Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Settling in for the duration

Still decluttering..it had been a decade since the last time that I did this - that time I was insired by our last move - so it could take me another year.
In addition we are making some constructive changes to this old house. I am liking the idea of staying in one home long enough to mark our kids' growth up the side of the wall until they are taller than we are. I moved twenty times before I was twenty-four.

Our screened-in side porch is transforming into a closed-in actual room. It will be a place to keep all of our art supplies, it will have a dog and cat door (so I can retire form being their all day doorwoman) and it still has lots of windows, so lots of light. I can't see us leaving it much except to use the bathroom or get some food and maybe to sleep in a bed.

We also finally got insulation blown into the walls so I am not wearing Gillen's down vest inside any more. But I haven't yet come to terms with the idea of updating our beautiful old windows to ones that would be more energy efficient. We have warm comforters and lots of sweaters.

My sister sent me a sock that she knit for my birthday. She'll bring the other one with her next week. This was her first time knitting socks (maybe even knitting?) Unbelievable, no? It is so perfectly beautiful. I have put my first time socks aside for now, with just one toe to go; not that they don't look just as professional. ; )I also have to show you a set of cloth gift bags sewn by Helen for my birthday last week. Aren't they festive, and so much better to reuse than paper? She has an etsy shop.
Another big change - Fracas has moved inside. She has learned to use the litter box and has found a new favorite spot in our bedroom.And finally, we replaced all of the many scary torn parts of our trampoline so the kids have been making that their home. Even in the rain :

5 comments:

Angelica said...

Awww I love that picture of Fracas its so awesome she can be inside now! :)

helenw said...

Oh I'm loving the screen porch conversion and getting all kinds of ideas for my fraternal-twin-sister house!
The bags are hard to photograph, aren't they?

Rachel said...

We are transforming our indoor porch into an insulated art room too! (I must admit it has taken us almost 2 years to complete it, but it's almost there now. Yippee!) It looks like you guys are moving along much more quickly. I can't wait to see how it turns out (and hear lots of good ideas of how to set it up and use it, etc). Also, I can't believe it's warm enough to run around in shorts and no shirts...the ground here is covered in snow and/or slush, and today we made snow angels and bought sleds. It feels confusing to look at your outdoor pictures. :)

Madeline Rains said...

Rachel, the kids would so prefer snow! But yesterday was unusually warm. It's not often like that in the winter. That's cool that you're doing the same thing. We'll be able to leave ongoing games and art projects out!! I've wanted this forever.

Angelica, I'm so glad that you got to see Fracas inside. : )

Helen, yes, they were a bit challenging to photograph but I like them against the mirror. Now I know why I have had that vanity all these years.

Angie said...

Love your new room! So much light! Thank you for your comment on my blog - yes, I wish we were closer too - we could be good for each other:)

Would love to talk further about where we both are in life, email any time you feel comfortable.

We are having a bloggy get-together this weekend for us Minnesota/Wisconsin bloggers - sure wish you could hop a flight!! We'd love to make room for a red-headed Southern girl.