Random Fall Happenings

With the three big kids in school all day and Declan gone 7 hours a week to playgroup and preschool, I thought I'd have loads of free time. My nightstand might give a clue to what I hoped to do a lot of this fall.

Sadly, it's not to be. Life is still very busy, there are still lists of things to get done, and while it's easier without four kids, the work is still there. But we are falling into some great routines and life is good.

We were blessed with the most beautiful, warm September ever. Declan, Nacho, and I were able to go for a walk, hike, or bike ride every morning. It's nice to soak up the good weather while it lasts because winter is definitely on its way.

And it will be long.

Grace started sixth grade band and loves her clarinet.

And I love having a music room with French doors that can shut.

I have been able to finish a few rooms. These pictures are not the greatest. I think I was just trying to hurry and take them before the rooms returned to their messy state!

I really love my house. I love having space for a room I've always dreamed of having, an office/craft room.

Sometimes I have guilt over not being a craftier mom. I don't really enjoy crafting and I don't do much of it with the kids. But I had accumulated lots of random supplies over the years, so I just loaded them up on this shelf and let the kids have free reign. They love coming in here and finding creative projects to do, and I love having my guilt assuaged.

This armoire holds our computer, and the door is never really closed. And the room is never clean. There is always some project going on in here. In fact, I carefully took these photos to edit out the piles of undone projects on the floor!

Declan is the only one sleeping upstairs right now. It is seriously killing my color-loving self to leave his room such a boring color, but when the last bedroom is finished downstairs, he will probably be moving down to share with Sam. And I don't want to paint the room twice. So for now, I made do with things we already had and I still think it's pretty cute.

Excuse the dark pictures, but next is Liam and Sam's room.

My favorite things in their room are the Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid wanted posters above their bulletin boards that I got for a buck at the museum. It took a little convincing Liam that they are cool, not "freaky!"

There is a big window to the right of those drawers, at the foot of the bed, but when I took these pictures, we were still in the process of cleaning up after our flood this summer, so I carefully cut the mess out of the picture!

And last, I leave you with two of my absolute favorite things in my house right now.

A vintage Ireland tourism poster,

and a wall of original family portraits at the bottom of the stairs.