just what the doctor ordered

OK. So they really haven't napped in awhile. We unfortunately got out of the routine right around the time that I got busy with packing and The Move. But now with the time change I can no longer get away with putting them to bed at 7:00 and the days can seem really long. So when the morning started off with multiple whiney "what can I do?"s and "what can I have?"s, I knew it would be a day for naps. And how convenient, cuz I really wanted to show you this darling patchwork quilt I found at the local antique store! Well actually, the extremely helpful older gentlemen working there found it for me in the back in an old claw foot tub. Wow! It didn't take him long to get my style! Now to replace the old bunchy batting.

Happy Napping!

FOR TODAY

stolen from Sabro's blog who stole it from someone else's

FOR TODAY

Outside my window... sun shining, willow weeping, bikes strewn, flower pots waiting.

I am thinking... I hope the bank doesn't approve the financing for the thieves trying to steal this dream home right from under me!

I am thankful for...internet access....duh. And this gorgeous home. And the warm sunny weather. And the peaceful morning I spent cuddled in bed with my girlies, listening to them read. And my recent flexible "dream" OT job offer. And so. much. more.

From the kitchen... prep for a dinner of stuffed chicken, fettuccine, garlic bread, garden salad, and blueberry cream cheese dessert for tomorrow night's out-of-town guests. Yay! I get to play hostess again!

I am wearing... brown yoga pants and a spring green tank in hopes of sitting in the sun later today. Hey, I live in the middle of nowhere....I don't have to match!

I am creating... a springy tablescape for tomorrow's dinner. To unpack the china or not?

I am going... to P90x these flabby arms. And finish my application for Iowa licensure.

I am reading... Wild at Heart, New Moon, and Raising a Reader.

I am hoping... that we don't have to move AGAIN! And that our renters up north pay their rent on time. And that they fall in love with our house and decide to buy it. Soon.

I am hearing... Ella and Gwen singing "I've got the plates....you've got the cookies," as they prance around the house in their aprons.

Around the house... dolls nestled in their homes made of flat-screen TV packaging. (Steve got a hold of our tax return.)

One of my favorite things... color. Bright color. The older I get the more I crave color. It does something to my soul.

A few plans for the rest of the week: cleaning house, sun bathing, tomorrow's company which is sure to include a few heated games of the recently ignored Settlers of Catan, seed planting at the nursing home.

A few things I never thought I'd hear myself say

• Hooray! We have dial-up!!!!!
• Aaaah! The pigs have never smelled so sweet! (upon our return home after a showing of the dream house we've been renting but is still on the market.......we prayed that the pigs would be really stinky to scare the prospective buyers away. Not sure that it did:(
• Girls, I don't want you to poop or pee in the barn anymore!

Give me a minute

......to get myself together.

OK. Let me preface this post by saying that life is good. My husband has a great job that he really enjoys. I have the luxury of staying home with 4 beautiful healthy daughters. Though truth be known, today the word torture seems a more appropriate one than luxury. We are living in a big beautiful home in the country. Though far away, we have absolutely amazing family and friends. I have so much to be thankful for, and I am grateful, truly.

So why was I overwhelmed with sadness last night? The sadness just poured over me suddenly and all I could do was cry. And when Steve tried to comfort me, that cry turned into a bawl. Was it a cry of loneliness? I am far from family and friends, I am still adjusting to Steve being back at work and with longer hours, we don't have internet access at home yet with which I might feel at least artificially connected to the outside world, and I have no neighbors within sight. I DO, however, have 4 girls to constantly keep me company.......though the bickering and arguing between a couple are driving me absolutely insane. And let me tell you that when I yell (which I know I shouldn't) in this big bare floored house, it definitely isn't pretty. I digress.

I had high hopes of making some great friends right off the bat.....not "once in a lifetime" friends like we have back home, but good friends nonetheless. Granted, we've barely been here over a week, but I'm beginning to realize that making friends again will take time. Maybe lots of time. Folks are already established here.....with family, sports, jobs, other friends and obligations like dairy farming crowding their days. So....is that really it? Loneliness?

Or was I missing our cozy wood stove and our house at the top of the hill with the gorgeous sunsets that illuminated our cheery yellow walls as neighbors walked their dogs on the sidewalk below? Was I missing the convenience of a washer and dryer in my own basement that never left me having to send the kids outside to play in stinky wet snow pants? Was I plummeting into the depths of despair because of the daily visual torture of seeing my already unsightly wobbly bits even more distorted in the reflective bathtub fixtures? Or was I missing our big deep kitchen sink that never made mealtime clean-up frustrating or messy? Was it our home church, the great worship, the lighthearted atmosphere and familiar faces I was missing that sent the tears gushing? Was I shallowly sad about Addie's recently botched haircut from the local cosmetology school?

Could my sadness simply be physiological in nature? 10 days without sun? Not enough exercise? Too many 7 layer bars? Too much Mason Jennings? Catan withdrawal? Something in the well water? Am I just PMS-ing "real bad?"

This morning I found an old book I had unpacked a few days ago.....Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy. I've owned it for years and though some of the terminology can seem a bit new-agey, I have always loved the ideas and inspiration it gives me. I opened it to January 27th, because I thought that was today's date, and it encouraged me to write out my concerns in a sort of conversation with myself or "rapid stream of consciousness." And so I have. Hopefully now I'll be able to "let go and get on with my day."

"I will write myself into well-being." -Nancy Mair

Greetings from Booneyville

Hello. I am alive and well. We survived the move (thanks to some amazing help from family and friends....old and new.) I am living in my dream house (minus the teensy weensy kitchen sink) and I feel like an excited little girl happily arranging furniture in her new dollhouse. Except for the tiny kitchen sink. Or did I already mention that the sink is small? Honestly, I am considering the possibility of combining the task of showering with the washing of the pots and pans....but perhaps I've said too much. Really though, the house is absolutely gorgeous!!! Way bigger and better than I even imagined it would be. Other than the huge yard and all the barns and buildings to explore, a favorite of the girls has been the laundry chute. They have spend at least an hour every day since we moved dropping things down to the basement.....one kid on each level......first the dirty laundry, then the stuffed animals, then some blankets or bubble wrap. Endless entertainment. I've been taking pictures and can't wait to find some way to post them. Unfortunately we won't be getting internet access at home until we decide to buy the place. (Very expensive set-up costs.) Which leaves me feeling quite isolated. We live in the middle of nowhere.......no neighbors within sight......and just the other day after getting stuck at the end of the driveway I couldn't even see the house through all the fog. Fortunately, there is a wonderful library here in town....great hours and great kids area, so we will be designating one day a week as library day to catch up on blog reading/writing and bill paying. Welp, this is the quality of writing you're gonna get as I scramble to share our new life while the kids have free run of the library. Better sign off now before the librarians start to cringe when they see us coming.

Why you should buy our house.......Part 2

Kitchen and Bathroom Edition

Oh wait! How did this one get in here?

Another view from the living room window:)

And another view.....

from the kitchen window.

Back entrance and a small wall of pretty flowers.

All new appliances

All new cupboards and a cork floor (that REALLY hides the dirt.)

New fridge and TONS of pantry space on either side.

Big window. Deep sink. Lots of light.

And check out that ceiling!!

Back entry with lots of hooks......

......custom built cubbies and an old church pew.

A new/old bathroom with lots of character.

Beadboard and shutters for privacy.

Help us SELL THIS HOUSE!!!!

Happiness is.........

• 4 girls with zero knots in their hair
• soft chubby Gwenny cheeks

• a dance party in the living room
• a dance party on our king sized bed
• our king sized bed
• colorful bowls
• birthday $ I can spend on whatever colorful things I want........
• .........like these or these
• girls playing with my hair while I "surf the net"
• ruffles........on pillows, towels, pajamas..........
• the Drumline soundtrack
• a sparkling clean bathroom
• Tastefully Simple beer bread (thanks Missy) baking in the oven
• an easy dinner of Taquitos (Steve is out of town)
• 7 layer bars (which I polished off all by myself in a ridiculously few number of days)
• perusing old issues of Cottage Living for decorating ideas for the farmhouse
• the farmhouse and all it's potential
• music with a beat that forces you to dance (did I mention the Drumline soundtrack?)
• going out to dinner with friends
• friends.......ours are absolutely incredible!!
• down comforters
• a warm fire
• Magic Erasers....how fun and magical are they?!?
• inspirational blogs
• a felted flower brooch (thanks Mary) sprucing up my ancient denim gap purse
• a new magazine in the mail
• breakfast in bed......even if I'm not hungry (thanks to Addie and Josie)
• a warm day after a week of subzero temps


• folding laundry in front of our big window while watching the girls play happily in the snow
• finding out there will be NO lapse in Steve's paychecks (PTL)

I am happy.

Why you should buy our house (part 1)

(with real life cluttered unstaged pictures of our home.)

3 bedroom

1 bath

tuck-under garage

large private lot

wood stove

1. LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION!!!!

This home is perched at the top of a hill overlooking the beautiful neighborhood of Woodland. It is within walking distance of Woodland Community Center, Piggly Wiggly and Hartley Nature Center.

2. YARD, YARD, and more YARD!!

In my humble opinion, this home is situated on one of the best lots in Woodland. Lot size is 60 by 300!!! Pick your own raspberries, let your kids go "exploring" in the woods as you as you supervise through the huge kitchen window, enjoy the neighbor's gorgeous perennial gardens (without having to weed),

host killer parties (patio added in '06),

drink your morning coffee on the patio surrounded by greenery and wildlife,

have a camp out in your own backyard,

let your kids bring a bunch of junk into the woods and call it a fort (hours of fun!),

swing under the mighty oak in your underwear

(if that's your cup-o-tea,)

Did I mention this yard is very private?

or fully clothed (if you prefer.)

This huge private yard can't be beat!!

#2B Did I mention the yard has lots of flower beds?

#3 LIGHT AND BRIGHT!!!

This home is full of natural light.......just what you need to fight those winter blues. New energy efficient windows throughout the home including a brand new picture window with fabulous sunset views of Hartley Park.

(view from kitchen window overlooking backyard)

(sunroom with windows galore!!)

(nothing like washing your babe in a nice deep sink while the sun streams thru the window.)

(view from 2nd story bedroom)

(bright dining room with southern exposure)

#4 WOODBURNING STOVE

This newer Lopi Freedom Stove effectively and economically heats this home AND adds ambience galore. There is nothing like cuddling up next to the warmth and glow of a cozy fire. (There is also a newer forced air furnace and hot water heater.)

Stay tuned for more info about the inside of home.

Smooth Steve

An hour before our church/elder Christmas party tonight Steve shaved his goatee. There had been facebook talk that it would make him look younger and possibly help him find a job in this tough market. And so he did it. His whiskers in a jar made for an entertaining white elephant gift. And he does look younger. Much younger. He's had facial hair (per my request) pretty much since we got married 11 years ago. Now I can't stop staring at him and I'm afraid it's kinda creeping him out. I can't get used to it. He looks like the boy I dated instead of the man I married. Ella cried when she saw him.....not just a whimper, but a full blown totally devastated wail......"I DIDN'T WANT DADDY TO SHAVE!!!!!!"

I think I may have wanted to cry just a little bit too.

pictures to come.

Seven.

Several weeks ago when I asked her what she wanted for her birthday, all she could think of was "to go on a family date to see the [Christmas] lights."

When I asked her what she wanted to eat on her birthday she said "pancakes for breakfast, PB&J for lunch, and BBQ chicken and mixed vegetables for supper."

Mixed vegetables!!!?!!!!

(She is her father's child.)

When I asked her what kind of cake she wanted (homemade vs. store-bought) she decided, "whichever one is cheaper."

Man, I LOVE that girl.

I can't say enough good things about my cuddly little Josie Mae.

She is my biggest helper.

Today we will CELEBRATE!!!!

Happy Birthday Josie!!!!

I couldn't be more proud of you.