Cracking Down

Well, as I continue to not get my things done, I’m starting to crack down on things that have gotten all out of order this summer. David for the last few months has had a terrible time falling asleep. His lack of sleeping has started to effect Elias too, and I simply cannot let that happen. I used to let him just play a bit until he could fall asleep. Now, however, his “play” keeps awake Elias, since they share a room. So I’ve started to sit in the rocking chair in his room until David falls asleep.

During nap time I’ve had to bring in a book or knitting, and just sit, and make sure he doesn’t do anything. It’s hard, because Elias is so screwed up, sleep wise, he’s been crying himself to sleep. It takes him longer to fall asleep if he can see me. But David won’t be still enough to sleep unless he sees me. So I try to keep out of Elias’ sight as best as I can. It’s not normal for Elias to cry himself to sleep, but he needs to sleep, and picking him up has been making him more mad. Even if I can get him to sleep in my arms, he can’t be laid down without waking up.

This has to be repeated in the evening. However, it’s starting to get dark at their bedtime, and I can’t just sit in a dark room forever, so I turn the light on in the hallway and sit out there. This doesn’t work as well, but I’m hoping it will improve with time. As for today, Elias fell asleep without so much as a whimper, and David fell asleep after flopping like a fish out of water in his bed for 45 minutes while I was knitting. There is hope.

It hasn’t been easy though, especially with this project going on on the other side of their wall. Look, we have siding! We opted to do cement board siding on this part of the house, so it’s still grey. It will get painted to match the rest of the house, though. It is in the back, and there’s just woods behind our house, so I’m sure the deer won’t care if there is a slight variance, although I don’t anticipate much difference. Knut said if we really wanted, we could light the fireplace now, but we haven’t wanted to, and who has time to sit in front of a fire these days anyway.

The chimney is on the right, and the wood box is on the left, with a plywood door. It will end up being an insulated hinged door, so wood can be loaded inside directly here without bringing it through the house. You can’t see in this picture, but there is a vent also installed that will go from the chimney, through the top of the wood box, and into the den which is the wall on the left. One more vent is installed from the chimney to the boys’ room, which is attached the the second story of the chimney.

And here is the long awaited picture of our granite hearth stone.

I think it will be so gorgeous when it’s all done! At least I hope!

It looks as though it will get done before harvest as hoped, especially since we think harvest will be late this year. Normally they like to be in the fields by the end of this month, but Knut says he doubts the soy beans will be ready by then.

As for my harvest, I picked about a weeks worth of tomatoes in just one day in my garden today! I don’t mean I haven’t picked them in a week, I mean I got about as much as I have been picking in a week, but in just one day of picking! So it looks like another round of tomato sauce will be in the works tonight, or perhaps tomorrow morning.

With the messed up routine that I’m trying to re-establish, my house hasn’t been looking much better. I got so fed up with it that when I was thinking of going to bed last night, I just started scrubbing my kitchen, down to the floors. Then I moved into the dining room and put away all the toys and swept the floor. Then I put away all the laundry in the den, and put away all the toys in there. It was almost 1 am when I got to bed, but really, it needed to be done. With that momentum, I cleaned the basement this morning and vacuumed all the stairs and swept the hallway and stairs upstairs. I’m starting to feel like I can breathe again!

With everything put away, I’m able to crack down on putting each toy away after playing with it. It’s something they’re old enough to know, but have no desire to do. We will return this house to a state of normalcy and order. I am determined! Naptimes, bedtimes, toys put away! It is the sanity of mothers everywhere.