Job Time

I figured all this time at home was a good chance to get some jobs done.

I cleverly manipulated the children into helping me upstairs today by not turning on the downstairs air conditioner, but putting the upstairs one on REAL low, 18 degrees, which brought them up, like moths to a flame, especially as the two older ones are burnt to a crisp after yesterday's pool trip.

Morning's job was tidying up then re-arranging the shelves where the stuffed toys live. Then we stopped for lunch (Johnsonville cheddar brats, which turned up miraculously in the supermarket the other day, no doubt a feat not ever to be repeated, requiring me to eat them every second day until they disappear) and partook of Stage One of the Great Jelly-tip Experiment, making and freezing the jelly. Actually the jelly froze nearly instantly, so I was able to squash in some vanilla ice cream before returning upstairs for the afternoon job.

We (mostly Amy and me, with Lena amusing Erica and running errands) took all the books off the bookshelves, sorted them, re-arranged the shelves and put them all back again. It took all afternoon!

Lena's 'Dream Bed' as decorated by her after cleaning up the stuffed toy shelf and claiming several.

Top left: Lena's bed, as you can see, the profusion of small toys was only the start. Barely enough room left for Lena! Top right: Amy's bed, a vision of Spartan comfort in comparison. Just one book and a teddy bear. Below left: personal shelves, Amy's on the left, Lena's in the middle, and mine, yes mine, on the right. I seem to have been bequeathed possession of Chucky. Doraemon is a telegram case from our wedding. You can just see Constance, the rag doll Mum made for me while in her patchwork phase, peeking out from behind. Above them is Mutley Spot Rod, a present from a boyfriend when I was 16 or 17. Below right: the chapter books and readers and audio books, on a VERY tired shelf!

Top left, the rest of the stuffed toys. Each time we clean up a few more get tossed, but this is it for now. Erica's selection on the top left shelf. Top right: the main (kids') book shelves. Bottom left: well, I put in their beds, so here's mine. The pretty one. Bottom right: the generic whoever bed, where I usually end up sleeping, next to Erica's little bed in the corner.