I've know I've written dozens of time about the hate/loath relationship I have with my kitchen. It's mostly original to when the house was built in 1956, with a few changes made here and there over the years. It's small, with little room to move around. I can't use the sink and have the dishwasher door open. The range sits in the middle of the room. The refrigerator feels enormous, but probably is a normal size - it hulks on the edge of the counter. There is little storage. Seriously, I could go on for days about how much I dislike the kitchen.

I do like the windows. I like the openness with the living room. Literally, I can stand in the front yard and see through the house to the back yard. In an area where it rains for 9 months solid during the year, light is important. It has good bones. Also, I love my new pantry. It still makes me smile.

For the last six years, I've been trying to decide what to do with this kitchen. Did I mention it's small? Yah... where to put appliances and still have counter space has been the biggest conundrum. Multiple designs have come and gone. I even tried to sit down with a kitchen designer at a local big box store, but they apparently couldn't be bother with selling anything. I've stalked HGTV, despite the incomparable slowness of their site, and when it came along Pinterest, Houzz, etc.

Then I found it!

traditional kitchen design by los angeles interior designer The Old Painted Cottage

 Is it not gorgeous? Light, bright, begging you whip out a loaf of bread. It's the configuration that hopefully will work in my own kitchen (I'm not sure I have that much space - for real). Now that I've found this perfect inspiration, everything else is falling into place. Picked a sink. Chose the flooring, decided what to do with the pass through. It's just all come together in the last two days! After six years of waffling.

Now, I'm just waiting for the contractor to call me back to get started. Yipee!

Home Decor

Have I mentioned my quandaries with paint? Hmmm… yes. I have a serious problem. Mostly due to a serious inability “picture” anything in my head.

When I painted my living room, I went through no less than 8 different colors. Do you remember Bridget Jone*s Diary? I wanted the color of the walls in her garret apartment. It said “warm, cozy and comfy”. Finding that color in a paint was a very long process, however. There is no “garret apartment” color, FYI.

I finally found the color I wanted. I love it. In fact, I love it so much, that I later purchased one of those decor signs with a homey saying on it, in the same color. To hang in the living room. To say it wasn’t very noticable, is an understatement. Totally faded into the wall.

So I moved the sign into the kitchen. Really pops against the blue walls. Looks fantastic.

But now I have a hole in my living room. Finding another sign was going to difficult. Not only would I have to find the right color, but also the right saying. One that wasn’t too preachy, or twee… and be able to find it in about 5 minutes, which is the Cuddler’s shopping limit. Right.

Instead I found Jennifer of Onion Grove Mercantile. Or rather I found her blog Notes from the Heartland. Gardening, DYI, kids… all the stuff I love to read about. And you can probably tell where this is going… I had her paint a sign for that spot. One that is so personalized it makes me squeal. It makes my mother jealous it’s so personalized.

My great-grandfather was a rancher. My great-grandmother was a rancher’s daughter, going back to the days before Canada and the US had really settled on a border. Every story about them tells something about the ranch. The flowers (of which cuttings are now planted in multiple locations throughout the state – I have a granddaughter of the famous rose bush) or feeding the chickens, even stories about the neighbors are still told! The ranch was sold a long time ago – ranching was a hard thing during the 70’s and 80’s, especially when the US government started ‘paying’ people to stop. It’s not an easy life, especially in a place so rural that cell phones can only get signals on mountain tops.

The sign was designed around that piece of family history. I was pretty specific, but Jennifer took my requests and ran with them… even when I changed them!

I asked for a specific type of wood color to mimic the beaten weathered look of wood in that area. Jennifer suggested the colors for the text – which I totally trusted, because of my color issues. At the last minute, I asked her to include my great-grandfather’s brand, incorporated between the ranch name and town. It’s being shipped as I write! It’s going to work so well in that spot and NOT fade into the background!

Cookies

 

Last week was a busy one – last minute work projects to get done before the end of the year and Lala had her bi-annual swallow evaluation at an uber-hospital two hours away. Immediately after the cold that has been stalking me for the past two weeks stuck with a vengeance. In between downing various medicines promising relief (none so far have worked), I’ve been trying to finish up preparations for Christmas. The cards are slowly trickling out, hampered by the fact that I’ve lost my address book. If you want a card and haven’t received one, please shoot me an email! I’ve also been trying to clean the house. It’s been a bit of nightmare over the past week. I am happy to say that that one has been crossed off the list.

Meanwhile the cookies have been lost in the flurry of activity. Those picture above are the first dozen we’ve made and they were ready made. Plans for passing cookies to the neighbors are shaky. Although, this coming Tuesday seems to be looking good for baking.

What are you scrambling to get done?

Holiday Home

Much to the excitement of the cuddler and Lala, I finished decorating the house this weekend. In honor of “Small Business Saturday”, we drove out to a local nursery and picked up the door decoration. They do an excellent job and are pretty inexpensive for the amount of foliage used. This year, in addition to the usual wreathes and swags, they also did candy canes. Obviously, we went with the candy cane this year. It smells gorgeous!

Yesterday, I braved the crowds and my head cold to grab a new tree. My previous white tree had really seen it’s last Christmas last year and we needed something to greener. The new tree is also pre-lit, which I totally recommend if you’re going the fake tree route. If you look closely at the decoration on the tree, you can see that all the indestructible ones are on the lower half of the branches, while the upper half features some of the more delicate ones. Convincing the cuddler that the ornaments aren’t toys is going to be an ongoing theme for the next month. Yes, those are presents under the tree already. My mother insisted. This photo was taken while the kids were alseep – about five minutes after they awoke, one had been partially ripped. When the cuddler was told not to open it, because it was Lala’s, he brought me the other one and “momma, open for me?” Momma won’t be stopped by Grandma…

The mantle was the final piece to put the holiday spirit into the room. I think it looks better than ever! Or it could be the “stove” under mimicking an actual fire that adds the homey touch… the whole thing together just screams Christmas holidays.

All the decorating is done, but for first time in years, I don’t have the Christmas cards done. I just don’t have a good recent photos of us – maybe that will be tonight’s project? Wrestling kids into fancy holiday clothes are part and parcel with the holidays right? Maybe I’ll even have the cuddler hold that partially unwrapped present.

Holiday Feel

  A couple of weeks ago, I was watching listening to QVC and they happened to have this little baby on sale. Those who know me, know that I have a love for cozy fire places. I am, however, not all that fond of the whole cutting, chopping, stacking, chopping and carrying of wood for said fire place. Plus there is the whole issue of whether or not the fire place is emitting heat at all… my last apartment had a severe issue with emitting cold air. Plus there was the whole catch the building on fire thing, but I digress.

I have priced gas fire places, electric fire places, as well as their “wood” stove counterparts. As a single mom, I have said to myself on numerous occasions that it’s a cost and hassle that I don’t need. So, when I saw this little beauty on the QVC on sale for the lowest price at that quality level, I took the plunge. It arrived early this week and yes, I had to rearrange the entire living room to find a place for it. But I would have had to do it anyways for the tree. Yes, it’s fake. You can tell. It’s also a bit small, but it works really well in our house. Lily adores it! She asks me to turn it on the minute we walk in the door and will sit in front of it, fascinated by the flickering lights. I’m calling it the family holiday present. It does give the room a much more Christmassy feel. What are you doing to make your home feel more Christmassy?

Babysitters

If you are a single mom, the most important thing you need to make your life livable is a reliable, competent and responsible babysitter. It just doesn't work without one. And you'd think in teaching high school I would have the perfect in...

For the past few years, I've been very spoiled in having a couple of really responsible people I could turn to - seriously spoiled. I see that now... alas. They have all moved on to bigger and better things, ie. university far, far way.  This whole year I've been scrambling to find someone who would fit the bill. Compounding the problem is that I just can't think of any one to even ask... sad to say.

My mother is very helpful, but she also lives about 600 miles away. I tend to save her for weekends and days that are going to be very, very long. Not really an option for the days I need someone for a couple of hours.  Somehow I've got to find an alternate solution and quick.

Just A Tip

You can use baby wipes to remove dry erase marker from your ultra-suede couch cushions.  Really it works.

Also, windex will take out ball point pen.

Just in case you need that knowledge.

Cozy Home

I wishing for a sharing of ideas...

How do you make your home cozy and comfy for the winter?

Birthday Post

Today I turned 41. I am officially middle aged.

I don’t feel middle aged though. In fact, I had a conversation with a friend today who will turn 41 next month – neither of us feels “old”. In fact, we both feel like we could easily be heading off to college as freshmen next week. Although my body feels old at times, my spirit still feels like it’s 19. I wonder if I will ever feel my age? When I’m 70, will I still be thinking that hiking up Strawberry Mountain is no big deal?

I do have to admit that I have started thinking about my health. Let’s face it, I will be 57 when the cuddler graduates from high school. Over 60 when he graduates from college and I want to enjoy it. Or at least, be able to walk up the bleachers to watch the graduation. In the vein, I’ve been trying to go to the Y on a regular basis to ride a bike, it’s the only thing I can do with my slowly healing feet. I should try lap swimming sometime, but I’m just to afraid I’ll run into one of my students while in a bathing suit. Remember how weird it was to see your teacher outside of school? Now imagine him/her in a bathing suit. Tres weird.

Meanwhile, there are only a few short weeks until school starts. In fact, this week I’ll heading back for a few hours to help out a colleague. I’ve been trying to get everything I wanted to accomplish this summer completed quickly… not everything is working out in my favor, but then again, maybe there is a reason for that? Yeah. When you get old, apparently you start to believe there is some unseen force controlling the reasons why contractors never call you back. My plan is to complete painting the cuddler’s room (or at least the top half of it) tomorrow and figure out how to organize the kitchen for the six millionth time.

crafty? Not so much...

I have so many crafty projects simmering on the back burner right now, I have to remind myself that some things are just better not started. Like having chickens... I can't even find time to put my desk back together! Where will I find time to build a chicken coop?

Plus it's started raining again and probably won't stop until May.

As a parent of two small children (and how good is it to be able to say that with the ring of truth?!?), I just have to accept that there are some things that I just can't do, no matter how much I want to it and other things will are going to take a lot longer. I need at least 6 hours of sleep a night and the dishes and laundry must be kept up with. Food, given to the children at regular intervals is very important. Taming the mountains of crap in my bedroom - not so important. Painting the cuddler's room in a normal color - probably not going to happen until summer, if ever. He's 19 months old, he really doesn't care about his wall color. He cares about easy access to the dog food and his blankie.

Hopefully, my room will be put back together again soon and Lala's skirt will be finished before the end of the month. Those are the two projects for the month. Perhaps I will get to move on to paining the dressers or at least switching them so that the cuddler won't be able to throw all of his clean clothes around his room and (a big and!) I'll be able to shift some things from his closet so his clothes can go in there.

Yah. It's all talk right now. But maybe one day...

PS. Still avoiding the treadmill. Must figure out motivation.

Daily posting

Yup, I trying to post every day... but there seems to be a flaw in this plan. The flaw would be that by the time I get done putting the kids to bed, cleaning the kitchen and picking up the living room, I'm knackered. I haven't made it past 8.30pm this week - it's just so busy during the day and everyone has been sick (including me), whining beyond belief... After Lala has finally fallen asleep, all I want is some silence and nothingness. Which, you know, makes me fall asleep.

Parenthood is so exciting.

What I really need is to find a way to get a burst of energy at around 8pm so I can get some things actually done. I'm rather drug adverse - it being illegal and all - and I don't drink coffee. Or soda, really. I need some new ideas, because I'm about to be crushed under a mountain of laundry.

I Did It Myself!

 Lala inspired me - all that desire to accomplish daily tasks. Or discovering new things.

The sink in the bathroom has been a slow drainer for awhile now. According to "How to Sew a Button," some baking soda and vinegar would take care of the problem. Initially, it wasn't working. Then I read the rest of the instructions (which are laid out very simply... I've just a short attention span, apparently), which indicated that a pot of boiling water should be poured down the drain after the foam had subsided. Really, that part should have double stars next to it, because without it the process fails.

What new adventure will tomorrow bring? I can't even imagine.

Spring Weather

Thanks to El Nino, we've had the mildest winter weather I've experienced since moving to this area. I've scraped my windows twice since Feb. '09 and it snowed only once. The kids didn't even have a chance to go out an play in it, because it was gone in an hour. Everything is blooming. Yesterday I was pulling up dandelion flowers from the garden... in February! I'm so glad I bought boots this year!

This whole week has been sunny and above 50 degrees. The kids are going nuts running around the year and playing with the slide. Lala has finally figured out how to use the trike. Seriously, you can't tell her  how to do anything - she has to figure it on her own or watch you do it. Since I can't "ride" the trike, she's been working on it for awhile. The cuddler has finally reached the point of where I can trust that he won't pick up everything on the ground and attempt to eat it (thank you!) and can walk well enough to maneuver on uneven ground without serious injury (the dog likes to dig).

While they ran around, I worked to prep the garden. Because the weather is pretty mild (read cold and wet, not fun to be outside in), everything keeps growing during the winter. During periods of nice weather, you can see some people out mowing in January. The weeds had started to take over my poor little fallow garden and spread their roots all over. You cannot believe the size of the roots under these dandelions. Fist-sized, with runners that stretch across the yard. And the damn morning glories... the bane of my existance. But maybe if I start weeding now, I'll be able to keep them under control come summer. Maybe.

Does falling asleep count as an excuse?

Last night I did not do my night routine. I went to take a nap after the kids were in bed - I really was tired! - and then ended up sleeping until 1 am. At that point, it's moot to get up and do the dishes before going to bed.

I did them this morning and did my morning routine. Now on to laundry and completing the assignments I was supposed to write after doing those dishes last night.

It's done.

This is how you know that Christmas is over.

I spent the day putting the tree away and cleaning up for all the hoopla. Still have not fully unpacked the car, but have to stop to get milk before picking up the kidlets. Why is it that a day spent doing chores goes by so quickly? Isn't it "fun" that is supposed to make time fly? 'cause cleaning toilets is not my idea of fun...

Speaking of fun...Is it just me or did the entire country experience a stomach virus in the week just prior to Christmas? I've seen blog posts, facebook updates, etc. all describing the worshipping of the porcelain goddess from just about everywhere. How weird is that?

Illness Continues...

Or, Wherein I praise God for the writers of Finding Nemo.
Of course, the cuddler gave me his stomach virus, just in time for the annual preparations for the trip to the ol' homestead. I spent much of the weekend sanitizing myself so that Lala wouldn't be the next victim just in time for Santa's visit. Or rather, our visit to my parents house.
We're leaving tomorrow morning. That should have meant me packing, doing laundry and cleaning in preparation for the long trip. Instead I napped most of the day. As usual, I'll be rushing around in a panic tomorrow morning, leaving the house in a state of disaster and probably forgetting something important - not be realized until at least 100 miles away - like my wallet.
So far, the presents have been wrapped or packed. Snacks have been purchased. The kids have clothes to pack, although I do not. And they still need socks. We never have enough socks. No cuppies or food additives have been packed and the car hasn't been cleaned out for the trip. I also need to install the DVD player, get dog food and some how give the dog sitter the keys. And someone gave the cuddler a frosted sugar cookie, so he'll need a bath. All done before 10 am tomorrow.

Vomitous

I'm one of those lucky moms... illnesses never show up around here until after 5 pm on Friday.

Yesterday it started with diarrhea yesterday, although not bad. Then, after a lunch of toast and applesauce, the cuddler awoke from his nap covered in vomit. Oh, yes... let the fun begin. I went to bed praying that this would just be a 24 hour bug. The cuddler was vomit free this morning until he has milk. And it started all over again. He's gone through about 5 shirts, 2 pairs of pjs and three sheets. Plus half of a jumbo sized lysol wipe container and I think I might just be on a Lysol high. Oh, and at least one melt down because Lala got to eat snack and he didn't.

Watching the first snowfall

I hate cleaning up vomit. It's so.... gelatinous. And smelly. Other than the vomit, he's acting like his normal self. Into everything, demanding that someone play with him, opening the gate, climbing the furniture.

Christmas Traditions

Kelly’s Korner “show us your life” request this past week was to show off your holiday traditions. Since this is my first holiday with kids that are ‘mine’, I read through dozens of the blog posts looking for ideas. And then I decided to most stick with what is familiar. A traditionalist at heart.

~ I usually put the tree up during Thanksgiving weekend. Since I have such busy little hands wanting to help this year, my brother held them off while I re-fluffed the branches. The lights are on it, but no ornaments. I’m not sure the cuddler could be held back… I might just stick with the wooden/reed ornaments.

~ This weekend I’ll tackle the outdoor display. I love outdoor displays. The more ostentatious, the better. Every year I buy something new to build the display. Last year, I bought timers and extension cords. Exciting, no? This year, a mechanical deer. I am exited about how the kids will react to seeing that.

~ The cookie making will have to start soon. I can’t wait to introduce Lala and the cuddler to exploding cookies, buckeyes and papa’s cookies. I’ve always made tons of cookies to give away (and eat!). Lala had such fun making the halloween cookies, I know she’ll love this tradition.

~ Dec. 13th is Saint Lucia Day. We will be getting up early, eating some buns and reading stories. At this point, Lala is a bit young for the lighted crown and I’m pretty sure that her CW would not approve.

~ We open presents on Christmas Eve. Plus the huge family party… it’s a smorgasbord of food, paper and people. Santa’s presents are left for Christmas morning, but that’s mostly stocking presents. Christmas day is more like a quiet family day, where we play and eat leftovers. We also track Santa’s progress via NORAD during the day. It’s possible that sleigh bells will be heard at night.

~ Stockings hold small presents like games, books, candy and an orange in the toe. No electronics.

~ The kids will be getting new Christmas jammies. I think it’s a cute tradition to start and everyone can use an extra pair of jammies!

~ A co-worker will be writing a letter to Lala from Santa. As her children have outgrown this particular tradition in her family, she sought out new recipients.

All in all, it’s going to be a fairly relaxing holiday season. The shopping is pretty much done, there’s plenty of time to bake, decorate and travel. My sister was even able to pick up a DVD player for the car ride on Black Friday.

It’s exciting, but everything is so new for the kids that anything I do is fantastic. That’s what makes the holiday the best time… seeing it through the eyes of a child.

New Room

Over Labor Day weekend, my family installed a new laminate floor in the spare/storage room. It was completely cleaned out and made ready for a new occupant... the cuddler. It was easier to move the crib than the bed that Lala is in. Plus, if the cuddler goes home, it will be easier to turn that room into a playroom. Does anyone remember when children did not need a "playroom"? Well, I don't know how they did it - because I feel like I'm drowning in a tidal wave of toys! Lala only got a few new ones for her birthday and it's still overwhelming. Anyways, the room was completed and it is awesome to have the space. Now the kids can actually run around without crashing into anything else.

That weekend also meant trying to figure out what to do with the kids. The only safe space for them was a blocked off living room where they tripped over each other and got into hair-pulling fights. Not fun. Instead we went to the zoo, for the entire day. And when we got home, no new floor. Crap. Next day, church for three hours. No new floor. Double crap! Labor Day itself - thankyoujeasus! the children's museum is open! New floor done. I wonder if I can claim the $100 I spent keeping the kids occupied as part of total cost of the floor for tax purposes?

The next day, school started. I fell asleep about 10 minutes after getting the kids in bed every night. On Thursday we were running out of fresh food and I was dreaming of grocery shopping. I knew how exhausting the start of school is for me... but somehow I always think I'll do better.

Saturday we went to the parade for the local festival. Lala was very scared of the motorcycle drill team and I had to teacher how to cover her ears when there is a loud noise, but the kids really liked it. At least, the cuddler sat in his stroller the whole time without screaming to get out... which is a good sign. Luckily, he has experienced candy at my house because the frickin' clowns kept trying to give the cuddler tootsie rolls. Who gives a baby tootsie rolls? Lala won't take anything from a stranger, so all the candy ended up in the diaper bag for mommy to give away at school. Perhaps I should start thinking about plans for Halloween... Lala won't talk in front of strangers, so I'm think that saying "trick or treat" 10 to 15 times might be a bit difficult.

Moving Along

First, I talked myself out of the new car. I really do not need one and I may need that car payment money sooner than I thought.

This morning was the meeting with Lala's CW. TPR has been filed and has a court date in Nov. Her BM is MIA. No BF was ever identified. This means that the court notices have to be published for several weeks in a newspaper. For this means, I need to get cracking on that adoption homestudy (still haven't had 2nd meeting with AW) and probably find a lawyer. Having never been this far in the process I'm a little unsure as to what I need to do right now. Probably a good question for the AW.

In the meantime, I'm trying to clear out my "sewing"/storage room for the cuddler. Seriously, we are all happier when he has a lot room to run around in and it will start raining in a matter of weeks. One of the joys of this are is rain from October to May. Like, non-stop rain. While finding new homes for all the stuff is a challenge, the floors in that room are going to be even more so. They are wood, but not in good shape. In fact, I think one spot may actually have mildew in the wood... I'm waiting for the ONE wood floor guy in county to call me back about re-doing them. Hopefully, it's something I can actually afford. Prices in this area are kinda steep and since he's the ONLY guy in the entire county who does this, he's probably more than a little pricey. And if it is mildew issue, I can't just carpet over it.

In the meantime, I'll be working on finding more storage in a house that doesn't really have any. I think I'm going to try to create a faux built in the living room to store books and such. Or at least coral all the toys... I'm already wondering how I will be able to handle Christmas toys.