Shall we dance?

There were mysterious footprints on our deck this afternoon (they're still there, and likely to be there for quite awhile). It took a second or two for me to realize that was where Jim had sprayed rain repellant on his new boots. Apparently it works as deck protectant as well.

another busy weekend

Apparently fall is the time to complete tasks around the home... at least for us. We had another busy weekend. This time the dining room (finally) got painted. (Just a hint here - if you are painting a room in a house where there are likely to be children, don't use flat white paint...)
In between coats we took a drive down to DC, along the Potomac, and stopped to let the kids play in the leaves. It's not peak season there yet, but it was nice anyway. Jamie kept trying to throw the leaves away in the trash can!
During the week it's back to work and school. Dot is enjoying Little House in the Big Woods right now, and wants to do things just like Laura. Jamie is trying to help out in many different ways - he's becoming very independent. Watch out, he might become the next famous chef!

I'm done!

The quilt is completely finished! We have used it on our bed the last few nights, and it is wonderful! Well worth the work.

Busy weekend

We didn't have such big, exalted plans for this past weekend... but it turned out to be very busy. We talked it over - Jim was going to caulk in the bathroom, and I would clean a little and check out the buffet for some identifying marks. Not too much later and we were both in over our heads. Jim decided that the linoleum flooring should just come up - there was too much mildew underneath, and the tiles looked fine. Once he had done all that, and scrubbed up most of the glue and mildew, we ended up with a tiled bathroom floor that will eventually need some replacement tiles. It still looks nicer than the linoleum, though. We will need to do some more scrubbing - to get the mildew stains out of the grout.
After lunch we pulled out the buffet, but couldn't find any marks to help us identify the maker. We needed to move it somewhere - or get rid of it somehow - to make room for the new bookshelf that has been sitting in the dining room. It sure would be nice for storage in the basement... but it won't fit down the stairs. The buffet is now a proud resident of our garage, and will most likely be my "potting bench" for a couple of seasons.
A trip to Lowe's and Home Depot took up an hour of the afternoon, and then we both got back to work. Jim caulked, I finished up in the living room. It was good to get some work done.

How do you say it?

So, some of y'all say I sound southern now... Well, it's what ya' hear all day 'round here. Want to fit in next time y'all visit? Study up...

After you spend some time learning the lingo, get ready to sing:

Ao say can yew see ba de don's early late,
What sao praddly we held at de twahlate's lass gleemin,
Hews broad strapes en brate stors, frew de pearlus fate,
Ore de ramparts we watched were sao gawwandly streamin?
En de roggets' red glare, de bums burstin in air,
Gabe proof frew de nate dat air flag was still dere.
AO say does dat stor spangelt ban-an-ner-er ye-ed way-abe,
Ore de la-ann ub de free en da haome ub de brabe.

PLAY BAW

Laundry woes

Yesterday I found that my load of towels had taken a trip through the dryer with Jamie's jeans - which had a brown crayon in the pocket. Surprisingly, the dryer was very easy to clean. The towels, however, are still in the wash. Those brown spots won't come out! (Are you thinking of a certain line from Macbeth?)
How many times do you wash towels before you give up? How much effort should you put into getting them clean? Most of these towels are over 10 years old (but still in good condition). Do I just give up, and live with brown-spotted towels?
Aah, the joys of being a stay-at-home mom.

Help needed

Have you ever felt like you could really, really use a vacation? Right now?!?
Perhaps it is because we live in such a busy area, or just because homeschooling and trying to keep the house in order is a lot of work to begin with, but I feel like I need a vacation. Wouldn't it be nice to get away from it all? To put the to-do list away? To get out of the rut - er, routine?
Unfortunately, vacations cost money. And time. Both things are stretched rather thin right now. Any ideas for what to do?

All Aboard!

This past Saturday we went up to Strasburg, Pennsylvania for a day full of trains. Mom and Jeanne were on a church bus trip to Lancaster, and we met them at the railroad to spend the morning together. After we bought our tickets we looked through a few of the stores on the property - can you guess who was very excited by the Thomas store? We all got on the train together and enjoyed a 45 minute round trip ride through the country. After the ride we ate lunch, and then let the kids ride on the "crank cars." (These turned out to be Jamie's favorite part of the day.) Soon it was time for the bus to head back to Ohio, so we said goodbye and headed over to the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania across the street.
Lined up throughout the large building were many trains, some of which you could climb aboard. There were more trains in the yard outside, where Jamie found a yellow caboose! However, the favorite spot here was the "Railway education center", where they have set up many different types of toy trains to play with. Dot played with Geotracks while Jamie preferred the Lego Thomas set. We had a hard time getting them out of that room! In the gift shop we found a few Erie Lakawanna items - need some EL coffee, placemats or playing cards? By this time the kids were getting cranky, so we headed back down to Baltimore.
This was my first time to go up to Lancaster County. I'm not sure why everyone raves about it. It was so built up and touristy. I'd rather "visit the Amish" in Ohio. At least there I feel as if I am in the country.