Oh, life's about as good as it can be with:

a) a project house that's always messy and something's torn up

b) a project rental that needed new tile in the bathroom and kitchen, which is what Shane's been doing for the past three days. We DO have the best renters ever though - Shane's cousin and his wife - who help us and are so chill I can't even stand it. When they move I'll cry.

c) a project truck Shane bought from a hillbilly named Jammie that needs new brakes, new upholstery, new everything. When we first looked at the truck there was dog poop on the floor. Nuff said.

d) a 24 week old baby in my 34-week-looking abdomen

BUT I'm finally starting to see the work paying off in our home.

Christmas was beautiful and hot and humid here. We spent a few days with family in Virginia, and then spent the rest of the holiday here with our little family. Nothing was perfect. I felt sick, the girls had cold sniffles and hadn't slept a full night's sleep in a week and my wrapping job was not up to par, but the kids seemed to enjoy their presents. The ham I bought for Christmas dinner went in the freezer and we settled for pizza on the grill and some house projects that we'd been neglecting.

My kids haven't been schooled in what seems like an eternity. Logan and Shane have been doing some small things to keep up on math, and we've been reading books together and reviewing our memorization every night. Santa needed to send me a native french and latin speaking genius math tutor, a Mary Poppins type. No such luck this year. Trying again next year.

And a slacker, but there's a very good reason.

I'm growing another person.

Which means, for me, long days of laying in bed writhing in nausea waiting while the world continues to progress and age and actually accomplish things. I'm not necessarily complaining because women have it so much worse than I do, and some women aren't ever blessed with pregnancy.

It's just hard.

It's hard being away from my mom. Like - I know I can live without her close by now, but why would I ever want to, are my sentiments.

I'm finally coming out of my fox hole, though, and last week I even cleaned my bathrooms for the first time in two months. Things are on the up and up.

What follows is a whole host of random home and hearth pictures (I don't even know what hearth REALLY means, you know?) I downloaded from my camera a few days ago.

We've now successfully lived 7 weeks without a television. We're all still alive, we've finished more home projects than we thought we could, and the children have used up every square inch of paper in this house*.

I'm never going back.

Okay, I won't say never, but I'm going to admit I'm on the no-tv-in-the-house bandwagon, much to the disdain of my 15-yr-old self.

I homeschool and I have no television. I don't even know who I AM anymore!

What happened was we sold our tv before we moved, because it used to be a flat screen back when flat screen meant 12 inches thick and Shane planned on buying a new model for Christmas.

But our living room here just doesn't have a space for a large tv. And I love that there's no more whining for tv watching here. Don't misunderstand, there's still plenty of whining for everything else, but at least no tv.

Yes, my kids still watch a show or two every now and then on the ipad or my laptop, and don't think I won't utilize my pbs kids app while grocery shopping, but I've found they aren't into their usual shows anymore now that they're not watching them on a regular basis.

I've now promised Shane that when we finally turn the barn into his man cave, we'll put a tv out there for his college football. And maybe someday we'll revisit the idea of owning one, but here are my reasons I'm on board for the time being:

1. We spend enough time "on screens"

Logan FaceTimes his friends multiple times a week, the kids still play a few games a week on the ipad, they steal my phone to take selfies and videos, these kids don't need any more screen time. I don't need any more screen time.

We live on two acres with a creek and a log cabin and a pool and plenty of room to create and daydream. And scrape up knees and get into poison ivy.

2. Seriously, there's nothing good on television

Show me one television program that's somewhat educational, uplifting, or even something with a good story line. Most of it is trash, and trash that's so easy to get sucked into liking. Television is meant to be addicting. It's easier to not even have the means to start.

And I swear I've lost half my brain cells listening to Daniel Tiger songs that never. get. out. of. my. head. No tv? No Daniel Tiger (lies - I still use Daniel on my phone when Emmie's throwing a fit in the store. I'll never be rid of him!).

3. My kids have learned how to play together

I've heard of this happening to homeschooling families, but I never thought it would happen to us. Logan's three years older than Clara and they don't have a whole lot in common. They've always been pretty fair to each other, but out here with no neighbors and no tv, they've started clubs, restaurants, swimming teams, bee catching companies, forts, hardware stores and toy factories.

They've learned how to fold their own clothes**, Logan's teaching Clara to write her letters***, and Clara and Emmie play a hearty game of "see how many little dinosaurs we can fit in the castle" every afternoon.

They still fight. They still whine. But less than they did before.

Even when we had a tv, I really didn't let my kids watch it that often. Shane and I would watch a flick every now and then and we have a few series that we watched regularly. Honestly though, without it, our house just feels different. Good different. More in tune. More creative. Less staticky.


*Emmie's always the last to sniff out the paper goods, so she's taken up to writing on the walls, which is super fun for all involved.

**they actually begged to learn, and they still love doing it. I kind of cringe because I'm a little bit of a laundry and folding snob, but I've had to let that go. Am I alone in this?

***holla

Shane and I were working on the hardwood floors last night, as we do after the kids go to bed, and we opened the closet at the back of the stairs to pull up the (original!) carpet.

Sweaty.

Things have been really sweaty here. Gosh, it's hot. And wet. And in the humidity, the baby hairs in the front of my head do this:

The Good

1: Green, everything's green!

2: People are so friendly. I've figured it out - the thicker the accent, the more friendly the person. And the more they talk in circles, to anyone who'll listen. But I love it.

3: Southerners are especially comfortable in their love for God and praise for Jesus. I'm learning a lot from this.

4: It's fun living in a house with old storm windows and a tin roof.

5: Living 13.5 minutes from a Target (not a Supertarget, but still)

6: Fresh, local produce all summer, not just in September.

7: Lightning bugs!

The Bad

1: Bugs, spiders, mosquitos, flies, fruit flies, centipedes, beetles, ticks, crickets, dragonflies, horse flies, flying rodents, etc.

2: Utah's grid system, I took it for granted. Because let's just make every road a circle and call them different names at different starting points. Let's even name two roads that intersect the same name, because wouldn't that be fun, and let's not let Siri in on any of this information, she doesn't need to know and PROCEED TO THE ROUTE...PROCEED TO THE ROUTE!

cleansing breath

it takes me 15 minutes to get anywhere here, except for the gym, which is right down the street(ish), so I've been spending lots of time there.

3: Living 2,210 miles away from my parents instead of 1.25 miles. Don't cut that umbilical cord!

4: Living with neck sweat twenty four hours a day, seven days a week.

5: I miss Mexican food.

6: Let's not talk about our A/C bill.

Rainstorms here are thick and sudden and often. They're my reward for enduring the spongy heat with three miniature people who need to get in and out of the car multiple times a day. Also, have I watered my three tomato plants yet? Even once? No, and they're still alive, so we're learning a whole new level of lazy (except making up for it at the gym).

Also, monograms. Have you ever read the Pottery Barn catalogue where it gives an option for a $50 extra charge for monogramming? Yes? Ever wondered who pays that monogramming fee? Every North Carolinan, that's who.

I'm a believer in houses with small bedrooms and bigger living spaces, but our last house' master bedroom was so small a queen bed barely fit, so we abandoned all dreams of one day owning a king-sized bed. Abandoned them right along with our dreams of a full night's sleep.

We're already drowning in over ten projects we've started, but haven't finished, which is typical with us. We know this. We admit this.