A Yellow Wood

And now we don't...

Published on 2010-08-29 21:41:00

So I figured I better get this out there before someone calls me a liar. We sent Luke and Peyton to the neighborhood public schools last week. Luke went to 6th grade at the middle school and Peyton to 5th at the elementary school.Luke had a stressful first day, but then just got into his groove and seems to be enjoying it. He likes all his teachers (so far!)and is excited about social studies in particular. He loves history, and his sixth grade class will be studying history and cultures of

We Still Homeschool!

Published on 2010-07-16 11:14:00

I know I haven't mentioned it a lot lately, because it is summer vacation. Also I got totally burnt out last year and burned the books and sent the kids to boarding school we did the bare basics - the 3 R's and unschooled the rest - for a semester so I could regain some sanity. We enjoyed unschooling and did some very fun and interesting projects, including running a little business selling starter plants. I don't know about our customers, but we're going to have some sweet tomatoes from the

Shoe Closet = Toy Garage

Published on 2010-07-12 11:24:00

In our home we have a closet in the main hall that goes way back under the stairs. It has been lovingly called the shoe closet since we moved here.Here's how it works. One of those shoe things that has lots of slots in it hangs on the inside of the door. One of the children comes in the house and flings his shoes off in 7 different directions, which is really impressive because my kids only have two feet each. Then I say in my June Cleaver voice, "Sweetie, could you be a dear and pick up your

Things I need to know, and also I'm an overachiever.

Published on 2010-07-10 18:47:00

So I came up with a plan. A wonderful, horrible plan. And I couldn't wait to start cleaning out this house.Also Bud, he is doing things like tweaking org charts to prepare for Semicon. Riveting. And I made him go shopping. He's lost some weight and most of his pants look like there is no butt in there. And let me assure you, it is there. We're married. It's okay.Anyhow, it's basically come down to starting my clean sweep project early or reading org charts over Bud's shoulder. Did I ever

Clean Sweep in a Week

Published on 2010-07-09 14:40:00

I've got a little story for ya.When Bud and I lived in D.C., we had a really lovely townhome. Bud often says it's the nicest house we will ever own. However, the bank owned significantly more of it than we did. But I digress.Our bedroom was on the top floor and had wall to wall windows overlooking the beautiful woods behind us. We had cased windows - the kind that you crank and they open to the outside? That was an amazing thing to this Texas gal, Texas being the home of basic aluminum wind

See Jane Cheat

Published on 2010-06-28 16:41:00

I've got a couple of quilting projects going right now.Okay, more than a couple. Semantics.I have been checking and rechecking Kaffe Fassett's Quilts in the Sun from the library now for quite a while. If you've been looking for it, well, sorry.There is a quilt called Jane's Diamonds that I just love. It is based on this quilt that Jane Austen made with her mother and sister. Except they didn't have a sewing machine or a rotary cutter. Bummer for them.See what you can do without the tv or int

What a card!

Published on 2010-06-25 15:03:00

So now that summer is here, I've kind of gotten out of control with the whole sewing thing. All that time I spent teaching the kids before? Quilting.Also, there's the time I used to spend doing laundry, doing the dishes, and sleeping. It's a little much.Fabric is required for quilting. And it's not free. Just so you know.I've found that as I dive further into the quilting thing that I'm very stingy with my fabric. I can't stand to waste the tiniest scrap. Serously, I could probably cut a quil

Raccoons and deer and armadillos, oh my!

Published on 2010-06-23 15:14:00

Our little family had a fabulous trip to Colorado Bend State Park last week for some camping. We mostly swam or hung out under the ginormous pecan tree on our campsite...because this is Texas and it is hot. So shade and water are key ingredients for a successful summer camping trip. Bud took lifeguard duty while I snapped photos:Romy enjoyed the view and a snack:She also enjoyed playing in the ash from the previous night's fire:Believe me when I tell you that washing her hair when we got home

@#%&$%#

Published on 2010-06-07 16:33:00

I was lucky enough to get to spend Friday at the Canton First Monday Trade Days with my dear friend Cristina.I'm not much of a shopper, but it was fun to stroll the booths and chat with my friend. We did score some awesome insect repellant(we got the skin cream with citronella) and some super cute headbands that really stay put even in my girls' fine slippery locks.Also, over the years, several of my friends have accumulated typewriter key jewelry. I have missed out on this hot trend for the f

That 70's Girl

Published on 2010-06-02 15:16:00

In the spirit of Gaylan's party, and her uber-cool house, and her general funkiness, I made this quilt for her birthday gift:I was inspired by the doors in the opening credits of Monsters' Inc. Here's a better look at the front:And the back. The pieced strip is pieced like Gaylan's pencil style tile backsplash:And every gift should have a card:What are you working on these days?