Half the master bedroom

I have been saying since June that I would post pictures of master bedroom since we repainted it. And that obviously hasn't happened yet.  My dresser (out of shot to the right of these pictures) needs cleaned off and dusted before it is picture-worthy, but I am going to go for it anyways.  There are a few other things that need changing/ updating in the room, but if I wait, pictures may never happen.

 The accent wall and window wall.  The remainder of the walls are the same color as the window wall.  That color was supposed to be grey, but it turned out more bluish than I was anticipating, particularly the way it reflects the Tiffany Blue. Oh well.

I like the white woodwork. But the windows are very hard to open now, even though we tried to be meticulous in not getting paint on the part that slides up and down.  So I think that will be the only windows we paint white. 

That ceiling fan is the next thing to be updated- probably next spring.

 I love the bedspread, but I am not in love with the headboard.  But it seemed slightly more adult than no headboard at all.  I would really like to upholster my own headboard and fix it to the wall at some point.  We are going to get some nice art and family pics and put them up on the walls at some point.

So there is the master bedroom teaser.  Maybe in another six months I will post more pictures of it?

Journal: Short week

Out my window: 26 degrees. Supposed to get into the 40's and low 50's for high in the foreseeable future.  I think we are done with the random 70 degree days for now.  See you next Spring, 70.

Clothing myself in: Cloud pajama pants, purple long sleeve shirt and I was cold so I threw on a green sweater this morning.  We will can this style Eclectic and pretend I did it on purpose, ok?

Around the house: Gonna have to step up the baby proofing again.  There is a shelf of books in the living room that George will. not. leave. alone.  So away the books go for a while.  I desperately need to clean my floor.  Like sweep and mop.  I haaate to sweep and mop. It takes forever. I either have to confine the baby or work around him. And my mopping utensils are pretty unsatisfactory as of late. I have a swiffer, but I don't have pads so I use reuseable ones or old cloth diapers. Which is fine when it works, but sometimes it is a pain to situate.  Not to mention, pretty much immediately after I sweep and mop, some kid (or grown man in work boots) tracks stuff all over the floor. Which I find frustrating.  I tell myself that if I had a fancy steam mop that I might be able to keep on top of things better. Even I am not sure I believe me, at least not long term.

Oh my goodness, that is one rambly paragraph about mopping.

The baby: See above conundrum about having to move the books.  It is funny, with Issy and Isaac, I could redirect them and distract them enough that we could leave books/ knick knacks and photo albums on lower book shelves.  I thought this was because of my superior parenting.  Then I had Liam, who was very difficult to redirect. And he would just go back to thing over. And over. And over.  George isn't quite that tenacious but similar.  So I will just move the books until he turns two or three.  It just isn't worth the hassle.

Saying nigh night and waving is his big thing this week.  So so cute.

The kiddos: Got costumes for the remainder of the children.  Isabelle is going to be an Angel (and St. Lucy for their saint party at school) and Isaac is going to be Obi Wan Kenobi (and St. Joseph).  Liam is going to be Darth Vader, I found our old Care Bear costume and that is what Adelle decided to be. And I think George is going to be a little clown.  This costume was the first thing I sewed, when Issy was about 2 1/2.  It looks adorable on him.  Even people who dislike clowns will like this one.

Issy and Isaac are off of school on Thursday and Friday and Joe is off for All Saint's day (hooray for a Catholic employer!). Going to try to think up some saint activities for the little ones.

Crafting: 99% done with my charity knitting so I will get back to the sweater this week. I will.  Planning on working on my peg dolls this week, too.

In the kitchen: I am currently roasting pumpkin seeds. On the menu: pork chops (I think I might make Joe go out in the cold to grill them- they are so tasty that way!) broiled Parmesan tilapia and Italian sausage soup.

Bringing me joy: Talking with Joe after a long day, how much joy the kids get out of dressing up, how adorable it is when George lays his head on Joe's shoulder, the way Adelle asks for kisses from Joe, Issy and Isaac before they leave in the morning.

Thinking about: The people in the path of the storm out East. Praying for their protection.

Pictures to share: Adelle "working outside" on Saturday morning.

 Pumpkin carving!

Faces of my babies

Sunday afternoon was especially beautiful and mild so I took some of the kids into the woods just to hang out.  Liam was happy inside with his Daddy, so he didn't join us.  Issy, Isaac, Adelle and I had fun with the camera.   

We explored mad looks.  

 Issy's mad look.

 Yeah, I think Adelle wins the mad look.

And happy looks.

 Issy wins the happy look. She looks really, really happy.

 Isaac's happy look is understated. But nice.

Isaac's surprised look.

 Issy's surprised look.

 Adelle's surprised look.  Think that one might be a three way tie.

 Issy's "staring off into space" look. 

My personal favorite.  Isaac's "staring off into space" look.  Silly kids :)

Issy video

Issy took this the other day- I had gone in the garage to throw some stuff away.  I really love it when she turns the camera on herself.  She is starting to sound like a Wisconsin girl :)

Journal: Reprieve

Out my window: 51 degrees but it is overcast.  It is supposed to be warm until Friday then get chilly brrrrr.  The leaves are all past peak now.  Settling in for the long winter on the horizon.

Clothing myself in: Grey cords, black Army hoodie.

Around the house: Joe rerouted some of the light switches in the basement since we are putting up some walls in the storage and utility area.  Almost done with the dry wall in the basement hallway.  While he was doing that, the kids and I went into their basement toy room, which had gotten a bit out of control, and reorganized everything.  And I cleaned up the long neglected laundry room.  And he cleaned the garage.  It was a pretty productive weekend, I would say.

The baby: He took it easier on us last week- had a couple of days of almost sleeping through the night and was sleeping in till 5:30 or 6:00 (perspective! I wish I could have told Teenage Erin that 6:00 would be a luxurious wake-up at some point!)  But his 4:20 shenanigans today indicate that this reprieve might have come to an end.  I hate to wish away his babyhood, but I am just able to deal with life better when I have had sleep.  At this point, even a mediocre night's sleep is appreciated.

We outwitted him! We put in a locking mechanism up high so that he can't try to escape out the back door now.  His current favorite activity is climbing on the end table next to the chair and flinging himself over the side of the chair into the lap of the person sitting in it.  Or onto their head.  And then he climbs down, goes over to the end table again.  Repeat.  He likes this a lot.  It isn't so much fun if you are looking to relax in the chair.

The kiddos: They are all super excited about Halloween next week.  Still need to nail down costumes for them.  They were all going to be Star Wars characters.  Being a frugal person, I tried to convince Adelle to be Rapunzel, because she already has a Rapunzel dress and I didn't want to have to buy her a costume- it worked.  And I have a dragon costume for George.  And I think that Issy was then thinking she could be something else.  I have slight Mom guilt about sabotaging their costume plan and then I remember that is less I have to buy or put together and I feel better.

Crafting: Working on some charity knitting.  It shouldn't take long and then maybe I will have had enough space from my sweater sleeve to go back to it.

In the kitchen: Homemade chicken, bacon, ranch pizza on the pizza stone I picked up super cheap from Aldi.  I have wanted a pizza stone for a while and this one was such a good deal I couldn't pass it up.  We are also having some BBQ meatloaf with garlic mash potatoes and some grilled chicken soup.

Bringing me joy: Watching Liam enjoy reading so much that he can do it for hours and hours. George's belly laugh.  The way Adelle ran up to me all excited when Toto's Africa came on.  Taking silly pictures of Issy and Isaac in the woods.

Thinking about: Voting.  Oy. I don't normally talk politics, but I will say that I am unimpressed with my Presidential choices this year.

Picture to share: Issy took this one yesterday.  She said, "It is the big monster eating the teeny tiny car"

Sleepy little fella

I posted a similar picture of this the other day on my facebook, but I thought it was too cute not to share here.  I was making lunch in the kitchen getting the other kids lunch and noticed he wasn't being very loud- just sighing.  Sleepy guy.  Seeing him all sweet and calm makes all the shenanigans worth it :)

Liam's school year

I decided to purchase the MODG syllabus again this year.  I am really pleased that I did- I am using it as a base and substituting and/or adding things wherever I like. It has been really nice to have a guide, though.

 The handwriting book that MODG syllabus recommends.  Liam is pretty meticulous with his handwriting. 

 Aesop's Fables for reading aloud and then narrating and illustrating in his book.  

Religion- MODG recommends the First Communion Catechism and to do reading about saints and draw pictures of them in a Saint Book.  I wanted to organize our saint readings so I looked them up in the various saint books we own and wrote down what pages they were on so I wouldn't have to do it on that day.  Much better and easier to keep up with. 

MODG recommends 100 Easy Lessons for phonics but Liam has kind of outgrown that, so I picked up this workbook. It is also nice to have a go-to learning page when I am putting the baby down for a nap or making lunch.  

 Poetry- Memorizing and then retelling/ illustrating various poems

 Working on the Chronicles of Narnia for our Literature.

MODG recommends A Beka math but we have been using Math U See and like it so I decided not to switch.  We are finishing up his Primer book and will be starting Alpha in a couple of weeks.

 Nature Study- I like this little book. Some of the little activities we use and some of them we don't but it is nice for getting ideas.

I bought this back when Issy was using MODG for Kindergarten and haven't looked at it much since.  Broke it back out for Liam.

We are keeping things simple and straightforward for things like social studies, other science, geography and such. We explore topics as he is interested in them, as well.  He is really thriving this year.

Journal: Thaaaat was an exhausting week

Out my window: 36 and it looks like the sun is touching the tops of our trees now.  Supposed to be a teeny bit warmer today and tomorrow- 61 and 68 for the highs.  Hope I can get out with the kids since we were cooped up in house all weekend because of rain.

Clothing myself in: Black yoga pants, black long sleeved t-shirt and a Fair Isle sweater.

Around the house: We put up George's border yesterday.  It is very cute and he was pointing at it and smiling, so I think he likes it.  Had we planned on a border (instead of a chair rail) originally, I would have painted the bottom up higher because the border now sits right under the railing of his crib so you can't really see it where his crib is.  But, given his climbing skills, I doubt that he will be in a crib for too much longer, so it isn't a huge deal.

I have about 5 baskets of kid's laundry I need to fold and put away.  I will do it today. I will.

The baby: Last week was, er... rough, to put it mildly.  Some improvement the last couple of nights. We will see if it lasts...

He has started making sounds that sound a lot like talking.  He said, "No, no that!" several times the other day (because who doesn't want that to be among their kid's first meaningful words? :P) His "ninja monkey climbing skills", as his godfather so accurately phrased it, get more impressive by the day.  There is the spark of understanding when we tell him to do/not to do something.  He doesn't always comply, but he definitely knows what we are talking about.

The kiddos: Midterms were pretty great- As and Bs all around.  Isaac is really strong in everything.  Except penmanship- that isn't his thing :) Issy is really strong in spelling, science and social studies.  When I picked them up the other day, her teacher told me how well she was doing in science. I am so glad that we found a school that is such a good fit for them.

Adelle has gotten opinionated about things again, particularly her clothes. And she has started this thing that when she wants to do/ to not do something, she whines. and whines. and whines. and begs and whines. about it.  Here is hoping that this phase is short-lived because I am not a fan.  Her adorableness helps- the other day we were taking a walk by some TPed trees and she whispered, "I have a bad feeling about this..."

Crafting: Blerg. I finished the sleeve. Faaaail. In the original pattern, it was a short sleeved sweater. I decided to make it long sleeved, but for some reason didn't account for arm shaping.  So the sleeves are all loosey goosey and the rest of the sweater is fitted and it looks ridiculous.  I need to put it down for a little while, get distance and then go back and frog the sleeve. Note to self: don't knit while sleep deprived :P

In the kitchen: Soups- we had cream of cauliflower and bacon yesterday, some chicken noodle, some broccoli cheddar soup and potato soup coming up this week.  Yummo.

Bringing me joy: Waking up feeling rested after an adequate night's sleep, talking to my big sister on the phone after weeks of phone tag, not too little/not too much pumpkin spice coffee creamer, the way the baby's laundry smells all fresh from the dryer, cute little monkeys to decorate his room, the understated joy from my little boy as he opened his birthday presents.

Thinking about: Patience, patience, patience.  How to get my children to do things without raising my voice. And again, self-discipline and leading by example.  Not being too hard/ too lax with myself. So much to think about.

Pictures to share:

Birthday boy helping make the cake 

 Georgie's room

 Nursing chair

Curious George border and new paint.  The color isn't quite true, but it was the most accurate given the lighting in the room at the time.  

Isaac's party

 Lego Star Wars Cake.  

 Work boots and work gloves from Grammie and Grandpa. 

 He also got a Star Wars bedspread for his bed.  For some reason, we didn't get a picture of it.  Now him and Liam have coordinating (not matching) bedspreads.

All decked out in his work gloves, boots and work shirt.  Ready to work in the woods with Daddy (whenever it stops raining).

Isaac is 8

On my 23rd birthday, 15 days before he was born.  I was so so so big.  I couldn't zip those jeans up.

My sweet big Mr. Pup

 This summer, trying on his school uniform.

Picking apples last month.

 Happy 8th birthday to my wonderful first son.  

Journal: Hanging on for the ride

Out my window: 37 and sunny.  It got chilly at the end of last week- highs in the 50s.  The leaves are starting to fall. Well, some of them. We have a lot of oak trees in our yard and they don't really lose most of their leaves until the Spring.  I should take my littles in the woods this afternoon to watch for squirrels gathering acorns. If only I could get them to be quiet enough...

Clothing myself in: Black sweatpants with blue strip up the side, a fleecey hoodie that I really like, but the sleeves are kind of too short.  I let Issy use it this weekend and she got soup on it.  And I spilled coffee on it this morning. I look fabulous, let me tell you.

Around the house:  Joe started working on the basement hallway this weekend.  I am so excited about having it done (eventually. it is a long term project).  It will really expand our living space.  While Joe worked on that, I worked on finishing the summer/winter clothes exchange.  Everyone's are switched out and all but George's are organized and put away.

We decided to do a border instead of a chair rail in George's room.  It is coming soon (hopefully tomorrow?) so I hope to have it up, do whatever touch up painting I need to and have pictures by the end of the week.  We will see.

The baby: Keeps taking it up a notch.  He is cutting molars and sleeping so badly.  The first half of the night isn't terrible but oh. my. word. the second half of the night is awful.  If there is a second half of the night- he was up at 3:54 this morning.  He is also problem solving like crazy- figured out how to unlock and open our back door and the same day as my toddlerhood post he did this:

The kiddos:  Finally got the rest of Liam's school books.  I will have to share what we are working on this year soon.  The other kids get midterms today, so that should be interesting.  Isaac's teacher told me the other day how great he was doing and that I must have taught him well when we homeschooled. Honestly, it is more him than me, but it is nice to hear that he is progressing well. And oh my little Isabelle-  I don't know if it is being 9, starting school, or what but Issy has gotten a lot older in the last six months.  A bit sassier, a bit more prone to drama and meltdowns but even more affectionate and more giggly.  As much as I wish that time would slow down, it isn't so I will just try to guide her gracefully through this in between little girl and teenager time.

Crafting: Veeery nearly have my first sleeve done- working on the cuff. Maybe 30? more minutes of knitting to complete it.  I have been directing my creative energy into painting the last couple of nights.  Yes, me, painting.  A few months ago, a friend asked me if I would like to do a saint peg doll exchange.  So 12 of us picked two saints, are painting 12 of each and then sending them to organizer, who will divvy them up.  So I get 24 different little saint peg dolls.  I think I am going to give them to Adelle for Christmas. I picked Blessed (almost Saint, on October 21st!) Kateri and St. Patrick. I am not the best painter (um, to say the least) but I think it is turning out just fine. St. Kateri:

In the kitchen: I love the few days after grocery day- so much potential.  I made pumpkin soup this weekend, which really nobody likes except me. Oh well, I only make it once a year.  Black bean burritos, more fish tacos, grilled pork chops for Isaac's birthday on Friday, per his request.

Bringing me joy: Bike rides with my five littles, days off of school, Issy shouting gleefully, "THIS IS AWESOME!" as she biked through leaves raining off the tree, mug of orange spice tea while I read to my four big kids, a husband who is truly my parenting partner- in the hard times (and early mornings) and in sharing the joy, beautiful family pictures.

Thinking about: Choosing to be joyful, grateful and productive even when in my head I am tired, whiny and want to curl up in a ball in bed.  Self-discipline.

Pictures to share: Some of my favorites from our family photo shoot with my friend Heather from HVH Photography:

Picture diary of a morning walk