We began our day yesterday tossing firewood. Seriously. Wood... from the back end of the truck, trying to put it in the wood pile at the edge of our property. It was all round maple, so it rolled... and it had snowed over night, so I slipped across the truck bed... tossing the wood to the end of the truck bed, hoping I wouldn't spill over backwards, imagining landing in the pile of trash bags at the inside end of the bed.
As luck would have it, I survived, and we survived th unsanded, unplowed trip up Foster Hill Road toward Hardwick, and enjoyed a warm, delicious, filling breeakfast at the Hardwick Diner. I know there are other options nowadays in Hardwick, but nothing is ever as satisfying as a plate full of offod made by someone who cares if you come back, and who knows your name. Well, Colin's name.
We had a family trip to the hardware store. (Well, four of the six of us, as it is the weekend). We picked the stain color for the porch woodwork, the wood putty, a few more boards for a few last pieces of trim, and looked at doors. Doors? Yes, doors! Eventually, maybe, we will replace the horrifying, tortured, remains of doors on the bedrooms in this house. We've had a few changes of mind and heart about the subject, but yesterday's musings didn't bring us any closer to a decision. Someone will have to just bring home a buttload of matching doors someday. (Buttload being a technical term, of course).
But the amazing and satisfying piece of the day was... dun dun duhhhhh.... LIGHTS! LIGHT LIGHTLIGHT! Each bedroom that houses children NOW has on its ceiling a really and truly covered light fixture. No more dangling lightbulbs. No more wires. No more bases without glass. No more rusty bases. Just honest to goodness light fixtures. AND we replaced that hideous lantern thing that greeted us as we came home every day. Now... a simple black steel jar light. Which, by the way, is bright enough (light bulb pointing down and all) to actually light the deck and door way. One little light!! LET THERE BE LIGHT, Momma said, AND THERE WAS!
"That's good! That's Reeeeeeal good," Big Momma said (Paraphrased from my favorite version of the creation story... Big Momma Makes the World, by Phyllis Root and illustrated by Helen Oxenbury. If you don't own it, you should, even if you're grown. Candlewick Press, Cambridge, Mass, 2002, my friends).
*disclaimer... I am inordinately attracted to light. Although Colin was pleased by our work, he was not moved to tears as I was. No huge life-vision changes resulted for Col as we turned on the power and saw the light... me... I am a whole NEW person. But then, my first word was (wait for it...).... "LIGHT!"*
We also bought huge roles of coil for phone lines, and phone jacks, because we are indeed in the process of removing cordless phones. As the research has amassed... DECT phones are out for us, but retro phones are in. So, scour ye yardsales while ye may, and buy me some phones! I have one all picked out on Amazon, but I keep hoping I will find the phone of my dreams in a thrift store. *Mommy! Hit up them estate sales! Pushbutton corded phones! In interesting colors, or not! Princess phones, wall phones, desk phones... 60s, 80s, 50s... well... okay, probably post-rotary!* Aidan has patiently horded his thrift store find of a Bart Simpson phone, awaiting a phone line in his room. I am actually thinking we'll go for it. We're running one to our current room and one to the Living room. I'd also like one in each bedroom. Buuuut, I also want ethernet jacks everywhere. Because why, you ask? Because as soon as we have ethernet cables running everywhere, NO ONE will use wifi in the house anymore. Well... maybe. But it turns out you can turn your wifi boxes down, and the research is far less damning for wifi than it is for digital phones.
We also made one major life decision. OK, so it's not really major, but it is a question we have been living with for quite some time. Wedding related?? No.... Last name decisions??... No... College? Career?? Life fulfillment?? Nope!! (Milo's new favorite word).
We.... picked a color for the kitchen!!!! YIPPEE. And the hall! And the trim!! And the entry way! (well, okay... I made that choice, and I am just gonna do it one day in the spring). The kitchen and hall will be.... uh... I can't find the color strip. However, it is the same color as the light wall in the living room. WE decided to go for using that color as a continuous "neutral" throughout the whole house. I found a kitchen on Pinterest that had the same celery-ish, pale chartreus-y color on it, and I realized This is it. This has always been it! So, we have committed. Colin must've taken the paint strips with him to work today. And we are really really happy. (And that color will mean you have to be happy!! Really!!) And I will post my inspiration picture to FB, since I seem unable to do it here.
On more personal, less trite, news, Mr M is talking up a storm. We heard a word with "ing" attached to it! Flying!! Flying!! Butterflies flying, and cars flying... Indeed. New words all the time, and often two words in a row. And now he is patiently repeating himself, with a stronger and stronger voice, until we understand, especially when it is a new word. Signs seem to work better than visuals or slow speech for him, and it is really satisfying to watch his brain speed ahead.
Ms. N has a new obsession with records (supplemented by Mommy's buying sprees at thrift stores. Who can be 10cent vinyl??) and she is listening to a hippy dippy "players" version of Wizard of Oz, and an old library discard of Little House in the Big Woods over and over. Next up? I'm looking for filmstrips! Keep your eyes peeled at library sales for records and filmstrips. I will take them all! We're going retro 'round here!
Miss S is trying out for a play called Who Killed Elvis, and is very excited about it. But nervous, too, and sometimes her nerves get the better of her. We'll be practicing a lot before this week's rehearsal. In Burlington, she is playing basketball, and doing really really well.
Aidan blew them away as Grumio in his Language Arts cover of Taming of the Shrew. HILARIOUS! I'll post a video of that, too.
And now, alas and alack, I must be but a vision. A fire, good Curtis, tis but a block of ice out there.
As luck would have it, I survived, and we survived th unsanded, unplowed trip up Foster Hill Road toward Hardwick, and enjoyed a warm, delicious, filling breeakfast at the Hardwick Diner. I know there are other options nowadays in Hardwick, but nothing is ever as satisfying as a plate full of offod made by someone who cares if you come back, and who knows your name. Well, Colin's name.
We had a family trip to the hardware store. (Well, four of the six of us, as it is the weekend). We picked the stain color for the porch woodwork, the wood putty, a few more boards for a few last pieces of trim, and looked at doors. Doors? Yes, doors! Eventually, maybe, we will replace the horrifying, tortured, remains of doors on the bedrooms in this house. We've had a few changes of mind and heart about the subject, but yesterday's musings didn't bring us any closer to a decision. Someone will have to just bring home a buttload of matching doors someday. (Buttload being a technical term, of course).
But the amazing and satisfying piece of the day was... dun dun duhhhhh.... LIGHTS! LIGHT LIGHTLIGHT! Each bedroom that houses children NOW has on its ceiling a really and truly covered light fixture. No more dangling lightbulbs. No more wires. No more bases without glass. No more rusty bases. Just honest to goodness light fixtures. AND we replaced that hideous lantern thing that greeted us as we came home every day. Now... a simple black steel jar light. Which, by the way, is bright enough (light bulb pointing down and all) to actually light the deck and door way. One little light!! LET THERE BE LIGHT, Momma said, AND THERE WAS!
"That's good! That's Reeeeeeal good," Big Momma said (Paraphrased from my favorite version of the creation story... Big Momma Makes the World, by Phyllis Root and illustrated by Helen Oxenbury. If you don't own it, you should, even if you're grown. Candlewick Press, Cambridge, Mass, 2002, my friends).
*disclaimer... I am inordinately attracted to light. Although Colin was pleased by our work, he was not moved to tears as I was. No huge life-vision changes resulted for Col as we turned on the power and saw the light... me... I am a whole NEW person. But then, my first word was (wait for it...).... "LIGHT!"*
We also bought huge roles of coil for phone lines, and phone jacks, because we are indeed in the process of removing cordless phones. As the research has amassed... DECT phones are out for us, but retro phones are in. So, scour ye yardsales while ye may, and buy me some phones! I have one all picked out on Amazon, but I keep hoping I will find the phone of my dreams in a thrift store. *Mommy! Hit up them estate sales! Pushbutton corded phones! In interesting colors, or not! Princess phones, wall phones, desk phones... 60s, 80s, 50s... well... okay, probably post-rotary!* Aidan has patiently horded his thrift store find of a Bart Simpson phone, awaiting a phone line in his room. I am actually thinking we'll go for it. We're running one to our current room and one to the Living room. I'd also like one in each bedroom. Buuuut, I also want ethernet jacks everywhere. Because why, you ask? Because as soon as we have ethernet cables running everywhere, NO ONE will use wifi in the house anymore. Well... maybe. But it turns out you can turn your wifi boxes down, and the research is far less damning for wifi than it is for digital phones.
We also made one major life decision. OK, so it's not really major, but it is a question we have been living with for quite some time. Wedding related?? No.... Last name decisions??... No... College? Career?? Life fulfillment?? Nope!! (Milo's new favorite word).
We.... picked a color for the kitchen!!!! YIPPEE. And the hall! And the trim!! And the entry way! (well, okay... I made that choice, and I am just gonna do it one day in the spring). The kitchen and hall will be.... uh... I can't find the color strip. However, it is the same color as the light wall in the living room. WE decided to go for using that color as a continuous "neutral" throughout the whole house. I found a kitchen on Pinterest that had the same celery-ish, pale chartreus-y color on it, and I realized This is it. This has always been it! So, we have committed. Colin must've taken the paint strips with him to work today. And we are really really happy. (And that color will mean you have to be happy!! Really!!) And I will post my inspiration picture to FB, since I seem unable to do it here.
On more personal, less trite, news, Mr M is talking up a storm. We heard a word with "ing" attached to it! Flying!! Flying!! Butterflies flying, and cars flying... Indeed. New words all the time, and often two words in a row. And now he is patiently repeating himself, with a stronger and stronger voice, until we understand, especially when it is a new word. Signs seem to work better than visuals or slow speech for him, and it is really satisfying to watch his brain speed ahead.
Ms. N has a new obsession with records (supplemented by Mommy's buying sprees at thrift stores. Who can be 10cent vinyl??) and she is listening to a hippy dippy "players" version of Wizard of Oz, and an old library discard of Little House in the Big Woods over and over. Next up? I'm looking for filmstrips! Keep your eyes peeled at library sales for records and filmstrips. I will take them all! We're going retro 'round here!
Miss S is trying out for a play called Who Killed Elvis, and is very excited about it. But nervous, too, and sometimes her nerves get the better of her. We'll be practicing a lot before this week's rehearsal. In Burlington, she is playing basketball, and doing really really well.
Aidan blew them away as Grumio in his Language Arts cover of Taming of the Shrew. HILARIOUS! I'll post a video of that, too.
And now, alas and alack, I must be but a vision. A fire, good Curtis, tis but a block of ice out there.
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