House Rules

Number 1-  Always wash your hands!
Number 2-  No weapons at the dinner table
Number 3-  Stand up for your brothers
Number 4-  No Booger eating (I'm proud to say we are totally successful.....I think?!?)
Number 5-  Put your dishes in the sink
Number 6-  If you have to stand on something to reach it, it is not yours to play with
Number 7-  If you don't eat you dinner, don't expect dessert
Number 8-  Always rinse the tub before you bathe (when your just a bit too short to reach the toilet rim, the tub is a good alternative, don't worry it's only #1)
Number 9-  Don't be wasteful, old leftovers go to the chickens, use both sides of your paper, slow the flow
Number 10-  Love one another

These are the rules we live by.  Sure there is a few more, but these ten cover most the bases.  Funny how often I catch myself saying, "You know the rules....", but do they, it's not like we have them posted anywhere?  Well I guess we don't need to post them, because they do a great job at reminding me of them often enough (don't worry I don't eat my boogers).  I get an earful if I leave the water running while brushing my teeth, and even I don't always enjoy dinner, "Mom if you don't finish dinner, don't expect dessert.", I know, I know.

I've trained them well.  Our house is filled with second hand finds (remember don't be wasteful), that's the way I like them.  To some, scratch-n-dent items are no good, but to me that's just a bit more character.  Someones got to put the first scratch on something at some point, often I'm just glad it's not me (Like the Christmas eve Mr. Claus decided to try the newly assembled galaxy cruisers through the house before putting them under the tree.  Yards and yards of swirling first scratches on a newly installed hardwood floor, not done by Mrs. Claus).

Furniture cast offs are some of our favorite pieces in our house,  they just needed a little TLC.  I'm lucky to have a handy husband.  He's made and refinished dozens of things, our first bed (made from logs he cut and drug out of the forest himself), bookshelves, cabinets, and who could forget our first coffee table.

It was made from an old salvaged crate (before upcycling was popular), it was a little twisted, and had a mural painted on the top.  We used it for several years, until I decided I needed a car/train table for some little boys, a few coats of paint later, and it gave little ones something to race cars around.  Times have changed again, I don't know if we need it anymore, seems wasteful in their play space, not getting used, so a few more coats of paint (this time chalk board paint), and it's out to join the rest of the second hand treasures for our next gathering.

This one was a little hard to let go, so we've sent it with a note to it's next owner. I wonder what will it be used for next?