Things that go whoomp in the night...

The wind does funny things to this old house...whistling through drafty windows and rattling loose doors. So last night when a soft whoomp shook the quiet evening hours, I paid it no mind. He, on the other hand, looked a little startled and unconvinced by my "just the wind" explanation.

Reading this morning's local news and turns out the man knows his whoomps. A vacant house was leveled in an explosion at that very moment...or, how many moments before for the shock/sound wave/whatever to reach us...18 miles away. Huh. No official word yet on a cause...though, given the location, I can opine that there is now one less meth lab in existence...

One last transformation...

On another chilly March morning, five years ago, my sister and her kiddos drove into town to help clean our just closed on house...as well as help wrangle a very curious and very mobile 8-month-old Jacob so I could paint his room...

The day we actually moved furniture in was an emotional day...two nomads just signed a 30 year mortgage...but the peace far outweighed the fear...

This morning, as I washed my brushes and closed the art box on another transformation, I had that same peace...

Tonight the wee girl gets to sleep in a garden, tucked under a tree...

She has one small token princess element. At some point in the history of the house, someone finished the upstairs and carved out two bedrooms and a bathroom. Their creative way of dealing with the existing fireplace chimney? Plaster it, build the room around it. For a twirly girlie princess it became the perfect spot for a castle turret and royal banner...

One of my grandmother's quilts and a consignment store rug and her room is complete....

Due to this crazy life we've chosen, our children sometimes ( a lot of times) have to do without the new shiny things their friends get. But what they do get is priceless. I vowed long ago that my children would never, ever have to question whether they were loved or not. Because they are, and will always be, loved ...to the moon and back.

Pros of social networks...

Proof for all to see of former boyfriends (or, even better, the boys who wouldn't give me a second glance but broke my heart just the same) swelled, much less hair and with wives/girlfriends far less attractive than I.*

Shallow? You bet. Vindictive? Maybe. Does it put a big ol' Cheshire cat grin on my inner 17-year-old self? Absolutely.

*See also "high school girls who never missed an opportunity to make my life miserable in boarding school." Except none of them are bald. And, with one or two exceptions, have actually evolved into rather decent human beings. And I'm delighted to witness that as well. And more than happy to be back in touch with them.

Upgrade...

From this (the day we first looked at the house)...

to this...

A room worthy of a young squire...one brilliant and amazing enough to request that his dragon look like Smaug...

He chose to position his bed directly under the dragon so it's the first thing he sees when he wakes up...

One very delighted 5-year-old gets to sleep in his very own room tonight. I can't quite tell if he's more excited about the room itself or that his little sister's chattering and singing will no longer be keeping him awake.

Though I think they're secretly going to miss each other. Very secretly.

Wee girl's room gets its own upgrade tomorrow...

Spring! Is that you? We've been waiting...

And here you are!

Peach blossoms soaking in the sun...

Children and doggy...soaking in the sun as well!

Happy Spring!

Cancer sucks.

For the second time this year (and third time in two years) I lost a friend to cancer. And that is three too many.

I first met Warren eleven years ago. He had a standing weekly gig at the pub I worked at in the town we lived in before here. Rarely in my life have I met a person so true to himself, his faith, his family and his music. The example he was of living a Godly life whilst walking the path less traveled, during a time when I was struggling to find my own footing, will stay with me forever.

Heaven's chorus is currently being schooled on polka and Jimmy Buffet. Rest well, my friend...we'll miss you, but we're all so very grateful you're no longer in pain.

Child labor...

County public schools had the day off today (for reasons never really made clear) and the Boy got to stay home while his sister went off to preschool. Of course I put him to work!

He is, after all, the one who wanted a mural in his new room.

Reformed nomad...

Primer went up in the Boy's room this morning. Not over the whole thing, just over the bits that will no longer be green.

It's fairly surreal to be repainting that room and realizing that we've been in this house long enough to have built up memories and make it our own. Five years ago I was coming over to an empty house to paint on the rare nights my husband was home and could hang out with the baby. The original paint was chosen as a way to darken the room for the day sleeper, but not make it oppressively dark for the night sleeper.

This morning I painted over scars left by the crib rubbing on the low, slanted wall. And I remembered the year the wee girlie slept in that corner of the room...her sleep sounds keeping me company on the long nights I was the only parent home.

Soon I'll start on the mural in the girl's room. A room originally painted for a baby boy. A boy we just assumed would be our one and only child. And who would stay in that room until the day we moved out. I remember the day we set the room up. I sat in the rocking chair, taking it all in and cried. After all of the heartache, sitting in my son's freshly painted nursery was overwhelming. In the not-so-distant future, it'll be transformed into a girl's room--and not just any girl. A girl who adores princesses and all things twirly and girly. A girl who fills this house with laughter and sunshine.

Our own bedroom was once the office and our office was once the room my parents' lived in for the times they were here. And it's starting to feel like everything is in its rightful place.

It's fascinating to me to look back and see the gradual settling of this former nomad. Even the ghosts and spirits have appeared to settle down and accept that we're here for a while longer.

Watching for spring...

With all of the changes taking place indoors, we've slightly neglected the outdoors. But no more! Kiddos and I got ourselves to the local nursery this morning. Our spoils included bags of organic garden soil to mix in with the veggie beds, new seeds for starting our own plantlings and a couple rounds of small fence thingies to wrap around the beds in a vain attempt to protect them from the doggie and various other critters. They also each picked out a new plant for the flower garden....hopefully the fence thingie will protect them as well! I'll start up regular updates in the garden journal shortly.

A stop at the home store for a can of zero VOC/non-toxic primer was also in order. Hopefully I'll be able to get started on the mural in the boy's room this week! I'm quite excited for that.

In the meantime, I'm enjoying watching the buds forming on the peach trees and praying we managed to take care of the fungus last year!

I can be police cat?

maybe I should grow a little bit more...

Inventory...

Switched around closets this morning as our bedroom switcheroo presses onwards. Sorting out my already meager closet offerings I found, among numerous pairs of casual cords and button down shirts, one pair of dressy trousers and one dressy dress (the obligatory LBD).

I was reminded of the career goal/mission statement I had many years ago--to never wear panty hose again. It's good and comforting to know that I have set obtainable goals!

Cowboy up...

I loath gyms. I loath the crush of people, other sweaty bodies, televisions bombarding me with sports, news casts and morning talk shows I'd just assume never watch all the while sucking piped stale air into my lungs. I long to be out running through the woods again...just me and the various critters. However, my running days aren't back yet. And in order to get them back I must heal. And so, with trail running held in front of me like the proverbial carrot, I made my way to the gym this morning. And rode five miles on a bike going no where. In spite of my loathing of being indoors it felt good to work my heart, to sweat and to breath deeply.

Styling...

Have you ever met someone and it feels like you've known them for always? And you know that no matter what--zombie apocalypse, anarchy, dogs and cats living together--there's someone who will always have your back? Or at least a hot cup of coffee to spin the wild tales over? Jules at Henhouse Pottery is just such a person. And one of these days I'm actually going to get to meet her face to face and hug her neck. Anyway...I have no idea why, but she thought my little blog was worthy of a Stylish blogger award. Thanks, Chick!

The rules...

1) Thank the person who gave you the award, by providing a link to their site.

2) Share 7 things about yourself, that other bloggers might not know.

3) Give the Award to 15 newly discovered or interesting bloggers.

4) Notify each of those bloggers to present the Award.

I've been pretty wide open in the past several years...not sure I can dig up anything ya'll don't already know...but I'll give it a shot.

~I laugh just as hard at my son's poop jokes as he does. I know it only encourages him, but I can't help it.

~I once wanted to be a diplomat...foreign services...linguist specialist and all that. Turns out I'm really not all that ambitious. Or driven. Seriously? It took me 14 years to complete my bachelor's degree and I suck at keeping secrets.

~Summer of '93, driving through Tennessee with a girlfriend in her ancient Chevy Impala we drove by a tattoo parlor. I made her do a u-turn. I walked in, handed over $40 and walked out with a tattoo on my ankle. These little guys have been with me ever since.

~For four years...more like three due to various schools...I was Rosie the Riveter, working on ancient Navy P3 aircraft. It was a love/hate relationship. I was constantly challenged, pushed beyond what I thought I was capable of and I wasn't sad when my enlistment was up. While I enjoyed what I did and I'm proud of what I did and was involved in--it wasn't what I wanted to be.

~In what seems like another lifetime ago, I rode a Harley Davidson...a '95 XLH Deluxe. I bought it through Overseas Military Sales while living in Spain...flew back to the US to pick it up and put it on the boat. Actually got stopped on the way from Jacksonville, FL to the shipyard in Charleston, SC...state trooper was a former Marine. He complimented me on my "cute" bike, glanced at our military ID's and waved us on our way. Over the years I fixed her up...bigger gas tank (stock peanut tank didn't take it very far), black powder coat chain guard and cam cover, Vance and Hines 2 into 1 drag pipes and a low slung saddle. She was beautiful. The summer I was pregnant with the wee girlie, I sold the bike. I stood in the front yard bawling my eyes out as I watched her disappear down the road.

~A week after my 13th birthday I unpacked my trunk, made my bed, hung my "Hang in there" kitty poster on the wall and moved into boarding school. It was already half way through the school year...all of the little eight grade cliques had already formed. I was miserable. I got over it...figured out my own coping mechanisms, buried myself in books, art and drama...and managed to graduate from the same school only mildly scarred.

~And I've got nothing else. No other deep dark, hidden secrets. Really. It's like I'm an open book...or blog. Heh. Well...there are the arrest warrants in Idaho and Minnesota for unpaid parking tickets. Totally not my fault. I was out of the country at the time and trusted the wrong friend to car sit. Honest. I have stamps in my passport to prove it!

I know I'm supposed to pass this on. But for the most part, anyone I would hand it off to has already received it. Besides, I'm not good with following the rules and doing what I'm told. Do I get style points deducted for that? However, by all means...feel free to share your own little known tidbits!

Recap...

Apparently, when I decided to "go public" with a cake business, I tapped into a niche. To say I've been busy would be an understatement. Last week was overwhelming simply due to juggling two labor intensive cakes, a back injury and temporary single mommy-ness. But I did it. And all recipients were delighted.

A review...

2011 Chevy Silverado...or what passes as my own rendition...

Castles for 3-year-old twins...

And a rainbow cake for a 7-year-old!

I'm actually working on another rainbow cake for this weekend. Followed by a Noah's ark cake. So far I have orders through the end of May.

In and around all of this we've managed to complete (mostly) our new bedroom! Our son is being very patient with me regarding the repainting of our old bedroom upstairs and his impending move into it. The kiddos have shared a room since the wee girl was kicked out of ours at 14 months (way overdue, that one). A few more weeks of co-habitation won't do them any harm...and their own chosen murals will be worth the wait. Next week promises to be slightly less hectic...we might even get other projects completed!