Wanna Wanna Waa

The Good:
Husband is well enough to work again.
Husband starts his second job this week.
We get to see family for Thanksgiving.
Penny never got the strep throat illness the rest of us had.
Elliot has started using the potty regularly.
Hand-washing dishes is therapeutic.

The Bad:
Husband starts his second job this week (wait...didn't I already mention that?)
Elliot transitioned from strep throat to a head cold.
Penny caught the head cold.
Our dishwasher no longer drains (again) and I have LOTS of dishes that need washing.

The Ugly:
Despite recent potty-training successes, Elliot has pooped his pants twice this morning.
I am covered in snot.
Showering....? When do mothers really do this?
Rather than hand-washing dishes, I am blogging.

Uses for Walnut Shells: Part 1

We received a lovely bunch of walnuts as a part of our CSA this year. After letting them dry, shelling them, soaking them, and raw-roasting them, I am now looking forward to using them in some carob cookies later this week (which I will likely post about on my other blog).

There were so many beautiful shells I could not simply dump them in the compost pile. I did a quick google search for some ideas and now I have use for all the leftovers (even the cracked ones, but that I will save for part 2).

Part One: Christmas Ornaments

These boats were made by gluing fabric scraps to toothpicks and then sticking the base in cooling wax that I poured in the walnut shells.
They still need some sort of hanging apparatus for the tree (probably ribbon or thread).

This walnut baby cradle is actually far cuter than the picture.
Baby's first Christmas ornament!

Two more projects on the way. More ornaments and a great Christmas gift idea.

Thought for Today: Knock on Wood

One Kid: Mind-blowingly changes your world.

Two Kids Under Two: Acceptance of undeniable motherhood sets in. Takes 9 months to figure out how to leave the house looking like humans.

Three Kids Under Four: Blinks....Nervously looks from side to side and asks, "Why is this so easy?!"

November Tradition: Thankfulness Tree

This tradition was started after the example of this darling family, but we love it.

Everyday we add more leaves declaring things of which we are grateful. This was taken several days ago, so it is heavier laden now. Søren even traced a leaf himself, cut it out, and told me exactly what to write on it. It sits conspicuously in the middle of the "tree" in bright pink declaring "The LORD I love," perhaps because we often start the day by singing This Is The Day That The LORD Has Made.

Our list so far:
All our individual names,
Friends (with names listed)
Family (with names listed)
Church - All
Symphonies - Søren
Warm soup with friends - Mom
Oatmeal with raisins - The boys
"Oceans are always pretty" - Søren
The garbage man - Elliot
Tools - Dad
Halloween - The boys
The farms where we get our milk, eggs, and produce - Mom
Watching baseball with Daddy - The boys
That Mommy lets me do things with her - Søren
Ducky - Søren
Walking through dry crunchy leaves - Mom
Reading Books - Elliot
Indoor Plumbing (well, Soren said toilets, but I thought indoor plumbing sounded nicer)
Our garden - Dad
Thankful for starting school - Søren
Good chicken broth - Mom
Our House - All
Gutenberg got full accreditation - Mom
"I love using tools with Daddy" - Søren

What are you thankful for? Do you have Thanksgiving traditions?