Projects in the Works

I have a couple of projects in the works that should be ready to show next week....or next month....for sure by the end of the year. Stay tuned, please?

One other thing.

I got a free trampoline.

From my neighbor.

Who I've only talked to, like, twice.

They have it sitting in their field, er, backyard, accumulating weeds.

Never hurts to ask.

Or call and beg.

Whatev.

Katie

Back in the Habit

What can you find at home that you can find nowhere else?

• Windows without screens.



• A changing table in the already too-small hallway.



• Four sleeping children.



• Extension cords in the bedrooms, plugged into upside down outlets.



• A clock that's hung up but needs a new battery.



• A mound of clean laundry on top of the dryer.



• A washer that drains into a sink.



• A craft project gone awry.



• My grandparent's wedding china drying on the counter.



• The new dresser/changing table on the front porch.



• A metal cupboard leaning against the house waiting for sanding.



• One of three levels done for the garden retaining wall.



• Watermelon stickiness by Meg's chair.



• Legos all over the sun room table.



• Dead annuals in a planter on the front porch.



• Shoes by every possible exit from the house.



• A camera with a full memory card.



• An old wood ladder in the back yard waiting to be brought inside for its new purpose.



• Books snuck in by the girls into their room...kind of like contraband.



• My mom's rocking chair from when she was a girl waiting to be reupholstered.



• The fabric with which to reupholster the chair.



• A sun room with one piece of sheet music wall papered on waiting to see if I like it.



• A basement full of pears, again.



• My family.

Katie

P.S. Bryce wants to buy a lemon and lime bush...I kindly told him I would have no part in the matter: http://tellingbells.blogspot.com/2010/02/confession.html and http://tellingbells.blogspot.com/2010/04/were-dealing.html

ihavenoideawhattotitlethispost

A new scale and wood boxes that Bryce's parents found for me.
A quilt that I bought last fall and finally got around to rebinding. Also, not nearly as exciting, I decided to use one of my galvanized tubs to hold the throw pillows and such. I know, genius.

A mirror that I picked up yard selling. Thinking about making some little paper bunting to string across the top.

Down filled pillows on clearance at Fred Meyer for $6.50. Was over zealous and bought four. Hoping for some magical transformation.

Antique oval mirror that I fixed after picking it up from a garage sale for $4 (!) and a painting Bryce's grandmother did of their property up in Canada.

Some treasures Bryce's parents collected for me...awaiting inspiration.

Chicken coop painted to match the house. Should start getting eggs any week now.

Pears that I got for free and will be making pear sauce out of once ripened.

Tomatoes that I did not get for free but will be totally worth the money once made into delicious tomato soup.

Also this week: painted wood for new grape arbor, kept all chickens alive, kept all trees and bushes alive, kept all children alive, bought a serger (?) for $5 at a garage sale, used Burger King coupons twice, talked to my mom three times, finished and mailed Sister's Day gifts which took way longer to put together than it should have, cleaned laundry room, watched North and South, sent Elizabeth and Adeline to Bryce's parents house for the week, went Christmas shopping and finished Christmas shopping at Borders Books, which is going out of business, where I bought a book about stenciling and it included 10 different stencils and have been dreaming about stenciling since.

The End.

Katie

A Trip Down Memory Lane

The winner is #5: The Ker Family "oatmeal cream pies....nasty!"

(I couldn't get the actual random.org thing to come over to my blog...you'll just have to trust me.)

Some tell-all Facebook posts:

• Well, that was disturbing....just finished sweeping the floors.


• Fortunately, Spencer doesn't seem any worse for wear after Meg snuck him a blueberry....


• Observation: spilling spaghetti sauce all over the kitchen floor due to inappropriate Tupperware protocol will make you want to say words you are led to believe only sailors use.


• Something that I just said and hope to never say again: "Adeline, get out of the chicken coop....


• Feeling optimistic about the day....never mind....just heard the girls wake up


• Thinking of joining a nudist colony...I'm working under the assumption that there would be way less laundry....


• I just saw the most disgusting thing on TV...an infomercial for a meatloaf pan....complete with pictures of meatloaf....it made me throw up a little.


• To all of you obnoxiously, happy people that love Mondays....please stop posting.


• I went to confirm, and it's true. A bird flew into our massive window and now lays dead in the grass. I secretly hope it's the %^*& woodpecker that's been systematically making holes in our house.


• Some days I secretly wish that I was the babysitter and that I'm just waiting for the parents to get here so I can go home.


• Dear Bryce, Please be advised there is a massive dead rat in our basement. I wish you all the luck in taking care of that when you get home, while I shut myself in my bedroom, refusing to witness it.


• Note to anyone interested, do not, I repeat DO NOT Google "pictures of maggots", nightmares....


• Question: how much chocolate is too much chocolate to eat in one sitting...?


• To the zipper on my favorite carpi's...please stop embarrassing me.


• Next time I decide to do family pictures, I'm not inviting the family.


• Just thought I'd throw it out there...does anyone want to supervise my children while I finish my book...?


• Will be accepting "Save the Children" donations...


• Some of you reading this will think Why? Why is she posting something like this? My answer: if I can help one person, just one, it is worth it. A burp cloth and band-aids are NOT a good substitute for a diaper.


• I burnt myself with the curling iron, people. And even if it was something else, and I'm not saying it is, it's perfectly legal since I'm married.


• Congratulations are in order....I just cleaned my oven for the first time. Who buys an oven that's not self cleaning anyway? Stop the madness.


• Married, white, female seeking long term relationship with sanity. Must be willing to commit (until Adeline moves out of the house) and like children. Should enjoy two long busy seasons and dysfunctional family. MUST show up every two years for potty training. Send all inquiries...please.


• LOST: Patience....Last seen - sometime before busy season and potty training. It's a small amount so keep your eyes open for it. If you can't find it but happen to have some chocolate, that's fine too. Please contact me. FOUND - some sticky spots on my kitchen floor. If they are yours, come and get them, I'll be holding them for you. They're certainly not mine!


• I looked it up....apparently today is not National-Husbands-Take-Their-Kids-To-Work-Day-So-Their-Wives-Don't-Cause-The-Kids-Permanent-Bodily-Harm Day. Maybe tomorrow.

Katie

GIVEAWAY!

Another giveaway.

The problem is...you can't know what it is.

I'm making something for the sister's weekend that I mentioned in a previous post.

And since my sisters read my blog, or at least I think they do, I can't mention anything about it so it will be a surprise.

If you want to win 'this special something', you have to:

• Be a follower.




• Comment telling me what food just thinking about makes you throw up a little.




• Enter by Tuesday evening.

I'll announce the winner on Wednesday's post.

The winner will be randomly selected.

Good luck.

Katie

What I Realized....

as I was canning peaches for six hours after the kids had gone to bed and Bryce was out of town on Monday night:

• I'm a little bit afraid of the dark. The kitchen light went out twice.


• Old, squeaky floors make me nervous at 12am in the morning.


• I've watched too many episodes of Law & Order: SVU.


• I'm an eternal optimist...I thought for sure I would be done canning 85 lbs of peaches by 11pm.


• I'm delusional....it took till 2am.


• I'm lazy. I would rather put freezer jam in a quart jar that is clean then walk down stairs to find a pint and then have to clean it.


• I'm not a fan of fruit flies.


• I find my basement a little bit scary.


• Just because you like a certain type of music, that doesn't mean it's great for canning peaches.


• Beatles: not peach canning music. Jon Bon Jovi: peach canning music.


• Ice makers go 'thump' in the night.


• I can come up with a lot of blog post ideas when I have only peaches to distract me.


• I can forget about a lot of blog post ideas when I haven't gotten enough sleep.


• I'm thorough....I did all of the dishes and cleaned up all of the mess before I went to bed.


• I am not a perfectionist....one jar broke in the water bath the first batch and I refused to switch the water....so now all of the jars are sticky.


• Some honey bees....like the one that flew into the kitchen....are completely clueless about the bee curfew.


• If you plan to sleep in the next morning....your kids will wake up earlier than normal.

Katie

Not A Project Post

I didn't get one single project accomplished this week.

Daily routine got the best of me.

I'm focused on getting the rest of the paint scrapped off the windows before I move onto anything else.

I did get started on my Sister's Weekend stuff, though.

My sisters, sisters-in-law, and my mom started doing a Sister's Weekend.

We each pick a project, the same one for everyone, and then we send it to everyone with in a week period. So you get like seven different packages in one week. It's pretty fun to see what ideas everyone comes up with.

Last year I sent everyone the vintage yo-yo hair accessory.

Here's to hoping you all have a great weekend.

Katie