I had a great childhood. We traveled and moved a lot as my dad was in the military. My parents had great senses of humor (which, I think, they gave me) and were young and vibrant. We all laughed all the time and made fun of each others quirks. We had dogs, a goat, and even a pig at one time. My mom rotated three of her signature dishes for dinner every week – chicken and cheese enchiladas, Texas beef skillet, and spaghetti. Sometimes, we got a piece of chicken breast with a couple sprinkles of salt and pepper on it if she was feeling fearless in the kitchen that night! (I know you will get a kick out of that description, Moose. Love ya!)
nature
A Magnolia Blooms in November! (Tutorial for a Project to do with Your Kids!)
Today was the first day in a long time that the kids and I didn’t have a schedule to keep. That usually makes for a crazy, disorganized, kind of all-over-the-place day; but today I had a plan! Actually, I’ve had this project in my mind for months now.
Since moving in our house almost eight years ago, we have been doing nothing but home improvements. The latest major thing my husband built was a gate across our driveway. He is awesome and let my imagination guide the construction of the gate. I really wanted it painted black and a certain shape.
Matt delivered, as usual:
Literally the day I saw it finished and painted black, I came up w/ a mural for the inside of it. This side isn’t as showy and pretty as the side that you see when you pull up to the house, which is fine. But the sharp contrast of the black against the natural fencing had me immediately thinking of an all silver/white, whimsical winter theme. I actually drew it out in chalk and everything. (You can still see some of my chalk lines in the picture.) It was awesome! I had a large tree to one side that had no leaves left on it, the moon, and the silhouette of some snow-covered evergreens on a distant hill. And then I thought of my kids’ handprints as the leaves on the bare tree in the foreground. Triple 9-1-1 level awesome!
Last Few Days With Our Praying Mantis, Duncan!
Good, early, early Thursday morning!
I can feel the air changing and sense that the cool fall air is here to stay.
Besides the breathing challenges I face w/ asthma during seasonal changes, I really like the fall. Wherever we go, the kids are stomping and sliding and ice skating through the leaves. The gray skies remind me of Oregon a little. But the thing I miss most about this summer leaving us is our first great year w/ the garden. We were really successful and the kids and I had so, so, so much fun tending to our plant babies every day!
SewOldSchool 