I so knew better.

Tomorrow we’re having a Christmas Ladies Tea at church. I’m “hosting” a table and am responsible for setting the table I host. It’s been a fun reason to dig out the silver tea set and china Blaine bought me from his grandmother’s estate when we were first married. We’ve been shining silver and washing china all morning.

I also need a table cloth. Having not used one for several years, (Since kids got old enough to make a giant mess. So not worth it.) I had to dig a bit to find one. I found a lovely red one, threw it in the laundry with my white napkins and a few clothes that are rotating through every load, trying to get stains out, told Eden to never wash whites with reds, and proceeded to do it anyway.

Shouldn’t have. My pink napkins are now soaking in bleach, hoping they return to their previous color. Sterling is very not impressed with his pink shirt and Ruby asked that her newly pinked shirt remain out of the bleach. She likes it pink. My white ring sling that I threw in there so I wouldn’t have to put Pierce in my pink one anymore? So much for that idea. Now I have two pink slings.

I so knew better.

P.s. Shout’s color catcher sheets that they sent me to sample? I haven’t found it yet, but I’m sure it’s pink too. Not impressed with it’s catching capabilities though. Or maybe I just overkilled with it. Either way – not impressed. I also poured vinegar in the load. I’d heard that keeps colors from running. I beg to differ. It did no such thing.

Conversations with Sterling

“Mom, Pierce isn’t really asleep.”

“He sure looks like he’s sleeping.”

“Nope. He’s just faking it.”

Really. I didn’t know.

Christmas tree, Charlie Brown style.

Last year, I wrote this post about our back pasture Christmas tree. (Click on "This Post".)

Yesterday, we headed up the hill to see if we could find another one. Turns out, the trees grew substantially this year. It’s still very Charlie Brown, but this year’s tree is quite a bit fuller than last year.

We had Blaine along this year, and last year it was Charlotte in the sling. Pierce took her place in the sling this year. Charlotte was pretty happy to have her Daddy. We even found an antler in the grass up there.

Blaine had grander ideas of what “chopping” means. My handsaw and I were out of business.


The top is too soft to hold up the star, and the ornaments hang more from the lights than the branches, but oh, we had fun. And this one, unlike last year, does not smell like a cat used it as a litter box. Merry Christmas!

Caution: Flying socks (and other dirty laundry). Literally.

We bought an old farmhouse. It continues to surprise us.*

Turns out, the laundry room floor, when removed, sits up 8 inches off a slab foundation. Long story short (and eliminating a few ((wet)) details) the floor is now removed and it’s back to the slab.

An 8 inch step-down from my kitchen into the laundry room now exists. Perfect.

Now, if I could just remember that when I’m carrying a basket of laundry. I’m going to pad the far wall pretty soon. At least then I’d have a softer landing.

 

*Let me (try to) keep my optimism, please.

A few more adjectives, if you please.

About two months ago, Blaine picked up a new broom for me to use in the house. With all hard floors, brooms see a lot of use – and abuse – around here. Today, that broom has more bristles pointing anywhere but down. Unimpressed, I ordered a new broom. I went for Rubbermaid, since I’ve had good success with their other products. When I couldn’t find one in the stores, I ordered one online. It was labeled “lobby broom”. That was all the description Ace had on it. Fine. Industrial strength, perhaps?

When I got the invoice in the email, I worried just a bit. 36 inch lobby broom. Just what exactly is 36 inches?

And then it came. All 36 inches of it. I had ordered a broom the height of my three year old.

On the bright side, my kids have never been so excited to clean the floors for me before.

What a way to start the day.

Ruby climbed into bed next to me this morning. I was feeding Pierce and she was talking on and on about how she’d learned at co-op that “thumbs up” means yes and “thumbs down” means no. She turned away for a second and I stole her “birdy pillow” (a pillow covered in birds I made her for her birthday. It came with her into my bed.). She looked up, saw what I’d done, then silently gave me a famous Ruby frowny face and thrust her fist up in a vigorous “thumbs down”. Oh my, I laughed. What a joy this baby girl is, in all her fiery glory.

Pierce: 2 months.

I dropped the ball on getting photos of Pierce today. I’ll delete that line and add photos if I get my act together soon. He’s two months old today and we visited the midwife for one last checkup, so he got weighed and measured. Baby’s big! He weighed 13 lbs. and was 26 inches long. That would be why I had to get out 3-6 month clothes for him. He’s been much happier than he has been up to this point, but he has definite ideas about where he should sleep – and it’s not in his bed. He’s gone through three sets of batteries in his short little life and is insistent it’s the swing or Momma’s arms.

Baby’s loved. Baby’s growing. Life is good.