Katie's escape

You might remember these posts with earlier Katie escapes.

Jimmy in July

Jim dear earlier this month.

Ingleside 7/30/13

My friend Melanie does posts called "Around Here" where she just documents the regular stuff that's going on, and Clover Lane does the same sort of thing with "Ordinary Days".   I like that idea.  I always really enjoy those posts because they're so authentic.  I'm going to try to do the same thing occasionally.

Jimmy is still napping in the swing. He likes to fall asleep while everyone is bustling around.  

Matthew is setting up his drums today to get ready for a concert this weekend.  Naps are happily happening even with all of the drumming.  

Sometimes I get lazy and just dump a package of cookie onto the cake plate. 

10 lb bags of seed ready to mail to KCIA.

Mondays are laundry days.  I wash and dry it all and put it on the bed so that I have to fold it before I can go to sleep.  Laundry is my favorite chore.  I like it that the machines do 90% of the work for you, and the folding and the putting away is so soothing.  From chaos to order, and you can watch TV at the same time!

Progress on Abby's blanket.  5 skeins down, 7 to go.  I have about 3 weeks to finish before she leaves for college.  Each stripe is a skein, and that takes about the length of a movie.  MJL and Anna are really happy that I'll watch movies with them for once.  

I put the Christmas Bells on Katie's door because she can get out of her bed now.   If I hear the bells on the monitor, I know to run upstairs pronto.  Before the bells, she "washed" her hair with an entire bottle of travel shampoo before I happened upstairs and found her in Anna's room.  

Father's Day paintings 2013.  Anna's is rain on crops and wild flowers, Katie's is all of our toes, and Jimmy's is what I could smoosh onto the canvas before he crawled away crying.  He didn't like the paint at all.  

We have just a little bit of summer left.  I'm trying to balance relaxing and enjoying with the crazy urge to finish everything I didn't get done yet.  Happy Summer!

NFP: Good for Couples

When I first heard about NFP, it was a few months after my Mom died and I was just barely alive, and doing a bad job of everything in the world.  Including marriage.  So when the girl presenting mentioned that the divorce rate for couples who use an NFP method is under 5%, that stuck in my head.  It has been, hands down, the best thing we ever did for our marriage.

There are a couple of different statistics on the divorce rates.  The best evidence I can find is a Family of the Americas study that found a divorce rate of .02%-3% There's an explanation of the statistical difference but I don't quite understand it. Either way, I'll take it.  This page has some good explanation of why that might be true.

Here's what I think about it.

NFP works best when both people are on board, sharing the responsibility of keeping track of things and sharing the decision making about family planning.  I make the observations and he keeps the chart.  NFP requires communication, every day.  It's a shared project, and it makes it hard to avoid things or hide things or hold onto resentments.  It means that you are, naturally, talking all the time about what you want out of life, what you're worried about, what you think would be good for the family.  All that communication has to help.

And that periodic abstinence (5-8 days/month on average) is really not that bad.  Abstinence is a part of marriage.  I don't know why we pretend like it isn't, like chastity is only a virtue until you get married, and then it's not a virtue anymore.  Travel, sickness, depression, grief, childbirth, busy seasons... I'm sure you can think of examples.  So NFP helps to build that self control little by little, so when those seasons of life hit, it's not such a surprise.  We all find it shocking to hear stories about someone being unfaithful or leaving while their spouse is terribly sick or something, but it's hard to rely on virtues you've never exercised when everything else is falling apart.  And the engagement/honeymoon cycle is pretty fun.

Sacrifice is a powerful way to show love.  Marriage is all about sacrifice.  This is just another way to lay down your life for your family.

Last night on the twitter party, the hashtag #MenLikeNFP was pretty funny.  And then the #WomenLikeNFP played along too.

And there are lots of other (much better) bloggers celebrating NFP Awareness week, here, and here, and here!

JEO's quilt

I made this for JEO for Christmas, but then I thought maybe it would get done for his birthday in January, and then I ended up sending it in May.

It's a Jelly Roll Race Quilt-here are some instructions, it's simple and really fast and fun.  And now JEO is here for a visit!  That's loads of fun.  :)

Betsy's Fixing Day

I had "This is Betsy" as a little girl and loved it.  She's a sweet little girl who looks like me and does silly things like put her pants on her head.  Gunilla Wolde wrote lots of books and my Dad has been finding them for me to add to my collection.  

Betsy gathers up some broken things and decides to have a fixing day.  She carefully does all of the work that needs to be done, and then helps baby brother, who smashes his finger with the hammer while Betsy is not paying attention.  

See how she lays out the paper so she doesn't make a mess?  I love Betsy.

This is my kind of book.  Simple, sweet, hard work, happy ending.  

What are your childhood favorites?

On Being Late

RT @CharlieDaniels: Being late is your way of telling somebody their time is not worth as much as your's


My nephew re-tweeted this months ago and it bugs me. (And not just because of that extra apostrophe. What is that?)


Mostly I hate thinking that punctual people are thinking this about me. I try to be on time. I really do. I do not succeed. I can never decide if this failing is:

1. worth doing something about.
2. within my power to change.

Here are some reasons for this.  

• Kids.  I remember going to Anna's first doctor's appointment (late) and thinking "Surely they build in extra time for baby's first appointment.  Could they possibly expect anyone to get to the baby's VERY FIRST APPOINTMENT on time?  I suppose, though, if I had a better handle on time, I would start getting everyone ready sooner, and then maybe we would be on time to things.  It's not all their fault, but they do make it harder.  
• Orientation in Space and Time.  I don't orient myself well.  I don't know where I am in a town, or in a building, or how much time has passed.  I don't mean for this to be an excuse, it just seems to me to be a part of my brain.  I am good with languages and words.  I am not good with spatial concepts.  I do not know if that spaghetti will fit into that tupperware.  Just because something is harder, doesn't mean I don't need to figure out how to do it, but maybe I just want punctual people to know that it doesn't come naturally, knowing how much time something will take or how much time has passed, and I don't mean it as an insult.
• Fitting in too much.  I was thinking of this yesterday, as I tried to get to my doctor's appointment on time.  The kiddos were already at the farm, so I had no kid excuse.  I was ready, and I thought "It takes 20 minutes to get to town, so I need to leave at 9:40.  At 9:36 I was in the kitchen, ready.  I thought "I can unload the dishwasher!"  I did that, and it was 9:39.  I thought "I can reload the dishwasher!"  (Only breakfast dishes).  Then it was 9:40 and I left the house feeling all happy and proud.  But then it was 10:03 when I got to the doctor's office and I felt completely confused.  How could this possibly have gone wrong?  Are punctual people just better at leaving a cushion?  I always want to fill the cushion with activity, so that I don't waste any time.  Is the key to being punctual not caring about wasting time? 
• Time is flexible.  In my mind, "around 3" means "hopefully the clock will still say 3, or at least before 4:30". I think that punctual people have an entirely different idea of time.  For example, I have learned that when my friend Sara says that they will be here around 3, she could actually mean 2:45!  It's stunning.  I am completely in awe of that.  And that's after a long long drive.  It just seems absolutely out of the realm of possibility.  

So how do you do it, punctual people?  And I'm sorry and I promise that I don't think my time is more valuable than your's (Ha!).  My time is just so slippery!

Pattern Weights

I really hate pinning.  It takes too much time.  I like to just get to the sewing.  

I saw this idea for Pattern Weights on SewFearless a few months ago and started asking MJL to pick up some washers for me the next time he was at a farmer store.  

 Anna was very disappointed that I didn't use all different ribbons, but I have tons of this ribbon from Jeanette, and I didn't want to dig around for more.  I just wanted to get it done.  

Wrapping ribbon around them took about 10 minutes, and now I don't have to pin patterns anymore!  Yippee!  

Summer Schedule

I work better if I have a schedule.  I know it won't work like this 90% of the time, because there are all sorts of other things, but just making and posting a schedule helps me to sort through the days in my mind (and hopefully remember about meals and stuff).  Here's the goal for this summer:

Summer 2013 Schedule

6:30 -- Up, Shower, Dress

7:00 -- Breakfast, prep day, internet, kids breakfast

8:00 -- Kids up, dress, eat.

8:30 -- Outside Prayer/Bible time

9:15 -- Work Garden/Play outside

11:15 -- Make lunch and lunches, eat and deliver

12:30 -- naps K and J, A read and math and free time.

2:30 -- Up and pool clothes

3:00 -- Swim

6:00 -- Home and dinner/dinners

7:00 -- Chores and piano

8:00 -- Play outside

9:00 -- Kids Bed

10:30 -- Bed 

I'm curious--how do you order your days?  Any time management tips for the chronically surprised-by-the-passage-of-time?

Summer 2013 List!

So let's look at Spring--

Spring 2013

1.   Renew Driver's License!

2.  Make a 13 list before the year is half over.

3.  Put the binding on my quilt for the couch.

4.  Make Lydia a blanket.

5.  Make Abby a blanket.

6.  Finish dumb required Library Class and enroll in Summer class.

7.  Finish moving photos to new albums.

8.  Choose patience and gentleness. I'm working on it, anyway.

9.  Plant vegetable garden. 

10.  Plant flowers.

11.  Play outside whenever possible.

12.  Sew with my aunts-Anna's 4H project.

13.  Run away with the kiddos.

14.  Go shopping with Katrina.

15.  Make a baby gift (or just be honest with myself and buy one)

16.  Something to the college nieces and nephews.  I missed this-why is college over so early?  I feel bad, but I'm hoping just crossing it off will help me to LET IT GO.

17.  Get enough sleep.

18.  Don't "work" on Sundays.

19.  Tidy up office.

20.  Have fun at Easter.  Don't worry about any of it.  

Not too bad.  I don't feel bad about that.   I like not working on Sundays, and I've been good about getting to bed on time (of course, crushing fatigue from sickness helps with that-but even before!  Except for those weeks when I stayed up crazy late to finish my class...oops...

I think the biggest and best thing was tidying up my craft room/studio/office and trying hard to take nap time for myself.  And playing outside in the mornings has been good for all of us.  I'm really hoping next week  I feel good and back to normal.  Harvest is here!  No time for being lazy  being sick.  

Summer 2013

1.  Keep moving photos to new albums
2.  Finish Abby's blanket
3.  All the 4H everything and the Fair
4.  Run away with the kiddos.  Nope, that still never happened.
5.  Get rid of my Gall Bladder.
6.  Swim swim swim   Sad.  We didn't even use up our one book of passes this year.  
7.  Take more videos of cute kids.   I did take a few more videos, but not as many as I would like.  
8.  Finish LIBR 857.
9.  Rearrange Library at School.   I'm STILL waiting on the shelves I was supposed to get this summer!
10.  Think about the future of photo albums and best use of time.  

Only 10 things!  That means loads of time for spontaneous projects.  Or making gatorade, more likely.  

Happy Summer!

Bliggity Blogs

It sounds like Feedly is the new blog reader of choice, now that everybody's favorite is kicking the bucket.  My question is-where do I put it?  I have everything now on my iGoogle page, which will go away in November.  Any ideas?  Technology changes annoy me and make me feel like an old lady.

I want some new blogs to read!  Who are your favorite strangers?  

I like to read these:  

Conversion Diary
More Jennifer Fulwiler

Clover Lane
CRAFT:

I really need some more new craft blogs. but I'm open to any suggestions.  I cleaned my blogs all out a few Lents ago but now that I'm trying to spend more time sitting around, I could read more.  What do you like?

Lydia's quilt

Sure, I was really sick but I'm home now and that's all boring hospital blah blah blah wouldn't you rather see something pretty?

Here's Lydia's quilt!  It was a very simple strip quilt with just long stripes of different fabrics so it went together really quickly, which is the only way I have time to do anything.

I'm so pleased with the way it came out, I think the colors are beautiful.  

And for the back I used some of the left over green with this magenta and it may be a strange color combo but I love it.  

And here's the sweet graduate with her youngest cousin.  :)  

(I have a ridiculous amount of help and so I took a long nap this morning and I'm squandering the afternoon nap time when I should be working on my class...sigh...I'll get back to work now.  Thanks for all of the prayers and if you see me get cranky about feeling bad PLEASE remind me how blessed I am to have all this help.)

Little Wallet

Chelsea sent me fabric and a pattern for this little wallet for my birthday, and it was the impetus for all of this change and crafting and everything.  I really loved it and wanted to make it, so that meant that I had to clean the craft room, and then finish the projects that had time limits and the ones that had been sitting for months and it was so exciting to sit down and make this little cutie!

   

Here it is.  Why the little fold in the side?  I think it's because my iron was a touch too hot and melted the interfacing a bit which made the fabric on the inside shrink down a little more than the outside fabric.  Oops.   

 Didn't she do a nice job picking out the fabrics?  I love them.

The part that took me the longest was remembering how to use my snap setter.  Thanks Chels!  You made my whole life a little brighter!  (You always do).

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner

I used the Random Number Generator at Random.org to pick a winner because it made me laugh.  I'm sure there's a way to link to the picture, but I don't want to figure out how to do it right now.  The answer was 1. That means Sarah at In The Mix is the winner!  I'll send it sometime.  There's a giant stack in the "to be mailed" basket and I really don't know if that's a good sign or a bad one.

I made a little mat for under Katie and Jimmy's chairs today.  I have been thinking about this since I found this pattern online in 2010.  This is a clear example of the best being the enemy of the good.  Cutting off the tablecloth and hemming it on one side took me literally 5 minutes.  I'm sorry, floor.

This is also a clear example of me NOT cleaning up.  Photographic proof of justifiable laziness.  :)

THIS is a photograph of the world's sweetest graduate this year, AND the 

Kansas 6A 

STATE CHAMPION 

in Dramatic Interpretation.  

(Also this photo makes me cry a little)

A break!

I finished my class!  (Repeat 30 times while dancing around)

Now I have an entire blissful month of not being in school until I start again on June 3.

I hope to have lots of fun and make lots of things and plant lots of things and relax and get enough sleep and spend a lot less time squinting at a computer screen.

I've actually had a really nice couple of weeks because I made a small change that's making a big difference. I know you want to know about it, right?

Usually when I get home from school (after changing clothes, of course) I get everyone fed and down for naps and then I clean up.  Toys and breakfast and lunch and dishes and tidy and chores, etc.  Then, if there's any time after all of that and before it's time to pick up Anna, I work on something that I want to do.  

When I told the family that we were expecting Jimmy I got a sweet note in the mail from my sister-in-law Jenny.  She said "...you might have to set aside perfection and just ENJOY LIFE."  I keep the note hanging by my desk and I decided to try it out.

I had noticed, in our evening thankfulness, that the first thing that I think of, on any day when it works out, is to be thankful for a moment or two to make something.  I always underestimate how much I love making things.

So now, I DON'T clean up.  I get everyone fed and down for naps and then I leave it all where it's laying and I come down to my office and sew and play.  I've finished a quilt top, put binding on two quilts, tied another (halfway through the binding on that one), and my room is clean and inspiring and I'm just so happy. We clean up together when Anna gets home from school.  (She's not crazy about the new plan)  ;)  We work together as a family and usually get it all cleaned up and get some dinner made while Jimmy crawls around chewing on things and Katie either "helps" or plays in her pod.  I love that pod.  

It's still hard to leave things undone, but I think it's a better choice.  Thanks, wise Jenny!

Oh!  I just remembered again that I finished my class.  *Grin* and squeal and sigh and go to bed.  :)

Crazy Ramblings about Sweatpants

So last week in my particular internet world this article kept popping up everywhere.  So I read it, and then because Jimmy was snuggled up so sweet and sleepy on my lap, I clicked around her blog for a bit and read this article about dressing nicely even when you're at home. 

She makes two points actually, and the second one, about not looking like death when you're out and about, I get that.  It's the other one, about how not looking niceish at home isn't good, that I keep rolling around in my mind like an everlasting gobstopper.

The first thing I do when I get home is change into my comfy clothes.  Sweats, t-shirt, bandana.  I even take off my rings.  First first first.  Partly because I don't like to have to wash my work clothes and the kiddos, you know, they're messy, and partly because it's SO NICE, and partly because it's my home uniform.  So.  Does this really indicate to my family somehow that they're not important?  I think they're nice sweatpants.  They don't have holes in them or anything...

Or it could be that I'm just getting hung up on the idea of putting on a bracelet because I can't stand wearing bracelets.

I think I've decided that I get her point, but it doesn't apply to me.  Which is one of those conclusions that always seems a bit dangerous, somehow.

What do you think?    

Regular shorts

MJL and I were able to sneak away to Target this weekend for a few minutes and we did a little shopping for Mr. Jimmy.  As we were looking at all of the jean shorts and khaki shorts and twill shorts with little whales on them I said:  "I'd really just like some regular shorts. Do you think they have those?"

We found some little elastic waist knit shorts and I was happy.

Then when we got home I read the tag and laughed and laughed.

I realize a cute picture of the boy IN the shorts would be much better here, but he's asleep and I should be too.  Too bad so sad.  

Today I'm thankful for...

We started a new tradition of saying what we're thankful for every day.  It makes for nice dinner conversation.  

The other day I was thankful that this knife I dropped didn't land on my toe.

I'm also thankful that I'll be done soon with this class that's keeping me up too late.  Thursday!

Even Katie is joining in, saying "Thank You, Anna.  Thank You, kids"

I found this idea in the book "Mitten Strings for God" which was recommended on the blog On Clover Lane, which was recommended to me by Sarah at In the Mix.  It was in my Easter basket this year and I enjoyed it.  She talks about slowing down and being peaceful and thoughtful.

At one point I rolled my eyes at the "healing basket" when she was talking about taking the time to really take care of ouchies.  Then she ended the chapter with this sentence:

When I comfort my children with love and care, I teach them compassion.

That gave me pause.  So being nice teaches compassion?  And doesn't just make the children into big whiny babies?  Shoot.

I also liked what she had to say about resting on Sundays-something I've been trying to work on lately.

I've read it, now I'd like to pass it on!  Leave me a comment and tell me what you're thankful for today.

I'll give it away Friday-ish.  :)

How to spend a blustery morning

Fire, blankie, nap.

Jimmy and Poppa Marion know how to relish the day.

Lydia Leigh

Here's a quick sneak peek at what I'm working on for a nice niece.  If I'm going to work this hard on classes, I have to have a little fun too.  Today somehow I managed to sew for an hour with ALL THREE in the sewing room with me.  I only fished 5 or 6 things out of Jimmy's mouth.  It went great!