one more...

I also made a skirt for Rylie last night. I kind of wish I'd made it slightly more a-line and gathered at the waist, but it's my first skirt, all right? Live and learn. I actually have enough of the same material to do it over again, but I haven't decided if it's worth it yet.

Here's Nathan, doing his favorite thing.

Finally!!! (kind of)

I started making a shirt for Rylie several months ago (probably in the early spring) and finally finished it today! I took pictures of the cutting and piecing process but they're on our computer that's being fixed. The finished shirt is more interesting anyway, since Rylie is in it. I'm kinda annoyed with it, not just the amateurish sewing, but also the fact that the neckline is so low!! I should go back and fix it, if I can stand doing that part over again. Also, I can't get Rylie to stop saying "cheese", and this is what her face looks like when she says it.

So I guess the moral of the story is that I'm not done, and that my relief will be short-lived. Hopefully it won't take me too long to fix the sleeves so that they're closer together and the bodice is higher.
I kind of hate sewing. I like the idea process, but the actual work is so time-consuming and frustrating. Near the end when I was growling at my sewing machine for losing the thread again, Nathan said, "If your sewing machine is killing you, maybe you should stop using your sewing machine!"p.s. Ok I feel like I need to explain this picture of Nathan. He wasn't upset or anything, he just thinks he's hilarious. I'll admit it - he is.

Authors

The house was finally quiet. The kids were in their beds. Then I heard this as I passed their door.

Nathan: (repeating some question over and over but I couldn't tell what he was saying at first)
Rylie: Poe?
Nathan: Yes. Edgar Allen Poe. Do you have any Poe?
Rylie: No.
Nathan: You're supposed to say "go fish".
Rylie: Go fish.
Nathan: Okay. Now it's your turn.

I really wish I would have stayed longer to hear more... but I also really needed to get to where I was going. By the time I returned that way, I couldn't hear anything coming from their room.

the play room and Nathan's skills

So since I last mentioned it, I've organized the playroom. I took these pictures when it wasn't perfectly clean and when the sun was setting, but I think it gets the point across. Oh and you can kinda see the swords Jared made for the kids on the bookcase!Also, Nathan is getting better at writing and drawing! Haha I'm so proud. So is he. The first picture is the first time he's written his whole first name by himself. I still had to tell him a couple of times which letter came next, though. Actually that's something we're working on... he doesn't realize that the letters still have to go in a certain order. Or that words are generally supposed to be stay on one line. I don't think it's dyslexia, though.

p.s. the last picture is a family portrait. clockwise from the top: Rylie, me, Nathan and Jared.

Rare

Saturday in the house

We stayed at home today and got a lot done around the house. Jared fixed our screens and replaced the missing one (yay! no more battles with freaky hornets!) and worked in the garden a little and I cleaned and rearranged our bedroom. Most of the house is pretty clean now. I've found places for most of the furniture I inherited from Grandma Wood and the house is looking so much better now that we have some furniture that isn't particle board. ;) The only things I can't stand to look at right now are the play room (what used to be Rylie's room) and Jared's and my closet. Both are too chaotic. But I've noticed I only have chaos when I don't know where to put things, and the toys in Rylie's old room have no place but the floor. And our closet... well that's different bag of chips. Maybe if I ever find a good system I'll show it off again. I love being organized - it just doesn't happen often.

Anyway. This morning Jared bought a circular saw to cut the screen frames down to size and when he took it out of the box Rylie said, "Oh wow! Gorgeous!"I don't have a picture of the master bedroom but it's really not picture-worthy yet anyway. I have a picture of the kids in their bunk beds, though. They really love them, but it makes it kind of impossible to have 'quiet time' in the afternoon so I've just taken to sticking Rylie back in her old room for naps in the afternoon (we haven't packed away the crib but the side is taken off).I wish I could remember something cute to say about Nathan... he's still cute, I promise. Here are a couple pictures of him to prove it.

not so typical Thursday...

I feel like I'm always telling people about how the kids are always destroying things and creating mayhem, but today... not so bad.

The kids just played on the bed for a while this morning......I put a rock in our house.After dinner we put up our bird house and the kids picked flowers for their hair.They're not really staying in bed now, but it's been a relatively easy-going day and I even had a chance to clean the kitchen. Hallelujah.