spring WIPs

So apparently we skipped winter this year and jumped right into  "work outside" season??   We've barely been inside, much less on the computer, since the beginning of the month.  I thought perhaps it was time for an update.  If you agree, you should say so and maybe I'll try to update sooner next time!

so...the month's works-in-progress, in no particular order:

WIP#1 is not actually an in-progress anymore, but it was when I first thought of this post, so there.  boy #2 has mastered his 2 wheeler.  oh boy.  this means that I now have to run to keep up with those 2 older boys, while pushing #3 in the stroller.  Well, that or make them wait at every intersection or parking lot for me to catch up.  I'll let you guess which is the preferred method.

WIP#2: We were informed by our insurance agency that our house was basically un-insurable as-is (go figure, it was un-financeable as-is too...).  So instead of installing Hardi Board (our first love) we are doing the fiscally responsible thing and painting. The lower half is a grey/blue/green and is somewhat appropriately named "Mount Etna." All the trim and porch will be "Cottage Cream." In this light, the asphalt top half and painted bottom half look remarkably dissimilar.  In other lights, they coordinate really well.  All in all, even though we were aiming for "not as ugly" I think we in fact ended up with "kinda like it!" This is a WIP that will likely last all summer.  ugh.

WIP #3 is school.  We don't do sit-down learning every single day (more on our field trips in another post), but today we did.  Pictured is our workbox system.  Top row for boy1, middle for boy2, third and fourth for group activities or boy3.

WIP#4: boy3 is potty training.  Which works out well as long as mom remembers to set the timer and pay attention, lol.  We have our good days and our bad, but I presume he'll be reliable by age 2, so yay.

WIP#5: the garden.  My handy dandy father build me 3 garden boxes, and they were promptly filled with sheep poo, straw, a little dirt, and compost.  The town provided 4 trees worth of stump mulch, and we were in business.  I sure hope at least something bears fruit (or vegetable...) because my aching muscles could use the nourishment ;-p  ps: way back in the corner is my rhubarb, blueberry, and bush cherry "orchard" right next to the grape vine that I found last fall.

WIP#6 has been functional for awhile, but just this week I did a little work to make it prettier.  We have yet to decide how to tackle the paneling, but there is paint on the floor, pictures and a mirror on the walls, and a rug almost finished :)

 That's a lot of WIP's.  No wonder I'm tired at the end of the day!  It does feel good to get cracking on a few things though...pun intended.  What do you think?