Rain Gutter Book Shelves…Short but Sweet

Years ago, I was blog hopping and found a post about some wooden rain gutter book shelves.

And I wanted some.

Desperately.

So I kept my eyes open for some, and I found three gutters a couple years ago for $20 at an estate sale.

I finally got it put up in the boys’ room.

{This is one long one cut in half.}

That chair was my grandparents.

Which is why I can’t bring myself to recover the pastel pink cushion.

Spring is in full swing here.

Which is exciting.

But also promises another hot, long summer.

{At least I’m not pregnant this go around…}

I’m contemplating putting together a Chicken 101 post if any one is interested.

So let me know if you are.

If not, don’t worry about it.

Hope you had a great weekend,

Katie

Some days I’m Awesome

And other days I’m stubborn and crazy.

Last Friday was one of the latter.

Adeline had a ‘wiggler’ (tooth) for weeks.

And she refused to pull it or allow me to pull it.

Which is difficult anyway because her teeth are so eensy, weensy you can barely grab it.

Seriously, this tooth was the subject of conversation at the dinner table for a good month.

Endless conversation about how wiggly it was, when it would come out, will it hurt, will she get her name on the tooth board at school, will it come out before so-and-so’s at school comes out, when will Meg lose her first tooth, blah, blah, blah, bu-blah.

{You should know, this was not her first loose tooth, carry on….}

So, as usual, my timing was impeccable.

We’d had a great day working in the yard, we bought pizza with a coupon and watched a movie.

And then I decided now was the time. {Obvious choice because everyone’s so happy and feel-goody.}

I told Adeline I was pulling her tooth.

She cried.

I told her I would pay her fifty cents to let me do it.

She cried some more.

I told her I was going to lay her down, sit on her, pin her arms with my knees, pry her mouth open and yank out that silly tooth.

She cried and asked why I was being so mean.

I told her that I did the same thing to my youngest brother and he thanked me.

She bawled and asked why it has to come out.  {Her adult tooth was already in.}

I told her this is ridiculous, it wasn’t even going to hurt.

She was hy-sterical, red faced, and blubbering.

Any sane thinking person would have walked away, worrying about causing childhood trauma.

Nope.  Bryce jumped it.

He grabbed my capped sewing scissors and put Adeline in a bear hug.

Who is inconsolable at this point.

As is Spencer and Meg…Elizabeth and Bennett have left the area to go pace in another room.

So now we’re prying Adeline’s mouth open with these completely harmless scissors,

Spencer’s crying and hitting Bryce convinced that we’re abusing poor Adeline,

Bryce is sitting down with Adeline on his lap and her arms pinned down to her sides

and I’m trying to get my fingers on the darn tooth.

Which at this point is barely hanging on.

I finally grab it {I’m pretty sure it was mostly knocked loose when we were putting the scissors in there}, show Adeline,

who promptly stops crying,

says thanks,

that didn’t even hurt,

gives me a big hug,

giggles about being scared in the first place,

goes and consoles Spencer,

gives Bryce a high-five

and asks for the fifty cents.

Oh my freaking goodness.

Katie

Gettin' My Craft On…And This Turned Into A Really Long Post

Sometimes I forget how much I like to do crafts and my glue gun.

{It’s hard to remember when I’m tired, hungry, making dinner, changing diapers, avoiding cleaning the shower, holding a fussy baby, doing laundry, picking up toys, books, blankets, burp cloths, shoes, etc.}

But I rediscovered it last week when the air was a bit warmer and the sunshine a bit brighter.

Here’s some of the things I did:

Made magnets from an old wood puzzle my kids played with till it died.  Spencer really likes it.

The girls wanted me to decorate their room soon after I did the boys' room.

But it’s not really the same because the girls have ‘special’ papers and ‘special’ rocks and ‘special’ stickers and ‘special’ blankets and before you know it, the room isn’t so ‘special’. 

It’s actually just cluttery. {How is that not a ‘real’ word?}

They requested I paint their walls or their ceiling.

However, that was never going to happen so I made some bunting from some old Disney books.

{Totally the same thing.}

Lady and the Tramp

Cinderella

Lassie and Bambi

 

Adeline’s home sick today.  Apparently not too sick, I paid her $.50 to get Spencer to finish his cereal….

I had some left over yo-yos from a table runner I had purchased at a garage sale like six or seven years ago.  I sewed them together and draped them in front of the window.

I made some spring wreaths to give away.

And Bryce and I have been working on the great garden expansion project…..

Bennett turned 5 months.

He’s still super fussy.

And the hyacinth bulbs that Bryce bought me for Christmas (which I planted myself) are up and blooming.

These are probably my favorite things in the house right now.

Hope flowers are blooming where you are,

Katie

I Made Something….

a shirt!

Or maybe it’s a blouse?

{My grandma would be impressed I know what that word means.

She never held out a lot of hope I would ever turn into a girl. 

Mainly because I said yea, instead of yes, took too big of bites, didn’t wear gloves when I worked outside, didn’t stand up straight and never wanted to go shopping at the mall.}

Anyway…

I made a shirt.  A real one with: six darts, two armholes, a zipper, a button and a collar.

Used my serger and everything.

See?

A real shirt.

 

And I didn’t cry

or call my mom for help.

Also, my friend made this really, really, really cute quilt for Bennett.

He loves it so much, the first night he used it, he was awake for three hours {11 pm – 2 am}, just so he could admire it.

 

 

Hope you’re having a great Monday and you’re not about to ship your 2 year old boy off to the gypsies the first chance you get.

And if you are, maybe Spencer could catch a ride….?

{If he ever leaves time out…}

Katie

My Life in Numbers

2 – the number of lungs Spencer cries at the top of when: his hands are dirty, his pants get wet, his socks are crooked, he’s hungry, when he’s tired.

90 – the number of minutes my massage lasted that Bryce bought me for Valentine’s Day!

4 – the hour at which Bennett wakes up almost every morning and fills his diaper.

3 – the total number of minutes it takes me to walk to Bennett’s room, change his diaper, give him his pacifier and walk back.

1 – the number of husbands completely oblivious to this ritual.

A(lot) – the number of points Bryce had when he beat me at racquetball.

8 – the number of years since the last time I played racquetball.

3 – the number of days I was sore afterwards.

1 – in 5 babies will be fussy.

12 – the number of eggs we get a day.

4 – the number of children that ‘comment’ about dinner.

3 – the number of days in rained last week non-stop.

5 – the number of days the teacher’s have been on strike.

Twice(as many) – the hours my older kids are home during the day.

100(%) – the number of people in the house that think that is a bad idea.

652 – the number of times we’ve listened to the Frozen soundtrack.

651 – the number of times I didn’t want to.

1 – the number of moms around here that get so, so frustrated at bedtime.

4 – the number of children that are ignored after 7:45 pm.

24 – chocolate covered blueberries

3 – cookies

1 – mini Reese’s peanut butter cup

= my sugar intake…..for the day. {see number of days for teacher’s strike and rainy days}

2,986 – number of photos I’m scrolling through to make a ‘free’ 8x8 Shutterfly book for the kids.

2,986 – number of pictures that remind me how blessed I am.

1 – exaggeration about how many photos I’m actually going through.

No idea = actual number.

1 – the number of Bennetts that prefer pear sauce to peas.

1 – the number of containers of maple syrup in my pantry waiting to be made into maple cream….think whipped honey type goodness.

All of you – number who can come over when I make scones to try the maple cream on.  Open invitation.  Unless you’re a crazy, then….no.

Interested in reading about a number from your life.

Hope you’re having a great week wherever you are, whatever the weather,

Katie

1 of the 2,986 photos I’ve gone through…

A Midweek Post With a Lot of Pictures

I asked Bryce to take this picture of us.

It was an humbling experience.

But the bigger part of me wants to make sure I have some photos with my kids.

Regardless of my pride.

I set up a station to make Valentine’s.

Obviously, the organization of it lasted 2.3 seconds.

Excited to try it out.

The Family Fun magazine had this cute idea to make felt envelopes to hold Valentine’s and tie them to the backs of the dining room chairs.

I made them and the kids decorated them.

 

And because I feel it’s necessary to document anything productive I ever manage to accomplish, here’s my spice cupboard.

Before

After

{I don’t know if I turned on the light or if the sun was shining just a bit brighter upon my tidiness, but there’s certainly a difference in light exposure in the pictures.}

And my vanity forces me to share this.

Bennett loves this mobile I made for him.

Apparently he doesn’t discern between things made from scratch and those that are not….

{Thank goodness.}

And his 4 month picture, two weeks late.

Isn’t his hair awesome?

It sweeps to the side all on its own.

The teachers in our district are on strike so there’s no school around here till next Tuesday.

So, if you’re planning an extended weekend trip and need some extra company, my children are available.  All or part.

Katie

Some Random Happenings From The Bell House

 

* Bennett slept through the night for the first time. 

I had stopped feeding him at night.

He didn’t seem to care.

And would wake up at 4 am pretty consistently.

The doctor thought it was because he was hungry.

{Sometimes I think I pay too much for the doctor’s opinion.}

I told Bryce we should celebrate by taking Bennett out for hamburgers and French fries.

He mentioned some sort of nonsense about people coming over for dinner and it would be rude to not be there, blah, blah, blah.

Also, he thought perhaps I was projecting my desires onto Bennett…..

* Bennett has two teeth.

What?!

* I bought some maroon colored pants.

Meg told me I looked good in them.

* In the next conversation, Meg told me we don’t have brains.

Grain of salt, people, grain of salt.

* Spencer asked if he could take off his wet shirt and put on a ‘new’ shirt.

What he really asked is if he could have ‘no’ shirt.

And proceeded to head outside without a shirt.

In February.

He eventually came inside and put a ‘new’ shirt on.

* I fished a tube of toothpaste out of the toilet.

That had ‘stuff’ in it.

At least it wasn’t flushed?

{No words, no words.}

* I asked Elizabeth if she wanted some granola.

She said, yes, as long as it wasn’t the kind I had made.

Maybe she didn’t want it because I hadn’t made it from scratch?

I mean, after all, I had used my food processor to chop up the almonds

the oven to bake it

and a Tupperware to store it.

* I got two quilt tops done.

Hope you’re having a good week,

Katie