the mud

It is one of the rewards of being human - we can grow things.  We can plant and harvest and enjoy the benefits of what we sow.  I so enjoy watching my children grow.  I enjoy watching my garden grow. Last fall I planted bulbs that I hoped would come up and they did: So beautiful and so strong!  All winter those little bulbs had the nourishment they needed to thrive and this spring they decorated my front yard and it was so rewarding! But sometimes, I don't want things to grow.  There is a really old tree stump out our front door that was cut down years ago.  That thing still wants to grow, even though I have taken the hatchet to it about twenty times now.  I have pounded away at the stump as hard as I could until there are splinters of wood everywhere and no dirt covering the roots and I think surely that will be the end of that.  Yet each morning it is still sprouting up new green things that I don't want to be there....

This week is definitely taking on its own theme, with all these little notes about paper.  But in the meanwhile, I am cooking up something big for next week, adding trim work to the upstairs hallway, so stay in touch! Paper is so fun.  I think it's one of the reasons I became a teacher.  I just love playing with all things paper.  I could spend hours in the stationery store.  A few years ago at a conference at Penn State, I visited the bookstore and found all these new "teacher toys" for school:  blank hardbound books, highlighter tape, rainbow paper on rings, and tons of other goodies.  Here is one little notebook I love that sports the logo good thinking ! I'm afraid two of my children have the same addiction, one doesn't stop making paper airplanes and the other just loves paper.  This morning on his WAY OUT THE DOOR, my son stopped to grab a piece of paper out of the printer to MAKE AN AIRPLANE to fly on his way to school.  (...

I love watching races, when the runners are all set in their blocks in that zen state of focus and anticipation, and because of all that adrenalin and excitement, one of the runners starts before the gun.  Everyone has to start again.  Despite a few false starts this week, I'm not going to focus on the negative, like the fact that I accidentally posted only half a blog entry on Wednesday, I'm going to chalk it up to that enthusiasm and fervor we all have starting the new year.   There were some other false starts, like the fact that I wanted to post more about the boys room.  My son was so sick that he wanted to stay home even when I threatened him with taking a nap, and when he did take that nap, and did take it in his own bed, he didn't even wake up when his new iPod alarm went off, so there was no way I could boot him out of there to take pictures.  So I'm starting again.  First, back to Gather .  I love the idea of a word of the year....

 When we moved into the house, my husband and I set the kids' rooms as a top priority.  We thought that by creating spaces for them, we could kind of get them out of our hair as we worked on the rest of the house.  ;)  We had paint, window treatments and furnishings up in the first month.  Then we gradually added the personal touches.  Both boys love the outdoors and exploring, so we started with that as a focal point.  We found sticks in Massachusetts that became curtain rods and wall hooks.  If you paint the hooks with a clear acrylic, they are actually much stronger and will last longer.   Charlie made the explorers' map in art class! (This area is still a work in progress.  The old chair is going up to the attic.  Our plan is to put up the hanging chair and then see what else it needs.) These twill curtains were a real steal at Lowe's last August.  For 4.99 a pair we bought them for all the kids rooms!  I think t...

The other day I drove past a newly sold house down the street and I can see the boxes piled up in the windows.  I remember those days.  A year ago I thought this move would never happen.  Now here we are seven months after moving in and we are reasonably comfortable.  Actually, I should cross that out, we have more blessings than I ever dreamed possible and we are happy and content in our new home.  But I thought before we get to the fun stuff, you might like to see what it looked like this time last year when we were coming in with inspectors to see the house.  So here we go:) Hopefully you get the idea.  Clockwise from top left, the family room, the blue room, the dining room, front bedroom, the living room, and the kitchen.  The theme throughout:  lots of creamy white paint, nice wood floors, old lights and the need for a fresh look.  Tomorrow I'll show you the "Boys will be Boys room," complete with rock wall and (mayb...

Before the rain settled in for a few days I knew I had to get out and run.  After a day of.. well, you know, cancellations and missed calls, and coughing kids, I had to get out and run.  So I invited my son Charlie to ride his bike alongside me.  And he told me he would only go if we went to find "The Swing."  I had no idea what he was talking about, but he had been there with my husband and kids and cousins not too long ago and he really wanted to go back.  I imagined that the swing was pretty far away and I told him, "Look, Mommy can only run short places, not far away places."  He answered me, "Mom it's really not far, I promise.  You can do it."  I felt like I was turning my training over to my 8 year old.  I kept complaining, I really can't go that far, I really can't go that far... He kept reassuring me, It's not that far, It's not that far... but who can trust an 8 year old to understand distances, especially when one trip was in...

Well, this weekend was busy with taking down Christmas.  It is such a chore and each year I think I"m going to whittle things down and not put so much up.  If I only decorate with fresh greens, there's not so much to pack away, I tell myself.  But each year I still love the hanging lights, the Santa collection I started, really by accident when I received them for Christmas from students, and the trains under the tree.   Really you can only do that for so long while the kids are young, so may as well buck up!  And each room has it's own style now, so you decorate and then you un-decorate! With all that stuff down, here are the piles I still have to put away today: So I'm going to get busy... finding fun things to do to distract myself.  Maybe the piles will magically disappear!

One of my new year's resolutions was to get back into my running routine which had quickly gone by the wayside during the holidays.   Not that I had much of a routine to begin with.  At my peak I was running about 18 miles a week, but let's just say that ain't happening.  So last night I was committed to going to bed early and getting a big start to my day, about 6:30 - run a few miles and then head out grocery shopping.  Not so fast... I didn't actually get out of bed until 7:15 (because I waited up for my husband and son to get home from the Winter Classic game last night.)  Then once I did arise I realized that, along with everyone else in the house, I didn't have any socks that matched.  So I sat in my son's room sorting socks and talking.  I thought I was ready to go.  But I came downstairs and my youngest didn't want to go to basketball.  That took a few words of encouragement.  Ready to go?  I checked m...

I think my fascination with hallways started when I was in college.  I'll never forget the description of the entry way  in James Joyce's Dubliners as all the guests arrived for a party.  Growing up we didn't have a hall or entry way and our old house didn't either.  It's always been on my list for the perfect house.  Maybe that's why I am so excited.  So now for the picture gallery!  I am almost done my one, two, three day project and haven't done anything else on the list! Looking up the stair well I just knew it had to get done now and that it would put the finishing touches on our new space.  So just to recap, here is the before: This is how the picture layout began:  All the pictures laid out on the floor... a tape measure to try to measure... Then I made templates of the frames with old newspaper and hung them approximately where I thought each picture should go.  The blue painter's tape helps with nailing into plaster wall...

I love looking at all the January magazines featuring great new tips for getting organized in the New Year.  I think I've probably read all those articles before.  Of course  we all go through cycles in life and mine usually revolve around purging, nesting, then creating.  I can feel the creative energy beginning to flow.  I am ready to take it all on, but the list grows higher each day.  I have 3 more days off this week and I am planning to climb Mt. Everest and tackle about 8,000 projects in this house.  So, first I'm going to make a list.  Then I'm going to prioritize.  Then I'm going to see what I can do with what I already have in the house at this moment.   Then I'm going to see what I can do if I use the coupons I have for Ace Hardware.  Then I'm going to see what kind of time I have because the kids have made plans to see friends, go ice skating, go to the movies, all those fun things I should probably be...

We are still unpacking books.  There are a lot of them, some we've outgrown, some that I thought I should put away or give away.  But this weekend we brought down from the attic all the books that were saved for Christmas and it's like a special present.  Forget the typical decorations, stories are what I need to get in the spirit.  I'll never forget my mother's collection of Ideal magazines, which she had started during her teaching career.  I would pour over those magazines reading poetry and stories every Christmas by the light of a lamp swathed in crepe paper ribbon.  The story of the original "Over the River and through the woods..." I learned from reading that magazine! Opening the box and remembering the stories is a trip down memory lane now for my own children!  Who can forget Christmas Mouse or The Littlest Tree or The Gift of the Magi?  So my gift to you, because I sometimes get the urge to write lessons for books, is a list ...

Listen to this quote from Pottery Barn:  "Get ready for an unforgettable Thanksgiving with those you love...not only do we have everything you need to set a beautiful table, we also have expert tips...Host Thanksgiving expertly with our online party planner.  You'll find creative centerpiece ideas, free downloadable invitations, how-to videos, and much more."  Really?  I have to print and send invitations?  After reading that I feel like I might need a private tutorial on how to do Thanksgiving.   What happened to simplicity?  I thought this was Thanksgiving.  The menu's fairly self-explanatory.  The same people show up year after year.  The centerpiece just can't obscure views of leftovers across the table.  I love this time of year: the gathering, the food, the warmth.  On the other hand, you know we all complain about it.  There is never enough time, we say.  I'm so busy, we say.  If only I didn...

When I thought of how to organize the closet mess that often ended up in the hall entrance, I started thinking of my grandmother's house.  When our large family gathered for Thanksgiving and Christmas, all the families would pile their jackets and coats on the hall banister.  It was a quick efficient system that got the coats up and out of the way.  That was my inspiration.  I wanted a big way to hold several jackets at a time.  After shopping for closet organizers which ran between $15 and $60 for a coat tree, I found myself at the Ace Hardware and thought I would look down their aisles for some ideas.  I started out in the bathroom fixtures where they had several types of hanging options, but they seemed a little too small.  The regular hardware had a good selection with all sizes and colors of hooks, but again I wanted something really sturdy.  I saved the best for last - the gardening section!  There I found forged iron ho...

A perfect day, 11.11.11,    to soak in the beauty of the good earth. We were surrounded by glory... made aware of the struggles of those who came before... Time to reflect... and be thankful for all those who secured for us the land we call home.

I am working on one final project for the closet and am collecting four letter words.  I have a pocket organizer which I will hang on the back of the door that has six rows with four columns.  I thought it would be cool to find six words that I can stencil across each pocket and I am having fun thinking of the words I should stamp.  There are lots of words, like Work, Play, Live, Give.  This is good too: And while I was searching, I found this inspiration for the dining room table: I might be stenciling for quite a while now!  If you're inspired too, here's a site with directions: stenciled table runner   But back to the pocket project.  I wish I could use some 5 letter words too, like Laugh. Naomi Shiyab Nye told a story about finding a young boy's word book, a collection of words he had learned to spell, and she turned to the L page.  This is what she found: Live listen love laugh linger lounge long learn She said we could certainly...