Snowflakes

Moving Right Along

One of our great neighbors came over on Chrstmas eve day to help B put new hardwood floors in the new bedroom.  Here's the scene from the morning:

The guys wanted doors open, power tools running and a VERY loud air compressor in the hallway.  So the kids and I took our leave... except Clay, who as he gets closer to the teenage mark seems to have the magical power to actually sleep through anything!
We went to one of the few places that was open on Christmas Eve day, the hands-on science museum.  It was probably only open because it is connected to a mall, and was surprisingly full of little kids (I figured it would be desolate from the holiday for some reason).  It was ZB's first time there and she LOVED it!  Reed found plenty of science experiments set up for him to explore and ZB was enchanted by the sprawling toddler areas.

Hey, hands only, miss!

 I didn't actually get many photos of Reed since I was chasing a busy toddler around, but did find Reed had been sculpting big legos and wanted to capture the creation before a toddler came along to destroy it!

And this is the lovely scene I came home to.  There were some tool malfunctions which took up some unaccounted-for hours, but they finished before nightfall.  I can't wait to get started finding furniture and making ZB's room a cozy place to be:

A New Room

I finally got the boot out of my office space!  It's time to give ZB her very own room.  Eventually B will wall off a section of our large bedroom to make a new office for me, but for now he is in full-on "New Bedroom Mode".
First, we had to clean out the office - for now all my sewing supplies and ebay inventory are piled in our bedroom.

Next, the carpet was pulled up and B repainted the trim and ceiling:

The new shade of "Sassy Lilac" is started.  As much as I love new paint, I can't stand to pick out a color!  B and the boys were happy to take this on, and I think it looks so sweet!

Even Reed lent a hand.  Actually, he *begged* to be able to help paint, and ended up painting an entire wall!

As I sit here typing, I can hear B sawing off the bottoms of the door jams, preparing to install the new hardwood floors he bought today.  This is a really fun project, and I'm also excited for it to be done so we can start getting the house organized again :)  Staying busy as always!

Busy days

Reed's Odyssey of the Mind (OM) team has started meeting at our house for the weekly 4-hr meetings.  Already my sewing/ebay room has the additions of a walker, a wheelchair, a tricycle, huge sheets of cardboard, rolls of paper and a big tub filled with miscellaneous - hot glue guns, fake greenery, drinking straws and the like.  And this is only the first week - yikes!  Hopefully before the New Year, B will be putting hardwood floors down in this room and it will eventually become ZB's bedroom:

Here the boys are gearing up for a homeschool craft day this week.  They each set up tables with their handmade goods.  Reed made snowglobes and dog treats.  Clay made PVC marshmallow shooters and little hackysack balls (balloons filled with sand).  They did really well selling items and had a great time putting them together.

ZB, of course kept busy all week - this girl is into EVERYTHING!  Reed left his iPod unattended while he left the room and this is the scene he returned to:

Here she is tonight, trying to "help" me take photos of a baby chair I am selling.  Everytime she would get off of it, I'd try to sneak the camera back out and snap a photo and she would come running to sit down and have her picture taken... well, I finally did get a shot of it, and about 10 of  ZB in it :)

 We are also holding the Connecticut families in the light tonight, that are trying to come to terms with losing their children in such a horrific way.  So sad for so many.  I hope they find some peace in their community over time.  I'm certainly giving my kids some extra hugs and kisses and I hope you'll do the same to all the sweet kids in your life!
Love
Julie

Little Helper

Even the normal chores are taking longer as little ZB insists on helping.  But she's so darn happy to do it (literally, throwing her head back and laughing!) I just can't stop her.  And thanks to Sissa for ZB's new favorite slippers and matching PJ's - she loves them!

More Stop Motion!

Reed made his second stop-motion animation lego film - this one is a breakdancer.  Check it out!  And if you have a you tube account please leave a comment or 'like' it - it will put a big ole' smile on his face!

Chico Bags for the holidays

We are selling Chico Bags to raise money for our Odyssey of the Mind team. Please take a look at their online catalog, and follow the directions for purchasing. ChicoBags donates 50% of the sale to our team, which helps us pay for renting space, materials, registration, etc.

Also, come visit us at The Hop on Merrimon this Wednesday from 6-8. We will be doing spontaneous problems, answering questions about OM, and taking orders for our fundraisers!

Asheville Homeschool Co-op OM is fundraising with ChicoBag! Support Asheville Homeschool Co-op OM by purchasing items at www.chicobag.com using the code: AHCOM12

 50% of each sale will be donated to our cause. Get orders in by 12/17/2012.  These make great and useful presents for holidays and for yourself - and there's even a 'Blossom' collection (how could anyone resist? ;)

Thank you!!

- Julie