We spent quite a lot of time this week working on our Cave of Solitude, which during the course of the week morphed into a new kind of room, instead: The Room of Requirement (yes, a Harry Potter reference). We moved out the craft table (which was really just a piece of plywood over two file cabinets) and moved in the old crib, reconfigured into it’s daybed format. We’re using an inflatable toddler-sized air mattress and some pillows the kids don’t use (because they have pillow pets now) for the cushions.
The rest of the room is not quite in order yet. There’s a couple sets of shelves in there for storing the kids art supplies, more solitary types of toys (Lego bricks, puzzles, science sets, etc), and books about making crafts or doing science experiments. There’s also my old hope chest with a mini TV for viewing videos or playing old Atari games on it in a pinch. There’s the file cabinets and the drawer systems with all kinds of old kids art, school programs, ticket stubs, etc. There’s also the tall table that used to the be kitchen island with an old computer attached to it for playing non-internet, ancient computer games. The closet is filled with sewing & giftwrapping supplies and clothes & shoes for various kids to grow into, spare artwork, my college diploma in its giant frame, and all the notes anyone ever sent me from elementary school til college. That sounds just like the Room of Requirement, doesn’t it?! I know, you’d love photos of all that. But today’s not that day. Today’s the day I’m going to organize it all. Photos to come later in the week when it’s looking more presentable.
The rest of the week, when we weren’t doing stuff in that one room, here is what we did:
Monday, the Greg and I made a few things in the Easy Bake oven. The cookies came from a mix someone was kind enough to give us over Christmas
and the pizza we made from this recipe. It was really excellent, especially with the olives we added.
Monday was also the day that Greg decided that writing words was a goodness. He chose my name as his starting point, having me write it at the top of the dry erase board, then writing and rewriting it himself until he was happy with it.
Tuesday was a MDO day for Greg (they made instant snow from a kit – he was so impressed), so I spent my day running all the little errands I’d saved up from during the break, got a free sandwich from Chik-fil-a (I registered with their site and they sent me a coupon!) and organizing my scrapbook papers and die cuts so I could get back into the scrapbooking more easily. That night was our first night back to piano lessons since the break. It was nice to get back into our routine.
Wednesday I had an embarassing moment with the police involving me being pulled over in front of the kids school because I hadn’t remembered where I put my registration sticker when the time came to put it back on. They were nice enough to leave me with a warning, so we went home and I finally filed all that stuff that I’ve been meaning to file for the last three months.
Then we went to the library and made bird feeders. We came home and explored the yard for animals and other signs of life in the winter garden.
That evening we had Double Lightsaber Dogs from the Star Wars cookbook (we’re on a roll!) and really only David loved them:
Thursday was again MDO day, so Greg went to school (they made snowballs out of rolled up socks and had a snowball fight) and I went to a couple estate sales with my friend Monaca. We didn’t find anything good to buy (way overpriced) so we treated ourselves to Chik-fil-a afterwards (twice in one week! the insanity! but never say no to a pregnant woman with a craving!). Thursday night I’d meant to go to a friends art show, but I managed to re-injure my head (remember I did that last month, too?), so I was too dizzy and nauseated to go anywhere.
Friday Greg and I cleaned up various messes, then headed up to Ben’s school to have lunch with him. He wanted to eat outside, but it was too chilly in the courtyard (there’s no sun in the part that has the tables set up), so we ate inside with his friends.
By the time the kids got home from school it had warmed up considerably, so the kids played basketball outside for the rest of the afternoon:
Yesterday we to church at our regular church. After deliberating all week and spending most of our evenings reading up on the various issues involved in our church’s big split (the big bad thing I alluded to last week), we decided that that was where logic dictated that we should go. Nick’s family and his sister’s in laws made the same decision, so that made it a bit easier, though we will miss our friends that chose to go to the other place. Since we’re lacking people to staff certain parts of the church, I signed on to the kitchen committee to help out serving snacks and potlucks and I will continue to help out with the kids Sabbath School classes. I’m also working on some duets with Nick’s mom for special music. Nick is an usher and the current president of the Men’s Leadership Club, as well as teaching at Sabbath School. After church the kids and I hung out at Nick’s parents house & they fed us while he went to his Men’s Club meeting.
Today was another basketball practice for the boys. I stayed home and tidied up from yesterday. Now the kids are “cleaning up” (which, judging from the noise in there includes anything but) and Nick is grocery shopping and I’m trying to get us ready for the snow that is coming. We’re excited about the snow; we never get it this early! (And only rarely get it all, actually).
Lisa Holcomb 