Why I {Heart} Sundays in the Fall

pulling out my favorite sweaters and warm socks
the energy that the crisp morning air forces on me
the smell of neighbors' fires as we get home from church
hot stews and roasts waiting in the crockpot
naps on the couch
the soft and constant cheers of football fans
...falling asleep to those cheers
starting our first fires in the fireplace

quiet
talk time with Hubs while the kiddos take long naps into the darkened late afternoon
no obligations

not caring whether or not the house is clean because I'm Biblically mandated to rest
the groggy, red splotched, messy haired, and bleary eyed smiles of the kids as they wake from their long naps
wrestling on the living room floor with

the tenderness the kids show one another as they are playing with mom and dad and at peace with the world
a messy kitchen and happy kids
leftovers for dinner
putting the littlest ones to bed and having a special hot chocolate and s'more snack with big brother

more talk time with Hubs once the kids are in bed
being okay with curling up in bed earlier than usual under heavy blankets in a cool bedroom
rest

Hope you had a great weekend!

Caden's Quilt is Done!

Remember this and this?

Well now it look a little more like this... 

And it only took five months!

 

Fruit Fly Trap

For some reason, the fruit flies are ree.dic.u.lous. around here these days. We don't even have fruit on the counter and they're all over the place!
So, on the off chance that you haven't seen this before... here's a fantastic trap that keeps flies at bay or, at the very least, contained.

Place a small piece of ripened fruit in the bottom of a tall glass. {We use a drinking glass.}
Using a piece of 8.5"x11" paper, make a cone with a small opening at the point.
Tape the cone into place so that it fits tightly inside the mouth of the glass.
Run a piece of tape around the mouth of the glass to keep the paper in place.
Sit back and watch it work.
Once you have "collected" most of your flies, pour hot, soapy water into the cup and drown them before dumping it down the drain. 

Another idea is mixing apple cider vinegar, water, and dish detergent in a water bottle. Create the same funnel on the top. The flies will be drawn in and drown. I haven't tried this one but the rumor is it's a great option. 
For a few more pictures, The Idea Room apparently uses it too.

SO GROSS!

Cheap Fun {Rice Bucket}

1 medium sized plastic bin

1 giant bag of rice

several kitchen utensils and instruments

1 very messy kitchen floor

1 hour of quiet children

Totally worth it!
{bin, rice, utensils}

Big Girl Bed

Tonight is Miss Mak's first night in her big girl bed...

I cannot believe how fast time passes these days!

 Goodnight Miss!

Garage Cleanup

Here's yet another "almost there" project that is likely to sit tight for a while because it's now in the "good enough" pile.

I saw this idea on Maillardville Manor and basically copied it to a "T".

I'm aiming to get the wire shelves from Home Depot a.s.a.p. because right now this...

is our closet.

Bed Time! Part 2

So I sort of have "afters"...
I got Miss Mak's bed done but am waiting for the mattresses. Coming soon, I hope.
For now, she's making due like the trooper she is.

CJ's bed is still in the works.
I painted it red, like I showed you in the "befores" but the red ended up looking awefully pink.
Husband opposed my color choice {which I picked because it was F.R.E.E.} and helped me choose a cherryier red.

The color is great. The painting texture due to at least 4 coats of paint, not so great.

So back to the garage where they're being sanded down.
And to avoid yet another coat of red paint, I'm using a tinted polyurethane to darked the wood I've managed to expose while sanding and give the whole piece a "well loved" look.

So close I can taste it!

Bed Time!

I've been wanting to do these projects for a couple of months now and am SO excited to share what I've been able to get done.

Of course we must start with the "befores" {post sanding}

Miss Mak's frame that belonged to my great uncle...

 

 and CJ's which belonged to my father in law...

 

and now the "durings"...

 

 

 

 

Stay tuned for the "afters"! Yipee!

ugh

good morning to me.

Small Bath Rug Fix

We ran into a small problem in our hall bath... 

 we needed a rug for the kids to step on so they don't slip on the tile...

 but it was too big.

I couldn't find any run short enough so the door can pass over it.

 So I cut it in half...

 Laid it side by side...

 and voila...

 Problem solved.



Monday

Good Morning!
I read somewhere that a blogger should post every day.
Let's just say, for our purposes, that I'm a blogger...
one who is falling very short these days.

I had no idea what I was in for when Hubs signed the papers for this house.

I've managed to hang a couple of pictures this weekend which made it all feel more like home. The girls room is painted, CJ and Mak's beds are sanded and ready for paint {more on that soon}. I feel like I have a plan for most of the rooms in the house. Now it's just a matter of time to execute them. So far, it's been a lot of work and watching things come together is so much fun. 

So in the meantime... I'll pass on some of the fun things I come across while my feet are up at the end of the day. Like this...

21 Questions to Ask Your Kids

How fun to get he answer to questions like...

"How does Mommy make you laugh?"

"How old is Mommy?"

"How are you and Mommy the same?"

and you can also check out  

22 Questions to Ask Your Kids at the End of Each Year

Your journal to your munchkins would be a great place to keep track of these answers.