whooooosh

My Dad just turned 81 (Congratulations, Daddy!) and reminded me again that the older we get, the fast time goes. Which puts me in mind of this little Dr Seuss ditty:

How did it get so late so soon?
It’s night before it’s afternoon.
December is here before it’s June.
My goodness how the time has flewn.
How did it get so late so soon? 

Anyway, it’s been a jam-packed, mostly wonderful, month. If a very fast one. I started a new project I was sure I’d have done in no time – but no time is exactly what I’ve had. This is Little Sampler by The Goode Huswife. I did it years ago in blues for Annemarie, over-one and very wee. This one is huge. I’ll use it as a seed pocket.

I’ve been trying to greenify my thumbs and other fingers with gardening endeavors. My friend Tigger just finished consuming his garden bounty from last year – I want that to be me next year!

The kids have, as always, been busy with a zillion things: sports, concerts, clubs, and much more. It’s not uncommon to hit the ground running at 2:40 when the school bus drops them off and not catch my breath till 7:30 or 8 in the evening. I don’t know how it affects them, but it exhausts me! LOL. Here are a few shots of the younger kids enjoying this and that, here and there.

There’s been a lot of farm activity, with the births of chicks, ducks, goslings, and bunnies. It being a farm, there have also been some sad losses. We are looking forward to the birth of some baby goats later this summer, as it appears both Annie and Eve are pregnant! Muffin left us to join her new home, and we will be welcoming a new buck to the farm in a week or so.

There has been a great deal of beauty in small things – special moments with the children, trying new things, mastering skills, connecting with friends, acts of gentleness and kindness – and over all, Mother Nature treats us daily to a spectacular feast of the senses if only we look around us.

I’ve been reading. Right now I’m reading The Wind-Up bird Chronicle by Murakami (and have the third volume of 1Q84 ready to read) and In One Person by John Irving. I just finished The Wind in the Keyhole by Stephen King and will soon be re-reading The Shining. Stacked up and ready to read are Affliction by Russell Banks, Winter’s Bone by Daniel Woodrell, and Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates. I’ve been listening to lots of music, too, mostly thanks to my Pandora connection, but I also bought Affairs of the Heart by Canadian artist Marjan Mosetich – it’s sublime.

Niek’s been traveling much of this month in Europe for his job, and next month I’ll begin a new job in the mental health field. With Arden ready for school, it’s time I can get back out in the world again and will do so with a new job and grad school plans. First we’ll enjoy the sweet months of summer together, though – I’m only working one day a week till school resumes after the summer holidays.

I have no idea how much time I’ll find to get online, but I won’t be far away. Thank you for your friendship – I’m looking forward to sharing more soon.

it feels like it’s been ages

… since I last posted, but I guess it’s just that the days have been so very, very full. If anyone has any hours to spare, please deposit them directly to my time account … I need them!

I have finished Soft as a Bunny. Yesterday afternoon when I should have been typing the umpty-millionth version of my next class paper, I instead finished this design. I have to admit that I like the other ones from the series better – too many pastels in this one. And I goofed and stitched the ribbon in cameo pink instead of cherry wine – but as much frogging as went on with this seemingly simple design, I was not going to change it. Nicky hasn’t seen it yet, but hopefully it will meet with his approval.

And an arty, off-center perspective:

Valentine’s Day was a bust, though I did make a pretty awesome dinner. Dessert eclipsed it entirely though – fresh fruit over vanilla ice cream with homemade lemon syrup and fudge sauce. Mmmmm.

And that’s about all I can fit into this post-on-the-fly accounting of life at Chateau Chaos! Thanks so much for visiting!

in which i must admit to being nothing but a large, wobbly pudding

Shh. Please don’t tell my doctor but we seem to all have the flu. Just very, very mild cases, mind you. But I actually got into an argument with her about flu vaccines – I refused to allow her to administer them because I think minor illnesses actually play an important part in keeping us healthy by testing (and improving upon) our immune systems. But for a week now, we’ve been snuffling and hacking and looking at the world through rather bleary eyes. Arden, being youngest, has been hit hardest. He’s had a fever and a very stubborn cough. And I’ve had night duty, so I’m shambling around like a prize-fighter who stayed in the ring too long. Niek’s dashing about making meals, washing dishes, cleaning litter boxes, doing laundry, and taking kids to sporting events. And that’s just what he’s doing today!

I did see Patti in Belfast yesterday, apologizing in advance if I came across a little loopy from sleep deprivation. It was lovely to get out and be a grown up with another grownup that I like very much. And doing pretty much anything at the Belfast Co-op is fun; it just has the greatest vibe. Patti surprised me with all three charts in this series, which I’d been drooling over while she was working on them (you should visit her blog and see her finished version!) and I hopefully did not surprise her with any germs. Still healthy, Patti?

I pulled out this mind-numbingly simple but adorable design to work on. I figured I couldn’t mess it up too badly, LOL. And seeing as how I bought it to make for Arden’s room, I really should finish it before he goes off to college. I didn’t get too far, and I did actually make a mistake, but I don’t think anyone will see it unless they have the pattern in front of them. (That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.) The colors aren’t showing up well in this photo, but here goes.

Once both of my eyes are focusing on the same spot at the same time, I’ll finish up the chicken and horse design I showed you earlier. I need to pick the right shade of blue for the wording at the end, and of course that’ll require some natural sunlight. Mother Nature, that ball is in your court. Today was so overcast and I was feeling so wonky that I thought it must be approaching dinnertime, but when I checked the clock it was only 12:30! I spent most of the day cuddled on the sofa with Arden – he watched TV and snoozed while I read Connie Willis’ Blackout on the Kindle.

For the most part, we’ve been enjoying the chilly weather cuddled up near the wood stove in the kitchen. Here are a couple of snaps I took on Friday. (Arden was watching Dora the Explorer on my laptop behind my stitching.)

And back to tonight, Niek’s dinner worked some kind of magic on Arden, who actually began playing after dinner. That bodes well for a decent night’s sleep, doesn’t it?

huh? did you say it’s the end of the year?

Oh. I guess I can’t really say it snuck up on me … but it did.

This year I finished stitching about 28 things. Kind of dismal, really, especially when you consider that they were all quite small. I read about 42 books, but only “loved” about 5 of them. I think I’ve fallen out of love with Anita Shreve – after many years of a satisfying relationship, she just doesn’t do it for me anymore. Stephen King is still fast in my affections – even more so, now that’s creating those amazing, haunting works of short fiction again. Jasper Fforde is a new star on my horizon, as is Robert Rankin. And I really miss Neil Gaiman – Neil, if you’re listening, please come back to us from the wilds of graphic novels. Please! I’ve watched a few good movies and enjoyed a few fine series, but moving pictures will obviously never be a serious contender for my affections. I hatched out somewhere in the neighborhood of 160 chicks and saw three baby goats into the world. I “mothered” about two dozen tomatoes and about 3 dozen banana peppers into the world. We can see which midwifery skills need improving upon in 2012, can’t we? I’ve watched the kids do totally amazing things in 2011, including joining a swimming team, playing baseball, participating in scouting, and making the honor roll. I’ve participated in a few noteworthy things myself, including assisting the United Way in the ongoing free tax program, baking lots and lots of bread for sale and for charity, and learning more (and doing more) about achieving a self-sustaining way of life. We’ve been fortunate to enjoy a great deal of good health and laughter here at Chateau Chaos, and we feel more at home in Maine than ever. As a matter of fact, we’ll be celebrating the passing of the Old Year tomorrow evening with some dear friends – old and new – which is why I’m here now instead of on New Year’s Eve.

Thank you for being so supportive and encouraging through these many years that I’ve been blogging. I’m looking forward to a wonderful new year full of surprises and challenges, laughter and sharing.

day twenty four – the last surprise on the advent calender

When I started posting this month, my intent was to post every day through the advent, sort of like an advent calender in which the reader gets a little “surprise gift” (LOL) each day. I hoped to stay focused on what was important rather than rush through the month feeling harried and ragged. I wanted to make sure that each day I found something, however small or seemingly insignificant, that struck me as being truly beautiful as well as something I could take from each day and feel grateful for. Some days were more successful than others, but on the average, this little experiment worked out wonderfully. Thanks for sharing it with me. I’d like to do more than just say thank you, so if in your comment you would mention one thing from your month that you feel grateful for – big or small, obvious or subtle – I’ll draw a couple of names at random and send a little holiday piece of holiday cheer that you can look at and hopefully remember your grateful moment.

I did get Primitive Bird by The Goode Huswife finish-finished and delivered to my neighbors. I chose the project because my neighbors have been unbelievably kind about the noise coming from the barn … those roosters do not just crow at sun up. The neighbors were away, so I left it with a few other goodies wrapped and enclosed in a plastic bag stuck between their door and storm door. Maybe they’ll think elves brought it.

I had some real difficulty with my little “Martha Stewart Endorsed” Singer sewing machine in the finishing of this. The darn thing cannot even handle two thin layers of fabric if there’s been iron-on interfacing applied – it sort of chews up the fabric on the back, doesn’t feed through properly, etc. Even after I’ve set the tension looser, made the stitches longer, etc. It just drives me nuts. All my extreme care in measuring and cutting, etc. only to have a finished project that looks so wonky … grrrr! I only need a very basic machine, but I would love one with some ooomph.

I received these stunning flowers from my dear friend Nancy yesterday afternoon. What a special treat! You can’t quite see the bite marks from where Flip sampled one of the lilies – fortunately, he didn’t find it to his taste.

While I was doing some baking for neighbors and other friends, Max was cleaning. And now he’s baking! He’s going to sleep well tonight! The dining room has seldom looked so nice – we tend to use it as a drop zone for things that don’t quite make it to where they belong. Thanks, Max!

An elf’s work is never done (on Christmas Eve), so off I go. There’s a bag of gifts for the animals that I haven’t unearthed yet, as well as reindeer food and a snack tray for Santa to set out, stockings to hang, and after everyone is asleep, gifts to arrange under the tree and elsewhere. No doubt that will reveal gifts I forgot to wrap and I hope it will also show me where those missing animals gifts are.

I sincerely doubt I will be online tomorrow, so I’ll wish you a wonderful day now and I’ll enjoy reading your comments on the 26th.

day nineteen – iso sleep

Early bedtime tonight. Big birthday plans tomorrow – a certain little boy in our family turns 4!

Halloween at Chateau Chaos

We love this time of ghosts and goblins … And as you can see, the adults love it as much as the kids! Here are Niek, Nick and Rowen about to set off trick or treating.

Rowen’s ‘hag face’ was really quite effective!

But perhaps mine was even more frightening.

I pulled out my favorite stitched goodies for a festive display. I so love taking these out and thinking of the friends who made them!

And although a different holiday is represented by today’s mail goodness, I want to share with you what Riona made for me when I won her blog giveaway a little while ago. She asked what holiday I’d prefer, and I said I’d really enjoy a patriotic design because of course we never celebrated Independence Day in Holland. Ta-da! Didn’t she do a wonderful job?! Riona, thank you so much!!

You probably won’t hear from me for the rest of the week. Not due to chickens, baby goats, or new ducks – but this time, my brother is coming for a visit with his daughter. It’s been years & years since I last saw him, and I’ve never met my niece, so I think I’ll stay away from the computer and just enjoy him while it’s possible to do so. Take care, and thank you for visiting!

i love it!!

The cooler weather has arrived and it feels great! The kids have begun school – even Arden goes to the local Montessori school 3 days a week – and having a quiet house feels very strange … but in a good way. There are a lot of exciting things going on as autumn wraps around us – I’ll be teaching a bread-making class, Niek will have a birthday, we’ll see BB King in concert, and we’ll almost certainly welcome our first baby goats (and that’s just the first 10 days of the month!). I prefer being busy to being idle, and even being too busy is better than not feeling productive enough.

On an artistic level, autumn always makes me feel very jazzed-up. I love the colors and smells and that feeling of promise in the air. I love knowing that the short, slow days of winter aren’t far away. Autumnal cross stitch designs seriously rock, too! Look at what Pokua sent me today. (The design is by Primitive Betty, and didn’t Pokua do a fabulous job with it?!) I love the goodies she included (not shown in the picture is the pattern for Jenny Bean’s Pin Tuffet because I’m an airhead).

I told Niek the other day that spring cleaning has never made sense to me. I want to be outside as soon as winter has let go of us – who wants to stay inside and clean?? But autumn cleaning – now that seems sensible. And I guess I have to admit it was also desperately needed here at Chateau Chaos. I never take ‘before’ photos because you guys will know what a disaster zone this really is, but I bit the bullet this time. Here’s our library, which had become a dumping ground for anything not nailed down. Scary, huh?

And here it is after a day’s attention.

But what really took the time was organizing my floss, which had gotten completely out of hand. Actually, after organizing it, I may have to reluctantly concede the point that I may, just possibly, have rather too much. Maybe. Anyway, it’s all bagged up and sorted out and really quite lovely again now.

Autumn also sparks those creative parts of my brain. When I saw Ickle Pickle, the weird light turquoise silk in this set, I just had to have it. It must feature in something, and soon! (You can just ignore that bit above where I said I had too much floss. I mean, I didn’t have this color, right?)

So as September flies by, which it will, you can picture me conducting an orderly, civilized sort of existence in my tidy and well-organized household. I will remember to brush my hair every day. I will not be covered in barnyard muck. I’ll set reasonable goals and work in logical manners to achieve them, rather than going off all willy nilly and accomplishing tons of things I didn’t mean to do while the task I started sits undone.

Oh heck, who am I fooling?

whilst August yet wears her golden crown

So, what’s new with you? My heavens, if this month went by any faster, I’d need roller skates to keep up with it. Here we are, a week before Max’s return home. While I’m glad he’ll soon be home, I am absolutely thunderstruck that the end of the month is nearly upon us. We took Nick and Rowen school shopping yesterday … and found a new living room set in the process. Pictures next week, after they’re delivered.

For the most part, life has revolved around the usual: kids, animals, cooking, friends, with a little bit of stitching making an appearance. My dear friend Sara and her husband stayed with us for a few days, which was a lot of fun.  Sara brought some of her drool-worthy sourdough bread and we made some oatbran bread here. The oatbran baguettes were especially good IMHO.

We’ve also been enjoying a bit of lazy summertime living (at least we are today, LOL). I just love our picnic table. And Mother Nature’s been showing off with her late-summer plants and flowers.

And of course if Mom and Dad are outside reading (or stitching), that means a certain level of goofiness has to be maintained by the Chief Executive in Charge of General Frivolity, otherwise known as Arden.

I have to stop teasing you about the stitching. My progress has been so slow that it’s embarrassing. But it is for Christmas, so there’s hope. Someone asked which Prairie Schooler leaflet this is – it’s number 78 “Kitchen Table”. I’m about halfway through the part of the design I’m using for this project.

Out in the barnyard, everyone’s growing up. My first batch of keets (Guinea fowl) included four pure-white ones – quite a rarity, as both parents must possess the same recessive gene for this to occur. They’re now getting their puffy neck feathers, cheek wattles, and head bumps. I think they look quite regal. Mom and Pop Guinea are not too interested in their offspring, but are very dedicated to one another. You never see the one without the other right beside it.

I brought the month-old Delaware chicks out for the first time today. Here they are, nervously sticking their heads out. A little while later, one dared venture over to the water dish. When they get a bit of size on them, they’ll become incredibly elegant like their elder counterparts in the flock.

4 month old female Delaware:

4 month old male Delaware:

Before these gray clouds open up, I’m going to get in a little more outdoor stitching time. Thanks for visiting. I’d love to hear how your summer (or winter, for friends in the other hemisphere) is progressing!

*Whilst August yet wears her golden crown,
Ripening fields lush- bright with promise;
Summer waxes long, then wanes, quietly passing
Her fading green glory on to riotous Autumn.
by Michelle L. Thieme 

who turned that page on the calendar?

Surely it cannot already be the sixth of August! The kids must’ve been messing with the calendar, right?

I guess since I can’t slow time down, I really ought to at least try to keep up with it. That might mean posting a couple of times a day, as busy as it’s been, so beware!

One big, cool, wonderful happening that I can’t miss is receiving a RAK pack from Petra. Recently Petra asked for my address and I thought she might send me a little card or something …  like a bunny (as she’s forever pointing out that we lack one! LOL) But look! She sent me a chicken!! Meet Blanche. Now all the girls want purple and blue feathers!

But Blanche was not alone in the package! Apparently James insisted that she couldn’t travel alone and he picked out goodies for the kids! What a great shopper he is, too!

Thank you so much Petra and James. I think Niek is very relieved it is not a bunny. And speaking of Niek, after two weeks away, look who came home again!

We celebrated with a picnic here at home. No one was at all happy, as you can see.

Arden played a welcome-home tune on his new kazoo.

Rowen seemed to contemplate how lucky she is to have parents who allow cheese doodles to pass for dinner:

And Nick, as usual, seized the joy of the moment with both hands!

And Son of Checkers cock-a-doodled him a loud welcome.

The painting in the living room was done and he liked it (hooray!) but had to help put the furniture back in place, LOL.

Perhaps life will settle down to something like normal for a couple of weeks now. Anything’s possible, right?