Trick-or-Treat 2015

Eager kids; dicey weather reports.

Every morning Doug gave us the updated forecast; early on it looked good, but the closer it came to Saturday the greater the chance of rain.  But their enthusiasm was not to be dampened.  Come rain or shine, they wanted candy!

Plus, there was all the hard work put into the costumes.  Here's the rundown.

Josie: the ballerina - $0.  She made the mistake of putting this on first thing in the morning, and it had to be laundered before she could go out begging for candy. 

Jonathan:  Clone Trooper - $1.50.  I was surprised when he mentioned this after last year's toilet and the skunk the year before; it seemed too easy.  But I figured it was a sign when I found the suit at a thrift store.  We planned to make a helmet, but even better, a friend loaned her son's for our use!

Matthew: army tank - $0.  A recycled style from two years ago, but still fun.  Matthew painted the banana box, added paper tube guns, and held it all up with a pair of suspenders under his jacket.

Stephen:  Coke can - $1.68.  This was so easy and fun.  We used two pieces of poster board and a correction pen, all found at Dollar Tree.  I forgot to take a picture of the back which read: "Share a Coke with Stephen."  The tab and straw were the perfect finishing touch.

Andrew: Hotdog - $0.  Not technically free because I bought the pants to match his shirt, but he needed some anyway since he's shooting up like a weed!  For the bun, I wrapped three pool noodles on each side and then quickly stitched the brown fabric around them; shoulder straps hold the whole thing on; two ribbons make the ketchup & mustard.

In all the hub-bub Katherine got left out - between the chaos & rain we never got to it.  Doug volunteered to stay home and man the candy bowl (which also gave him access to college football games) and the little girl. 

We made a large loop and Matthew eventually asked me to carry his candy bag.  "If your bag is so full that you can't carry it, it is time to go home!"  The goods were dumped on the table and the feeding frenzy began.  Andrew paced himself this year, but Jonathan ate like there was no tomorrow; Katherine followed suit.

A Perfect Weekend

Spring. 

That glorious season of unpredictability. 

And the same roller coaster of temperature and precipitation has wreaked havoc on the temperments and attitudes of the members of our house.

Nevertheless, rain will eventually give way to sun and a pleasant breeze will blow. 

Yardwork was the name of the game.

New beds were arranged to hold plants that Lowe's attempted to kill.

Old beds were weeded and shaped and mulched.

The growing Sedum Obsession was carefully tended.

And in a close second comes the Hosta Obsession.

My clearance-priced purchases from last year are popping up daily.

Parsley and cilantro have volunteered to return for another year of production.

The bees, much to my children's dismay, are hard at work pollinating the blueberries so the birds will get a treat come July (they selfishly steal them before we can pick).

I am hopeful that maybe, just maybe we'll pick a few raspberries from hand-me-down vines.

All the while, there was the pleasant background music of birds chirping and the sweet peeping of baby bluebirds anxious for something to eat.

And the Avian Maternity Ward burst into full bloom for a new season of chicks.

Watering a butterfly bush yielded a colorful surprise.

All in all the work was pleasant and children were cheery

(and my own nearly broken/very bruised toe held up well under the pressure to get it all done).

But "all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy."

The day ended with dinner and games out of doors and squeals of delight

while the sun set behind the mountain.  It just doesn't get much better than this.

December Photo Project: Day 8

 

 Red cashmere sweater

Goodwill

$2.94



The Scrapquilt

I've eyed this pattern for a few years now, long before chevrons were chic.  Assembled from a collection of scraps, it has come to reflect a lot about how I feel these days.

The cool relaxation of a seersucker stripes, basking in the days of carefree play. 

 The teacher needing to make plans, assemble supplies, and cram young brains full of knowledge.

  

The busyness of juggling roles of wife & mother, daughter, sister, friend. 

Times when "good enough" is all you can do.

The list of things left undone.

The swirl of creativity needing an outlet. 

 All repeating, recurring, zigzagging.  Day followed by day followed by day.

 Some transitions are peaceful and smooth.

 Others bear signs of brokenness and repair.  Far too many to be labeled "perfect."

But a quilt is a sum of the total parts, and this I know to be true: 

 together it is lovely.

Transplanting

I love freebies so I was delighted when a friend called to tell me there were daffodils to dig.

My assistants helped me replant them in our yard, and I've decided that our top gardening priority this summer is to learn to properly identify poison ivy.

The Real McCoy

I spotted her right away and thought, "She's a beauty!"

Just look at those graceful lines.

Sure, she was a bit dirty on the outside.

But I knew she had class, breeding, was someone really special.

The best part, however, was the price -

just fifty shiny pennies!

You just gotta love thrift stores.

Boutique Week

Just call me a spendthrift 'cause I've certainly been on a roll.

Tuesday: Gap A-line corduroy skirt, $1.50 - Northside Neighborhood House

Saturday: Eddie Bauer 3/4 length henley top, $1.25; Crazy Horse black handbag, $2.50 - Junior League

Sunday: Definitely the most fun (and profitable) - a Swap Meet hosted by my friend Suzy. Each participant brought up to 20 items (anything) and got a corresponding number of clothespins. We got to shop from the assorted goods. I not only got rid of random items from around the house, I came back with some real finds including an Ann Taylor summer dress and 2 funky beaded necklaces.

I also got some supplies for re-purposing projects including an 80's style culotte that (hopefully) can be cut down into a couple of skirts.

Boutiques can be beautiful.

Goodbye, Old Friend

Seems like it was just yesterday that we met. I was young and naive, setting out on my own for the first time, anxious and eager. As I filled you with necessities, packing and repacking until everything fit just right, I never knew where the road would take us.

You saw me through 3 years of college, up and down the dormitory halls, but more often than not, overloaded for a weekend back home where quarters were not required.

You were filled with strange and new garments as you rode in that broken down U-Haul to travel across the state. Masculine hands faithfully carried you up and down the 3 flights of stairs to the dank, dark basement.

After a year you were moved once again, this time to a new state. Neither rain nor snow nor sleet nor hail kept us from trekking across parking lots to do our duty, week in and week out.

Three years later, we moved once again. The trips outdoors ended, but we did have stairs. And with another person in the house, small though he was, the piles only grew.

A year later, we made our final move: a house of our own - one level (though we must go outdoors).

Its hard to say goodbye, but unfortunately the time has come. You served me faithfully for 14 years, but it's put a toll on your strength and with 3 additional little bodies, you just can't keep up.



As you pass through the recycling center and are reborn into something new, please know that I am indebted to your faithful service to us for so many years.

World's Longest Yard Sale

In the six years that we have lived in Chattanooga, it seems I've always been nursing and/or pregnant when this time of year rolls around. Seeing as the route passes just a few miles from our house makes it even harder for this gal who has yard-sale genes through and through.

So unless my husband has mercy on me for a while Saturday morning, it seems I will miss another sale. I'll just console myself with my past yard sale, flea market, and estate sale finds.

Wooden Bench:

originally from Charleston, SC, battered and worn

I love the saw marks and nail holes

Happy Apple

what a fun toy and it looks at home with my "paraPoohnalia"

Yellow Cabinet:
the bottom portion was purchased a perpetual yardsale in my hometown, and my dear father constructed the hutch to house our microwave and cookbooks in a former apartment

White Kitchen Cabinet:

I fell in love with this piece and my cash-carrying folks loaned me the money to purchase it

Old Vegetable Bin:

the perfect storage container for our plethora of Matchbox cars, trains, and wooden track

Demi Lune Table:

cute even if it's not practical

Floor Lamp:

one of my grandfather's better finds

especially since the bottom lights up

Explosives Crate:
got this at the same sale as the bench and it's perfect for housing my very-forgiving pothos

Assorted Flower Pots:

one of several that serve as beautiful & functional storage

Here's to the thrill of the hunt.