Monday, November 14, 2022

Around the House Lately

We settled on a bifold door for our bedroom closet.  

My handy dad installed it for us, and had to cut off a bit of the bottom to get it to open/close on top of the rug.  It's much more user-friendly than the old door which swung open awkwardly due to the closeness of the bed.  We were able to use that old closet door to replace a back door that had a cat hole in it...and we haven't had a cat in five years.  

Our very small backyard was a disaster in the grass department.  Blame 18 years of kids running around on it, blame a trampoline that killed the grass below it, blame the parents who do not know how to landscape properly, they're all true.  At the beginning of October, we had the yard dug up and replanted (I don't know landscaping terms) and we're praying grass is growing under the blanket of leaves that lay there now.

On Veteran's Day, Phil pulled a bunch of junk "someone else's treasure" from our basement and put it on our magical front curb where people love to pick up freebies in any state.  We got rid of a lot of bed frames and baby things and now Murphy's Law states that I will get pregnant and that baby will have nowhere to lay his head.  Or sit to eat.  Or play/jump in.  Kinda like Jenny - congrats!!

Pizza Fridays are a thing in Casa Martin, and usually involve the frozen variety or sometimes a pick up treat if we are especially busy.  But thanks to Veteran's Day being on a Friday this year and all of us being at home, we made pizzas.  The little guys were sooooo excited to make their own pizzas, that I felt kind of guilty that we don't do this nearly enough.  I made pesto, cooked some bacon, microwaved pepperoni (to get the grease out), chopped fresh pineapple and onions, and cooked some chicken tenders and the kids went to town.  I promised I wouldn't use the teenagers' photo, but the littles don't care!

Sunday started out as a rainy day, and after Phil cooked yummy pumpkin pancakes with maple walnut butter (excuuuuse me!) we went upstairs to thoroughly clean and change the little boys bedding.  The three amigos sleep in one room, and it took a long time to put on their flannel sheets (high of 48 degrees today!) and vacuum and clean their room.  I put my foot down on how many stuffies they could have in their bed (only one!) and that led to cleaning the downstairs toy room in order to get rid of all the stuffed animals except for five each.  They actually thought it was fun to pick which stuffed animals to give to kids in need, and I love a good declutter, so win win.  I must have done four loads of wash on Sunday alone, but it was worth it when they all slept in this morning because they were so comfy cozy in their beds.


After all the cleaning was done, bowling with cousins was in order.  A fun groupon activity on a rainy day:


We had been researching pellet stove inserts for our fireplace, but we don't think the cost is worth the potential savings right now.  The kind we wanted wouldn't be in until March, so we basically have another winter to get through before deciding on the next step.  We were also looking at getting a hot tub as a family Christmas gift, but dang those are expensive!  I guess Santa's top elf will be busy shopping for each kid individually this year unless she can come up with a different family gift idea (like another Jenny) and any advice is helpful!

And finally to wrap up the weekend, JP facetimed from Florence, Italy and we had such a nice talk - miss you buddy!  Then Phil and I watched Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris and I loved it (Phil enjoyed it too but I think it's more of a chick flick).  And that was a fully productive and fun weekend!

14 comments:

  1. I am going to have to reach out to Jenny, I also got rid of all things baby and then got pregnant with identical twin girls, numbers 7 & 8 for us also, kinda crazy!

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    1. I thought of you right away when I read her post!!

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    2. We are having twins (#8 and #9) in March... I found out at 15 weeks and was in total shock for the entire ultrasound and didn't know how to tell my husband because he never goes to my OB appts (because they are usually routine and boring)

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    3. Double congrats!! I would love to know how you told your hubby and how you both reacted to the news :)

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    4. Thanks! I got to work and finally got the nerve to text him a pic of the ultrasound. He called me a few minutes later and asked if he was seeing things correctly. I think after about a month it has really sunk in and we are grateful for God's immense sense of humor.

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  2. Flannel sheet season! So cozy.

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    1. The best and they keep sleeping in, which is so sweet :)

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  3. Flannel sheets were a life saver for us. My 6 year old has some sensory issues where he only likes what he calls Cozy fabric. Could not figure out why he wouldnt sleep through the night for months till I landed on flannel sheets. First night on the bed last year and he slept 10 hours! Thats all I keep on his bed anymore. Plus a big fleece blanket that I then put his comforter on top of.

    We love experience gifts over here too! My mother in-law is getting is a zoo membership for Christmas, my mom is getting us a Carnegie museum membership (we live in Pittsburgh) and my sister is getting my son one for Living Treasures (a smaller petting zoo type place) so he can go with my niece all summer (she is 19).

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    1. I love to receive experience gifts from others, just like you're getting. I'm not sure I can give experience gifts only to my kids, maybe a soft start with a mix of experiences and tangible gifts? And now I'm wondering if the sheets on their beds are flannel or fleece...either way they are really soft and definitely doing the trick, I may have to leave them on all year also!

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  4. Glad your closet door saga has come to a great end.

    We do experiences mostly. This year I am also giving both kids monogrammed bath towels so we can stop the endless pursuit of "where's my towel?!" :)

    Our house is so old that our upstairs is boiling while our downstairs is freezing. We keep the house set at 62 because otherwise we melt! First snowfall today here... blah.

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    1. You know what's funny? JP called and said "I read about the rug/door saga on the blog and I was so thankful I wasn't there to help!" Gotta love old houses...or else you'd cry :)

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  5. This WAS a productive Sunday. I spent some time working in the room where three of our boys sleep. Two college boys come home for Thanksgiving and I am going to require them - mostly Tank, to organize their stuff before eating anything. My kids also love making pizzas. JP's semester abroad has gone by so quickly. Not sure if I shared yet, but Tank is studying in Limerick next semester.

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    1. Ireland would be so awesome to study for a whole semester!! How exciting, and yes it does go by fast and JP is dreading it ending. I love the cleaning before eating rule, I need to copy!

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  6. I'm giggling at you worried that if you get rid of baby stuff, you'll end up pregnant. I have the same worry with cat carriers and that one lone litter box; I know the minute I get rid of them, a cat will come into my life, so I'm keeping them forever.

    Yay for new grass and clean beds! Aren't flannel sheets the best invention?
    I don't really know anything about fireplaces aside from the one we have in GA has a remote control. HA. Is pellets better than wood or gas?

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