a typewriter

I remember when my friend Maya Stein told me about the typewriter she had while growing up. It sat  on a table always available and ready to get used.

That tradition she had in her childhood home, stayed with me and inspired me to do the same. It seemed liked such a novel idea, especially now as old typewriters have started to resurface, to not just have the typewriter as decoration, but a constant invitation for our daily words.

Determined to make this happen from day one at The Ledge I found a typewriter on ebay while at the rental. I did my best to find the right ribbon, which turned out is discontinued, so I had to wind it myself. I then placed it on the table in our living room with a fresh piece of white paper and nothing but the date and waited to see what happened.



It wasn't long before I started to hear the clacking of the keys. The first few pages were full of the girls just messing around getting to know this new machine that didn't have (or so it seemed) a number one or an apostrophe. They spelled their names and typed individual letters over and over -- some light, some so hard the letters pierced a hole in the paper. They hit the return key to watch the carriage move back and forth.

Once they had settled in, understood the ins and outs, the words started to come. They write about their day, what's going on at the moment, what they like/dislike, their friends have even given it a go. Lately they even go a little deeper and share what's in their heart -- I love their willingness to be vulnerable with our family. I have really come to love the clacking of the keys. You never know what goodness you're going to find there, what stories they're going to share.

What I didn't understand when Maya first told me about her typewriter, but am beginning to see, is just how much life it holds. It has become this delightful spot in our home where our thoughts are coming together to create this magical memoir of our life here at The Ledge.

52 photo project | weeks 40 | where I lay my head down

some of my most cherished memories happen here -- where I lay my head
life altering conversations
needed touch
late night/early morning cuddles with little ones
lessons from a good book
middle of the night ideas (always keep a pencil and notebook handy)
delicious sleep

i love this little corner of my world.

creative wednesday week 9

After Squam I got this crazy idea to put a chalk board in my kitchen (there was one in the beach house we stayed in). It's not the first time I've wanted to have a chalk board in my house. There have been countless times I've envisioned Adam and the girl's art gracing the wall, loving messages back and forth, and even daily reminders.




So I got started over the weekend and finished up yesterday. I pulled down the magnet boards, which I hadn't been loving for a while now, filled in the holes, masked off the area, and began to paint. I haven't seen the girls this excited about something in a long time. It's been like Christmas around here as they've anticipated being able to draw on it and make it theirs.

My other creative Wednesday project: yep you guessed it...

Yesterday I put the finishing touches on the gratitude journals. I assembled them all and got them ready for shipping. It really is a ton of work when you look at it step by step, but seeing the finished product makes it all worth it. I love the way they turned out and hope they are received and appreciated throughout 2011.

I am hoping to have some gratitude journals in my etsy shop in a week or two for all those interested. They will be a bit different, soft bound like paperback instead of hardbound. I'll give you the heads up when they go live in my shop. :)

Did you do anything creative this week?

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REMINDER
Oh and don't forget tomorrow is the 12th for all of you participating in 12of12. This month seemed on the longer side so I'm really looking forward to another round. Enjoy!!

interruption

We had plans Friday night to go out, but last minute changed our minds because really all we wanted to do was lounge around the house and be lazy. Adam read to me from a 1079 page book he simply can't get enough of (infinite jest by david foster wallace). He was telling me all about the crazy acronyms and explaining how he often doesn't know what the author is taking about until hundreds of pages later when finally it is revealed. Sounds absolutely ludicrous to me, but he loves DFW and never wants the book to end.

We hadn't been reading too long when the little ones began to arrive. First Tess then Megan.



Adam in his, playing way, quickly pushed over the ottoman causing Tess to tumble to the floor. Apparently it was "so cool" Megan was asking for a turn and before we knew it our ottoman had becomes the next big thing.



I'm not sure why we ever thought we'd be able to get away with such luxury. Reading together in a quiet room...we should have known we were ripe for getting interrupted. They always have a way of knowing when you're comfortable? They can sense when you're relaxing and they won't have it. They'll find you, they will and mess with what little quiet time you have.

Perhaps it was all the acronyms keeping me lost in the story or perhaps it was hearing the laughter from across the room, but somehow I didn't seem to mind the interruption.

xo

homeward bound

It's 6:57am EST & I'm standing in line waiting to board a flight that was suppose to leave at 6:55am. Must all planes be late? My connection in Chicago is only 1/2 hr so I'm feeling anxious about missing my flight & not making it home today.

Deep breaths.

If I've learned one thing this weekend it's to be positive & not stress about needless things...things I have no control over like flights being on time. It helps to, to be flying with a friend who is reminding me of that. Thank Amy.

I had the most magnificent time in North Carolina. Never thought in such a short period of time I could feel so connected to women I literally met for the first time last Wednesday. It's what filled me up all week & kept me present instead of letting my mind wonder home.



While i missed them this past week I haven't quite miss them the way I miss them now. I'm ready to be home. To see & hold Adam & my girls. To once again get back to normalcy.

xoxo
Amy
iPhone

snippets from this morning in my bed

One minute I was lying in bed in the quiet trying to not wake up and then next I had three little girls next to me. These are the pieces I heard...



"What if this was the only bed in the house? That would be really squishy for dad." -megan

"Megan you smell like Marigold." -tess (Marigold is our friends dog)

"Don't bite me." -tess
"Than get your fingers away from my mouth." -megan

"I see a bunny rabbit on the ceiling...sorry that was random." -bella (she was referring to the texture on the ceiling.)

"What are you doing?" -me
"Enjoying your bed." -megan

"It's all your fault!" -tess

"Mommy, I'm stuck on you." -megan

"Stop! I'm trying to lay in peace." -bella

"Come on Tess let's do our jobs. I'm doing the dishwasher." -bella

"I'd rather play than work." -tess

"I'm so tired I feel like I can't even get up." -megan

"Sorry I didn't know." -tess
"Ya yuh did." -megan

"UGH!" - tess

"I want my own grapefruit." -megan

"What are we doing today?" -megan

everyday trauma

Bella came home Monday night talking about health and fitness. Apparently in school they had a class about the food pyramid, how to eat right and keep your body healthy through exercise. After telling us all she learned she asked if she could use the treadmill sometimes to exercise. I chuckled at the thought, but told her she could whenever she wanted to.



Surprisingly the next night after dinner she wanted to exercise. It was funny the way the girls made a game of it. They all dressed up in tank tops, shorts, and tennis shoes and wrote out on the dry erase board activities like push-ups, sit-ups, etc. that they had to do. I spied on them and it cracked me up to see them "exercising". They were actually doing it and trying hard too. Bella was running on the treadmill while watching everyday Italian on TV and the other two were on the ground attempting push-ups.

I figured that would be it, but last night they were all excited to do it again. This time I went down with my camera thinking surely this will be my last opportunity and again got a good laugh that they were actually exercising. After I left, right around bed time, I heard the girls screaming as they walked up the stairs. Megan was crying about "not doing it" in a voice that started to alarm me. Turns out Bella was on the treadmill, tried to reach for something that was in her way and fell so that the belt on the treadmill basically rub the skin off her thigh (aka a really bad rug burn). Turns out Megan was crying because of what it looked like and despite the fact that she kept saying "I didn't do it", she was the one who actually turned off the treadmill and freed Bella. She keeps going around saying, "I saved Bella's life".



Lucky for Bella there was no school today so she had a lazy day on the couch. She can get around just fine, but at one point she did say, "Mom, will I need crutches?" I expected to hear nothing less from my sweet Bella...she's pretty dramatic. It wasn't until about 1/2 through the day that I realized her injury could have been much worse and it probably wasn't so smart of me to let her use the treadmill without some safety tips like putting the safety cord around her wrist so if she fell it would shut of automatically. I guess I still need to get use to have a almost 10 year old.

I got to wondered when everything's healed up will the excitement about exercising go away? I don't know, but I do know one thing for sure that Megan said and hope she'll soon forget, "exercise hurts".

We've got some sickies around here and it's not the good kind either.

* There's been lots of whining and I need you to be with me.
* Two hours spent at the doctors in order to find out a diagnosis.
* $65 on medication x 2 with Megan coming down with it (so that's $130 in 2 days).
* Lots of tears over silly things....perhaps it's just PMS.
* Adam and I waiting and wondering who will get hit with it next...we're each betting on the other.
* Missed opportunities for all (Adam & kids were suppose to go camping this weekend so there goes my free night).
* No friends after school means a "no fun Friday" according to Bella.
* Incredible amounts of laziness and apathy from all.

Looks like it's shaping up to be one of those weekends. Is it too early (3pm) to go to bed?

2 things you should know when selling a house

#1 you need to keep the house clean.
It's seems virtually impossible to keep a house clean, spotless and ready to show when you have children. I must say as frustrating as it can be or has been, my girls have been so good about helping me. It's definitely taken it's toll this summer, I feel like I'm always on my toes reminding them, but all and all we have survived...so far.

#2 (& I think the worst part) you're going to get kicked out of your house...a lot.
It's more than frustrating to be going about your day only to find out you have to leave the house, in the heat, for a couple of hours (aside from one week there has been a showing everyday). The girls haven't been able to have as many play dates because I'm afraid we'll have a showing and working on projects seem virtually impossible. So I guess you could say it's been a challenge to find things to do inside and outside our home this summer to occupy our time.

But, like all things, we've managed. We went out of town to get away from it, we've been swimming, gone to the bookstore and library, enjoyed more than one snowie, played at the park, roamed target (which is never good for your wallet), went to lunch/picnics, enjoyed cool movies, etc.

For example, today when we had to be out in the middle of the crazy 100 degree heat we went swimming. What else can you do?








[In true megan fashion, she's sporting the latest in bandaid technology...waterproof. I don't think we've gone a day this summer without one on.]



It's seems we've been busier than usual outside our home, but what I've realized this last week is our spur of the moment outings are giving us ample quality time together we may not have taken otherwise. So for that reason alone, selling my home has been a welcomed diversion. Don't get me wrong though, I am ready to be done.

2 hour makeover. The cost $0!

I was gone for two hours last night and when I came home Adam had transformed our house (I have no idea how he did it on his own). I like to think I know something about design, but I know absolutely nothing about interior design. Nothing. I feel completely lost when it comes to interiors so I'm grateful Adam has an eye and with little effort can make a huge difference.




[He switched places with the couch and chairs and added the console table. For those of you who don't know what it looked liked before, trust me it looks way better.]

Remember when I told you last week that Adam came home and took our couch? Well, he came home the next day with a hideous couch as a replacement (apparently I didn't have say). He tried to convince me that it was more comfortable, but I hate it. Or I did. It seems like this new change has made the sore thumb that was the couch in my living go away. It's still not what I would have chosen, and am shocked he did, but at least now I don't notice it nearly as much.



He finally found a place for the console table he bought for pennies back in February 08. It's been down in the basement collecting kid junk, but because of the new arrangement it fits perfectly in the room.



Then I went into our bedroom and saw that he had done some more changes in there. Our bedroom has a sitting room off to the side and it's always just been wasted space. We always had two chairs and a bookcase, but it never really felt like it fit. Well, he worked his magic again and it now feels like my bedroom is complete, that the extra space has a purpose.

It was such a shock for me to come home to, I had no idea he was going to spend his night this way, but oh so delightful. I thanked him incessantly for making our home feel more like the way I want it to, while he sighed with relief because he thought I wouldn't like what he did. I like it so much the changes I want to make, new drapes and a hutch (all of which cost money), are in the back of my mind for future longings.

I love simple makeovers, especially when I don't have to do the work and they don't cost any money.

full day

We took it easy today which basically means we hung out at the house. Of course with a day at home I was bound to hear "what can I do now?" and "I don't know what to do." It's funny to see how quickly those statements cease when they realize my list includes chores around the house.

Despite how long the day felt to me, it was a good or I should say productive. I did a lot of the things around the house I've been putting off like cleaning the refrigerator and pantry, and the girls even helped me clean the floors. With all the house stuff that got done we also had some quality playing together, oh, and had a bit of a read-a-thon (my favorite).





One of the more popular activities of the day were their puppet shows. I saw several and you are lucky I can't get my video to download or you would be seeing it too. Of course I think it's funny and silly and even better that their heads kept popping up.

We had fun, but I am looking forward to a regular day tomorrow...it was exhausting. I have to admit this is making me fear the summer a bit, but I guess it's so much easier when they can go outside and play or we can go swimming or to the park. So after such a full day I'm really looking forward to getting in bed with a cup of hot chocolate and relaxing. How about you?

two good things came from one weekend of sick

I've been putting our house back together after the sickness that came through here this weekend. We found out Adam had strep Friday which led to Tess and Megan's diagnosis. It was strange though, Tess was running around having a great time and told me her throat didn't hurt at all. So they have all been on antibiotics and I have been doing what I can to stay away from them, which included sleeping on the couch...so far so good. I did get meds for Bella (i never gave them to her) just in case she comes down with it to because I don't want to pay another $25 to go see the doctor. So far this weekend has cost me more than $100 with co pays and prescriptions (though I will say I'm glad it was only that much).

So while they've been sick, really it only seemed like Adam was sick, I got loads of stuff done. I guess I was trying to preoccupy myself and not feel like we were under some kind of quarantine.

I totally cleaned my car inside and out. It felt so good. I never know why I wait until I just can't stand it anymore. I guess I figure until the winter is over my mats are going to look disgusting.

Bella and I moved her room around. She has been asking me to do this for a long time, but I've hesitated because there's not a whole lot we can do...she has a queen size bed and a small room with lots of windows. My sister-in-law Amy gave me a small table (thanks Amy) and Bella loved it so much I told her she could have it. I thought it would be fun to finally give her a new look and then I was able to satisfy another urge to deep cleaning. When people are sick I just want to clean.

I took down my saloon style doors in my closet and added a curtain. I've had more than one person comment about my saloon doors and make fun, although that is not the reason I took them down. For 1, they seemed to really get in my way, and 2, I would hang stuff on them so the entrance to my closet always looked like the rest of it...messy. I actually like what it looks like so much better, and hey, my closet is clean too.

I defunkified my room and cleaned the sheets. Ok, Adam cleaned the sheets for me yesterday. I guess he was sick of his sickness and took care of it for us. He seems to be much better and went back to work this morning.

There were a few things I wanted to clean that I didn't get to like my fridge and my studio desk, even Megan asked why my desk is always messy, however, a few good things came from the weekend of sickness. The house is cleaner than it was and Adam's going to be staying in town (he had a trip to New Mexico he was suppose to go on this week that he canceled because of how he was feeling). I can't complain with that.

one day I will miss this

I woke up this morning in a beautiful daze thrilled I got to sleep in a bit (7:30am) because the kids are out of school today and Monday and there was no need to rush (love mornings like that). As I walked down the hall I ran into Cinderella shoes, robes strewn about the floor, and I walked on littlest pet shop toys. So my bliss of a lazy morning was crippled by the girls stuff all over the place. It was particularly frustrating because I spent most of my morning yesterday cleaning. I just stood there in the hall talking myself out of a bad mood, reminding myself that one day I will miss falling over their stuff.

So calm and back in my daze I went to seek out the said girls that left me treasures. I found them downstairs giddy as can be to be watching TV, yes, that made me happy (I so remember those times as a kid), but the mess that surrounded them (how can they not notice what they're sitting in?) brought back all those feelings...must all my efforts be in vain?! Again I attempted to calm myself by saying, one day I will miss seeing mass amounts of toys scattered all over the place, one day I will miss this. Right?

I have to admit I don't know if I'll ever miss this...the jury is still out on this one



Seeing piles and piles of Megan's clothes all over her room. It infuriates me to no end because we clean it up daily. Will she ever learn? I fear this may be the view inside her room 12 years from now.

I may miss this...



after all it's just toys and it does clean up easily. It also speaks volumes and tells me I have happy kids in the house, but it is frustrating for this to be the first thing I see when I walk in from my garage. Why can't they just pick up after themselves...is it so hard to do?

I decided the best thing for me was to leave so I didn't get really mad, particularly at Megan. As I walked up the stairs and back to my room mumbling to myself about the injustice of it all, I passed my door like I always do and saw the pictures the girls hang up for us randomly (I also have some on my studio door). It made me smile and I thought, I will definitely miss this.



I will definitely miss seeing pieces of them throughout the house even if it does mean tripping over Cinderella shoes because the mess and the noise means they are here. Of course in the moment, where I am now, it's not always easy to see it that way. So I go throughout my day, most days, reminding myself that one day I will miss this even if I'm not missing it today.

graffiti

I've been feeling under the weather today. Really I should say since Sunday I haven't felt myself. I hate feeling sick, sort of sick, or like I'm getting sick...I just don't want to do anything. I guess it can be a good thing though, I feel like my body is telling me I need a little break.

So after taking a sloooooooow morning I went downstairs to find Megan when I noticed this



on my banister. The 'who would do this' was never a question in my mind and I continued on my way to find the culprit, Megan, who was basking in the glory of watching TV all morning long. (Do I feel guilty? A bit, but it feels good to use it when I need it.)

In her childlike, I still don't understand that my mom knows everything, way she tried lying to me. "Mom, really, I don't know who did it." Will I ever get her to understand you get in far more trouble telling a lie than the truth? Aargh!



Eventually she came out with it. I don't know, it could have been the threats that put her over the edge, but she admitted it and rectified the situation by using the magic eraser (love this thing...it is magic) to clean it up. She was just about done when I walked away to change the laundry and as I came back I found her cleaning the wall on the other side of the stairs.



I told her she didn't have to do that, but then she pointed out she indeed did...more Megan 'art' on my wall. I wonder, had I noticed that first if she would have told me the truth up front seeing how it's her name and not just scribbles?

Since then I found this



in her room and a couple other offenses around the house. I'm sort of shocked that I'm dealing with this now, she four and never done this before, but for some reason she is choosing walls as her canvas. Perhaps she's just so excited she is learning to write her name and doing it so well that she's practicing everywhere, but then again it doesn't explain the scribbles. Baffling? I tell you what it is never a dull day with her around.

teaching = learning

Saturday we had our first lesson on cleaning the toilets/bathrooms. Basically I want them to see how much work it is so they will, on a daily basis, take part in keeping it clean. There was a lot of "that's disgusting" comments, but all and all they didn't mind it. In fact they asked, "when do we get to do it again?". Go figure they actually had fun cleaning the bathroom.

It's certainly a job I would love to relinquish completely, but I know it will be us doing it together for a while. I think that's why I haven't taught them til now, it just makes more work for me and takes a lot longer. I guess in the long run, though, it will serve it's purpose. I definitely want my girls to know how to work and to understand that working isn't a bad thing. Of course at some point don't you always know that cleaning the toilet is a bum job (no pun intended).

sleeping easy

I finally did it, bought food storage. Well months ago I did and have been waiting impatiently to receive it. I feared the amount that was coming and yet I still wasn't quite prepared when a truck pulled in my driveway yesterday and delivered two pallets full.



It was a daunting task, but I was able to clean out a semi unused closet in my basement, take out the shelf, and fill it up with the food. I honestly can't believe I was able to do it and it only took me about an hour...by myself.



So now I have food. It feels good to know I am more prepared than I was yesterday, but I'm still hoping I will never in my life have need for it. My plan initially was to gradually used it and refill it, but now that I have it I don't want to go through the bother of replacing it. After all with the price of food it could cost even more, plus there's really no getting the food out of there anyway it's so packed in.

If any of you are interested I used this company. I heard good things from a few people, but honestly I've never tried the food and don't think I ever will until I absolutely need to. I do know they will send you samples in the mail to try. FYI I had been watching and thinking about doing this since last year and because of the cost of wheat and corn etc. the price keeps going up. I just looked and it's about 25% more than what it cost me.

Anyway, have a great weekend. Tomorrow I will be running/walking a 5k with my family, organized by robyn, and beginning our summer break. Yes, for us summer vacation is officially here starting today even if the weather is telling me otherwise.

savoring a not so busy saturday & a few randoms

Because I had absolutely nothing I had to do today (love that) I attempted to paint this morning. Apparently I wasn't inspired in the least so grumpily I gave up and started cleaning. I enjoy starting a weekend off with some deep cleaning, especially when you add listening to a book at the same time, it really can make for an enjoyable experience.

I haven't seen my kids all day because they've been busy playing with this box.



You can't really see it, but they've been decorating it with markers. I told them when Dad finally comes inside he would cut them a door, but they just couldn't wait that long and ripped one for themselves...eventually they did take it outside. I love watching them play with their imaginations.

I found the song I was looking for (not that you knew I was looking for it) even with the internet it took me some time because I was completely on the wrong track. I saw an old navy commercial the other day and must have seen or heard something that caught my attention because I rewound my tivo and went back to watch the whole thing (i rarely do that). It sounded so much like Ashlee Simpson and then they showed the girl singing and I knew for certain it was her. Apparently I was way off, hence the problem finding it, it was not Ashlee Simpson. As it turns out the song is called The Last Thing On Your Mind by Lights. After my internet research I found out she was discovered by Old Navy on her MySpace page. How cool is that? She has fours songs available to purchase on itunes. I have been listening to it over and over again. Do you ever do that? Listen to a song until you're sick of it. I seem to do that all the time when I find something I can't get enough of. P.S. Dani I think you'll especially love it.

Since I have loads of time on my hands today I finally replaced some photos I've been meaning to for so long.

black-in my studio...white-in my entry way

When I say so long it's because the square frame in my entry has been a Christmas photo of the girls I've been meaning to change out. I had an idea I would change this frame to accompany each season, but so far I haven't done it. Seriously I don't know how time gets away from me.

Here is a closer view of the photo in the frame. I took it one afternoon while the girls were playing across the street on their scooters. Sweet Meg took a moment out of her play time to pick some dandelions for me like she did all last summer. I love that she continues to do this each time she goes outside to play.



Have a fabulous weekend.

I'm back

I wanted post when I got back, just a brief note to say I actually made it home, but of course my internet was down. Between our luggage getting lost again on the way home, and our car having to get put in the shop I was frustrated to find that our internet was down. I guess it was good even though every time I turned around I thought, I need to check on xyz and then it hit me that I couldn't. It gave me the time to reconnect with my girls which turned out was nothing at all. Life just resumed as it was before as if we had never left.

It is good to be back. It took me several days to feel normal, but luckily now I am not dying to sleep when 3pm rolls around and doing my normal routine feels, well, normal...good. It was such a nice break and I hope to share with you my thoughts and experience soon.

Lately...

We've been doing a lot of nail painting in my house. It's something the girls love doing and I don't mind either as long as they can wait for their nails to dry, which seems to be quite challenging for Megan. I have a bright pink color which we use every time and they usually love, but now that we've recoated like 3 times due to the polish chipping in only a day or two they keep asking for different colors. Sadly I don't stock up on nail polish so the colors are vastly limited. Tess told me today that Lolo (her aunt) has all kinds of colors and she should just wait for her to do them. Suddenly I felt uncool and a need to stock up on some hip new colors. Thanks Lori. Maybe we should bring her to your school and let you do a manicure for her...would you do that?

Photo by Tess

Lately as I've been looking through my photos to save them, don't forget to make a copy, I realize how absent Bella is in a lot of photos (I need to be better at taking more photos when she gets home). It has been a hard change for me not having her around. I mean don't get me wrong I love them in school, but I feel I rarely get to see her and it makes me sad. It makes me really appreciate the time I get to spend with Tess and Megan and am doing my best to make it last because time is quickly approaching when Tess will be gone all day as well. I remember a time when all I wanted was for them to be in school and now I want time to slow down. They're going up too fast.


So, with Bella's absence, I've been noticing these two little girls of mine becoming fast friends. When Bella's around Megan usually gets overlooked, but with no one else to play with Tess has been quite taken with Megan. It's been a joy to see them playing quietly in the basement together without any encouragement on my part or laughing together about nonsense. They are alike in many ways so I'm surprised it has taken so long for their friendship to take off (I suppose it helps for some maturity on Megan's part). For instance, they love to play dress up and be girly girls...stuff Bella wouldn't do because it doesn't interest her. It's been a delight to see the two of them growing closer and hope this will be the beginning of a strong friendship between the two of them. Something I hope for all my girls.

week 3...

and still going strong. This is the project I worked on last week (along with the mouse pads), but am just getting around to blogging it. I already had these photos printed and in frames so pretty much I just painted the "M" and hung the shelf. It just adds a little bit more of us to our house that makes me smile every time I walk up my stairs. I am currently working on my entry way so hopefully at the end of the week I can show you my efforts. I just love this project once a week. It gives me something to look forward to and I'm always thinking of what I want to accomplish.

Are you working on anything this week?

I also found these layouts on my HD that I did last November and never did post. I guess with my HD failure scare I want to make sure to have double back ups.