Harrison Farm

Strange title, I know.  But it will make sense in the end.  (And it rhymes!)

You know how sometimes you see something you want but can’t have, and it makes you want it more?  That happened to me a couple of weeks ago.

Carman was taking a standarized test across town, the same side of town where there’s a huge thrift store.  He was to test for 3 days for 2.5 hours each day.  While he tested on the first day, I took the other 3 kids and perused the store for 2 solid hours.  I found great deals for everyone, including an orange print cotton skirt for myself.  It had a short ruffle on the end.  Very cute.  I put it in my buggy.

I had a big pile of items to check out, so I didn’t notice that the skirt was missing until I got home.  What a bummer!  It must have fallen out of my buggy when I was putting Doodle in and out of the back.  I was so looking forward to trying it on.  Oh well.  Maybe it will still be there tomorrow.

So the next day, I went back again.  Sure enough, the skirt was still there.  But…it wasn’t nearly as cute as I remembered it being.  It was kind of pale, not the vibrant deep orange I remembered.  And the print wasn’t nearly as appealing as I had remembered.  For a minute I wasn’t positive that it was the same skirt.  I had to check the label.  Sure enough.  This was the skirt I had pined over at home.

I tried it on, but left the store without it.

I can vividly remember having a similar experience a few years ago.  I was in the discount section of a decorator fabric store when a bolt of fabric caught my eye.  It would be perfect for our bedroom!  Money was tight, though, and I didn’t need it, so I didn’t buy it.

When I got home, I told Marathon about it.  “The texture is sophisticated, but the print is a bit whimsical and youthful.  The muted earth-tone colors are on a cream background.  It was perfect.  We could pull out one of the richer colors and make throw pillows when we’re ready.”  “Buy it,” he told me.

When I giddily went back to the store and saw the fabric, I couldn’t believe THAT is what I thought I had loved.  Funny how NOT having something warps our perception of reality.  Again, I went home empty handed.

(The skirt in the photo is not my proverbial orange skirt.  I borrowed this one from Flicker’s Squid!.  Thanks, Squid!  Cool shoes.)

A couple of weekends ago, we spent the day at Chickamauga Battlefield riding bikes, climbing the stone tower, throwing the aerobi, picnicing, and horsing around.  We all enjoyed the biking, Rosebud and Doodle were unsure about climbing the stairs inside the dark tower, and Carman saw how easily an aerobi can get stuck in a tree when throwing from a high tower.  Here are some pictures from our day. » Read the rest of this entry «

It was one of those gorgeous, windy, perfect-temperature days outside that just didn’t match the household happenings. If the weather mirrored my day it would have been gray, humid, and still. » Read the rest of this entry «

I saw my first gray hair on my 25th birthday.  Now, 9 years later, I’m growing more aware of their expanding presence.  At a glance, I don’t look like I’m graying, but take a close look, and you’ll see that those tokens of age, worry, and care are sporadically laced throughout my hair.

Last weekend I plucked out 20-30 of them.  » Read the rest of this entry «

My midwife told me about this homemade baby wipe recipe. I first used it when Doodle was a baby, and I’ve kept some around the house ever since. (They wouldn’t work well in a warm, humid environment [i.e. an un-air-conditioned place in the southeast] unless they were being used fairly quickly, because they would mildew.) They are inexpensive to make and are ultra-gentle on baby’s skin.

The container I use is Rubbermaid’s #6. It holds a double Bounty roll cut in half. » Read the rest of this entry «

The older 2 kids started handling the after dinner kitchen clean up when I was pregnant last, and they’re still at it. I sometimes help out, but since we have a small kitchen, more than 2 in there gets to be a crowd. So generally, Carman & Sudoku handle the clean up, and later I scrub the pots & pans and do some kitchen prep for the next day.

So, here’s our nightly kitchen routine. » Read the rest of this entry «

Doodle got some Silly Putty for Christmas, and it ended up on the carpet yesterday. There wouldn’t have been any trouble if it had just been picked up. But Doodle was feeling experimental, I guess. He had seen the older kids press their putty on things for an impression and then try to get the rest of us to guess what object made the impression.

So, when the putty landed on the carpet, he took a stool, stood it on the putty and pressed down. What a horrible mess! Pink silly putty smashed into the cream colored carpet.

Here’s how I got most of it up. » Read the rest of this entry «

It has been a LONG time since I have done any sewing other than mending or minor alterations. But last week, I decided to make a skirt for Sudoku. I wanted to make something that would go with a cute Christmas turtleneck shirt that my mom appliqued for her. I was hoping to find a green corduroy to use, but settled for a medium weight cotton with embroidered polka dots (the same color as the material) that will be appropriate for most of the year here in the south.

My sewing skills being rather cold, I made a few amateur mistakes that, thankfully, didn’t cost much more than time. When cutting the material, » Read the rest of this entry «

I was running on the street with Carman and Sudoku a couple of mornings ago. Actually, they weren’t with me but ahead of me. They like to try to beat me - and they do. Anyway, I’m running down the street, watching my 2 older children run along ahead of me, chatting with each other. They seem so mature, so capable.

Then the thought hit me. If something were to happen, and I died right now, they would be okay. » Read the rest of this entry «

In spite of the weather being gray and rainy, my birthday was such a happy one for me. Carman & Sudoku were sneakily doing a lot of writing in the day or 2 before my birthday. When the day arrived, I was flooded with some homemade cards and about 60 coupons from the kids.

What kind of coupons? They are mostly for chores the kids will do around the house for me. Things like ( in their own spelling):

vacume the house

Read 10 books to Doodle

trim front bushs

clean all cobwebs

work in garden for 10 minits

fold laundry

dust base boards

give mama 8 kises

I will be quiit for 20 m.

I will make skrambld eags

What could be a better gift for a busy mother? I feel so loved that they took so much time to think of and write these things down. They are eager for me to cash in these coupons but have graciously given them an expiration date of one year from my birthday.