Wow! Where did that week go?

Uh oh. It has been almost a week since I posted again. Where did this week go? Life has been so very full and busy, and we have done lots of good stuff, but it is hard to remember it all. In no particular order, just to catch you up a bit, since last Saturday:

We have seen Gramma twice- On Sunday the Girl mowed her lawn while I pulled weeds and talked to my big sister, and the Dude walked around the yard with Gramma, trimming this, and cutting that. On Wed, we took her shopping and visited a bit.

We had an enjoyable visit with the B family and our group of friends there Sunday evening. Ribs and salmon, and chocolate cake (Pamela- yes, it was the same cake we made for your hunny oh so long ago- the Choc. Town Special.) were had by all. I even let myself have a Mike's.

The Girl has been catching up on her Latin and Math, and she met two new neighbor girls, with whom she has been riding bikes in the evening, while I walked around the neighborhood with the Dude. My goal (one of the many!) is to really dig in and start exercising daily. It has been nice to just have the Girl around, focusing on her, and spending time with her. She is growing up so fast, and is really showing signs of being a teenager.

I did some studio work this week. I completed all of the lessons in the online classes I was taking that involved techniques I hadn't done before. Several of the techniques in the class were not new to me, so I chose to focus on the ones that were new to me. I have also been working with silk fusion a bunch, and have started my first long panel of that. I will take pictures once it is completely dry. I made a couple of silk hankie bowls, but am not really happy with them- they just aren't appealing to me, took a lot of silk paint (need to order more Dye-na-flow paint), and just aren't very interesting or practical once finished. But I learned a lot from doing them, and that is what counts.

I have always said that I didn't want to learn to dye my own fabrics- too much effort, time and money spent- that I would rather spend time working with predyed fabrics instead, but I have been dabbling a bit with dyes and paints in these classes, on silk, and on paper. I have had a really enjoyable time painting (dyeing) the papers. One of the goals for this summer is to build up a stockpile of many surfaces- paper, fabric, lutradur, dyed paper towels, etc. that I can use this winter when I am stuck outside. I am slowly transforming the back deck into an outdoor studio- the plastic picnic table is great for dyeing, and painting; and the clothesline and water faucet are both very close to the basement/studio door.

In other studio news, I am working hard at building up a bunch of stuff to post in the Etsy shop. I met a wonderful woman last week who gave me a bunch of tips on using Etsy effectively, so I am following her advice on that. So far, I am finishing up several UFOs and getting several small projects finished. My goal is to have a bunch of stuff ready to go into the shop by the end of June. So far so good on that plan.

Speaking of the clothesline, when I got back from one of my recent travels, I discovered the kids and the Dude had rehung my clotheslines, and added more, so that I had 6 of them! I was very happy with this surprise. But the clotheslines keep falling down, so we need to get them restrung, and done stronger so that I can use them.

The Boy hasn't been in contact much this week, but I have talked to him a couple of times. Although he did not make the first cut at Nationals, he is having a good time. He is learning a great deal from watching rounds in other events. He comes home tomorrow morning, and it will be good to have him home and hear all about his trip.

The Dude and the Boy will literally be passing each other at the airport. The Boy comes in and the Dude leaves, both in the nine o'clock hour Saturday. The Dude is headed for two different island of Hawaii and will be gone all week. He is very excited (and I for him) to get to see this part of the world, and all its flora and fauna for the first time. I am only a bit nervous at the thought of parenting alone all week.

That is it for now- I need to get the Girl up and moving, and I want to do a bit of gardening before it gets too hot out (supposed to actually get into the 70's today!!), and then get some work done in the studio. I am not sure what I will work on- I need to make a list I guess.

I do just want to say that I am sorry I am not blogging regularly- I know I keep saying that, but honestly, I still haven't figured out how to get the balance right. I am no longer wasting all day away at the computer doing nothing- my house is (fairly) picked up, I am in integrity with the laundry, and I am in the studio several hours a day. So I am living life fully, and it seems I haven't figured out yet how to work the daily blogging (with photos, sigh) into that equation. But I will.

Okay, really signing off now- create a great day for yourselves!
LB

Monday Tidbits

This weekend was full but good. On Friday, the kids cleaned (I supervised and cleaned the pantry/laundry room some more) the living room, kitchen, and bathroom in participation of having a little party for on of the Boy's Debate team members (I have written about her before) who was turning sixteen and hadn't ever had a party. She ended up coming over by herself on Saturday, and we ate fruit and chips, and gifted her with a ginormous chocolate cake, and a promise of a "real" party next year. And boy, did my living room just shine, it was so clean! Loved that I didn't have to do it, but wish it would get done with less constant supervision (Notice I didn't say "nagging".)

Early Saturday morning, the Dude and I headed for our local nursery, and got some more tomato plants, for a grand total of 38 plants this year. Less than we have had in the past, but they are in a smaller bed, and it is just crammed full! I also bought 2 peppers (which still have to go in the ground), two kinds of lettuces, bok choy, and some chard and kale starts. Those are all in the big bed now. All I have left is to plant some seeds: carrots, beets, radishes, and beans. Our friend from the debate team helped plant and did some weed-wacking with us. This most definitely is a young person I enjoy and would love to have hang around with me this summer.

I got a little bit of art done this weekend. Still plugging away at the lessons in the two online classes I am in. One of them has ended, the last lesson is delivered today on the other one. I still have four weeks to get stuff done for both of these classes before the yahoo groups are finished. I am making headway, but need to really push myself if I am to get the work done this month. Whose big idea was it for me to take these classes during a month when I was going to be traveling?!

Sunday I woke with a big headache that just got bigger and bigger as the day went on. I did do some studio work through it, but not as much as I would have liked. I didn't get over to see Gramma, either, which saddened me, but I will try to fit an extra visit in this week. I ended up sleeping much of the day, which was the right thing to do, as I awoke this morning feeling wiped, but not as headachey.

Today we have our art playdate, and are hopefully finishing up our fabric journals. After this, the girls want to start on sewing doll quilts, and doing some clay work for the summer. That should be fun! This has been a nice, low-key way to spend some time with three of my fave teen girls, and still do a bit of teaching.

TTFN,
LB

Cleaning up.

Howdy folks.
I didn't update last night, so here is one for you. After piano, the kids and I headed over to the East Side, took Gramma shopping, and then after we dropped the kids off at youth group, we went back to her house and packed up a few things so she could come spend the night last night. We got home at 8:30, and I was in bed asleep by 9. Up early this morning to get the Boy off to classes, and then we three women hit the house. We hung about 6 loads of laundry out on the new clotheslines, and then we hit the laundry room. We pulled out the washer and dryer, cleaned them inside and out, dusting, vacuuming, and cleaning. It looks so much better in there. I realized as we were cleaning that one of the reasons this particular room is so dirty is that it is used for so many things: laundry room, pantry, kitchen, mudroom, and entryway. No wonder it was so messy!

Good news is that Gramma is going to come down again this weekend and help clean. We were trying to come up with a way to have a family beach weekend, but it didn't work out, and now I am glad, as my Mom is so good at this cleaning thing, and it really makes it more fun to do this deep cleaning when you have good company- someone to laugh at you when you fall through the trap door that you didn't know was under your dryer because of all the crap and crud covering it! Found many lost socks- I just hope we still have their mates.

Other plans for this weekend include more gardening, and some art time.

Gotta go- I have been so very tired lately- the Boy just informed me he has a band concert tonight (Why does he always wait till the last minute to tell me these things!!), so I think I am going to take a bit of a nap so I don't experience narcalepsy (sp?) during the concert.

TTFN,
LB

new coop part 2

Here is the inside of the new coop. So far, there is this one rimmed shelf running all around the edges. We can add more shelves above or below this one as we get more chickens. See? They like it. Today was the first day one of them actually laid an egg in the new coop!
Here is Lucy, mad as heck that she is on the inside when there are bugs to eat (I was weeding- she loves to follow me around and eat the slugs off my garden gloves), trying to peck Winnie, who seems fascinated by the big lady-birds. The white bits on the ground are shredded paper bits the Girl had used when we were out of cedar shavings.
Here is Piano Girl, holding one of the new babes. Again- except for Winnie, they all look the same to me, so who knows which one she has! Look how grownup and serious my Girly looks!
Here is the Boy, sitting in the bed he is supposed to be weeding, taking a wee break with one of the babes. I think this was Sweetie. Look how long my Boy's hair was. It was all poking out in all directions from his head. I say was, because we shaved it all off for him this morning, just about a half hour after this was taken. He looks very handsome. And serious.
That's it for chicken photos for now. Thanks for visiting the homestead. Amy, are you hyperventilating at all the bird photos? I promise I make the kids wash very good with your soap when they are done holding the birds.
LB

New Coop part 1

Howdy folks! How 'bout a chicken update? Before I show and tell the new coop and the new babies, I would like to let you know that we lost the Girl's favorite pet chicken, Goldie, while I was in AL. She got sick, seemed to get better, and then I got the fateful phone call from a teary Girl, all in the space of a few days. We don't know what was wrong, but none of the other chickens are sick, so that is good. My Girly handled it all by herself, with her usual grace and strength, prying the dead chicken's cold feet off the perch, wrapping her in an old towel, digging the grave, and giving Goldie a nice prayer and a few kind words, before burying her next to her chicken-sisters' graves. Only at this point did she let herself shed a few tears. I was so sad for her, and so proud of her. Rest in peace, Goldie, you were a great chicken, and a good pet to the Girl.

(Click to enlarge the photos, if desired.) Here is the part of the chicken yard where the coops and runs are. On the left, is the little coop where the 8 new babies are staying. Then you see the run next to it, where the old girls are for now. When the babies get a wee bit bigger, we will move them into the run, and the old girls will go into the little coop at night. Inside is the old rabbit hutch that came with the chickens we rescued 2 years ago. The boxes poking out from the sides of the hutch open up, as does the top of the hutch itself, for easy egg gathering and cleaning. If you click on the photo, you can see six of the new little girls exploring the yard.

Sorry about the chicken wire, but that is the way it goes. Here is a good shot of the remaining three old girls- Annabelle is the Rhode Island Red in the hutch, and Chickie-Boo (the Golden) and Lucy (the silver one), the Wyandottes are on the ground inside the run, trying to peck the littles on the outside there. The little white one is Winnie the Peep, and I have no idea which one is with her- they all look alike to me. Look how big they are getting though! For the record, the new babies' names are as follows: Annie, Clarabelle, Henrietta (these three are all inspired from Thomas the Tank Engine stories, in honor of our two-yr old friends), Dottie, Hannah, Sally, Sweetie, and Winnie.

Here is the door to the run, and the new coop.
Sigh. I took these on the Boy's camera, and don't know how to make the photos go right side up, but will post it anyhow. Here is the new coop. It butts up against the shed. That is Lucy in front, and Annabelle's behind there to the left of the door opening.
See the next post for more coop photos.

Weekend Warrior: A "during" update

Well, I am pooping out, and don't feel like I got half as much done down here as I would have liked. I filled 3 boxes and a black garbage bag with stuff to donate, and half a black plastic bag with garbage. I cleared out many rubbermaid tubs, large and small, and decluttered the storage shelves in the little pantry under the stairs. I put supplies I don't use often but don't want to get rid of in those shelves, and labeled as I went. I cleaned up the paper cupboard, and there is room now to put other papers as I come across them.

I also made supper- we had roasted chicken, rice, green and yellow beans and carrots, and baked squash. I think part of my being tired is that there were various bouts of yelling and frustration on all parts, as the Dude and I tried to do our own projects in addition to supervising (read nagging) the kids getting last month's jobs done- The Boy finished up his wood stacking/chopping chore, and cleaned the moss off the roof and cleaned the gutters; the Girl got her baby chickens moved to the garage, and then cleaned up from them being in her room- all floors mopped, doorknobs sanitized, room aired out, etc.

I am tired, my feet really hurt, and my heart is heavy, but I guess it is some progress after all. I think I will keep going a little bit here- at least take some photos to post tomorrow.

Backyard layout

So, in order to show you some of what we have been doing (ok, what Papa Dude and the kids have been doing) in the backyard, I thought we should start with some shots just to show you the whole backyard, so you can see how it is laid out. I took all these shots from the back deck of the farmhouse. (Feel free to enlarge the pics by clicking, Auntie P) We will start with the far left (south) side of the yard. You can see the cedar tree (the treehouse tree) branches at the left top, and part of the play structure in front of our NDN's (Next-Door Neighbor's) fence. You can see how we are trying to do a curved terrace here, following the lay of the land. Down in the curve, there are some stumps and rounds from where we took down the old plum tree (don't worry- we have about 6 more in there), but we are hoping to add more fruit trees here and make this part of the yard the orchard. So far, we have several plums, green and Italian, 2 apples (though not very healthy or of a good variety), and a peach tree. In the bottom right of the photo (where the round sled thing is), you can see just the corner of my biggest garden bed.
So here is the rest of the big garden bed; you can see that I am keeping it real by showing you that I never even pulled out all the dead tomato plants from last year. There are three little green plum trees that we took as starts from the old green plum tree at my mom's before we cut it down 10 yrs ago. They are finally settling in and doing well. You can see piles of wood yet to be stacked, and our interesting industrial view. In the summer, all we see is green trees, and then in the winter, we have this view. I actually enjoy watching the activity down there. You can see barges, and hear train whistles, etc. Along the little wooden fence are several honeysuckle plants that are just beautiful and smelly-good in the summer.

We have just a half acre here, but not all of it is usable. Where the trees start in the back there, the yard slopes down to a major road, and then the Interstate is right behind that. We are slowly terracing this hillside, there are trails down about halfway, and over the last 5 yrs, the Dude has cut out many dead trees, which the three of us then hauled up the steep hillside. We figure we have gleaned over 4 cords of wood from the hill behind our and the NDN's houses.
Then we have the chicken yard (with a very huge, old apple tree), what is left of my clothesline, and the shed, with a smaller garden bed in front. You can't see my asparagus bed well, but it is there, too. And yes, that is my dead water heater in the bottom corner. Just keeping it real folks.
Here is the blueberry bed, the old birch stumps, the herb beds, pear tree, etc. The white tripod is where my grapes are- they have done horribly the last 4 years, and I am worried about them. The sidewalk there at the edge of the house leads to the basement door and my studio.
Okay. Whew! Look for more backyard photos in the next post.

Bye-Bye Birch Tree

During our first winter in the farmhouse, a severe storm took down several branches from the big birch tree just behind the house, near my blueberry and herb beds. Papa Dude topped it, knowing that it would probably have to come down soon, but we both love birches so much we tried to save it. Well, my little pear tree, which is behind the birch, and had produced a bumper crop of pears our first year here, has done very badly the last two years, producing a total of 3 pears in that time. So we decided to take the birch down. Here is the Dude, taking off all the big branches before cutting the trunks. (As usual, feel free to click on the photos to enlarge.)
Here is what was left when he finished. He is planning on building a table-top on top of the birch stumps, and enlarging the little deck. The bridge, on the right in the photo, is broken (a branch landed on it, and it was breaking up anyhow) will be removed. The white tripod is where my grapes are planted. I am hoping they do better with more sun this year. To the left of the little deck is my blueberry bed. No blueberry bushes were harmed in the dropping of the tree, but my clothesline is toast. I do hope the blueberries do well this year. I am going to have to fence in my entire garden area this spring so the darn chickens don't eat my sprouts- if they eat my blueberry flowers this year, they will end up as Sunday dinner! (Probably not, but it really made me mad when they did this last year- you know how I love my blueberries!)
Here is a view from as close to the back door as I could get. You have a better view of the stumps, and the broken bridge. So the deck will come around where the bridge is now. See that apple tree directly behind the stumps, down in the chicken yard? It is very tall, very old, and the few apples it produces are not very good. We are trying to decide if it will come down, or if it will be pruned severely and turned into a treehouse tree.
Here is my sweet baby pear tree. It is just starting to bud, and looks so pretty. I am really hoping that sacrificing the birch will have been worth it, and that it will be covered in big green pears this summer. That is the neighbor's garage behind it.
This is my herb garden. It needs a lot of work. This is basically a "before" photo for you- I plan on building some raised beds, and putting in some raspberry canes behind the pear tree there. And yes, that big pile of brush from the one day I weeded the herb bed is still there.
We would like to get another birch, and find a good place for it, but for now, we are content with having an extra bit of sun here. Wish my pear tree luck.
LB

Update: tournaments, trees down, and spring fever win out over screen time.

Well, here we are- another week gone by with no blogging. I have to say, I don't even have any excuses this time. So what did I do last week? Piano Girl had her first piano competition, the Simon Fiset, last weekend. She didn't place, but enjoyed the experience, and learned a great deal. She is working up a description of her experience to post. I also was very sick last Friday- I won't go into details, but it was thyroid-related. I did a tiny bit of gardening, and some garden planning. I chopped and stacked wood till the cows came home, and supported the Dude while he chopped down the birch tree and our oldest plum tree. I have been cleaning the house, and doing more decluttering, slowly. We got some schooling in last week, too, but not as much as I would have liked. I have even been sleeping. That's been nice.

My break from the internet (I am really fighting an addiction, here folks. Sigh.) made for boring blogging, but it was nice to be a part of the world and get away from the screen to breathe fresh air, and engage in hard labor, and wear freshly-laundered pants and sweaters.


Our up and coming rest of the week: The kids don't get to go to Youth Group tonight, as the Boy has a band concert. Piano lessons all day Thursday, and then I have a Mom's Night Out Thursday night. Looking forward to that. The Boy has his National Qualifiers on Sat. It looks like I will end up driving, and being there all day, even though the Boy's events aren't until the afternoon. I seem to have become a speech-team-mom-lady. I do love the Coach, and this fine bunch of kids. ( I am finding that winter is extremely busy to keep up with all the kids events in the winter. Speech and piano competitions both happen during Feb and March.) My birthday is Sunday. Not sure what plans are for that day. I think it might rain. We shall see. A visit to Gramma at the very least.

I haven't been doing any art- I go and sit down there, but nothing is happening right now. I feel a bit pressured to create, and feel the "blockage" of all the creative ideas floating in my head, but not coming out of my hands. There are so many areas of my life I am trying to pull together right now, all the juggling of dirty floors, and dirty clothes, dirty dishes, food to cook, gardens to plan, kids to teach, etc. It is so easy for me to jump into the "I'm overwhelmed" story, and to just get locked up. Winter is not a great time of year for me.

I have been experiencing a bit of Spring Fever lately. The kids played outside a great deal last week- I felt bad that we weren't schooling, but they had such a great time running, playing, using their imagination- up in the treehouse, out in the back yard........ You know- these are teens I am talking about, still actively playing. How cool is that? Gotta make time for that.

I do have some photos to post, but gotta get going right now. Kids are still sleeping, sigh. They'd sleep till noon if'n I didn't wake them.
LB

3/4's of our new white picket fence part 2

This is a great view to show you where the roses will go. See that bit of grass? This is the only grass left in the front yard, and it will soon be replaced by lovely roses. Aahhh. Won't that be nice?Here is a shot of the front fence line. You can see that in this photo, the right side of the fence isn't up yet. It is almost all the way up now, only one more panel to go. The Dude has been traveling so much lately, he has to work on this is fits and starts, but I had to show you what wonderful work he has done so far.
Here is the driveway side. I am not sure if you can see parts of the treehouse if you enlarge this shot or not- let me know.

This is the front of the house, under the kids windows and showing off the window boxes the Dude built last year. They are a part of the library area of the basement, are carpeted, and lit. The kids have each claimed one of these, and have decorated them and filled them with books. You can also see the work he has done on the drains, and such, in order to help the water situation in the basement. I am proud to say, that although we did have minor flooding issues in the last storm, there was NO leakage on this part of the house! Yay!

Just because I needed one more photo for this post, here is my icky front porch. One thing we want to do this year, is to frame it in, lose the window to the Girl's room, and build a coat closet on the end. The new front door will be just to the left of the post.
Ok, there you have it!
LB

3/4's of our new white picket fence, part 1

This post is inspired by Dy's finished projects posts.
Last November (2006), a drunk driver crashed into our chain-link fence and drove through the Dude's cottage garden, luckily missing the house, and giving us an excuse to finally replace the old, icky chain-link with a white picket fence, that would match the house better, and be a better frame around the cottage garden.

This photo was taken in May. The tree to the left of the house is where the tree house is. See the area behind the dogwood, between the house and the garage? Hopefully, I will be showing you photos of a new patio there later this spring. But for now, back to the fence. You can see where the chain-link ends, there in the middle of the yard.
Here are the Papa Dude, and Piano Girl, starting on the assembly of the fence panels. We used wooden posts, and plastic fence panels. The kids painted all the posts for us. Notice the roses lining the driveway- I will address them in a minute.
Here they have just discovered that the fence panels are NOT the length they say they are- there is too much space between the posts! But have no fear, PG, and the PD know what they are doing- this is just a hiccup in their plans........
I took this photo from the front porch. Look how nice this looks! And you can see that once the Dude moves the roses to the inside of the fence, we will have 4 extra feet of driveway. This will be so nice! As it is now, the driver has to step out onto wet, muddy grass. Icky.
Stay tuned for part two!
LB

Tidbits: Clean studio and menus

Oh my gosh, am I tired!!!!!!! But the good news is the house looks really good!! More stuff done tonight:
*Most of the basement was swept and vacuumed (Dy, did I tell you how grateful I am for your suggestion to get a wet-dry shop vac? I love it!), with a focus on the studio and the stairwell.
*A fire has been laid in the wood stove for tomorrow, and both woodboxes are full.
*All the legos, knex, lincoln logs, and dollhouse stuff was cleaned off the toy table and put away.
*All the table surfaces in the studio have been cleared off, the supplies for all the homemade cards and gifts I didn't get around to making for Christmas have been put away, without any guilt attached.

Both kids are exhausted and tucked into bed- they have been helping me clean the house since Thursday! Such hard workers, really. There were some skirmishes, but overall, they have been helpful and obedient. They are both saving money for big things right now (Interlochen, and airfare for Speech and Debate National Comp.), so I will "pay" them each a hefty sum for all the hard work that was above and beyond their normal chores.

My big sister, her husband, and their son are coming over tomorrow at 3 pm. This is big, amazing news, and I am very excited. Their visit was the perfect excuse for this thorough deep cleaning (which I wanted to do, but really lacked the motivation for these last two months).

The menu for tomorrow afternoon's supper (thanks again Dy, for helping with this!) is as follows:
*Salmon poached in a thyme, basil,lemon, and wine concoction
*Roasted veggies (broccoli, golden beets, fennel bulb, cipoline onions, garlic, zucchini, etc.)
*Sundried tomato and garlic polenta rounds
*Homemade pesto-cream (mock)sauce
*Salad
*Rolls
*Ambrosia for dessert

I have everything done and ready, so I think I should even be able to get to church in the morning if I go to bed RIGHT NOW. Think good thoughts for our get-together tomorrow- my sister told me that if I tear up (over the loss of her youngest son in Nov.) that she wouldn't come over again, so wish me luck. My goal here is to be an open space for trust and communication for my sister and her family, and to start the healing process here.

TTFN,
LB

Where is LB?

I am here, I just have been spending time doing things that don't involve a computer! First off, I have met another man, and he and I have been spending waaaayyy to o much time together recently. Have to say, the Dude doesn't seem to mind. I have been engaged in a thorough deep cleaning of this old farmhouse, from top to bottom and stem to stern. It is taking up much of my time and energy, and doesn't show any signs of being over any time soon, but I am actually sorta-kinds enjoying it . At least I like the way a room looks and smells when I am done, and I don't seem to be reacting to the chemicals in the cleaner this time. And secondly, I have been spending lots of time teaching and supervising lessons. It is going good so far, but is time-consuming and challenging. A lot of the time, it looks like this, only imagine a kid sitting there, staring out the window, or getting up every two minutes to go downstairs to sharpen the lead that you would swear they keep breaking on purpose, etc.

One of the reasons cleaning and schooling can be draining to me is that I would really rather be here. I have been in the studio in little fits and starts- putting on a paint of coat here and there between lessons and laundry loads. My L & L challenge is coming along, I haven't taken photos of it lately, but my pieces have many layers of paint, and are just about done. I am now at the point where I am ready to make some things with it. I have a few ideas but will show them to you later.

It seems every time I get a few loyal readers coming to the blog, I stop blogging. I apologize for that way of being. I tell the story that I am too busy to do it, with everything else I have going, but the truth is, sometimes I feel like it, and sometimes I don't. I do hope that you continue to check in now and again, as I will be making a supreme effort to do this regularly. Thanks to those who always comment- that means a great deal and keeps me blogging.
Hugs. TTFN,
LB

treehouse 4

These pics were taken in March, before the renovations. Here is PianoGirl, posing at the top. SHe is about 10 ft higher than the top of our house- yes, the treehouse is that high. No, I do not worry too much about them falling out. Don't ask me why- I am usually much more panic-sticken and controlling than this! This is the side facing the house and the backyard.A view from the treehouse of the freeway down the hill at the back of our property. During the summer, the foliage fills out and you can't see anything but the lush trees, but in the winter, I have been able to look out my bedroom window and judge which freeway I should take by how much traffic I see!
Also from the treehouse. You can see our shed there in the middle, and the back porch roof on the right.
Here is the Girl sweeping up in the treehouse. See the cool windows Papa put in?They face the next-door neighbor's yard. They even open. There are only walls on two sides, but there is a roof. I have tried to get some pics of the treehouse from up here, but it was tricky. I may send the camera up there with MonkeyBoy sometime and see if he can get better. Hard to take good photos up there when you are afraid of heights! I hade to climb the rickety ladder to get up there!
That's it for now! Hope you enjoyed the treehouse rennovation pictures. My Dude knows what is important- we haven't remodeled the house yet, but he has beautiful gardens, and a remodeled treehouse! Good priorities.
LB

treehouse3

So here we are, standing on the first level (my hangout spot), looking again towards the new monkey bar platform, but now we will sneak a peek into my neighbor's back yard. I like to be snoopy and see how her lettuce and corn are growing. You also can see close-up how Papa used the logs to make the platforms. And here you are again, at the first level, looking down the spiral stairwell to the ground-level platform.
Another view from the new platform. You can see the weeds that frow around the plum tree. Our plan is to terrace this. The area around the plum tree is shaped like an ampitheatre, and there is a fire pit hiding in the weeds. Someday.
Here is another view from the ground level. Just call us the Swiss Family Lewis.
One more treehouse post coming up!
LB

treehouse2

Here is the monkey bars, with the new platform the guys built on top. The guys built these stairs going from the top of the monkey bar platform, up to the first level of the treehouse. The platform at the top left of the photo is usually as far as I go. I love to sit there and read.
Here is the white porch swing that was peeking out from the tree in an earlier photo. It has nice strong springs, and is where Gramma sits while the kids are playing.
Here is another swing that hangs on the other side of the tree. Notice the rectangular hole in the fence behind it? This is the doggy visiting window. Our next door neighbor dogs love to stick their heads through and get hugs, play kissy-face with the kids, and eat carrots and celery. I will have to get pics of them someday. We love them.
Ok, Here is the view of the new steps and monkeybar platform from the first level of the treehouse.
More to come.
LB

treehouse post #1

Okay, I was able to access the pictures I had already uploaded onto the computer, so here are a bunch of treehouse photos. Their order came up kind of random, so I may be flitting around a bit. It is hard to really get a good picture of this unless you see it in person, but I will do my best. You will probably want to click on the photos to get a good gander.

Papa and Boy did this the day the Girl was flying, about 3 weekends ago. It was such a surprize for her when she got back. I have great pics of Girly seeing it for the first time, but they are still trapped in my camera.

Here is the new platform they built, and the view of the play structure from it. See the swings to the right? And on the section where the ladder is, are the monkey bars. To the far left tucked behind the tree trunk, you can see the white porch swing peeking out. Still standing on the platform, but looking on the other side of the tree, are the stairs leading up to the first level.
Ok, this pic is out of order. Realistically, it should have been first. This is the view from the platform, if you look straight up.
Hmmm, how to describe this one. Papa Dude had made a rope web all around the treehouse steps. It needs to be redone now, so many of the ropes are hanging loose. The steps circle all around the tree as you make your way up- many of them are made of cut branches nailed together. The stepladder is how you get up to the treehouse. I rarely get up that far- it wobbles and my fear of heights kicks in. Half the kids that play up here don't even use the steps or the ladder- they just climb up the branches.
Here is another view. You can really see the rope webs and the way Dude used the cut logs to make the steps and platforms.
See next post for more treehouse pictures.

Organization and Decluttering Update.

When I am not directly schooling the Boy Scholar, I have been cleaning and decluttering in 15 minute timed sessions. While he reads or does a Grammar lesson, I tackle the Girl's room, or the bathroom. As Patty says, "You may get overwhelmed if you try to do something for an hour, but anyone can do anything for 15 minutes." Both of us are making progress.

In the studio:
I recently read Organizing your Craft Space (I linked to an excelent review) by Jo Packham, which lead me to another of her books, Where Women Create. In this book, Ms. Packham shows the studios of many different artists, and how their spaces work for them. I am lucky to have the space in which to create, but I still need to keep going on the organization. There is one more round of plastic drawers to purchase, and one more layer of boxes of cards I can consolidate. I still need to put label tags on everything. But even then, it is much more organized than other parts of the house! My biggest problem is putting projects away. I think if I do another round of organizing down here, there will be room for another table- I have umpteen different projects all happening at the same time!

The rest of the Basement:
Tons of work to be done here- lots of stuff to be donated or recycled. Decisions need to be made about keeping magazines, beta videotapes, albums, school-teaching supplies, and toys. Good news is, I have a whole wall of shelves, bad news is, they need to be decluttered first.

The mudroom/laundryroom/pantry: This room was filthy, but I am making progress. All laundry that can be done has been, rest is in baskets. I have found the floor, swept it, and taken out garbage and recycling. The Shelves need to be organized, and the microwave, washer and dryer need to be cleaned. I can't find my duster, but there are some big ol' cobwebs in here, too.

The Girl's Room: First layer of stuff off the floor. Filled two bags with clothes for donations, and another with garbage. Re-organized clothing in closet and drawers. Lots more to do in here, but I have 2 more weeks!

Our bedroom: I have gone through all my clothes, and re-organized my part of the "closet". All linens are washed and put away. This big room is where my paper hell is- I need to go through a lot of paperwork, chuck most of it, and file the rest. There is potential room for a writing desk and chair up here, but lots of junk and clutter do be rid of first.

Okay, that's it for that.

Chicken-sitting

Taking care of the Girl's chickens has been good. This is hard work! I think we will be visiting the Seattle Titlth Garden as soon as she gets back. The day PG is due home, they are having a chicken/garden fair. We will miss that, but I think it will be good for her to have her chicken interest to offset the intensity of her piano work.

Ok, so here are some pictures of the mean and nasty blueberry blossom eating chickens. Not really mean and nasty, so much as dusty, but that's okay.THis one is either Goldie, or Chicky-Boo, and no, I can't tell which one is my bird, and which one is the Girl's. They are both golden-laced Wyandottes that look the same to me. Anyway, which exact chicken it is of not the issue. The issue is that she is underneath my blueberry bushes- the bushes my family has been giving me for the last 4 years, on my birthday.

This one is Lucy. Miss K, from our nature study group named her. Lucy is a white-laced wyandotte. Look at the way she is just sitting there, like she owns the whole bed, not just this one poor, berry-less bush. Darn birds.
Now this darn bird has a story to tell! This is Ida, who is some kind of white chicken. (Yeah, Yeah, I know the Girl would know her breed.)

She was out wandering the yard on about Tuesday, and when it came time to put the chickens in, she was no where to be found. The Men took to the road, and I searched the back yard. All we came up with were feathers rom a pile two houses down the road. We thought for sure she had been carried away. I wondered how I was going to tell the Girl I lost a chicken on my watch. Anyhow, the Boy and I slept in the following morning, so I didn't get out to the chickens till about 10 am. Who is waiting at the gate, but Ida. I picked her up, and it looks like she is just missing one row of feathers right down her breast bone- no blood, no teethmarks. Whew! Boy did I luck out- now I have a cool story to tell the GIrl, rather than an admission of guilt from the chicken-sitter. And again, I say, "Whew!".

TTFN,

LB