Keeping busy, building stuff

We got a delivery the other day. Who doesn't love a delivery?

'Specially when it is 11 big, heavy boxes from IKEA!

Our family room is directly off the kitchen. It is a space we spend a LOT of time in every day. It is also a space that is bigger than we know what to do with. In this before picture you can see that our furniture from the previous house just doesn't fill the space.

The last vestiges of summer

We woke up this morning, the delightful first day of Fall, to a crispness.

It seemed as though Mother Nature read our calendar, and in a fit of generosity, decided to grant us this boon. Frost tickled our window pane and coated the top of the (currently useless) hot tub. At alarm time, I burrowed blissfully down into the blankets rather than rolling out of the bed. My heart has been healed in a way I didn't know it was ill. I love Autumn, and I have missed it.

Desert living was good for us, and I do not regret one moment in that southern Arizona place, but being in the mountains- near the tinkling whispers of aspen trees and the sharp cool breeze that almost hurts your nose (in a good way)- it is a celebration for me.
Socks and hoodies for the lot of us this morning! Huzzah!

Our last Summer moments were good ones too. Dad's classic burgers on the grill paired with watermelon and Grandma Ida's baked beans recipe. Mowed grass and sprinkler fun. Summer isn't too shabby in this part of the world either. We'll look forward to seeing warm weather again, but we'll enjoy the cool for a while first!

Cardboard is cool

What do you do when there are a ka-zillion boxes in your new house?

You get crafty on a Saturday morning. That is what.

Crafty swords and shields would not be complete without the Zelda Tri-force!

At least, not at our house.

Going back, back, BACK to SCHOOL

Pencil and I got to visit the elementary school the other day.
We were showing up to crash picture day and get pictures taken of the littlest monkey (this mom wants pictures match the bigger monkeys) Also because I realized that this little man has not had professional pictures taken. ever.

Sock was not really excited or humiliated by our being there, but Pencil was head-over-heels thrilled. He wanted to ride the bus that morning with Sock, but I made him wait and take the car with me.

It was such a surprise for me when we walked in. I have been to the elementary school many times in southern Arizona, but the outdoor hallways and desert feel never jolted my brain the way this school did.
As soon as we began down the hallway, all the smells and sounds immediately kicked my brain into teacher mode. It made me miss teaching. I haven't missed it in a long time.

Put up your dukes!

We have been fighting the good fight in these parts. (although, to be honest, sometimes rather than a fight against poor choices or evil in general, it has felt more like a fight that is me against my children)

I fought this one over the idea that he can actually potty on the potty. He insists he will, when he is 4.

Too bad for me and my budget, his birthday is still 2 months from now. Here's to more diapers...

I had no quarrel with the Philly-cheese steak sammies I made for the Doctor's birthday. But...

                 ...you might think I had a bone to pick with my husband if you saw the pie. Yes, it looks like a radioactive dessert. No, I wasn't trying to kill anyone. The apple pie recipe calls for slits in the crust for venting. As I cut the first one, I feared it might look like a flower, which would obviously be too girly for a husband's birthday pie. I decided to make it more geometrical.