Novelista!

I've got two books in the works.  Developing outlines for each...I've never completed a book, much less worked on two simultaneously.  Can't wait to get them rolling.  It's so nice to be feeling like I'm accomplishing something these days.  While I have the time to write, I should be working on the book, not this blog!

Renaissance!

Today we are celebrating five years in the house by moving all the rooms and furniture around, deep cleaning, and signing the listing paperwork. I've never lived in a place this long, with the exception of my childhood home and that was most definitely NOT by choice. This house has become our home, which means it is time for us to move on. I don't like the permanence and attachment I feel about this place and even just entertaining the idea of moving gets my heart racing. Such excitement and wonder awaits!! I've been thinking about the kind of place I'd like to end up next. I think with the kids ages, we need to plan on settling for a few more years at the next place. The boy will be moving into school-age, with the baby not far behind.

I'd like a place with lots of greens and browns. The kids haven't spent as much time outdoors as I would have hoped for. They also have never seen seasons change. So, we'll be looking north. Here's my ideal wish list:

Trees

Watersource

Open land for gardening

Beach access

Mountain access

Homeschooling friendly

Vegan friendly

I like North Carolina and the Pacific Northwest. Husband poo-pooed Washington State, but is open to Alaska. Does that make sense to you? I didn't think so.

Regardless of where we end up, I know it will be quite the adventure with the wee ones. Tonight we'll be raising our glasses and signing the paperwork to sell our home. Cheers!

This Woman's Work

I have been preparing some fabric this morning to make some play cloths (yes, cloths) for the boys. We picked out a rainbow of colors and now each piece needs to be cut, pressed, and hemmed before play can begin. We've already started brainstorming what we want to do with our fabric first. The boy has decided that he wants to turn his cloths into laundry so that he can fold and iron it. The baby is ready to make parachutes out of his. I'm hoping to use the scraps and trimmings to make bean bags and maybe even a small patchwork quilt for their animals and dolls. The kids are really looking forward to some new playthings, and I really need the diversion of simple creativity. October was a very difficult month for our family, so I'm declaring November a time of rest and quiet healing. That feels right to me since the earth is doing the same thing. Animals are quieting, foliage is slowly losing its vibrancy, and the weather isn't as fierce with each passing day.

Four walls and a roof...and a whole lot of heart.

In just a few days, we will have lived in this house for five years. This house seen a marriage begin, the birth of two babies, countless comings and going of pets, friends, and family...its walls bears the marks of growth for my sons. Their artwork quite literally covers every corner of this house. I'm not kidding, there are crayon scribblings on each wall in my house. This house is where I brought my first child home from the hospital. It's where my second child was so lovingly born. It has been shelter to five cats, three dogs, fish, hamsters, turtles and frogs. This house has been a place of refuge for a pregnant friend whose family turned their backs in her greatest time of need. It has hosted parties, holiday dinners, and simple gatherings of loved ones. It has heard its share of fighting, mostly over inane things that don't really matter. This house has been a source of endless frustration- its soil just won't support plant life. It has seen the healing of my husband from three lifesaving surgeries. We talk all the time of moving from here, but somehow we never take the first step. We have in no way treated this house with the respect it deserves. It has been largely unmaintained, yet has held itself together quite well. This house has weathered storms both inside and out.

As we approach our fifth year in this house, I realize that somewhere along the way it became our home.