In case you were wondering...

...if my son ever loses his hand in a freak crocodile accident, he would like a pincher, in stead of a hook, for his prosthetic.

since I'm making fun of other people....

I was remembering today how shy my older sister used to be growing up. (Not any more...she was struck by lightning in her teen years, and did a complete 180.)

((Okay, so she wasn't struck by lightning, but she did do a 180.))

One winter afternoon, a little girl was waiting for her great grandmother (Granny) to collect her from kindergarten. Now, Granny was starting to lose her vision---just a tinch---not enough to keep her from hopping into her huge Cadillac (in THE MOST ladylike fashion) and running any and every errand.

Granny didn't usually collect this little girl (we'll call her Donna Doonu) from school. But this day, Donna Doonu's mom was busy with her other little girls.....for a reason I don't recall. Donna Doonu's mom called Granny. Granny was more than willing to lend a helping hand.

So, Granny pulled up to the front of the school. She walked up to the school and looked for Donna Doonu. She didn't see her. Anywhere. Hmmm. Well, that's curious.

There was a little girl all bundled up on the stoop watching Granny look for Donna Doonu. Granny noticed this little bundle and asked if she had seen Donna Doonu. Um. No. The little girl shook her head. She had not seen Donna Doonu.

Well.

Granny asked if this little girl would go inside and look for Donna Doonu. The little girl nodded. She walked into the school. Looked around, and came back out. Nope. She shrugged.

Huh. She must not have seen Donna Doonu inside.

With Donna Doonu no where to be found, Granny went on her way.

Then the little bundle walked home. 7 blocks. Past 2 of the biggest scariest dogs on the planet. The bundle didn't usually walk home 7 blocks past 2 scary dogs, but this day she had to. She had just sent her ride on its way, because she was too shy (and polite) to tell Granny that she was Donna Doonu.




Can I just say, that my most favorite part of this whole entire memory, is the fact that my sister actually went into the school to look for herself? :)

laughing at you, not with you....

My boy and I were playing the opposite game.

I was getting tired of the same old, up/down, near/far, open/closed, blah blah blah.

I decided to mix it up a little.

What's the opposite of chicken?

Yellow?

Turtle?

Elbow?

I'm tired.

My wee babe is a pretty decent sleeper. For the last several weeks, I've been getting at least one 4 hour stretch at night. Which is way more than I ever got with my older kids when they were teeny. However, when the other two were younger, life was slower. We didn't have to rush off to school in the morning. Sleeping late meant we were up in time for lunch. Now....now life is busier.

Life begins at 6:30. (which is cruel and wrong)

Last night, my dearly beloved was losing his wheels around 6:30 pm. We were chatting on the sofa, when he started to glaze over. His eyes closed. I stopped talking. He said, "I'm still listening."

Sure you are.

I let him doze, and got the big kids to bed.

One little big kid had a lot of trouble falling asleep. He found lots of things to worry about. "What if we have 50 kids, and we don't have room for all of them?" Followed by, "Can we pray about it?"

Certainly, "Dear God, thank You that You already know our future, and that You are in control. Thank You for always providing exactly what we need, when we need it. Help us not to worry."

Between the biggest big kid thinking about scary pumpkin faces, and the littlest big kid worrying about how all the beds would fit into our little house, it was after 9 pm before everyone was settled. Girl in her bed. Boy in my bed. Dad still on the couch. Baby in my arms.

By 10, baby had made his way into the bassinet, and I snuggled next to my sleeping boy in my bed. I left Daddy where he was...thinking that a 3 1/2 hour nap would make for a fitful night of sleep...and secretly thinking that if he were to get 12 hours of sleep, it would give me all sorts of leverage for the next few days. (mwahaahahahhahaa!!)

Morning came REALLY early today. Like 4 am. Do all these people hate me? I was able to sneak in an extra 20 minutes of rest after settling the baby, waking the husband and before getting my girl off to school.

It was on the way home from the drop off, that I decided it was a good time to run to the grocery store. Which we did. And then we got home and I looked in the mirror.

It's too bad it wasn't October 31st.

I'm going to take a nap.

curtains

When my crew was away, after I switcherooed and painted, I made a couple of curtains for my dining room. Dining area. The space near my table and chairs.



I found these table cloths a few months ago on clearance at Target. They were maybe $3 a piece?

I ripped them in half, stitched a seam on the ripped end, ironed them, pinched them between drapery clasps, drank a sip of coffee, and slid them on a rod.



(table cloths as curtains....it's how I roll.)

They're just a wee bit shorter than I would like, but who wants to rehang the drapery rods? Not me. There are already 50 holes up there that need to be patched, and if I lowered said rods, one would be able to see the folly of my hammering, screwing, etc.

.

This way we match. Me and my drapes...waiting for the flood. (My pants are a bit too short. Not tall enough for talls, a bit too tall for regulars....a post for another time.)

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Oh! And! I wanted to mention a few bloggie giveaways....

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Amy over at who lived in a shoe is doing a candle giveaway.

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And Mrs MK from Mrs. MK's Musings is giving away a beautiful scarf.

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If you should win instead of me, I will be happy for you. (But only if you send me gratuitous chocolate.)

a few of the murals...

They don't feel quite "done" to me. I need to go and get a few more colors to push the contrasts a little....but, here they are just the same.

when the cat's away...

...the mice will rearrange and paint the bedrooms.

My husband took the two older kids up to his parent's for the weekend. I was so lonely! But, my wee babe, some good friends, and a fun project helped make the time pass more quickly.

I swapped the kids rooms, and painted the boys' room yellow. Added a few trucks around the top in my first and last attempt at wall mural-ing. They turned out okay, and I know that neither one of the boys will care if they look a little crude. I'm hoping.

My crew returns today, and I can hardly stand it. My apron strings are simply not elastic enough to stretch so far.....I hope they enjoyed their one and only trip with out me. I'm kidding. Or maybe not.

overheard

playing the rhyming game
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
her: cat

him: bat

her: no, I was thinking of something else

him: but bat rhymes

her: think "hhhhhuhhh"

him: hat

her: Yes! Hat!'

her: Isaac

him: Mysaac

her: Mysaac isn't a person's name or a real word

him: nothing rhymes with Isaac

her: Yes. Visaac.

him: Visaac isn't a word.

her: Visaac could be someones name.

him: *an angry growling sound*

her (moving right along): Zachariah

him: *walking away, no longer willing to be wrong every time*

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ah, the joys

ornaments with my girl

We needed a little project the other day. So, we raided the potporri stash, added little brass eye hooks and some ribbon. It's so much fun to see what she puts together. I can't wait to put them on my tree.

chose you this day

and the hormones?!?

I was really feeling like I had my act together last week. The bigs are still on their schedules...life is rolling right along for them. They are in love with their new brother, and I have willing baby holders constantly at the ready. It's great. Life is good.

I was feeling like I had beaten the blues. This third time was really charming. I was on. my. game.

But then....

....then something clicked...and the floodgates opened. And have only been half shut ever since.

This isn't super huge, but I never know when I am about to start blubbering like a baby.

In church, one of the worship leaders was having a moment...she was getting emotional. I had been fine two seconds before, but once I saw her, I started crying. (I'm not certain that I left the service with any eye make-up still attached to my face.)

Just after the song ended, we were asked to take a moment to greet those around us. A friend was sitting in front of us, and when she turned around to shake my hand, she asked how I was doing. I couldn't tell if it was an "I know you just had a baby, and am being thoughtful" or a "You look like a total basket case, what has happened to your eyeliner" kind of inquiry.

And then, the other night, I flipped on PBS and was excited to find Anne of Green Gables. BUT! It was only 10 minutes before the part where Matthew dies. Gah!

"Don't ever change. Don't ever change."

I had just gotten my act back together for the closing credits, but then cried because Anne and Gilbert were walking away, in a field, with his horse, and he had given up the Avonlea school for her....and I was crying because I know what comes next. So I cried that she would break his heart. And then I cried because she would break her own heart. And then I cried because I know it all ends up happy in the end. Or at least at the end of Anne of Avonlea.

Do you see what's going on here? I am all over the place!

How soon until normalcy finds me again?

I'm going to have to steel myself for a while. And purchase some waterproof makeup.