september mornings

Day  One

Day Three

Day Four

Day Six

Day Seven

Day Eight

Day Nine

Day Ten

Day Eleven

Day Twelve

Day Thirteen

Day Fifteen

Day Sixteen

Day Seventeen

Day Eighteen

Day Nineteen

the good and the bad

Ok, wait....wait....I should reword that. It should read the bad and the good. End with a positive. Makes me feel better at least. So let me tell you friends. I did really, pretty much, nothing, all day long. I did take a shower, so that is something I guess. I'm feeling slightly guilty however. Today was not the most productive, and here's why.


the bad: Skype didn't work this morning. The sound was completely gone. No matter what I tried, I couldn't figure it out which was very annoying. I spent the better part of the morning rebooting, installing updates and clicking on every darn button I could think of to get the sound to work.

the good: I was able to see my bestie bff. She lives in Michigan. And wouldn't you know, even without sound, we could still get each other's jokes and crack ourselves up until potty breaks needed to be taken. It was like a silent humorous film. You know before talkies were created. What is the capital of Ohio you ask? Why "O" of course!! *snicker*


the bad: I spent all day waiting on a craigslister. She emailed, she called, she was later than she said. I was stuck at home. Waiting the day away.

the good: The bed I have been posting and reposting is finally not living in my living room anymore. She didn't even dicker with me on price. She (finally) came, she looked, and she loaded that baby up.


the bad: The doggie groomer shaved my dogs' scottie skirts off per my request and I'm not so sure I like how they look.

the good: The doggies are clean and smell good again even though they look like little piggies with beards.


the bad: It seems to be I don't have any clothes that ever really fit. Oh sure, I did just buy those jeans two days ago but today, they are baggy. And, that fave sweatshirt that I wore last week, now looks super sloppy. Oh, and my raincoat feels like I'm wearing a tent.

the good: I'm down 75 pounds.


the bad: People think my new TOMS shoes are ugly.

the good: The purchase of my new TOMS shoes helped put a pair of shoes on a shoeless child somewhere in the world. Plus, they are super comfy. What's so bad about that??


the bad: The weather has turned sour. Rainy, cold and gray.

the good: My children stay inside the house so I don't have to worry about them getting into trouble around the neighborhood.


the bad: The weather has turned sour. Fall is here.

the good: I LOVE Fall!!!

hello monday

So our Indian Summer was very short lived and we are back to the rain of the Pacific Northwest. No surprise there. And, how very boring of my to start out a post with the weather. Yawn! I sort of love today though. It is mellow and the house feels cozy and the kids are all at school. That right there is cause for a celebration.

Oh you know I'm teasing.

Mondays are really my favorite though. They weren't always. I used to loath Mondays when I had to get up early for school or work or some other task I really didn't want to do. Mondays used to be about moaning and mourning over the lost weekends. But no more. Those days are gone. For now anyway. 

Sure, sticking my feet out from under my warm covers and greeting the day before the sun is up is a little tricky during these dark Fall and Winter months. However, I find peace in knowing that very soon, my family will be off to their adventures in learning and computer programming. And, I will be left with peace and silence. Right now, I love that about my life.

Every weekday provides me with this same love affair of solitude except for Wednesday afternoons when the kids get out of school early. Yes, every Wednesday. I'm not a fan of Wednesday afternoons. Nope, those days are not my fave. The other four days make up for Wednesday afternoons though so it's okay.

friday fumblings

My dog is sick. Like diarrhea all over the house sick. How's that for a way to start the day? We are not strangers to the fact Franklin has a sensitive tum-tum, but boy oh boy, this was not how I wanted to spend my Friday morning. I finally managed to get some medicine down his throat, so I'm crossing my fingers this afternoon is less messy.

What did I have planned for today you ask. Well, I wanted to have a garage sale in my driveway but opted out due to doggie messes and I have a cold, leaving my head in a sort of fog. Oh sure, it would have been easy to just walk all my wares out in front my house but I wasn't feeling it. Maybe tomorrow when Mr. Hawthorne can help with signage and dickering. I'm just not in the mood today.

What am I in the mood for you ask. Well, I have a need to get everything organized and under control. But I'm lacking energy probably because of this stupid cold. Which sucks. Maybe I should go get a B12 shot. Have you ever had one? I've gotten one twice before and it does help. I think.

I'm really digging this autumn weather we have here in the Northwest. Except yesterday. Yesterday was muggy and humid like we were in the middle of the jungle. Which is why I like my house. It's always cool. It literally feels like we have air conditioning, which we don't. But today is lovely. Sunny and crisp. My favorite.

This post is so random. Sorry folks. I keep getting interrupted by cleaning tasks so my thoughts are very shattered. I wanted to throw something out there, but I'm afraid I might be boring you to death. Which is why I probably shouldn't have my very own reality show. The ratings would go down the drain.

Speaking of reality TV. I'm slightly addicted. I know, I know. It's junk and I'm probably rotting my brain with every minute I subject myself to it. But I can't help it. I don't enjoy all the cop shows and the one liner zings of the half hour comedies tend to bore me after a while. So I'm left with the lives of manic, rich people fighting with each other over silly things. A friend on facebook posted a funny little tid-bit that read "a book commits suicide every time you watch Jersey Shore". That made me giggle.

Happy first day of fall!! Hope you all enjoy your weekend!

kid tested, mother approved

El Fuego had the best time at his friend's birthday party last weekend. If you've never been skydiving, this is a super fun way to try. You basically get suited up and walk into a wind tunnel with an instructor. No jumping off sides of cliffs required to feel the same rush of 90 miles per hour air blow your cheeks up into perma-grins.

 

iFlyseattle

the story of saturday night

Nine years ago, Mr. Hawthorne and I, with our first baby in tow, walked onto the Kia car lot and purchased a brand-new, first year model minivan. Because it was a first year model, the price was good. And, although my handy hubby was reluctant at the thought of purchasing any minivan, he agreed to my whims of brand new motherhood.

The main reasons I wanted a minivan was simply because it drove like a car, but had room for strollers and diaper bags and groceries and dogs. Plus, because of the bucket seats you are required to drive your infants around in, the sliding side doors made the ease of loading and unloading those said seats much easier. Not to mention when obnoxious people parked their vehicles too close for comfort, those same sliding doors came in very handy, allowing entrance into the minivan still possible.

Suffice to say, I did love my minivan for many reasons especially after adding two more kids, many more groceries and a double stroller to the mix. We drove that minivan to it's demise, however, and eventually parked it on the side of the driveway. We cleaned it out, stopped paying insurance on it and paid homage to it every now and again. It was a good car and a symbol of the survival of our young family.

Which brings me to last night.

Around seven o'clock, a young man rang the doorbell. I opened the door and he told me he was looking for a minivan in our area that was for sale, but was having a hard time finding it. Then he bluntly asked if we were selling ours. I told him we had planned on selling it, but hadn't done anything yet. I could see my answer set the wheels in his head on fire and he was ready for some wheeling and dealing. I sent Mr. Hawthorne outside with the keys and about fifteen minutes later, they drove away for a test drive.

Don't get me wrong, this very odd situation made me extremely nervous and I couldn't help thinking it was some sort of scam. Although the man fed us a line that he was up here looking for a car for his wife and four kids, his cell phone was dead and he didn't bring the address of the car he was up here to originally purchase, I wasn't buying it. His Nordstrom attire and slicked hair told me otherwise. When the test drive was in operation, I went outside and took note of his information from the car he was driving.

He worked out a deal with Mr. Hawthorne. Paid us cash and while charging his cell phone in our minivan, called a tow truck company he happened to have on speed dial. The conclusion I arrived at was he had a private car lot. He buys cars cheap, fixes them up somewhat and sells them to the next dope looking for a deal.

In a matter of an hour an half, the minivan we drove our sleeping babies around in, that parked quietly on the side of driveway, was man-handled by the somewhat con-man, loaded up on the back of a tow truck and hauled away for a new life.

It was truly the most random, oddest single happening I've ever experienced.

peter iredale

On the eve of our last night of our super duper glamping trip, we headed for the beach near the 1906 shipwreck of Peter Iredale.

What I loved most about this summers trip, right before the start of school, was all the hands on learning we crammed in. Sort of by accident and sort of on purpose. Especially since El Fuego's year will be jammed packed with a lot of the things we saw in person which makes the learning even more relevant.

I could never ever be a home schooling parent with my own children. Even though I was a kindergarten teacher back in the day. I would way suck at it!! I know this about me. But, every now and again I get faint little glimpses of home schooling and learning. And, it makes me feel good. My only wish is that it makes the kids feel good too.

After examining the abandoned bones of the Peter Iredale ship, we played in the freezing cold water until sun down. Then we warmed our toes by the campfire, eating s'mores.

All the kids feel asleep in their camp chairs while watching the fire glow shortly after.

And, I made up a story about the Opossum that visited our glamp site.

It was a sweet ending to summer vacation!

my new motto

I read somewhere, somewhere I've long forgotten, a cute line: "When life gives you dressers, find room in the garage."

I won't lie. As soon as my eyes skimmed that little nugget of wisdom, I've taken it to heart. Luckily, my handy husband actively participates in this dresser obsession. It's not just any dresser though. It's the cheapest, most forgotten dresser we can find. Free is the best. But sometimes you find sad, dirty pieces at garage sales. Which is where Mr. Hawthorne found this one for ten smack-a-roos. To which he texted me about purchasing. And, I quickly responded "YES!"

Let me tell you, this dresser was in sad shape. It was dirty, missing a knob, had an old bra and a pair of pantyhose stuck behind one drawer, inhabited by a spider and had these horrible labels plastered on each drawer. Yuck!

Mr. Hawthorne cleaned and fixed her right up.

However, this post isn't so much about taking an ugly dresser and giving it a new life. It's more about the inside.

I happened to come across a fun way of using fabric as drawer liners a while back, but since then lost the link. When I searched for it I couldn't find it, but I did find

Infarrantly Creative and her post on this very topic.

 

I followed her instruction and got myself some Fabric Mod Podge which I'm so glad I did. It did make a difference in cutting and placing the fabric. The only thing I wasn't sure about from her tutorial was if she put the Fabric Mod Podge on the front or back of her fabric. I used mine on the back.

Then with a pattern cut out of wax paper I lined all the drawers in fabric and regular Mod Podge. It worked like a charm.

Before.

After.

Cute!

rootin tootin birthday

Last week I had myself a birthday so we drove on down to the rodeo to celebrate. Yeehaw!!