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Villa Villekulla bio picture

Welcome to Villa Kulla!

A bemused tale of how one Dane, 2 Ethiopians, a Detroiter and an American/Dane found Pippi Longstocking's house in the Baltimore area and moved right in. Technically Pippi's house is in Sweden, but moving there would have been a commuter nightmare- so we found the closest thing to Villa Villekulla in our neck of the woods.

Our house is an old, money pit and John and I are learning to be crafty- very, very crafty. This blog is my little place to journal  and post photographs of our children, Kaia (7), Josie (5) and Noah (3) as they grow, and to share my decor and design obsession by posting visual and tasty things I find on the internet and elsewhere.

Thanks so much for stopping  by!

Charlotte


Gone crafty crazy

Another month passes without a post from me. This time I have some serious excuses.

Firstly, I am making my own rugs. For every room in the house. They have to be hand stenciled, primed with gesso, hemmed, and protected with 7 coats of finish- this is time consuming. When I am not making the rugs, working or taking care of the family (in that order- of course), I am usually out getting more supplies.

My second excuse is that I have become addicted to ‘Dexter’. You know the friendly neighborhood serial killer on Showtime. John and I cram in one or two episodes pr. night. More on the weekends. I usually don’t watch much TV- but this show is phenomenal. The actors are superior to anything I have seen in a long time and well- I just can’t get me enough of ‘Dexter’ oh and rug making. But soon I will tire of both and will be back to blogging. Because I am non commital that way. I was the kid who bought all of the horseback riding equipment, took two classes and then became obsessed with synchronized swimming or something equally obscure, only to take up boxing two weeks later.

I do have a bunch of posts up my sleeve. I must post about Bangkok- which was amazing- and I must show you all the Buddha’s I brought home. Way too many- according to my mother and sister. How many Buddhas can someone possibly need? they asked alarmed at my compulsive Buddha shopping.

Okay- back to the rugs. Because I know you are wondering who in their right mind would make their own rugs. Of course clearly I am not in my right mind- but still. We have 3 kids. It rains and snows and they drag it all over the house. Our dog does gross stuff on our rugs and frankly I have had to throw out way too many in the past years. I have been searching high and low for rugs that could handle our lifestyle. I have cried to husband ‘why hasn’t anyone invented a family friendly rug?” Husband told me to invent one myself. So I did. These are made out of painters drop cloths. You know the kind you buy at Home Depot to protect your floors when you paint. They are skid proof, water proof, snow proof, dog pee proof. They can be mopped, spilled on, wiped off and best of all they are painted to match our decor.

I am very proud of myself, can you tell? So do you guys think I can finally open my own Etsy shop? I really want one. And you don’t have to be honest.

This first one is a runner for our kitchen. The purple one is not finished but for the girls room- the last one is very bright and playful and will be for the kids play room. The chair shows the drop cloths in their original form.
ruglast
rug3rug1rug4rug2

Christine - Oh my, those are beautiful, amazing! What an undertaking! ETSY shop, yes! But what would you have to charge to make it worth your while? I love the idea of all the buddha's. They are soothing. I have two right beside me as I sit here. Can't wait to hear more about Bangkok, too.12/09/2009 - 6:35 am

rebekah - Wow. I have to say that you are seriously brilliant. Those are awesome.12/09/2009 - 7:24 am

Julie - This is the best invention since sliced bread. Beautiful too.12/09/2009 - 7:26 am

Leslie - Beautiful, Charlotte! I bet it is a great way to destress. Hoping you are having a wonderful December!12/09/2009 - 7:49 am

paige chhapman-layland - I made a rug from a drop cloth once. It had all of the attributes that you report and it also took an age to finish. Kudos, lady, you are amazing! Please make more so I can buy one.12/09/2009 - 8:09 pm

Sherry - Unbelievable. I still have plain canvases laying around from when I attempted to emulate your last project - decoupage. I think I won't even buy the drop clothes as they will never be painted. I do need a dog pee proof floor covering though.....12/09/2009 - 11:06 pm

Jess - yes, you should def. start an etsy shop! and when you are ready for orders I'll have quite a few for you! don't work too hard though, I miss you!12/15/2009 - 11:46 am

Tami - I handpainted a indoor outdoor carpet and it is great and you can do the same thing but not as detailed. Email me and I'll send you a picture. I want to do the dropcloth rugs as well when i redecorate which I'm deciding about now. Let's get together! Open a store! I want to open one soon also.12/20/2009 - 8:38 am

Cindy - I'm confused as to how you manage to fit so much into your life. The rugs' amazingness is only bested by your capability to fit so much super stuff-doing in your life. Love the stenciling.12/27/2009 - 7:43 am

Notes from a mom who has never been away from her children.

Hey- I am going to Bangkok in two days- what do you guys have planned this week?

It’s not a big deal, you see I often just hop on a plane and fly halfway around the world WITHOUT my children. I am a jet setter like that, and us jet setters are really blase about taking 21 hour flights to hang out in a country where they have tsunamis and gun fights in the streets between anti-government protesters and police and where weaver ant eggs are considered a delicacy and giant water bugs in red curry sauce are served for dinner- oh and where my parents live.

The kids will be fine, their dad is going to be home 24/7 tending to their every need in much the same manner as I do.

This is their dad:

johnmask
Oh God help us!

The truth is that I don’t really jet set anywhere, but of course you guys know that already. In fact, that pumpkin I carved  last Saturday was the wildest thing I have done in a long time . I free handed with a very sharp electric pumpkin carver, so it  really was pretty risky.

Also I am a nervous flyer.

Someone once told me that people who are afraid of flying are generally control freaks.

Which I am so not!

spreadsheets
These oversized spread sheets were just something I whipped up to make things easier for John.

I know that everyone of you would do the exact same thing if you were about to get into a flying machine with 300 people who all have the H1N1 virus and will likely plunge into the Pacific Ocean just as we clear Alaska.

The good news is that my sister and I will be traveling together.

The bad news is that she is even more afraid of flying than I am.

She is also not particularly fond of our layover in Seoul, which she thinks is way too risky due to it’s proximity to North Korea. She pointed out that there is a whole list of ways our lives can be ruined or end, before we even get to Bangkok. For example what will we do if Korean Airlines runs out of gin and tonic 3 hours into the flight?  or another major concern of hers (which now also has become mine)- besides, of course, the very real threat of being taken as a POW by Kim Jung il- is that someone might plant 60 lbs of cannabis in our rucksacks just as we board the plane in Dulles and we will get arrested in Thailand, where our particular case will be used as an example to deter other young free spirited backpackers from doing this sort of thing (except we are well into our 40′ies, uptight and carry purses). Whereafter we will be thrown into a hellish Turkish prison in Bangkok, where we will live for many years in a nightmare of unspeakable conditions before we go to trial and lose, despite Secretary Clinton’s efforts to negotiate with the Thai authorities.

So, no, I don’t think I am being too overbearing for making sure that my family knows what to do every hour on the hour, in my perhaps permanent absence. They will thank me  one day for these past five evenings of power point presentations of who needs to have their butt wiped by dad one extra time for good measure and who has to return their library book on what day, as well as which day to clip fingernails and what soap to use on which child with the sensitive skin.

These are the faces that will keep me going as I am clinging to the life boat, resisting the urge to let the North Pacific Drift take me away into the cold November night.
kaiapretrip

josiepretrip

noahpretrip

Farewell my friends thank you for everything……

paige chhapman-layland - you are such a goober! you'll have a fabulous time, and you will adore those little faces with a renewed fervor after some time away (not that this ever happens to me--I A-D-O-R-E those sweet little dumpings of mine every minute of the day). Go forth, carry hand sanitizer and Cliff bars and all will be well. Enjoy!11/03/2009 - 12:23 am

Christine - Truer words were never spoken, girl. (That from the weirdest catastrophizing freak you'll ever see on a long distance flight. To anywhere.) The trick is, see, you've thought of every possible terrible outcome so none of it will happen. That's my practice, I will never be taken surprise by something terrible because I imagine every possible freakishly weird possibility. Works like a charm.11/03/2009 - 6:35 am

Leslie - I know you're overwhelmed, but try to enjoy yourself. Those sweet faces will be fine! Sending you a big hug!11/03/2009 - 7:11 am

rebekah - Yikes honey. Slap yourself in the face and get on with it! There will be at least a few moments when you don't miss them and your world will be quiet. (Just feeling jealous and also wondering how you'll blog every day from over there:))11/03/2009 - 7:42 am

Liz - Have a safe trip, and thanks for making me laugh out loud while sipping coffee - a great way to start the day!11/03/2009 - 7:52 am

Jess - Hold on tight to that life boat girl!11/03/2009 - 10:18 am

Sherry - Lets just hope they don't get lice while you're gone. Did you cover that with him? :)11/03/2009 - 1:28 pm

Cindy - Sniff, sniff. These photos are so so brilliantly larger-than-life, I feel like I could annex myself to your family by jumping through them. Cindy11/11/2009 - 2:18 pm

rebekah - Hey chica! You're back, right? Nominated you for that kreativ blog award. I'm sure I'll be one of many. Hope your trip was fabulous.11/24/2009 - 10:21 pm

Cindy - Charlotte, there is a rumor you're back. Hope all is well. I sent you an email a while ago, but I know you're busy... Wishing your family a wonderful Thanksgiving.11/25/2009 - 1:10 pm

Halloween

mosaic94b6a82a67afd32294c8848356356a900f37db6d

Jess - very cute!11/02/2009 - 11:52 am

October in Pictures.

First there was the unscary ghost that hovered around our front porch all month.
josienoahporch Then there was that bat, that some say resembles an owl, but really looks like one of John’s socks with eyes- that took up residence in our chandelier. batAnd I must not forget the formation of the Catonsville bike club that motivated Josie to ditch her training wheels.bikeclubIt was frustrating in the beginning.josiemadBut finally success.josiebikeLovely friends from Barcelona and London came to visit.annestheranndinnerPine cones and fall leaves were collected for Josie’s papier mache creationpapiermacheModeling their new warmer clothes was fun. Well….maybe not so much for little brother.newclothesYoga was incorporated into Josie’s daily routine. Namaste.yoga“How many more days til Halloween” was asked on a daily basis.

jkpumpkin3With the colder weather came more indoors stuff- like snuggling on the couch while watching ‘Cat in the Hat’ 86 times in a row.dadkidsAnd here is the only photo I appear in for the entire month of Octobermomnoah

Nancy Meyer - Oh lady life is large! Congratulations on your new space.10/31/2009 - 5:26 am

Cindy - Wow, C, those are GORGEOUS photos...10/31/2009 - 8:54 am

paige - ooh, comment the first, on your new blog! I LOVE it here--it looks just like you, or at least the you I imagine. So glad to see all of your pretties--children, house, and husband in this post!10/31/2009 - 9:03 am

Leslie - Love love love all the pictures! Hoping for a GREAT November and December for y'all! You deserve it!10/31/2009 - 9:28 am

Jess - I love it! The look of the new blog, and how gorgeous your house is! You've been busy! The pictures were amazing!10/31/2009 - 10:07 am

Debby - ZERO more days til Halloween!! Charlotte - the new blog, and the house, look amazing...like a Pottery Barn catalog. Hope all are well. I have been meaning to write a lengthy e-mail, and I will. Love, Deb10/31/2009 - 11:23 am

Tami - I love, love, love what (I can see) you have done with your home. Beautiful. The pirctures are awesome and the kids look so happy. You have a fun home. Can I come over and play!!!? I'm really going to move to wordpress because it looks so much better than blogger. Maybe I'll figure it out this time. :-)10/31/2009 - 2:18 pm

Sherry - These photos are amazing. Is this John's camera? Beautiful!10/31/2009 - 11:50 pm

Christine - C, I'm in love with the photos and your style, girl. Your house is just inviting and lovely, very much my style, I mean, what I would like my style to be. Your family, just completely warm and sweet and beautiful.11/01/2009 - 6:53 am

Bridget - LOVE this new site! Totally drooling with jealousy!! Was it impossibly difficult? Your photos are amazing. Gorgeous!11/01/2009 - 4:06 pm

Sarah - holy moses- your new blog is gorgeous. The neighborhood bike club looks like something out of Leave it to Beaver-- can I come live there too? kids all look happy-- what a great place to be.11/01/2009 - 11:31 pm

Distinguished

Before I bombard the internet with massive cuteness I just want to say thank you for all the supportive and uplifting comments to my last ’secret’ post. I already have so many great resources passed along to me by so many of you that I am up to my eyeballs in research and decision making, which is a very good thing. Feels so much better being pro-active.

Noah is on his way to the local University to teach his Latin class. He told me that he looked distinguished. Noah knows a lot of very big words and likes to use them whenever he can. For example he told me this morning that his oatmeal tasted very fascinating. Which I took as a compliment.

My mom just left to go back home and Noah has been very concerned that I might feel lonely while he and the girls are in school. He told me that he could easily skip his teaching job today to stay home and keep me company and so that I won’t cry from loneliness. I said that he was very gracious but that he has a lot of work to do at school and then he informed me that he had quite a bit of work to do at home too; like lifting boxes and repairing stuff. He cracks me up.

Might be a little overkill on the photos, but it is so hard to pick just one photo from all this cuteness. You can’t see it in the photos but there are, of course, leather patches on the elbows of his prerequisite professor blazer.



Julia - That's some serious cuteness.10/01/2009 - 2:01 pm

kristine - OK - first you need to come to my house and fix it up! i'm not kidding - Help! Look at your house.

secondly - i cannot have to many fotos of your son!!! he is amazing - and i love fascinating oatmeal!!

thirdly - proactive is good - support is good - friends are good - that's all.10/01/2009 - 2:06 pm

Christine - Massively Madly Cute! Why choose just one?!10/01/2009 - 2:08 pm

habeshachild - oh my gosh! cuteness aplenty!

seriously - he looks like he belongs in a J.Crew catalog. or maybe Banana Republic. or something else hip and distinguished.10/01/2009 - 6:24 pm

Nancy - Oh I love a guy in a scarf.10/02/2009 - 3:28 am

los cazadores - As a logistical matter, it's incredible the massive cuteness even fits in this post, there is so much - the blazer is awesome.

Cindy10/03/2009 - 3:07 pm

The "I Can’t Think of a Title" Post

I have finally figured out a way to password protect posts on my blog. I am password protecting some posts to protect the privacy of my kids and my family and sometimes just so I can swear freely without getting flagged. If you are one of my regular readers or I know you please send me an email at habeshahouse@gmail.com and I will give you the password.

Just click below on the show encrypted text after you get the password to read my first private post.

Cathy - HUGS!!! I have no advice for you but admire you putting it out there and maybe in a way saying it out loud will help. You are a good mom. I know I haven't met you in real life but I can tell you care about your kids. I know you will figure it out and you will do the best you can with what you have. you will do more than push through. You will be an amazing mom to all of your kids when they need you most. Some days will be tough I am sure. But know you have a world of cyber friends to lean on. Hang in there.09/26/2009 - 7:44 am

Jess - Oh Charlotte...09/26/2009 - 8:11 am

filoli - 1) yes, password por fa
2) how do you do this on blogger?09/26/2009 - 3:33 pm

kristine - Oh girl i wish i could give you a hug and a glass of wine (or vodka or whiskey.)

it is good to have a 'label' or perhaps a definition if it points you to some techniques or tools.

Q does not like school, complains all the time. what's the label for that? she runs to school, she writes letters to her family in sanksrit? she and all of you will be better than fine. loud is good but exhausting.

i have one child and our lives are crazy - no i haven't posted the crazy stuff. you have three - and a little boy - and the two girls both with high energy levels? oh girl. the two of you do need to find some time out. how you do it i don't know - we've had great difficulty managing that one. once we flew my mother in so we could have one day alone. we drove an hour a way to a b&b. on the way back we were talking and i said to Y 'can we not talk? this is our last hour of quiet for maybe a year.' we drove home in silence. as i write this Q is behind me bouncing off the walls. literally.

i wish we lived closer. i'd come over add Q to the mix and let you guys out for a night.

it will change. it will be better. keep writing. we'll keep reading and it will get better.09/26/2009 - 3:36 pm

paige - well aren't you debbie downer today...

girl, denial is a powerful tool. your brain became ready to hear spectrum disorder for the first time. Now that you know, you'll be able to make choices, and help J make choices too. it gets better from here, really.

lots of resources to share if you want them, as you want them --my big kid is 'under the umbrella' too.

i'm glad today is a better one. remember that we're all here, no matter what sort of day you have.

xoxo09/26/2009 - 8:10 pm

habeshachild - must have password.

please. :-)09/26/2009 - 9:12 pm

lifeonplanetearth - I don't know very much about this stuff except the extensive reading I'm doing about how children learn. Thomas Armstrong has some interesting research about 'multiple intelligences' and 'the natural genius of kids'. http://www.thomasarmstrong.com/multiple_intelligences.htm I don't know for sure, but maybe it's better to ditch the labels and accept that each child progresses at their own speed in their own way and does not have to conform and fit into a box that school or society creates and calls 'normal'.
Peace and hugs for you.09/27/2009 - 5:54 am

Bridget - I wish I had the wisdom you need. I wish I had the words. I admire you. Your courage to put words to your emotions and let it go. That takes a kind of bravery that no doubt will help you through these times. Your daughter is beautiful and she sounds like a complete joy. THAT is happiness.09/27/2009 - 9:13 pm

rebekah - Gosh. And here I thought it was going to be one big f bomb post.

I am hoping for some progress and peace for you, and I'm trying to think of optimistic things to say, but right now my heart is breaking for you instead. It must hurt so much.09/28/2009 - 8:29 pm

paige - how are you today, ma'am?09/28/2009 - 10:00 pm

Christine - Well, you sound very real and I always love to hear real writing. That being said, I am sorry that reality is a strain, even though it is still good, this label is a strain. I have heard some good kernels of wisdom lately and want to give them to you. Kristine wrote on her blog about having "the strength to carry it."

http://spontaneousdelight.com/2009/09/28/father-b/

That resonated with me.

Also, my husband and I were talking this morning about being in action about things and how my self-esteem can get in the way. He said it is important to be "in shape psychologically" in order to deal with what comes at me. I then thought about what it means and what it takes to be in shape psychologically. Truth is, it's a balancing act. When I come at my family already feeling depleted because I am always doing stuff for them and continuing to ignore myself, it is just a vicious cycle of not quite hitting the mark. When and if I keep things a little more balanced, then I am actually more available in the small moments.

I just wanted to offer that to you. BTW, I am a special ed teacher and I can tell you I learned so much about myself and all people, autistic or not, by becoming thoroughly educated on the topic. (Hey, I know, not as easy if it is your kid.) The occupational therapy alone did wonders. It made me realize how much my own body requires in order to feel in balance with my mind.

I hope you keep talking about it. You make me want to password protect a post or two.

p.s. I know you are not a shitty parent.09/29/2009 - 7:15 am

Julia - Pretty please can I have the password.10/01/2009 - 2:03 pm

filoli - So much, so much, so much going on here. At least you see the issues and that puts you way ahead on the curve. If I can get my head figured out, I will send you an email. Also...you.cracked.me.up in this "thank you for saying it - fiiiiiiiiiiiinalllllllly!" kind of way.10/01/2009 - 3:42 pm

stephanie - And this is why we all need to live on a commune somewhere instead of all over the place so we can stop over and give you a hand.

I'm not a big cyber hug kind of gal but I really feel ((hugs)) are in order. I wish I had the words for you or the knowledge but I don't. I'm new to you and all but I already think you're pretty damn amazing.

I know you just moved to a new area but any chance of doing a trade with your neighbors that they watch your kids one night and you watch theirs?10/01/2009 - 7:05 pm

An Unexpected Surprise


Josie lost another tooth today! She said that I had to put it on my www dot com (her words), because this is a noteworthy event (my words). And my kids know that if something noteworthy happens to them they get to have their photo on the Internets and then they get to sit and look at themselves all day.

So here she is from every angle- but missing the point completely she refused to open her mouth so that the gap where her tooth used to be could be eternalized forever

Is that redundant?

Eternalized forever.?

sort of like advance planning or free gift, or past experience, armed gunman, 12 midnight, she gave birth to a baby, end result or suddenly exploded, or regular routine and general public, or senseless death…. Now I can’t stop. My blog is sort of the autobiography of my life and this is the kind of stuff I think about in my spare time.

Sorry Josie- here you go.




Leslie - Yay Josie!! Although I'd love to see your mouth without a tooth, seeing your cute face is more than enough!! Hope you are having a great fall--we miss you and the beautiful leaves!!09/24/2009 - 8:53 pm

filoli - Josie, you are such a total and complete shooting star - miraculous, wonderful and delightfully rare!09/24/2009 - 10:07 pm

Jess - she's so beautiful!09/25/2009 - 6:01 am

Marie - Hi Josie, its not that important to flash that black hole in your mouth. You look great as it is.
greetings from an old friend of your mum. Inger Marie (all well charlotte? - SÅ søde børn, hold da op. knus til dem og dig.)09/25/2009 - 8:39 am

Debby - Wow - what a looker! She's beautiful.

btw - I have another redundancy..."unexpected surprise" ;-p

Debby09/25/2009 - 6:05 pm

kristine - my favorite redundancy:

working mom

also love

full-time mom (ugh)

she's beautiful and rockin' and i'm so glad you dot commed it!

got your e-mail - we'll call next week - life has been insane - in mostly good ways (deer jumped on the car last week - not so good - everything else - pretty good)

happy to see the beautiful photos! thanks!09/25/2009 - 7:15 pm

los cazadores - She.is.beautiful.

Cindy09/29/2009 - 6:20 am

Lessons learned

Helllllllllllloooooo.. Anybody still coming around these parts of the Internets? I don’t blame you if you have given up on me. Can’t believe I haven’t posted in 2 months. And it is certainly not for lacking things to write about. I really wanted to wait until I could show you all what we have done with our new home. But at this point I can really only show what we have not done yet.

Why didn’t any of you warn me that it is close to impossible to do any renovations or unpacking with 3 kids home. Why didn’t any of you tell me that I should have put them all in summer camp while we settled in?

Huh?

You guys suck….

Instead I will post about the valuable lessons we learned while moving. Let this list serve as a moving manual for families with small kids. Oh- and I am sure Jess can come up with some tips too as she just did the same thing. Except she did it much faster and with 4 small kids, while also being in the middle of the adoption process. Oh and her home looked fantastic after about a week.

In my defense I do believe that Jess has a higher IQ than me.

1. PUT YOUR KIDS IN CAMP!
2. Do not ever attempt to put up wallpaper.
3. If you decide to remove a 100 year old marble mantle piece, it can be done with the back of your head. You just have to be sure that you place yourself directly under the mantle and then swing your head up as fast as you can. Your head will hurt like hell for a few days and your kids may never recover from seeing their mother cry like an infant, but the mantle will come loose.
4. Make sure your children are not around when your husband assembles Ikea kitchen cabinets. Or anything Ikea for that matter. Hammers will go flying as will the F word. Josie counted 75 times that Daddy said F.. and each time she came running to me to tell on him, making it impossible for me to get anything done. Thanks to Ikea I now have a 5 year old who thinks it’s okay to say things like ‘Hey Mom, can I have a fucking peanut butter and Jelly sandwich’ or my favorite ‘MOM, Noah keeps standing right in front of the TV so I can’t see fucking Sesame Street”
5.Don’t think for a minute that you can move a washer and dryer yourself. Just because your husband is not home does not mean that you can’t just try to show a little patience. YOU WILL PUT OUT YOUR BACK!
6. You cannot make hard boiled eggs in a microwave oven.
7. Make sure you befriend neighbors in case your 7 year old decides to crack her head open on the kitchen island and you have to go to the ER in Beirut, I mean Baltimore. That way they can watch all your other kids and you won’t be stuck for seven hours amongst gun shot victims with a bleeding child and two other children who are alternately screaming ‘I want candy’ and ‘I want to go home”
7. Make sure you befriend neighbors in case your 3 year old decides to break his collar bone by falling off of a chair. (see 7)
8. Make sure you befriend neighbors to watch your other children when your 3 year old, out of the blue, suddenly spurts blisters all over the inside of his mouth- and you, nursing your mantle induced concussion, have to rush off to the ER again, so that you can wait for 7 hours to find out that he has a bizarre virus called Coxsackie disease and that you just have to wait it out.
9.Make sure you have a heart of steel as you watch your 3 year old suffer through a week of painful blisters and he can’t eat or sleep or even play because he also has a broken collar bone. Make sure to get Codeine from your pediatrician (be sure to give your child some too). This virus is brutal I tell ya!
10. Make sure your new home has a working kitchen before you move in and don’t think for a minute that you will last 6 weeks without it while you run into one plumbing and electrical problem after the other.
11. Make sure you turn the water heater from vacation mode. That way you won’t have to take cold showers for 6 weeks because you are an idiot and never bothered to go into the basement to check the heater.
12. Soaking feet in vinegar and baking soda gets splinters right out.

And here is a sneak peak. I am going through a turquoise and yellow period, sort of like when Picasso went through his blue period. I may have to tone it down a bit, as this Swedish seaside cottage type decor just doesn’t seem as appealing now that we are heading into fall.

Yep- Me and Picasso. A lot alike the two of us.






los cazadores - I missed you making me laugh like a banshee at 4:22 a.m. in the morning.

Wish I could come up with a funny comment, but my stomach will implode unless I finish eating this banana...

Sorry to hear of all the painful accidents/diseases over there! But your home is breathtaking.

Cindy09/10/2009 - 3:26 am

Cat and Mark - hahahahaha

Well, I'm still here and enjoyed it! (although sorry you've all been in so much pain this year!)

Glad to see things are shaping up!09/10/2009 - 7:27 am

habeshachild - Oh my f'ing GAWD. You crack me up. In fact, you very nearly made diet coke come out of my nose at your #4. Hilarious.

Sorry to hear about all the ailments and bumps and bruises - crimeny.09/10/2009 - 2:45 pm

kristine - what the fuck?!!!! is this YOUR HOUSE?!!!

We moved in 5 fucking years ago and we still have paint chips falling on our head as we sleep because we haven't even begun scraping the paint in our bedroom.

of course we have an excuse because you know we have a four room house and that's a fucking lot!

sorry. this post made me snort out loud (from covering laugh with hand because Quinn finally went to sleep and i don't want to wake him.09/10/2009 - 7:24 pm

3GenerationsFarm - Number 4 was so funny that I nearly woke up the entire house with my laughing and snorting!

And, more people should use "fucking" as a descriptor in their blogs. G rated adoption blogs get under my skin. Yay for Danes with foul mouths!09/10/2009 - 8:22 pm

paige - On my way home from lovely Denmark, and oh so happy to see this post (bumps, bruises and blisters excluded,thank you very much--youse are such a nice family--I like it best when you're all healthy and whole). You make me laugh. I have house, particularly floor envy.

And hey, who know J could count so high--that daddy, adding a bit of math fun into recreational building projects!09/10/2009 - 8:38 pm

Tami - First, I'm sorry you have had so many problems but can I tell you I laughed all the way through your post! I hope your baby is feeling better. Your house is looking lovely! Lessons are often painful aren't they?

Oh, I love Kristine's comment best!09/11/2009 - 2:44 am

lifeonplanetearth - Aw-I'm sorry the kids haven't been well! But the house looks amazing! You are a trooper. I LOVE the Swedish cottage look. Welcome back to blogland...we missed you.09/11/2009 - 8:04 am

Jud - So glad to see you back. Jess and I have missed your writing. I was laughing out loud tonight. Are you kidding me with 'f*ing sesame street?!' Pass along my condolences on putting together the IKEA cabinets. Those 'easy to put together, flat box kits' pretty much suck. Welcome back. We've missed you.09/11/2009 - 9:30 pm

Julie - Holy shit. What a fucking couple of months!

House looks great.09/11/2009 - 11:38 pm

FrogMom - Oh my how I've missed ya.09/11/2009 - 11:41 pm

Jess - I didn't realized we could swear in blogland, then again if your kids are swearing about fucking sesame street then you probably don't really give a shit!

I think you've been smoking crack too because the house looks beautiful and totally put together..I do need a picture of the mantle though. just to help with the visual of you slamming your head into it!

It's great to have you back! I don't think Jud has ever even commented on my blog...I think he's more attracted to your blog. should I be worried?

one day we'll talk!
Jess09/12/2009 - 6:32 am

filoli - I.Have.Missed.You.
!!!
!!!
!09/15/2009 - 5:54 pm

stephanie - How did you and your fabulous blog fly under my radar for all these years? Nice to meet you. Now if you pardon me, I'll be spending the next few days in your archives.09/19/2009 - 7:32 am

Support Lifting the HIV Travel Ban

The United States has a policy that forbids an HIV positive foreign national from crossing it’s borders without a special waiver that can only be obtained by HIV positive people who have relatives in the US and the rule excludes gay couples. This policy was put into place over 20 years ago, in the early stages of the HIV pandemic when it was still unclear how the virus was transmitted and was considered a gay disease.

This policy is still in place and it is completely outdated and based on stigma and ignorance.

The US is in the company of only a handful of not so progressive countries that implement this law- among these are Iraq, Libya, South Korea, Oman, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Qatar, Brunei, Saudi Arabia, Moldova and China.

It is time for the US to join the 21st century in lifting this irrational and prejudiced ban that does nothing but further stigmatize HIV positive people. It is ironic that the US prides itself on being a leader in the global fight against HIV/AIDS yet sends this morally reprehensible message to HIV positive travelers that they are not allowed to step foot on US soil, and (going against their own scientific community) that they are a public threat, and certainly not welcome here. This despite the fact that it is more likely that a traveller may get HIV in the US than bring it here.

Gay advocates, HIV activists and human rights activists have worked tirelessly for years lobbying congress to put an end to this travel ban and just about a year ago the Senate finally voted for repealing this law- but before the ban can be lifted, HIV must be removed from the HHS definition of communicable diseases. Since this is a federal regulation it must go through a 45 day public comment period, where after the HHS reviews the comments and the repeal can take effect.

It is a shame that it has taken over 20 years to address this policy, but now we all have the opportunity to help lift this ban and ensure that no HIV positive person will be penalized by the US government again for having this disease. The biggest obstacle in fighting AIDS is the stigma surrounding this disease. Perhaps now, for the first time, the US will have the opportunity of hosting a major international HIV/AIDS conference and help be a part of the solution to end HIV discrimination instead of part of the problem.

Please follow this link to the Human Rights Campaign to support lifting the HIV travel ban.

Here is a video by Immigration Equality that says it all.

3GenerationsFarm - Great video! This is a long time coming and so exciting for all of us, but mostly those that have been working toward this for almost 20 years. It is so close now - and so overdue. The US has been part of the problem when it comes to HIV stigma and now has a chance to make a huge statement against stigma. Incredibly exciting!07/08/2009 - 11:04 pm

FrogMom - tears in my eyes. thanks.07/09/2009 - 6:40 am

Jess - what a huge step!07/09/2009 - 6:53 am

los cazadores - Just signed the HHS...

Thanks for this, Charlotte, it's uber importante. I will link to you...

Cindy07/10/2009 - 6:18 am

Leslie - Awesome, Charlotte. Thanks so much for posting this.07/11/2009 - 7:22 am

4th of July, Goodwill and Zombies.

Kaia performed on stage at camp for their 4th of July festivities and aced it!

It was a traumatic week for her because the performance involved a tribute to Michael Jackson, which involved a ‘Thriller’ dance performance, which involved watching the ‘Thriller’ video at camp over and over again, which involved lots of nightmares not to mention several zombie sightings around town. We tried in vain to assure her that zombies do not exist- except, of course, at 5.30 in the morning when she bumps into me on my way to the bathroom. (Yes, Kaia gets up before the crack of dawn each and every day- all year round).

Is it just me or does anyone else find it a bit disturbing that summer camps are showing the Thriller video to 7 year olds? – or am I just turning into one of those moms? Or maybe I have been protecting her too much and need to let her watch something other than Noggin.

Is a 7 year old too old to watch Noggin’?

In other news: We have been making a beeline for the local Goodwill store to stock up on furniture for our new rather large kitchenless house. I found two really nice beds for the girls for the grand sum of $15. Here they are painting them pink. We also found a cute little rocking chair ($5) which Josie painted turquoise for my front porch. My ass is definitely too big for this chair- I suppose now I will have to share my little oasis with those other people. John has banned me from anymore Goodwill shopping as our carport is now full of dressers, desks, kitchen chairs and one piano. Goodwill rocks!


When the girls aren’t painting furniture or being chased by zombies, they spend their free time dressing up their very own little human doll- making it difficult for him to manouver his truck around the house. The dress keeps getting caught in the pedals- other than that he does not seem to mind wearing it at all.

The 4th of July fireworks display were watched with cousins from the top of our car. Josie told Kaia to grab the ears of the car to hoist herself up onto the hood. Upon questioning she clarified that the ears are, in fact, the sideview mirrors. Makes sense. Now that I am on the subject of funny things kids say, Noah told us the other day that his new best friend Bobby is NOT from Opia (translation:Ethiopia) but from Earth.





Leslie - How fun! Sorry about the zombies. Parts of that video are over the top funny and parts would be scary to my girls. We watch mostly Noggin & Sprout--I'm sticking with that as long as we can!! It looks like you all are having a fun summer!!07/07/2009 - 6:13 am

Julie - Tee hee...from Earth. Of course a car has ears, how else would it hear?07/07/2009 - 10:20 am

Jess - Yes goodwill rocks, if you care to bring all of your kids roaming through the aisles asking for every $1 toy!!! I've been sucked into craigslist instead!

Too bad you're not closer, I think we could both use a spa day:)07/07/2009 - 11:20 am

filoli - so.much.going.on

yeah, Kaia, for a wonderful performance! Here is a rose for you, my dear -----,--<<<<>

zombies - lol

goodwill does indeed rock, rocks hard

(my youngest nephew has a high chair that goodwill was going to throw away - shocking - both that we use it and that they were going to throw it away)

and, Earth and ears!

heart it
heart it

(and I know not this Noggin)07/07/2009 - 3:13 pm

kristine - 7 is way too young for the thriller video. I'm 45 and I really dislike that video - totally creeps me out - OK I'm a bit of a freak - but still - 7?! I am one of THOSE parents.

Love the ears and opia/earth.

All sounds like wonderful memories.

Love love love goodwill!07/07/2009 - 8:46 pm

Bridget - Oh my gosh! The part where your girls are dressing up your son as a baby.....brought back a thousand memories. I come from a family w/ two (older) girls and one younger brother (I'm the middle one...). We dressed my brother up ALL the time! :) When he was 4 we actually successfully took him trick-or-treating around the block dressed like a little girl and he had these beautiful curly locks....many a old lady would comment, your little sister is so cute, but where is her costume! Totally rocked! :) Good times.07/07/2009 - 10:52 pm

Tami - Looks like the kids had a great time. Cute as usual.

I haven't been to Goodwill b/c I'm addicted to Value Village but I'm going to go to Goodwill this week. I'm also a freecycle and Craigslist addict! Let's do some flea markets together!07/08/2009 - 3:12 am

Cat and Mark - All my kids - including my almost 8 year old - watch PBS more than ANYTHING else combined. Although starting to love the Discovery Kids channel too.07/09/2009 - 6:52 am

Tami - You missed a great day at VV yesterday! lol07/10/2009 - 12:48 pm