This and That

Well, I barely have gotten one project completed before starting another one...or two.  I've decided to paint the fireplace mantle.  The builders did a lazy job when this house was built.  So many cheap short-cuts and the fireplace was not spared.  The mantle does not sit directly on the tiles, so you can see the sloppy grout job behind the wood.  I am hoping to get some wood trim to close it up.  In the meantime, I am forcing asking Seth to assist in the sanding.

My niece, Violet is over for the day.  She is the same age as the girls.  I consider her my babysitter because when she is over, I don't see my girls too much.  Is that considered child labor?  Anyway,  I fixed them some blueberry muffins for breakfast.  Out of all the food I have fixed her over the years, she has only eaten mac and cheese and my blueberry muffins.  Isn't Violet cute?

Joy likes my muffins, too.  It just takes her too long to eat them, or eat anything for that matter.  She will spend an hour at breakfast trying to eat soggy cereal or muffins.  I think the only thing she eats quickly is...mac and cheese...no surprise there.

So, after the other girls finished up their breakfast and went outside to do this:

...Joy is still sitting in the kitchen doing this...

I know.  She's cute and fun.  How bad can it be to have this little one sitting at the counter all day long talking to me?  Well, it is not too bad if you like to hear her constant sound effects.  She is always talking, humming, singing, making some sort of noise.  As I type this I'm listening to her mumbling about nothing.  There is no one else here at the moment and she is in constant noise making mode, except when she is asleep.  :Sigh:

We sort of started school around here.  Since I'm trying to fast track Seth, I got him started this week on his English/Lit and Music.  I found this amazing book at the library by accident.

It discusses various composers and styles of music, and it even includes 2 narrated CD's with portions of music of each composer.    I'm quite pleased because I was not sure how to teach this subject.  Seth finds it interesting (especially the section about the hot-tempered Bach getting into a fight with a bassoonist), which I'm surprised at considering his lack of taste in music.  And today, he starts his government class.

And here is Joy still trying to finish off that muffin.  Maybe I should take some lessons from her and eat slower and less.  I probably would not have this extra 10 pounds hanging around.