Organizing requires messy beginnings

The one room in the house that is almost always neat is a disaster right now.

Sad but true, the newer things are easier (read: more fun) to maintain. Hopefully this is not the case when I deal with my children. :o

These wonderful children are also packing kitchen stuff for their own camping trip, as I refused to let them help me pack. I will not even allow their father to interfere in the food packing department, so they did not take it personally. I think Nathan did most of the packing, Melanie most of the supervising, Matthew most of the entertaining, and Daniel most of the interfering.

(Some of the entertainment.) These shoes look a bit more challenging to walk in than heels, but I am only guessing.

Should be packing

Lots of people have been saying that all my kids look a like, so here is one of Daniel looking very Daniel like, and not very Nathan, Melanie or Matthew like (to me anyways).

I think he looks and behaves more like Asher than my other boys.

A close friend is moving far away. This bar stool from her will never fill the void, but it will fill some space in the kitchen, quite elegantly too, perhaps.

The shirt says it all.
(But Daniel should be wearing it.)

More kitchen

The last two walls:

(We left room for our fridge to grow.)


The "cut out"


From the outside looking in:

Before and After

Here's half...the other half didn't turn out(I think there's just way too much light in there now, and my poor camera can't handle it!) and the other pics have to wait 'til I've unpacked more. A good friend came over last night and we got tonnes of organizing done, but she had to run and I was wiped when she left, so there is stuff all over the place yet. And everyone knows that camera's resist messy pictures. Especially mine.



Entrance from deck:

before
after


Left of the entrance (shared wall with the bathroom).

before
after

kitchen pic

just for gloria

the best shot i've taken yet.
(and the only one)

hopefully more to come

My kitchen is done!

It took me all day in bits and pieces to clean up the counter top so that I could see the end product as it was meant to look.

And what was my impression? The same it was on Saturday night when we came back late-ish. I saw everything better than I imagined it to look (though unfinished) but the best part of all was the toddler standing in front of the sliding door leaning side to side with a cute smile on his face just for me. He was definitely the highlight of the kitchen!

Today, the highlight for me, amidst all the mess, was an adorable little baby rolling from one side to the other desperately whacking his toys farther and farther from his reach in uncontrolled bursts of enthusiasm.

What could be better to have in a kitchen?
(Remind me of this when I'm cooking dinner and tripping on kids and toys and wishing the questions and stories could cease for a moment!)

My house is shrinking

My living room, dining room, and hallway used to be spacious in comparison with now. It is great fun trying to move around upstairs with three men doing their thing, and me and the kids doing our thing.

Our ever so thoughtful contractor put up plastic to reduce the amount of dust going through to the rest of the house. I mentioned several times about my fear of the dust, and just how bad did he think it would be? I'm just a little paranoid about dust. Once, just around baby delivery time (meaning, just over 4 months ago now), upon my request, my father took a skill saw to my bedroom walls to enlarge my closet for me. (Our contractor also volunteered to take the garbage ie. drywall pieces, from the closet expansion.) It was so dusty he couldn't see his nose on his face. He probably permanently damaged his lungs from dust intake. He probably permanently damaged my daily cleaned duct work. If I looked hard I could probably find some of that dust left lurking in the dark corners of my room. Some night when I'm sleeping they will be sure to creep out of hiding and demand to be cleaned!!! At any rate, this time the dust is barely noticeable in the majority of the house, of which I am grateful. A little.

Also, I can't believe my friend didn't take me up on my offer of a used and falling apart, but still fully functional, dishwasher. And for the mere excuse that it was formerly a home of cockroaches. Believe it or not, cockroaches can grow on you. After a few years of having them in your home, you may even find them cute. And you might find yourself getting up at midnight to turn on the light in the kitchen just to see if Dusty or Fusty is still hanging around.

Thus far things look better from the inside already. Mostly because the pink walls are gone, and replaced with the natural color of wood. And the smell of sawdust, I must admit, is better than any meal I've ever made!

A good place to be

Ahhhh

Dreamland.

This morning the kids were so excited to see "the workers". Matthew opened the door for them (with some help from me). And Melanie said "It took FOREVER for you to get here!" Considering she got up at 7 and they arrived at 8, it's a good thing I didn't wake her up earlier!

Re-org

We're discussing a kitchen reno again, which has put me in a reorganizing mode. Thankfully Philip is putting up with it, and even encouraging it a little!

First attacked was the bathroom:

Didn't know the change table could fit in it! There is only 1cm clearance for the door to open/close, but that's enough! Just as long as we can fit through! I really can't believe we didn't do this before, 'cause it fills up the bathroom to the max and clears up bedroom space. Also, a great benefit is that all diapers can get changed by the FAN, which, for Matthew's business, is VERY helpful. I replaced the laundry hamper, which no longer fits, with the baskets at the bottom of the change table. Now I need to train the kids...lights, brights and darks. Think they can handle it?

Second up was the dining room:

We simply rotated the table. There isn't any room for the leaf this way, so the buffet will have to slide over...which means the computer desk may have to go...(which is a much much much longer story, but we do hope it will go some day...and the phone base put on the buffet where the comp desk is now)


As for the buffet, I have plans for that too:

Stuff it with books, and also some baby toys yet too. Our current bookshelf has always had kids books falling out quickly. Phil is not as impressed about that, since, after all, a buffet is not for books and toys. To quote: "that is just not right, Roze!" But since we don't have an alternative in stock, he may just put up with it for a while. :)

Living Room:

Phil has always disliked the former set up, as he feels you're much much too far from guests, so it looses the guezellighite when we're chatting. I've always thought that was a benefit, 'cause then you don't need to be too intimate... I guess we've got different outlooks. :p Notice the piano is still on towels. We're "trying out" this new arrangement.

As for the piano, it was making some weird creaking noises, so perhaps, we may not be able to move it anymore without destroying it entirely!

And we've got all sorts of plans for painting, renovating, etc. In fact, we may now have all the world's problems solved too! (haha)

Too late to think straight...soon it will be too early to think.

While walking (or more accurately, blowing,) about in the neighborhood we saw some Canada geese.
Nathan: "What do they eat, Mom?"
Mommy Roze: "Looks like they're eating grass right now. Maybe they eat bugs too."
Nathan: "Or maybe they eat other green things too?"
Mommy Roze: "I don't know, Nathan."
Pause.
Nathan: "Maybe we can look it up on the computer when we get home."
Mommy Roze: "If you remind me."

(We forgot.)


Philosophical thoughts of mine:

Some people learn, and some people never learn.

I hope to, eventually, belong to the first category. Unfortunately, I have not arrived there yet. Not even by a huge stretch of my imagination. I really feel that I am the only one who makes very similar, and often times exactly the same, mistakes SO frequently.

The most obvious mistake that comes to mind is the one of overestimating the ability or capacity of something. I love to double recipes so that I can freeze something and save myself the work next time I want something. Unfortunately, most times I do this, I have a bursting mixing bowl, a boiling over soup pan, or better yet, a ballooning bread maker.

Did you know there are very good reasons why manufactures only give, at most, two sizes of bread loaves for their machines? Yup, it probably is because the machine can't handle a double of the full size recipe. In fact, it probably can't even handle a double of a "dough cycle". I have seen by experience that anything doubled in the bread maker will, first of all, not mix properly. Secondly, even if it is not baking in the bread maker, it still requires space to rise, and a double recipe just doesn't fit. Thirdly, it is also hard on the mechanical workings of the machine. This bread maker may have a premature breakdown--just like my front loading washer.

I am glad I am not an appliance of mine!

Just a regular play day

It's sure nice when the kids keep themselves occupied so nicely!



Yesterday was a rainy day. It's one of two days we get to stay home all day for this week. I love to stay home! (Some days.) Sometimes the kids don't even fight very much either!! Since Sunday was super busy, Monday became a minimum-amount-of-fighting-needed-because-we're-so-glad-to-see-our-toys-again day.


Unfortunately this isn't always the case, and some guidance...or just a new activity is required just to keep the peace.


For some people all that may not even be enough.

Gadgets

Household gadgets are something that shouldn't be taken for granted.

Having a washing machine that is functioning, and not laying in innumerable pieces in the laundry room, is one of those ways to remind you just how convenient modern convieniences really are.

My washing machine is fully functioning again. It has been for a couple weeks now. It sure is nice to be able to wash clothes whenever I like. Indeed, it is. So much so, that I'm having a hard time remembering to do my "morning load" like I always used to do.


Another great functioning item in my house is this lovely bread maker.

The long (and boring) story behind the breadmaker:
I never thought I'd be a "bread maker person", but someone gave me a free one once. It made the bread turn grey, so we didn't eat any (I like bacon grease, not other "greases" or unknown additives and preservatives. I was so excited about making my own bread that I immediately picked up a used one at Value Village for $7. It lasted 2+ years, so I think it earned it's keep! When it had the biscuit, some kind individual snagged up a free one for me from her mother, so now I have another one!! It also has some added great features--including a GOOD recipe book, a poweroutage stopper feature (it doesn't stop baking the bread mid cycle if the power accidentally flickers or I accidentally unplug it (this had been a problem MULTIPLE times with the other one)...I'll spare the rest of the details...
The conclusion is I'm happy with my breadmaker.
(The cute helper did not come with the free breadmaker.)


If you look on the far left you can see my "eclectic" faucet. It was a cool vice grip handle, for those rednecks out there. (Which includes me, obviously.) Another feature of it was the "transitional off" spot, also known as the "never can turn off the water unless you've got the magic touch" feature, which, I'm sure, our water meter checkers were loving. It also had the bonus "continual dripping" package which would make use of itself whenever an indivudual (being me) was too lazy or frustrated to find the off spot back.

But now my eclectic faucet has been replaced with a non-redneck (read: boring) new one that actually TURNS OFF EVERY TIME and RIGHT AWAY.
It is pretty amazing.

I am truly living a life of astounding luxury.

May I never forget it.

Who stole the cookies from the cookie jar?

Or can they not be stolen if they're not actually finished being made yet?

I followed the advice, or perhaps, more accurately, the example of someone today. I banished my stay-out-of-the-kitchen-or-end-your-life-early rule. But only for the afternoon.

Both my helpers were eager, curious, and cooperative. Must be because of their lack of exposure to real life experiences. Poor kids. :p


Nathan is adding tonnes of extra vanilla extract. Fortunately the vanilla container is empty, so it's only imaginary extra vanilla. Otherwise the taste would have been a LITTLE off. After all, he was only adding a LITTLE extra.


Melanie's thinking "Those don't look very much like cookies to me!"AND "I wonder if I can eat some now, or will Mom notice?"


If the cookies turn out a little damp it's probably from all the extra drool. (Three sources of drool today instead of only having one source normally.)

Count your blessings

A poem dedicated to my Grandma, who I really miss.
(Wouldn't I just love to pop by for a hug (but not kiss :p )!)


When life feels rough and things get tough
And things feel like just a little too much

Then sit right down, have a look around
And count those blessings that surround.

One two three:
They are all alive.


One two three:
The are all well
(But maybe not
all feeling swell)


One two three
They are all mine
To have and hold
and teach for a time.


And this young man makes Four
Now who would dare to ask for more?

As a sidetrack, here's a pictorial story which starts with the third picture of this post.