Feng Shui Friday—wash your windows

Hello and hurray! It's Friday! (Fridays are the one day I don't have to go anywhere these days—except to and from the bus stop, so I LOVE them.) I think it is time for a new Feng Shui Challenge, don't you? Don't worry, this one is highly practical and fairly obvious: Wash your Windows (#18 in the book 27 Things to Feng Shui Your Home)

Dirty windows stop your vision from seeing the view beyond. It's not hard to relate this in a figurative sense. Cloudy vision keeps you from looking beyond yourself into the world around you. Likewise, dirty windows keep the sun from shining into your home, thus blocking the energy/chi that flows into your home. 

When we built our home in Utah, we moved in next door to a professional window washer. Yes, Dave actually washed windows for a living and he was very good at it. Since he offered to wash our windows in exchange for dinner and a movie out (double date), we took him up on it—multiple times. In fact, I'm pretty sure I never once washed my own windows during the 5 years we lived there. They just didn't get dirty very often in the city.

Now on the farm, dirty windows are hard to ignore.

Between pets' noses, baby's sticky hands, and the dust and grit that is ever present on the farm, my windows do not stay clean for long. And so, I have had to learn to do this job which, I'm afraid, isn't my favorite. I've had to come up with a system that works for me.

These are my tools:

A bucket of hot, soapy water: I use Dawn dish soap. And the hottest water possible. Wash the inside windows first (less dirty) and then the outside. My outside windows are always covered in spider webs in the corners, so my water gets pretty gross by the time I'm finished. 

A good scrubber: Mine comes off the handle and I can toss it in the wash. 

A good squeegee: Squeegee quality and technique is everything, I'm telling you. Neighbor Dave could work the squeegee like I've never seen—so fast and no streaks. He could do our entire house, inside and out, in about an hour. It takes me about an hour to do just my main living areas. (The bedrooms don't get done very often!) 

A long handle: I prefer not to use the handle for better control, but outside there are just places I can't reach without it.

A micro fiber cloth: I use this to wipe the excess water from the sills and clean the window frames if needed. 

Rubber gloves: Fold the edges back into a cuff to catch the drips.

Newspaper and Windex: Follow up with this for a streak-free shine. If you care about that. My windows are old and imperfect anyway, so I embrace the streaks and do the best job I can do with the squeegee. They'll get dirty again anyway, right?

Ah, much better. I love having clean windows. Though now you can see all the chipped paint on the deck, the sad railing, the half-done landscaping job, the weeds, and the dry dry grass that hasn't seen a lick of rain lately and hasn't been watered either. And this door leaks like a sieve (despite the extra weather stripping we've added and our pets have proceeded to chew up) and needs replaced badly.

Gotta go. I have too much work to do!

Eva–15 months old

Wow, time is a-flyin'. In my typical baby book blog fashion, here are a few things I don't want to forget.

Eva at 15 months:

She has 2 more teeth, bringing the count to 6. And she loves to use those chompers to eat corn on the cob! In fact, if she doesn't get to try everything on the table that every else has, she makes her displeasure known. (Fortunately, she doesn't seem to be a hard teether. Yeah, she gets a little fussy and irritiable, but it doesn't last forever. And she is still sleeping like a champ. Putting her to bed and letting her sooth herself—even if it means crying it out for a bit—makes all the difference.)

Oh boy, is she in love with her Daddy. Now that harvest is over she gets to enjoy more quality time with him and their bond is growing stronger and stronger.

And she is walking . . . on her knees. (Not her feet). I know! That should be harder, right? Silly goose. I'm pretty sure she is close to getting it. At least she lets us walk her around holding her hands now.

She loves to give out kisses. Usually a sweet little peck, but sometimes it comes out more as a slobbery lick.

She is fond of her sisters, too. Especially Abby. And Abby is a great little helper. Eva is blowing a kiss in this picture. So cute!

Time flies and these kids won't stop growing! I have a few birthdays sneaking up on me in less than a month (Sarah, Tom, and Abby). Yikes! Must. Get. Busy.

camera accessories

As everyone knows who starts down the road of improving their photography skills, it leads to a dangerous roller coaster of spending. First you want a new lens, then another. And then you upgrade your camera, and pretty soon you have a huge new list of must-haves. That has definitely been my experience. 

Oh, but I am so enjoying my new camera already (the Canon 60D). Here are the first 3 shots I snapped:

Snap.

Snap.

 

Snap. Straight out of the camera—not bad. Nothing remarkable, yes, but I can already tell my new camera is so much more light sensitive. I love it.

All my old lenses still worked, of course, as did my memory cards. But since it has video, I did purchase a bigger card. And I had to purchase a new spare battery. And I bought a new flash and filter for it. It doesn't end there.

My new camera is bigger than the old one (here is a {bad iPhone shot} of the old Rebel and new camera side by side so you can see the size difference) and the lens that came with it is larger than my old one as well. (18-135 as opposed to 18-55mm.)

The trouble is, now with the bigger camera and new flash, I am having trouble fitting everything into my cute little backpack I've always used. I love the size of it—so easy to take with me everywhere. 

My mom would happily trade me for her larger basic black Canon bag, which would hold everything much more easily and save me from dropping another couple $100 on a tempting but highly impractical chic leather bag. (Ha.) 

On the other hand, I'm wondering if I would regret letting go of my small bag. So, shutterbugs, is it better to have a bigger bag so you can carry all your equipment with you, or leave a lens or two at home and travel lightly? Please advise.

I'm pretty sure I should also be in the market for a new camera strap. I mean, it would be way cheaper than buying a new bag, right? And it would distinguish my camera from the millions of other black Canons floating around in the world. Here are few on Etsy.com that caught my eye:

maddlebee123, $23.50PorteenGear, $45.00 (Ouch, but beautiful)
Couch, $21.95sizzlestrapz, $49.99What do you think? Which would you choose? Maybe I should make my own... hmm? I love the richness of the leather straps, but I'm also digging the first one with the lens cap pocket. What a great idea. Happy Friday!

Labor Day Getaway

Last week we raced the clock as we tried desperately to finish harvest before the long weekend began—then a few weather delays and things weren't looking so good. Friday night we finally finished with a HUGE sigh of relief and a rib dinner to celebrate.

Weary but happy. It was a bit hard to switch gears and figure out what we wanted to do for the weekend, but we knew we wanted to pack our trailer and get out of dodge.

We decided to venture to the west side of the state this time to Hungry Horse. Its a beautiful drive through the south end of Glacier Park to get there and only a bit more than 3 hours from us. The 34-mile long reservoir, situated in tree-covered Forest Service land, greeted us with crystal clear waters and a cloudless day. Mmm, gorgeous.

The normally busy west side of the lake was closed for road construction, so we boated to a deserted campground there and unpacked for lunch. But, the deserted campground made us much more nervous about bears wandering in and finding the smell of our grilling burgers delectable. We all made fools of ourselves watching warily as we chewed our burgers and then packing in a rush to get back on the boat. Nature amateurs. Psh. 

Adding to our anxiety was this deer that circled our picnic table while we ate. 

Normally we wouldn't find a deer to be scary, but this one was just a bit too curious. We were afraid (since it obviously wasn't afraid) that a young buck like this could be aggressive. And what is up with that odd growth on his neck?

Safely back on the boat, the girls tried out the tube. The adults were too chicken to get in the cold water but the girls had a blast. Sarah (doing the "faster" sign) is our little daredevil.

Take us over the BIG waves, Grandpa!

Whoa. There they go.

Eva enjoyed the cuddy cabin with Grandma. 

Hungry Horse is the land of the Huckleberries, and we partook (for a price since the growing season for Huckleberries wasn't ideal this year.)

Hungry Horse is also just a few miles from the west entrance to Glacier Park. We decided to spend Labor Day there, along with the rest of the state's touring population. Labor Day is the last day of the year to go over the Going to the Sun Highway before they close for winter.

I've often told my Utah friends that they should visit us on their way to see Glacier Park. It is something everyone should see in their lifetime. Here is a little taste why:

Avalanche creek, where we stopped to eat lunch.

One of many glacial waterfalls as we climbed Going to the Sun Highway.

See that little ribbon of highway next to the creek in the photo of above? That is where we started. 

And that is where we are headed—to the top of Logan Pass. (It was a little hazy.)

The road is literally carved into the mountain side. Driving it is not for the faint of heart, or those afraid of heights.

The reward at the top and views along the way are worth it.

We did get to see a couple of black bears, too . . .

 . . . behind an electric fence and from the safety of our car. We (ahem) may have paid a little money to see them, too. Not quite as thrilling as seeing them in the wild. I have, on previous trips, seen Grizzly Bears on top of Logan Pass.

Down the other side we decided we would try to attempt a hike to Virginia Falls. However, the more than 2 mile hike (one way) proved a bit much for this baby toting bunch, and we opted to stop at the closer Baring Falls instead and called it a day.

A makeshift sling helped a whole lot. (I must make myself one of these! I should have done it a year ago.)

Mom bought everyone Glacier Park tees and hats. (Aw, aren't they cute?)

And of course we took advantage of the plentiful photo ops.

One last stop for a photo of Lake MacDonald, the largest of many lakes in the park.

So now, I hope you are adequately tempted to take a trip of your own (and stop by to see us along the way!)

So, even though it was long, we were blessed to have a great harvest this year, and even more blessed to cap off the summer with a memorable trip. Thanks for letting me share, and I hope you had a great weekend too!

Feng Shui Friday—organize your . . . refrigerator?

Have you ever thought of adding a little Feng Shui to your refrigerator? I have. And so has my favorite organization guru Benita Larsson, as evidenced by her Pinterest boards. She has pinned the following images:

Source: Shine Yahoo!

Source: cleanandscentsibleSource: bhg.comSource: goodbyehousehellohome

I haven't taken things quite this far, but I have attempted to group dairy on one shelf, leftovers on one shelf, condiments in the door, etc. I definitely haven't gone so far as to label everything. Maybe if I did my family would start following my system. Hmm?

I was teasing my mom the other night when I was searching for some salad dressing and jam for dinner and ended up throwing away half of the (expired) jars in her door. I well remember my Grandma (her mom) having two very packed refrigerators full of leftovers packed in old cool whip and butter containers. Unfortunately, if I let my refrigerator get too full I end up growing science experiments and throwing it out anyway. I have to be able to see everything or it won't get used. I'm fortunate also to have an extra refrigerator down the hall to make this possible. 

Anyway, here is my own little refrigerator tip:

Every day during the summer we make lunches for Tom to take out to the field. I got tired of going through the daily routine of grabbing the mayo and mustard from the door, the meat and cheese from the drawer, the lettuce from the other drawer, and so on. I decided to make this little sandwich tray that holds all the necessary fixin's:

I just grab it along with the loaf of bread and go to town. Its a simple thing but it really makes the job easier! The tray is just an upside down pan lid. Next summer I am going to take this a step further and make a basket with preportioned carrots, fruit, and cookies. 

My girls eat mostly hot lunch, but if you pack a lot of school lunches, this could make your life so much easier. Happy Feng Shui Friday!

Update

Since I've been a little neglectful with my posts lately, here is my typical brain dump update:

We have 100 acres left to harvest, so with any luck we will FINALLY finish today. It has seemed to really drag out this year for some reason (we started late, planted a ton of acres, had a couple of weather delays, and lots of broken down equipment, for starters). The girls have a 4 day weekend that we are really hoping to take advantage of. The camper is pulled out front and if I can muster up the energy to start packing it up we will go find a place to camp for the weekend.

I've taken very few photos this harvest for some reason, but I do have a few and I'll try to post a harvest recap soon.

Speaking of photos, I happily spent my eBay profits and bought my new camera (the Canon 60D) and flash and it came in the mail yesterday! I have charged the battery but haven't even turned it on yet. I'm hoping to dive into it this weekend and learn how to use it. The controls are slightly different than my old one, and I have no experience using an external flash. I'm really hoping this new camera renews my motivation to shoot more (and thus have more material to share here!)

I also bought my new vacuum with my leftover camera money, the Dyson Animal DC28. I spent all day Monday in the combine and heard over and over on the radio about a promotion Sam's Club was running starting on Wednesday. Their deals included $150 off a Dyson vacuum. Wednesday morning I called them to make sure they had them in stock since they didn't show on their website—they had only one!!! What kind of store runs a promotion on something they only have one of? (Rant.) I asked them to hold it for me, but they wouldn't do it. So I made a special trip to town and two hours later I pulled into Sam's Club and made a beeline for the vacuums, pulling the one and only box onto my cart. Literally seconds later, a woman came up behind me looking for the same vacuum. I apologized and said I grabbed the last one, and she said, "No problem, they'll have more!" I didn't have the heart to tell her they didn't in fact have any more and they wouldn't be getting any more in. Stupid. But nevertheless I was happy I'd made it just in time and enjoyed my $150 discount. I've taken it out of the box and tried it out. Its a heavy sucker (pun intended)—heavier than my old Dyson—but it really does suck (literally). I should have the cleanest house on the block in no time. Ha. (That was a long story about a vacuum, wasn't it? I told you this would be a brain dump.)

The girls really enjoyed their first two weeks of school. I really love witnessing their independence as they make new friends and settle into their own routines. They have also started soccer practice twice a week and I've started piling the miles on the "ranch limo" again, running back and forth to fetch them. Soon there will be piano lessons too. It keeps us moms hopping, doesn't it? As much as those extracurricular activities add busyness to our lives, I also believe it is critical to the success and confidence of our kids to give them opportunities to develop skills and accomplishments of their own. Those extracurricular experiences really shaped me as a child. I'm going to try to remember that instead of focusing on how much extra work it adds for me. 

House projects have really stalled out this summer since farm work (and supplying the farmers) has required all our time. I'm hoping to get back in the swing of things soon so I have more material to blog about finally! First on the list is finishing up some yard projects. My curb appeal is sorely lacking lately. I'll be sure to keep you informed of our progress (in between seeding and spraying and other fall farm work). 

I'll be back shortly with a Feng Shui Friday post, and I hope you all have a fabulous weekend!

they don't make things like they used to

Before school started the older girls spent a week with their grandparents in Bozeman. To get them back we met them part way in between at the lake. The kids had been there for the weekend, but we only had a couple of hours to try out Papa's new boat.

This thing is a classic from the 1960's. He got it for $900 as part of payment for a job he did. I guess they say you get what you pay for, but its a pretty sweet relic. You know when you see a classic and it just makes you feel like it was built to last?

 

The dash is all retro but functional—even the depth finder, which goes "click, clickety, click" as it runs.

And here is the driver, enjoying the ride on the back of the boat:

Wait. Did I just say he was driving from the back of the boat? Oh yeah. Did I mention the motor doesn't work? It can be fixed. I'm sure of it. But for now we had to enjoy the ride with the trolling motor. No big deal. Just sit back, relax, and put your feet in the water.

Eva even enjoyed the ride.

The kids tried out the tube. It looks like they are all about to fall off!

But I'm pretty sure we were going less than 5 mph.

So, bad motors aside, have any of you enjoyed any relics lately and appreciated how they used to make things? I think its awesome when older things are well maintained and appreciated for what they are instead of discarded.

eBay extravaganza

For a good long while now I have been wanted to upgrade my old Canon Rebel. It's been a great camera, but as I have learned more how to use it I have also learned its limitations.

I decided I was going to work for it the hard way, so I started an envelope of cash and slowly started saving. I got about halfway with a few odd design jobs. To earn the rest, I decided to start selling a few odds and ends that were taking up space in our storage room.

Here are a few things I sold and how much I got for them:

Two Pottery Barn quilts: Let's face it. These aren't cheap. But I got lots of good use out of them, and then was still able to sell them for a decent amount! I'm pretty sure I bought Abby's on sale. It went to someone in Sweden. The other one graced our guest bed while we were in Utah and was in great shape.

Our old Sony Handycam: Well, this wasn't a cheap camera when we bought it. So it kind of hurts to think about how much we wasted. We didn't use it much. But it certainly wouldn't be worth anything sitting in a cupboard gathering dust! My new camera will have video built in and I know it will get used so much more that way. Who wants to carry two cameras?

Smith Corona Typewriter: Nobody wants these. And some things are hardly worth the effort to sell. I should have donated it to our retirement community instead.

IBM (First model!) and manuals: Now this was a surprise. We could have thought same as above, "nobody wants these". But its been around long enough to be collectable. Both the computer and manuals are going to someone in Belgium that seems like he will appreciate them very much. Score for me, score for him.

Eames shell chairs: You might remember when I bought these chairs off of Craig's List. I wrote about it here. Well, I decided I only wanted to keep 2 of the 4 chairs I purchased. The money I made from these 2 chairs easily covered the total amount of money we spent in that storage unit that day!

I have had my sights set on the Canon 60D for some time, along with the Canon 580 flash. I easily have enough money to buy it now. But I'm wavering. I did better than I expected on the eBay stuff, so now I am wondering if I should reach a little higher (okay, a LOT higher) and go for the full sensor Canon 5D. (Choke.) I would have to save a little bit longer. I'm almost there, but not quite. (I still have my old Rebel to sell (after I buy my new camera) and an old Kirby vacuum cleaner.) And I wanted to buy that flash, too, which would improve my photos immensely. If I stick with the 60D I can get the camera, extra battery, the flash, and still have money left over to buy a new vacuum cleaner. (I love my Dyson but it has seen better days. And with my pets and all this carpet, well, let's just leave it at that.)  What would you do?

Enough rambling. Have you had any great selling experiences lately? You all know I love a good Craig's List find. Now I am equally as hooked on selling what I don't need. I'm all for making donations too, but if it is worth something, I love to put the money to better use on something I really want.

back to school

The blogosphere is buzzing about back to school and I must to my part. Here are the girls, excited and ready for their first day. They woke themselves up at 6 AM this morning and were ready by 6:30, even though we don't have to leave our house until 7:20. 

Aw, don't they look cute? School shopping was a bit of a challenge to fit in this year but we had time for a couple of new outfits. I tried not to interfere with their choices but smiled a little when Sarah chose her cowboy boots. Abby has new cowboy boots too and is looking forward to getting a few western outfits to go with them. Oh boy.

And this is my little Kindergartner. (Only don't call her "little" to her face. She is a BIG girl now.)

Kindergarten is serious stuff here. All day, every day. She seemed very unruffled and not at all nervous.

She even gets to ride the bus with her big sister now. It would have been WAY to embarrassing to pose for a photo by the bus, so I had to sneak this one on the fly.

We took this next picture in front of the combine to show that we are still harvesting. Most years these machines are parked away before school starts. Not this year—we still have at least a week left!

The girls have their first soccer practice tomorrow night. I'm not sure if we are quite ready for summer to be over and for our lives to be structured again, but ready or not, here we go! Happy back to school, everyone!

state fair

Here is our State Fair experience, Hipstamatic style:

(Uh-oh. Two Hipstamatic posts in a row. Perhaps I should get my real camera out once in a while?)

Grandpa and Grandma took Eva for a few hours so we were able to spend most of our time watching the girls enjoy the rides without worrying about keeping a baby happy. All the while the Blue Angels were flying overhead and I wondered if we shouldn't have instead spent Tom's limited time off work at the Air Show. But he said he'd rather do what made the girls happy. Such a nice daddy. After they had their fill of the rides we stopped at the petting zoo with a porcupine (yes, really), then we all starred in a play about Farm Animals traveling through time on an airplane. All because they had a mister at that tent. It was a very hot, sticky day. Made stickier after the cotton candy.

Eva—14 months old

Last week Eva passed the 14 month mark. Here are 9 little pictures and 9 things about Eva at this age:

1. What a blossoming little personality she has. If you're lucky you'll receive a toothy grin and squinty little eyes. If you aren't so lucky, you might get the evil eye (or Eva eye, as Tom calls it).

2. Speaking of toothy grins, she still only has 4 little teeth in there. A late bloomer in the tooth department.

3. And speaking of late blooming, well, I'm trying not worry too much about the fact that she hasn't started walking yet. She just loves to crawl too much. When you try to hold her hands and walk her, she protests and fights to get down on her knees.

4. And speaking of knees (how far do you think I can take this segue?—enough of that), hers are red and raw from crawling so much on the wool carpet. She crawls around this house a mile a minute and explores every cupboard and closet.

5. She is going to be a musical little one. She loves to sit at the piano and play. Sometimes she lets me play along with her (as long as I don't interfere and keep my hands way in the lower and upper registers) and sometimes she adamantly removes my hands so she can play alone. After a while she closes the lid on my hands. Done. Sunday morning she holds the hymn book right up to her nose and sings along.

6. As of yesterday, we are done with nursing. I suppose it is as hard on momma to let it go as her, but it is time, and she finally has taken to a sippy cup. When she was slow to take to cow's milk, we started giving her vanilla almond milk instead. As she took to that, we slowly mixed in cow's milk until the almond milk is now just like a shot of sweet creamer.

7. Eva will eat just about anything. But when she doesn't want to eat it she lets you know by dropping it piece by piece on the floor.

8. She is sleeping consistently through the night from about 9:30 to 6:45. Sometimes (Saturday, for instance) I wish she would let me sleep in a little, but most of the time it is a perfect time to get up and start breakfast for everyone. It should work right into the school schedule when we start in just over a week. (Ack!)

9. We love and treasure her so so much. That's all.

new stair railing

I was going to wait to show you this after we finished all the trim, caulking, and painting, but that could be awhile and I just couldn't wait. 

We have a new basement stair railing!

We couldn't be happier with how it finishes everything off. And we are relieved to have the safety factor resolved of course. The look is clean and modern and perfect, just like I wanted.

The railing was built by my dad's cousin, of Specialty Iron Works in Great Falls. They do great work! My hope is to eventually do the same railing outdoors on our porch, which is in desperate need of an upgrade. I think this style is perfect for our house. (Photo below from after our roof was replaced.)

So do you dig it?

finding our groove

Whoosh. It's been a week. 

This is the arsenal that sits on my kitchen counter right now:

Yes, two of my girls have been sick. (Fortunately not the baby.) They came down with a scary case of strep last Wednesday. Scary because even a cycle of Ibuprofen and Acetaminophen couldn't keep their fevers down for long. We were at the doctor's office 3 times in 4 days and on the phone several times in between, mostly because of some odd reactions from Abby. She has been getting hives from her medication (presumably?). We changed the medication, but the hives continued, even though both drugs were ones she had taken before with no problems. Nevertheless, the outlook is improving and the girls are back to tearing the house down.

I like to keep a positive attitude about things, but even I have to admit it has been difficult to get into the groove of things this harvest season. Having sick kids has made it hard to focus on anything else, of course. But then there was Dad's 10 stitches in his knee (from slipping in a grain tank onto an auger), Mom's broken dishwasher (never a good thing during harvest), Mom's broken toes, and a long string of broken down farm equipment (more than usual it seems). All this leaves me wondering if we are going to find our groove before harvest is over. 

But we must, because we need lots of stamina to get through the harvest season. The guys start early and don't come home to bed until the wee hours. Dinners have been at home thus far, but now that kids are feeling better I expect we will start taking dinner out the field to keep down time to a minimum. And maybe I'll even get to put in a few hours on the combine. Nothing like cutting wheat to put you in the harvest mood!

More updates to come...

Pinterest challenge—clipboards

Well hello, Tuesday. What happened to your friend Monday? And WHAT DID YOU DO WITH JULY, for that matter? 

It is harvest time here. That means life is flying by with all kinds of business. I must get off the computer as it is my day to cook harvest dinner for the crew and get this house of ours shipped into shape.

But first, have you seen the Pinterest Challenge?

It seems like a great excuse to try out some of those fun back-burner projects. If you follow me on Pinterest, you might have seen this pin, originally from Martha Stewart:

I actually purchased some clip boards ages ago to use in my craft room downstairs, and this challenge was the perfect excuse to drag them out and put them to use. 

I used my clipboards to make an art gallery wall for my kids. We always have artwork laying around the house, each one special in its own right. I love to showcase their art, but I don't love it when they tape it to the walls. So this idea was born.

I left my clipboards unadorned to let their artwork be the star. I did order custom vinyl lettering from Uppercase Living, however, and I love the modern clean look.

And when its time to change out the artwork, I can simply snap a picture of the wall to preserve it forever—kind of like this:

A collection of these photos could make a darling photo book, don't you think?

Join me next Tuesday for another Pinterest Challenge project. I already have one in mind! 

Craig's List find—claw foot tub

I have been thinking for awhile that I would like a claw foot tub in this bathroom:

The brown fixtures are cool-retro and all, but they have years of hard water deposits on them and don't fit the aesthetic I hope for in this room. So I started to search Craig's List. We have no immediate plans to start on this room, but I figured it might take awhile to find the perfect tub. Surprisingly, tubs popped up for sale more often than I expected, but most of them weren't in the best condition and would need to be reglazed.

A phone call to a professional revealed a whopping $795 price tag for reglazing a claw foot tub. Considering they go for at least $2000 brand new, that might not be so bad. But considering the finish is only guaranteed to last 10-15 years, I was sadly beginning to feel this option might not be for me.

And then I found a listing for a tub that looked like it might work with its original finish. I called to set up a visit. And here is where it turned into one of those situations that felt like it was "meant to be". I talked to the guy to ask a few questions and told him I would call back when I had an opportunity to bring my husband in to look at it. (I don't like to look at Craig List finds alone. Never mind the fact that I would never be able to load a claw foot tub by myself.) The next day it rained (yes!) freeing up Tom to go with me, so I called him back and got his voice mail. When I heard his first and last name on his voice message, it clicked. I knew these people! It happened to be my brother-in-law's sister and husband. 

Long story short, we brought home the tub, and even got a good "friends" discount out of the deal. This is what it looks like:

 

It definitely needs a little TLC. The outside needs sanded and painted—I'm thinking a charcoal gray. I will paint the feet oil-rubbed bronze (or white?). The tub was built in, so their is caulking and paint along the top edges that needs to be scraped off. And the inside just needs a good scrubbing. There is a bit of yellowing around the drain, but overall the inside looks great. There are a few chips in the enamel, but only around the edge of the rim. We will either live with the imperfections or try a little enamel patch kit since it isn't on the interior of the tub.  

The second part of this equation is now I want to find an old dresser to retrofit for the vanity. I have shown you this inspiration photo before:

Source unknown.

I love the mid century vibe of this desk/credenza and I think something like this would be very appropriate for this house.

However, yesterday this popped on on Craig's List:

This seems like a pretty legit antique to me. I love that it is meant for bathroom duties, complete with spot for a wash basin, towel bar, and "potty cupboard".

Of course I haven't seen this in person so I have no idea if it would work for what I need. They are asking $300 for it. So, help me out. What do you think? Do you like the antique or should I hold out for a vintage mid century cabinet?

the toad

The other day after a rain shower, Tom found this little baby toad and brought it to the house to share with the girls. They fawned over it and begged to keep it, so we made a little makeshift aquarium that the girls filled with grass and leaves. "We'll name her Taylor, because it works for a boy or a girl!", they said.

The girls obsessed over Miss or Mr. Toad (sorry, I just can't bring myself to call a toad Taylor) for a couple of days, but alas, they couldn't get it to eat any of the crickets, grasshoppers, or ants they found. In fact, once they found the little cricket perched right on top of toad's head. 

It took some convincing, but finally we talked the girl's into letting it go since it very likely wasn't going to survive in captivity. We promised she would be happier with her mom and dad in the big wide world. They bravely set her on the sidewalk outside and watched her hop around. But when Daddy came to take her away and put her back where he found her, the tears and trauma began. Abby couldn't sleep alone in the basement that night because she couldn't stop thinking about her beloved Taylor.

So, imagine their delight when a few nights later we found this little gal in front of our garage!

And not just that, 2 more BIG toads! (Mom and Dad?) I chased one under the deck for a photo:

Finally the girls believed us. She was much happier with her Mom and Dad! Chalk it up to a great learning experience for the girls.

Christian brought one of the big ones inside for a visit (and a little freak-out session by your's truly). 

Christian is a great friend who came all the way from San Diego on his bike to visit us for a night. O.K. Not just us. But we were still very glad to see him. And we are glad we got to share him with our little toad friends.

Zoe the cat—update

This is our cat Zoe. I introduced you to her before, shortly after she came to live with us. 

Zoe has now taken over the house. And we let her because she does her job VERY well. She catches mice and leaves them on our porch for us daily.

We try not to mind when she leaves her gifts inside the house. Or when she poops in the planter (yes, it happened once.) Or when she sleeps on the counter. Or when she takes over the dog bed and makes Mia find a new bed in the corner of the kitchen.

What I do mind is when she sharpens her claws on my new basement carpet. We have a few snags to prove the indiscretion, unfortunately. Short of declawing her (why would I do that to a fabulous mouser?), how do I get her to stop doing this? I bought a scratching post and some catnip, but so far all she wants to do is nuzzle up to it and roll in the catnip smell. Help!

healthy competition?

My Sarah is extremely competitive as she tries to keep up with her older sister. Three years separate them so it is often a difficult task.

The other morning Sarah came into my room with Ruthie (her American Girl Doll). She had combed her hair into a simple but cute double pony tail. "Look Mom! Look what I did! Doesn't it look great?"  I replied, "Yes, Sarah, you did an awesome job!"

Later that morning, Abby came upstairs with her doll, Julie, to show me a French Twist up-do she had styled. I said "Wow, Abby, that looks great!" Sarah, witnessing the event, ran to get her own doll and said, "Mom, which one do you like better? It's okay, you can tell us."

Ha ha. Trapped.

"I don't play that game", I said. "Sarah, your doll's hair looks so awesome for a 5-year-old. Abby's doll's hair looks beautiful for an 8-year-old."

Sarah replied. "Uhhh", (stomping her feet in a classic Sarah move). "Abby's is beautiful? No fair!!!!"

I can't win.

Feng Shui Friday—Add pink to enhance your love life

To find out how you can join the Feng Shui Friday challenge, click here.

 Challenge #26: Add pink to enhance your love life

Number 26 in the book 27 Things To Feng Shui Your Home (as promised I'm not going in order!) suggests adding pink to the "Love and Relationships" corner of your home.

How do you find the Love and Relationships corner? I'm glad you asked. Stand at your front door and imagine your house divided into a grid of 9 squares. The upper right corner is the Love and Relationship corner (according to what is called a Bagua Map.)

Step 1: Declutter this area and make sure it is a comfortable place to be.

Step 2: Add some pink. I'm not saying you have to paint your walls pink. This can be subtle, such as adding some artwork with a touch of pink, or even a peice of pink paper tucked into a drawer.

Feng Shui My Way:

In my house the Love and Relationships corner is the Master bedroom. How appropriate—huzzah!

 In a house with 6 girls (if you count the pets), there is no shortage of pink. But this is what I like to do. Occasionally, when I'm shopping at Sam's Club (or Costco), I like to pick up their big, inexpensive bundles of flowers. Next time, make them pink! Bring them home and separate them into smaller vases so you can enjoy them throughout your home. Especially in the "love" area of your house if you so desire.

 So, does it work? Ahem.... that's for me know and for you to find out. Happy Friday!

the ultimate before picture

Aerial photographers periodically come by to sell their photographs to area farmers. We have a few photos of this house through the years and it is fun to look back and see how it has changed.

Last summer we were approached by one such photographer with some new photos for sale. The date the photographs were taken was June 28, 2010. Which happened to be our very first day in this house here on the farm.

If we were to have a new picture taken one year later, we would already see a few changes. For one, we parked some of the equipment away. (Who am I kidding? On busy summer days like this there is still a miscellany of equipment scattered around.) For another, we have a new roof. And a new swing set.

Some day it will be so fun to look back on this ultimate before photo of the very first day we lived in this house, and see how much it has changed.