What I Wore Wednesday

I LOVE this plaid wool skirt and was impressed with myself for sort of following a pattern/tutorial to make it. The gores are not all the same size because I was running out of fabric, but it is symmetrical and the colors are so great for winter. And, I always did want to be a librarian so it's OK if by the end of the day my glasses are a little low on my nose and my hair is in a bun. At least I have cute boots instead of the flats I was originally going to go with...pic courtesy the 5yo, and I also love it, crooked and all. Here's a close-up of our blurry smiling faces:
I'm pretty sure Puxatawny Phil was wrong, it sure looks like the beginnings of spring out there to me!

beware the casual dinner invite

I might just put you to work while you're here ;-p. Don't worry, at least you'll have a cheering squad.

In other words, my dad and brother came over.
There was a lot of pointing, grunting, and adjusting but not a single cross word uttered and not a dent left behind.
and by the end of the day the cast iron tub had made the fateful voyage from upstairs bathroom to front porch.
Maybe probably admittedly, there were a few scuff marks and dirty looks but I'm ok with that!

The remaining rotten floor felt so lonely that it broke up and moved downstairs as well. Crowbars may have been used to coax it along.


At least the dinner I invited the laborers family to wasn't taking place at my own house! Thanks Pastor Joe and associated youth group, the spaghetti and dessert were GREAT.


Now, who wants an antique clawfoot tub?!

guilt-free sloppy joes

step 1: find your favorite recipe for sloppy joes.
step 2: replace the ketchup with tomato paste and maybe a bit of bone broth to thin.
step 3: add some chopped carrot in with the onion and garlic and celery.
step 4: replace the ground beef with turkey or (better yet) venison. Mine was sweet italian flavored and had a bit of pork sausage in with it.
step 5: use half as much meat as you normally would and add an equal portion of soaked and then really really well cooked beans (like lentils). Mash a bit if desired.
step 6: season a bit extra (b/c of the beans). I used creole seasoning.
step 6: serve open faced on whole wheat roll.
step 7: add a serving or two of veggie on the side.
step 8: don't tell anyone you did steps 2-6 until AFTER they say yum. Which they will.

tot school

Once again, I'm copying an idea found on several other homeschooling blogs: a post all about what the tot does while the olders do school.
*beads on a knitting needle*

*push the brother around*When I make up the older boys' bins full of schoolwork for the day, I try to also include at least 2 bins for the baby. The Montessori crowd call the "prepared environment," wherein our home is set up for learning so that it comes about naturally.
*key in a little plastic container: open, insert, shut. open, remove, shut.* *snakes (or straws or sticks) in a colander*
*balance blocks on the trailer*
*balance in the now empty basket and fall over. repeatedly.*It seems to me that if he is doing something that imitates real life, a "legitimate" activity, or real work, he is more focused and the activity keeps his attention a lot longer than a mere "toy" might. So, pint-sized brooms with real bristles, clean containers from the kitchen found in the tub, wipes and spray hiding behind the mirror, etc.
*chopstick+playdough*
*Bible reading*
Sometimes this buys us a few more minutes of attention for the olders and their work. Other times, not so much. Win some, lose some! Note that I did not include pics of the stuff he does when I do NOT prepare his environment! (read: huge mess).

rip. pull. stab. hook. tug. slip. repeat.

because of *course* I need another hobby. For the record, this is the tutorial swagbucks told me to use, and I cannot WAIT to finish my yellow and white patchwork duvet cover so I can make matching bedside rugs exactly like the ones in the tute. I've had a discarded jean pile for a couple of years (yeah years) with this project in mind. It took me all of 2 tv shows to dispatch of that pile, and as you can see this is not a very big rug yet! Anyone want to donate to the cause?

What a pretty plate

Our dinner was so pretty and so well received (Boy #1 had seconds of everything, Boy #2 almost finished his thirds, and boy #3 cleaned his plate...with a bit of help from the dog) I thought I should probably document the event. Except that's not really true. Really, I just wanted to show you the pretty Meyer China plates I picked up for $0.50 each at my local thrift store. They are the same color as my classic Buffalo China pattern, but prettied up a bit. I especially like that there is a little tiny lip around the edge; it's very helpful when spooning food AND keeping it on a plate is still a challenge.

What you see: mixed veggies, baked sweet potato fries, and baked lemon pepper tilapia with chives and collard greens (oops, thought I was dumping more frozen chives until it was too late). yummy. What you don't see: pictures of the kids eating. You're welcome.

Do like a duck does

On wet days like this, I miss our ducks. I hope you're enjoying them, Mr. Craigslist guy with big ambitions for a small property. All that to say, today we went out to play in the mud for awhile, just like ducks. quack.

Boy#1 worked HARD (his emphasis) at spreading hay. About 90 pounds at a time, *if* you can believe it. Until he found an earthworm. Then he played HARD (my emphasis) at finding the perfect new home for wormie, complete with hay to sleep under and dirt to sleep on and neon orange walls to give a sense of...containment.


Boy#2 quickly tired of spreading hay, preferring instead to use his "dirtbike" to flatten some ruts in the yard and his new shovel to flatten some dinosaur heads (giant snowballs).


Boy #3 discovered that the sidewalk makes a perfect escape route,

and was NOT thrilled to be re-routed back to our area again. Mollification came in the form of snack. And then he wanted to nurse on the porch before going off on another rambling adventure. Yes, we still do that and no, it's not weird.


Even the dog was out, if only by default. According to her, cold mud is only slightly more appealing than whining almost all alone in the house (apart from the sleeping dad).


I spread a little hay and took a few pictures. The lilacs are forming buds, I cannot wait to see them in full bloom for the first time.


The grape vines are looking pretty dead, but I pulled a bunch of them over to our side of the fence (neighbors don't seem to want to harvest) and I know from last summer that this vine still produces yummy concords.


I also grabbed a handful of tiny bulbs to bring inside to force. I don't know what they are, they were a surprise found in the side yard when I was planting a little tree last fall. I'm hoping for daffodils, but they're pretty tiny. Do snowdrops have bulbs? And, for the record, this is why I don't *do* my nails. Though I have heard mud is good for your skin?



PS: If you have a kid who still likes picture books, do try to find Do Like a Duck Does at your local library. Super cute, even for a girl with no rhythm like me.