And There You Have It

Apparently, I am going to only blog once a month now.  Seriously, where did January go?  I spent the first half of the month fighting a VERY STUBBORN and VERY PAINFUL ear infection, while simultaneously learning a new job as my church office secretary.  The E.I. stunk, but I love my new job.  While I'm there.  And then I get home at 2 in the afternoon and think, "Oh, crud.  Now, instead of napping like I'd prefer, I need to start laundry, tidy up dishes that I was too lazy to wash last night and start thinking about dinner."  

In other news, I've developed a slight addiction to Pinterest.  I KNEW that would happen, if I signed up, but I finally caved.  (I'm still holding out on Facebook though, so don't ask)  Have to admit, I am digging the fact that I am creating my own online cookbook.  SO MANY good recipes.  If only someone else would come and cook them all for me and then clean up afterward.

In even more news, it is snowing and cold outside and I don't want to go out and do errands.  At all.  And my dog is cute.  That's all I got, peeps.  I barely even took any pictures this month.  Is there a people-shaming site?  I could be a star, folks.  A STAR.

See you in March?

In Summary....

 I have written some amazing posts in my head in the last two months.  Funny posts. One about how taking something out of my storage dish cupboard is rather like a daily game of Jenga and one about how depressing it is to suddenly have knees that sound like Rice Krispies when you attempt even the mildest of exercises.  There were others.  And, I know I have lamented about this before, but apparently they only make it on the blog if I actually sit down and type them out.  I think we need an app for that: telepathic posting.  

In other news, Tate had a birthday with a well thought out wish:

I occasionally amused myself online with Dogshaming and Craft Fail.

Did too much Christmas shopping.  Helped with the second grade Gingerbread House Decorating Day.

Nailed it!

Made three dolly diaper bags with diapers, bibs and wipes for my Sister-in-law's Christmas gift for her nieces.

Became increasingly unsure as to whether my current hair color is even remotely flattering. BLECH.  The roots don't help, do they? ;-)

Celebrated Christmas at Nana and Papa's

And at home:

And now we are in vacation mode.  Playing with our Christmas gifts and in the snow (we've got plenty) and hanging out in the computer with a cat on my lap and one trying to find a spot.  Life is, indeed, pretty good.

My guess is, I'll continue to be scarce around here, though I may do more visiting than posting.  After Christmas I am starting a part time job, a bit of providence for my little family.  Only 4 half days a week and I can still put the kiddos on the bus in the mornings.  The crafty business dream has been shelved, for now, but joyfully traded for a consistent schedule and paycheck.  Right now I am savoring my few days left without a schedule and a chance to hunker down under a blanket and read or watch an old movie.  

I hope, wherever you are, that you are feeling just as blessed and cozy as I do right now.  

Merry Post-Christmas and Happy New Year!

Better Late Than Never

Calvin-as-Lego-Ninjago-ZaneZX Revealed

Probably not worth making the complicated robot panel for the few hours that he wore the costume, but it WAS pretty cool.  I know you were all waiting for that, so you can breathe and get on with your lives now.  ;-)

Happy Halloween and Stuff

Well, for us, Sandy the Frankenstorm is over.  I know for many she was as bad as predicted and my thoughts and prayers are with those families.  Even my good friend and across-the-street neighbor had her neighbor's tree come crashing into her fence, yard, playset, trampoline and power line.  We came away completely unscathed, except for all that rain on our leaking roof.  Here you can see the rot in the tongue and groove boards in our upstairs bathroom.  At this point, there isn't much we can do about those until the roof gets fixed. 

What I was finding myself worried about though, was the continuing damage happening around the window frame and down the wall every time it drips.  And the thought of the ensuing hurricane made me think our bathroom wouldn't be in too great of shape if we really did get the torrential rains that had been predicted.

Luckily, my husband is a genius. :-)  They're like little water slides, right into the buckets!

Prior to worrying about leaking roofs and power outages, we took a day trip out to my in-laws, where we carved A LOT of pumpkins.  All the little ones are from my MIL's own pumpkin patch, the bigger ones we bought.  The carving templates we something they had, because we've never gotten that fancy before.  It was fun.  

I am still a little unsure how our night will go tonight.  The ground is soggy and we don't have sidewalks in our neighborhood.  Still, if we have a lantern we should be able to stick to the street and we have to trick-or-treat early anyway.  School night.  So there will probably be better "reveal" sorts of pictures after they are ready to go out tonight; provided their costumes don't get ruined while they are at school.  Ahem.  Still, I thought I'd share what I managed to snap quick before they scurried off today.  I believe I mentioned Ellerie's desire to be a mermaid this year.  After quickly talking her out of the expensive and poorly made Barbie-as-mermaid and Disney Ariel versions, she agreed I could make her one.  So, now she is a cheap and probably poorly made mermaid.  :-)  (That just sounded wrong.)

The dress is an adult size, knee length that I found at the thrift store.  I was delighted that it already looked mermaidy and only took off the spaghetti straps and added elastic to the back.  Of course, it was falling down all the time, so this morning I had to pin it to the inside of her shirt.  Anyone want to place a bet as to whether the dress or the shirt tears first?

Tate, you will recall, is still a big mystery.  What DOES that boy want to be?  A creeper from Minecraft?  Kai from LEGO Ninjago?  One of the snakes from Ninjago? A ghost? We, quite literally, went through all of these possibilities (and a few others) in the last few weeks while I worked on his brother and sister's costumes.  We also went through a phase of working on Daddy to buy Ironman, since he didn't think Mama could make that one.  But he just HAD to have the gloves and none of the cheap versions came with gloves.  The gloves were ten bucks on their own, people.  Nuts, I tell you.  Then, one day last week, he gets off the bus, bounces through the door and announces, "I know what I want to be for Halloween!"  

"Oh, goodness,"  I thought.  But said, "And what do you want to be, Tate?"

BIG, clever grin.  Twinkly eyes.  JOY at last.

"A man with a mustache and a suitcase full of money!!!!!"

HAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAA!!!!  Cracks my can, that one.  How could I not oblige?

Thank you, once again Salvation Army.  Perfect little toy suitcase (with a new puzzle to boot).  Brilliant  little mustache man.  I hope your friends at school "get" your sense of humor.  But if they don't, believe me, your family does and boy are we amused and amazed.

As for Calvin, I'll have to post his finished costume later.  It's not perfect, but I'm rather proud of it all the same.  He, being a rather mature and important 4th grader, was not allowed to wear his costume until the party in the afternoon.  I am hoping that its ride to school stuffed in his backpack will not be its undoing, especially as it took me so long to "do" in the first place.  

Still, I'll have a nice excuse if it looks not so fab ;-)

Happy Halloween!

Progress and a Distraction

Progress:

And the distraction:

Must say it was worth it; the blue door is making me positively giddy.

So? What?

Hello, October! What, I'm sorry? You're almost half over already?  Yeah, yeah.  I can't keep up.  I feel like a dork, but how do people have full time jobs and a house and kids?  Something has to go, right? You/They don't have it all together right? I'd be in a padded cell before you know it!  And, clearly, I wouldn't be working on something like this: 

We've got Halloween on the brain around here.  Not because I'm such a major fan of the holiday...  I mean, I love the idea of All Saints Day and candy is kind of fun (though I can't seem to get into cheap chocolate anymore.  I'm a snob), but I'm not much for the scary stuff.  But COSTUMES?  Come on... who doesn't like a good excuse to play dress up? 

 Ellie's costume is pretty much finished and was rather easy peasy, but it isn't warm so I need to work on that.  We don't live in Halloween- as- a- Mermaid weather.  And Tate can't seem to make up his mind... Minecraft Creeper?  Ninjago Kai?  Super Mario King?  Calvin has known right from the start though that he wants Zane from Lego Ninjago.... who just happens to be a robot.  I'm having fun.

In other news, Mike's been working on my basement crafting room.  So excited to share pics of that, but I'm just going to wait until he's got the floor in.  Truthfully, I'm just excited to get the clutter of my sewing stuff out of my tiny bedroom!  But putting new paint on walls in my basement has made me notice how dingy and banged up a lot of the paint is around the rest of the house.  I want some on the walls but for now I'm just spray painting a frame?  A recent visit with a friend inspired me to fix up a kids' art display.  Not sure if I'm going with color or sort of a mettalic finish.  I'll surprise you.  

Wait for it.

It feels really good to be doing something.  I think I've been in a creative and emotional funk for far too long.  I've put progress on the back burner and felt super stagnant because of not knowing what was ahead, instead of just moving forward with what I know and what I've got now. Living in the land of "whatifs" has made me a real bummer, so I'm making a conscious choice to focus on what's good and to really and truly give my worry to God for once.  (SNORT.  Probably famous last words, but I'm working on it). This week I did put in some applications around for part time work and am just trying to stay focused on my home and family and be positive.  Sometimes knowing our choice to have me stay home has put a financial strain on us really gets me down, but then I remember all the good things I get to do for my family because I have time, and all the little things that my kids and husband don't have to worry about because I have time, and then I find two perfect condition boys' North Face down winter coats at the thrift store for 6 and 7 dollars apiece and know I could only save that money because I had time.  So mostly I'm feeling blessed and just trying to enjoy it all a little more.  So what if my house isn't perfect?  How mad would I have been THEN when Ellie wrote on the couch (accidentally) with purple pen?  So what if my windows are smudgy, shouldn't kids get to make smiley faces in the condensation?  So what if there's a hole in my bathroom ceiling from the roof leaking and a plastic bag on the broken window in my breezeway?  (Well, the "so what" to those is actually that it's making my house cold and, um, my ROOF is leaking ... but you get the idea)

Hopefully I'll be back soon with some finished up stuff.  But if I'm not, so what? ;-)

And So It Begins

Oh my, I have been absent haven't I?  In spite of my good intentions to post at least a couple times a week, I am still lacking in time management skills.  Clearly my inability to focus and get things done is not the fault of having three young children, but all my own.  Though, now that I think of it maybe they are still to blame.  After all, they gave me their doozy of a cold the first full week I had to myself.  And they continued to make dirty laundry and ask me for food, even when they KNEW I had no time for such nonsense.  Ah, I feel so much better.  Not my fault after all.  Bullet.  Officially. Dodged. 

Other than being sick as a D. O. G., I did have another tiny distraction.  Sewing for cash.  Presenting:  

nåler

The name is Norwegian for "needles," useful tools and playthings for both my niece and me.  Here was my little stash to sell:  mini wallets, bookmarks, sandwich wrappers and a few drawstring backpacks.

Our humble booth and Nicole looking lovely behind it.

Overall, peddling our wares for the first time was a fun experience.  I am not sure if I felt more like Maria or Professor Emelius Brown with my suitcase full of goodies.  (Though I could have sung "I Have Confidence" or "Eglantine" and been equally as happy.)  I didn't make a ton of money and probably earned slave labor wages for myself in what I did make.  But college homecoming is probably not the place to really rake in the dough for crafty goods.  We have some fun thoughts about our future though.  Not sure where it will go, but I think we might just enjoy the journey.

Next up?  Halloween costumes!... but first I CLEAN MY HOUSE!!!

PS.  There were some "leftovers" from what we were selling.  I currently have no online store to post them in, but if anyone is interested in detailed pics or information on anything you saw in my suitcase, or you can check Nicole's little mittens and hand woven dish towels here, please contact me at birchswinging@gmail.com and we can work something out.