But I'm stuck in colder weather

Snow day! Getting even an inch of snow is exciting in these parts. Waking to find 4 inches is thrilling, at least for Irish Jig. After breakfast, those brave enough (it had switched over to sleeting) layered up and headed out for a quick snow ball fight.

Chasing Daddy with a snowball.  It ended badly for her :)

You'll notice Zydeco is missing.  He's smart.  He stayed inside, stayed warm, and stayed dry.  Jig started the adventure with a hat...somehow it ended up on the mini snowman.  Jig is now sporting an awesome case of eczema from the cold...

Apparently, that's how we roll.

Song lyrics from the Zac Brown Band.

Do you want to build a snowman??

In this house, the answer to that question is NO. NO. NO.

This is week two of snow in an area that typically sees about 2" total per year...and those as light dustings, not as a huge dump. This is day 7 of school closings and all my children would rather be in school around their friends and in their normal routines. My office has shut down for three of the days and the main roads were clear enough for me to travel otherwise. Mr. Neoclassic's office uses the liberal leave policy which is really code for we know it's dangerous for folks to travel, but we're not going to actually pay you to stay home. He's taken a few vacation days to sit near the fire, drink hot tea, and read the paper. I'm sewing more purple robes for our church. And trying to keep my toes warm.

Poor St. Francis seems so cold buried in snow back there!

Snowman #1, sidewalk clearing duty

Snowman #2, driveway clearing duty

For the record, I shoveled the first go round of sidewalks during last week's storm.  Mr. Neoclassic is shoveling a path for the dog through the backyard.  Our poodle does not like snow and it's very funny to watch her daintily pick her way across her man made path through the yard.

Meanwhile....
Family games - check. Family movies - check. School project work - check. Sibling fights - check. Parent tempers - check.

Ah winter - you can officially get the hell out of here.  Except it's too cold to be considered hell.

If a Southern girl suffers single digit temperatures and repeated snowfalls, does she qualify for any sort of advanced LENTEN suffering credits???  I must investigate the possibility.

I believe that happiness is something we create

I stopped blogging (you might have noticed??) for the summer.  It wasn't expected or intended.  It was the result, I have figured out, of not being completely at peace and just needing to step back. My work, while necessary, wasn't fulfilling and I spent a great deal of time feeling guilty for being gone.  Lucky for me, a great husband, supportive family, wonderful kids, and awesome friends helped me to remember that happiness can be created.  And it has been....

A new job will be started in about three weeks.  A fulfilling and exciting position I will be proud to hold.

I've posted several snapshots of a summer well spent by this Domestic Church.  A summer that included the following:

• MAGGIE:  I am pretty sure I haven't mentioned the newest family member.  Maggie the standard poodle sort of fell into our laps and we love every curly, large inch of her.  She was a rescue, but not hurt or abused in any way.  Maggie is wonderfully gently with the children. She loves playing catch and chasing the kids around the yard.  The best part is that she came house trained, leash trained, and command trained.  The only downfall is that I find myself horrifyingly jealous of her long and lean legs.  The short Italian women in me is coveting her neighbor's goods.
• PAINT and MORE PAINT: I finally stopped the family agenda for one whole weekend and managed to paint Zydeco's room.  He's been upgraded to a fabulous deep blue accent wall with the rest of the walls a version of sand.  A gift from Papa inspired the color palette.  Riding the high of accomplishment, we finally picked a color for the kitchen walls.  We'd had various paint sample splotches on the walls for months, so it's nice to have a uniform color.
• SEWING: In order to stay sane, I found pockets of time to cut fabric and plan small projects.  Irish Jig has two new dresses (one involved the piping foot - whee!) and new jammies.  I started a sweet doll for Irish Jig that will become a "Tooth Fairy" doll.  Halfway through doll sewing, I managed to drop a straight pin into the sewing machine.  All sewing is on hold until the machine returns from its tune up. 
• CONFIRMATION:  In early June, we witnessed Classic Rock celebrate the Sacrament of Confirmation.  The Mass was beautiful and the Sacrament delivered with such grace. That grainy picture up there is the blessing with oil.   A wonderful family friend stood with Classic Rock as sponsor.  This young man has been a quiet but steadfast mentor to our boys and we feel blessed to have had him walk the journey with our son.
• VISITORS:  We joyously welcomed Nana and Papa (my parents) for the Confirmation and a two week visit.  It was, according to my children, the best visit ever with their grandparents.  My parents would pick them up from school and treat them to lunch out, snowballs, a shopping trip, or just let Classic Rock practice driving them around town.  Nana spent an afternoon teaching me to safely launder delicate vintage linens.  I took notes!  I will post!
• DRIVING:  Classic Rock received his driving permit in December and we've been very good about giving him opportunities to drive.  He's quite a careful and deliberate driver.  While I am eager for him to just get his license already and run errands for me, he has another month before he meets the age requirement for Virginia.  Since Louisiana pretty much handed me a license at 14.5, I appreciate the caution and extra training he's had.
• BIRTHDAYS:  Zydeco celebrated 13 and recently surprised us all by asking to having his longish hair cut much shorter.  While the long hair bothered many a relative (Nana), I always figured he wasn't piercing or tattooing, so what did I care?  Jazz celebrated 10 with a Fiesta themed party that is worthy of it's own post - note to self.  She's taking time each day of her summer vacation to work on a variety of needlework projects and really showing improvement.  Classic Rock embraced 16, his driving permit, a summer sailing trip and a week at the NASA Wallops Island facility.  And, yeah, I celebrated yet another year....
• OPEN HOUSE:  I always seem amazed and surprised that our home becomes the central party house each summer.  The kids' friends are invited over or just randomly show up, and we embrace the chaos.  We serve a lot of lemonade, popcorn, and freezer pops.  We make the children guests do their own dishes.  We listen to many wii competitions and board game disputes debates.  We (me really) try not to obsess about the constant dirt on the floors by reminding ourselves that we know where the kids are, that they are safe, and that we can overhear every little comment.
• GOODBYE:  Our family said goodbye and good luck to wonderful friends starting a new journey.  I consoled Jazz as her closest friends moved halfway across the country on their new adventure.  I indulged extra sleepovers and took lots of pictures to preserve the memories.  I finally created an email for Jazz so that she could keep in touch with her friends.
• FARMERS' MARKETS:  We start every Saturday at either the Smithfield or Williamsburg Farmers' Markerts.  The fresh and local produce drive our menus all summer and force us to try new and exciting foods - 8 ball squash??  We've also discovered the wonderful woman in Smithfield with blue egg laying hens.  Yum!  

Much more has occurred in the Domestic Church, but stopping here allows me more fodder for future posts! Create some happiness of your own -

Today's blog post title from Sugarland's Something More.

And we'll make snow angels

Taking one for the team.

Gangnam Style?  Really?

With a little help from my friends

Thanks to Zydeco, we have photographic evidence of our first winter storm.  Classic Rock kindly and selflessly headed up the outdoor playtime.  Irish Jig giggled and shrieked her way through her very first ever snow play day.  Lots of hot chocolate and cookies were consumed.  It's a requirement, I think.

Four days of school were missed and all of Classic Rock's semester exams were cancelled - not that he minded one bit!

Mr. Neoclassic and I were at work, sadly, and missed the fun.  Yes, I did say I was at work.  I started a part time, temporary position just prior to Christmas.  I am spending just a few months helping a friend's company clean up their client data bases in preparation for tax season.  I am really enjoying the opportunity to contribute to our household, but I admit to missing my lazy afternoons with my children.  All will balance out soon enough....

Last night, wave two of the storm - or maybe just another one - hit and dumped more snow.  About 6-8" inches this time and my office is shut down for the day.  The boys reluctantly headed out to shovel the driveway runners for Mr. Neoclassic.  Jazz chose to stay indoors, but Irish Jig was jumping up and down to play in the white stuff.  I dressed her as warmly as possible considering she won't wear pants.  There were many layers of stockings and leggings.  After her first face plant in the deep snow, I accepted the inevitable and dressed myself for snow.

That's me, looking like a lumberjack.  We don't own any type

of snow clothing and our hobbled together look is really quite humorous.

And sad.

Another face plant.

A parade of snow plows.  It's the closest thing to a Mardi Gras parade that we'll get.

After the snow fun, everyone gathered in front of the fire and the usual commentary of boredom began.  "Can we invite a friend over/ I'm bored/ How much tv can we watch today?"  I called my girlfriend Karen and arranged a prisoner swap.  I mean play date.  They live several blocks down the road and are willing to drive in snow, which I am not.  Our youngest three are currently at their home and will be returned in a few hours.  I'll keep their children here while both parents conduct business conference calls.  I do love good friends.


Today's post title from Sarah Hart's Snow Angels - so beautiful and fanciful!

Simple things mean a lot to me

Both of our girls enjoy playing make believe.  Jazz prefers to immerse herself in Lego creations that involve secret rooms, worlds, and incredibly complex story lines.  Irish Jig prefers the menagerie of hand-me-down Littlest Pet Shop friends.  They can pass hours with these toys, working alongside one another and yet totally oblivious to each other's presence.  A blessing and a curse, I sometimes believe.

The negative of these manipulative toys, for me, was their constant visual clutter.  I worked hard to paint, organize, and decorate their room, and yet these toys (and various clothing articles if we're being honest) were always out and looking messy.  I was tired of hounding the girls to clean and hearing: "but I don't want to break down this creation/ set up/ etc...."

Enter my awesomely handy-man husband and my early Christmas gift.  During November, he created two matching shallow "drawers," calling into existence the vision I'd had in my mind and described with large hand movements and grand words.  Basically a thin plywood base edged in corner round molding, these drawers are about 4' long by 3.5' wide.  The front of each drawer is a 2x2 strip with two small drawer pulls attached.  With patches of furniture felt on the bottom of the drawers, they slide under the girls' beds with ease.

Now, putting away toys after an afternoon's fun is as simple as throwing all the random pieces and animals on the drawer and sliding it under the bed.  Mama doesn't care if things are messy on that drawer because it's OUT OF SIGHT!

Ahh, so calming.

Today's blog post title from Carole King's Simple Things.

Summer, summer, summer, it's like a merry-go-round

Summer in the House of Lame/ Electic House of Awesomeness is proving to be quite a merry-go-round of activity.   Months ago, without really contemplating the ramifications of over-scheduling, I agreed to a sailing trip, various Scout camps, art camp, swim lessons, mission trips, and an actual all-play family trip.  Then I pulled out the calendar to mark all these dates down and realized people were coming and going on a near-daily basis. Gah!   Just planning lunches requires me to stop and count actual heads in the house - and many times there are a few non-House of Lame peeps to be included.

This week, all of my children have actually been in residence, and I have been constantly amused.  The boys accompanied me on a late evening run to the pharmacy and grocery.  As we finished at the pharmacy and turned to head into the grocery area, Zydeco waved his arms in the air and chanted "Deli samples, deli samples"  while running off toward the deli.   Classic Rock strolled next me and, with a deadpan tone, remarked "I don't know that I would have taken the feminine hygiene products aisle and been that excited."

And that's why I miss him when he's sailing or at camp or on a mission trip!

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Last Saturday was a house cleaning/ chore finishing/ yard work type of day.  We were watching a sweet little friend of Irish Jig's and tending to various projects inside and outside.  Children were trading their television usage and, during a time that the program wasn't preschooler appropriate, Irish Jig and Samuel had their block building fun moved into the main hallway.  Imagine a hundred or so wooden blocks and two small people scattered up and down the hallway.  In the midst of this, I was folding towels at the kitchen table and starting dinner preps.  The doorbell rings.  Two very clean cut, white button down, black tied gentleman were standing on the doorstep.  Smiling even though they were dripping in late afternoon humidity, they greeted me warily.  We don't live in a high Mormon area, so they never know what type of welcome they'll get.  Lucky for Elder Smith and his buddy (I can't remember his name!), they got me :)

"Come on in, guys!  It's hot and you could use a break." Says I.

"Do you know who we are?"  Says Elder Smith, tentatively.

"You're The Mormons!  We're the Catholics!  I promise we can get along.  Come have something cold to drink and maybe even to eat."  Says I.

And so began a delightful half hour.  I guided them through the landmine of blocks and around the basket of laundry (thankfully towels and not undies, ha).  They chatted about their new Meeting House in the area.  Classic Rock asked some questions and then seemed surprised that I knew the answers.  Hello?  Your mother has a life and is quite intelligent.  Most of the time, anyway.  They asked us some questions and promised to make sure the missionaries actually assigned to our neighborhood knew we were a welcoming house.

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When our Girl Scout troop adventure had to be cancelled due to impending thunderstorms, Jazz and I were invited to accompany my co-leader and her children on an adventure.  We started with the intention of touring Endview Plantation, only to discover it closed.  We quickly improvised a visit to the Jamestown Glass Blowers.  The children enjoyed watching the craftsmen work the molten glass into treasures.

We arrived back at our home as the torrential rains began.  Being Girl Scout leaders, we were prepared for inside time with a craft!  We used Sharpie markers on plain white tiles, then sprayed the tiles with isopropyl alcohol and watched the colors spread.  I added felt feet to ours and we have a whole set of dinner coasters now.  While the finished tiles were sprayed with a fixative and a lacquer coat, we find that the color does scratch off.

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Zydeco decided that we should increase our vocabulary and challenge our minds.  Apparently, the daily maths sheets I'd assigned weren't enough work for him.  I found this in the kitchen a few days ago.  Once I corrected the spelling of "sentences" we were in business.

Each morning, there's a discussion about what the word of the day should be.  Some mornings, Classic Rock throws a ringer up there before the rest of us are awake.  Vernacular?  That's a Classic Rock choice.  Zydeco chooses "wheedle", "maw", and "gratuitous".  I have fun concocting sentences.

"My children attempted to wheedle their mother into visiting the snowball stand.

They were sadly unsuccessful."

"I have considered rearranging the dinner table seating in order to avoid gazing

into the gaping maw of my oldest child."

"My children were treated to a gratuitous baking of chocolate chip cookies."

They do not appreciate my humor.

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During the week, the boys and Mr. Neoclassic have been collecting all of their Scout camp needs.  They leave on Sunday for a week of merit badge earning, sailing lessons, and camp food (yuck).  I readied myself for their departure by visiting the paint section of Home Depot (gallons are $5 off this week, BTW).  My husband should be afraid, very afraid.


What's making your summer so hilarious your sides ache daily????

Today's post title from The Cars' Magic

Lost in the backyard

June has creeped along with temperatures in the 70's and 80's, with little humidity to speak of, so far.  It's certainly unusual for our area, but we are not complaining!  Rather, we are relishing the chances to work AND play.  A few days ago was just a play day.  Wonderful friends gifted us with a croquet set and we spent a whole afternoon laughing at ourselves and at each other.

The girls helped me set up the wicket pattern (a double diamond) and played the first few rounds with us.  By the time I thought to grab the camera, they'd moved on to Fairy Garden play and Oversight From the Swing.  That sweet little mouth was actually yelling something like, "You missed again!" She also gave us play by play commentary, "It's Mama's turn but her ball didn't go through." or "Daddy, you have to hit the red one.", etc.

Eat your heart out, Howard Cosell!

While Classic Rock was sailing with the Venture Crew that afternoon, Zydeco happily stepped into the role of joker, smart alack, and goofball.  He fulfilled all roles well, keeping his parents laughing and missing their shots.  Maybe that was his point?  He even surprised us with his own version of a touchdown dance when he finally completed the first half of the diamond pattern.

As we round the corner into July and settle into our summer schedule, I am reminding myself to cherish these hilarious moments of family fun.  Summer's too short.

Today's post title from Natasha Bedingfield's Backyard.