And again...

Fabulous news! Kevin and I finished the deck on Saturday. He even made a gate with a latch, so that Katherine will have a nice safe spot to play in. I am so excited to have this, and proud of Kevin (though that may sound cliche). He tells me he's not sure what he's going to do to make the railing of the deck, and then he makes a gorgeous one. He tells me he doesn't know where to start on a gate, and builds a nice sturdy one in less than an hour. Obviously "not sure what I'm going to do" means something different to his male mind than it means to mine!
I must do a picture post one of these days, with his new signpost, deck railing, and our crown molding and wall upstairs. This place looks better every day. Kevin gets the itch to improve something, and it happens. I used to tell him that we didn't need it (save that 200$ for something else, I'd think), but one day I was talking a fellow SAHM and changed my ways. She was talking about her husband buying something fairly expensive and announcing it sheepishly, not sure how she would take it. "Well," she said to me, "he's the one that makes the money, and if he thinks we can afford it, then it's not a problem."
*Lightbulb on.* We sure can!
So now I sit back and enjoy it. Life is good!

Easy Roman Blind Pattern

I've been struggling to make Roman Blinds for our upstairs windows since we moved here. I think the main problem was that I started with a pattern from Martha Stewart online.
I should have known.
I'm not her type.

The pattern introduced random parts with strange names like batten, without further explanation.

In my defense, I really couldn't find anything else online.

I started one blind, then stopped in despair and put it in the closet. I'll finish it before winter comes and we need more insulation on the windows, I thought. Then, I'll finish it by summer, when the light wakes us up too early. Then, by winter, for sure, this time. And now summer is coming again, and Kevin has been going downstairs after 5am and finishing his sleep on the couch, because it's darker down there.

So today I finished it.

But not with Martha. A friend sent me a pattern, and (although I secretly thought it would be just as hard, from my initial scan of the pattern), it was great! I had to make a few adjustments, in order to reconcile Martha to this pattern, but the finished blind is suitable for hanging (behind a valance in the daytime, fortunately, and in the dark, at night.

I've already started cutting the fabric for the next window. I'll follow the new pattern from start to finish, this time, which should simplify everything.

That was this morning. Now, it's lunch time, and Katherine is in her high chair, putting away vast quantities of food, and I'm snatching a moment online, to check for pictures of blinds with Google Image Search - should I be winding the thread around the little white circles?

I click on a likely image. "Make Shades Out of Mini Blinds," the title says. Hmm.

These look *so* easy! Glue, fabric, an old mini blind...

...on to Plan C!

Acute Appendicitis with Complications

Well, we're home from the hospital. It's been 11 days they've had Kevin locked up in there, but finally, he's home. Not recovered yet, not by a long shot, but getting there.
Wednesday night, he told me not to come in to spend the day with him. "I'm going to see if I can talk my way out of here tomorrow. Wait till I call you before you come."
It wasn't till about 12 that the phone rang. "Dinah;" Kevin said hoarsely, "I'm out."
"They let you out already?" I said.
"No," he whispered in that same hoarse voice. "I'm hiding down in the parking garage. How soon can you come?"




p.s. I know the picture doesn't really relate to the post, but just be glad that you're not seeing the one with all 4 scars that Kevin has ready...

Little House on Lewis Mountain, Part 2

I like my house.

I just wanted to say that.

I like my little family, my smallish kitchen, the dark chocolate in the drawer, my purple t-shirts.
I love that I don't have to go to work outside our home when so many women don't have a choice anymore.
I think my babies are the nicest babies ever, our chickens fabulous (free eggs!), my property full of potential, and I never want to return my husband for refund. Really.

Deserving none of it, loving all of it!

"Medium-Sized House on Lewis Mountain?"

We're seriously talking about building on to this little house. 'Expanding,' I like to call it.
Here are a few pictures of us all.

Katherine:



















Daddy:














Baby:














Mommy (4th month):

Katherine at Fourteen Months

Very excited about her new sled from Grampie; also very cold...
















That's a smile, behind the soother. She's all done outside; letting herself in! "Look what I can do, Mommy! I can make the door open, all by myself!"

Life Beyond the Pavement's Edge (Part 1)

In summer, living beyond the pavement's end is idyllic. We work on our property, making it more orderly. I go down to the garden in the early morning to check on the tomatoes and find myself staying too long, pulling out weeds as the sun comes up over the ridge.
In winter, it's beautiful. The snow on the trees contrasts with the winter's extra blue in the sky, and I walk up to the neighbour's and rock a while, listening to her stories of growing up here; sharing Katherine's latest achievements.
Spring is even better, as things start to warm up. The warm micro-climate in front of the house invites us outside. I start seeds inside, which never make it to the garden, but they grow on top of the fridge and make me feel thrifty.
And Fall - I love the fall. It's a time for harvesting and feasting. Jack's Pumpkin Shack fills their roadside stand, and I pick apples from a forgotten orchard. I bake. Apple pies, pumpkin chocolate chip bread, new salsa, and pickles all make their way through my kitchen. Some I keep, some I let Kevin try. We think Thanksgiving.

Sometimes, when I'm enjoying the thought of all that I have here, I wonder what Kevin's view of this place is. Would it be very different from mine? Would his vignette consist of hunting, home repairs, snow-clearing, and relaxing in 'his' chair?
And Katherine; what would she see? Pooh, book, mommy, daddy, cheerios, and dolly. Probably that... she's living the good life.

As we all are.