Another Chapter...

...you know that parenting book Mike and I have been working on?
Well, I think I may have completed the chapter on bedtime.

Here's the story:
Wednesday nights I fly completely solo. Mike, Adam and Audrey are all at mutual (let's face it--it's not like Grant wants anybody but me to put him to bed and he's the tough one, so it's more a night of some what calm and quiet without the big, loud people around). Usually I run a pretty tight ship. Tonight I got Grant to bed quite smoothly, so smoothly in fact that I decided to be the nice mom and let the girls stay up and watch a little TV--with the understanding that when it was time for bed it was TIME FOR BED, no milking it.
After watching a little boob tube together I sent them on their way and they went right into bed. Nicely done, farmgirl mothering, nicely done.
Until 2 minutes later when Elsie was hungry, and 2 minutes after that when she was thirsty, and 2 minutes after that when she needed to tell me one last thing, and 2 minutes after that when her sister ratted her out before she even got to the door of the bedroom--you get the picture. In the midst of all of this 'night time negotiating' Mike came home, we were sitting on the bed visiting when in comes the little lady herself...she needed to tell me that her tooth (that is barely loose) was really hurting her.
I told her with all the sincerity and love a mother can that I was terribly sorry to hear about her sore tooth and that I could think of two options that we could do about it--she would get to choose which one she preferred.
1)She could go back to bed, lay down, go to sleep and forget about it.
or
2)I would have her father rip the tooth right out of her head on the count of three.
One...
Two....
and that's the last we saw of our darling Elsie for the evening.

Too much???

Project Queen.

Now, before we begin....a little disclaimer.
Okay, actually a couple of disclaimers.
#1) I am a lot of things. I would not say that I am particularly crafty or projecty--I am sure that I am not seamstressy. So, be kind.
#2) At this point in the life of my beloved -and very old- camera (whose life with me began after a full and useful life as a work camera for Mike) the screen where I used to be able view not only the pictures already taken, but also the current picture being taken has died completely. Therefore, I am shooting blind. So, again I say to you, be kind.
Alrighty then, on we go.

So, I was in need (and by saying need I really mean want) of a few changes around the old homestead. Being the Chatty Cathy that I am, I was talking to my good buddie Christy about my aspirations. Now, here's the thing about Christy--she is very projecty and an amazing seamstress. She was actually working on a project of her own and, much to my delight, stumbled across some very lovely fabric that she donated to the cause and voila project numero uno was under way....

I call this project: Operation Spruce Up Family Room.
Here we have my couch and table pre-sprucing....


And, here we have my couch and table post sprucing--

Cute, huh? I'm not completely in love with the color of the table, but it was the closest thing to blue that I could rummage up from the garage.

And...TaDa!! Look at that fancy sewing work! Okay, really don't look too closely.... I recovered the pillows that were already there and then dug up some random pillows floating around the house and recovered them as well (if one of my girls asks where her round flower pillow with the giant tear in it is--YOU DON'T KNOW). And then I remembered I had a gift certificate to Ross and found some new throws for $4 a piece, not too shabby.

So, woohoo, project one done and done. Yes, it was slightly intimidating but not nearly as much work as project numero dos.

I like to call this project: Revamp Kitchen Table.
A word or two about this table--it was given to us several years ago by Mike's parents when they bought a new one. This table has been around a Loonngg time. It is a Really nice, heavy duty piece of furniture (which it needed to be to have survived Mike and his brothers). It is in fact, circa 1983--hence the oak and black paint flecked look. I knew revamping this beast would be a lot of work. What I didn't know was really, really, really how much work it would be.
Although I was nearly certain I was going to die at some point of the sanding, wiping, painting, waiting, sanding, wiping, painting, waiting, sanding, glazing, wiping, wiping, spraying, waiting process.... I do love the finished product.

Thank Goodness we used Mike's paint sprayer...or, seriously, I really would have died under this table. (robyn can verify our near death experience)

Sadly, with my pathetic camera you really can't see how fantastic it looks. You will just have to take my word for it...or come on over and see for yourself.

I'll make cookies for the occasion.
:o)

I do have one more project on the radar,
but I am really being a chicken about it.
It involves a lot of sewing.
And, honestly,
at this point I am hoping
it will also involve my mother...
....Hi, Mom! Wanna help?
Are you looking for a project?
Maybe if I visit over spring break....???

SEP Week (s)

Today marks the beginning of SEP week--
or more appropriately for me--
weekS.
That's right, because when you have multiple children in multiple schools it means that you get to enjoy multiple weeks of half-day school.
Kids are coming and going all the live long day...for weeks on end!
To quote a favorite movie, "lame, lame, lame, lame, LAME!"
I don't know for sure what SEP stands for, but in my mind it is
Stupid Educational Procedure.

Come on! Do we really need an entire week to accomplish this? Really?

Anyhoo, that's the rant for today.

I'm a bit on the grumpy side,
couldcha tell?

Thanks Peeps!

I knew I could count on you!
You all make me feel a little less freaky and a lot more normal....
unless, of course, we are all just a whole bunch of freaks.
Ehh, well--as long as we are in it together, right?
So, how's about I lay a really weird one on you...?
If I do, then you all should be feeling the urge to participate
and give me a crazy quirk in the comments.
(have i ever mentioned how much i just love the comment part of a blog?
no? well, me do)
All right? Here we go.

Tomorrow is February 7th.
It's a very special day.
It's the day before my big day.
Every year I clear the calendar on February 7th.
Wanna know why??
Because it is the day I give myself the very best present ever...
an entire day of cleaning.
I LOVE IT!
So, tomorrow think of me in all my quirkiness just cleaning my little heart out
here at the homestead.

I'll be a happy girl.
:o)

Random thoughts, by farmgirl.

Oh, Hi!
So, how's it going?
I'm still here.
Still here with all my random thoughts.
How's about we put some of the random thoughts down for ya?
Good?
Great!
Here we go.

Here's something.
Someone is having a birthday, real soon.
And since this certain someone is turning 36 she is beginning to think that she may need to stop thinking of herself as "just starting out in the thirties, you know early thirties". It may be time to set that one free and embrace the "over half way done with the thirties". Here's the thing, I'm totally good with it. Couldn't be happier to be 36. It just seems weird sometimes. Ya know what I mean, Vern?
And here's something else, the older I get the crazier I am becoming.
Is anyone else frightened by that statement?
Well, you should be.
Want a few examples?
Okay.
-I am little old lady, grandma cold. All. the. time. We are talking 3-4 layers of clothing, every day. My grandparents had this wall heater in their house and they would keep it blazing hot--oh, how I wish I could time travel back and move in.
-I have acquired some bizarre sleeping issues. I have to go to bed with my 'Cindy Lou Hoo' super soft and comfy socks on (cold feet), but I must take them off before I completely fall to sleep. Not to mention all the weird light (street light, cell phone light, clock light, smoke alarm light-just to name a few) issues I have.
-Here's a really crazy one. I am beyond a control freak when it comes to the setting on the thermostat. (Let's just set one thing straight right now. I have some serious control freakness inside me, which plays a big part in the whole Crazy Lady thing.) Anyhoo, about the thermostat...while, yes, I am freezing all my waking hours, I am a little heater once I fall to sleep at night. I know! I'm weird. So, at night we turn the thermostat down for comfortable sleeping temperatures. Makes sense, right? BUT, I need to be the one to turn it up. Do Not turn it up before I am up and at 'em. Do Not turn it up while I am in the shower. And for the love! Never turn it up while I am out running.
-I CANNOT stand to have cupboard doors open, newspapers open, pictures not square on the wall, rugs not straight on the floor, clothes folded sloppy, beds made sloppy--you get the idea.

Okay, I believe that's enough to make my point. I am getting weirder all the time. Really, you should all wish me luck as I move on into this next year of life. Or, more appropriately, you should send your well wishes to my family. They get the crazy full time.

The other night I was saying something to Mike and made a comment about how I am turning into a freak, that I didn't used to be so crazy. I think I was some how trying to apologize for the loss of the unfreak-like girl he married many moons ago, saying that it's kind of unfortunate for him that he is now stuck with the freak version of his lovely bride.

He looked at me, smiled and assured me of two things:
First of all that he would not classify me as a freak, that he would use the term 'quirky', that I have some 'quirks'.
And secondly, that I have always been 'quirky'.
Thanks, Dear.
:o)