Saturday, February 26, 2011

A Passion for Trains & kitchen floors


Denver's very busy these days, spending most of his time on the kitchen hardwood floor, pulling his trains around... and around.... and around.

it seems he is living in his own little world, caring not much about anything else. who knew a few little magnetic trains would keep a boy so occupied for hours on end.

seeing him happy melts our hearts, but we didn't know how much until an innocent trip to Books & Company, where he discovered this..


a real Thomas the Train, train table, and he was all about business from that moment on.  We didn't really intend on spending our afternoon at a book store, but neither Brian or I had the heart to drag him away, so we took our seats on a bench in the front row. Eventually, a little girl straggled in and thought she would partake in some of the fun, but Denver had other plans.
Being the sweet, kind-hearted gentelman that he is, and instead of hurting the girls feelings, he walked straight up to her dad and asked him if they could leave. 
Nothing like a real man to man, because it worked, I never seen them again.
A few minutes later, another girl came along, and her mom must have had the same idea and also took a seat in the front row to dwell in her daughters joy. I had a feeling this might not go as well as the last episode.
when the girl reached over the track, Denver looked at her mother and said "well, I think she's ready to leave now".  If looks could kill I'd be dead.
It was time to go.


  Craigslist, $50 bucks, and 24 hours later he had one of his very own to enjoy in the privacy of his own home, no one to get in his way, or cramp his style.



and not a moment too soon.  No more rolling across the kitchen floor in the middle of the night, or kitchen lookin like the island of Sodor, or lost trains...or, so I thought.  A few trains found their way back to the kitchen floor, so I ripped up his carpet and shined his floor, that ought to do it.


and when he first seen it, he told everyone to come see his kitchen.


and so, this is Bum's domaine. his habitat. his heavenly grounds. his very own Island of Sodor. his kitchen. and with that, the time has come. he has lost all interest in anything outdoors, the joy of Netflix, or even going potty on his own without having to be escorted....by force.
he has even lost the will to eat, afraid of putting his trains down and walking away from his
table in fear it may dissappear. in mid air. poof. gone.
once in a while he'll straggle in to bum a cup of milk, or bowl of pineapples, for survival purposes only.
I don't know what tomorrow holds, but what I do know, is that today, 
my boy is happy. just him. a bum in his glory. his trains. his table, and his kitchen.

  ~An unhappy boy is often one who is hungry, or tired, or both.~
(Life Lessons on Raising a Boy), Harry Harrison. 

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Nev's day on an Indian Summer

It's not very often that Nev gets her own day. A day to shine and just be herself.
Wednesday night her friend, that she met recently from homeschooling, came to stay with us while her mom was away at the hospital, with that came a perfect opportunity for a "Nev day", and so we claimed Thursday for our very own.
Thursday morning we up and tucked those thoughts of school lessons away as far as we could.
The only lessons to be learned today are how being a friend, and laughing together without a care in the world can be so good for the soul.  Some people call it "playing hookie" but that's just their opinion.
I called a babysitter and we set out on our trek together, just us three, destination....Justice & a Ghost hunt. But, not before filling our bellies full of good food over nice conversation in which consisted of very important things, such as Ghost hunting and the Brady Bunch. These girls know their stuff!


Once we we're in Justice, the smiles on the girls faces lit up the whole store, and even grasped the attention of the people inside by the true happiness in their hearts. What fun it is to try on the cutest of clothes with your dearest friend. They owned the store.


 After choosing each a outfit to match their personalities, they wore them right out of the store as if late for a very important date, and a very important date it was. Even the clerk asked if we were going somewhere special, and I said yes we are, we're going to a cemetery. What she thought of us after that....well, is none of our business, but the look on her face spoke a thousand words.



We ended up in a small forgotten cemetery on the way home where the girls posed for a photo shoot in their new clothes. The weather was on our side that day and was up in the 60's! What a splendid way to spend an Indian Summer.



 A Indian Summer with the two happiest girls in all the lands, fully equipped with best friend necklaces, as pretty as you please.



We didn't happen to come across any ghosts that day, but at least we were full of spirits, and that in my opinion, is all that matters.

~A child educated only at school is an uneducated child.  ~George Santayana

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Odyssey the Owl

I feel like a kid again. I don't know how long it's been since i bought myself a stuffed animal, but for some odd reason, when i came across this owl at the thrift store a few weeks ago, i had to take her home. I just couldn't resist the temptation. For some reason I have been plagued by owls recently, and i figure it is symbolizing something i need to notice at this point in my life. It seems whenever I am out somewhere, i am presented with one in some way, i dream of them, and even seen a real one soar above me and my best friend a few weeks ago while in a cemetery. I perched her up in the window, as if acting as a decoy to ward off shape-shifters.  Ironically, i found that owls symbolize the ability to see things that are hidden hence i named her Odyssey representing the quest of exploration. I guess i will start paying closer attention to the smaller details, maybe ill find something significent. kinda like the barn owl who can see without physical sight, and hear the unspoken.

~I think self-exploration is one of the journeys in life that we are blessed to be able to have. - Anne Heche



favorite thrift store find


a perfect addition to bum's log cabin theme in his bedroom.  it sure was a treat finding this standing all alone as if waiting to be discovered. This picture says so many things and makes a great iSpy game for me and Bum. I can smell the fresh chilly air and burning wood, and hear the leaves crunching already, oh how I love fall. I think I will make one of my own this fall and preserve some of our most prized memories while capturing my most favorite colors.  I think i'll add this to my list of most prized possessions.
iSpy with my little eye.... a dinner bell. Makes me wonder whats for dinner on the farm today, I bet its hot dumplings, pumpkin spice pie & apple cider. So, tell me...what do you spy?