My Martha Moment

Do you remember my desperate plea for vision about my entry hallway?

Does that jog your memory?

Well, I'll be honest, I was really discouraged by the comments that were posted. My initial reaction . . . "do they not realize I can get NONE of those things here or that the wall under the windows is not really a wall but just a thin piece of fiberboard?" But then Melissa comment about what we could get in Ancient City raised the bar a little and got me started thinking . . . "maybe I can make it a challenge and see how I can make it work!"

So it's been a fun 2 months of challenge and I wanted to share my finished product!

I looked hard for the "bamboo blinds" and really wanted to make that happen. I found a Russian owned store (so funny, I spoke "Aobistani" and she wrote the prices on paper as she could only speak Russian). She had 1, 1 meter long blind for $35. And no other available. So I opted with my own creation.

It's a white fabric (that they use) with pvc pipe to make it hang straight. My original plan was to be able to pull them up and hide them under the valance, but the valance doesn't cover the ends like I was hoping. I guess that is what happens when you sew without a pattern. You make it up as it goes. But it has totally changed the room. It's not near as hot or intense and we hang out a lot in this space. My plan is to fill the window sill with potted plants. I bought my first one from a little Russian widow (this one spoke "Aobistani") and hope to go back and buy more.

I loved the suggestion for seats under the window with space for storage. Austin was a little overwhelmed by the thought of building them himself; as we were still working on running water into our house. I was so excited when I found a kitchen set, with benches that had storage under the seat, at a furniture store in our town. So that was my anniversary gift. It has a corner seat, so the whole piece can fit in the corner of a kitchen/dining area, but we don't have corners where it can be used. I have extra fabric from the curtains and I'm thinking about re-covering them (with a plastic cover on top of that), so we'll see what happens with that.

But we sure are loving the new space to live in and having tall chairs to sit on!

If anything, this process has shown me that I have friends who really believe in me. Thanks for the insight and for calling me to a challenge that was really fun and encouraging to see it happen. I guess I'll be careful what I ask for in the future! :) You're welcome to come over for tea/lemonade anytime!

Meet Meshad

At the influence of his 8 year old buddy, Silas, Ethan has gotten into catching and keeping bugs as pets. The other day he found this caterpillar and we are going on day 4 of sucessfully keeping him alive in an RC bottle.

We asked Ethan what he was going to name his new pet and he said "Meshad." Meshad translates "you will become." Austin and I thought it was quite profound of a name for a caterpillar that could become a butterfly.

Here are some shots of Ethan and Elli giving Meshad a little exercise in their sandbox. Austin built this sandbox for Ethan's birthday. It's 2x2 m. and even has little seats for "princesses" to sit on. :) Our sand is black here, but the kids sure love to play in it.

Back to School

The hustle and bustle of back to school is evident even in our Valley. School starts on September 1st and tables of notebooks, school uniforms, new socks, etc. fill the bazaar. But the white bows have struck my fancy this fall; something I see atop every little school aged girl as they walk to and from school. But something that you don't see in the states. No new crayons, markers or lunch boxes in our bazaar . . . just rows and rows of hair bows.

I thought you'd enjoy seeing different ways that little girls wear their bows.

On braids, pigtails, and the basic pony tail.

It's hard to imagine what we have to look forward to with little Elli. Isn't it? But I have a feeling, when the time comes, she'll be all about it!

Elli in the Mirror

Elli has discovered her very own mirror.

That's right, there is a reflective strip on the fridge door and it's just her height. Sorry I couldn't get a better picture, but she loves to stand in front of the "mirror" and fix her hair! I love my clever little princess!

Growing Pains

Though my kiddos play great together, there are times when Elli's destructive curiosity frustrates her brother's growing love for building things. Though he still plays with the "big Lego's," he is growing more and more creative and comfortable with the "little Lego's." So in hopes of family peace we've created a building nook where Elli can't reach.

Ethan sits in the windowsill of their room to build and display his structures. The trunks won't always be there, but for the time being they prove a handy Elli barricade!

So Ethan builds to his hearts content and family harmony is maintained for a little while longer!

Kitty Rescue-a creative answer

I'm learning about myself that I have a very strong hatred for mice/rats. And honestly, it probably ventures into an irrational fear. And unfortunately, our kitchen seems to be a favorite spot for the local mice population. We have patched up two holes in our walls and just found a third one several days ago. Not shortly there after, Austin ventured into the kitchen one evening and actually saw the cheeky mouse (or rat depending on which of us you ask) cruising around our kitchen. So then it was three nights of peanut butter laden traps. We've learned that they are quite clever little buggers, so packing tape, ever so lightly over the peanut butter keeps them there long enough to pop the trap.

Day three we did catch the foot long (tail included) mouse/rat (again depending on who you talk to). And later that day we were greeted by a welcome sound in our attic. The roofs here are only closed on one side. So a mommy cat had made her way into our attic from the back side and found a cozy corner, over our kitchen, to nestle down with her young kitties. For at least two days we heard fervent "mewing" above our eating table and kitchen. But in my mind, that's God's creative answer for ridding our home of mice.

But several days into our kitty refuge, Austin came home to some incessant meowing. We decided one of the kitties had fallen into the wall from his attic home.

Austin pried back the wall to let the kitty free. That little black thing is it's paw popping through.


We put the kitty in a box and tried to offer him some milk (to convince him to stay in our attic) and then returned him to his mommy.

Unfortunately the kitties have moved on to a new refuge and 2 nights ago we heard the mice again in our kitchen. So it's back to poison and prayer. But for the few days we had them, they sure were a welcome guest!

It'll melt your heart

Yesterday, after rest time (and while Elli was still asleep) Ethan and I were in the kitchen. I was cutting up his fruit snack and he was waiting on our little kitchen bench/steps.
"Mommy," he said.
"Yes buddy?"
"Can I just give you some lovin'?"
Of course I heartily complied and we just hugged on the bench for a good long time. I love this boy and all his heart! And yesterday, he sure captured mine!