Going underground

The basement in our new house is unfinished. A few weeks ago, Chad and his dad did some electrical work to prepare for the eventuality of putting up some drywall and making a rec room down there, but aside from the new outlets and light boxes (which I *love* - it was so dark before) - it's unfinished. The walls are just studs and the floors are bare concrete, but it's been a wonderful setup for the past few months. The kids love it down there, and ask to go down nearly every night after dinner. We brought our collection of ride-on toys in for the winter, and we've invested in a soccer net as well. And of course, the lure of mom and dad's home gym is strong - the mini-trampoline gets a lot of use! The funniest thing by far is that Chad recently bought some of those things that swivel when you do push-ups on them (I have no earthly idea what they might be called), and after seeing Chad use them, Mallory now attempts - pathetically - to use them every day, too. It's hilarious.

Unfortunately, we also brought the water table down to the basement when the weather got cold, and we filled it with rice so the kids would have a sandbox (of sorts) to play with. It's accessorized with a variety of scoops, funnels and measuring cups, and the only thing it's short on these days is rice. In no time at all, the rice spread to all four corners of the basement, and as luck would have it we only have one vaccuum outlet down there - and a hose too short to reach the far corner. A little bit of the rice gets vaccuumed up every now and then, and after the water table moves back outside this summer... it won't be taking up residence in the house ever again.

The rest of the basement is still stockpiled with things that have not been unpacked since the move, which really does beg the question... do we need these things? One of these days I am going to snap dozens of photos and flood Kijiji with listings for things - old car seats and wedding gifts that have rarely been used and toys the kids have outgrown. Or at the very least, I will box these things up and take them to Goodwill. We've proven that we can make do without them so it's best to be rid of the clutter.

One thing that will soon be moving out of the basement is an old daybed that I used for seating in my first apartment, when I realized that the staircase in my second-story 1800's abode was not wide enough to bring up an actual sofa. It's a white wrought iron piece that should work well as a first bed for Mallory. I am not 100% sold on the aesthetics of a daybed as opposed to an actual bed, but the fact that it is enclosed on 3 sides has definite practical advantages for someone who still shimmies in her sleep.

Moving her into a bed means that I have to get that quilt finished... but never fear; I completed the quilting last weekend and the fabric for the binding arrived in the mail yesterday - and with Chad working late last night, I stayed up late too, and was able to cut/mitre/press/attach all 400 inches of it. A couple hours of whipstitching in front of the TV, and I will be done! Mallory knows this blanket is for her and often asks to play with it. Last night I told her no, that I had to finish it first, and she wandered around saying "Mom finish blanket... mom finish blanket!" for the rest of the night. Talk about pressure.

Oh, and I know it is dorky to be so excited about a quilt, and that it is far less Sex and the City than it is Little House on the Prairie... but, well, what was not to like about Laura Ingalls Wilder? Bear with me while I bind it and gloat that it's done, and then quilting is not likely to come up on this blog ever again. Or at least not until I get a hankering to start a new project.


(If you 'got' my reference to The Jam up there... then I <3 you.)