Birch Swinging

Happiness is a Quick Fix

2012-01-30T11:23:00.000-08:00

Hey there, Happy Spots!

You are making my Craigslist office chair look rather spiffy!

And making my little computer corner cheery indeed.

Now.. what else can I spruce up?

We Want Another One Just Like the Other One!

2012-01-20T05:53:00.000-08:00

Tate brought home another face. This one even more interesting to me.

I think I am impressed largely because I always felt that people and faces eluded me when it came to drawing. I took a look at his faces and thought, "Hey, that's almost as good as work I was doing in high school!" So I dug some of them out.

The weird thing is that 20 years gives you some perspective. I actually was okay at this drawing business! Why was I so hard on myself? I really did not see any talent beyond my years here.

If my kids brought home sketches like this from school I would be high- fiving them! And I think my parents did too, in their own way (I remember them complimenting my art and being proud of me), but I also am not sure I showed them a lot of things. Oddly enough (ahem) 20 years has also blurred my memory a bit.

So I am having a fun little trip down memory lane with these sketches and seeing drawings that I have not even looked at in close to two decades.

Stay tuned for some more sharing. I'm not doing anything much in my CURRENT artistic life, so why not reminisce? ;-)

Slippery Slope

2012-01-17T05:41:00.001-08:00

I've never really been anywhere to go sledding. Sort of funny, considering I live in snow country. But, growing up, my parents had property and hills. Some of my friends' parents had property and hills. I think, only once, did I ever go to a park for sledding and that was when I was a teenager. My kids have been sledding, but also at my parents and some years we've had so much snow we've just built a hill in the back yard! So, when friends invited us for an MLK Day afternoon at a local hill, I wasn't sure what to expect.

What we found was a beautiful and slickly packed hill on a warming afternoon and a whole lot of kids. We had a little storm over the weekend (Oddly, the only of the season this year) and already the temps were rising again and turning the run into an almost icy slant. Today it is raining and slush abounds but a whole lot of people had the right idea yesterday: enjoy it while it's here!

There were a few collisions and a LOT of bumps, spinning sleds and tumbles, but mostly there were brave and daring kiddos

happy smiles

and some learning to steer and stop.

I suppose we'll be forced to do this again. ;-)

January Things

2012-01-12T09:38:00.001-08:00

January has been very Januaryish, except regarding the weather which has been warm- and- green- and- rather weird- but- we'll- take- it- ish. No worries. A big storm is coming, supposedly (which probably means we will get two inches of snow but the kids will be all vamped up hoping for a snow day), and the temps will drop and maybe we'll get some pretty snow. But then we have to shovel. Toss up over here on how I feel about that. Otherwise though, January is January. Full of beginnings and hopeful organizing and sickness. So in and around the sinus infection, pink eye and ear infections that have been going around at my house the past couple of weeks, here's what's happenin'.

There is some basement demolition going on. Slowly. Mike tore out some of the end paneling because we had a gross incident which required a visit from Mr. Roto-Rooter, a few days before Christmas in the basement, that kind of yucked up some spots worse than they were previously. The plan is to fix this "finished" space up as a sewing/crafting room for me, but with a little "hang out" space incorporated (that may also serve as a "guest room" of sorts eventually) and a place to watch tv so I can sew but still hang out with Mike in the evenings. Right now, we're just taking some old parts down to the bones to see what is in good shape and what we need to do and just how many nickels we will need to rub together just to do a simple job here.

He also took out the bar that used to be in this nook. Might be replaced with a kids/Mama crafting table and storage or might be part of the "hang out" area. Waiting to see how things come together. At any rate, I will be pretty much doubling the amount of space I have in my current sewing room so I have no complaints as long as it is cleaner than it is now and it's warm in the winter!

While I have been busy trying to begin (once again in my adult life) to incorporate some exercise time into my week and scheming ways to make our house space more pleasant and beneficial to our family, my boys have been creating. Calvin, at church kid's club, got crafty with paper.

Mr. Tate brought this home from school. I think both of my boys show artistic talent beyond average and, while I'm not one to cry "genius" at every little thing, this one caught my eye for a 7 year old.

Meanwhile, the warm temps have brought Gigi several dates with her boyfriend, Charlie Dog. Isn't he gorgeous?

And I, in my infinite "I know a useful bargain when I see one" way, am buying this locker cupboard from Charlie Dog's mama for 50 bucks and rearranged my living room to suit. Hello there three cubbies which have excited my children into actually putting away their things! I like you. Too bad you remind me how BLAH my walls are, but stop pointing it out. It's not on the current list.

Something that has made the list is recovering this old desk chair, which has taken quite a beating from my kids in the last couple years. Of COURSE, I didn't look ahead of time to see how the vinyl was attached so I bought awesome, albeit fairly heavyweight, fabric to cover it with but now I am afraid it will tear without some fused interfacing. So, here the split seat sits until I get my next coupon for Joann's.

Maybe, I should now get off MY seat and accomplish something in the quiet while everyone is at school. 45 minutes is going to go awfully quick.

Christmas 2011 Parts 3,4, and 5: Three Christmases

2012-01-04T08:06:00.001-08:00

Three Christmases and many pictures, so I have picked one from each day. The end.

12/24/11 Christmas at my parents'

everyone was there, including my soon-to-be niece-in-law (?), whom i had never met

there was music and much talking and laughing

and football around the ipad

12/25/11 Christmas at our house

first Christmas, with just us, where we have not had to leave during the day

started way too early... a little after 5am

kids were wonderful and appreciative and no tantrums until maybe 7pmish? a record

disappointing green weather

Christmas naps

12/27/11 Christmas at Mike's parents'

time with aunt laurie again....and her barbie dolls ;-)

games on the ipad, games on the table

Papa making tiara's with Ellie

food, food, food

Merry Christmases and, we're done!

Christmas 2011 Part 2: Mama Sews Something

2012-01-03T05:46:00.001-08:00

I didn't plan any of my sewing this year very well and I didn't do much. I am such a life procrastinator and it showed in my holiday crafting. I have some ideas for this year and I am hoping to not put things off so long. So in some late nights the week before Christmas, I made the kids messenger bags.

Truthfully, I hadn't even planned to do anything for them this year. Shame on me. But a month or so ago, the mom of the neighbor we gave the Spider Man bag to asked me if I would be able to make her son a messenger style bag if she bought the material. I figured I could, but as I had never made one before I thought I should mock one up to show her and to let her know specifics on amount of materials, etc. Thanks to advice from my dear friend Meg, who has made her own boys bags before, and material I had in my stash (including an old flannel bathrobe and a cool sweatshirt with a broken zipper) I figured it out and Tate's bag was born.

As it turns out, my neighbor never got around to picking out the fabric for her son's bag, so that was shelved for now. But I was inspired to put together a couple bags for the other two from stuff I had here already.....

including vintage Holly Hobbie fabric from my mama,

and one of those pairs of action pants with holes in the knee... ahem.

Every time I put something together like this that I love and feel so good about, I wonder why I don't make more things. Why I have so many plans but don't carve out the time to carry them out...

I'm not really sure I know the answer to "why," but I'm working on a way to make my sewing more pleasurable and convenient and, dare I say, more profitable? What can I say? A new year makes AnyThing seem possible.

New Year, More or Less

2012-01-01T15:48:00.000-08:00

We interrupt these late Christmas postings to bring you a New Year's greeting! Please note, the following picture was one of THREE good ones, out of about 75, taken in the fall in order to get a decent one of them all smiling and looking at me at the same time. Let me tell you, that was WORK people. Worth it though, right?

As for the new year: less is more. Unless more is better, then more is more. But I think it depends, more or less.

I'm hoping for...

less coffee, more water

less thinking, more doing

less spending, more saving

more exercise, less cellulite

less stressing, more praying

more books

more dark chocolate

more storage bins

less doubt, more self confidence

less wrinkles

less acne

less gray hairs

more wishful thinking :-)

less Bejeweled (I confess my recent addiction), more blogging

and Whirly Word, cuz that game rocks

more sewing

more knitting

more singing and dancing

more focus

more discipline

more time

Ecclesiastes 3

A Time for Everything

¹ There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:

² a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
³ a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
⁴ a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
⁵ a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
⁶ a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
⁷ a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
⁸ a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.

⁹ What do workers gain from their toil? ¹⁰ I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race. ¹¹ He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet^[a] no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. ¹² I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live.¹³

Christmas 2011 Part 1: Getting Ready

2011-12-30T06:42:00.000-08:00

Happy post-Christmas glow basking, friends and family! I have fallen so far behind on this blogging business (... a problem I intend to remedy with my New Year's Resolutions, at least for the month that I keep my New Year's Resolutions. Perhaps they should be called January Resolutions? I digress.) that I am breaking up Christmas doings into several posts or I shall be sitting at this computer all morning basking in ITS glow rather than showering, enjoying my lovely family, and putting some food in my cupboards. So let's back up....

The week before Christmas brought Mike's sister up from Florida to stay for a few days and kept my kids in school until the 23rd, a blessing and a curse one in the same. That Friday they got to wear pajamas to school and have parties in the afternoons and, well, God bless their teachers. Before that Friday, there were busy evenings of looking at Christmas lights and baking cookies with Daddy... always a favorite.

Look, he's smiling!!!

Waiting patiently or getting sleepy?

No, she is not a thug, nor is my house THAT cold. She's from the south, remember?

Gigi, did not join in eating the cookies... this time... although she has recently been cookie snatching in her spare time. See how she's eyeballing me? Perhaps wondering when we will leave the plate of treats alone on the table already?

After all that patience, the decorating DID get a little out of hand.

And COMPLETELY wore our guest out. (To be fair, she had only had a few hours of sleep the night before...)

And, after the cooking, there was Mama sewing. But that's another post altogether.

Photo.....piphany?

2011-12-06T15:54:00.000-08:00

Just before Thanksgiving a good friend asked me to take pictures of her family for their Christmas card. Moi? Truly, I was flattered. And sort of nervous. I DO love to take pictures. SOMETIMES I think I have an eye for a good shot. Other times I am just reminded of how very little I really do KNOW about the subject. I want my pictures to look like this. I want to have cool editing software like this. My photo reality is somewhat less spectacular. Still I enjoyed the process and think it's the kind of thing I'd like to figure out how to do more of. I learned that I

1. find it pretty easy to take pictures of kids, but not as easy as inanimate objects. ;-)

2. find I am not good at giving directions to my subjects. Something I maybe should have thought more about before tackling a photo session with 4 people and 3 dogs. I am used to being the "just pretend I'm not here" photographer, not the "okay, everybody look at me" girl. Probably a "photo session" should have a nice AND COMFORTABLE balance of both.

3. should just take MORE pictures, instead of waiting sometimes. It's digital. What's my problem?

4. still feel happy even if only a handful turned out in a way that makes ME feel good, but wouldn't feel the same way if I were charging a photographer's fee.

5. Can't wait to get their Christmas card.

So, no photog business plans any time soon, but I'm happy to practice on my family and friends...

Shhhhh....

2011-11-27T06:35:00.000-08:00

... my secret life as a spy has caught up with me and I've gone off grid.

Kidding. But I think my real life has caught up with me anyway, it's just less exciting. We DID have some excitement around here though. Pip had a birthday!! One started collection of Star Wars action figures

and Bey Blade battles (Who knew this toy would bring so many hours of enjoyment? Not me. I figured two tops from the dollar store and a mixing bowl would last about as long and cost a lot less, but they really surprised me. HOURS of all three of them "letting it rip!" )

some art

and building messes

and three cakes later

you're seven!

Truthfully, it did not all go that smoothly. Somehow my boy that has trouble going to sleep when he is excited, also had trouble sleeping past 5:30 for a few days in a row. Behavior at Nana and Papa's was less than, ahem, ideal for Thanksgiving and birthday. All three have been requiring A LOT of my energy lately just to keep them from killing each other and to get them to do ANYTHING around here. Trying to "figure it out" is also taking a lot of my focus in addition to just the usual trio of dishes, laundry and picking up. I am missing being creative: writing, photo taking, sewing, knitting. I am missing my little community in this space. I am missing carving out time and space for myself, but I can't seem to make it all work so right now that is what is sliding. Hoping that maybe I can get my craft on a little for Christmas though, so stay tuned.

Just don't hold your breath.

The Force is Strong With These Ones

2011-11-07T09:11:00.000-08:00

Oh, I'm sorry. Was Halloween LAST week at your house?

I blame it on the Jedi mind tricks.

Jekyll or Hyde?

2011-10-27T06:20:00.000-07:00

My children case me to feel like I have a split personality almost on a daily basis. How do they manage to inspire feelings of both exasperated stress and amazed pride at the same time??

Especially my middle. Stubborn as a mule. Mouthy as a blue jay when he's mad. But funny as a.... hmmm.... platypus?

It's red ribbon week at school. They are all saying no to drugs and giving the world CPR (Children Practicing Respect) in classrooms and assemblies. They are wearing red, backward clothes ("Turn Your Back on Drugs"), and TODAY was wear a goofy hat to school for "Put a Cap on Drug Use." (Never mind that I can't say it without it wanting to come out as "pop a cap in drug use, Dawg!")

Of course, we are last minute around here. It's how we roll. If we're not late, we are down to the wire with most things. So this morning Calvin sorted through whatever crazy dress up kind of hats we had. He tried everything on, sometimes piling several on top of each other to get a laugh out of all of us and settled on a knit cap that said Merry Christmas. He's a funny kid with a growing sense of ironic humor that I adore.

Tate (not really understanding irony at all), slept in and decided to start making a paper propeller hat almost immediately upon coming downstairs. Could he have possibly MENTIONED to me that he wanted to do this a tad earlier than oh, say, 45 minutes before the bus on the day OF? And, of course, he is yelling at me about every suggestion I make to alter his plans because of the time factor. Could we tape the propeller to a bucket hat? Do you even have an ACTUAL plan as to how the pieces of decorated paper will become a hat? Do you know that this will probably get torn at school and that you're going to have to be SO careful not to wreck it? What a Debbie Downer I am. Practical Polly? No-Nonsense Nelly? Professor Poopypants? This is sort of fun... sorry, where was I? Point is, I was pointing out all the reasons this wasn't going to work and why it was inconvenient for me (in the middle of a wreck of a kitchen, milk spilling out of bowls on the table, 4 boys and crazy girl crammed around into my little living room and kitchen). WHY didn't you tell me sooner that you wanted to do this? You realize you haven't really eaten and you don't have shoes on? On and on. But my Pip is, as mentioned, stubborn as a mule. The more I tried to talk him out of it, the more he dug in his heels. Angry with me for every reason I gave and more and more determined to have JUST what he imagined in his head. (A slight digression: I cannot, for the LIFE of me imagine where on earth...ahem.. he could POSSIBLY get this crazy determination to make things with no instructions and sketchy plans and expect them to turn out exactly as envisioned. (please insert exasperated, slightly embarrassed eye roll here.)

So here is where I get to the amazed and proud part. What he lacks in planning and time management skills (I don't know anyone with that problem either; I don't have a house of dirty dishes and laundry while I sit here typing away at the computer on an unnecessary (but personally fulfilling) task.... Am I convincing ANYONE here?), he makes up for in awesome creativity and an incredible lack of caring what anyone else thinks. So did I help him in the end because we (sort of ) DID have time and because I love him dearly and because **I** know how to make a sloppy paper beanie in 5 minutes with scissors and tape and staples?

Of course I did.

Anyway, I dare any of you to resist this cute little kid.

No really, I dare you. He can actually be quite frightening when he's mad. And adorable. Guess I'm not the only one around here with a split personality.

The (Pinball Brain) Mentalist

2011-10-22T08:36:00.000-07:00

Let me tell you that, in my mind, I have been ROCKING the blog world lately. My posts are witty and insightful, my projects are inspiring, my photos? Breathtaking.

Mentally, I have written a post about how we are completely off base as a society with our overuse of rude terms like: idiot, moron, dummy and loser. Why did we stop using "fool." Mr. T had it right man. And while foolishness may sometimes be a derivative of stupidity, it truly needs it's own label as it can exist quite independently from a lack of intelligence. Unfortunately, the computer didn't get my telepathy and there was no time when I got in from raking the lawn.

And speaking of computer assistance, I also had some good material on the new iphone's little Siri and my excitement over her inner-nerd. Do you know that one of her responses to "what is the meaning of life?" is "42."??? Seriously, if you "get" that we need to get together to discuss the deeper meanings of Star Wars and if this new wave of superhero films are truly doing the genre justice.

And, speaking of Star Wars, my boys went all classic up in this joint for Halloween this year. Darth vs. Luke. And, while I am quite certain Tate was mostly interested in Luke for the promised light saber to go with his (highly overpriced) costume, I must admit my excitement for the photo ops. (Yeah, I still take pictures. Occasionally.) If only I could have sold Ellerie on Princess Leia. I was certain "princess" would win her over, but the lack of pink glitter and a crown sort of did the deal in. If I could have roped her, I would TOTALLY have made A & A dress Milo up as Yoda and take him trick or treating with us in spite of his lack of candy teeth and inability to say "trick or treat!"

And, speaking of Halloween, Ms. E would ONLY be a unicorn. She had a vision and she was not about to compromise. Nothing I found pleased her, so we fell back to Mama-made, even though I was uncertain how to proceed. In the end, we went along one feature at a time with some remnant-bin-fabrics and I convinced her she was SILVER, since what she wanted was to be white. I'm rather pleased, actually. Maybe I could make a business out of converting hoodies into costumes??

And, speaking of starting a sewing business..... I really, really want to. I have the vision, but I waiver on the confidence and then bury myself under the reality of how to fit it into my life. Maybe next year? Seems like there are SO many things asking for my time and at least three of those things are VERY DIFFICULT to ignore ;-) The question also remains as to how long one can, in good conscience, go on avoiding things like dishes, dirty floors and showers, dog toenails and personal hygiene in order to pursue a dream that may or may not prove to be anywhere near financially fruitful in spite of being fun as kites.

And, speaking of ignoring children and things that need to be done, I guess I've done enough of that for one day. Off to tackle laundry and write a mental post about why white children's clothing should be illegal and how the knees of all boys' pants should be reinforced with, say, kevlar.

Not To Be Corny, But....

2011-10-11T08:41:00.000-07:00

We saw a whole lot of this yesterday.

No, really.

While Grandpa was gone camping, Grandma came and treated us to our first corn maze. It was super hot for October, every row looked the same as the last, and we never really ate lunch. It was still fun!

I couldn't help thinking it was the perfect setting for a murder mystery. We were in there for SO long and still didn't finish the whole thing. We got hot and thirsty and soon the kids were looking for the way out. Still missing half of our clues and dinosaur rubbings, we took a shortcut under the bridge to find some refreshment.

Cal and Grandma were the best at dino fact finding, but it was just too much for little legs. We finished up on Google when we got home.

After drinks we took a second shot at the mini-maze, where Cal managed to collect all five colors and Mama managed to still feel lost.

Ah, the cow train and a chance to sit down. Plus how can one resist a ride with your name on it?

Tate and Calvin rode the train at least five times and there was a little competitive tricycling

and duck races too.

So good to start the week outdoors and sun-soaked and hanging out with my family.

Maybe a little corny, but true.

Murphy's Law or Something Like It

2011-09-29T13:52:00.000-07:00

To keep me humble, God has followed my "my hair looks awesome post" with 4 days of extreme humidity and gloomy rain deluges. Instead of sleek and chic, I am back to "my hair just does it's own thing" only I can't be rescued with an elastic band. The dreariness also explains the following photos, not taken at night. I've been putting together a birthday present for a friend of Tate's down the street. He is awesomely into super heros and I found the perfect fabric at my favorite place, the thrift store, put it with some in-my-stash denim and some cool art supplies and voila!

tote bag

filled with dry erase board and crayons, blank comic books (also found a cool version here)

and a colored pencil roll

Apparently, heading back toward a state of chaos is the norm for all things around here, not just my hair. After just one sewing project, my sewing room looks like a junk room again. Seriously, me and my (only sometimes) creative messes. I have been trying to remedy my natural tendency for disarray, by arranging an "office" space in my living room. So far, so good. Bulletin board for school lunch menu and the kids' schedules. Hanging clip boards for each of our important papers, forms to sign, spelling words of the week, etc. And two flat surfaces for me to inevitably clutter up to the point of what I am starting to think is our "natural state."

Makeover

2011-09-24T07:46:00.001-07:00

This was a weird week. Mike was off, but the kids all had school. We had two meet the teacher nights for the boys and started up regular preschool days for baby girl. I tried to create an "office" in the middle of my living room (more on that later) and Mike dug several more tree roots out of our fence line.. a huge relief even if the fence is still a mess. I got almost nothing done that I wanted to and even less than I should for the basics. BUT I did get new glasses and a new haircut. I am not one for posting pics of myself, as I almost always hate them, but I didn't do a birthday picture this year and I

may never look this good

again.

For reals. LOVE IT. I feel like I've lost ten pounds (no, seriously, my hair is that heavy) and like I no longer have wadded up college hair or wadded up new mom hair. Now the question is, how good will the girl who only likes to pay for a haircut 2 or 3 times a year when she is feeling really gross and desperate be about maintaining an actual hairstyle. :-)

#3

2011-09-12T10:40:00.000-07:00

The third quilt in the Judy, Jill and Jean quilts is finished! Pretty much like #1 and #2, only edged and bound with more blues and greens.

The back is part of a thrifted IKEA duvet cover decorated, of course, with the paper doll fabric and some more vintage family pieces. The duvet had a few little holes, so no longer a happy cover, but the perfect back to a quilt if I do say so. I am excited to have more of that fabric lying around. I have never really been a fan of hearts on things, but clearly doodle hearts are a different story.

Now, we'll just have to paint that bunk bed for The Bird. Considering it took me over two years to make the quilts, lets just not hold our breath or anything, k?

Welcome Fall

2011-09-06T08:08:00.000-07:00

August was fast and often furious. My children left wreckage in my house and yard and some in my parenting soul. Truthfully, there was fighting. And yelling. And tears and mean words. And I'd be lying if I said it was just the kids. The end of summer brought my temper to a rolling boil after weeks of simmering over sassy mouths and quick fists. I am OVER vacation. I bought an alarm clock and a new vacuum and I am ready for Fall. But lest I throw our proverbial baby out with its bathwater, August had it's happy, happy too...

It was hotdogs in the back yard.

Baseball with Nana and Papa

with fireworks for dessert.

It was the county fair with Grandma and Grandpa.

It was making new friends

and chilling with ones established.

And some just hanging around.

Now the pool is down and evening comes a little quicker. The weather, after a horribly sticky last hurrah, has turned suddenly cool and dreary. I am another year older according to the weekend's calendar, though I have to stop and think to say how old that is. The boys start school tomorrow. I alternate between making lists, breathing deeply and giddy excitement over us all getting some much needed space. I'm glad it's cool. I'm glad for new sneakers and jeans. For new routine and new focus.

Hello Autumn, good to see you.

Little Celebrations

2011-08-02T11:10:00.000-07:00

I find, I have to celebrate where I can. There are always so many things I am NOT celebrating, (for instance my recent haircut by teenage girl who clearly didn't give a flying leap about ensuring that ALL of my ridicuthick hair was layered evenly), that it helps my attitude from totally tanking to stop a moment and say "yay!!" over the smallest of happy moments.

Today, something crazy happened. Something so obscenely crazy I can almost not believe it. My kids asked me to watch tv.... no, no, that is most definitely NOT it, wait for it.... and when I called through the bathroom door, as I tried to attach my post shower towel in order to make eye contact with the beggars while I negotiated, and said "I think you could, but you'll all need to tidy up the basement first. You've left it messy for a couple days now," do you know what happened?

They did it.

Even without the eye contact.

All three.

No complaints.

Done and done in five minutes. I suddenly felt like the tailor from "Fiddler." People, miracles do happen. Proof. For reals.

Also, in less exciting news, last month I sewed. Something of a miraculous feat these days too, it would seem. I took less than thrilling pictures, but I created something cute and useful. Too many salads to too many picnics without a proper lid for my melamine bowl left me cranky so I did something about it.

It's got a hat now. A cheery, vintage gingham cap.

Not my original idea. I saw it all inspiring somewhere at some point, but don't remember. But if you want to do it, here's what I did.

Choose two fabrics (one preferably with some amount of "wipe-ability", but not required)

On the wrong side of the first fabric, flip your bowl upside down and trace.

Now draw another circle around it, but a couple inches bigger. Cut out the bigger circle.

Pin it to the other fabric and cut out another.

Put right sides together and sew a 1/4 inchish seam around the edge, leaving enough room to turn it rightside out.

Turn it and press.

Now sew in again a 1/4 to 1/2 inch (depending on how thick the elastic lying around in your sewing drawer is and what size your safety pin is) topstitch ALL the way around the circle, you should still have a little opening where you originally turned the fabrics.

Put a safety pin in the end of the elastic and use that opening to thread it all the way around the edge of your circle until the there are plenty of gathers, but plenty of stretch in the elastic still.

Sew the elastic together and hand or machine stitch the opening closed.

Add "to go" food.

Easy and quick. But don't ask me when I'll get to the other bowls in the set. I mean, really, how much celebrating of happy miracles can one girl take?

Scattered and a Little Sappy With some Family History Thrown In

2011-07-28T15:12:00.000-07:00

Tonight, in honor of my little Gram, I fried our eggs in the bacon grease. A rather unhealthy homage, for sure, but somehow I had to do it. I don't care how long she's gone, I love my Gram beyond. She was the bees knees. She played UNO and Tiddlywinks and taught me how to "shade" even in coloring books. She got down on the floor and gamed and built with me and told me about her two "dolls" from childhood that were made of blocks: "Puker" and "Gagger." I knew that was funny as a kid, but not sure I completely understood how hysterical that really was. She and Great-Aunt Irene would play with them. Puker and Gagger. Ha! Gram was the youngest of 10 so you know there were some boys in there. Ahem.

This afternoon, my parents brought me a card she wrote me as a little child. I would have scanned it, but I don't know how to use the current scanner. (I know, I know, but Gram would understand) It said, "Dear Pal, I guess I don't have to tell you how much I love you, but think I'd better. Thank you for being my teacher in those printing lessons. As yet guess I have not done to [sic] well. (with wobbly printing) LOVe Gra/A M."

Here she is getting married to my handsome (paternal) grandpa:

Grandpa Milo's family was from Norway and I can't stop thinking about the nut job that just took all those lives in Oslo and Utoya Island and wishing the media would stop referring to him as a Christian, right-winged fundamentalist or what-have-you. He is not any sort of Christian, he is anti-Muslim. 'Nuff said. I hope they lock him up, but I hope he gets help.

Sometimes I feel like I need a little help. My eldest threw a ridONKulous tantrum today over me not having the lunch available that he preferred. It would have been bad enough, but he did it with my Mama and Daddy here. Mind you, they don't judge me or him. Truly I have the most amazing and supportive parents. I wish I had understood 20 years ago how fabulous they were. So I can only hope that Cal will "get it" someday too. Future daughter-in-law, I'm so sorry if I never taught him to pick up his wet towel or his underwear. I was too busy trying to teach him to speak respectfully to women and not to expect to be totally catered to. I hope it paid off. If it didn't, I am sorry he duped you with his good looks and charm. I'd say "sense of humor" but if he's still all about bodily functions and the word "stupid" then I am going to guess that is likely not what drew you in.

My middle had his fist to my throat today. (Truly, that sounds worse than it was. I mean, it was naughty but he's six. He wasn't choking me or punching me. He was mad. He just probably WANTED to choke and punch me.) That said, he did reign it in without actually touching me and later he apologized. There is PROGRESS. And the neighbor boys fight too and sometimes ignore their mama or lose their temper. It's not just me. We just have to stay on these boys to turn them into gentlemen. Right? (Please say "right.")

In spite of these kinds of days, I love my boys (and my gal) to bits. They are wearing me down, giving me wrinkles and gray hair and, as proved by last night, causing me to grind my teeth in my sleep to the point of exhausting jaw and teeth pain. God give me strength to keep loving them all through whatever they throw at me. I had a great example and I threw some stuff, so I do believe we'll make it. If we don't, just take me out of the padded cell and straight jacket at least for holidays, okay?

Gigi is the best, sweetest, goofiest dog ever. I adore her. I want another one, but just like her. One of my neighbors (and friends), whose boys are also pals of my boys, just got THE MOST ADORABLE puppy. Kind of like this (I totally stole this image from a website so I apologize if I've done something I shouldn't), only smaller still:

I could eat her up. She is the softest thing ever. I am getting her (the neighbor's) boys on the bus this year, so I think I will be asking to "borrow" the dog once in awhile too.

Gigi has another new neighborhood friend that we've been sort of dog sitting lately. A neighbor that goes to our church and recently had a baby. They were having trouble getting Layna enough exercise and were, originally, looking to give the dog away as they were feeling so overwhelmed. But we've been taking her beautiful black shepherd self here and there to give them a break and will watch her for the weekend in a couple weeks so they can take the baby to meet her grandpa. I like to help people. And, I like dogs.

The weekend we have the dog, we have to figure out what to do with both pups while we travel to my folks (not long. 1.5 hours) for a picnic with some of my mom's relatives from Sweden. Kinda cool. Never met them. May never see them again, but it's pretty neat. Wonder what they will think of us showing up with three wild kiddos and a couple dogs. Awesome. I can only hope someone tries to throw a tantrum like today to really complete the "American stereotype." :-) Granted, I don't plan on drinking any Bud Light or eating McDonalds, so maybe we're okay!

I need to go put #2 and #3 to bed. Cal is at his end-of-season baseball picnic with Daddy. We made it to both the boys' end of season games and it was fun as kites to see Cal and his buddy Zach make a great play at first base and see how much he's learned this year. Tate was voted "Outstanding Hitter" for his team. I don't know whether they will stick to baseball or not, but I love that they are doing it now and would pick it over any sport for kids their age. Not sure Ellie is interested though, so maybe she will have to go another route when she's ready. Maybe gymnastics? Not dance, though she's a natural. Sorry Kor, I just can't do it. ;-)

I am putting off bedtime and tidying up, but it needs to be done. End of story? My kids are naughty, but fabulous. My dog is fabulous, but sometimes naughty. My family is just fabulous. Friends? Let's make the make the most of the few weeks before we're back to the school-year grind.

**MWAH**

Ms. G, I Found Our Retirement Home

2011-07-17T09:47:00.000-07:00

And there are some more of you out there we'd love to join us!

Seriously, if this video doesn't make you smile, I don't know what will....

Heat Wave

2011-07-12T06:24:00.000-07:00

So far, July has been hot, hot, hot. Brown grass, scorched plants, sticky air, panting dog hot. But in the midst of it, this little chickadee is learning in our tiny pool to swim on her own.. even without a bubble.

Hot diggity!

Selective Memory

2011-07-03T12:22:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I start worrying about weird things. Maybe weird is not the right word. Unnecessary? Maybe worry isn't even the right word. I just get this hamster wheel brain thing going and I can't stop myself. Like today, I stood at the kitchen sink in a pretty summer dress and a vintage apron, keenly aware that I was unsure where the waist of my apron should go, as the dress I was wearing was high waisted. Really? Up under my bust? Except the other way was incredibly strange and gave me a funny little "puff" between my chest and my actual waist. Nobody needs an extra puff in that area, I don't care who you are.

And then I started watching my kids splashing around in our cheapy inflatable pool with their 2 dollar squirt guns and hand me down swim suits. I saw them happy and laughing and silly and fighting and showing off for me in turn. I watched the bottom of Ellerie's bikini droop farther and farther off her bum the longer she was wet. I heard countless "Mommy, watch me"s and I soaked in the heat and sunshine while I washed the dishes (from the past three days that couldn't go in the dishwasher). I felt warm and fuzzy, nostalgic and weirdly sad all at the same time. Will they look back on this summer remembering the joy they felt squirting each other in the face with a water gun? The happiness of climbing the tree with an icee in their hand? Or will they remember being forced to sit in the van after church because of a bad attitude, screaming for all who passed by to hear "I HATE EVERYONE!!!!!" Will they remember me constantly yelling and nagging and then crying? Will they take me out of my straight jacket for holiday dinners only to STILL complain about what I cooked? ;-)

Mostly, all of this speculation doesn't matter. I do my best, I say I'm sorry when I don't and I start over. I know that my kiddos know they are loved deeply, but sometimes it does feel like there is so much negativity. So much fighting and whining and anger and tears, it makes me wonder how all the joy will shine through when they look back. When I look back. But memories do seem to mellow. Sometimes I wish I could have more of the rosiness right now. Still nostalgia, being what it is, requires time and perspective. Things taken for granted now will be savored later.

Truth be told, I don't mind if we all remember each other someday with an extra touch of sweetness.

But, I'll be fine if we forget my belly poof altogether.

June is Done

2011-07-01T11:22:00.000-07:00

Well, we rounded out June and the start of summer vacation with some water time with good friends.

Then we dove straight into VBS week, prepping our church for the hundreds of kids that were relying on our team's 6 months of planning for an awesome week learning about how wild God is about all of us!

Whether because of us or in spite of us, God used these little kiddos to bring in a big supply of food for our community food cupboard

and a good chunk of change for church plants in Cambodia in only 4 days!

And, you know, I think they had a little fun too...

Oh, Hello There

2011-06-23T15:55:00.000-07:00

We're still here. I'm just not, you know, HERE.

We've been doing a lot of this:

And a little of this:

And they've been doing a whole lot of Pokemon card trading (but not always this nicely):

And then more baseball, but this time watching the (almost) big leagues:

And, you guessed it, more baseball:

The kids finished school yesterday.... YAY!

They were already fighting today before friends came over.... booo....

And the only reason I am sitting here right now is because Cal got rained out tonight.

Ah, summertime. Thank you for finally arriving and bringing baseball and friends and swimming and no more school and frozen treats and pajamas at 10 am. I will try very hard to just enjoy you and your mostly unscheduled ways.

Right after VBS ;-)

Breathe

2011-06-07T13:18:00.000-07:00

Things have been happening around here, but I don't write. I don't even have time to type this now but days are speeding by and no matter where I put my energy I feel like I am missing something. T-ball and baseball have started, neighborhood playdates and cookouts have started, outdoor projects are being worked on and piling up. Laundry and dishes continue to rule my days. It is the end of the fiscal year at my "job" and the final two weeks before VBS at my church where I help serve on the directors team. I have tried to start, in an attempt to stop feeling SADLY out of shape and to avoid having to buy a whole new size of clothing for my bum to fit in, working out again. It's good, but hard and one more thing in my day.

Last weekend I was at the craft store buying some VBS supplies. I had a cute little blonde teenage checkout girl. She said "I like your t-shirt," with a perky smile. She was notably lacking in smile lines and wrinkles. "Thank you," I smiled back. Well that was nice. I was already feeling pretty hip for painting my toenails a flashy purple earlier in the week. (I won't mention that mostly I just felt hip for ACTUALLY painting my toenails. ahem.)

"Yeah," she added, " that 'Life is Good' stuff is like all my mom wears."

And there it is.

SIGH.

Used Without Permission and Ellie Stuff

2011-05-25T10:02:00.000-07:00

Ellerie had her end of the year program for preschool yesterday. We, of course, were running late and somehow our camera had the tiniest memory card ever in it so these pictures are courtesy of Papa Paul. Running late? Moi? I know, it's hard to believe. Grandma Betty wondered why (nicely, not accusingly) and I could only reply that it's just what we do and shake my head. Oh well, no more late for preschool mornings until next fall! Yippee! Next year I may get all sappy as it will be my baby being done and moving on to school and no more of my favorite teachers and all that business, but for this year I am thrilled to have less trips per week. Ellie did a fab job singing and showing off for all the grandmas and grandpas and I couldn't ask for anything more.

Then we all came home and hung out in the sunshine, Ellie trading her fancy sandals for more appropriate attire. I mean, doesn't everyone play in the dirty back yard with the dog in a long dress and Big Brother's rainboots? But that's my girl sugar and spice AND snails and puppy dog tails.

This is also my girl. I took this a couple weeks ago. I don't remember the weather, but it was NOT hot outside. That was her getup: tank top and shorts, dress-up heels (thanks to GiGi chewing the bow off one of them), and a fur lined vest recently handed down from the neighbor girls. Hot Stuff, I tell you.

I have a feeling Miss Fashionista and I will butt heads over clothing choices once or twice before we're done. It's already starting as, currently, I have to remind her quite frequently to just put it on. And with the weather turning all of 70 here, she is in full on bathing suit mode, wanting to daily wear all of them (we have several hand me downs from the neighbor girls who have a pool). I have to confess that it IS fun to have a girl though. Right now. So, I'd better go enjoy her because I might not say the same in, say, 8 years. ;-)

At Week's End

2011-05-13T13:44:00.000-07:00

I got to hang out a little bit with this cutie. To pass down a few goodies for re-using. To see my brother and SIL's beautiful house renovation progress.

I had a reasonably productive VBS week, but not so much on my other two jobs.

We had beautiful weather. Today is hot and sticky. I will not complain.

I did nothing to my back, but managed to hurt it anyway. Just walking along and, BAM, my back seized up. It's been hurting rather badly ever since, although improving in starts and fits. Trying to be grateful that this is not a constant problem for me without succumbing to worry that this is somehow the start of a new constant problem and to keep from being generally crabby because I DO NOT HAVE BACK PROBLEMS.

One car went in for repairs yesterday and the other one is up next. As my ironic life would have it, the ONE day the nurse's office calls me from school is the ONE day that I have no vehicle. But my fab friend and neighbor came to the rescue and we went to get Cal. He's fine. We're pretty sure it's allergies.

We are trying to grow grass, again.

My dad's 70th birthday party is tomorrow. It will be good to see family. My oldest nephew also graduates from college tomorrow and is recently engaged. Man time is a-flyin.

I am currently typing to the sound of my kids in the driveway playing with neighborhood friends: bikes, Pokemon, basketball and chalk. There is some reflection of a Norman Rockwell painting here while my Gigi pup hangs by my side trying to stay cool under the fan. Summer is coming and it may be in the burbs, not the country where I always thought I'd be, but I'm okay with that.

81 and muggy in the house. Why, oh why, am I making pizza tonight in a 500 degree oven? Happy Friday!

Gratefulish Friday

2011-05-06T05:09:00.000-07:00

I have been seriously considering evolving some fins and gills. Maybe a mermaid tail? I could rock that, right? We have had so much rain and miserable, cloudy weather that being cold-blooded did sound like some kind of coping to me. We had something like 17 or 18 straight days of little or no sun? (Don't quote me. I'm not making a statement about Planned Parenthood).

Well, we did get a break last Saturday. It was lovely. Warmish with shiny, happy sunshine. And, where did I end up for the afternoon? Indoors, in the dark. I don't mean that as complaint, it was a nice afternoon. Just ironic, you know. Fact is, thoughtful Aunt Laurie sent Ellerie and I to a local children's theater production of "Alice in Wonderland" for Elle's birthday, rather than getting her more stuff. Awesome, I know.

On top of it, The Bird, got to dress up all fancy-like and hit the theater in style. Check out this pretty dress! I won this a few weeks ago from Susannah over at An Art Nest. She is such a fab all around talented artist and person. She made that dress and then GAVE IT AWAY. Clearly, she is also generous because I'm not sure I could spend that kind of time and then send it to a complete stranger. ;-)

And, the good news is, the sun is back out and is scheduled to make appearances next week as well. Now if I could just get the temps up about 10 degrees.....

Random Bits

2011-04-28T06:47:00.000-07:00

Maybe the pic is too small. But, really? Pizza Hut opens at 12 am on Sundays? I highly doubt that. Please management, this is a public building. Drives me insane.

We spent Easter at my parents' without Mike. For the first time since we moved here, we had trouble with flooding in our basement. It has been SO wet. Just barely any sun for weeks and tons of rain, so Mike spent the weekend researching sump-pumps and periodically emptying the crock in the basement. The kids and I had a nice time but, of course, they were all getting sick and so cranky, mouthy behavior followed. I probably wouldn't list it as my favorite Easter ever.

This week I'm running doggy day-care for our neighbors' dog. They've been at the hospital with his mom, so Gigi is getting a few days with her boyfriend. She's thrilled, even if he does keep losing puppy teeth and bleeding all over her white coat :-) My neighbor and I have decided we should have named them Romeo and Juliet as they frequently gaze across the street out their windows or through their fences and whine for each other.

I get very discouraged when I have grand plans for things and no budget or time to do them. I need to work on being content. I am thankful for what I have, but not always content with it. I am learning there is a difference and that I need to work on patience.

Speaking of discontent: my yard looks like garbage. We have weeds, crab grass, maple tree saplings abound, ants, bees and moss but hardly any grass. SIGH.

Not sure what I am going to do with the dogs when I go pick up Ellerie from preschool. I have just over an hour to figure it out.

That's it. I got nothin'.

Good Friday Music

2011-04-22T04:57:00.000-07:00

Spring Break What?

2011-04-20T05:07:00.000-07:00

See how depressed Pink Panther looks here? That's sort of how I feel this week. In Pink's case, it isn't because he hasn't been getting any attention.

Quite the opposite. He's been played to death. Along with Pinky-Dinky Doo and Phineas and Ferb. The troops have been literally spending their afternoons glued to Netflix streaming.

And I really can't blame them.

This was how our Spring Break Monday started out:

And it really hasn't got any better.

Thank God for Splash Week at the Y in the mornings or we might be Netflixing it all day.

Speaking of, we're gonna be late if I don't stop whining here and get my bum moving. After all, it'll have plenty of rest time later when we're zoning out to The Super Mario Brothers Super Show. ;-)

The Party Life

2011-04-11T05:19:00.000-07:00

We had a whole lot of birthdays this past week. My second youngest nephew turned 16. My baby girl(s) turned 4

and 1. Gigi got a play date with her best bud down the street. Literally 4 straight hours of this:

Then she proceeded to destroy half of her birthday presents within three days, including this awesome flying duck, and to help herself to her own cupcake at Saturday's birthday party. Ahem. Seriously rethinking this G(ood) G(irl) name.

My very youngest nephew also had a big day. He turned one! Such a cutie.

I made him his own birthday crown and was SO happy with how it turned out...

It is currently, however, a tad too big.

Doesn't matter on such a handsome little dude and hopefully it'll be just right starting next year.

Back to regular life for a week with decisions to make about yearbooks and book fairs and Easter baskets. I don't know why one of my pics loaded bigger and the rest tiny and it is driving me nuts but I am forcing myself not to waste time going back to fix it. Too many more important things to do like drinking my coffee and scooping dog poop. (Not at the same time though. That would be weird, even for me.) Plus I swear the laundry alone is a full time job around here. And I'm sick with some little virus that gives me the usual happy congestion, but throws in a nice kicker of me waking every day with a headache like I've been beaten all night with a hammer and every movement feels as if I'm getting one more knock. But it's 70 this morning. SEVENTY!!!! And I know it's gonna rain, but I must soak this day in before it's back to 50 tomorrow. So i'm off to try to do just that. And to take some more ibuprofen. ;-)

Ellerie is Four!

2011-04-07T10:10:00.000-07:00

Huh? This doesn't look like a happy birthday girl.... Although I'm pretty sure she's trying HARD not to laugh.

What's up? Tate's ready to party..

That's better.

Make a wish!

Not sure if your wish came true, but mine did.

Innovation ;-)

2011-04-01T12:29:00.000-07:00

So glad Mike stumbled across a solution for my typing woes and solved my "I never have time to exercise" dilemma in the process.

You're laughing right? Play the video. Now imagine everyone in an office or your house doing this at the same time. Good times.

In other news, my hands and arms have been MUCH better, so I should not have to convert to aerobic emails just yet. They're not perfect, but not waking me up at night, so I'm good. I cancelled the appointment and am just trying to manage my time with certain activities better.

Which does include typing so I am off to put laundry away which, unfortunately never seems to bother my hands and arms. I'd be happy to just do a funny little dance to get that done.

It Could Be Worse

2011-03-23T09:14:00.001-07:00

This picture has nothing to do with anything. The boys just got to go to Monster Jam with their daddy and their papa a couple weeks ago. Pretty cool. And, you know, this looks bad, but it could be worse.

It's SNOWING today. Big fluffy, beautiful snow flakes that I keep furiously wishing away. WHY DO I LIVE WHERE IT KEEPS ON SNOWING AND BEING COLD LONG AFTER SPRING STARTS??? But, then again, it's not an earthquake. It could be worse.

I have struggled with hand and arm pain on and off for a few years. Typically I might have a few bad days, even a bad week here and there, but it's been consistently bad for the past few weeks. Bad to the point of waking me at night. Bad to the point of making me call to have a specialist look at it. I am trying to limit my computer time to "necessary" and close to it to reduce some of the hand cramping. It's unpleasant and annoying, but it could be worse.

So, if you're wondering where I've gone, I'm nursing my wounds and replacing all my windows with LCD screens filled with slideshows of tropical locations.

Kidding. I would never do that....

Cuz I can't afford it. Who needs fresh air, when you've got fake sun?

Hey, I could be worse.

Itch Scratched

2011-03-13T16:20:00.000-07:00

Two long-sleeved Ts, a bit of cheap Walmart jersey from my stash, some old buttons from the jar and some scrap felt later:

two lettermen sweaters.

Aaaahhhh... bees, be gone.

Next year, Birdie needs a poodle skirt.

But maybe with some vinyl or a rotary phone, 'cuz poodles kinda creep me out.

Buzzing Bonnet

2011-03-10T09:00:00.001-08:00

Sometimes I get a little "possessed" by an idea and I can't stop thinking about it until I make an attempt. It's like an itch that needs scratching. Like the proverbial bee buzzing in my bonnet.

Tomorrow night my kids have a school sock hop. I am determined that my boys shall have one of these by then:

Image found here, a SOLD etsy item.

I am also determined not to spend any money, but I am unable to focus on all the other stuff that I SHOULD be doing because I am convinced I must do. this. one. thing. Why? Did my children ask me? No. Can they go to the sock hop without a "costume?" Absolutely. Is this distraction from my day entirely my doing? Yup.

Darn, bees.

Almost Wordless Wednesday

2011-03-09T05:24:00.001-08:00

It was done Monday. So much for "that'll keep him busy for awhile." ;-)

Many Happy Returns of the Day

2011-03-07T07:43:00.000-08:00

Calvin turned 8 yesterday. E. I. G. H. T. Somehow that seems really close to ten.

Sometimes I get so frustrated with him. Sometimes I think he is incredibly immature and naughty for his age. Sometimes he makes me want to bang my head against a wall with his obnoxiousness. But you know what? He's awesome. And he's growing and maturing and changing and learning more every day and I love him to bits.

On Saturday we had a group of 5 extra boys at our house. Four friends/neighbors and one best friend from church and a different school district. First, let me just say that having 5 extra boys is a quick reminder that my kids are not the only ones who are not perfect ;-). Cal had a great time though and really they were all good and all had a good time. I think. I was SO proud of Cal. Not once when they were here did I hear him complain about giving someone else a turn or making sure he included someone (especially the friend who didn't know the others). Seriously? Was this MY firstborn "alpha male?" It was a small glimpse of the young man he is becoming and it was one that made me incredible pleased and hopeful that maybe we are not messing up all this parenting business!

We have a tradition here that I (stupidly) created, once the kids could make their own requests, of making a cake of their choosing. It has led to some challenging requests and often has fallen on Mike do decorate as he is the better artist between us. This year Cal settled on a Wipeout cake. I was a bit concerned that his, ahem, particular nature would not be kind to me if I didn't do it "just so" and if it didn't turn out looking like one (rather professional looking) that we found online. But, in the end, he promised not to freak out and I promised to do my best. I think we were both pleased with the simple results.

topple towers

sucker punch

big balls

Wipeout cake

Sunday we enjoyed the cake with a bit of my family (as we'll see Mike's family next weekend) and some pleasant and modest presents.

And then Cal disappeared into his focused world of Lego building, spending the next hour or so bent over his guide books. Later, he realized he had put something together wrong and needed to start over, so he just CALMLY took it apart and set it aside to take a break. CALMLY PEOPLE. No crying, no frustration, no anger, just the thought that he wanted to do it right, so he'd try again later.

I think I say this every year, but I think I'm going to like 8.

Have You Seen My Mojo?

2011-02-27T09:39:00.001-08:00

Oh February, what have you done to me? I have almost completely lost my mojo. For everything. Sewing, quilting, knitting, crafting, photo-ing, blogging, thrifting, cooking. Ok, so I never had any cooking mojo. I'm just checking to see if anyone is paying attention. I have been in a SERIOUS winter slump. I even have some exciting stuff in my future. Like a cool friend (who will remain anonymous) who is scheming to help me figure out a way to get my butt to THIS. But I have still struggled getting my butt IN GEAR.

You know I actually had a couple days COMPLETELY to myself this weekend? My poor in-laws drove to pick up the kids in a snowstorm and then ended up with Ellie barfing in the night. I didn't get nearly as much done as I wanted and felt guilty all day yesterday knowing Mike's mom was taking care of a barfy girl. But a little time alone (even with guilt) will do wonders for mojo. AND, this morning I am starting to be able to SEE the rug under my dirty laundry for the first time in months, so there is a light at the end of my tunnel! Is that weird to be THAT uplifted by the thought of catching up on laundry? HA! Just in time for the boys to come home and barf all over their sheets tonight! Anyhoo. I am trying. That's all I can say and I am going to attempt to keep the very slow momentum going that I have poked along over the last couple weeks with. Here goes....

I made myself mittens! DUDE. I made mittens. Knitting mojo kickstart? Check. I am really psyched about this and am hoping by next year to try some on the double pointeds so I don't get the seam, but I'm still really happy. These are full of boo-boos, but the cool thing? They still keep my hands warm.

I went out this weekend and splurged on some smaller needles, so I could make the cuffs tighter and make some for the kids with the same pattern. And I am working out the kinks from the first time around as I had forgotten how to properly increase and that made for some bumpy spots in the blue pair. Don't look too close at the thumbs. Thanks to my in-laws, I have a gigantic stash of just plain ol' acrylic yarn from Paul's mom. Lot of yarn to practice with and lots of warm little hands in the future!

Friday night, I got a little girl-time mojo rejuvenation with my SIL, even if I didn't get to eat Thai food in a restaurant because we had just finished a crazy snowstorm. I made some awesome pizza (cooking mojo? Um, check?) We worked on a little wall art project for Milo's room (more later). Crafty mojo? Check. We watched High Society and stayed up late talking. And I got to spend some time with this little cutie face, which made me take some pictures. Not digging all of them so I'll say photo mojo? Check...ish. At least I got out the camera!

Then yesterday, I tried to get back to the sewing machine. Lately, I just get blocked and I don't want to go back in the sewing room by myself and I don't WANT to just get STARTED. I made myself finish up this little thing. And now am thinking kitchen table hot pad rather than doll blanket. I am happy with how it turned out and I finished up the quilting on the other one, but misjudged the amount left in a roll of binding and didn't feel like picking it out, so I set that one aside for now.

The biggest step I took was finished a section of this hexagon quilt top pieced by my paternal great-grandmother. The hex flower was already done, but needed to be attached and about 7 outer pieces of the yellow. I found a close enough match for the yellow and sewed them all on, but SERIOUSLY what a pain in the butt. I am thinking piecing a hex top myself is NOT in my near future. Then I soaked the whole thing for a bit and washed it gently. It's just draped on the drying rack now, waiting to be ironed before I do the rest. So, quilting mojo? Coming along..

Now I have to get groceries before the troops come home.

Shopping mojo? BLECH.

One More Reason Winter Is Not Fun For Me

2011-02-15T09:00:00.000-08:00

I have been in a total winter funk lately. The sun is shining today so, even though it is FAH-REEZING, I feel a whole lot lighter. Our days here have been SO gray and SO cold and SO uninspiring for me and I just can't seem to kick start myself.

And then there's my dog. Oh, I love her to pieces. She's the best kid I have! ;-) But do not let her cutie-patootie face fool you; she is a vicious mitten killer.

EVERY time I send her out in the snow with the kids, one of them loses a mitten in the first 3 minutes and comes back in crying.

On the day these were taken, it was just Birdie and me and Gigi. Within ten minutes, she had stolen this pink mitten of Ellerie's, Ellerie's hat when I got the mitten away from her, My glove when I got Elle's hat away from her and one of Ellie's second pair of mittens when I got my glove back. And I was exhausted. There is literally no way to catch her. She's FAST!!!! You have to lure her or trick her in some way or wait for her to get bored of the keep-away.

She is a menace. A menace wearing a cute coat I made her, but a menace nonetheless. In fact, the floral corduroy is just a tad "granny" for this little rebel.

Next time, she gets hot pink flames and a "tatoo" that says mom!

An Art Nest GIveaway!

2011-02-09T04:53:00.001-08:00

Wouldn't Ellerie look darling in this dress? The talented Susannah over at Art Nest has this up for grabs. Check out her shop while you're at it... super cute stuff. I have one of those pin rings and they are SO handy.

Then wish me luck :-)

Doing LEGO His Way

2011-02-08T11:43:00.000-08:00

Tate has, pretty much from day 1, liked to do things his own way. He really does march to his own drum most of the time, banging it himself as loudly as possible. And, while I often find his resistance to being told what to do or how to do it rather frustrating, it does ring oddly familiar..... :-)

For a long time, Tate was really not very interested in LEGOs. Those were Calvin's thing. So, I was surprised before Christmas when he began listing all kinds of LEGO sets on his gift "wishlist." Well, it did sort of backfire. He got several sets and pretty much had Cal build them. He had very little interest in sitting and following the intricate instructions to build the set and really wanted to just get to the point of playing with the results.

Still, give Tate 5 minutes and a pile of legos and you might just get Mario, no directions necessary.

Yes, he's just 6 and yes his mama does sort of think he's a bit of a genius. If not a genius of academics, one of creativity and resourcefulness. You want LEGO Mario and they don't make him anymore? Well, you make one yourself...... silly!

I mean, that mustache does kinda rock, doesn't it?

Operation Purge My Stuff: Phase 2

2011-02-04T04:47:00.000-08:00

Last weekend, Mike helped me tackle the sewing room. These pictures are sort of crummy. I have lost my photo-mojo lately. And I forgot to take "before pictures" but I think I've shown you how bad it can get....

In the end, I did throw a few things away and added quite a bit to the Donate pile. I also, thanks to my helpful husband, moved some things to basement storage rather than keeping them in this room (remember that cupboard that I cleared out when I brought stuff up to the bathroom?).

I know there is still stuff here that COULD go.

And, I'll confess that I did NOT go through every drawer and cupboard. At this juncture, I'm figuring if I have it stuffed inside something then I'm happy for now. I'm just frying the big fish this first time around. The top of that sewing cupboard (once my maternal grandmother's) is loaded with doodads, but they are all pretty important to me. Family things like the antique iron and glass candy dish and the wooden bowl that my dad made. Check out the photo of that happy little boy in the back. It's Mike! His grandmother took that photo.

But I found a "place for everything" for now, even when the room is in use. That feels pretty good. And that giant box of quilt batting in the corner is holding the spot for my washer and dryer someday. Ahem.

Speaking of the washer. Handy Husband fixed it, so I better get to it on making a molehill out of a laundry mountain. Nothing like having an exciting project lined up for the weekend ;-)

There are Things

2011-02-03T06:43:00.000-08:00

There is almost nothing happening here, but cold temps, a lot of dog hair vacuuming (with my new-to-me vac from my folks which does appear to be doing a better job than my old one even if it is duct taped in one spot and isn't a Dyson. ahem.) and some generalized aimlessness involving putting together a glow-in-the-dark puzzle of a dragon that we've been working on for a year now. (By which I mean that we've had it for a year half put together and have just begun working on it again in a rather unproductive and addictive sort of way). We have also managed to break the shocks on our washing machine. Who knew they had shocks? Not I, for certain. But now I have a legitimate excuse for the gigantic pile of wash-needing-to-be-done in the basement. The sun is out today, in spite of the frigid temps, and I need to take full advantage of the energy it gives me and tackle the wreck that is my kitchen. Oh, how I DO hate dishes. I have rather been wasting time at this blog fussing over the look of it which I find satisfying if I am happy with the results and currently find HUGELY tedious because I don't like any of the limited pics I have been taking lately and am feeling creatively PLFFTH, if you know what I mean. If you're bored (because clearly there is nothing else to read on the internet other than what I have to say), I have begun three little blogs for the crazy stuff that comes out of my kids' mouths: Doodle Says, Pip Says, and Birdie Says. They shall be updated whenever I manage to and none of it will be as amusing as ACTUALLY hearing them say it (especially Birdie with her Lucille Ball expressions). So far Doodle has been less inspiring. I suppose that comes of his going on eightishness. I have missed all the really good stuff that comes out unedited from the younger set and now all the funny stuff is about farts. Still, I'm sure he'll have some gems from time to time. Hopefully, I can keep my fingers warm enough to type them out.

ICK

2011-01-31T10:08:00.000-08:00

I just wasted way too much time messing around with the design of this blog and I hate it. I also tried to add three new blogs (explanation later) and Google would only let me add two and then it wanted to text me a verification code. HUH? I don't know how to receive a text. Why do all these computer geeks assume I have a mobile phone that operates like the rest of the world? I'm not sure I want to pay 25 cents to get their "verification code." Or they can call me. But do I want them to have my phone number? Maybe if I just wait long enough they'll let me add another one. I wish I could get my last 45 minutes back. Happy Monday!

Operation Purge My Stuff: Phase 1 Begins

2011-01-25T11:48:00.000-08:00

So, getting back to this post. I don't have all the answers yet. I don't care. I'm fed up with feeling jumbly and overrun with "just in case" items. I am embarking on a 5 month challenge for Phase 1 and there is a good chance it won't even take me that long. (Phase 2 involves the basement and the breezeway/garage and that may may each take five months!) The five months was going to start in February, one month for each room on my main floor, but I've already finished one so I'll just be going along with the calendar. Theoretically, I should be in good shape to even get some extra things done before the kids are off for the summer.

For a brief moment, I am going to defend myself as I have been spending a lot of time wondering how I ended up hoarding all this stuff. Some of it, like a lot of people, is sentimental. I know I am going to struggle with that a bit, but I am going to try to be tough. It is strange to think that I moved to this house less than three years ago and that I brought all this jumble with me. But that's just it. I did. We moved under financial duress, I had thee babes under 5 and had spent the better part of a year often in single parent mode with those babes while Mike worked on THIS house and I stressed about cleaning to show the other one. It was really awful. I don't know how I did it. I think when we moved I just didn't have the energy or the presence of mind to truly examine what was necessary and what wasn't. I took us until earlier this year to go through a big pile of boxes in the basement that had never even been unpacked! I think I am probably not as overrun as some people with stuff, but I certainly have more than I need. I am looking forward to paring thing down.

Without further ado and no pre shot tidying... I present January's room: the bathroom. My bathroom is very small and narrow, but it has these big storage cupboards behind the door. Convenient location? No. Fabulous storage? Yeah. Here is the before:

There is also a small medicine cabinet on the opposite wall. And I recently moved a small antique cupboard underneath that, which is not pictured.

While the after pictures look neater, things really are purged. I pulled out only two sets of winter sheets for each of us and packed away the non-flannels in a trunk in basement storage. I threw away outdated medicines and recycled the bottles and boxboard that I could. I was able to move up all the extra toiletries from a basement cupboard and still had room for guest pillows, bulk tissues and bulk toilet paper.

And, while I may need to break my habit of buying some things in bulk for a sale, as I am pretty sure I end up just spending the money somewhere else, this will also help me identify more quickly the things that I have plenty of and should think twice about purchasing more of.

This feels super good. I would love to just keep plowing through rooms like this. I think my bedroom will be easy too. The kitchen and my sewing room seriously scare me as I know I will be faced with a lot of sentimental hoarding and will probably lose my nerve a little bit. I THINK i'd like to tackle the sewing room in February though as I have so many sewing projects coming up that would really benefit from an uncluttered room.

Now off to fight my losing battle with dog hair. I am really hoping she's just shedding her puppy coat and this isn't a permanent thing. There seems to be a problem when I only have two 8 by 10 area rugs, but I am longing for a Dyson ;-)

Playing Around

2011-01-21T10:36:00.000-08:00

I've been playing around with free motion quilting. My stitches aren't even, but they aren't terrible either. It is really pretty fun.

I found 4 squares of "crazy quilt" pieced by my maternal grandmother who knows how long ago. I put two and two together, a border and a back and started two mini quilts. Mini-mini. Doll quilts if I can stand to give them to Ellerie when I'm done.

Confession?

I kinda want to keep them for me.

ACK! I really am a hoarder! ;-)

Too Much Stuff

2011-01-19T10:42:00.000-08:00

I've been thinking a lot about this post over at Melissa's place and her response to me. I have too much stuff. I am not good at getting rid of it. Why? Am I actually attached to the stuff itself? Does having extra stuff just make me feel secure and prepared? Does getting rid of it make me feel guilty in some regard? What would my life be like if I did have less stuff? Would I feel less secure, or would I actually feel more free? Would I have more time and money to devote to the things I actually have and love? And what about the kids' stuff? Truly, I don't have a lot of NICE stuff. Why am I not more selective about what I surround myself with? Is there a way to fix this?

How would I feel if this happened to me, to my family? Would the stuff matter? From Edie's posts it feels like, "No. Absolutely not. Only.... sort of."

I don't want to surround myself with things just because they seem to "appear" or because I think I might need or want them later. I want less things and I want more experiences. So how do I get from where I am to where I want to be? With what measure do I select the things I choose to keep from clothes to cds to dishes to fabric scraps to things of my grandmothers'? How do I get rid of things without offending people who gave them to me or without feeling I'm losing some connection to a person or place or memory or that I am being negligent or wasteful? How do I manage to learn to say "no" more often when things are offered to me?

I don't have the answers.

Yet.

In Other News.....

2011-01-17T14:30:00.000-08:00

I'm sort of boring lately. I'm cold. I'm feeling my winter hermit tendencies kicking in. I've been doing endless amounts of laundry, some furniture rearranging and attempting to purge some things. Clearly, I have been too overwhelmed with where to move my coffee pot to put up a blog post.

More exciting than what I am doing is the fact that Mike's sister is getting married! Even better? They used the thought bubble sign I gave Laurie for Christmas for her photography business. My Dad jigsawed it and Mike and I slapped some chalkboard paint on it.. you know... Christmas Eve.

Cool right? Way cooler than my laundry.

You Gals Rock

2011-01-08T10:07:00.001-08:00

Thanks for all the validation and love ladies!! It is hard for someone like me, who generally puts on a pretty confident front to the world at large, to admit all that. Yeah, I'm a poser ;-) I really appreciate it though. It makes me feel JOYFUL. Still, so as not to paint the picture of all sunshine and roses with this challenge, I will share my response to Shauna at The Reed Life yesterday after a bit of a bump in my road choosing joy in all things.

"haha! it was rather hard today to feel joyful as i paid my SIXTY TWO dollar library late fee. yup. 62 bucks. i wouldn't exactly call it joy, but i did swallow the rising voice that wanted to kill me over it and i reminded myself of all the lovely books and videos we get at the library and tried to make myself believe i was a rich woman just donating for the fun of it. philanthropist. yeah. that's what i am, a library philanthropist. TAKE THAT negativity ;-)

truly, i am not a very inspiring person. but i play one on tv."

Now... how to find joy while reorganizing my VERY cluttered sewing/crafting/junk room so I can BEG my husband to move the washer and dryer up here. Anyone have tips for what they do with fabric scraps? I have a HUGE bin of them all jumbled together, but I am afraid to try anything else because one, it will force me to get rid of stuff which I am bad at (not so much the getting rid part, but the deciding WHAT to get rid of part. That's not the same thing, is it?) and two, may require a type of storage I don't have handy. Oh STRESS, you may not take hold of me...

2011's Motto: Joy is a Choice

2011-01-06T06:58:00.000-08:00

So I've been mulling a lot, wondering how I want to enter this new year. I keep reading posts of women and families who have chosen a word or phrase to sort of guide them through the year ahead. Words like simplicity, focus, be present, live fully.

But I'll make a confession here: I sort of want to be that person with the family mission statement and the written out goals and that very focused purpose for myself and for my family, but I never seem to do it. I'm too wishy washy. The other part of my confession is that I am in almost constant struggle with anxiety and depression. ( That said, it is mostly under control but my reality is that those are part of the weight of my life and often the filter through which I view the world.) I have come to terms with it just being a part of me, part of my chemical makeup, part of my psyche. There are some good things. It sometimes keeps me grounded as I tend to be impulsive. It gives me great empathy for others who struggle. But it can also make me very negative and feeling lost or hopeless. And it can overwhelm me and keep me from doing things I want to do and feeling in ways I want to feel. It puts up little walls where my dreams and goals should be and it tells me I am weak, disorganized, poor and untalented.

Wow. That was harder to type that I thought it would be. I don't like that I sometimes feel this way about myself. I want to rise above that, and often do. I saw this poster over at Whatever yesterday and I really want it, because it's true (and it makes me laugh.) Awesomeness IS a choice and every circumstance presents us with the option to put on our rosey glasses or pull our hats down over our eyes. We can look at our days with thankfulness for God's blessings in our lives or not. We CAN view the world and the people around us with grace and generosity and we can do the same for ourselves. So today I am deciding to be joyful in everything. I am choosing to look purposefully for the happiness and beauty around me and to not be dragged down by the monkeys on my back. It may not always come naturally and sometimes I am sure it won't come easily, but I can do it because I choose to.

So I choose joy for the easy things like Ellerie writing her name.

I choose joy for the big things like a happy marriage, warm home and healthy family.

I choose joy for the little things like Gigi snuggled at my feet

and I choose joy in the more difficult things for me like seeing beauty in cold, gray winter and staying positive and hopeful about the little dreams and plans for the future still in my head.

I know I won't always feel happy and sunny and that's okay for me. Still, I look forward to a more purposeful contentment. My life is good. I don't want to ever lose that forrest for the shadows of trees. I want to see the silver linings and remember that my cup is really more than half full. Here's to a joyous new year! So far, so good. ;-)

What I Made For Christmas (Mostly)

2011-01-03T06:27:00.000-08:00

(I apologize in advance for the amount of photos in this post. The good news is none of them are taken up super-close so I shall remember my works in perfection and not see all the boo-boos! )

After I managed the feat of my first quilt, my mother (who has made a bunch of quilts in her life but has lost her sewing mojo (by which I mean her desire, NOT her abilities. Those are still awesome when she chooses to sew!) in recent years) decided to pass along some of the quilting plans she had on to me. Some were the quilt tops and squares pieced by my paternal great-grandmother and I really am going to share about those soon. Another was a bag full of log cabin squares mostly already pieced that she bought at a yard sale. Apparently she loved the fabrics and thought, with most of the piece work done that she'd put it together herself, but never got around to it. She had even bought fabric to back it with and fixed a few of the pieces that were missing, but had sort of just stopped there. I decided to try to fix up a lap quilt for her with what she had given me and it turned out really pretty (if not my style).

I will confess though, working with someone else's wonky piecing is actually even more frustrating than working with my own. Apparently I like to be able to blame myself when something isn't right. There is probably a whole post right there, but i'll save the couch session for another day! This impatience with non- self- created imperfection led to that quirky corner square. The last square that I have, was cut and/or pieced larger than all the rest. I tried to fix it and it looked awful. I tried taking it apart and it was worse. So I used the center and just appliqued it on another fabric. In the end, it makes me love it more, because it is a little different.

The back is hard to see, but there are little off center squares within squares where I quilted. I like it, but the pic doesn't show it off very well.

In other quilting news, I finished Ellerie's first quilt!!! WAHOO!!! Let's see. I only bought the fabric almost two years ago now? No biggie. I gave it to her for Christmas, even though it wasn't really intended as a Christmas present. Obviously, I am motivated by a deadline.

Here's the back. I am aware that the whole thing is sideways. Couldn't have it dragging in the dirty snow and mud.

I appliqued the paper dolls, like I did for Polly's, and added more pieces from my great-grandmother's stuff.

The backing is a thrifted sheet. Oh, how I do love getting that much cotton for 2 dollars!!!

That little blue square in the center with the kitties on it is where I "signed" it and is a patch of fabric from my mother's stash of scraps. She had a nightgown or pajamas made from it when she was a little girl. Isn't that cool? I think you can see it a LITTLE better if you click on the picture.

Speaking of cool... my awesome husband surprised me with these boots for my Christmas present. ( Dana! I am no longer the only person on the planet without awesome leaf-crunching boots! ;-) Check out the cool little buttons!

Anyway... back to the crafting. We are entering the home stretch and my favorite thing. Can you believe my favorite thing is not Ellerie's quilt? That is how awesome this last thing is. I got the idea back in November after seeing this somewhere and once I got started, I practically couldn't rest until they were done. Wait for it......

breakfast, lunch and dinner bibs for my nephew!

I used an old bib that was mine as a child for a pattern (although I think this is a common vintage top pattern from the 70s), all fabric from my scraps, and I free handed the applique.

Breakfast

lunch

(love the sandwich!!!!)

and dinner!

The next day I got a quick email from my brother with a pic of Milo in the lunch bib. Made my whole day!

Last, but ABSOLUTELY not least, is not something I made but a grandpa-made gift from my parents for Ellerie.. a tiny ironing board!

They are so creative. The pic doesn't do it justice. Someday, she really could iron on this! My dad made it adjust to two different heights and it folds up, just like the real thing. Mom covered it with a top to one of those countertop boards that she happened to have and they cut the cord off a tiny travel iron (also hanging around their place not being used) so it has all the knobs and fun parts to a real iron. She loves it! The boys too as, leave it to my kids, they quickly discovered that it actually holds water and squirts it out the front. Several items of Elle's clothing was soaked while being "ironed."

Those were my creative accomplishments for Christmas 2010. I wish I had done more. I like making things for people and it really does give me more satisfaction than buying something. Every year I say I am going to start early and plan and make more and I don't follow through on that the way I want. I am proud of what I managed, but really do want to start thinking early this year. Right now though, it is back to reality. Kids (and self) to be dressed and fed, laundry to be done, rooms to be cleaned. It is good to be back to routine though. 2011, here we come!

Christmas 2010

2010-12-29T12:18:00.001-08:00

Hope you had a cozy Christmas

filled with family,

sweet friends,

adventures big and small,

joy in the simple things,

lots of pictures,

and the perfect present.

I know I did.

The Week Before Christmas

2010-12-20T05:51:00.000-08:00

Twas the week before Christmas

and all through the lot

not a creature was barfing

or running for the pot.

The laundry's been hung

but the house is a mess

still I won't let that rubber band

return to my chest.

I've not MUCH to do

just binding and wrapping

and cleaning and painting

oops... no time for napping.

No matter, for Christmas

will come anyway

in the midst of my mess

or my perfect array.

The kids have been naughty

(they should get some coal)

but giving's the part

that is good for your soul.

And, thankfully, Jesus

comes and gives the same way

for all of us whether we feel

that we're ready or nay.

So grace and peace to us all

love, forgiveness (and sleep!)

Merry Christmas to all

and to all a good week!

(On a sadder note, my Father-in-Law lost his mother last week. And, while I am certain Christmas in heaven must be lovely as anything, we will miss her sweet spirit here with us. I was sad to have missed the services and to see out-of town family, but glad we were not there to give anyone a GI virus for Christmas! My love and prayers for Paul and all his family....)

Inside Outside

2010-12-14T06:08:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite books as a kid, was Stan and Jan Berenstain's Inside, Outside, Upside Down. "Mama, Mama, I went to town. Inside, Outside, Upside Down!" I am thinking of that this morning where, inside, it looks like this:

Yes, that is a barf bowl in front of Ellie. Cal has his own on the other side. Tate had his turn with this thing last week, so he's fine. I just need the energy now to get him ready for school. And, YES, that is a dog on the couch lying on my pillow but, NO, I did not put the pillow on the couch for the dog. That was my station this morning after the kids came down to vomit less and watch tv since I felt like I had been up all night cleaning people up. I have to admit, GiGi is rather nice to snuggle with, but she does sort of think she's people.

Outside, we've got this going on:

No snow days for us. I sort of get one, as I don't have to drive Ellerie to school, but Tate will need to make afternoon kindergarten. Oh blech. The snow IS slowing down, but the weather button on my toolbar is telling me it is 12 degrees out. That's 12 fahrenheit people. Want me to look up the wind chill? Yeah, I don't really want to know either.

As for upside down, that's pretty much my whole house, my budget and my coffee pot. But oddly enough I am feeling pretty happy today, now that I'm awake enough to appreciate anything. I'm happy to have a warm house, I'm happy it's nothing worse with my kids and I'm happy that I don't have to go out in this today. Wish Pip didn't either.

Oh, and yesterday I finally unearthed my sewing room, or at least my sewing machine, and got cracking on Ellerie's quilt and some ideas for some other stuff. And that feels energizing, so I hope I make it back there this afternoon. You know, after I wash ten loads of stinky jammies and sheets. If anyone wants to get me new pillows and extra twin waterproof mattress pads for Christmas, I would not protest ;-)

Happy Tuesday. I hope you're warm whether you're inside or out!

Birds of a Feather...

2010-12-10T05:48:00.000-08:00

...wait for their boys

together

Laughter is the Best Medicine

2010-12-02T09:04:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was "one of those days." Ick from the start with screaming, mouthy kids and nobody listening and me finding myself at noon with nothing "done" other than putting away a bit of laundry and feeding my kids. I could think of nothing better than curling up on the sofa with some coffee and a good movie as the snow was coming thick and slushy, but I knew it wouldn't happen anyway and we were out of milk. I told myself that as soon as Tate was on the bus, Ellie and I were going to run to the grocery store, grab a few necessities and fly home so I could have more than two minutes to breathe before the boys came home at four. Tate was on at 12:30, but as things go I didn't step out of the door for another hour. One pants peeing incident (not mine) and one picking up of the clothes on the floor which were the ENTIRETY of Elle's dresser AND closet and several punishments due to lack of cooperation in the picking up department and some feet dragging and loss of interest in getting dressed and winter clothes and boots and letting the dog out and then getting her in the crate later, we managed.

Kids are funny. Ellerie wanted NOTHING to do with helping pick up the clothes she had dumped all over the place at home but, suddenly at the store, she was feeling super helpful. First she asked to ride in the giant cart with the truck attached to the front of it. That lasted all of 5 minutes before she just HAD to help me push. No, scratch that, she was all about pushing it herself. Seriously? I can barely push those beasts of carts. Yeesh. So between pretending I wasn't steering the cart with the hand I kept on it and walking slower than molasses in January while Ellie OOHED and AHHED at everything like she'd never been in a store before, I managed to get the 15 odd items we needed and proceeded, what felt like an hour later, to the checkout.

It should have felt like triumph, making it that far. I was moments free of shopping with a toddler and getting home to an awfully messy house but maybe a nice cup of tea. Having started my day a tad grumpy and agitated, every little thing was making me feel more and more stressed and impatient. The slower we went and the less I managed to do off the 30 different lists in my head, the tighter the rubber band in my chest pulled. So there, even at the checkout I couldn't feel calm. The fastest-looking lane was a narrow one and the cart barely fit. Then on top of it, Ellerie wanted to look at the candy and help me load things on the belt, but there was no room to squeeze by the cart. Of course we bumped the lady in front of us in the shins. Pardon us. But that woman parted ways with the register and I heard the beeps of the scanner begin. I was looking down, trying to convince Elle that she'd like to get back in the cart and ride. I flipped open the top of my bag, commenced digging for my wallet and a little pang of panic rose in me. I looked. Yep, no wallet. Bother. I started to ask the cashier to stop scanning and to tell her I had no way to pay for any of it, but I wasn't really looking up at her as I began to speak. I was still sort of rummaging for the wallet that I knew wasn't going to appear. The beeps kept coming. That got my attention and I made eye contact and started to talk again, to explain.

No, no, no, no NO. My cashier was....... wait for it.....

deaf.

Please don't misunderstand, she was so nice. But NOW? She reassured me it was okay as she tried to speak to me and tried to read my lips and we had a hard time communicating. I had no issues that she was deaf, except that I was kicking myself for never learning more sign language. The Signing Time videos I did with Calvin as a baby wouldn't get me too far. Milk? Grandma? Eat? Dang. We did manage to get this sorted out and she held my groceries and my receipt until I could come back and pay. But I felt the stares of the lady behind me the whole while we navigated our conversation. And then there's the fact that I THEN had to load The Bird in the car, drive home, find the wallet, drive back, unload Birdie and go get the groceries in a snow squall.

I calmed down as I shoved the cart through the 4 inches of slush in the parking lot. I was done and it was sort of comical, but only in a dramedy sort of way: like laughter on the verge of tears.

But I recently made a new friend around here and we hung out at last night while our kids were at church and I didn't feel like crying anymore when I shared the story. We laughed together and pretty hard. Cuz a lot of us have those days. Especially those of us with multiple uncooperative kids. It feels good to laugh about the crud in our lives that we can't really do anything about. It's freeing and it keeps us humble. And to quote my brother-in-law: it's not supposed to be all fun, we're making memories.

It's How December Rolls

2010-12-01T08:40:00.001-08:00

Around here, December brings with it snow. (Truthfully, often October or November have already brought it, but this year December is making a grand entrance.) I always love snow at this time of year. All fluffy and bringing promises of snow play and a white Christmas.

And, of course, the kids dig it.

And, apparently, GiGi is not slowed down at all by it.

But it doesn't last folks.

After the holidays are done and we settle into the cold gloom of Feb and March. Then the snow is not as pretty and certainly not as exciting. So happy December 1st from Mother Nature. It's just the, ahem, tip of the iceberg so to speak. ;-)

The Big Reveal

2010-11-28T08:01:00.000-08:00

In all it's glory,

my first quilt.

It is still making me smile and I've heard from its four-year-old recipient that it's magic. Here is the thank you I received from my best gal which really is better than the present:

Oh LISS! Best present EVER arrived today! We had a "long day at the

office" so to speak with Evan's legs, his bone scan process today took

FOREVER, so didn't get home until dinner time, and whoohooo! That is a

BEAutiful quilt lady! I love it. It is definitely magic. We have a thing

about certain blankets being magic around here (hard to explain, but

strangely, one of the only other blankets in the house deemed magic by all

of us is Adam's doggy blanket(nicknamed dogs) - that came from

you.....hmmm....all that witches brew we made down by the ditch...) anyhow,

Polly wrapped herself in it as soon as it was out of the box, and she

screamed..."MAMA! It's MAGIC!!!!! Just like DOGSSS!!!" It is a perfect

quilt, and I thank you so much for all of that time put into it for Polly

(um and me) to enjoy. Thanks Liss

Love love

Meg

I love the back too!

That hexagon flower was originally pieced by my great-grandmother on my dad's side and was a guide for my first attempt at free motion quilting. Not fabulous, but I'm glad I just jumped in.

I'm pretty sure happiness is a magic quilt you've made all by yourself and then given away.

Guess How Old Tate Is?

2010-11-24T02:58:00.000-08:00

Tate turned six yesterday. SIX. I've told him he can't be naughty anymore once he's six. Last night he told me that maybe he didn't know he wasn't supposed to be naughty because being six was new him and that he would be sure to act like a good six year old in the morning. We shall see :-)

I love this little knucklehead to pieces even though he is stubborn as the day is long and can get under my skin with his unreasonableness like nobody's business. Oh, that's right. He's six now! Problem solved.

I love that he pretends all day long. I love that he makes up songs and words and stories. I love that he chose to wear to school on his birthday two totally mismatched striped shirts and then layered the plain T over the one with the collar so you couldn't really see it anyway. I love that he is often (when not blinded by some rage over not being able to save his wii game, ahem, or having to wear his pajamas to drop Ellie off at school) very sweet and thoughtful to others, including his siblings. He loves to make cards and to choose the perfect gift for someone else.

I love that yesterday, after he half ate his cake, he made another cake on his plate..

and then decided...

it looked like a hand.

Tate, you're an awesome little dude. Handsome and smart and funny and sweet.

And those lashes? Dude.

Gigi

2010-11-20T13:24:00.000-08:00

What's a girl to do when she's thinking too much? Adopt a dog of course! This is Gigi (GG) because she's such a good girl:

Come on. How could I leave her at the shelter?

An Addendum to the Previous Post

2010-11-18T05:04:00.000-08:00

Sometimes, what is in my head isn't exactly what comes out in the post. I just want to be clear(er?) about what it is that has been bothering me this fall. Because I don't want anyone to think I'm sitting here in my fab house all worried about the dust bunnies under my couch or my kids to read this someday (ha!) and to think "Mom was a perfectionist? What?" So here goes, and for me too, because it helps to write it down.

My house is a wreck. There are toys everywhere. Currently dishes from last night are in the sink. I can't remember the last time I mopped the kitchen. I vac my living room area rug daily (sometimes more than once) but only because I let the kids snack in there and it gets covered in crumbs. My kids probably watch too much tv. I am not always good about the cat box. I prefer reading blogs to reading the news and I would rather sew or dream about home improvement than actually clean my house. Do not. I repeat, do NOT put your hands in between my couch cushions looking for something. I am not responsible for what will be stuck to you when you pull it out. I try to wipe down the sinks and toilets quickly every couple days, but please do not look at any of my baseboards. Or my windows. Or in my closets. Yes, sometimes the chaos gets to me, and I do have things that I randomly get sort of OCD about, but overall I am not obsessed about all of it enough to go crazy. I prefer some freedom and enjoyment to a perfect house or a perfect schedule.

I think what is really getting to me is more a question of the bigger issues. Moral, social priorities maybe? Like, this season it bothers me that I don't have a lot of money to do fabulous things for my own family, so is it wrong that I didn't do an Operation Christmas Child box in leu of the hopes of buying my own kids Legos and Playmobil that they truly don't need? Is it wrong that I'm not volunteering or helping out with different causes and opportunities to help when I feel that I can barely keep my own schedule and kids in line? Is it okay that I want to fix up my house when there are people that don't even have houses? Is it more important to teach my kids to obey me or to be on time? Does it matter my kids don't pick up before they go to bed, but they do get their teeth brushed and go to bed early? Is it okay that I don't have a weekly date night with my husband? If I were exercising would I have more energy and be a better mother? How do I prioritize, at any given time, taking care of my family, taking care of myself and taking care of others... all things that I see great value in... without feeling as if I have neglected something/someone? THIS tedious balance is what I struggle with. I am not a decisive person in many regards and I am highly analytical so I find I myself thinking a lot about "what ifs." It's a dangerous place to go because, truthfully, you can't know what might happen or what would have happened in any situation. You can only guess and I have a big imagination.

So this is where I am. Trying to figure out what is best and knowing that, in some ways, I can't possibly. Trying to forgive myself for not always knowing and for sometimes knowing but still making the wrong choice. Grace is a big word for me right now. I easily give grace to others, knowing that none of us is perfect. I am certain that God gives me grace as well. I just need to give it to myself.

So is it a desire for perfection? Maybe in a strange way. I guess I do sort of wish I knew how to make a "perfect choice." But I also realize that is rather impossible at all times and most of the time I can go with it. I think this is just a time of hashing it out for me and apparently I have to get stressed in order to force myself to shake things up a bit. I imagine this is why I procrastinate as well :-) I don't like to be told what to do, so I get tired of so many (often conflicting) messages regarding how I should spend my time, money and energy. All claiming to be the secret to something: organized living, spiritual fullness, fixing the world, disciplining my kids, a clean house, getting out of debt, a healthy body, good skin. Sometimes my brain feels like a BING commercial's version of search engine overload. And then this is when I decide I need to stop over-thinking things and just do what I can when I can, say sorry when I mess up and just do my best.

Hebrews 4: 16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

"Marilla, isn't it nice to think that tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet?" Anne of Green Gables

Is Ignorance Bliss? (a wednesday brain ramble)

2010-11-16T13:49:00.000-08:00

I don't know if I have a thing against the word "balance" because I truly believe it doesn't exist or because I'm feeling left out because it doesn't exist for me. I have information overload. I know too much about the "ideal" and I can't seem to fit it all into the puzzle of my life.

I should spend time with God.

I should spend fun time with my kids.

I should spend time reading with them too.

I should exercise and eat right.

I should spend time alone with my husband.

I should get out more and spend time with friends.

I should to educate myself about the world around me.

I need to make good decisions. I should probably take time and think about some of those big ones too.

I need to find time to work from home.

I need to make sure there are clean underwear and clean dishes every day.

I need to feed us every day. more than once.

I should get enough sleep.

I should save my loose change

volunteer at school

practice spelling words

donate at church

get involved in my community

bridge the gaps

pay the bills

feed the children

save the whales

support our troops

wash the sheets

stop and smell the roses

Have I run out of time yet?

No matter, I've run out of energy.

Why do I always have to go an compare myself to what other people are doing? What others say is the best thing? We're told that we need balance and not to put all our eggs in one basket, but then we're also told not to do too much or take on too many things. Believe me when I say that I DON'T. We really don't do a lot of "extras" around here... not many sports, no music classes or dance lessons, very little volunteering. I don't hit the gym, no one is in a book club or the PTO. I'm pretty sure it's about priorities, not balance, but I still can't figure it out. I am also aware that this is a season of my life. I'm at home with three young children and that's just a huge chunk of my daily focus, as it should be. So why am I left feeling like I don't have it together or I don't do enough for others or I'm somehow not managing my life the way I ought to be? Is it because I know what OTHER people, with OTHER kids and OTHER budgets and OTHER situations are managing to do? Or is no one managing it and I am just led to believe by the media and the "experts" that they are? Our world is made so small through media and internet and social and psychological knowledge. And a whole lot of good can come out of that. A WHOLE LOT. But then, it can also bring with it a whole lot of guilt and confusion over what is and should be important at any given time.... at least for me. Sometimes I long for less knowledge and understanding because it seems that it brings with it a whole lot of decisions and responsibility that I'm not always up for. There's an old Keith Green song that I grew up listening to with the lyrics "just keep doing your best, pray that it's blessed, and He'll take care of the rest."

If only I could hold on to that.

Just a Little Peek

2010-11-08T18:40:00.000-08:00

I can't show the whole thing. I promised. It's a gift and "surprise us" was requested. But I finished my first quilt today, so here is my stamp on the calendar.

As I told my friend Dana...

Eeeeek! I made a quilt!!!!!!!

Dude. I made a quilt.

Grateful Friday

2010-11-05T10:00:00.000-07:00

Thank God:

1. we DIDN'T get a puppy this week. In a brief moment of insanity, I was determined to adopt a RIDICULOUSLY cute puppy on Wednesday. Luckily someone else got him first. Thursday was one of the worst days ever with the kids (Tate spent the morning in TO having some kind of awful attitude to start the day and then stripped naked in the car in protest to his pajamas still being on while we took Ellie to preschool, Cal was home with double ear infections but driving me nuts, I couldn't find my keys to get Ellie and had to leave her at preschool for an extra 1/2 hour while I frantically searched for them, you know, that kind of day ALL DAY LONG), so I was pretty sure after that God was just trying to tell me not to be sad about the puppy, which I was. I'm nuts.

2. that Calvin is back at school today and feeling a bit better. Did I mention he was driving me crazy? His ears hurt, but he wasn't so sick that he couldn't cause a ruckus and fight with his brother and whine about being bored and generally be a pain.

3. that the boys still let me choose their clothes for school since this is the sort of thing they throw together on their own (please excuse the BLAH living room)

It may be difficult to tell, but this is a 40 degree day and cal's attire is not really appropriate for that reason and then Tate is wearing sweatpants (fine) with a Christmas sweater. HUH?

4. that my parents came up this afternoon for an impromptu visit and mom brought me some beautiful pieced quilt blocks and tops done by my great-grandmother and that she trusts me to try to put them together and finish them up. I'm flattered and nervous and excited. (more on these later)

5. that I get to see Toy Story 3 tonight. I've had a long week and I am looking forward to a family movie night.

Amen

Home Improvement

2010-11-01T09:04:00.000-07:00

What I did expect on Halloween:

What I did not expect:

Don't worry, we weren't vandalized. Baby Sister just locked Tate out of the breezeway. He lost his temper after yelling at her a bit to let him in.

Unfortunately, when he lost his temper, he was holding a bat.

Halloween May Commence

2010-10-27T05:09:00.000-07:00

So, Cal was feeling a bit more cooperative on Monday. Isn't he awesome? I mean, I don't care so much what he thinks. I'M proud of this costume.

The sweater vest is just a luck thrift from Salvation Army. I made the little felt patch to help out anyone (small children for one) who might not know what an old fashioned golfer would look like. The hat pattern I found from this, aptly named, Clever Girl. It turned out a tad big for even my guy's head, ahem, so I just added a piece of elastic in the back to hold it tight, rather than fuss with pulling out seams, etc. As cute as I think the hat is, I doubt he'll chose to wear it for "regular life."

And so, the carving began.

With a lot of fun

and silliness.

And a request for polka dots, cuz that's how my girl rolls.

Spooktacular ;-)

The Customer is NOT Always Right

2010-10-25T07:42:00.001-07:00

Halloween Costume Customer #3 was not feeling cooperative yesterday.

He was, in fact, rather rude and unappreciative of his Mama's efforts because HIS agenda was to carve pumpkins in the afternoon, not wait for Mama to sew HIS costume.

As I could only get him to even try on what he did with threats and listening to much protesting, this is the only current glimpse I can give you of his clever getup.

He did apologize after a whole lot of unnecessary drama and nonsense, and I do think he meant it.

But nobody carved pumpkins.

A Hectic Friday Thought

2010-10-22T08:07:00.000-07:00

It isn't a problem of expectations.

Mine are very low.

I don't EXPECT to get much done every day and I generally don't.

The problem is that the amount of things that need to be done just to maintain an environment of even minimal cleanliness and sanity is beyond me.

That is the bottom line.

Checker King

2010-10-20T08:19:00.000-07:00

Customer #2 is strutting his stuff.

He seems pleased.

Or, you know, crazy.

Pink Tinkerbell

2010-10-14T05:09:00.000-07:00

The first customer at my Halloween Costume Shoppe appears to be satisfied.

Ellerie recently discovered Disney Fairies and is in love with Tinkerbell. I admit that if it was a toss up between Fairies and Princesses, I'll take the Fairies any day. She, of course, wanted to be Tinkerbell for Halloween, but when I pointed out that Tink wears green, not pink, Elle hedged.

No worries, she would be a PINK Tinkerbell. I love her determination to be both Tink and wear her beloved favorite color. And I love that I got to make a fairy costume.

I used Hillary Lang's instructions for her version at Wee Wonderfuls, all of which were easy and clear, except the waistband. I am still certain that mine is nothing like hers, but it worked and stays together when Pink Tink is twirling which is hugely important! The only thing I purposely changed was attaching the wings with snaps rather than sewing them on. I KNOW I'm going to need to wash this thing at some point....

But, I must admit, the crown is my favorite and all my own doing. It was inspired by this crown I found on Etsy and the grown up versions found at this Etsy site (OH MY!). And, I've made crowns before (1, 2, 3) so the format was easy and I just got to play.

Now I want one.

One For the Calendar

2010-10-13T07:11:00.000-07:00

I never said I don't bake.

I do.

You know, a couple times a year. ;-)

Apple pie in a cheddar crust? Totally worth one for the calendar.

Note: This is the recipe I used, but I cooked it according to these directions from a very similar recipe, because I did a traditional pie rather than a deep dish. Just in case I made you hungry....

The Road to a Friend is Never Long...

2010-10-11T06:11:00.000-07:00

...but sometimes the road to recovery is.

I spent my weekend trying to take care of my ear and ending up in urgent care with a prescription for antibiotic ear drops to add to my arsenal for ridding myself of the infection that my stubbornness allowed to get as bad as it did in the first place. (Wow. That was some ridiculous sentence.) I won't tell you how expensive those drops were, but let's just say they they could be described as liquid gold. I don't want to to complain though. They're working and I can finally hear something out of that ear.

Before I found ear relief, I took a little road trip to see a friend. A beautiful day and a lovely distraction to my discomfort. My best girl lives over an hour away. I must say it is too far (a thought concurred by my children on the ride home as I was told several times that they wished they could live with them), but it is an incredible drive no matter what the season and fall in particular is stunning. I know in another week it will be even more spectacular, but even in it's autumn beginnings, the view was breathtaking. There were so many places I wanted to stop right in the middle of the road and take a picture right there. As it is, I did not take many. I wish I had some of the grape vines along all the roadside vineyards and more of the lake and the quaint homes and shops, but there'll be a next time. The road down into her little valley is long and winding, flanked with narrow shoulders and rushed along in most places with a 55 speed limit. More than once, I pulled over only to have a large truck blow by me close enough to shake the van. And the pics I got do not do the beauty justice, but I shall share them anyway.

Tate corrected me the other day, on the way to Ellerie's school, when I said one of the trees looked like it was on fire it was so beautiful. "Not on fire," he said, "like fireworks that exploded into all the colors." There's a poet in that boy, no? And he's right.

Random

2010-10-06T08:42:00.000-07:00

1. Quilt top #3 is done. It's purdy. But my house is a wreck. Hey, I've got my priorities.

2. But literally my house is out of control. The two little ones go room to room in the mornings dumping and destroying. They call it playing, but I know better. I can't keep up right now. (see #3)

3. I'm exhausted. Apparently, I have a raging ear infection in my right ear from that fabulous cold I told you all about. Both ears have been plugged pretty much since that post but, even as I felt the right one getting worse and worse, I was determined that I could just kick it without an expensive doctor's visit and meds. Determined, that is until this morning when I woke feeling terribly nauseous from the ick running down the back of my throat and my right ear felt a bit like it was trying to give birth to something. This whole (potentially useful) morning was used up at the doctor's and the pharmacy.

4. The other day I came home to about 30 crows on my front lawn. It was creepy- like "The Birds" - and it sort of made me want to watch it again.

5. It is 66 degrees in my house right now and I refuse to turn the heat on yet. (Is anyone noticing a slight stubborn streak here?) Not sure if that makes me optimistic or delusional or maybe just stingy, but I'm holding out. We've got to get some sun around here to warm us up sooner or later. I hope.

6. Ellerie calls R2D2 "Arty-Dooty." And I thought flingingo was cute. T- if I manage to get it recorded somehow I will send it to you.

7. I still have not received any work from work. SIGH. Too bad about the medical bills this month: Ellie, Mike and now me. Nobody else better get sick until November. Make that January if they want Christmas. Just sayin'. Santa's broke.

8. I'm tired. Did I mention that? I want to stop running around but there is preschool and church and the calendar is filling up. "The List" is ever growing and the dishes and laundry will not STOP. "Winter clothes"-what's up? They take up so much more room in the washer....

9. Calvin looks both ways even after the bus driver gives him the okay to cross. I like that. And he finally knows our home phone #.

10. Tate has to leave for school in a few.

The end.

Grateful Friday (of sewing, family and friendships online and off))

2010-10-01T06:42:00.001-07:00

Feeling thankful today for:

Melissa and her beautiful daughter Annabelle who thought to send my girl some fabulous dolls that Miss A had sort of outgrown just because they thought Ellie would like them. I don't care if I've never actually met her. That's a friend, indeed.

My mom who is both encouraging and practical. Missed you this week Mama, glad you are feeling better.

Dana for her encouragement and advice about quilting and for her friendship. Virginia Beach 2012 (or so) here we come! ;-)

Quilt top #2 is DONE and DONE. I like it even better than the first one.

Scraps and a girl with an imagination.

The prospect of piecing quilt #3 and a fabulous best friend (sister really) with a little girl to give it to.

This little chunk-a-monk and the fact that (at least for now) his daddy doesn't have to worry about his job and I don't have to worry about them moving away.

For all the other gals that comment here and banter back and forth with me. You guys are awesome. Stick around, wouldja?

Progress

2010-09-29T09:52:00.000-07:00

My first quilt square ever. I was so excited.

My first quilt top ever. I was super-duper excited. Ellerie inspected my work and she seemed pleased.

I emailed my (amazing quilter) friend Dana I was so excited. I told her I FINALLY pieced one. I bought the fabric, what, a year and a half ago? And, perhaps, I was distracted by this little happy cutie while I was taking the pictures....

...but I failed to notice that an entire section had been pieced upside-down!!! (note the strips of same size/same shapes lining up, rather than alternating).

I do realize that on one hand it isn't a big deal, but it would have drove me NUTS, so I fixed it and now?

Super excited again!

1 top down, 2 to go...

Better

2010-09-27T09:32:00.000-07:00

Thank you all for your well wishes and prayers. No, this is not a representation of me last week. Well, it wasn't supposed to be. Now that I look at it again...... bloodshot eyes, mouth-breathing, grouchy. Maybe it is. Gonna have to ask Mike about that one.

Really, I think I'm on the upswing. I'm still paranoid that Ellerie is not responding to the antibiotic for her ear infections and I'm currently unable to turn my head directly to the left due to some serious pain in my neck, but I'm pretty sure those things are unrelated. Yeah, I read it again. They can't be related, right? More likely it's from sleeping funny in order to gain clear passage to at least one nostril. You know, for breathing. I like to breathe. It's how I roll.

The monster (that I am now hoping is not me) was born Saturday in an "I want to draw with Daddy" session. There's a reason for it: Daddy can draw.

And now he's hung, with appropriate warning, where he belongs:

The boys' door.