November 7, 2009

The sunrise was particularly stunning this morning. Probably because I could actually SEE out of my newly cleaned windows.



And that disaster area of a room that I (ashamedly) posted yesterday . . . I'm happy to say that I waded through the majority of the mess.

I ended up having company come over (for two hours) right in the middle of my cleaning spree, and didn't get the little area next to the piano finished up, but it shouldn't take me more than an hour. I may just finish it up tomorrow afternoon.

There are so many little unfinished items being put down on my growing "to be completed" list, but I know they will have to wait until next Summer when Dave gets out of school . . . SOME DAY, this home remodel will be complete. And then I'll have to repaint or re-carpet. *sigh* It's never ending.

November 6, 2009

Dave cut Eli's hair before work today. And while Eli was otherwise occupied . . .



I did a thorough detailing of the windows . . .




Inside and out! It's amazing how much of the view I had been missing, with slobbery, finger smudged windows.

I also got quite a workout Resolving the whole living room side of the carpet. Grape juice and kool-aid stains, play doh ground into the carpet (amongst other things), and just filth in general. The living room side of the room is now completed . . . unfortunately, tomorrow I have this . . .

to deal with. It looks like some major purging is in order. Don'tcha think? I believe I need to start taking multi-vitamins, if I'm going to keep cleaning like this for an extended period of time.

November 5, 2009

I spent my morning finishing off the monstrosity. I scrubbed it within an inch of it's life, and added a few more things to my list to be completed. Like repairing the two bottom doors that the kids have managed to break off . . .



We had basketball practise again for the third afternoon in a row . . .




and (to me at least) it's amazing how good these little first graders are. WOW! Lay ups, three on three . . . things that I didn't learn until 8th grade. Boy how times (and educational priorities) have changed.


Today was the last official day of basketball camp, so between now and tournament time, we've got a few skills to hone up on. Go Team!

After I got home with the kids, we found that dad's cows were out and we ended up doing a little cattle rustling, and then it was straight home for burritos. This time change is really putting a cramp in my afternoon routines.

November 4, 2009

It literally took me ALL day to clean the entertainment center. These cute little fellows had cobwebs connecting them, and the cobwebs were growing HAIR! EEEEK! I guess it has been 6 months since I did a thorough cleaning on this bad boy . . .



but I ended up purging a lot of the kids books and misc. in the process, too. Dave picked Bayleigh up from basketball practise this afternoon, and the kids helped him bake some of their special cookies . . .



They are, as always, delicious. I gain weight just looking at the photo . . .



After all that baking, Bayleigh did some coloring, while Dave watched Eli and I made cashew chicken.



It was good to have something new for a change!

November 3, 2009

Today I broke out the heavy artillery, and washed the ceilings, walls and ceiling fans in the living room . . .


I was coughing and sneezing all day. Thankfully it was nice outside and I cracked the windows open for some fresh air! Then it was off to Bayleigh's first basketball practise . . .

She's always so tired right after school, and today was no different.

I ended up having to take my little monster with me, and he chose to be a challenge during most of the practise. Can't you just see the mischief in his eyes . . .

The kids ran . . .

and ran some more . . .

and they also practised a number of different things . . .

pivoting, dribbling, shooting and even lay-ups. I was really surprised at how well they all seemed to do.

Even though Bayleigh was extremely tired, she said she had fun and to me, that's all that matters.

November 2, 2009

This morning was beautiful. A nice sunny, warm day with VERY little wind. So I made plans to put the second coat of spray paint on one of my metal shelves. Unfortunately, by the time Dave finished his homework, and I could slip outside to finish the job, the wind had picked up . . .


but I didn't let it deter me. And although it's a far cry from being professional looking, it has been completed (and maybe no one will notice the little boo boos. I'm going to fill the shelves with books anyhow).



And since it was such a nice day, I took my camera out for a little play time. Fuzz Face was my most challenging subject. I swear she can't stand still for more than a second . . .

And while Dave and Bayleigh played catch . . .

Eli and I went exploring. Nuts . . .

I feel like this most days, so what better subject to photograph, eh?

And all these leaves on the ground. I saw them with a different perspective today . . .

And these weeds that are often overlooked, caught my attention this afternoon, too.

And this one stood out for obvious reasons . . . a bright spot of color amongst all the browns.

Birds on a wire . . . or two . . .

and a little man looking for giraffes in the hayfield at sunset. What a busy day!

November 1, 2009

I had planned on a leisurely afternoon of laundry as soon as we got home from church, but circumstances being what they were, I ended up chatting with my sister-in-law . . .


and we took a nice two mile walk. When we got back to mom's house to pick up the kids, I just had to snap a photo of her kale . . . purples and yellows. GORGEOUS!




And as evening approached, I thought this looked kind of Fall like, for the first day of November.

A big moon and grandpa's old chicken house, with the last batch of vegetables picked from the garden, and things starting to wither and fall away.