7 Quick Takes

 

If you'd like to read more quick takes, go visit Jen. She's cool like that.

 

~1~

Superman and I are going on a trip sans children. For more than a night or two.

Color me nervous.

The panic attacks started exactly 2 nights ago when I woke up at about 2 a.m. completely convinced that Ender had broken his arm while we were gone and we weren't there for him. Never mind the fact that he'll be with grandparents who love him very much and take amazing care of him when we're not around, but you know. Maternal paranoia. 

 

~2~

I finished Kushiel's Mercy yesterday morning. It was so good that I stayed up late reading and actually woke up earlier than usual to have extra time to read and finish it up. I could not put it down and now I'm sad that the serious is over. I need to find something in the same vein while I'm on such a big fantasy kick in my fiction reading.

 

~3~

I've been addressing envelopes for our Christmas cards this week and Ender was inspired to make his own. He's been stamping and writing cards to everyone in the family to hand out on Thanksgiving.

They're on old "Thank You" cards with monkeys on them, but if you call them Thanksgiving monkeys it's all good.

 

~4~

I spent a ridiculous amount of time pleating last night. What a lesson in patience! Superman and I were catching up on a few of the shows on our DVR and after awhile he looked at me and said, "what exactly are you doing?"

I tried to explain but he waved me off and asked, "If it's that much trouble why would you do that to yourself?"

I wondered too! It's worth it- the skirt is going to look great, but I don't want to mess with pleats for a long, long time. Or ruffles either. Good thing I have boys, I suppose!

 

~5~

The boys helped decorate for Thanksgiving this week:

The "countdown to Thanksgiving" chain belongs to Ender. We started making countdown chains quite awhile ago, and it has really helped him with teen counting. The wreaths were a spontaneous kind of thing. I don't know how we got on the topic of wreaths, but Ender asked me why we had a Christmas wreath but not a thanksgiving wreath, so he decided to make one. We cut some leafy shapes and used cardboard from an empty cereal box to cut the wreath shape. Ezra even got in on the wreath making and did a pretty good job with the glue stick.

 

~6~

 I continue to be amazed at how personality comes out in kids so young. Ezra has always been very opinionated, and especially so in his art. He is a "maker" like me and at the very least draws every day. His new adventure into collages has been very fun to watch. It's still a very physical process for him, but this week he placed pieces very specifically on the page and named the work when it was complete. I've tried to stay away from the naming thing, but Ezra insists on it. Most often he calls his work a "duck".

I'm going to switch up the collage supplies this week and add a little bit of fabric and felt to see what he does with that.

 

~7~

I'm spending the weekend trying to avoid getting the gunky nose stuff the boys have. I'm imagining there will probably be abundant time on the couch, warm blankies and favorite movies. Hopefully some good napping from the boys to help them get over this stuff.

Finally Some Sun!

We've been stuck in cloudy rainy yuckiness for a few weeks now, but this past weekend brought some sunshine and unseasonably warm weather! Outside we went . . .

Pajama Time

I caught I good sale on flannel prints a few weeks ago and bought a few to make pajamas for the boys. The boys are only one size apart in clothes so I cut them all to the same size and just gave Ezra a deeper hem.

I *love* making pants. It makes me feel like I've done so much in so little time! After just a few hours of work there were not one, but SIX pairs of pajama pants ready to be worn! Sometimes it's nice to have such a quick project at hand, plus the boys really like to have matching pajamas sometimes.

Daybook

Outside my window… the weather is finally acting November-ish, but I wish it were jus tthe cold kind. It's drizzly and gray where we are, and up north where Superman works it's rotating between snow, sleet and drizzle. Poor guy is outside in all of this today.

 

I am thinking… about Thanksgiving food. I'm responsible for one side dish and a dessert this year for my side of the family, and another dessert for Superman's side.

 

I am thankful for… a slow weekend. We had no where to go but church on Sunday and I caught up all the laundry and cleaning by noon on Saturday. There was soooo much sewing this past weekend! (Pictures starting tomorrow!)

 

Always Learning…  We had a slightly slower week this past week with a lot of time spent at the table writing the letters of the alphabet Ender has learned to form so far (A-F, N, R and T in both upper and lowercase). He spent most of the summer begging me to learn to write letters but when we started to work on them he just wasn't ready. It's amazing how much kids develop and change in just a few months. I'm glad we waited a little longer because he has become very confident in this area. I don't think that would have happened if we'd started before he was really ready.

 

Ezra has spent a lot of his time with the buttoning turkey and his latest fascination is carrying the child-sized chairs around the living room. He's been joining us for collages. He's not quite ready to cut on his own, but he *is* the resident king of the gluestick.

 

From the kitchen… Lots of leftovers. We're trying to use up as much of what's in the house as possible since we will be gone so long at Thanksgiving and I don't want to come back to any surprises in my refrigerator.

 

I am wearing… Dark denim jeans, a white cami and sweater on top. I'm all about the layers lately. Oh yes, and awesome argyle socks.

 

I am creating… December lesson plans and MORE Christmas sewing. I finished Superman's gift over the weekend, and worked on stockings. I'm hoping to finish those in the next day or two.

 

I am going… to get the house in really great shape before next Wednesday so we can come home to a really clean house.

 

I am reading… Kushiel’s Mercy by Jacqueline Carey. I do actually read books by other people too, it's just that hers are like 600 pages . . .

 

I am hoping… For a more relaxed week of teaching in the studio this week.

 

I am hearing… The boys talking to Ender's fish as they eat their morning snack. They love to tell him what their plans are for the day. 

 

Around the house… We want to get the Christmas tree set up this coming weekend since we will be leaving on Thanksgiving and won't be back until December 5. I'm trying to figure out where the Christmas tree might be able to go and all the other Christmas things we want to have set up for the boys for when we come back.

 

One of my favorite things… bubble baths. I've been able to have one in the evening a few times this week to de-stress. I can read without feeling like I should really be doing something else.

 

A few plans for the rest of the week … Making packing lists, more sewing, taking back the enormous stack of fall themed library books and replacing them with winter books, Superman's midterm for 1 class, and finalizing thanksgiving plans with family.