When Nesting Happens to Good People

I can’t stop it! Despite my best efforts to overcome these feelings, I have within me a need to create, clean, and beautify. Perhaps if I sat down it would pass, kind of like a dizzy spell. But I can’t!
I'm actually going to hardware and craft stores. I’ve bought several types and colors of paint, brushes and rollers, knitting needles and even checked out “I Can’t Believe I’m Knitting” from the library. Not only do I not I have the money or time for this new mania, but I don’t have the energy. Oh cruel maternal instinct to give me the desire, but not the drive.
There ought to be a hotline.

The wall to paint...
The knitting to learn...
The table to refinish...
The baskets painted to spice up the shelves...

Weekend Notes

October 24, Friday

This weekend all the fun happened Friday night.
(Not that Saturday was a total disappointment, I did get my kids to scrub the floor. Now that's happiness!)

Anyway, back to Friday night, Emma had her piano recital. It was a Costume Concert, she played "All My Friends" as a duet with her teacher. She was dressed as an angel.

Here is the group of musicians.
 

She played her song very well and just a touch fast.


She was a tad nervous, but she was more anxious to leave and get to our Church Halloween Party where there was games, CANDY, and friends in costume.

Taran went dressed as Indiana Jones (or as Enoch says, Annie-and-a-Jones.)


Calvin was the dark knight.
The "M" stands for Martin.

And Enoch was the light knight.
They were both good guys.

Here's Emma eating a heavenly treat.
Thanks Nana for finding the perfect dress.

And I got a photo with Sarah Palin!

Martin Quote

Enoch [singing on his bunk bed one morning]:


No one can [pause]scream...
No one can [pause]yell...
No one can [pause]say stupid...
No one can [pause]throw books...
No one can [pause]sleep at dinner.

I'm singing about the bad things.

T.M.I.

Today I was running the track at our local YWCA. By the end of the second mile I swore that my uterus was going to fall out!
I really have got to work on my kegels so that when it does, I can catch it.

Weekend Notes

October 18, Saturday

This weekend David was gone on a business trip to Eugene, Oregon and Emma & Taran had a four day weekend. We tried to fill it with as many fun things as possible. We had friends over, played our new game, Mouse Trap, and went to the park. Saturday was most packed, which was great because I was really starting to feel the strain.

We started with a Halloween Party at a friends house. We made paper jack o'lanterns, played pin the nose on the pumpkin, and decorated cookies while eating donuts and drinking hot chocolate!



Then we raced off to Taran's last soccer game of the season and I actually remembered my camera!

Go get 'em!


Direction change from a patient coach.


The team together.


After the quick pizza party at the park, we packed up a headed out to the Twin Cities Model Railroad Museum.

My boys were FASCINATED. They watched the trains go round and round the big set.



Emma enjoyed it too of course.

I tried several times to get them to all look at the camera and get a train in the background. It was a no go.


We had a great Saturday, but were all very, very happy when Daddy got back on Sunday.

Pioneer Stock

We have an old pioneer expression that is popular in my church. It is “Fix it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.” While I have understood this expression in theory, I rarely put it into practice. I lived my life so frivolously, when a shirt was stained, I replaced it. If I didn’t have the ingredient I needed, I ran to the store and bought it. My reasoning: What is a measly few bucks and a quick grocery store run compared to the energy and, yes, expense or pain of fixing or doing without it? It's cheaper and faster to consume.

Now in my old age (30+!) I’m beginning to understand what my pioneer forbearers were all about. I have begun to live the fix it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without creed. I patch ripped knees, ignore tattered shoes, make my own frosting, and live without a number of things I’d really like. Sure some of my reasoning is economically and ecologically inspired, but, truthfully, it is mostly Avoidance Motivated.

After all, who in their right mind takes four children out to the grocery store during a Minnesota winter at 5 pm for a loaf of bread? I’d rather make it myself or serve tortillas. Have you ever taken a gaggle of children to a department store so that just one of them can try on ten pairs of pants while the others plunder, pillage, and hide in the middle of clothes racks? I’ll dig out the sewing basket thank you.

So, it turns out those wily ancestors knew a thing or too, and it wasn’t what I supposed it to be. They probably weren’t keeping to a strict budget or living up to some rugged individualist code. They were just preserving their sanity by avoiding check out line break-downs.

Afton Apple Orchard

Here we are in the Afton Apple Orchard picking apples and rasberries.
Some of us road on the hay ride and got a little wet. But it was tons-o-fun to be together!


Sorry about the bum shot Kirsti.

Potty Training 101

The Steps to Sucess

#1 Remove all clothing from essential parts...


#2 Find a mentor...


#3 Practice...


#4 Assess your effort...