Another Attempt

Buddies?

This is the scene that the kids and I walked in on a couple weeks ago. That morning we had heard this little guy in the chimney and didn't know how to get him out. Jim put a piece of wood down the chimney with some nails in it hoping that he would just climb out. It was the chimney on the porch which is relatively short. We left the house hoping that he would find his way out. Well, when we got back we discovered that Fried Rice had made a new friend or so it seemed. I captured the bird, who seemed unusually tired, by putting a pot over him and sliding a book under that. I put him outside and he eventually disappeared. I later discovered many feathers and bird poop scattered over the house. It seems that Fried Rice was just toying with the poor thing and was probably just letting him gather his strength before he had his way with him.

Future Blogger

Warming Up

After

Before

We spent all day Saturday replacing 10 windows in our house. The windows were original to the house and in pretty bad shape. We decided to replace our windows after we got our first oil bill this fall for $700. During the winter we usually have to fill our oil tank once a month for the months of December, January and February. Of course after we had ordered the windows and they arrived the price of oil had dropped significantly. Oh well, at least these windows are "greener" than our old ones. Replacing them was relatively easy. We were able to do all the windows on Saturday. We still have to do some touch up inside where we had to remove and replace some trim but other than that they're done. This was one of those home improvement projects that was actually easier and quicker than we had planned. Now that doesn't happen very often!!

Kidless

Since I'm kidless this morning (thanks Grandma N) I'm noticing some things that I normally don't have time to. I looked out the window at my shade garden and even though it's quite messy with leaves, the colors and textures really caught my eye. I normally like the way it looks in the spring, fresh and neat, but for some reason I can appreciate it now, colorful and messy.

Sewing Project

I wanted to make a blanket for a friend of mine who just had a baby. I saw this fabric at the fabric store and thought it was cute and boyish without being too babyish. I've never made anything like this before so I just winged it. I think it turned out pretty good although the edging is a little sloppy. I might have to go back and fix some spots.

Sir Jack

Jack and Benny are going to be knights for Halloween. I was inspired by some dress up clothes that I saw at an upscale toy store. So, being a glutten for punishment, I decided that I could make it myself. This is the head piece and vest that I have completed so far. I'm planning on making a red cape, "chain mail" gloves and some boots. Nora, of course, is going to be a princess. I'm just about done with her costume. I just have to hem it and fashion some sort of crown for it. I will show you the finished products when I'm done. I just hope that I can get it all done before Halloween...

Trying...

I've been trying to get back into watercolors again. I haven't done any for a long time and started up again in August. It's a lot harder than I remember. I remember in college being able to crank them out and was satisfied with the results. Now I'm rarely happy with what I produce. I can't figure out if I'm worse or if my standards have changed. Maybe I need more practise. I haven't had much time, I have to do it during Benny's nap time or at night. Maybe I should revisit it when Benny gets older...

Hamming It Up!!

Benny had his first birthday recently. He really loves the camara as you can see! The "birthday crown" is compliments of Nora. Check out those chompers...

Caramel Apples

Jack helped me make caramel apples last week with the apples we had picked at Jane and Paul's Farm. He was so happy to help me. He is very helpful around the house. He likes to clean (mmm, wonder where he gets that from). He sweeps, vacuums, and washes the walls and cabinets with a sponge. Speaking of cleaning...he cleaned all the caramel off his caramel apple without taking one bite of the apple and said, "I'm done!"

Kitty Love

Nora fell in love with Pearl the other weekend. Now she can't stop talking about getting a kitten. Jim wants her to show some responsibility so she has to make sure Fried Rice has food and water everyday and then we'll talk about getting a kitten. Jack also wants one so that he has someone to sleep with too.

A Recent Apple Picking Adventure

We took the kids to Jane and Paul's Farm in Norfolk, MA recently. It is a quaint little farm run by a husband and wife team. They had apple picking, a corn maze, and a tractor ride. The kids had fun and were able to pick a pumpkin from the fields where they were grown (which were recently devoured by the squirrels). They had a great time.

She's growing up...

Nora has been talking about getting her ears pierced for a long time now but every time I ask her if she wants to get them done she chickens out. Since she started school she has been noting all the girls that have earrings and keeping a mental tally. So on Sunday she informed me that she was going to get them done "the day after tomorrow." I chalked this up as a bluff and simply nodded. On Monday she said that she was getting her ears pierced the next day. I thought that was interesting but didn't quite take her seriously. Well this morning she got up and said "Today is the day I get my ears pierced." I told Jim and he said that I should go ahead and take her and that she would probably chicken out at the last minute. I agreed. So we got in the car and when we pulled into the mall parking lot I thought she would back out. She didn't. When we got to the store I thought for sure that she would back out. She didn't. When they asked her to get into the seat and started marking her ears, she would definitely back out. She didn't! She let them do it without a peep. I asked her how it felt after the first one went in and she simply said fine and turned her head to get the second one done! Wow! That was not what I was expecting!

The Making of the Deck

Here are some pictures of the creation of the deck. We started it this spring and finished just a couple weeks ago.

This is a before image of the deck site after we had removed all the old patio pavers. The kids thought it was a giant sandbox just for them.

Jim hired an apprentice to help him hang the joists...

Jim used the kids instead of a tape measure to check the depth of his holes for the pillars.

He was fired for slacking on the job but he still just kept showing up...

The decking finally goes down. This part took a long time because Jim put them down with clips instead of screws so that you won't see any fasteners. He ordered the wood (Brazilian Walnut) from South Carolina and it shipped via UPS.

The stairs go in. There's that guy again?!?

The posts are wrapped and caps put in. Jim made the caps out of scrap decking material.

The deck is almost finished. The fascia is in and just waiting for the railings. I did the landscaping. Jim helped me dig the holes.

Deck Project

Yes, we (aka Jim) finally finished the deck. It was a long, laborious project which kept getting more and more intricate as it went on. What you can't see in this picture is the tiny LED lights that he put between each baluster so that the railings "glow" at night. Very pretty. Our next project is replacing the windows in the house...