We Still Homeschool!

I know I haven't mentioned it a lot lately, because it is summer vacation. Also I got totally burnt out last year and burned the books and sent the kids to boarding school we did the bare basics for a semester so I could regain some sanity. We enjoyed unschooling and did some very fun and interesting projects, including running a little business selling starter plants. I don't know about our customers, but we're going to have some sweet tomatoes from the deal!

But, in the end, we are not unschoolers. We're simply way too lazy for it. So this year we are back to our regularly scheduled programming.

Along with all the cleaning I've been doing (I'm SOOOOO sick of it, but the house does look much better), I've been planning our school year. If you are interested in what we'll be doing, check out the homeschool link in the navigation bar at the top of the page.

If homeschooling makes you yawn, well then check out this video. Be sure to have the sound up, because you've got to hear these guys.



See? This is why we can't unschool. We'd spend our time on stuff like this. We're mature like that around here.

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Shoe Closet = Toy Garage

In our home we have a closet in the main hall that goes way back under the stairs. It has been lovingly called the shoe closet since we moved here.

Here's how it works. One of those shoe things that has lots of slots in it hangs on the inside of the door. One of the children comes in the house and flings his shoes off in 7 different directions, which is really impressive because my kids only have two feet each. Then I say in my June Cleaver voice, "Sweetie, could you be a dear and pick up your shoes and put them away in the shoe closet? Then you can have some of the warm cookies I just baked." Then the kid picks up the shoes and throws them into the closet - deep into the closet.

Next day, the child says, "Mom, do you know where my shoes are?"

And I say in my sweetest, most loving tone, "Well, I thought you put them away in the shoe closet yesterday, dear."

Then they say they looked in there and can't find them.

Then I crawl back into the depths of that closet and find the shoes. I bump my head on the steeply sloped ceiling four times and come out with the shoes in my hands and Legos stuck to my knees.

And I don't sound like June Cleaver any more.

As Bud would say, "It's a failed system."

I really do love Bud, but it really p's me off when he says that.

Mainly because he's right.

So, here's what I did with the shoe closet this weekend:




I know!

It's Romy's toy garage. All the toys in one place. And nothing else in there, except her cute little dresses. She loves it. That bookshelf is blocking the empty depths of the closet so things can't disappear into the abyss back there. The jackets that were hanging there have been packed away in Rubbermaid and will reappear when it gets cold. The jackets will have an entirely new home when that day comes, and I'll share that plan with you, along with the shoes' new home, tomorrow.

What kind of shoe issues and solutions have you come up with in your home? And don't pretend you don't have shoes issues in your house. I'm onto you.

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Things I need to know, and also I'm an overachiever.

So I came up with a plan. A wonderful, horrible plan. And I couldn't wait to start cleaning out this house.

Also Bud, he is doing things like tweaking org charts to prepare for Semicon. Riveting. And I made him go shopping. He's lost some weight and most of his pants look like there is no butt in there.

And let me assure you, it is there.

We're married. It's okay.

Anyhow, it's basically come down to starting my clean sweep project early or reading org charts over Bud's shoulder.

Did I ever tell you about Bud's office? It is not welcoming to me at all. His back is to the door, and there is a folding chair in there. Which is a step up from the little chair that goes with Romy's art table that was there before he upgraded. So if I want to visit my husband while he's working I go in and sit in a folding chair while he types up an org chart with his back to me.

It's almost enough to make me think he doesn't want me to bother him while he's working. But not quite.

Anyway, the clean sweep has begun, with excellent results so far. Two days ahead of schedule - that's the overachiever part.

Here's the bedroom (sorry I forgot to take before pics):


The bookshelf next to my bed took the longest. It's like I have some subconscious fear that I'll never be able to get out of bed again, and so I need everything I might want to read ever again in my life there. Bud's bedside table pretty much looked just like it does now. And that tells a pretty complete story right there.

The walls are not black, they are aubergine. Which might actually be worse. It seemed like a good idea at the time. We've never been able to figure out anything to put in that art niche above the bed. And I'll be darned if I'm going to go out and buy something for it. Basically I'd like to rip out that ridiculous carpet, paint the walls, paint the bed, get new bedding, and drywall over the art niche. But for now I will enjoy the fact that it is clean and orderly in there.



I do love my mirror and slipper chair. After I rip everything out, those two will go right back in there.

So now, what I need to know is what do I do with a used down duvet? Is it trash? It seems like such a waste. Any thoughts? Also, what's the best way to sell garage sale quality items when you have a stupid HOA that doesn't allow garage sales? Short of moving? I have some Craig's list quality stuff, but a bunch of other piddly stuff I'd hate to throw away. What do I do?

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Clean Sweep in a Week

I've got a little story for ya.

When Bud and I lived in D.C., we had a really lovely townhome. Bud often says it's the nicest house we will ever own. However, the bank owned significantly more of it than we did. But I digress.

Our bedroom was on the top floor and had wall to wall windows overlooking the beautiful woods behind us. We had cased windows - the kind that you crank and they open to the outside? That was an amazing thing to this Texas gal, Texas being the home of basic aluminum windows.

When we made the decision to move back to Texas, we had all the windows cleaned before the house went on the market. Our bedroom was on the top of the two story townhouse with a walk out basement - it was way up there. So we'd never cleaned those windows ourselves. When we walked into the bedroom after the windows had been cleaned, we both gasped. It was so breathtaking with the lovely sparkling windows and the gorgeous view out back. Why were we just getting around to doing this for someone else to enjoy? Why had we never done that for ourselves? I honestly don't know.

Which brings me to today. We've been living in this house for six and half years - longer than we've lived anywhere in our marriage, and only the second longest I've lived anywhere in my life! I often say it's the nicest house we'll ever live in, even though the square footage and appraisal and Bud don't necessarily agree with me. I really love our home. And we've got a lot of "dirty windows" so to speak. Things that need to get done, so we can fully enjoy the house, but that we've been putting off.

Also, six years is enough time for clutter to creep into various closets and cupboards, and for random things to float around the house, not really having a home of their own. Plenty of time for small repairs to accumulate, and plenty of dings in the paint to show.

So here's the plan. Next week Bud goes to San Francisco for Semicon. I'm not going this year, as money is tight. But while he is gone, I'm doing a total clean sweep. Emptying out every closet, cupboard, nook and cranny, cleaning, and replacing things where they belong. Selling things on Craigs List and dropping items off at Good Will. Making a list for each room for repairs, replacements, needed items, and desired additions.

Then, in one week, when Bud gets home, he'll have a master list of odd jobs to whack away at one at a time when he has a free hour here or there. I'll have master list of projects to complete to make the house a lovelier home than I think it already is.

So, even though we're not moving just now, I want us to enjoy our little abode. After all, home is where the heart is. And who wants to keep their heart somewhere with dirty windows?

So check back on Monday, when I'll begin reporting daily on my progress and posting pictures of what I've done. If you'd like to join me, even on a smaller scale, I hope you will, just leave a comment that you'll be doing the same thing.

What one thing have you put off doing that you should really do now to enjoy your life more?

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See Jane Cheat

I've got a couple of quilting projects going right now.

Okay, more than a couple. Semantics.

I have been checking and rechecking Kaffe Fassett's Quilts in the Sun from the library now for quite a while. If you've been looking for it, well, sorry.

There is a quilt called Jane's Diamonds that I just love. It is based on this quilt that Jane Austen made with her mother and sister. Except they didn't have a sewing machine or a rotary cutter. Bummer for them.

See what you can do without the tv or internet to distract you? Crank out a few books, and hand piece an amazing quilt.

Anyway.

So I've been working on my own cheater's version of the quilt:



Kaffe's instructions say to make individual blocks out of a diamond and two pieces of sashing, then string those blocks together.

First off, no. As you can see, I'm making diagonal rows of diamonds, then I intend to piece the rows together with long strips of sashing. Because otherwise where would I get the time to watch tv or surf the net?

Which reminds me of an aside. I cannot find the BBC version of P&P available on Netflix or Hulu to watch while I work on my quilt, so if you know of an online source, let me know. Otherwise I have to watch Hell's Kitchen. Which is fine, really. All that bleeping requires me to use my imagination as to the dialog, which is good for my creativity.

So, if you know why my quilt cheat is going to be a big disaster in the end, please give me a heads up now.

Also, rather than quilting this bad girl, Kaffe secured the corners of each diamond with a french knot. I love it. But I can't figure out what that looks like on the back. Any ideas?

I really love this quilt, and don't you think it would be wonderful made out of Anna Maria Horner's voiles? It would be SO gorgeous.

So, whatcha working on?

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What a card!

So now that summer is here, I've kind of gotten out of control with the whole sewing thing. All that time I spent teaching the kids before? Quilting.

Also, there's the time I used to spend doing laundry, doing the dishes, and sleeping. It's a little much.

Fabric is required for quilting. And it's not free. Just so you know.

I've found that as I dive further into the quilting thing that I'm very stingy with my fabric. I can't stand to waste the tiniest scrap. Serously, I could probably cut a quilt in half the time I do if I didn't have to think and think about how I can cut it with Minimal Scrap Creation.

I've developed a Scrap Saving System (patent pending) that stores my scraps by size and shape. (Just kidding about the patent pending part. But now that I think about it...)

I've also started making cards with scraps.



The guitar card was Bud's Father's Day card, and I'm very partial to it. The little birdie card is going out with a quilt block to one of my quilting bee homies. I cut the bird and the asterisks from a scrap of her fabric.

But of course, that creates more scraps. It is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma. But not.

What do you do with your scraps? If you don't quilt, you can share about other scraps. Composting? I'd love to hear about it. Scrap wood from your woodshop? I'm all ears. Do tell.

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Raccoons and deer and armadillos, oh my!

Our little family had a fabulous trip to Colorado Bend State Park last week for some camping. We mostly swam or hung out under the ginormous pecan tree on our campsite...






because this is Texas and it is hot. So shade and water are key ingredients for a successful summer camping trip.

Bud took lifeguard duty while I snapped photos:



Romy enjoyed the view and a snack:



She also enjoyed playing in the ash from the previous night's fire:





Believe me when I tell you that washing her hair when we got home was an experience I don't care to relive. Or remember actually.

We had a frequent visitors to our campsite. This sweet deer hung out with us for most of the trip, plus plenty of raccoons who thought we were green enough to leave our ice chest and food somewhere other than our locked car overnight. And armadillos, too.



No snakes, for which I am eternally grateful. I'm sure they were there, this is Texas hill country after all, but we didn't actually see them. Again, grateful.


A good time was had by all!

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