We Need to Talk

Could there be a more dreaded phrase in the English language?

And I'm saying this to...myself. Let's have a talk. Because there is much more that I want to do than we can afford. At least, all at once.

For example, I would love to put planks on my cathedral ceiling. Warm it up a bit, yes? This picture is from Armstrong Flooring...they also make ceiling tile. And planks. Sigh.

I can think of a million things that I want. Unfortunately, the tax return isn't going to go as far as I had hoped, so we're going to be scraping by to get that fence in. Which is, after all, first priority.

So what am I going to do until it's time to put up the fence? Save money for said fence.

Which means I have to scale back some of the inside projects. I'm planning on spending this week finishing up curtains for the front room (I have all the material there), prepping for paint in the same room, as well as into the dining room and kitchen, and thinking about grouting the bathroom tile that I put in last week. Maybe even doing the grouting. Or continuing work on the chairs that need upholstering (no, I haven't forgotten them!). But let's not get ahead of ourselves here.

The only purchase there would be the paint. I think I could swing that - paint isn't terribly expensive for the impact it provides. Maybe I could do something small and crafty for decorating the house. Of course, I have explained my abhorrence of the "made-at-home" look, yes? Again, sigh.

Were there money enough in the world...I would still want to paint my own walls. Onwards!

Mini-Vacation: Arches!

Doug suggested early last week that we take a trip to Arches National Park. A day trip. Arches, mind you, is four hours away. Remember, also, that we're taking all five children with us. As a bonding moment. I wasn't quite sure about it. But we really need to get out more.

Now, eight hours in a car with five children under twelve might not sound like fun to you. And there were a few meltdowns that could have taken us much farther south than Moab. We found out, for instance, that Jack is terrified of pit toilets (he would much rather we stop along a highway - which we did. Hopefully, passing motorists thought the little boy hobbling along with his pants around his ankles was pretty funny, instead of being embarrassed by the display.).

Once we got there, though, we were amazed by what we found:

Climbing
This park is what playgrounds aspire to be: plenty of opportunities for children to "get out their wiggles" by climbing, climbing, climbing.

Bonnie found this sign at the top of a rock. It says: This is Not a Trail.

The boys

How did they get up there?

The Sandbox
Arches has this great hike to the Sand Arch. We walked a path through an open area, then walked in between two large rocks. Inside the rock was a large area filled with sand. Nothing but sand. Okay, a few trees. The kids loved playing in it without their shoes - who cares if it's freezing? There's sand to be played in! It was almost as good as a beach.

Sophia, playing in the giant (natural) sandbox

The girls with daddy-o on yet another rock

Hiking
Of course, this is a major joy at any national park. There are plenty of easy hikes that you can do with children. There are also lots of major hikes that I would love to conquer when the kids are older. And going in February was a great call for hiking - this park gets seriously hot during the summer.

Speaking of weather, the day started out freezing and windy. The sun did finally make it's debut, however, and the weather warmed considerably. Our favorite part was definitely the natural sandbox. We also met another family, who had intelligently brought a ball with them. Our boys played ball with their boys, took off their socks, ran up and down the sand and up and down the sandstone rocks, worn smooth from all the wind and rain.

We also stopped for dinner on the way home. All of the kids except Malena took a nap on the way home, and Jack and Bonnie were completely sacked out. Even with the nap, everyone went to bed right after we got home - Jack and Bonnie just crawled straight into bed, and Sophia didn't last much longer. Collin and Malena took a little convincing not to wake the entire household in their excitement to be home and their dismay at realizing that there were only two of them to help clean the car.

Needless to say, the car is still needing a clean-out. But! Even with a ton of driving, it felt so relaxing just to drive away from the homestead. And drive. And drive. We had never taken the road to Moab before, and we enjoyed snow-covered mountains, huge wind turbines, antelope, and even a train now and again. The park was not crowded, since February is a little early for crowds. We did wish for heavier jackets while the sun was hiding, but we will definitely do this again, and soon.

Now We're Caulkin'!

Watch out: mama's got her caulkin' gun. Anything that remains motionless for long will be seamlessly molded into the wall.

Fair warnin', Doug. (He has been watching TV a bit lately, but we can blame that on the Super Bowl. For now.)

I found the caulking gun, rested after so many years in storage, and set to work. There was a dried-up tube of caulk, which only needed a little coaxing (imagine how ready you'd be with a stick up your, ah-hem, in your back) to get flowing again. Caulking is not necessarily something I enjoy, but there is a certain satisfaction to see seams come together. Without it, our house would be drafty and look terribly unfinished.

And - since we can't have that! - I'm off on a mission. To fill every seam that winks at me until I run out of caulk or the kids pull me away.

Whichever happens first.