Art Appreciation

See this post on Home Schoolin' Mamas for a fun indoor activity you can do with your kids

Cutting the Apron Strings

Jim has been busy this past week making aprons for the girls.

He just decided one day that they needed them.

And he took them to pick out their own fabric.

After that, he went back to the store to find a complementary accent fabric, and came home with a sparkly princess pattern, which delighted them greatly.

Then he made his own apron pattern on a piece of cardboard, and got to work.

He's also in the running for sexiest man alive. I mean really, making princess aprons for three daughters- how attractive is that?!

I do not sew. I don't have any desire to sew, at all. I think it's great when other people sew. If my engineer husband wants a good challenge and wants to try it out, great. He did a fabulous job. I've got pillow covers on his list next. But sewing is not now, nor will it ever be, my bag. If I want a custom-made apron, I think etsy. Not fabric store.

Cuddle Pug

Insert sonorous nasal vibrations and the feeling of a soft, chubby, warm body here_______.

A New Order

Last Tuesday I knew I would be glued to the TV all morning along with millions of other people, so I decided to couple that with a project I've been needing to finish.

So while America got a new president, I gutted my kitchen cabinets and put it all back together again.

I started by taking EVERYTHING out.

Then I sorted, tidied up, and put everything back.

Some went into storage bins and baskets above the cabinets.And the most needed and used of the bunch all got put back into it's rightful place in the cupboard.I kept a running list of what went into each basket and bin, each of which was labeled 1-6.Now those lists are taped inside a cupboard door, for reference.

A more perfectionist organizer would have made nicer lists, and printed them out, or even broken out a label maker, you know how they are. (OK, I secretly want to be one of them. But I just can't get myself that organized.)And now it's all back together again- everybody say AHHHHH.

$M: Because Free Coffee is So Much More...Refined.

1.28.2009

Free Coffee All Day at Panera

Have you tried the Hazelnut? It's fantastic.

Look.

I didn't mean to keep it from you. I didn't try to hide it.
It's just that it's so rare for these feet of mine to make an appearance on the ol' blog. I was tickled at how surprised you were when I told you about this tiny little detail.We should have chats like that more often. Get all those random facts out there, you know?
I loved hearing all the neat and funny little things you had to share.

CUSTOMER SERVICE

You know what? I'm not even going to write this post.

Just the title, and !@#$%&!! pretty much says it all.

Along.

There are a lot of things I could do without you.

Going out with four and all that comes with you certainly handicaps me in the run-out-quick department.

For the sake of my sanity, I regularly arrange outings all alone, when Dad is home.

I know, I know. You don't get it. You will someday, I promise.

But I try to make a point to let you in on most of the errand running.

Absolutely nothing happens quickly when we are five out and about, delicately balancing moods, meals, naps and wants and needs.

But really, I think we do pretty well.

You're pretty much superstars.

It would be faster for me to just fit it all in when you weren't around.

But then you wouldn't meet so many people, or see so many neat things, or experience so much of the varied land that is "out and about".

I like doing that with you.

Not to mention, if I didn't make a point to take you out to the store, to lunch, to the post office, you would have no idea how to act once you were inevitably there.

And might I just brag on you a bit and say, Mama didn't raise no hyenas. You know your way around some manners- most of the time.

It would be easier to do my thing without you, but instead, I think I'll bring you along.

Hmm...

Jim keeps pushing his agenda, saying it's time Hudson had a haircut.

Hmm...I'm still just not sure...

Ice, Ice Baby

It has been cold here. Cold, people, cold. Like, -22 cold. Like, air like needles to the skin when you walk out the door cold. Like, never, ever take your kids out to play cold. It's been cold.


The most tremendous thing happened last week. It was so cold, a water main burst, and a ton of water came travelling it's way through our backyard, freezing all the way down the ditch in a long, wide stream.


The result was a glorious, long and smooth sheet of ice. (The snow drifted in and covered it partially, but the spot behind our house was pretty clear.)


I could not help but be reminded of Little Women, and ice skating in winter. Isn't that the first thing anyone would think of? Little Women?! Trodding off through the woods with ice skates over their shoulders? Agh! How old fashioned family winter fun is this?!

And by Saturday, the ice was good and solid, and would you believe it? It got into the 30's! Even with 20 mph wind gusts, it still felt a welcome warm compared to the absolute frigid last week or so.


The ice was perfectly frozen and smooth, we had a whole Saturday to ourselves, and it was finally not deathly cold outside.



It was the perfect storm, perfect conditions for a day of skating fun for us. How incredible is it that we basically had a Walden Pond in our backyard?! You know, like the March girls?!!


Jim found these like new ($150 new!) skates at a thrift store for $3 before Christmas, and they were just the right size for Grace and Patience to wear, taking turns, of course. I can't believe they got to have their first experience ice skating in our own backyard!! Unbelievable.


It was windy, which proved bothersome, but Bebo, the girls and Dad were thrilled to finally get outside.


Grace and Patience both got a shot with the skates, and were absolutely adorable out there, sliding and wobbling.


Lily and Bebo just ran and slid. Daddy showed off a little... He hasn't gotten to use his ice skates for a really long time. He carved it up good.

We had the chance to let the girls try out the ice without worrying about them falling through accidentally (you know, like Amy did in Little Women?!!) since the ice was only inches, not feet, thick.

And then, of course, they went sledding too. All in our own backyard.


Hudson napped, and I stayed warm inside with Bacon, taking pictures through the glass of my bedroom window... accounting for the fuzziness of the pictures. Someone had to stay inside for H, right?


And when the troops came in, and cheeks were rosy and the boots were off, there was hot caramel apple cider waiting...

Money Monday!

Some of my favorite things in my house were extremely cheap. Things I just found somewhere, randomly.

A great home, regardless of your taste, starts with a few solid basics, and then gets richer and better over time as you add love, memories, and things you find along the way.

Pottery Barn always calls them "found objects". Things you find somewhere, things you create, or re-purpose, or rescue from some dark corner of a thrift store or old shop.

Those things, to me, are the best things.

They are neat, they have a story, they are special, they have a memory, they are unlike anything else that the masses can get for $19.99.

These are a couple of my most recent "founds".

That basket/sifter/rice dryer/whatever in the world it is was buried under a bunch of stuff at a thrift store, and I purchased it for something like 7 cents. It's just old and neat, and I like it.

I found this branch on the ground while we were walking in to the polls on election day. I loved it's curve, and thought it looked interesting.

I got this yellow vase for .50, and I just adore it. I love yellow, and it was originally in my bedroom, but I moved it out here after Christmas. I just love me some yellow in the middle of the bleakest winter I can remember. Ever.

What are your favorite founds? Not just for your house, but clothes, jewelry, anything.

What do you have, and love, and no one you know has one just like it?

Space Camp

I really am happy with how much space we have in our house. I suppose, if I wasn't so militant about getting rid of things that are not useful, beautiful or necessary, then maybe I wouldn't feel like we had so much space. But really, we've got a lot.
There's some good above-head garage storage where we keep all kinds of things, and even our Christmas decorations are up there now. Our kitchen isn't huge, but never feels small to me. The cupboards are deep and there's enough of them, and the kitchen is designed in an efficient square, so I can work smoothly and get what I need easily.
My basement storeroom is great, as long as I don't let it get too owly. Between Thanksgiving and Christmas, it got owly.
See, there was the crystal I needed to get out, and the silver, and the decorations and... And everything just stayed pulled out of it's box because I knew I'd use it several times over those 6 weeks or so. And I did. And it was all fun. And when Christmas was over I was beyond motivated to whip it all back into shape.

I didn't even take a before picture, but trust me, it was bad. I remembered that I wanted to take one, and I'm the queen of befores-and-afters, but I was SO excited to get started and FINISH THE THING, I didn't even bother taking one.

But now, it's all done, and I finally have the system set up that I'd always planned on. Now, I have decorating totes designated by season (Christmas excluded, that's all in the garage- except one tote that stays down here, with all the things that might melt/freeze etc outside all year). Changing things in and out is a lot easier now.All my unused photo mats and pictures are where I can find them, and my unused frames are neatly boxed and ready to open when I need one.
After nearly a year of living here, I know the things I regularly need to dig out of my basement storage, and the things that I never, ever need, but need to keep because someday...I might need them.
The pile of boxes filled with those types of things went from filling a spare bedroom, to being sorted through and then all piled up in the store room, to now just two large boxes, stored underneath the stairs.
Our kids' clothes totes (we've got about 10 big ones) are now under the stairs too- out of the way, but now easy to get to, not behind lots of boxes!
My china and silver is boxed up neatly, but is accessible at the drop of a hat, meaning I may just break it out even more often.And OH, how it's nice to have all these sorted and ready to inspire me. I've done it for three seasons now- fall, Christmas, and now the new year, and it's REALLY been fun to get fresh inspiration from "old" magazines.Here's the other side of the room, if you care. I know, this is such a lovely space, isn't it?So like I said, all those boxes are narrowed down to two. I had a bit of a mountain of cardboard left behind.

Jim made the leftover boxes into a play house for the kids. (That side is popped out inexplicably in this picture...I'm not sure why...but it's back together again now...) It's actually incredibly sturdy.Held together with lots and lots of packaging tape... and stylishly decorated inside and out by the girls.

Sinking Epiphany

One very early morning I woke up smoothly from a dream, with a deep and complete sense of satisfaction, in the fact that
I never wish I had someone else's life
I never wish I was somewhere else every day
It never occurs to me that I would want to be married to anyone else but the one I'm married to

And I really do feel that way. Even on my worst day. And I have worst days.

And that was very satisfying to me.

And then I smoothly drifted back to sleep.

Later, I realized after all this time that there are Ks all over my sink.

Would you look at that. A personally monogrammed sink strainer.

It was a time of epiphany.

Coffee and Chocolate

You know, I get emails or comments from sweet people who don't know me occasionally, and often they are very apologetic for reading my blog when they don't know me personally. They feel a bit stalker-esque, I think, for lack of a better term.

Well, I just want you to know, you're no stalker if you regularly check in with my little tiny address in the universe of cyberspace.

I also want you to know, that it's sweet and meaningful to me, and any other blogger, that you'd care to be a part of my life.

I love to blog all these things because it's a wonderful way to mark the moments of our lives, and writing and creating posts is a nice outlet for me, and it's also become a wonderful place of community. It's been a nice surprise that I didn't anticipate when I began.

Sharing our little lives with whoever cares to read is fantastic, and I'm grateful for so many who have let me into their own lives too.

You never need to feel like a stalker, for sharing my silly thoughts with me. And you never need to feel like you need to say hi, if you don't want to.

So for all of you who are here every day, I just wanted to say hello and let you know, I think it's awfully sweet of you to come by.

I'm sure there's a reason why you come to visit, maybe we have a lot in common, since most people don't read things that annoy, infuriate, frustrate or bother them intentionally on a regular basis. Maybe you're a mom too, maybe we'd hang out if we lived closer. Maybe we'd have a lot to chat about if you could come over for coffee and chocolate.

These are the things that I wonder. And now you might be wondering why you read this at all.

I thought about something this week- maybe you wouldn't mind me asking you- I'd love to know even just a little about you, or your story. You wouldn't need to leave your name unless you wanted to- it's easy to leave an anonymous comment, but, I was thinking it would be fun to learn just one thing about you- anything at all. You know, just to get to know who's out there a bit. Just to satisfy my curiosity, a little, about all you sweet people out there.

And for all of you that I do already know and love, I'd love to hear a little random factoid about you, too.

I'll start us off. You already know who I am, and several random facts about me. Let's see... well,

I play the guitar. Did you know that? There you go. Oh, and I have a tattoo on my heel. You probably didn't know that either.

OK, now, if you dare, I'd love to know even just one thing about you...

The Lake

We spent Christmas at Jim's family's farm in Minnesota. A lake borders their property and while we were there we stole away on a cold and dreary afternoon to see what we could see. It was incredibly foggy that day, and cold. And it hadn't snowed in a while, and it had been windy, so everything was dirty and gray. I appreciated the challenge. Though we had to try a little harder to find "the beautiful", it was certainly there.

My hands were too cold to adjust and work with the manual focus on my camera, as that required glove-removal, so there are a few shots I regret I didn't go after like I could have, and the 4 Wheeler got stuck just twice, one not so badly, and one was just pretty darn bad- that one was my fault- but all in all, it was a great time.

The Ransom

We're helping plant a new church. We had our first preview service yesterday, and our little core group of a few tens of people were joined with many others to total 141.

It was a great day. We'll have one more preview in February, then meet weekly starting in March.

We are an eclectic group.

We meet in a movie theatre.

Our mission is to set captives free.

Here are some pictures...

Framed.

OK, for all you Marthas out there who like to do everything just exactly right, you can watch Pottery Barn's tutorial for creating a wall of photos. Yeah. Like I'm ever going to do it that way. Even if I did, I would still screw it up, I promise you. Oh, and they came out with these really cool Frame Risers this season, too.

Alright, I'm glad I got that said for all of you who are into that kind of work. Now, without delay, here's how I made my family wall, lazy style...

Here's what I always do, when I'm pulling a large group of frames together, for a wall, or for a staircase:

1.Decide on my photos first. What do I want to display? Family? Pets? My kids' artwork? Fabric? Patterned paper? Random things? I order the prints and find the best frames for each- the right picture in the right frame is important to really showcase your photos. You don't have to make things match perfectly. Find one common ground between the framed photos, and you'll do well. Color can be mixed with black and whites etc. if you do it well- and that can be tough, but it can be done. Instead of choosing all the same frames, decide on a few different colors and get them from different places- I love dark brown and gold, and so I went with that warm, muted palette for this and mixed in clip frames (frameless) as well, along with a little cream to match the mats for this project. I wanted something that would blend in and work throughout the seasons.

As long as you have one common thread in photos or frames, you can go all out and have many different types of frames, and it can look really cool. Unless you want a super clean and modern look, it's going to look more at home if it's a mix of sizes and types, giving the impression it's been added over time. It's your house and your memories. You can do whatever you want.

2. The frames usually just come from my house- by moving things around, or from a box of spare frames in the basement. I change things a lot, so there's always a bit of a treasure chest down there of currently unused frames. I get frames at garage sales and secondhand and from clearance aisles all the time, not always sure where I'll use them- but I always do.

In my entire house, maybe only 5 frames I can think of were purchased at full price, other than all the ones (over 100, actually) I got from the Dollar Tree- those were full price...but they were cheap! I just make sure when I'm buying thrifty that I only buy frames that will look cohesive with the rest of the house. I am not in any way snooty about where my frames came from, or if they are made extremely well, or if they just "look" like they are. So far, no one's tried to check. My random frames from thrift stores are really my favorites.

I don't even have glass in the frames always- I actually like it when they're sans glass- there's no glare, and there's no chance my kids can shatter it. Many frames you'll find in thrift stores may have cracked or no glass, and that's great- just go without. Unless you're framing something you really want to protect, don't worry about it. No one will care or notice. One of these pictures on my wall has a big crack, but I wanted the glass, or the photo just didn't sit right in the frame. It bothered me as I was putting it up, and now today, I had to go look and try to find which one it was, I completely forgot about it and never, ever notice.

3. After I've placed the pictures in frames, I lay them all out on the floor and see how they might come together-

Decide which ones you want to stand out- What one will be the center? (It should be one that stands alone well and that you love, because it will be a focus and carry the rest of the display on it's shoulders.) Which will hold up the corners?I also create balance- Some pictures will be darker, some lighter. Some will have subjects that are dead center, some will be to the left or right. I just use my eye to judge a nice placement that looks even and highlights the detail of each picture properly. Balancing the frames is also important, making sure they look right as they "fit" together. Try to find a way to balance them so that each picture is making the others around it look their best. I don't know exactly how to describe how to do that, it's just achieved by moving them around and staring at them, then looking away, then looking back again and movin' them around.

I think it's best and easiest to NOT try to make them all equidistant. That way you won't break out the expletives due to your extreme frustration, trying to measure and level and such. You can also add odd things in later over time without much fuss.

4. When you get it how you want it, take a picture of it (it'll last longer) so you can remember exactly how you want it to go together. That's the beauty of digital pictures. Then, if you forget something along the way, just consult the image in your camera to remember how you did it just right.5. Now, I take the center picture out of it's place and put it on the wall...

Then, I follow my pattern on the floor and add each piece one by one, making adjustments as needed once it's up there.

I only use those tiny little silver finishing nails at my house, unless I'm hanging something particularly heavy, which is almost never. When you only use the tiny nails, the holes are nearly indistinguishable from any distance later, say, if you move your frames around. If you do see a hole and it bugs you, just fill it in with a tiny dab of paint (I always keep my paint cans where I can get to them in the basement for future touch ups over the years- but very rarely need them for nail holes- more often, frames accidentally scuff the walls.)

I like to use little rubber dots (you can find them at any discount store in the hardware/frame depts.- very cheap.) I put them at the corners of frames that just won't stay straight. They stick right on and keep them from moving around (which is useful on this wall, which is near an entry door, so over time the wall shakes them crooked slightly). Also, I had one frame that just would not stay straight, little dots and all, so I finally just made a loop of duct tape and stuck that baby to the wall. Whatever goo I have to clean off in the future will be WELL worth it to have that problem solved. Here's how it looks now, the final product, post-Christmas.
That dog always ends up in my pictures!
I kept Grace's verse from Christmas- people in darkness see a great light all year round, and I love it, so it stays. I just realized you can't even read it in this picture, but you get the idea.

Woo Hoo! It's the weekend!

Family Wall

Last week I got to work constructing the Family Wall I'd always intended for my living room- on the giant, weird wall that is good for nothing else, and won't even exist as-is when we put in a new wall, and is perfect for this.

A few people have asked me some random frame/photo/photo arranging questions lately, so I took some step by steps to show you how a lazy lover of design creates a Family Wall of her own.

Here's a slide show of the photos I chose.

WARNING: Tomorrow's post will include such horrors as The Duct Tape Technique and blatant propaganda to ignore scratches in glass or to just leave frames glassless altogether. Stay tuned, and be warned, all you perfectionists out there. You might just want to wait for Monday before you come back.

You

There's no one else I'd rather be stuck in a blizzard with than you.


There's no one else I'd rather eat cinnamon rolls in my pj's in a blizzard with than you.


There's no one else I'd rather play Scrabble with in a blizzard than you.


Even if you did heckle me.


And even if you did drink all my coffee.


There's no one else but you.

Baby Mama

Jim came home late a few weeks ago with a little bundle tucked under his arm- a DSLR of my very own. A customer brought this online-only Sony A200 back to the store, and since they don't normally sell them, they took the $500 price down to $250 just to make sure they weren't stuck with it. It was perfect in the box. I probably wouldn't have gotten this particular one if I could choose whatever I wanted, but it's a great starter SLR, and I'm very grateful.

You know, getting this little baby has been a lot like getting your first "real" little baby...

I desperately wanted one for the longest time and we waited and waited because the time wasn't right and they are so expensive.

I was ecstatic to finally have one of my own.

Once she was mine I immediately had a hard time picturing life without her. What were we thinking waiting so long?

Oh, and she's a she, by the way. I named her after just one click. Eve. More like, Eeeeeve. She instantly dwarfed my (still great in it's own right, and every girl needs a tiny point and shoot for her pocket...) Nikon's skills with her sweet and instant, clean shots. You got it. I've christened my Nikon Wall-E.

That first time I held her, my hands shook a little as I OH SO CAREFULLY put the lens on for the first time and awkwardly cradled her in my hands. The delicateness terrified me a little bit.

Once I got my hands on her though and got through a few first clicks, we got to know each other oh so quickly, and my confidence grew.

I read that manual front to back, overwhelmed and trying to absorb every piece of information and advice.

I'm still terrified to leave the house with her. What if something happens?!

The first time I handed her over to Jim I panicked a little, as if he would break her, and of course he did not. I still like to keep her to myself most of the time, but, I do indulge him occasionally. I even let his brother hold her for a little while over Christmas.

But I'm still not going to let just anybody touch her.

The First Money Monday of 2009!

I made a quick stop at Target last week to grab some prints from Flikr, and as Grace and I waited for an excruciatingly long time for the associates to locate my order (I pushed the button and waited about 5 minutes for a 15 year old to come to the photo center, I told him it was for Koch, "Spelled K-O-C-H"- this is routine for me and everyone else who's name sounds nothing like how it's spelled- and he looked over and over and couldn't find it and I was standing there SURE in my mind he was probably just spelling it wrong in his head. He sheepishly left me at the counter mumbling about getting someone else who could find them. About 7 minutes later another associate came, who got behind the counter and within 30 seconds, found my pictures right there, with the other "K"s. I have no idea why I didn't just go back there and get them myself while he left me there waiting, other than perhaps a deep subconscious fear of offending Target to the level that they would ban me from the store forever. Oh, the horror!

Wait. I have a point. While I was waiting, I noticed a stack of these gift cards sitting behind the counter, bound by a rubber band. If you bought a $25 gift card for the photo center, you'd get 5% off any order you paid with the gift card. If you spend just $5 more and get one for $30, you got 10% off each purchase you made with the card. What a smokin' deal for someone like me! No strings, just a discount. I like it! I knew the Flikr order was $25 alone, so if I bought one of those cards first, then paid with it in a seperate transaction for my pictures, I'd save $2.50 right away. So that's what I did.

Apparently, they are new. Apparently, Target, in this sweepingly digital age, is trying to find new ways to get people to actually print their pictures. I used my card, which had around $5 left on it for a $7.50 order a few days ago. I still saved .75 even though I could only partially pay with the gift card.

Sweet Discount.