2 Credits in Homemaking

This winter DD got a lesson in sewing.  She actually made a SMART goal (a Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely goal for a Girl Scout Interest Patch) to design and sew an outfit of her own, but as we got closer to Christmas and saw that we were going to have to do some major pageant costume renovations, I suggested tying in the two goals together.  So she adjusted her SMART goal to relate to the costumes.

I think this was a good decision for her as she began to realize how difficult sewing can be.  It is one of those things that looks so easy when you look from afar and so hard when you do it yourself.  We had to work on one of the three kings costumes.  We used the old costume as a rough pattern for the cutting of the new costume.  And we had to basically use all found material as the Sunday School had little money for materials (If you look really closely at the right arm sleeve, you will see where we salvaged the material we were cutting.  We used an old sheet. ).

We used old sheet binding and made some of our own to dress up the costume and give it some richness.  As DD finished all the cutting and pinning, she got to move to the cherished position of sewer. As she wasn't completely confident about this new skill and needed a little bolstering, she decided a superhero might be in order . . . so let me introduce you to Super HomeMaker.

I'm not sure that the cape made her any better at sewing, but it sure did give her some flair.  Now I dare you to find that in a Home Economics class in school. That is if you can even find a Home Ec class since most have been cut due to the municipal and educational budgets.

Sewing, I think, is one of those skills that you will never have to wonder how that will help you in the future because you will find out over and over.  DD has no intentions of becoming a seemstress, but she is starting to learn some skills that will help her you for many years to come.

Flannel Sheets are Best for a Cold Night

You guys must have thought that I was crazy when I listed flannel sheets on my Thankful List last month. Well, that is everyone that doesn't have them. Oh, my goodness! I have never had flannel sheets before and last month I broke down at Wal-mart of all places and bought a pair. Let's be honest, money is tight. I needed sheets and flannel was the a really good price for a king sized bed. I think they were like $24.99 or so - no more than $30. They came in a little flannel box and are kind of red and green striped (which I thought would be cute for the holidays too).

When I put them on the bed, I was thrilled to have a new set of sheets, but I was not prepared for how wonderful it really was. Those sheets are so soft and so warm. In the winter, we keep the heat down, sometimes at night it will go down into the 50's in the house so warmth is a must. I used to sometimes find myself so cold that I would get up and add layers of clothes. In these sheets, I sometimes find myself sticking my foot out of the edge to cool down.

I love them so much, I may even run out and buy another set. Sometimes happiness comes in the little things.

No more toilet paper tubes

Have you heard?  Kimberly-Clark has announced that they will be removing toilet paper tubes from their toilet paper.  Technically, apparently they are called cores, but you know what I am talking about: the cardboard center of the toilet paper roll.

Apparently, toilet paper tubes, according to Kimberly-Clark's October 28th press release, toilet paper cores account for 160 million pounds of waste.  Of course my question is not why we are taking it out, but why didn't someone think of this earlier? And does this mean we are going to have less expensive toilet paper since this part is being removed?  And of course most importantly, how are we going to do all those Kindergarten crafts?

My next question is, when will someone be innovative enough to do the same thing with paper towel rolls?

Time is Relative - Einstein's Theory of Relativity

Einstein theorized that time is not a constant like we think of it.  There are ways to "adjust" the speed of time.  Most people believe that this theory is important to physicists, astronauts, etc., but that it doesn't really apply to themselves.  When are we going to loop around the sun or surpass the speed of light?  But I think this theory has a lot more relevance than we give it credit for.  For average people, we don't have to worry about "actual" changes in time, but perceived changes in time.  For example,  why when we are in times of extreme stress does time slow down and seconds seem eternal?  Why when we are doing something we enjoy does time speed by? Why is realizing that our perception of time is important?  Because we have one life.  Do we want our life to speed by or would you like to savor it?

How does time speed away? I find that we schedule it away.  Today for example, I am working on Advent and the Christmas Pageant.  How can I enjoy November if I'm already thinking of December?  I have harnessed this over scheduled beast a bit in my life, but somehow he still gets away from me once in a while.  But harnessing him, was a challenge, and it continues to be a challenge to keep him under control.  I find minimizing my schedule to be helpful.  Also, truly being in the moment to be the other secret.  If I am cooking, then I should be fully cooking and not thinking of the ten other things on my mind.  This is certainly a challenge especially for a mother, homeschooler, and community activist, but it is possible.

Today, challenge yourself to slow down.  I don't mean to take smaller steps, but let time slow. 

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."  NIV Matthew 6:34

October is Fire Protection Month

If you didn't know, October is also Fire Protection month.  There are just a few things that you can do around your house that can save your or your family member's life:

• Test your fire alarms
• Change batteries if needed
• Review your escape plan with your family
• Have a fire alarm drill
• Make sure that extinguishers are still where they are supposed to be and that they are charged

Ironically, my smoke alarms were apparently aware of this impending "celebration" and decided to call out in joy all on their own.  The tricky part is that our fire alarms are interconnected so sometimes it becomes a challenge to know exactly which alarm is setting off the others.  Plus, to add to the excitement the sound terrifies our Bernese Mountain Dog who begins running around the house whining.  And as usual when they act up, they either decide to do like today as we are trying to run out the door or at 2 am.

I can only hope that I found the culprit and changed the batteries in the right alarm.  I also took the preventive measure which many people overlook and vacuumed out the alarm too. 

The Importance of Mom

It is interesting a new insight that DS2 has brought to me. Each night before he goes to bed we pray. Each night I ask him what he would like to include in his prayers. Each night he is very adamant that my health be part of the prayers. Sometimes as a mom, we forget how important we are in a family. We make sure that everyone else is healthy, fed, and cared for and often we skip over ourselves in this process. What mother, when there is only one something, doesn't give it to their child? What mother doesn't walk around with her own illness as she cares for the little ones? What mother doesn't put her needs aside to fulfil the needs of the others in her family? Maybe DS2 has reminded us all that we should rethink this strategy.

It is so easy to think of others when we are a mom, but DS2 reminds us that without us there is no family. His request of God is a somewhat selfish (but very appreciated one). He wants me to stay healthy so that he can finally have a Mom.

As you care take everyone else in your family this year, remember this prayer and take a few extra minutes to care for yourself so that you will always be there to answer their prayers.

Getting Rid of Asian Lady Beetles

Agggghhhhh! I've never seen such a thing. Yesterday afternoon, DD and I noticed a couple lady bug like insects by the front door. We grabbed the vacuum and sucked them up. A few minutes passed, there were more. Uh, oh. We sucked those up, but as we were sucking them up in the vacuuming more were coming in. I fled to the internet what were these things and how did I stop this onslaught.

I learned that they are not lady bugs at all but Asian Lady Beetles who were inspired by fall to find a place to hibernate for the winter. I learned that they are attracted by light colors (i.e. our house). I also learned not to squish them as they leave a slimy residue and stink. I furthermore learned that the best way to stop them from getting into your house is to have a sealed tight house. I took a breath - oh, no upstairs- air conditioners - vents in the attic. I ran upstairs and opened my bedroom door, there was probably 25-30 in my room. I screamed for DD to grab the screwdriver so we could get the a/c out of my window - a clear entry for the little critters. DD and I got it out and thanked goodness that I took the kids a/c's out last week, but DH likes to have his in year round (apparently that will not happen here). But as we took the a/c out, I could see there were not a few of these beetles but 100's maybe 1,000 swarming outside the house. That was another thing that I learned - Asian Lady Beetles swarm.

DD found two homeopathic recipes, one that is supposed to attract and kill the beetles and one that is supposed to repel the buggers. The attractor is a combination of a bright colored container, water, sugar, dish soap. the repeller is bay leaves. We'll have to let you know what happens from here. The tide was stemmed yesterday, but who knows what today will bring. DD informs me that her research online states that there will be two difficult times - fall and spring. Fall when they are looking for a place to hibernate. Spring when they have found a place to hibernate in your house despite your best efforst and are now looking to get out.

I did get a chance later in the day to talk to some locals to find out how they deal with the issue. Apparently, they just leave them alone and when they go into hibernation mode is when they finally vacuum them up (I'm not sure that that will work for me). I hear they also don't like shade. I think it is time to plant some trees. Otherwise, I'm sure when we repaint the house, I'll be edging toward the darker colors.

I know, I know . . ." All things bright and beautiful, All creatures great and small,All things wise and wonderful, The Lord God made them all." Except Ants and Lady Beetles. I'll even acknowledge that there wonderful too, just not IN my house.

When are you most productive?

Oddly, I am most productive when my husband is not home. I don't know if is because I'm bored, because I have less to do, or because I'm free to do whatever I want; but, it is definitely true. When my husband travels:

• I have been known to pull up on concrete walk and replace it with a stone walk
• Repaint my living room, bathroom, bedroom and other various places
• Pull down chair rail

My poor husband would wonder if he would recognize his house when he came home sometimes. In our new home, there is not so much a need to paint. Today, I opted to clean out the garage and ready it for winter. It is not so dramatic as repainting a room, but it surely will be more useful.

I had gone out to the garage to exercise on the bike, but as I rode and read (The Guernsey Literary and Potato Pie Society), I looked around and like lightening hitting a rod. I knew exactly what I needed to do. I still want to find an old set of cabinets to put against the back wall, but for now I put up the 8' table and two saw horses with a piece of plywood. I rearranged the exercise equipment (this way I could be sure that it would be accessible). I put things away that were not in correct home. Finally, I swept it all out and stood back to admire my work. I better be careful though, perhaps DH will start planning trips to see what I can accomplish.

Making Your Dreams A Reality

One of the great things about having more time on my hands is that I can explore my creative side. I can dream and turn those dreams into reality. Last night, I dreamed about creating a wreath. So this morning, I pulled one of the metal wire frames that the homeowner’s of our last home had left in the old house (13 years ago – yes, we save the strangest things), some flower shears, and some string. Florist metal may have been a better choice, but I didn’t have any and I have learned not to put off my ideas just for lack of supplies. The idea will practically haunt me until, I accomplish the task. I wasn’t 100% sure about how I wanted to accomplish the wreath. I knew that I wanted to use hydrangea which grows in the yard. I add a purple flower that is growing out front which I’m not positive what it is and I added some seed pods from Oriental poppies. This is what I created:


Isn’t it lovely. And better than that, my DH and son installed the pineapple doorbells that I have been waiting for.

Welcome! Welcome to my home.

Primitive Appeal

When we bought our new home, one of the things that appealed to us about it was its primitive style. One elements of this style was evident in this dining room fixture. It was certainly not a fixture that I would have chosen, but I absolutely love it. It is as much a piece of art as anything else in the house and surely make a style statement.

I am not sure if you can quite see in this picture but the entire center conical shape is punched out in different designs. I can't wait to decorate it with greenery for Christmas.

To see what others wish to Show and Tell, visit There is No Place Like Home using the link below.

Where's Waldo?

What state does this picture make you think of?




How about another? Another? I am going to guess that even if I gave you 20 guesses, you would not say Massachusetts unless you happen to be from here. I was completely surprised how much water is up here in “Western” Massachusetts (another strange MA realization – apparently Western MA starts at Worcester – pronounced Wooster - - - I would have called where we live central, but anything west of Boston is kind of secondary I guess). This bog like condition is not rare. It is everywhere. I cannot tell you the number of houses we ruled out for this kind of wetlands nearby – all I could think of was bugs, bugs, bugs.

What do you think people would be most surprised about in your state?

Productive Weekend

I have had a very productive weekend thanks to Lowe’s sales. DH and I headed over to Lowe’s to get ant repellant and also found tables of discounts. I walked away that day, but the items called to me all night and so Saturday, DH and I headed back. I had seen curtains that would work perfectly in our living room. However, as any good sale buyer knows, I had committed the ultimate sin - leaving a sale item that you love behind may mean that it won’t be there if you go back and sure enough they were gone. I did however pick up: curtains and rods for my son’s room, bulbs for the kids’ bathroom, and a lampshade for my room.



I kicked myself for not getting the other curtains, so I begged DH to check to see if there was anything that would work at Wal-mart and there was. When we put them up, they really made the room looked finished.

I also picked up a $3.00 curtain rod so that I could hang my bathroom curtain.

And as a bonus, I don’t need to use the tiebacks because there is already hardware, so I think that I am going to make a coordinating pillow. Can you see it here?


They say the 1st part of recycling is reusing or in this case perhaps it is repurposing.

Also, from this trip, I was able to hang our wedding picture.

Now, if I can use that same energy to get myself packed for Martha’s Vineyard.

Pushing up Daisies

Everyone cherishes different things. I love flowers: wild ones, planted ones – it doesn’t matter. I’ve come to dread having them in the house because our mischievous cat gets after them and inevitably knocks them over (I’d love any hints if anyone has any on that), but I do love them outdoors. In the new house, I am very blessed because the house has been landscaped in such a way that flowers have continued to bloom since we moved in from the day we moved in at the end of April. There is also though a zone of free growing plants on a hillside that is very hard to mow. There is actually where some of the most beautiful flowers are and some of them have made their way down to our lower lawn and this is where the disagreements have ensued. When DS has been mowing, all things in his path have been mowed down. But the other day, when I mowed that section, I was more careful in my mowing and mind you I did not leave them all, but I was much more selective in my mowing leaving tufts of daisies here and a small patch of little purple flowers there. It may not be the traditional mowing pattern, but it brings a smile to my face.

Here are a couple of pictures of the flowers in my yard. I hope they bring you some joy today too.

The Silence has been Broken

The quiet week has ended. I pick up dd in just a few more hours. My father and I have a bet going whether the chatter will begin as soon as I pick her up or if she will be so tired that she will just konk-off in the car. I’m betting she chats most of the way, but she has already surprised me by calling me multiple times this week. I figured that she would wave goodbye and I would hear from her again when she needed to be picked up. The calls were all good ones (not like the notes I once sent from camp begging to be picked up). She sounded like she was having fun and just wanted to share.

Last night she surprised us with a third call for the day to tell us that our minister’s eldest daughter’s boyfriend had proposed during dinner. While proposing in a restaurant with 75 of your future father-in-law’s congregation after a week of working in the hot sticky state of KY may seem odd to some, it holds special meaning to them as this trip several years ago is where they started dating. The extra special part of this match is the closeness of the in-laws. Both his and her parents have been friends since our minister first came to town 20 years ago.
I can’t wait to hear what other stories DD has to share. Silence while appreciated occasionally is very lonely. DD brings a life to our family that feels lost when she is gone. We all have our blessings and hers is a palpable life that fills the house energy. I’m going to try to remember this blessing the next time she is driving me absolutely crazy.

Speaking of blessings, here are a few more that I thought of yesterday as I raked the yard:

1. The fact that the lawn mower was fixed and that maybe the neighbors no longer wondered what low lifes moved in next to them.
2. The wheelbarrow, a left over when my brother-in-law down sized, was a great time saver. It may have a little rust showing, but it still carried all the grass.
3. A blue sky (although I have to admit that about half way through I did make a small prayer for rain to give me an excuse to stop)
4. A cool breeze
5. A strong and capable son, who mowed and thereby cut my work in half
6. A DH who, despite his bad back, got the mower working

The Ants Go Marching One by One

Aggggggh. . .the ants have invaded. I came down to make breakfast this morning and while the pan was warming to cook the pancakes, I began putting the dried dishes away. That is when I saw them – ANTS and they weren’t marching one by one but they were flowing in. I tried to start with the all natural approach. I got out the white vinegar and wiped the window and the counter down. The ants did not seem to mind one bit. I started to really get upset and grabbed the cayenne pepper – I had heard that ants will not cross a cayenne pepper line. I will tell you that it definitely stopped them and clearly they did not like the taste, but the quickly devised their own plan. They began somersaulting over the line. At about this time, my pancake pan was screaming for something in it on the stove. I started trying to cook and curb the attack of the ants (you can only imagine how well that was going). Thank goodness, DH came down stairs. He said to heck with the au-natural and got out the ant spray. We certainly have some more work to do, but this attack was thwarted. I guess summer is really here.

Sabbath Supper - from recipe card to leftovers

In our new house, you really have to plan your time. DD had play rehearsal last night so I needed to make sure that I got gas in the morning – there are no gas stations on the way – a 45 minute ride away. So DH agreed to take my car to church so that we could fill up in the South (north desolate / south population). Since we were so close, I convinced him to also stop at the grocery store. Because of his back, he stayed in the car but the kids and I shopped. I did not have a large list, but somehow filled the basket before we left. In the first isle, the kids spied the recipe rack and were immediately enthralled. My kids are not little anymore, so they aren’t just grabbing to grab. They really expect you to make the recipes that they pull out. I agreed to one – Butterflied Roast Chicken. So a whole chicken, 1 lemon, 1 orange, and some shallots later we were on our way to Sunday dinner (yes, the recipe calls for honey too, but my short term memory forgot that and DH had to run to the corner later when I was cooking – ooops).

When we got home, I butterflied the Chicken and roasted away.



We had the chicken, noodles with parsley, and green beans. It was a wonder Sabbath meal – a respite and reunification for the family (I’m thinking we need to do this more often). As we were clearing the table, DS asked if he should throw out anything leftover. DH made a snide remark about chicken broth and thus my cooking was not done. In to the pot went the bones and excess meat. Four hours later, broth better than Swansons. Funny how when I woke up Sunday morning, none of this was in my plan. Next time maybe I should leave the kids at home???

How to Fix a Leaky Toilet

It is like water torture in our house. The toilet keeps refilling about every 15 to 30 seconds. I had mentioned it to DH who keeps pooh-poohing all the jobs left to get the house in perfect shape for the market. I got so frustrated I actually went online to try to find out as much as I could and maybe fix it myself. I learned that scrubbing the seal in case gunk had built up can be any easy fix. I figured that would be an easy place to start and I probably couldn’t screw up too much.
Daringly, I tried it (I don’t have a real good track record on such home repairs). Some black stuff came off but it did not seal any better. Then the seal stuck up and all the water drained out of the toilet. Of course, we only had minutes until another showing and I was freaking out. When I finally got the seal working again, I was not going to touch it anymore. So on it continues to run.

I have begged, pleaded, and, yes, nagged, but to no avail. I tried to explain how a buyer would perceive it, but there was / is always something else to do. Sure enough, what comment comes back from the last showing, “Did you know the toilet’s running?” I forwarded the realtor’s comments to DH. This morning, I think I have him cornered and we are going to go to Home Depot. Of course there is still the light switch, the door, and the trim to get done too. As my father said last night, “Right now, I bet you wish you were renting.” Meaning that we could just finish the lease and be gone instead of this protracted sale. As always, fathers are right.

Talking Turkey - for Real!

Ohhhhh! Get the camera! Get the camera! I walked out to the playroom and out the window, I saw . . .




I called the kids over and tried to quiet the dog. They all looked like mama birds and three little ones. We did not see a male but he was probably lurking around.

Of course, I laughingly though that I should add the picture to our house listing. It’s Lovely! I'll Take it! often shows bizarre wildlife pictures that people think are somehow necessary in their listings. I could add the turkey, deer, and the 5’ black snake that once slithered through our back yard. Who needs to see the kitchen when there is such an exciting array of outdoor animals. Currently, we have a red tail hawk roosting somewhere between our house and the neighbors. I can’t get a good look at him myself let alone a picture of him, but I could take audio of his incessant cry. With all this wildlife you’d think we lived in Yellowstone National Park, not in a small town in CT.

Moving

In this economic time, saying that you are moving is more of a question than a statement. My husband took a new job in February and we began to get the house ready for the market. It went on the market on June 2nd. Here we sit in July with no real action to speak of. Now we have to contemplate changing the price. Of course, the discussion about changing the price led to a difficult conversation with my husband. Who finally frustratingly told me to “do whatever you want”. As if I want any of this! I would rather just enjoy my home and friends here, but I’m not for forever transitions either. Half of our life is packed in boxes in the cellar. We’re afraid to sign up for anything because we don’t know if we’ll be here. We didn’t even plant a garden.

I understand his concern of leaving money on the table, but I am afraid of never even getting to the table.

Ironically, this weekend we visited with friends that moved out of town last year. They had their house on the market, sold, and moved half way across the country in less than 45 days. It took us 4 months to get the house to market (and there are still projects to finish), it has been on the market for two months, and I don’t think that we are anywhere near the end. I remember thinking that they had underpriced their house, but perhaps they were smarter than all of us as they are happily resettled in Missouri.

I wonder when this economic downturn will change. As I reduced our price, which will take effect next Monday, I'm making a bet that it will be longer rather than shorter. Now I have to worry that we’ll have enough money to buy a new home up in Massachusetts.

Anyone else stuck in this real estate bubble? What strategies are you using?