'Those People'

Well, it's finally over. Christmas, New Year's and THE BREAK! The break I'm referring to would be the 18 day long holiday break from school. It ended Tuesday, January 8th and 'those people', I mean 'my little darlings' returned to school. They couldn't go back Monday, nope, it was a "teacher planning day", they need to be planning on having some school... that's what they need to plan. I hope the school is having fun, after 18 days those children are no longer domesticated and have gone back to the wild...

Don't get me wrong about the break. The first week between Christmas and New Year's was great and I totally agree that they should have that off to spend family time, have a vacation etc. But... the following week, let's just say that kids were bored which led to bickering. Mother has gotten rather used to being 'alone-ish', with lots of quiet, no television sounds, or tattling noises. Mother actually has grown to embrace Finn's quiet talking and the click of her heels on the floor. Well, this dear Mother came very close to resorting to immature things like saying, "Stop looking at me!", "You're grounded for being a tattle-tale!" and "Don't you people do anything besides make messes!?!", "Well, if he hit you go ahead and hit him back... your bigger and that'll teach him!", "What do you people have against playing OUTSIDE?" Relax, I didn't say these things but it was very near. I kept quiet and kept following them around putting up orange plastic hazard cones and cleaning up broken glasses, dishes (Finn did these things while I was playing referee he knows how to open the dishwasher now.), juice, milk and urine (don't ask, but apparently only I know how to open the door so the dog can go out - he doesn't bark he stands in front of the door and stares at it. I couldn't hear his staring because of the rackett)

Well, the situation is over now and the boys are getting back into the school thing and Finn and I are getting our schedule re-established. Our schedule works for us, with scheduled eating and nap times both Finn and I are less cranky. Mondays we clean, alot because there is a big mess from the weekend. Tuesdays we bake, because the smell of baking makes us happy and Finn has a small... let's just call it a "cookie situation". Wednesdays are for sewing, that's the day that I sew and Finn gets into stuff and makes a horrid mess. Thursdays we bake again, because you just can't beat homemade bread and we knit or read, Finn enjoys pulling the needles out of my knitting, unraveling my yarn and making big ole knots in it or if we choose to read he lies in wait for me to set my book down so he can see exactly how fast he can run toward the toilet with it, giggling hysterically before I catch him. I have failed to catch him in time twice so far... he has definate football potential and probably won't be much of a reader. Fridays if the season is right we garden, do a big clean again before the weekend and try to spend the afternoon doing whatever we like. It's not written in stone and it changes but it's kind of nice to know what to expect.

Finn is getting to be a boy, instead of a baby. He has graduated from the high chair tray to the big table with the rest of the family. You can tell this makes him feel very big and important. As a matter of fact he feels so grown that he has decided it should be perfectly acceptable to push a dining room chair over to the breakfast bar and climb on up to reach all the stuff Mommy sets up there so he can't get it. I even get the feeling while he is doing this he is thinking something along the lines of, "Whose the smart one now, Mommy?" No matter how many times I take him down from there, put the chair back, explain to him that he is not allowed to do that and that's how his head will get cracked open, I turn my back and he is back with his chair at the breakfast bar.... laughing right at me.

I finished my toe-up socks. It was very cold at the time and the went from the needles directly onto my feet.

The sewing room has had 2 new additions installed in the last week. The first is a sewing cabinet that has much storage for current projects and notions etc. and folds all in and down to save space, it seems just the right height and it is decent quality for the price I paid. The second is a hanging thread organizer. I've gotten the sewing room pretty much organized. We are discussing how we are going to do the floor in there as that floor and our bedroom walls (no, it's still not stripped of wallpaper completely) are what is left in our "redo the house plans". I'm trying to bring Bob around to the snap together stuff that looks like hardwood floors. I think that would be better than carpet as I like to slide between cut, iron and sew with the desk chair and pins and needles don't get stuck in hard floors like they do carpets.

You know, Bob still calls that room "The Office." Look at these pictures, does anything besides the printer suggest to you that it is an office where important, manly, service manager type work gets done? I actually use the printer to print patterns and copy templates. If you are in need of a sewing/crafting room because you don't currently have one this is how you do it. Firstly, remember to go slow; good things come to those who wait. Secondly, gradually start decluttering other rooms of your house of sewing machines and sewing tables and moving them into your husband's office. Remember to say things like, "There's no room for this in the bedroom anymore, that's why it's always so messy in there." Thirdly, as you move more of your important sewing/craft stuff in move the office stuff into a pile in the corner of the closet and call it "getting organized" or "decluttering". Fourth, make sure your stuff is on any open surface where the husband could set things like laptops, tech manuals that sort of stuff. Fifth, move all chargers that acomodate his computer, PDA etc to the breakfast bar and explain that you did this because it's 'more convenient for him'. He now officially has no reason to go in that room if you've done it right. Lastly, do not smirk, when he inevitably refers to that room as "his office."

Sweater Weather

Here is our forecast. We are cold. Very, very cold. I am wearing woolie socks and sweaters. The two youngest ones have been forced to wear feeted fleecy pj's all day long. We don't crank the heat up in spite of the cold because with the blowing heat coming from the ceiling and lack of the humidity we are used to (Florida should be called the humid state) we end up with bloody noses all day long. And peeling, itchy, crunchy skin like a sun burn. We are yankees (except for Finn) and we can handle the cold thank you.

Notice in the forecast it goes from 20 degrees to 75 degrees all in the same week.

I can smile a little though, when Bob landed in Tennesee this morning it was snowing and 19 degrees. I am one degree better than him. In our competition, I mean marriage this counts for something. Go buy a hat and some mittens, husband. And in response to your laughing about me living in Florida and knitting wool socks I have only one thing to say, "Nanana booo booo. My feet are warm, baby. Bet you wish I had knit you that pair of wool socks you said you would never ever wear." (I am actually cackling and doing a little dance right now.)

Sorry, for the childish post. I just love it when I'm right.

Welcome 2008!

Here are some pictures of my Grandfather, Cadence and Hannah from Christmas day. I don't really have any new pics of my own to post, so I'm posting some that I got in my e-mail. Bob, myself and the boys brought in the New Year last night with our friends Al and Micky and their family from across the street. Bob and I even dressed up for the ocasion because if you can't put your finery on for New Year's Eve when can you? Unfortunately neither of us thought to have someone take our picture. It was wonderful to hear my husband tell me how great I looked and to see him all handsome in clothes we rarely see on each other. Housewives aren't exactly famous for evening gowns you know and a/c guys seldom wear tuxedos. We kissed in the New Year and decided without a doubt that 2008 must be a better year than the previous one for us. Yes, we had good times in 2007 but the sad ones are pretty fresh in our minds just now. Now that the busyness of Christmas is over Grandma's passing is really sinking in with me and another person in my family as well I think where it wasn't felt quite so keenly before.

Bob leaves tomorrow morning for Tenessee again, he'll return Friday and I will without a doubt miss him while he is gone. Yes, I know we aren't young newlyweds, but I still feel that way some times just the same. It will be a bit more rough this time as the kids are out of school for Holiday break and don't return until Jan 8th. So it's all day and all night with 4 kids and no adult companionship. I think absence will definately make my heart grow fonder. : )

While Bob's gone my plan is to clean and reorganize my sewing room so I can set up the new embroidery machine in there. To answer a question, yes, my sewing machine and the embroidery machine are portable. I have yet to use the embroidery machine as I am holding it hostage as a reward for getting the sewing room better organized to be more productive. I have many projects that didn't meet the Christmas deadline. 3 quilts and 4 knitted projects to be exact. You needn't leave any comments telling me that I'm crazy out of my mind if I thought I was actually going to accomplish all that, I am well aware... trust me. In my defence, if you don't keep the bar high you will have nothing to strive for and now that these projects are not breathing down my neck in an "I'm going to be a Christmas present" kind of way I will enjoy them in more of an 'I do this because I love this' less 'sweat shop' type way. If I had a lick of sense I would complete them and store them for 2008 b'day/Christmas gift giving, but we all know that won't happen... it never does.

Another one of my brilliant plans is to organize, de-clutter and clean the ENTIRE house including the wall paper I started stripping in my bedroom in Sept. There's half a wall done. Bob was supposed to come in and say, "Give that to me you're doing it all wrong" per usual. I waited... and.... NOTHING! I get the occasional question from the errant spouse saying, "Are you ever going to finish that?" Usually we are lying in bed when this question pops up so in the darkness he either doesn't see or pretends to not notice my eye rolling/glare look I do as an answer.

Of course, these are the plans. Would you like to know what will really happen? Bob will go away on his business trip, I will allow the kids to run wild to a certain extent and make sure they are fed, cleaned, made to sleep and basically kept alive. I will sit on my bottom watching girl movies that Bob does not enjoy such as the Hallmark ones that make me tearful (Love Comes Softly and Love's Unfolding Dream are on the roster if you're interested) , meanwhile eating huge bowls of snack that I would never eat in that quantity were another adult watching that could hold me accountable (yes, there will be chocolate and pop-corn) and I will knit when my hands aren't covered in salty or chocolatey delights. The kids and I will play board games and make messes that we won't clean up. Come Friday round about the time Bob is landing at Jax airport we will all run around the house cleaning and shining and mopping up evidence of our "domestic duties vacation" This is most likely what will go on in spite of my best laid plans. Of course, now that I'm mentioning it on here it is beginning to sound a bit like a plan, eh? Forget you ever read this. We all know dutiful wife/mother that I am I would never do such a thing and would never think something so slovenly as wearing a pair of pajamas all day was an excellent idea, seriously. Could someone call me Friday morning and remind me that it would be a good time to shave my legs and put some make up on? Thanks.

In other news, Carrie and Dave are having another girl and she is to be named Elizabeth Margaret after out Grandma (Margaret Elizabeth). She will be called "Ellie", isn't that beautiful? If you're of a mind you could get a hold of my dear sister and attempt to convince her that it is very self centered of her to keep having female babies and not let me have one of them. Especially after all I've done for her. You could also mention that the one that's coming in March or April would be a good candidate for her to gift to me before she gets too attached. It's only fair. Carrie, it's not nice to tease your sister hasn't anyone ever taught you to share?

Happy New Year everyone. May God grant you many blessings. And some chocolate and pajamas too!