A Nice Warm Weekend

 We've had a lot going on here, as usual.  The favorite new toy around here is the ribbon off my fabric pre-cuts.

They get used for bandages for the babies, leashes for the stuffed animals, pull chains for the cars, and so on.

Saturday was nice and relatively quiet.  I kept the two youngest boys at home while the eight year old went skiing, and Daddy took Papa ice fishing (to the annual derby).  They didn't catch anything, but had a nice time.

 See my nice new necklace?  My 22 year old son sent me this as a late Christmas present.  He misplaced the gift he got me while he was in Kuwait, which I know really bothers him.  Anyway, it was really nice for him to send this one, and I love turquoise, which I don't think he knew ;)

The weather was beautiful this weekend.  It was nice enough that I even took the little boys through the car wash Saturday, which was a highlight of the day.  I unbuckled both and brought them to the front so they would have a good view.  They had never seen such a thing before.

 There was a little anxiety, but not nearly what I expected.  The four year old has a lot of anxiety issues and I thought this might set him off, but he did very well and was brave.

Our pediatrician recommended doing things that take him out of his comfort zone so that he will see that just because he is anxious about something doesn't mean that things will turn out badly.  This little adventure fit the bill perfectly. They both enjoyed it.

My eight year old has been busy with his studies.  No, we don't spend all of our time making models and playing, but those things are more fun to photograph than sitting in a corner reading, or doing his math - ha.  So that's what you get to see.  This is his clay model of an ox cart used by the people of the Ancient Indus River Valley.

In other news, I tweaked my back Sunday morning when I was trying to unload the dryer.  It locked up on me and  I had spasms all day - and all day Monday, until I finally was able to go to the chiropractor Monday night.  Now I can stand upright again, so it's all good.  Oh, and bonus - my leg is not asleep anymore, so maybe that crisis is averted.  We'll see.

I went to Rock Springs to get groceries and do my Walmart and Home Depot shopping Sunday afternoon.  That was a challenge, given my back pain, and by the time I got home, I couldn't stand up straight or lift anything... or touch the floor.  But the positive side of that is that I didn't have to unload the groceries - ha.  I was pretty frustrated by the end of it though, as neither Walmart nor Smiths carried much in the area of allergy-free foods.  Not at all like Smith's in Jackson Hole, which has everything you can imagine needing.  And there's a natural foods store there too in case you can't find what you need at Smith's.  Problem is, Jackson doesn't have a Walmart or a Home Depot.  We're about half way between Rock Springs and Jackson Hole, so it's one or the other.  I usually opt for Jackson, but needed some things - especially from Home Depot.  We've got quite a few home projects going on just now.  I bought some bead board for the entry way.  We're going to have much of the inside of the house professionally painted (because I can't find the time to do it) - the kitchen, dining room, living room, entry, and guest bathroom, so it will look really nice for the daycare.  I'm considering putting bead board in the bathroom too.  I don't think it would take more than a sheet or two, and it would sure dress the room up.  I bought a cheap bookshelf at Walmart for the eight year old's school books, which have overrun the house.  Now they are at least all together.  I also bought paint for our table project and stain to finish the secret package that arrived the other day, which I'm not telling you about until it's done *wink.*  It's pretty cool.  I'm looking forward to having the painting done and being able to re-arrange everything.  It's going to look amazing.  I'm not looking forward to prepping for it though - lots of furniture and stuff to move and clean under - ugh.  Not fun with the way my back feels.  On the other hand, that's easy compared to doing all the painting.

Once I get all that done, I think I'm going to attempt to make the boys each a twin bed... from scratch.  Yep.  I have a friend who did it.  Look here and here. I ordered the book she used, and I'm planning on having Home Depot do most of the cutting - lol.  It will be well worth it, even if I have to pay them extra.  (Don't know if I will have to, but it would be worth it.)

Oh, and I finished the book The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman, and wow.  Good book.  Glad I'm making myself read some fiction ;)