Life in Color mixed-media collage banner with vibrant patterned stripes and stitched edges, abstract art design.
Celebrating crafts, kids and the everyday through photographs.
  • 20131215-015146.jpg
    I found this photo of Bennie on my phone. She took it of herself while Bj was holding her. I was reading Big Susan to Tuesday.
    Bennet has a been up for hours. Luckily this the first time in a week that Bj has been able to help in the middle of the night. He’s been sick and banished to the twin in Tuesday’s room (she’s on a makeshift bed on our floor). We’re doing the classic 30 minutes on 30 minutes off. It’s brutal.
    Ugh this nasty cold/virus/whatever! First Bennet before thanksgiving. Then we traveled to Bj’s parents for the holiday. Came back and Tuesday was getting sick. Bj’s mom came to stay a few days later and she got really sick (like really, my father in law had to dive a truck down and take her home, towing her car). Then Bj. I can’t get sick, moms aren’t allowed right? Oh but I admit it doesn’t look so bad when I see them laying on the couch watching TV. “Bob the builder, can he fix it.” How I hate that show after three days non stop.
    I’ve managed to get in little bits of holiday crafting here and there. We did a very limited decoration, there just wasn’t anytime. I did finally finish an advent I hope will be used for years.
    This is where a picture would go, but my phone doesn’t want to cooperate. I also made my first paper pieced block, a pretty sort of star.
    What have you been up to?
    Now it’s 2:08, I think I’m going to attempt a lay down. If it works good, Bj’s snoring away (stupid cold is hanging on)… He just fell asleep, and I think that’s the worst time to be woken up.
    Did I mention Bennet has taken to waking up between five and six in the morning?

    2 comments on 1:51 AM, as good a time as any
  • I have apparently been absolutely terrible at taking pictures lately. I have to remember some things though, so here it goes.
    -I’ve been trying to get Tuesday to wipe her own hiney. So I bought those flushable wipes. People they are not flushable. We had a water in the basement situation as a result. Ugh. But yay for Flor tiles that we could individually remove and dry out. Also for brothe’s who get up out of bed to bring us a dehumidifier very late at night. And neighbors who let us traipse in and out of their house all night so we could use their bathroom. Everything was resolved with much less expense than we anticipated and nothing was ruined. Phew. Lesson learned though, we’re getting an overflow alarm!
    -November work out a day. My friend put a group together to motivate each other, and it’s working for me. I’ve done some form of exercise every day (save for the one we were dealing with cleaning carpets and drying things out). I go to Zumba one night a week, we’ve done family walks, and I’m doing the Jillian DVDs. The girls love it, they try to work out along with me (there was an unfortunate finger smashing with weights incident though). I wrote this a few weeks ago and fell off the exercise wagon, have to get back on it!
    -This led to me biking the girls to dance… without stoping to walk the bike! First time people! I’m so happy about this, I still bike about as slow as someone walking, but it’s progress. Not to mention it was done in the rain.

    -We got back out the beans. They haven’t been in this box the whole time. I put them in another plastic tub up in the garage for a few years. They saved great, and continue to be a big hit. Just like with Tuesday Bennet has tried a couple and doesn’t think they’re any good so I’m not worried about her choking on them. I think we are just about past the choking phase at 16 months. Thank goodness!
    -We drove down to Eugene to see the visiting Harlem Ballet. It was fantastic. It was a Bj, Tuesday, mama date. Love, love, love. Some of her homeschool buddies were also there some rows ahead. Very cute to see her and Z sticking tongues out and waving at each other.
    -I was driving and there was a piece of wood in the road I had to swerve around. I looked back in my rear view mirror and a guy I saw smoking a cigarette looking all shabby on the sidewalk jumped out and pulled it out of the street. So kind. I must watch myself with those stereotypes and quick judgements. A good reminder to always assume the best of everyone.
    -Bj fixed my old fashioned telephone.
    -Bj installed a 240 outlet (and cleaned up our breaker box) so we could put in a level two charger for the car. He told me, “I think I could be an electrician!” No doubt he could. He also did all our outdoor wiring. I do get a little nervous when he says stuff like, “I’m going to flip in on, stand there with the fire extinguisher in case something goes wrong!” But so far, so good.
    -Bj put a new boot in our washing machine. The old one (and it was already the second) was all moldy and gross. Short of cleaning it out fastidiously between loads how do I stop this from happening? I never NEVER close the door when it’s not in use.  A side note it took the professionals THREE HOURS and THREE GUYS to do this last time (it was under warranty then). Bj did it alone with only a few minutes of my help to hold something. YouTube for the win.
    -And the best thing. We had my dear friend and college roommate Taro to came to visit! This time with his lovely wife and baby.
    Update soon!

    1 comment on This and that – happy things
  • Oh these silly girls. And silly mama; I just can’t help myself sometimes. Halloween is one of those times!

    I decided at the last minute (10 o’clock the night before) that Bennet needed a coat to complete her gnome costume (and make it a bit different from my god daughter’s, since I was recycling most of the outfit). And her hat turned out a little pope-esque. Oops. I blame it on the fact that I had no pattern and was knitting under the table at jury duty without looking (because apparently knitting needles are banned there. No way was I going to sit there all day without them).

    The coat is just made out of felt, so it’s not lined or anything, but I did pick a pattern out and started cutting out pieces before realizing it had facings. Oops, a little more complicated than I needed it to be, but so cute!

    I thought the hair was a good touch. I was going to go beard, but glad I went with the hair, she kept this hat on all night.

    Tuesday had a change of heart about the mail carrier outfit. When I asked her why she didn’t want to wear it on Halloween she said, “because I’ll get cold”. Well that was easily solved with a phone call to Nana.

    The next week were were unwrapping new long pants, I stuck a shirt under the tee and boom, winter mail carrier! And look her shoes have laces. I don’t think anything says, “I’m a big kid” like shoes with laces. Halloween was magical this year. The weather was PERFECT. It had rained earlier in the day, but cleared up and was not that cold. I can’t remember another dry Halloween. There were kids everywhere, it was so festive and happy and had such a good community air about the whole thing. We decided to walk up to grandma’s new (old) house, which is quite the trek. Tuesday didn’t mind in the least. She was happy to hit every possible house, even one with a smoke machine! A far cry from last year’s, “oh not that house, I think they have a dog. No, not that house, my wings might get bent.” I also want to remember that she was so please and I think surprised at how much people loved her costume. After one house she told me, “They loved my outfit. Everyone really likes my outfit!”

    Bennet happily sat like this the whole time, staring at everything and wondering what the heck was going on.

    My attempt at the three of us.

    4 comments on Halloween

archives

2 page layouts 8.5×11 layouts 12×12 layouts Alaska birthday birthday party brads canning Carmen Chloe crew girls dining room DIY elimination communication fair fall food front yard hair Halloween iPhone misting Montessori newborn nighttime night time oregon oregon coast oregon state fair organization painting painting with kids party portland punches ribbon salem Sciarrino scrapbooking sewing on scrapbooking Silhouette sleep toddler Tuesday tulips