Seven Quick Takes: Goodbye to 2011!

*1*
I'm sure I'm not the only one thinking that the end of 2011 snuck up on us.  One day left. Really?  In many ways I'm glad to see it go, but I also feel like I didn't live it well and would like to do it over. Minus the drama though, this time, please?  At least I'm hopeful that in 2012 I will stop writing "2001" on everything. It's no wonder I feel like 1999 was only a few years ago.

**2**
My children are designing a new sandwich/snack spread.  They have a name, a slogan, and ideas for different varieties and packaging. I would share, but there is the slightest chance this actually has potential. Too bad we live in a state where making and selling food in your own home is legislated to the point where it is almost impossible for the average Joe. Or maybe that's a good thing.

*3*
We've done a few unbabyproofing projects in the last few days. First we took down the plastic covering the banister, which had been up for years and years (and looked it).  It's so weird to be able to see through it clearly now! We keep putting our hand through it, just because we *can*.  Today we took down the swinging baby gate in the kitchen door. Everyone who has discovered it is gone has jumped in and out the doorway in total hooray-the-gate's-gone freedom.   I keep hearing people say, "Yay! A doorway!"

(whoops, editing this because I said that we finally took the "swinging baby" down from the kitchen door. Poor thing, she was there for years!) :)

**4**
Anyone making any schooling changes for 2012?  We plowed through some of our more workbooky-textbooky curriculum this first few months of the school year, so I'm hoping we can do more fun things in the coming months - freewriting, Mark Kistler art lessons,  piano, more read alouds, movies, tea drinking, etc. I'm really looking forward to it. We may even try a co-op for a few months.  

*5*
Clementine season has left us with 11 wooden clementine boxes.  I had already decided to use a few for cassette tape storage (don't laugh, yes, we are still in the '80s) (OK, laugh if you want), but that will still leave me with , oh, like 8 more that need to be repurposed, as I hate to throw anything like that away.  If any of you find yourself in the same position, here are a few fun things you can do with them.

• paint and use as a doll bed
• use as a planter to grow wheat grass or herbs
• little raised garden beds or seed starters
• this one is too cute! Picket fence planter (scroll to #2)
• take one long side off, stack them and use to organize/file papers
• or cans and food
• freecycle them
• kindling (around here, the only kindling going on is me reading on my Kindle, lol)

**6**

I *just* found out that two of my friends are expecting after many years of waiting.  Go wish Jennifer a hearty congratulations! (the other friend is not online) I am so excited for both of them! Strange that I found out about both of them within five minutes of each other, in very different ways.

*7*

Happy New Year Everyone!! May 2012 bring you all many blessings!

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