Finger Lakes Friday

On Fridays I'll be postings pictures of one of my favorite things...the place where I live.

The Finger Lakes region is located in central NY
....most of its residents haven’t even been to New York City.

 

There are eleven lakes in all, some as long as 40 miles, none wider than 3 miles across, and each boasting its own unique beauty. The region is dotted with small cities, quaint villages and tiny crossroads called hamlets.

I love that we're relatively undiscovered.

I'm no professional photographer and I don’t have any fancy editing software so the subject matter will simply speak for itself.

The Genessee River runs the weatern cusp of the Finger Lakes Region. This photo was taken at Letchworth, a state park 35 miles south of Rochester.  Here the river has cut through 550 feet of rock to form "the Grand Canyon of the East".  The park follows 17 miles of river and waterfalls and boasts many miles of hiking trails and superb vistas along its park roads.  Bill and I love to pack up a picnic lunch, hike to a quiet spot and spend the day.

the park even has dining accomodations.....the historic Glenn Iris Inn.
 I feel a "date" day coming on.

check out the view!!

Wow, I cant wait to go back!

  jenny rosie

Mental Health Day

The other day, I declared "Mental Health Day!"

Mental Health Day for me????  No no no

For my little boy. 

Sometimes I think when he looks at me he sees this:

The lidless, nagging eye that see's all


or this:

The floor better shine like the top of the Chrysler Building and while you're at it, dont forget to say "I love you, Miss Hannigan"

Wow.....I sure can put a lot of pressure on my kid.  Bill and I strive for consistency in our discipline but sometimes consistency sounds like:

"Please get your finger out of your sister's eye.  Now get off the arm of the couch.  And please stop grabbing yourself.  Stop blowing bubbles in your drink.  The toothpaste goes on the tooth brush".....all in one run-on sentence.

On weeks where we have lots of discipline challenges, I declare "Mental Health Day!" and we go somewhere where we can break the rules.

This week we went to Taughannock Falls State Park.  We had one of these.

I gave the pumpkin the camera and he had a blast taking pictures like this

and this

Then he started getting the hang of things...

We took our shoes off and went in here

Everywhere, there were stones for throwing.  One of his favorite things to do.

And he had his picture taken infront of the "biggest waterfall of all".

The Pumpkin kept saying, "This is great!"  I watched him run, jump, climb, gallop and dance around.  I think he's feeling better about life.....so is his mommy.  At the end of the day, I was feeling a little more like:

 

  jenny rosie

"CHORES" Is Not A Dirty Word

Our little boy is getting to be a lot like his daddy....

For a 5 year old boy, he is extremely neat and tidy.  He also despises being late for school and is worried about using too much electricity and eating too much sugar.  This is the essence of Bill.  We're embracing this and, believe me, it isn't difficult.  His room is never messy, he clears the table after every meal, and helps with chores such as feeding the cats and emptying the garbage.

We definitely are embracing this!!!!!  Yet we are careful not to push him.  I don't ask him to "fetch" things for me unless I'm in a total jam and I don't expect him to do chores while I'm on my rear end eating bon bons.....we definitely do chores together. 

The other day, the pumpkin made his bed by himself without me even knowing he was doing it.  We had to take a picture....

This is the little Melissa and Doug chore chart his grandma gave him for his birthday....he loves it.  I love it because it has helped him with his reading and he knows what to expect each day.  It truly is fun to do and if it ever becomes "not fun" we'll nix it. 

A big thank you to his Uncle Josh for this last minute addition while visiting from Michigan a few weeks ago...

  jenny rosie

The Sweet Pea's Room----Raw Materials

A few years ago Bill and I kind of settled on the fact that we were "destined" to have just two children for a myriad of reasons I wont delve into now.  Our first born, a bright eyed boy, has been such a blessing.  Little boy stuff was so foreign to me, even though I have 4 brothers, so much of my time spent with my son has been deliberate and full of discovery for me. 

Last October when we were told our 2nd baby would be a girl, I remember bursting into tears of joy.  "One of each!"  In some ways I think having a girl will present a greater challenge but Oh what fun I've been having relating so easily to her. 

So here's one of the cool things about having a little girl so far.  I get to create a magic land in her room and pour some of my hopes and dreams into it.  When we moved into our house 5 years ago, every single room was unfinished.  At first I wasn't sure where to start but one day the thought occurred to me, "The kitchen and living room can wait;  I want the kids to have a fun, safe place to retreat." 

I've been working on my daughter's room (mostly in my head, letting inspiration percolate), collecting raw materials and deciding on fabric and color since October.  I think I've got the makings of a dreamy little space for her with lots of sentiment and very little expense.  Yes we did paint it blue but wait until you see what blue can do!  When school starts, I plan to get the sewing machine out and "going to town" with all manner of plaids, florals, stripes, ric rac and buttons. 

So here's a little preview of things to come......


This is a faux mantle we had built on the chimney "bump out" in her room.  The fun stuff on the mantle is some of the chotchkies I'd like to incorporate around the space.  .....Some favorite old books I've collected over the years....always somehow with her in mind.  Little Women, Anne of Green Gables and Lovey Mary

Here are some of the fabrics I'd like to use.....and a disclaimer, There will be no matching and very little coordinating.  BTW....this rocking chair was Bill's when he was little. 

This window used to be a dingy, dark, boarded up blemish.  It's good to let the light in.  Now we just need a lick of paint and some curtains and she'll really shine!

Here's a super perfect picture I found for $12 at the local second hand store.

A pretty Jenny Lind crib that used to be a handsome Jenny Lind crib when it was my son's.  The window above need to be trimmed out.

The closet is quite useful.  I've got a start on the shelving and storage.  Now for a little de-cluttering (the story of my life...)

Here's where we spend quality time.  I think I'm going to paint that rocker a daring color.  Notice the window above.  All the windows on the second floor resemble that one.  It's beautiful but not practical.  There's iron scroll work bolted to the outside which makes for a bad situation in a fire.  Never fear; we have installed one open-able window in each bedroom.  I found the lamp at the local second hand store for $10.  It's a throw-back to the lamps in the bedroom I shared with my sister growing up.  I just loooooooove it.

Here's the changing table/dresser.  I bought it a the local second hand store for $30 when we first got married and I remember thinking, "now wouldn't that be cute with a little changing table on top!"  I painted it white a few year back but now I think it needs a little daring color too. 

The floor has been painted a creamy white and I'm saving for the one big expense; a precious braided rug from The Land of Nod. 

My step-mom who we will refer to as "The Quilting Goddess"  is helping me with my first quilt.  I think it's fitting that it'll be for my daughter.....sigh.



....and here, of course, is the focal point

Here's hoping to having it done before the sweet pea turns 1....

  jenny rosie