Nesting In The 21st Century

Break Over

Whew!  I am in full on Pre-Spring mode.  Funny because it is snowing here...more snow than during Christmas.  Suddenly the whole house looks flat to me.  Time to bump it up...paint some walls, re-arrange some furniture and get rid of the sad and saggy.  Not so much a Spring Cleaning as much as a Spring Overhaul.

The hard part is knowing where to start.  I am thinking that perhaps the family room needs attention first.  New paint, new curtains and the furniture re-arranged...of course it is attached to the kitchen which means it will be done next.

It always amazes me how different the rooms can look when the furniture is re-arranged and accessories are moved from one room to another.  The low cost way to give rooms a new look.   For a bigger change I re-paint.  Even a minor change in paint color can really change the feel of a room.  The hardest part for me is selecting the color.  It takes me forever and a day.  I can choose a car faster than a paint color...doesn't make sense I know but that is how I am.  I have to say it drives the Hubbie beyond crazy.  After all these years he knows to just leave me alone with the paint swatches and stay clear. 

I just love these Paint Colors from Pottery Barn.  I have long  admired the paint colors in the catalog and now they have a guide to the exact paint colors on each page.  I haven't selected any yet but that is my goal for this week...choose the colors and buy the paint.  Break over.

He's Here!!

Our little man has arrived and I am an Auntie again!!  He is just adorable and so tiny.  It has been so fun to hold him and get to know him.  That baby smell is positively addictive. 

I was honored to be there when he was born.  It is hard to put into words how magical that time is.

I'm off for now.  Everything here is backed up like you wouldn't believe.  I have been floating in baby bliss and it is time to re-enter everyday life!

Time

Time.  I seem to have little of it these days.  I realized last week that my worktable had become overrun with half-finished, almost-finished and just-started projects.  I have to say it really started to stress me out.  Especially since my long awaited nephew will be making his debut any time.   So I put the blog on hold for a little bit and plunged in.  When all was said and done things finished up pretty quickly once I stopped worrying about laundry and housework.  So now the projects and done and the house looks like a tornado hit.  That is the next project.  Some people have the urge to purge and do a big clean up in the spring.  For me it happens in the fall.  It is almost time to come inside for the better part of 5 months and I want it to not only look nice but function.  Right now the closets and drawers are so disorganized it would take me quite a while to find most anything.  Of course it is my Autumn Nesting Instinct kicking in.

I have started the big clean in the basement.  This wonderfully exciting endeavor includes opening every game my kids own to see if all the pieces are in it.  My guess is that only half are able to be played.  Otherwise why am I finding all those game pieces mixed in with the legos?  It is amazing what odd things end up down there.  A piece of candy corn from last Halloween in the Brio Train bin...sure.  Pennies, marbles, blocks, nuts, bolts, key chains, pencils, dried playdoh....all down there.  I imagine I will be done sometime this week.  And then closets...I think doing them will make cleaning the basement look like a party.

I am determined to mix in a bit of fun also.  I have stacked the fabric for a watermelon quilt and will spend this week cutting it out.  I really must remember to take a picture.  In my humble opinion there really aren't many things more inspiring or beautiful than a wonderful stack of fabric...just waiting to be cut.

I have all the projects I worked on lined up ready to take photos of.  I'll share them this week.  Also,  the arrangement in the photo was from last year.  It is dried and silk flowers, freeze dried leaves and a Funkins pumpkin.  (I cut the top off.)  I have another funkins which has a vase tucked inside.  A sunflower bouquet looks fantastic in it.  This year I would like to do Sunflowers (the kind with a bit of orange in them) along with Bittersweet for the kitchen table.   I would also like to do a white one this year.  I don't use candle in them....I use flickering Votives which are battery operated.  What fun.  I didn't purchase them from the link I listed (just so you know) but from Michaels.  Did I mention I love Halloween....

Birthday Truck

It was the little guy's birthday this week and we had lots of fun celebrating.  He put some gumballs in this truck and calls it his "Birthday Truck".  He has been rolling it around for days now.  I realized that it would have made a great centerpiece for a boys party.  Trucks all lined up with goodies in them.

I always get so reflective around my kid's birthdays.  Much more then when I have one.  Somehow their getting older hits me on a much deeper level.  I invariably ask "How did he/she get so big?"  I think it must be that I remember them from the time they were just an idea.  I remember the day they were born and every day since.  What a privilege to watch them grow up.  It hits me on their birthdays.  Every year they have a party and the best gift of all is for me.

The First Day of School

We survived the broken wrist (he is doing just great) and the first day of school.  It was chaotic as it always is but the kids are excited about the year starting.  The weather today was cool and rainy...perfect back to school weather.  It feels like autumn. For my part I have gotten over the lack of enthusiasm I had earlier and am excited for the year to begin also.  They were so happy to get going.  All the new supplies, clothes and shoes.  A whole new start.

I was ridiculously excited about my new purchases for the school year.  Packages of 24 sharpie markers in the most wonderful colors.  One pack of thick, one pack of thin.  Love 'em.  Don't know why, I just do.  I am going to be searching the house looking for things to label!  I love this time of year.  All the super folders, binders and other neat school supplies.  I usually stock up on the essentials...colored paper clips and new binders.  This year I bought an argyle binder. So fun.

Playtime is over.  They are back in school...no more excuse to not get things done!  With this lovely cool and rainy weather I am going to make Ina's Real Spaghetti and Meatballs for dinner.  This is the perfect night for some good old fashioned comfort food.

Boy + Bike + Fire Hydrant = Big Trouble

As you can see our son broke his wrist.  Boy + Bike + Fire Hydrant = Big Trouble.   Not much to blog about other than urgent care.   He has been such a trooper about it but it is not going to be fun starting middle school this way.  One thing I know for sure.  I am super glad he was wearing a helmet!

Al Fresco Sunday

  I am looking forward to this lazy Sunday.  We have today and then next Sunday and then school starts.  We aren't doin' a whole lot...just spending the day together.  I think we'll eat outside al fresco this afternoon.  I am not sure what we'll have, I may do Ina's Herbed Grilled Shrimp with Mango Salsa that Alicia wrote about. 

This is a photo of the sunroom...which is where I will be spending the day!  It is hands down my favorite room in the house.  It is where I have coffee in the morning and we eat out there often.  It is really only usable three seasons during the year which is  a shame.  It is a dream of mine to have different windows installed so we can use it throughout the year.

Inspirational Meatloaf

Okay here it is.  The wonderful Autum cracked me up wondering about the meals I was creating over here in my nest.   I assured her that even with all the cooking I do my children's favorite meal is still what I like to call, gratin nouilles du fromage.  Kraft brand.  I buy many little blue boxes to keep them happy.  I tried mixing different things inside but alas no...they are mac and cheese purists and beg me to just "leave it alone." 

At the end of Autum's post Becki commented about a post Autum did about meatloaf and how she posted her meals because she was inspired by Autum's post....confusing but let's just say that I was inspired by Becki's comment about Autum's post about meatloaf and so I remembered that we love meatloaf too and so I made it.  This blog inspiration thing is a very, very slippery slope ay girls?

Movie Day

Today is movie day.  The kids are hurriedly cleaning their rooms and tidying up the playroom so that we can catch a movie.  I love taking the kids to a movie on a summer afternoon.  Lunch is popcorn and Icees and the afternoon disappears into to dark of the theater.  There have been lots of good movies for kids this summer, although we are just now getting around to going.  Last week we saw "The Ant Bully", which the kids really liked.  We thought that "Monster House" might be a bit too much for the little guy so, we are off to see "Barnyard".

Back To School Blahs

Today is the day I need to get motivated to organize for the start of school.  I have avoided it long enough, pretending that summer was still in full swing.  The thing is it has been a fantastic summer.  Not too many activities.  Lots of time for fun and relaxing.  For the first time ever I am not at all excited that school is going to start.  Last year really took a lot out of me.  I found school to really be a grind.  I realize that the kids are the ones who actually go but we had an enormous amount of homework and Mom-needs-to-be-at-school activities.  So much so that I felt like it was as much my job as the kids.  It struck me that if a child didn't have a parent who was entirely committed to their schooling they could easily be left behind.  Really.  It was that much of a commitment.  Hours every night and many weekends as well.  I take very seriously my job of parenting my children and don't complain about what it entails.  But I have to admit that it was distressing the pace set for the kids.  We ended up eliminating many extra-curricular activities because of the volume of homework and school projects.  I want my kids to be successful, as any parent does, but I was left wondering what race we had entered.  I am going to be taking a hard look at my children's schedules this year and I am determined to speak up if things get as pressured and intense as they did last year.  I guess it depends on the definition of success.  My definition does not include stressed and pressured children with more work than they know what to do with.  6 1/2 hours of school and another 2 of homework.   My kids had days last year where not only did they do homework in the evening...they got up in the morning to finish before going to school.  Something is wrong with that.  Okay.  Off my soapbox.  But I have to say I have dreaded school supply shopping all summer and now it is here.  From when I was a child until last year it has always been one of the most exciting and fun times.  New shoes.  A brand spakin' new box of crayons.  A new lunch box.  But not anymore.  Times have certainly changed.

By the way.  The super duper digital graphics above are from the ever so delightful Mo.  I adore her designs.  It is so each to put together a layout or tag or whatever.  So fun.  Thanks for the doo dads Mo!!