Weekend Housework

 

A little over two years ago, we moved into our house- a sweet country home seated at the end of a little dirt lane, surrounded by a lot of land and a few quiet neighbors.  We love it here.  I'm probably most excited about the land- my daughter loves to run, and this place allows her to go.  And I'm getting more and more excited each year about our garden. 
But then there are always the less exciting pieces of a big country home down a dirt lane- like snow plowing and grass mowing.  And my ever evolving interior design ideas. 
When we moved it, I chose the most neutral shade I could find, bought a five gallon bucket and pretty much painted every wall the same color.  But now, two years later, I'm already vying for some change.   It's like I get an itch to paint or something.  I'm not sure why- we painted for months.  We moved here with a nearly three-month-old baby, so I'd wake up really early and paint before she woke up and before work, then I'd paint when she went to bed each night.  We refinished all the trim (I longed for white trim- think: 2 coats of primer, 2 coats of paint everywhere), and nearly all the walls.  We rearranged the kitchen, added new appliances and counters, changed a few windows and extended our porch.  So after about a year of quiet around here, I felt the need to paint again.  My husband couldn't believe me.

This weekend we completed our laundry room/entry.  I wanted to brighten it up, and (because I never remember to take a before picture) I wanted to remove the folding doors on the closet for two reasons: they didn't work well and got stuck frequently, and the front door hit them when it opened.  It was a frustration I dealt with each morning.  I was over those doors.  Our project looked a lot like this one and this one, although those were way more labor intensive.

And during this project, as you can see, we had a helper.  Unlike previous painting projects, she'd lay and coo in her swing, this time she was up and "helping"- running barbie's hair through wet paint, picking up the paintbrush as I turned my head to "paint" the dryer, making fingerprints on the walls, etc.  You know, helping the way only a toddler can ;)

As you can see in the top picture, that area was once covered by two annoying folding doors (one with a giant hole from where it was repeatedly smacked by the front door handle), and once they came down, it opened that tiny room so well.  We painted the inside of the closet, added some wood trim for coat hooks and a shelf for more storage (all with minimal cost).  And after a long week of waiting and painting, it's finished.   So my husband made me stand and get a photo in front, because I was really, really glad to see this project complete.

And in an effort to minimize clutter,  we added a couple of white cabinets (ie shoe storage) that were left over from our previous apartment and a chair- a place to put Molly's shoes on!  I couldn't get many other pictures, because the room is small, but I promise, it's much, much better in there ;) 

Happy Monday-
I'm in the process of rearranging my work schedule, so here's to a productive week!

Lisa

Oatmeal Blueberry Bread/Muffins

I'm lucky to have a mid-week break from the office today.  I'm not a fan of how infrequently this occurs, though-- just so much pressure to accomplish my to-do list prior to the weekend.  So while I had a list a mile long pre-made last night, an early rising of my two-year-old put a halt to all things productive today.  Not because she's so bad that I have to monitor her constantly, but because I intended on finishing my chores before she woke up.  Because I am making an intention to balance my time with her this year.  So instead of pushing her aside, she became my focus today.  The floors?  Not so much.  The studying for my newest certification- set aside.

It was a day of coloring, reading and playing with dolls.  She requested "shopping!" earlier, but as you may know, I'm nowhere near a mall.  But I did have a couple of errands to run in town, so we stopped at the only option around- the thrift store.  Twenty minutes later, two happy ladies and their bags (mine: 89 cent red/black buffalo check shirt, hers: 99 cent barbie "truck") headed home to bath (clean) their new toys.  I'm not usually in for much luck with used stuff, but I'm feeling a bit more motivated after today's short trip.

And just before nap, we repeated our most favorite together project- baking.
But I'm over cookies for a while, and we can't have cake in this house (exhibit A, B, and C), so we glanced through my pins to find something light and reasonable.
Whole wheat oatmeal blueberry muffins- spot on.

I used this recipe.  For some reason I yielded twelve muffins and one mini loaf.  Works for us!

Now I've had some inquiry about baking with a toddler.  (Rather- "are you crazy?!", "how can you handle the mess?!" and "when do you have time to bake?")  So here's the short and sweet.  My Mom's Mom (my maternal Grandma) passed away when my Mom was just 14 years old.  While she does have many fond memories of her Mother, what she doesn't have is memories of learning to cook or bake.  Her Mom was sick many months before she died, and didn't get the chance to teach my Mom any kitchen basics.  So when my parents married, she was a terrible cook (my Dad was skiiiiinnny).  And I remember so well as I was growing up her desire to teach us how to cook.  She would pull us away from playing/tv watching or whatever we were doing to show us how she made a meatloaf.  Or force us to hold the mixer while she made homemade frosting.  And I clearly remember helping chop/prep the ingredients for big dinners.  But my fondest memory- the gravy lessons.   Either way, I came out of that household knowing a thing or two about cooking and baking.  And I think that's where my love of food developed.  But I want to share it with my daughter, because I love it so much.  And because I appreciated that time with my Mom.

But of course I still get frustrated sometimes.   But here are my tips.  First- mentally prep yourself:  "It's just a mess".  I tell myself that before, during and after baking with my toddler.  It's so easy to clean, and really, it doesn't matter.  I always remind myself of the lessons and memories she's about to learn.  Sure, I could easily wait until nap time to bake.  But I wouldn't get to show her what happens when you add vinegar to milk (for those of us who can't remember to buy buttermilk)- "ewww yucky Mummy!".  Or watch her face as she tastes that muffin she helped create.  It's worth it, mess and all.  Besides, it's a good time to teach her about cleaning up, because baking is fun, but it requires some clean up, too.

I always give Molly her own baking bowl and put a smaller amount of each ingredient in it, so she can make the recipe alongside me (and not interfere with the final product).  Here's a little idea of how well hers typically

turns out (that's Molly's on the left).     :)

By the way, we chose to use blueberries today because we've still got some frozen from our summer picking, but feel free to substitute whatever fruit you've got on hand.

Here's to a weekday off, and a speedy end of the week ;)
xo,

Lisa

Winter Days

There is something really special about a baby's hands.  I don't think I can explain it, exactly.  I just know that those hands are about to grow and change so fast.  And they won't always be the sweet chubby ones they are now.  So I try to capture them, so I might not forget them exactly as they are now, at just two years old.

I'm more thankful than ever to have discovered markers that only color on their respective paper.  Genius.  

That means they won't leave a trail along the wall, won't change the baby doll's face to purple, or fill the cracks of the floor with an orange glow.  Of course I intend to reintroduce the real marker again one day, just not this year ;)

I caught this sweet chickadee on a bet.  From my husband.  He told me that just because it was -13 degrees, the bird wouldn't come near that bird feeder if I was standing so close.  Not if I become one with nature!  His response?  "You'll never be able to stand still- it's freezing out here".  I've always held satisfaction in success.

But my fingers were numb for the next half hour.

And then I felt a burning sensation for half the day.

But that chickadee- he didn't even know I was there.

This guy is here daily, to catch the scraps the birds drop.  And of course, the compost from the kitchen.  I tried to get him in action tipping the bird feeder, but he wasn't too aggressive today.  

He's quickly dropped down on my list, though, after watching him bully the other spike that frequents our yard.  No kidding- I watched him push his nose into the other deer's neck until he ran away.  It makes me realize that even animals can be hurtful when they don't want to share.  A good lesson for our Molly, as we watch these deer nightly.  We don't want to be the mean deer, pushing the other deer around.  We'd rather just share the food, and eat next to each other.  Because it's nice to have the company of friends :)

Happy Weekend!

We're ecstatic to see temperatures rise near 50 degrees!

xo,

Lisa