday afternoon was the last chance Mom had to make sure that happened, so to the stores I went. I still felt our Sunday was blessed, even if my feet were sore afterwards. Mr. Pickles made a special dinner for us while the kids watched a movie, so we could spend some peaceful reconnection time after a hectic couple days.
But I think in the future that I'm going to try to keep Sunday afternoons sacred. I face the week with a better attitude when I do.
----------
So after the kids went to bed last night, Mr. Pickles and I watched Super 8. When I first heard the title months ago I thought it was yet another superhero movie, like Super Friends or something. :) But when I heard the real plot I was intrigued, although a little hesitant. I don't usually jump at monster movies. (and by "usually" I mean "ever.") But this was the kind of thriller that I could just barely handle -- it kept winding you up so tight, and then making you jump and shriek! At several points I had to use Mr. Pickles' hand to shield my eyes. We really enjoyed the movie, although it kept us up really late -- we had to wait a while for all the adrenaline to wear off before we could fall asleep! I think I dreamed about spider-like monsters and trains and subterranean tunnels all night long. I thought the kid actors were hilarious. Mr. Pickles says he knew kids like that (especially the pyro) in high school. :) I liked the scenes with the director-kid's family -- sometimes I feel like I'm living in that house (sans the scantily-clad teenager). :)
Good popcorn/snuggle-up-to-your-sweetie flick!
----------
We ordered pizza from Uno's the other night. I don't really want to know how much butter was in the crust, but it was oh-so-good. I don't know if we'll ever be able to go back to Papa Salt's cardboard pizza.
----------
And finally, for your linking enjoyment, here is Geek Dad's recommended 5 best toys of all time. Some good ideas there. I can vouch for every one of his recommendations.
All this is to preface that last week Katie and I got to attend Mass together, alone. (Even though it was only last week, I forget the reason why. Probably one of the kids wasn't feeling well so we had to do tag-team Masses.) It was just so delightful spending time with her alone. I moved her booster up in the car so we could chat more easily. She kept asking questions during Mass, noticing all the changes. (Wow! She actually has been paying attention! Who knew!) We shared a missalette so we could sing the hymns together. And then she whispered a question that made my day:
"Mommy, were you an opera singer before you got married?"
Awwwww.
Only a child of mine would think my voice sounded that good. :) I explained that Aunt Mary could be an opera singer, but I only used to sing in the church choir. She was still impressed with that.
----------
Speaking of Katie, one of her birthday gifts was a set of beads for stringing into necklaces and bracelets. It came with login info for some online virtual jewelry-making club for girls. She begged and begged to join, so I visited the website, entered the secret code, and lo and behold, was welcomed to the website by a scantily clad, cartoon pre-teen!
Are you JOKING me? A short halter top and daisy dukes??
I was in shock. The set seems to appeal to the pre-teen set, i.e. girls under 13. You know, who have no curves yet. The fact that the mascot for this site modeled a body image that was impossible for girls this age to attain just stunned me. I know that our culture trains our girls to be dissatisfied with their bodies at a sickeningly early age, but I still felt ANGRY that this garbage had come into MY HOUSE to poison MY precious little girl.
Katie begged to join, and I gave the evasive answer, "Well, I'll think about it..." I should have just blurted out what I was thinking: "Over my dead body!" and then explained why I thought the site was e-vill. WHY do little girls have to think about fashion and body image when they're 7? Why can't they still be encouraged to stay in childhood and play dress-up princess? WHY do we have to take this natural desire to be beautiful and to wear pretty things, and warp it into a desire for an unattainable standard and perpetual dissatisfaction?
Of course, we do know why. "Show me a culture that hates chastity, and I'll show you a culture that hates children" (including their innocence).
/rant
Of course, big girls, even big girls raised in healthy homes with limited exposure to the culture of death, still feel the effects of unattainable standards and dissatisfaction with ourselves. I've heard this book is excellent, and I want to read it:
----------
I went Christmas shopping yesterday. On a Sunday. A Sunday in Advent. A Sunday after a long week. Even though I found what I was looking for, and mostly enjoyed my time out, I still felt so conflicted. I felt I was compromising my principles, betraying my identity as a Christian, falling short of Auntie Leila's ideal, and generally contributing to our misdirected consumerist society. Was it worth it, to get that shopping done before St. Nicholas' day? Should I have waited until tonight? Of course, the easy answer is that I should have managed my time better so that I could have completed all necessary shopping before Sunday. (If I were that organized I'd be running the world.) But we're talking about real life here, MY real life, which involves sick children and other unplanned events in addition to scheduled events and family members needing Mom's presence plus tendencies towards procrastination. Real Life is messy.
I guess that's my answer -- even though the ideal is to spend Sunday afternoon at home, doing peaceful things, sometimes the fallen world breaks through and we have to choose which is more important to us. Celebrating St. Nicholas' feast day by hanging and filling stockings is important to our family, and Sunday afternoon was the last chance Mom had to make sure that happened, so to the stores I went. I still felt our Sunday was blessed, even if my feet were sore afterwards. Mr. Pickles made a special dinner for us while the kids watched a movie, so we could spend some peaceful reconnection time after a hectic couple days.
But I think in the future that I'm going to try to keep Sunday afternoons sacred. I face the week with a better attitude when I do.
----------
So after the kids went to bed last night, Mr. Pickles and I watched Super 8. When I first heard the title months ago I thought it was yet another superhero movie, like Super Friends or something. :) But when I heard the real plot I was intrigued, although a little hesitant. I don't usually jump at monster movies. (and by "usually" I mean "ever.") But this was the kind of thriller that I could just barely handle -- it kept winding you up so tight, and then making you jump and shriek! At several points I had to use Mr. Pickles' hand to shield my eyes. We really enjoyed the movie, although it kept us up really late -- we had to wait a while for all the adrenaline to wear off before we could fall asleep! I think I dreamed about spider-like monsters and trains and subterranean tunnels all night long. I thought the kid actors were hilarious. Mr. Pickles says he knew kids like that (especially the pyro) in high school. :) I liked the scenes with the director-kid's family -- sometimes I feel like I'm living in that house (sans the scantily-clad teenager). :)
Good popcorn/snuggle-up-to-your-sweetie flick!
----------
We ordered pizza from Uno's the other night. I don't really want to know how much butter was in the crust, but it was oh-so-good. I don't know if we'll ever be able to go back to Papa Salt's cardboard pizza.
----------
And finally, for your linking enjoyment, here is Geek Dad's recommended 5 best toys of all time. Some good ideas there. I can vouch for every one of his recommendations.
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Gratias Agimus Tibi
Happy Thanksgiving! This is the second year in a row we've hosted family for Thanksgiving dinner. My brother Dave and his wife Katie (of Chicago Married Life fame) graced us with their presence, putting up with our noise, runny noses (just a little something to remember us by next week!), and freezing cold basement. They arrived Wednesday evening. Uncle Dave and Aunt Katie are everybody's favorite kind of uncle and aunt, because they came with PRESENTS!!
It was great seeing Daniel bond with his godparents. He took a particular shine to Dave.
I really enjoy having extra family over for Thanksgiving. The kids are still young enough that I know if I fix a huge feast, Mr. Pickles and I are going to be eating the leftovers for a loooooooong time. So having a couple of other adults around gives me the excuse I need to Do Thanksgiving Right. :)
Also, this year I narrowly escaped potential disaster by reading a timely post that saved me from committing the homemaking sin of winging it on a major holiday. Prompted by Auntie Leila (who deserves serious time off from Purgatory for all the wisdom she's imparted), I sat down and made lists and more lists and lists of lists, getting my thoughts and plans organized, especially meal plans. I also made a couple dishes early (like cranberry sauce, which I'd never made before and which turned out AWESOME, if I do say so myself), plus extra cornbread for dinner the day before, so I could use it for stuffing. We had to do homemade stuffing b/c of Mr. Pickles' white flour sensitivity -- but it's really so ridiculously easy that I didn't mind.
We tried to go to Mass Thursday morning, but the time was an hour later than we thought it was going to be, so rather than wait around for an hour trying to keep 4 children entertained, we just made a visit and then headed back home. We were all miffed that we had gotten up unnecessarily early, especially since the grown-ups had been up way past our bedtimes the night before. :) But it was such a lovely day, so after the children began bouncing off the walls everyone went for a walk to the playground while the cook stayed back to babysit the turkey.
Looking back I realized that it would have been kinder to ask Katie to stay home and enjoy the peace and quiet with me. :) From what I hear the adults got a pretty good workout too.
So the menu:
-13 lb. turkey with cornbread stuffing
-gravy that wouldn't thicken (not enough browned bits?)
-candied yams with lots of ginger and brown sugar
-green bean casserole (sort of a necessary tradition, isn't it?) with homemade mushroom soup
-cranberry sauce simmered with orange juice, pear, and ginger
-homemade rolls
-spinach salad w/pears and goat cheese, balsamic vinaigrette
-apple-cranberry Martinelli's for the kids (and the big kids) :)
-homemade apple pie w/white wheat flour (dense, but tasty)
-razzleberry pie (I cheated: this was from the freezer section)
-pumpkin pie ice cream
Making a feast is always a gamble -- for one thing, the turkey is never ready when I expect it to be. But I was pleased with how everything came out (except the runny gravy). And it's always satisfying feeding a crowd with hearty appetites. "Hunger makes the best sauce," as Ma Ingalls said. :) That and butter -- I think I used at least 2 lbs. of butter over the course of 3 days, maybe more.
On Friday we did our traditional touristy thing and went to see Gadsby's Tavern in Old Town Alexandria. That was a fun little tour, and made us appreciate all the more some modern conveniences, like indoor plumbing, deodorant, and insecticides. However, they did have ice cream back then, so it wasn't all bad. We had lunch at the tavern restaurant, where the waitstaff wear period costumes. Well, Mr. Pickles and I took turns having lunch, as we made what felt like a dozen trips to the bathroom with small people in tow. The restaurant was surrounded by scaffolding, since one of the chimneys was damaged by the earthquake. Afterwards we went to a candy store, and then walked to the Potomac riverfront.
Miriam got all miffed when a street magician made a joke at her expense after she wouldn't participate in his trick. Like her mother, she doesn't like having unwanted attention drawn to her in public. :)
Friday evening for dinner, Katie made us her family's traditional Friday-after-Thanksgiving Turkey Gumbo. One word: WOW. It was SOOOOO good! (and I'm not just saying that b/c I didn't have to cook dinner one night!) I am a convert to Cajun spices. I froze the leftovers so we can be sure to enjoy them again later!
Friday night we played a fun card game they brought, called Dominion. It seems like it took forever for poor Dave to explain to us how it worked, but once we figured out what we were doing it was a lot of fun. There used to be a cool game store in the mall nearby where you could find imaginative games like this, but it was replaced by some stupid trendy clothing store. Thank goodness for online stores -- although they're probably the ones that are putting the brick-and-mortar stores out of business.
Before they left on Saturday, Uncle Dave gave us a concert. It's always good to hear him play.
We miss them already. We loved having them -- after they left the house felt so empty (because, you know, there were only 6 people left in it).
And now Happy New Year! I have to admit I don't feel very Adventy yet. We haven't gotten our Advent wreath out of the attic yet -- although from where I am sitting in my Sacred Mother's Corner I can see both the attic access and the ladder. I've been thinking about ways I can make this Advent a better time of preparation than I have in the past. It has a lot to do with giving more and wanting to receive less. It may come as a surprise to some readers that I've been struggling with depression since before Daniel was born. It came as a surprise to me even, when earlier this year I was finally able to give a name to that demon of acedia which had been tormenting me with feelings of despondency and inadequacy all this time. I've been feeling like such a bottomless pit of need, never feeling capable of giving enough to my family. So I think over the next few weeks I'm going to focus on giving anyway, as much as I can, trying not to think about myself and how I feel. I think if I am able, supported by grace, to remain faithful to this resolve, that my Advent will be blessed. Would you pray for me?
And speaking of Advent and prayer, what did you think of Mass this morning? I found it simultaneously uplifting and amusing. Everyone was so self-conscious, and I heard lots of garbled responses as people were trying to figure out what the heck it was that they were supposed to say. At one point the recitation of the Creed totally broke down -- although that was because the rubrics were not sufficiently separated from the text, and people began to read aloud the instructions about where to bow. (That was pretty funny.) But despite the initial awkwardness I really like the feeling of the new translation. I found myself much more uplifted by the language used, more like how I feel when I am able to attend the extraordinary form. I am more inspired to pray, to adore, and to give thanks for God's immeasurable goodness and great glory.
Very appropriate for this weekend, I think.
 | |
| playing Tri-Ominoes |
 |
| Uncle Dave has a good lap for reading. |
 |
| ...and a great beard for fuzzing! |
I really enjoy having extra family over for Thanksgiving. The kids are still young enough that I know if I fix a huge feast, Mr. Pickles and I are going to be eating the leftovers for a loooooooong time. So having a couple of other adults around gives me the excuse I need to Do Thanksgiving Right. :)
Also, this year I narrowly escaped potential disaster by reading a timely post that saved me from committing the homemaking sin of winging it on a major holiday. Prompted by Auntie Leila (who deserves serious time off from Purgatory for all the wisdom she's imparted), I sat down and made lists and more lists and lists of lists, getting my thoughts and plans organized, especially meal plans. I also made a couple dishes early (like cranberry sauce, which I'd never made before and which turned out AWESOME, if I do say so myself), plus extra cornbread for dinner the day before, so I could use it for stuffing. We had to do homemade stuffing b/c of Mr. Pickles' white flour sensitivity -- but it's really so ridiculously easy that I didn't mind.
We tried to go to Mass Thursday morning, but the time was an hour later than we thought it was going to be, so rather than wait around for an hour trying to keep 4 children entertained, we just made a visit and then headed back home. We were all miffed that we had gotten up unnecessarily early, especially since the grown-ups had been up way past our bedtimes the night before. :) But it was such a lovely day, so after the children began bouncing off the walls everyone went for a walk to the playground while the cook stayed back to babysit the turkey.
Looking back I realized that it would have been kinder to ask Katie to stay home and enjoy the peace and quiet with me. :) From what I hear the adults got a pretty good workout too.
So the menu:
-13 lb. turkey with cornbread stuffing
-gravy that wouldn't thicken (not enough browned bits?)
-candied yams with lots of ginger and brown sugar
-green bean casserole (sort of a necessary tradition, isn't it?) with homemade mushroom soup
-cranberry sauce simmered with orange juice, pear, and ginger
-homemade rolls
-spinach salad w/pears and goat cheese, balsamic vinaigrette
-apple-cranberry Martinelli's for the kids (and the big kids) :)
-homemade apple pie w/white wheat flour (dense, but tasty)
-razzleberry pie (I cheated: this was from the freezer section)
-pumpkin pie ice cream
Making a feast is always a gamble -- for one thing, the turkey is never ready when I expect it to be. But I was pleased with how everything came out (except the runny gravy). And it's always satisfying feeding a crowd with hearty appetites. "Hunger makes the best sauce," as Ma Ingalls said. :) That and butter -- I think I used at least 2 lbs. of butter over the course of 3 days, maybe more.
 |
| Daniel is missing b/c he was totally passed out at this point -- being outside wore him out! |
On Friday we did our traditional touristy thing and went to see Gadsby's Tavern in Old Town Alexandria. That was a fun little tour, and made us appreciate all the more some modern conveniences, like indoor plumbing, deodorant, and insecticides. However, they did have ice cream back then, so it wasn't all bad. We had lunch at the tavern restaurant, where the waitstaff wear period costumes. Well, Mr. Pickles and I took turns having lunch, as we made what felt like a dozen trips to the bathroom with small people in tow. The restaurant was surrounded by scaffolding, since one of the chimneys was damaged by the earthquake. Afterwards we went to a candy store, and then walked to the Potomac riverfront.
Miriam got all miffed when a street magician made a joke at her expense after she wouldn't participate in his trick. Like her mother, she doesn't like having unwanted attention drawn to her in public. :)
Friday evening for dinner, Katie made us her family's traditional Friday-after-Thanksgiving Turkey Gumbo. One word: WOW. It was SOOOOO good! (and I'm not just saying that b/c I didn't have to cook dinner one night!) I am a convert to Cajun spices. I froze the leftovers so we can be sure to enjoy them again later!
Friday night we played a fun card game they brought, called Dominion. It seems like it took forever for poor Dave to explain to us how it worked, but once we figured out what we were doing it was a lot of fun. There used to be a cool game store in the mall nearby where you could find imaginative games like this, but it was replaced by some stupid trendy clothing store. Thank goodness for online stores -- although they're probably the ones that are putting the brick-and-mortar stores out of business.
Before they left on Saturday, Uncle Dave gave us a concert. It's always good to hear him play.
 |
| He plays so much better than I do. Amazing what practicing can do! |
 |
| hey, at least Joseph is looking at the camera... |
We miss them already. We loved having them -- after they left the house felt so empty (because, you know, there were only 6 people left in it).
And now Happy New Year! I have to admit I don't feel very Adventy yet. We haven't gotten our Advent wreath out of the attic yet -- although from where I am sitting in my Sacred Mother's Corner I can see both the attic access and the ladder. I've been thinking about ways I can make this Advent a better time of preparation than I have in the past. It has a lot to do with giving more and wanting to receive less. It may come as a surprise to some readers that I've been struggling with depression since before Daniel was born. It came as a surprise to me even, when earlier this year I was finally able to give a name to that demon of acedia which had been tormenting me with feelings of despondency and inadequacy all this time. I've been feeling like such a bottomless pit of need, never feeling capable of giving enough to my family. So I think over the next few weeks I'm going to focus on giving anyway, as much as I can, trying not to think about myself and how I feel. I think if I am able, supported by grace, to remain faithful to this resolve, that my Advent will be blessed. Would you pray for me?
And speaking of Advent and prayer, what did you think of Mass this morning? I found it simultaneously uplifting and amusing. Everyone was so self-conscious, and I heard lots of garbled responses as people were trying to figure out what the heck it was that they were supposed to say. At one point the recitation of the Creed totally broke down -- although that was because the rubrics were not sufficiently separated from the text, and people began to read aloud the instructions about where to bow. (That was pretty funny.) But despite the initial awkwardness I really like the feeling of the new translation. I found myself much more uplifted by the language used, more like how I feel when I am able to attend the extraordinary form. I am more inspired to pray, to adore, and to give thanks for God's immeasurable goodness and great glory.
Very appropriate for this weekend, I think.
Joseph-English Dictionary
Kids learning to speak languages is hilarious. It's wonderful watching them try to wrap their little mouths around the big words they hear.
Here is a collection of some of our favorites (or "fravits") from the resident English-speaker-in-training, aka Joseph, age 3.
hocker-pocker/helipocter [helicopter]
pataytoe [tomato]
fimfoop [swimsuit]
shlockit [chocolate]
ma-eel [oatmeal]
polka nuts [polka dots]
tigar [guitar]
brefkiss [breakfast]
chicken [kitchen]
Mr. Green Crebidle [the Incredible Hulk -- not be confused with "Mr. Crebidle," Pixar superhero]
cramma [camera]
Blue is my fravit! [favorite]
Saduko [Sudoku]
smarshsmellows [you'll never guess...]
Here is a collection of some of our favorites (or "fravits") from the resident English-speaker-in-training, aka Joseph, age 3.
hocker-pocker/helipocter [helicopter]
pataytoe [tomato]
fimfoop [swimsuit]
shlockit [chocolate]
ma-eel [oatmeal]
polka nuts [polka dots]
tigar [guitar]
brefkiss [breakfast]
chicken [kitchen]
Mr. Green Crebidle [the Incredible Hulk -- not be confused with "Mr. Crebidle," Pixar superhero]
cramma [camera]
Blue is my fravit! [favorite]
Saduko [Sudoku]
smarshsmellows [you'll never guess...]
Friday, November 11, 2011
11.11.11
Happy to us! Can you guess which anniversary it is? No, we can't believe it's been that long either!
Thanks to all of you for your prayers and love -- I'm sure it's one of the reasons our marriage has been so blessed!
Thanks to all of you for your prayers and love -- I'm sure it's one of the reasons our marriage has been so blessed!
Thursday, November 10, 2011
{pretty, happy, funny, real}
Haven't done one of these in a while! Usually I find myself uninspired, with nothing earth-shatteringly witty or profound to contribute. But that's not the point -- the point is to find contentment in the everyday life around me. So here are the moments I think are important for me to remember:
{pretty}
 |
| the dogwood in our front yard |
Someone else in today's link-up posted about the beauty of a gray day. I agree! There are few things more beautiful than the fireworks display that is November against a soft gray palette. Bright sunshine washes out the leaves' colors, but in the grayness they glow as if they were on fire, especially the maples.
{happy}
{funny}
{real}
our downstairs a week ago (right after the carpet installers left):
our downstairs today:
 |
| that didn't take long. |
Monday, November 07, 2011
We worship the ground we walk on
...because it's so purdy now!
So, here's the before of the basement:
It's the only "before" I took, really only to document a certain Small Person's naughtiness (thankfully it was only chalk). But the view you get of the rest of the downstairs is a pretty good sample of the disaster zone-ness. I spent a couple days last week pitching and boxing and moving stuff, and Mr. Pickles ripped out the rest of the carpet the night before the installation crew came. (That giant overflowing cardboard box is gone now, thank heavens -- it was full of spiral notebooks and comb-bound xeroxed materials from college. Sorry, Uncle Jim, but as life-changing as it was I don't think I really need to keep my notes from the metaphysics class I took with you freshman year!)
Aaaaaaaand after:
It is soooo soft and cushy. We're really happy with how it looks and feels! The kids enjoyed the crew of men who came to install it. One of them kept singing Spanish love songs in a silly, loud voice (at least I assume they were love songs -- the only word I could pick out was "corazon") and making Joseph laugh, "Dat man is so funny!"
So that was Thursday. Saturday the installers for the wood floor were supposed to come, so I spent Friday moving lots of things back downstairs (Mr. Pickles had already done a lot of the kids' toys on Thursday afternoon) and starting to clean out the dining room and kitchen.
That was a big job. We had to empty the china cabinet, move all the sewing stuff downstairs, clear off the kitchen table, move the kitchen bookcase, move the bunny, and clear out the bottom of the pantry closet. It was so echo-y in the kitchen when we were done!
Saturday was a big mess. In the morning we finished clearing everything out, I made bag lunches (since we wouldn't have access to the kitchen for several hours), and then we waited. And we waited. And we waited. Finally Mr. Pickles called the store to find out where the installers were, so our salesman called the installation company and found out that "something came up" and the scheduled installer wouldn't be able to make it and had called to notify the store earlier in the week but somehow the message never reached our salesman so he had to make some calls and then FINALLY someone came over, hours later.
Because they had such a late start, it took wayyyy longer than we were expecting for it to be done. The carpet installers took five hours for a crew of 3, which included doing the stairs. The wood installers, who were only 2 men, finally left after 8 hours, with several hours of work left to do. Apparently there was a glitch in the measurement so they had to be extra careful that there was enough material for everything. They also had to do a small repair on a soft spot in front of the sink which took more time. And, of course, carpet is quick because you can just roll out the whole room, but planks of wood take so much longer because you have to place each one and make sure they fit well. I felt so bad for the guys! They worked hard. We had to order pizza for our dinner, since we couldn't work in the kitchen, and offered the leftovers to them. They wouldn't take the beers Mr. Pickles offered, even though they deserved it. :)
Our neighbors probably hate us (even more than they already do, with all the noise we make) -- the men were sawing wood on our front lawn until around 8, and then one man came back early the next day (you know, Sunday, the first day of Standard Time, official national sleep-in day!) to put the molding all around the edges of the floor. He used a nail gun with a compressor, which the boys thought was way cool. But finally, finally it was done, all major appliances dusted and put back, floors swept, everything finished.... and the guy left his jacket here!
It turned out to be a blessing that we had this particular crew. The main craftsman was really an artist. He asked us which direction we wanted the planks to run, and then gave his artistic opinion about which way showcased the wood better. He was so right! I hope he's paid well.
They did such a beautiful job (unlike my picture-taking abilities).
The wood is so warm-looking -- it's perfect for these rooms. It goes well with the reddish walls.
I took the opportunity to do some rearranging in the kitchen. I couldn't bring myself to put the bunny's scratchy metal cage on that gorgeous, shiny, pristine floor, so she is going to stay downstairs indefinitely. (I suggested to Mr. Pickles that we let the children ride around the new floor on their scooters to teach us detachment, but that suggestion was not taken well. I believe his exact words were: "Gaaaaack!")
So now with such gorgeous floors, I'm noticing other things. I already cleaned the windows and washed the grease spots off one of the walls in the kitchen. But the dining room set needs a good scrubbing, the paint could stand to be freshened up here and there, and wow are the cupboards dinged up, and gosh that living room carpet looks so dingy now, and....
So, here's the before of the basement:
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| interior decorating suggestion by the resident master of chaos and destruction (aka The Toddler) |
Aaaaaaaand after:
|
| bing! |
So that was Thursday. Saturday the installers for the wood floor were supposed to come, so I spent Friday moving lots of things back downstairs (Mr. Pickles had already done a lot of the kids' toys on Thursday afternoon) and starting to clean out the dining room and kitchen.
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| boxes of flooring acclimatizing on the carpet-formerly-known-as-beige only a few days from its doom! |
Saturday was a big mess. In the morning we finished clearing everything out, I made bag lunches (since we wouldn't have access to the kitchen for several hours), and then we waited. And we waited. And we waited. Finally Mr. Pickles called the store to find out where the installers were, so our salesman called the installation company and found out that "something came up" and the scheduled installer wouldn't be able to make it and had called to notify the store earlier in the week but somehow the message never reached our salesman so he had to make some calls and then FINALLY someone came over, hours later.
Because they had such a late start, it took wayyyy longer than we were expecting for it to be done. The carpet installers took five hours for a crew of 3, which included doing the stairs. The wood installers, who were only 2 men, finally left after 8 hours, with several hours of work left to do. Apparently there was a glitch in the measurement so they had to be extra careful that there was enough material for everything. They also had to do a small repair on a soft spot in front of the sink which took more time. And, of course, carpet is quick because you can just roll out the whole room, but planks of wood take so much longer because you have to place each one and make sure they fit well. I felt so bad for the guys! They worked hard. We had to order pizza for our dinner, since we couldn't work in the kitchen, and offered the leftovers to them. They wouldn't take the beers Mr. Pickles offered, even though they deserved it. :)
Our neighbors probably hate us (even more than they already do, with all the noise we make) -- the men were sawing wood on our front lawn until around 8, and then one man came back early the next day (you know, Sunday, the first day of Standard Time, official national sleep-in day!) to put the molding all around the edges of the floor. He used a nail gun with a compressor, which the boys thought was way cool. But finally, finally it was done, all major appliances dusted and put back, floors swept, everything finished.... and the guy left his jacket here!
It turned out to be a blessing that we had this particular crew. The main craftsman was really an artist. He asked us which direction we wanted the planks to run, and then gave his artistic opinion about which way showcased the wood better. He was so right! I hope he's paid well.
 |
| bing! |
 |
| why are my no-flash photos always so lousy? |
 |
| unfortunately, I did not need to declutter the wall, so it will probably remain in its chaotic state until I feel the urge to paint). also, those kid cups and bowls are usually scattered all over the kitchen floor (see "resident master of chaos and destruction" above) |
So now with such gorgeous floors, I'm noticing other things. I already cleaned the windows and washed the grease spots off one of the walls in the kitchen. But the dining room set needs a good scrubbing, the paint could stand to be freshened up here and there, and wow are the cupboards dinged up, and gosh that living room carpet looks so dingy now, and....
 |
| didn't notice the little stinker checking for treasure when I took this shot |
Friday, November 04, 2011
Feast of All Hallows
I barely got my act together for Halloween & All Saints Day this year. But despite my lack of organizational and pre-planning abilities, we still managed to have all the essentials: pumpkins, saints, and bucketloads of candy.
I realized Saturday night that we still hadn't purchased pumpkins for Halloween, which was on Monday. So after our weekly post-Mass donut run on Sunday we went to a local nursery and let the kids pick out their favorites. Our only stipulation was that they had to be able to carry the pumpkin they chose.
Miriam, of course, picked the biggest one she could handle. :) The advantage of going to a farm market (as opposed to the grocery store) is that they have quite a variety. It was fun that the kids could each pick out something different.
We had to save the carving for later, since Sunday afternoon was our homeschool group's All Saints Party. I was fixing up the kids' costumes almost up to the time we had to leave! Sheesh. I don't think I'll ever cut it that close again. It had been a hard week and I hadn't been able to muster up the energy during the week to work on them at nights (because sewing during the day is domestic suicide with 3yo and toddler boys in the house). But all the essentials got done, even if I'm not proud of Miriam's hem!
Hunting for costumes this year was very eye-opening. I was once again especially grateful that I can sew. (Thanks, Mom!) We made the mistake of going to Party City to look for costumes and accessories. I think the kids are going to be scarred for life. I warned them that there would be scary things there, and to try not to look at them, but that's easier said than done when a life-size Freddy Krueger with bloody slasher blades greets you at the door. And then we couldn't find a single thing we wanted -- not a child's size pirate hat, a child's size crown, a Rapunzel costume, or fairy wings less than $20 were to be found. There were plenty of sleazy adult costumes and blood-drenched saws for the having, though.
This culture's obsession with horror and violent death never ceases to shock me. I guess I'm still innocent enough that I find the blatant celebration of the diabolical as distasteful.
/end rant
So we tried online. That wasn't satisfying (or affordable) either. JoAnn fabrics to the rescue! Even though Miriam had to drastically scale back her ideas for her desired costumes, she was still pleased with the end results. I love kids. You give them a piece of cardboard and a sharpie, and you have a rocket ship! or a time machine! or a transmogrifier! Their imagination can supply all the deficiencies in my design.
Anyway, Sunday afternoon the kids had oodles of fun and the parents got totally overstimulated. Monday morning was dedicated to scooping out and carving our pumpkins (TOTALLY counted as school). The girls pretty much did all their own carving. I had to help Katie with the cleaning, since the inside of hers was kind of tough. (It smelled like cucumbers -- much yummier than usual!) But Katie designed and carved her own face, complete with eyelashes. There was one casualty which was easily and invisibly fixed with a toothpick, and provided an important lesson in pumpkin carving structure. I took care of the boys' pumpkins. Miriam drew the face for Joseph's, at his direction. And Daniel's was all mine. When the kids are all old enough to take care of their own, I'm going to have to get a pumpkin of my own on which to vent my spooky creativity!
After dinner the kids got all dolled up and ready to make the rounds. Daniel got VERY excited when we opened the front door and all started putting shoes on.
The costumes are very home made, and all the kids were so pleased by them. Well, maybe all except Daniel, who just wanted to get outside already, although he did keep his crown on. Miriam decorated it with glitter glue. The tunic is Joseph's St. Michael costume from last year, tied with one of Mr. Pickles' honor cords from college graduation (see! they do come in handy later!). Katie's tutu was a hand-me-down dress-up costume from a neighbor. I was totally mean and uncool and made her wear lots of layers underneath it. I ended up making the wings for her -- they were ridiculously easy. I took a piece of fusible interfacing and ironed it to itself, then cut out butterfly wings, cut some sparkly pink fabric to size and basically made a pocket of it, then inserted the interfacing and stitched up the opening. I also sewed ribbon ties to hold it on. Katie loved them so much she wore them all day. She also decorated her own crown, complete with angel stickers... I wish I had spent more time on Miriam's costume. It's basically a big white tent with a stretchy lavender velvet corset. If I had had more time I would have made it into more of a bodice with straps, and made some kind of overlay skirt to dress it up more. But she was still pleased with it, and I thought she looked beautiful in it. Joseph's costume was fun to put together. I remembered that Mom B. had given us a box of our old dance costumes. Remember the shirt, Joe? So Joseph wasn't tripping over the sleeves, I actually had to fold them inside and sew the cuffs to the underarm seams! But that worked perfectly. His hat was cheap as free -- a classic newspaper hat painted with tempura (the girls helped). Looking back I should have painted a moustache or stubble or something.
Daniel totally got into the trick or treating thing. I don't know if he realized he was getting candy, but he was all about signing "please" and then perfect strangers would put stuff into his pumpkin! Score! Mr. Pickles actually says that while we were out and about, Daniel pulled a Hershey bar out of his pumpkin and tried to eat it, so maybe he did actually know what was going on. It certainly didn't take him long when we got home to raid his pumpkin and start making his hungry noises. ("mmm! mmm! MMMM!") A couple neighborhood friends joined us as we made our rounds. It's always fun going trick-or-treating with friends, I think.
Well, with FOUR trick-or-treaters now, we got an obscene amount of candy. I'm going to make Mr. Pickles take whatever's left with him to work next week -- assuming we don't all die of rotgut before then.
I realized Saturday night that we still hadn't purchased pumpkins for Halloween, which was on Monday. So after our weekly post-Mass donut run on Sunday we went to a local nursery and let the kids pick out their favorites. Our only stipulation was that they had to be able to carry the pumpkin they chose.
 |
| from bottom to top, oldest to youngest |
 |
| apparently yellow jackets like white pumpkin juice... |
 |
| L-R: St. Dymphna, St. Ignatius of Loyola (before his conversion), the Blessed Mother, and a very unwilling King St. Louis IX |
This culture's obsession with horror and violent death never ceases to shock me. I guess I'm still innocent enough that I find the blatant celebration of the diabolical as distasteful.
/end rant
So we tried online. That wasn't satisfying (or affordable) either. JoAnn fabrics to the rescue! Even though Miriam had to drastically scale back her ideas for her desired costumes, she was still pleased with the end results. I love kids. You give them a piece of cardboard and a sharpie, and you have a rocket ship! or a time machine! or a transmogrifier! Their imagination can supply all the deficiencies in my design.
Anyway, Sunday afternoon the kids had oodles of fun and the parents got totally overstimulated. Monday morning was dedicated to scooping out and carving our pumpkins (TOTALLY counted as school). The girls pretty much did all their own carving. I had to help Katie with the cleaning, since the inside of hers was kind of tough. (It smelled like cucumbers -- much yummier than usual!) But Katie designed and carved her own face, complete with eyelashes. There was one casualty which was easily and invisibly fixed with a toothpick, and provided an important lesson in pumpkin carving structure. I took care of the boys' pumpkins. Miriam drew the face for Joseph's, at his direction. And Daniel's was all mine. When the kids are all old enough to take care of their own, I'm going to have to get a pumpkin of my own on which to vent my spooky creativity!
 |
| in all their spooky glory |
 |
| Daniel's was SO COOL -- it glowed! |
 |
| L-R: Thing (keeping His Highness from running out the door), a prince (of course), a Barbie ballerina fairy princess (why yes, she is a six-year-old girl -- how did you know?), Rapunzel (note hair), and a pirate complete with cutlass and blunderbuss (the parrot kept falling off -- and Mommy nixed the eye patch) |
Daniel totally got into the trick or treating thing. I don't know if he realized he was getting candy, but he was all about signing "please" and then perfect strangers would put stuff into his pumpkin! Score! Mr. Pickles actually says that while we were out and about, Daniel pulled a Hershey bar out of his pumpkin and tried to eat it, so maybe he did actually know what was going on. It certainly didn't take him long when we got home to raid his pumpkin and start making his hungry noises. ("mmm! mmm! MMMM!") A couple neighborhood friends joined us as we made our rounds. It's always fun going trick-or-treating with friends, I think.
Well, with FOUR trick-or-treaters now, we got an obscene amount of candy. I'm going to make Mr. Pickles take whatever's left with him to work next week -- assuming we don't all die of rotgut before then.
 |
| Arrrrrrrr! |
Thursday, November 03, 2011
A Sweater for Daniel
Every housewife needs a hobby to keep herself contented -- particularly something she can do to make her surroundings more beautiful. As you know I've recently rediscovered knitting. Emboldened by Elizabeth Foss's foray into the world of yarn, I decided to join the Baby Surprise Jacket bandwagon. Of course, I didn't start it until months after everyone else in the Knitalong had finished, but I couldn't even think about knitting a heavy, warm sweater until I could see autumn on the horizon.
So I bought the pattern, agonized over sizing, and finally bit the bullet and went to a real live yarn shop for supplies. (No acrylic from Michael's for MY baby, tyvm!)
The fun thing about this pattern is that all you have to know how to do is a knit stitch. There are other tricks that you need to learn, like increases and decreases and picking up stitches, but there a gazillion links online for how to do them! YouTube is a new knitters best friend! And of course, there's Ravelry. (Observe a moment of respectful silence, please.)
It's the weirdest blobby thing while you're making it. I thought I had taken one more picture of my progress, especially of my super-klassy stitch-holding method using a piece of red yarn that was really too short, making it even blobbier. I agonized over a part where you have to re-join the held stitches onto the live needles, spending way too much time over-thinking The Best Way to do it. I trustingly followed one method, and knit several rows, but then realized that I didn't like how it looked. But I didn't really want to UNknit 200+ stitches, and I didn't know how else to go back and redo it. But a) Daniel won't care, and b) no one else will even notice, so why stress? Lesson learned for next time I use the pattern.
After you cast off and weave in all the ends, you fold it up in a magical way, sew the shoulders together, aaaand...
Surprise! A baby jacket!
It was fun working in stripes -- for one thing it helped keep the row count. And so I named it The Fibonacci Sweater. Can you guess why?
Mr. Pickles says he is so proud of me. :)
The sleeves are much shorter and the body is much longer than I was expecting. I probably should have shortened it quite a bit. But it was a good first big knitting project. I learned that knitting is much, much different from sewing. With sewing, you can almost always go back and fix any part of your project that you don't like. But knitting is such a start-to-finish process -- at least this project is -- that in order to change something you would have to undo hours and hours of work. And it takes so long that in order to make it enjoyable you have to appreciate the process. That's why I needed to choose a material of which I liked the feel. It's a weird sounding fiber -- cotton, linen, silk, some acrylic, and something else I can't remember -- but it's got a fun heathery look and a very soft feel. Daniel is very cuddly in it. Now I just need to figure out how to lengthen the sleeves!
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| casting on! do you like my wine charm stitch markers? |
The fun thing about this pattern is that all you have to know how to do is a knit stitch. There are other tricks that you need to learn, like increases and decreases and picking up stitches, but there a gazillion links online for how to do them! YouTube is a new knitters best friend! And of course, there's Ravelry. (Observe a moment of respectful silence, please.)
 |
| see the corners? those are made by decreasing the number of stitches at the markers. |
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| fresh off the needles! I'm proud of my buttonholes on the left, even though they turned out to be way too big for the cute little buttons... |
It was fun working in stripes -- for one thing it helped keep the row count. And so I named it The Fibonacci Sweater. Can you guess why?
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| hint: count the white ridges |
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| I did have to tighten up the buttonholes -- they kept popping out. |
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