Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real: Master Bedroom Edition

This week, Like Mother Like Daughter issued a challenge, to post at least one thing in your bedroom that you made useful and/or beautiful, with the appreciation that starting in the bedroom that you share with your husband is of key value to making your home life and marriage beautiful and God-fearing (that's my own paraphrasing).

So, here is a peak into our bedroom.  I did not do anything new beyond making the bed, which I succeed at probably two or three times a week these days, and clearing off a few surfaces of books, toys and clothes, which I succeed at once every couple of weeks (ok, months).  But I have made some efforts here throughout the short years of our marriage, and in the spirit of the statements above, I do try to keep this room from becoming too much of a catch-all and mess.  I think our room is vitally important as a little sanctuary.

{Pretty}

in my humble opinion

Here is our room from the door entering from the hallway.  The only pieces of furniture we have bought were the bed (before homebirth number one) and the rug at the foot of the bed (we had a rug prior to this but our former dog pooped and threw up on it, and homebirth number two was so fast that we did not have time to get out all the chucks ~ sorry if that is TMI).

I made the comforter cover myself, before any babies of course. I found two Ralph Lauren sheets at Marshall's for $7 each, and sewed them together.  I had to re-sew the top since it was much longer than the actual comforter, and more recently, I went in and sewed lots of ties to the inside, as well as to the top of the comforter, because it drives me nuts when the comforter slides down in the cover.  My husband does NOT like helping me change the comforter now.  :-)  

This little table was in the entryway of my parent's house for as long as I can remember, holding hats and other debris that got dropped off as we trooped in through the front door.  It is wobbly and not strong but I am attached to it.  And see!  I actually have my first little crafty project in the works in about 3 years... started a couple of weeks ago.

{Happy}

I found these elephant book ends at Marshall's ages ago, when I was a single girl with lots of time to help my mom Christmas shop for my five siblings and various relatives.  I bought them with her credit card and told her to give them to me for Christmas.  Even without the element of surprise they were my favorite gift that year. They had languished on top of a bookshelf holding overflow books, until my husband saw the messy stack on my side table and put them there one day to surprise me.  I was really touched that he thought of that.  Anyway, they make me happy every time I see them there.  Also {Real} they are very dusty, as is much of the room.  I.do.not.like.dusting.  So it gets done about twice a year.  At most.

This is the rest of the corner, I cover up my alarm clock because I can't sleep with light in the room.

A friend gave us her old glider rocker when Bluejay was a few months old, and it has made nursing SO MUCH nicer.  I mean, I love nursing.  But the glider brought the whole experience to a new level of comfort (especially when I was having some back problems).  My sister-in-law found the footstool at a yard sale, and we only bought the replacement cushion, which {Funny} or maybe more maddening, took 4 months to get here from somewhere in Canada from whence it apparently travelled by train, pony express, and turtle-pack animal delivery service.  Chickadee is going through the "write on everything in the house with ballpoint pen" stage, so I recently had to attack that cushion with hairspray, soap, and various cleaners.

{Funny}

My dresser is never this clear.  I just put away bunch of things including stacks of clothes. 

On my dresser are some of a recent haul of hairties which Chickadee picked out at Target, and now will not let me put in her hair. All she wants to wear are her Elmo and Big Bird clips, which she pulled out of her hair somewhere a few weeks ago, and I now cannot find.

We put the curtains up to hide our closet, which was originally closed by horrid gold-framed mirrored sliding doors.  The curtains are generally opened, I closed it to hide the mess for these pictures.  But I can also close it when I just want our room to look nice for US and no one else.  I like that.

{Real}

This is my husband's dresser top.  I feel bad about this.  While right now it is mostly covered with his clothes, because I finally did the laundry after he ran out of socks and work pants, it also often acts as a repository for things I'm hiding from the kids, random stuff that ends up in our room, and, I'll be honest, overflow from MY dresser.  Poor guy.  He doesn't even like his dresser (it was a hand-me-down from friends who moved) and has a lot of his stuff in boxes above the closet.  Also you can see a dress hanging there on his side, which is one of a bunch from my childhood that I'm saving for Chickadee, taking up his very minimal closet space.  

Also, not shown (I know, I should but I just didn't really want to photograph it) is the closet floor which is covered with shoes all mismatched, dirty clothes and toys, and the closet shelves, which we've organized several times but are pretty disastrous, because we both use them to stash things on top of other things, that are either a big problem when the kiddos get into them, or are meant to be surprises, or are for future use, or are just OURS and we don't really want to share with said toddlers or relegate to the garage or shed.

So that's it. It is pretty much the nicest looking room in the house.  The rest of the house is much more cluttered and messy so please, please do not take this as an example of my homekeeping skills.  In fact, as I type this, Aaron just called out to me "Maybe this weekend, we can figure out all the crap behind the couch, get rid of some of it."  So yeah.  It's just that I do try to keep this room a little bit nicer. It's important.

Visiting the Wood Duckling!

It's been more than a month since I've posted!  Ay yi yi.

Last week we (the little birds and I, with my sister) headed up north to spend a little time with the Wood Duckling.  Hoo boy has he grown, he's Mister Chubby Thighs now. 

 Chickadee could not get enough of him.  All she wanted to do was hold him...

...and kiss him...

... and point at him and talk about him.

Bluejay had a grand time as well, although I think his enjoyment was more tied to the riding lawnmower... 

... the apple trees, the blackberry bushes, the sheds and the little barn and his uncle's immense garage / woodshop area.  He gathered wood for the fireplace, and basically manned the house along with Uncle G.

I do love my brother and sister-in-law's new house.  I could let the kiddos run around inside or out and know that they were basically safe.  

The only dangers were the ones I'm comfortable with exposing them to (within reason), like honey bees, the occasional sharp piece of equipment within toddler reach, and splinters, that kind of thing.  

We made Dragon Bread while we were up there, a traditional Michaelmas activity in my family.  

It's basically a slightly sweet dough, with cardamom in it, that we make in the shape of a dragon, with the assistance of raisins for scales, claws, teeth, whatever the dragon needs for extreme scariness.

Then it goes in the oven and puffs up as it bakes and becomes cute instead of scary.

Finally it gets frosted with green frosting (one of my brothers always made a small amount of red to go on the small piece of flame shaped dough baked to a brown burnt crisp which he would then attach to his dragon's mouth), and slain with a sword-slash-bread knife.  We forgot the frosting ingredients this time.  The best part is always the slightly burnt puffy raisins.

On Monday and Tuesday, the Wood Duckling spent the morning with us, so that his mama could have a little bit of baby-free teaching time.  We brought him to her at her little school after his morning nap and just before he got really hungry.

At last, it was time to go home.  Bye-bye cousins!  We can't wait to see that little pudge-ball again soon.  He is just the sweetest, most mellow little baby.

Six Random Thoughts

1. God Bless the Garbage Men.  Every Monday is garbage day, and it is a wonderful blessing in this house.  Not because we have very much garbage.  We usually only half fill up our small size bin.  It's because the garbage men and the garbage trucks make Bluejay and Chickadee SO HAPPY.  Nothing can pull us out of a funk like the arrival of the garbage truck. Often we run outside to see the first one.  The garbage man waves, and toots his horn for us.  And there are THREE different trucks that come throughout the day, one for garbage, one for recycling and one for clean green, so we never miss them all. Monday is a great day, thanks to the garbage men.

2. Comfort food.  I tend to cook the same "types" of meals all the time.  I am most comfortable with pasta.  If we need to eat vegetables or are fasting, I make some sort of vegetable medley over pasta.  If we need protein, I make some sort of sausage or meat sauce over pasta.  Sometimes I vary it with vegetables or meat over rice or polenta.  I almost always make a salad.  Boy am I creative.  Anyway, my husband really likes traditional American comfort food.  (I've noticed that this kind of comfort food generally has a "cream" component, whether it's cream of mushroom soup or anything that starts out as a roux or just a nice dollop of cream, especially sour cream). Last night I wanted to make something he would really like, so I did chicken fried chicken, mashed potatoes and corn, with, of course, gravy.  And not even a salad in sight.  It was a big hit.  Aaron loved it. I loved it too.  But, I was sweating after all the boiling and frying (there were three pots boiling on the stove in addition to the frying pan full of hot oil, and the oven was on to keep the finished chicken pieces warm).  Also, there was a LOT of butter and oil that went into that meal.  And this is coming from someone who loves butter so much she puts it on her croissants.  So I need to find a nice balance between comfort food and clogged arteries.

3. Restraint.  There was a Friends marathon on TV the other night.  I only watched two episodes!  That is restraint, my friends.  Especially since we're getting rid of TV again this week (we signed up for cable to watch the Olympics).  Why do I love Friends so much?

4. Bacon in the oven! There probably shouldn't be multiple food related points in each post.  But seriously, bacon cooked in the oven? Is one of the best ideas ever.

5. Time away from the kids.  My husband has been trying to give me an evening away from the kids each week.  This is a new thing, and very much needed.  To reciprocate, I told him to stay home the other evening while I took the babes over to a friend's house for dinner.  He used his time away to pick up the house.  I could not possibly be more grateful.  Thank you thank you to my most favorite person.

6. A.S. Byatt.  I mentioned that I'd started a new book, in my last post.  It is Possession.  So far, it is VERY good.  Best book I've read in a long time.  I am a slow reader these days, so bear with me, but if it's decent through to the end, I'll be sure to let you know.  Oh, and it's a "romance" in the literary sense of the term.

August Daybook

Outside my window... Quiet, pleasant evening.  I love this kind of weather.  

I am wearing... Green sweatpants and a plum colored striped shirt.  It's not pretty, but the day is over.

I am thankful for... Those moments when God grants me a little bit more patience, after I thought I was at the bottom of the patience barrel.

I am thinking about... The wisest ways to spend my very limited and precious alone time.

Learning all the time... I am learning to keep things going in a more minimal way, while I have little ones in the house.

From the kitchen... I made up a vegetarian(ish) version of stroganoff.  It wasn't entirely fasting, but everyone seemed happy with it. 

I am creating... a bag crocheted out of other plastic bags.  I got the idea from Matushka Anna.  It's fun and easy, the most time consuming part is making the plarn.

I am working on... Patience, as mentioned above, also acceptance of what I can and can't accomplish with little ones in the house. I've spent too much time already thinking that I just need to get the hang of this having toddlers thing and then I'll be able to do x, y or z on a regular basis (usually housekeeping items).   

I am going... To spend a little time working at my old office.  I think it will be good for me.

I am hoping... To have a little time by myself, and a little time with my husband to actually have a conversation.

I am reading... Nothing at the moment, but a friend just lent me a book, and I'm hopeful it will be good.  If it is, I'll post the title later.

I am praying for... The same intentions as last time: little Samuel in the NICU; my friend Alan who has brain cancer; my brother in Afghanistan. Also for my mother-in-law, and for acquiring a spirit of peace.

I am hearing... The sprinklers running in the yard, my husband putting away silverware and the children chattering away to him. 

One of my favorite things... Chats on the phone with my sister-in-law.

A few plans for the rest of the week... Heading into the office for a few hours on Thursday.  Not much else on the horizon this week.

A few picture thoughts I am sharing with you... Just for fun, here are a couple of pictures from 2005, when we were living in Michigan and were still newlyweds.

I miss these girls.  We worked hard together and managed to have fun doing it.

Awwww.  Look how young we are.

The Simple Woman's Daybook

Resiliency

The subject of resiliency has been on my mind lately.  I am searching for a serious and uncompromising way to encourage this trait, to instill this virtue, even, in my children.  I want them to be able to be knocked down and get themselves back up, again and again.  This is incredibly important to me.  Whether it's on the playground, a challenging educational project, an athletic attempt, or a career setback, I want them to be able to take the hit and bounce back.  It seems to me that this type of toughness is no longer valued in our society.  It's no longer taught, it's no longer praised, it's no longer even needed in so many ways.  Got a D on that term paper?  That's ok, writing is just not your thing, or that teacher just doesn't get you.  You suck at batting? You can quit baseball, it's ok.  You got a role in the play but you're scared of performing in front of people when it really comes down to it?  No problem, you can do the set painting instead.

That is not ok with me.  We all have to do things we don't want to do in life.  We have to do them all the time!  We also get the raw end of the deal sometimes, and not always justly.  We have to recognize it for what it is and move on, let it go.  The holy fathers talk about humility, ceaselessly, it seems to me.  I think that is the kind of resiliency I am trying to get at.  To let it go, to not care if you shirt is wet and your shoes got stomped on and to keep heading toward your goal requires a real, sincere humility of soul.  I believe that kind of humility IS toughness.  

I am a huge fan of the Laura Ingalls Wilder books.  I think they speak to this kind of toughness, this resiliency in the face of adversity continually.  It made an enormous impression on me, as a child, to read about someone being punished for something they did not do, and being told by their parents not to complain or say anything about it.  To see their parents losing their entire home due to circumstances beyond their control, and just calmly accepting it and moving on.  Nowadays there would be lawsuits!  My side must be heard!  Parents go to the coach, the teacher, the principal and complain on behalf of their child.  I am sure there is a time and a place for this.  But think what an example we can provide for our children if instead of that, we continually model for them understanding and at the same time the strength to let go of wrongs done us.  We preach the gospel of turn the other cheek, in a real, meaningful way and model it. We let them see us take a hit, get back up, and keep on running without spending any time complaining about the guy who hit us, or even trying to justify our original action.  Life happens.  We have to have the humility to roll with it, and that's the kind of strength I desperately want to see develop in my children.  It has never been a natural skill, virtue, strength of mine.  Whatever resiliency I have is something that I have struggled against my natural inclinations to acquire. I think it was definitely one of the values of my family of origin, although not, perhaps, with particular stress on humility.  I noticed and valued it in the historical and fictional characters in the many books I read growing up, and it is a trait I admired in other people.  Encouraging this virtue in my children, while always affirming their self-worth, is what I am learning to do, instance by instance.

What values are you trying to instill in your children?  How are you addressing those values that go against our current mainstream culture?  I am very curious to know, and learn the ways that other parents are working to help their children grow into confident, capable, internally strong adults.

New baby cousin~the wood duckling :-)

June Daybook

Outside my window...  It is very warm.  And it is going to get hotter.  It's supposed to be 99°F tomorrow and 100°F on Saturday.  Ay yi yi.  I do not like it this hot.  We can keep the house cool by shutting all the shades and windows in the morning, but by 4:00 p.m. even that coolness is lost. Thank goodness for cool California evenings.  


I am wearing... a navy blue skirt and a cobalt blue shirt.  I feel like the water colors are helping me to be cooler.  This year I've decided I really just don't like shorts, and it is way too hot and uncomfortable for pants.  So, I have adopted skirts for my new play clothes / housework clothes / just about everything clothes.  And if there's one thing you can find in decent condition and not too weird fitting at a thrift store, it is skirts! 


I am thankful for... my husband and his new job.  It has really changed our life.  He works so hard, and yet is so cheery and helpful most of the time.  I really appreciate him.


I am thinking about... my son.  He is such a good boy.  I am making an effort to pay more attention to him, to always talk to him kindly, and to make sure he feels comfortable, relaxed and loved all of the time.


Learning all the time... we are not school age yet, so our learning is that which comes naturally with growing up.  Bluejay is very interested in numbers and counting.  His favorite numbers so far are fourteen and eleventeen.  Chickadee is so very verbal for her 15 months. It continually takes me by surprise when she says things and communicates so much by speaking. We did teach her a few signs, but she has moved on to words so quickly, it's keeping me on my toes. I have to pay careful attention to what she is talking about.  Aaron is very good at it. He just pointed out to me that she is now saying her big brother's name. In a very adorable, shortened way.


From the kitchen... hmmm, I've been a little challenged in regards to the kitchen.  We have gone out for hamburgers a bit too often lately.  Since the fast started, I did make a very yummy nicoise type salad, although I took a few liberties based on what was actually in my pantry and fridge.  I put in canned cannellini beans and Chickadee devoured them. 


I am creating... plans for creating things.  My brother's mother-in-law (got that?) made a beautiful raggedy quilt for Chickadee when she was born out of various gorgeous flannel prints.  Ever since then I've been wanting to make one, so I talked her in to teaching me.  She sent me some guidelines for figuring out my fabric needs.  However, I am an under-rested mom of two generally cosleeping toddlers and I was never any good at arithmetic in the first place.  So, I figured out how much fabric I needed in length only.  I did not take into account the width of a yard.  I was a bit shocked when I watched the woman at Joann's cut the fabric.  But because I am a chicken, I did not say "Stop!  Let me rethink this".  No, I bought a very expensive bundle of pretty flannel and then brought it home and agonized over it, since we do not have the budget for expensive projects right now.  After my kindly husband laughed at me and assured me that I could return it, even though they cut it for me, I called Joann's and they said that indeed they could, if I hadn't washed, cut or done anything to it.  So I returned the whole batch.  I'm still going to make the quilt.  But I need to take a deep breath and CALM DOWN first. :-)


I am working on... taking deep breathes and calming down! And also helping Bluejay to do that too.  I think he inherited my "swing first and think later" gene.  Sheesh.  


I am going... Nowhere!  We've decided that there will be no more plans for a while, we're going to stay put and just go slow with everything for a little while.


I am hoping... To get a little time to just cuddle my new nephew, hereafter known as the Wood Duckling, when he is down here for his baptism this coming weekend.


I am reading... O Pioneers! and really enjoying it. It is refreshing to read a novel that is really good.  I hope it stays that way.  I've never been disappointed in Willa Cather before.


I am praying for... Little Samuel, born at 26 weeks; my friend Alan who has late stage brain cancer (I am feeling very in denial over this), my little nephew soon to be baptized, and my brother in Afghanistan.


I am hearing... Thomas the Tank Engine theme music, and Chickadee saying "Tractor! Tractor!" 


One of my favorite things... Handwork projects in process


A few plans for the rest of the week... The Wood Duckling's baptism!  Some time with my family.


Here are a few picture thoughts I am sharing with you: (Please note, sometimes I use my pictures, and sometimes I use my husband's much more amazing photographs.  You'll just have to guess which are which).

The Simple Woman's Daybook

Eight short little years ago today...