Happy Progress

My happy progress is that the back game room is finally finished, other than window sills, which is obviously not going to slow me down too much.

This was a project that originally was going to be completed before we moved in almost six years ago. Ben and Tori have been waiting since March to host a combo-birthday party, so we should be ready to set up the game tables and send out invitations after Easter.

We are now down to two rooms that need the ceiling painted, walls touched up, floors painted and baseboards hung. I am going to be so happy to start being able to use these rooms in the manner we intended.

I've already painted the ceiling portion here since I took this picture this morning. 

After the basement is completed, we are going to push through the last two jobs in the screened in porch - the rest of the ceiling and the tile floor. Then we can eat out there without climbing over scaffolding and saws! I can't wait!

In the meantime, I have to show my spice cabinet. My friend Wendy blessed me with Tupperware spice containers for my upcoming birthday. I was so thrilled to clean out the cabinet and put my spices into these containers that will keep the spices fresh far longer than the ones they come in. 

I told Wendy that I like to leave the doors open now just so I can gaze at them as I walk by - I'm sure only a full time Mom can even begin to understand that. 

Elijah, Bella and I are wrapping up the last few weeks of Classical Conversations for this year. I do intend on putting them back in next year. What will stink is that they will be in different classes and I'll have to split my time between them. We are currently doing a study on classical music and the orchestra. I wouldn't have thought that it would have interested Elijah much, but I was wrong. I pulled out an old "Classical Kids" tape set that was my oldest children's. (They don't make it anymore, so if you ever come across one - grab it!) They took classical songs and added words that are about character traits. Elijah will literally stand in front of the tape player and listen for quite some time. 

His interest now has spread to Peter and the Wolf, which was written to help children recognize the different instruments. 

We have found some variations of Peter and the Wolf on Netflix and You Tube also. 

Another good progress I have seen lately is that Selah is starting to grasp the idea of sounding out words. She and I will be working through Hooked on Phonics this summer; I don't like to pile work onto her K load already, but she needs it.

On the Bella front, she is learning to play! Children from orphanages do NOT learn to play like regular children. I have fought that with her since the beginning, but lately she has been playing by herself with toys. Big progress!

On the outside front, I am excited to expand my chicken flock this year due to our enormous egg consumption. Before we do, however, we (JD) is going to rebuild the chicken fence (that the boys have torn up climbing over the last few years) and we are going to net the top to keep the guineas out. They roam on their own until the chickens get fed and then they swoop in to bully the chickens for their food. Then the guineas will be locked out and the chickens will be locked in, except for free-range times. The boys will be thrilled that we won't have to trim wings anymore either, since they are ones chasing and catching several times a year. Before we start, I need someone to paint the chicken coop. Any takers?

They are very loud watch-birds!

 Thanks to my sister, tomorrow I get to head to DC for an over-night with my husband that is working up there. It's really nice to have a leisurely evening away with a dinner out!