Catch up

I've been very delinquent in posting lately, but I have been good at taking pictures of things I'd like to post.  So, since the backlog is getting a bit overwhelming, here's quick snippets of things from around here lately:

THE HOUSE
In an effort to decorate the house on the cheap, I found these beauties at the Salvation Army for $2 each. 

After seeing this done on some blog or another, I bought some "Oil Rubbed Bronze" spray paint and turned them into nice chunky candle holders for by the fireplace.

I found a pattern at Obsessively Stitching to make a teepee tent from a sheet.  Since twin sheets were on sale for $3 at Walmart and since the pattern had almost NO edges that needed to be finished, I made it.  I was afraid that my over-enthusiastic efforts would go unappreciated, but so far the tent has been up for about 2 weeks and gets regular play time every day.  Who knew that running into and then out of the tent while hooting (sort of like an Indian, now that I think about it...) could be so much fun.  I'm sure they like it because of it's authenticity.  Fabric woven from dyed buffalo hair, the same PVC pipe found in the original teepees of the Sioux Indians....

CHORES
I've started to give D some chores.  He has a little chore chart thingy with clothes pins labeled with chores that can be moved from the "to do" part to the "all done!!!"  part.  One is laundry.  It is D's job to match socks and (if he does that before I give up waiting and do it myself) fold washcloths.  He's pretty helpful. 

Belle, not so much.  She just rummages through the laundry basket til she finds two pairs of D's underwear and voila!  Accessories!

SAVE THE EARTH
We went a little green around here.  After seeing a post months ago about small things you can do around the house, I've been wanting to do this.  You take plastic bottles (sprite and gatorade for us), put some rocks in the bottom...

...fill with water...

 ...and place in the tank of your toilet where it won't interfere with the potty working.  :) 

Am I the only one who has never heard of this?  It just takes up space in your tank so less water is used in filling it up.  Granted, not a lot of space, but any water saving is good.


THE ULTIMATE PLAYROOM
And finally, when we moved into this house, I was a little concerned that it was going to be an adjustment for me that the kids would be off playing somewhere far away.  In the old house they pretty much couldn't be out of my sight.  But here with their enormous, awesome play room downstairs from the kitchen I thought I'd spend all day peeking down the stairs to see how they were.

Um, yeah...not a problem.  This was me trying to check email at the kitchen counter.  I had to hold the camera up high above myself to get a good view.  So this is the view that a fly on the ceiling above me would have.  Apparently my legs are the most interesting toy in the house.  Forget the new tent or the seven zillion toys in the play room. 

In an effort to have patience with this, I just breath deeply and chant,

"Someday they won't want to be anywhere near me. 
Someday they won't want to be anywhere near me. 
Someday...."  then my eyes glaze over as I dream of the peace and quiet of that day.

Until I get elbowed in the stomach.