Never Tired Of:

• looking in on my sleeping children
• nap time
• date night
• restaurants
• talking to the chickens
• looking for eggs
• reading books
• singing in the car
• having dance parties
• root beer
• snuggling
• watching home improvement channels
• having a clean floor
• sewing
• summer
• sun tans
• real Christmas trees
• birthdays
• fresh flowers
• gardening
• listening to my kids laugh
• tickling
• painting
• working on 'projects' with Bryce
• talking to friends on the phone
• reading comments on my blog
• receiving mail
• eating bread sticks
• having a warm shower
• having a full fridge and stocked pantry
• using the miter saw
• garage sales
• hot chocolate
• having visitors
• coupons to Joann
• trying something new

Katie

P.S. I'm contemplating no longer blogging....

Project Hit And Miss

Curtains for sewing area - miss.

May use for a give-away?

Muslin wrapped straw wreath with felt and button flowers - hit.

P.S. Bryce has not noticed this wreath yet.

Katie

Sometimes You Get Tired Of:

• crying children
• old houses with holes
• cleaning up insulation because of old house with holes
• doing dishes
• washing hands
• folding laundry
• turning on PBS
• not seeing the sun for weeks on end
• calling people who never call you back
• hearing from people you don't really want to talk to
• sweeping the floor three times in one day, the same floor, wish I was exaggerating
• of your style-less hair
• feeding chickens
• being cold
• doing things that no one cares about or notices
• then consoling yourself by doing a project that no one cares about, notices, or makes a difference in the long run
• people not napping, including yourself
• a child whining about the homework you're making her do
• telling the child, repeatedly, that you're not the one that hands out the homework
• people asking for: attention, treats, food, snacks, a show, to go to the bathroom, what's for dinner, what you packed them for lunch, etc.
• going to meetings that you don't really want to go to:

but then you come home to this:

and you realize and are reminded of what a blessed life you have.

Katie

What I Know

• sometimes your husband will steal your pillow, right out from under your head, while you're sleeping.
• when you quote the line "Guys, Chad fell down." from the movie That Thing You Do, with a friend, it's funny.
• when you quote the line "Guys, Chad fell down." from the movie That Thing You Do, with a friend, and there's actually a Chad walking behind you, which you didn't realize, it's even more funny.
• if you're having insulation blown in your house, and there's a hole in the wall, the insulation will blow all over your daughter's bed.
• if your kid cries after you dole out a punishment, you should feel pretty proud of yourself.
• if you have a really, really, really old grape arbor and people walk underneath it, it will eventually fall on someone.
• Downton Abbey is highly addictive and totally worth all the hours I put into it.
• it's pretty easy to get in over your head in projects when everything at Joann is 50% off AND you have a 20% off your total purchase coupon.
• I am over my head in projects.
• I love fried chicken.
• I can get excited when I go to the local farm/garden center and they're announcing new chicks coming soon.
• I would never fry one of my chickens I raised.

Katie

Finally Finished

New decor for piano.

Collection of frogs, two more for Christmas, on my grandparents wedding china platter.

New curtain.

Invoice holder from Bryce's grandpa's bakery. Sometimes I get to go 'shopping' in Bryce's parents garage. His parents are always really great about picking up and picking out things they think I'd like.

My 'make it work' moment. Had a spring rod curtain rod. Bought rings. Rings wouldn't fit around rod. Found a piece of wood. Nailed it across the top. Hammered in old square-head nails we pulled out from our kitchen floor during the remodel. Put clips on nails.

Curtains swagged using the invoice holder.

Pretty much love it.

Katie

This Make and Model...

Not really related, but pretty fun anyway. He has his father's ego. =)

is no longer available.

No end of year clearance.

It's one of a kind.

Description:

makes artisan style breads - often

cleans bathrooms - occasionally

writes love notes in Medford's 'snowstorm'

makes homemade corn dogs - delicious

is a popcorn making fiend

makes the bed when I don't because he knows it's important to me

builds garden boxes

cuts down trees

tells me I'm great when I did not have a great day

plays Lego's with our girls

bought me a sewing table for Christmas

buys me books I like

is patient, patient, patient.

Basically it's everything I'm not and has everything I need.

Katie

Disney - Homewrecker

My kids have not been great at going to sleep at bedtime lately.

Ever since Christmas Break.

I had a mental breakdown about it last week.

I was cranky in the anticipation that my sleep deprived girls would be cranky.

Bryce was cranky because I was cranky because I was worried my kids were cranky.

And I had no control whatsoever.

I took away: kindness, TV, snacks, patience, treats, and freedom.

To no avail.

What keeps those kids up at night?

Ariel, Eric and their daughter, Melody.

They play it constantly.

Last night it got out of control.

Adeline slapped Meg in the face.

Resulting in lots of crying

and a bloody nose

and stained pjs and bedding.

Why?

Meg, the baby, wouldn't listen.

Needless to say, lots of lecturing this morning, from all fronts, to all children.

So Disney, please keep your scantily clad, perfectly complexioned princesses, shallow princes, and short love stories, and talking {insert whatevers} to yourself.

We've had about all we can physically handle over here.

Katie

An Involved Story Containing A Lot Of Mirrors That No One Will Care About

Before

Moved mirror here, very sad about that.

Because I bought this one at an estate sale for $5.

Cut and stained a frame. Nothing can hide the reality that is Bryce's closet and dresser, seen reflected in the mirror.

Moved the dresser to another wall.

Used a mirror my father-in-law gave me. Had Elizabeth help me secure it to the wall while Bryce was gone.

Took some pictures with some children who didn't understand why I wanted them to move.

The End.

Katie

Why I'm Proud of Myself:

• When I walked into the cold, dark bathroom only to turn on the light to see Adeline's stuffed animal on the floor that is the same color and size of a dead rat, I did not vomit, scream, or faint.
• I have made breakfast, lunch, and dinner everyday for countless days.
• Without complaint.
• This does not count as a complaint, more of a sharing of information.
• I have made a goal to not go out to dinner at all this month.
• I have realized that this is a really dumb goal.
• I got all {one sander} of the stuff out to finish a project that I started way last week.
• I have washed the breakfast dishes before lunch.
• I played Barbies with Meg and Adeline for an entire hour yesterday morning.
• I did not die of boredom.
• I played Connect 4 with Elizabeth five times yesterday.
• I did not let her win on purpose.
• I have looked at images of short haircuts on line.
• I got like a 50 lb bag of Swedish Fish for Christmas from a generous friend.
• There is still some left.
• I have even been known to share some on occasion.

Why are you proud?

Katie

Pieces of Reality

• I had to buy a new tooth brush last night.
• Elizabeth said my old one either dropped in the trash can, in the toilet, or on the floor by the toilet.
• The fabric that I want to buy to use for the reading nook curtain is $32.99 a yard.
• In Oregon, people don't use bike trailers for children.
• They use them for their dogs and/or garbage.
• Our neighbor whose dog killed our chicken offered to buy us a new one.
• A new baby chick does not replace a mature, trained, egg-laying chicken named Sophie.
• Spencer is teething.
• I am sick.
• The children are sleep deprived.
• Bryce's birthday celebration was underwhelming.
• I have to clean my dining room floor.
• I wish I could go back to bed.
• I wish I had maid service.
• I finally put my house back together after taking down Christmas decorations.
• I wish I could let my children watch TV guilt-free so I could sew something.
• I wish it was spring.

Katie

The Chandelier

Before

After

LAA!

I bought this chandelier before we moved from Colorado and I had planned to have it put up for Bryce's Father's Day gift....last year.

Well, it finally got done.

I love it.

I rewired it and made the sleeve for it.

We spray painted it white.

My friend put a little color on the flowers and leaves, which you could see better if I knew how to operate a camera effectively.

I do not have a picture of the previous light.

Why in the world would I take a picture of a groady, 80s single bulb light?

I plan on making a cushion for the reading nook and a new curtain, currently hating the one I put up previously, this weekend.

Do you have any plans?

Have a good weekend.

Katie

P.S. One of our chickens is dead. Our neighbor's dog broke through their fence and found one of our poor defenseless chickens.

It's a good lesson for our kids about death, life after death, and forgiveness.

Monkeys

Spencer got a sock monkey for Christmas, well, technically I finished it and gave it to him yesterday...

Still alive.

Drowning in a sea of monkeys and lists of projects.

One random fact about me:

When I was in high school I hated ironing.

To avoid the situation I would:

pick out a wrinkly outfit

lay it out on the floor

walk into the family room

grab a massive stack of encyclopedias

place them on my clothes

wait a couple of days

put on a freshly pressed shirt and pants.

Happy New Year.

Katie