Small Scribbles

Because you asked. Tell us. Did you make the snowflakes? How? Yes. We did make these curly bits of paper. Charlie wrapped some strips of paper round the quiller and handed them over to be shaped and joined. But the other four pairs of hands measured and cut and curled and glued with no help at all. The best kinds of projects don't need a mother hovering directions. I joined in and worked too while City on A Hill provided Christmas ambiance in mid-November. These are our tools. And waxpaper to save the table. And toothpicks for the glue. If you don't have a quiller buy the kind with the little slit in the top. Much easier to use than the pointed awl kind. Prevent squabbling. Get enough. The quiller design board is a necessity as it forms identical curls. You may want two or three if there are lots of eager hands at your house. Precut quilling paper is inexpensive and is of even, narrow width. Better than I can do on my Fiskars paper cutter. We used two snowflake kits tha...

I wore the covers off the Little House on the Prairie books when I was a kid. Much of my pretend was informed by the trek that Ma and Pa made across the prairie with Laura and Mary and Carrie in tow. My sister and I turned the picnic table into a makeshift covered wagon complete with Pet and Patty, our trusty saw horses. I loved the way Ma could turn a grassy campsite into a home complete with a vase of flowers and freshly ironed linens. The reason for this trip down memory lane? Our kitchen sink has been removed to make room for... ...this new and improved model. I'm thankful for the years spent at Grandpa's summer bootcamp where I learned that dishwashers are for sissies. Grandpa's dishwashing rules: Fill the tub with scalding water. Hotter! Hotter! Glassware first, silverware next, plates and finally the pots and pans. Lauren and John dry. They've never been to Grandpa's Bootcamp. Grandpa would roll over in his grave if he knew that these two whippersnappers a...

We moved into our 1970s ranch almost two years ago. The logistics of transferring seven people and their gear from a house in one state to a house in another state with the majority of the help coming from the Ark Bearers Incorporated (that would be the children) was rather daunting. We chose to minimize the stress by just moving into our outdated house without doing any upfront remodeling. We've been chipping away at the 70s decorating scheme ever since. It feels so good to walk through our rooms and begin to see a reflection of our decorating personality. I often stop and stand outside the children's bedrooms for a minute or two just to take in the changes. The kids just laugh at me. This is a before picture of the kids bathroom. Some of the kids couldn't see over the top of the sink when we moved in without the help of a stool. The walls were painted a lovely shade of poop brown. We called it The Cave. What began as a quick coat of paint morphed into a remodel. Four m...