catch up & laundry

The past few days have been very productive. I have done a ton of writing and feel really good about what I have accomplished. I have been writing for the book so much that I have been completely spent when it comes time for a blog post. I do not know how Stephanie does it. She writes book after book AND lengthy blog posts.

Time for a little catch up. This is what is on the spindle

Emma calls it Secret Garden, but I am calling it Crab Apple. The green does not show on my monitor, I hope it does on yours. I spun about 2 ounces this morning. As I spin, I think of the crab apple tree my Grandma had in her backyard. To this day, crab apple jelly is my hands down favorite. I come across a jar every few years and treasure the flavors.

This is what a couple of days of dance classes and doctor appointments will get you

Louet Gems, Diagonal Rib #2’s. Husband has worn these socks before. He put them through the washer and dryer and was so upset when he realized they no longer fit. I am making him a new pair. This pair is going very slowly, there is so much other stuff on my plate right now.

I spent today sorting toys. When our friend asked if we would help I was expecting to spend a couple of hours dealing with toys, it turned into 5+ hours! I should have brought a camera, because this pile of toys was HUGE!. A friend of mine, had a friend of hers, give her a PILE of toys and clothes. This pile of toys and clothes belonged to her two sons. After going through the toys I imagine the sons are now off to college. The kids and I sorted through 100s of pounds of Legos and Star Wars action figures and army guys. After the sorting they were put into gallon size Ziplocs and then into totes for a specific charity. The kids on the receiving end are going to love the bags!

Part of the deal with having my kids sort toys was their ability to tell the difference between Lego and Playmobil and Papo and Star Wars...and their reward was being able to cherry pick the things that wanted most. I am so proud of them. They understood that the toys were going to kids that did not have Lego and Playmobil buckets stacked high in the closet. They chose carefully, and well.

The one extravagance they gave themselves was a Nintendo DS and some games. The family that donated the toys had an embarrassing amount of game systems. Truly, embarrassing. I allowed the kids to choose one to bring home. Again, they chose wisely.

For the past couple of months our washing machine has been letting us know that it is at the end of its lifespan. This thing has worked like a champ through 3 kids in diapers (the 4th was disposable all they way!) and 17 years of washing a family of 6's clothes. It is time to replace it with one of those water efficient front load models. Do you have one? What would you recommend?