Cal's First Party

On Sunday Cal attended is first "real" birthday party without us. He attended a couple in preschool, but only friends of ours or a party where parents were required to be there too. ( Remember the dreaded visit to Chuck E. Cheese?) This friend, Ashley, lives kiddy-corner across the street from us. Her incredible mother VOLUNTARILY hosted a party of crazy little children between, I'm guessing, 5 and 8ish. Ashley is a really cool little girl who is super into reptiles and amphibians! (I am for SURE encouraging this friendship.... no princesses here!) Her parents know a guy who works with snakes and other cool things like that and he came to the party and did a little show/demonstration deal. Cal LOVED it. He got to see snakes and alligators and toucans. I felt pretty good about our gift choices after getting to hear all that.

Here is what we made for Ashley:

The backpack is from the same instructions used for this bag from last year. The bean bag frog was from Purl Bee.


Ellie loved the frog too. Might have to make some of those for the Christmas stockings this year. They are really fun to play catch with.

And here is my little model showing how cute the bag is on. I slipped in a little notebook and colored pen again too; although if I had felt like I had more time, a sketchbook and pencil roll would have been better.

When I picked Cal up, Ashley was holding her frog (yea!) and I'm excited for him (3 hours and a party without me!) and happy for me that it was just up the street. ;-)

Green Thrifting

I haven't been to my favorite SA haunt in quite awhile. I've been avoiding it because, if I go, I WILL spend money and because I really do sort of hate going with the kids. (shhh!) I have a friend though, who is NEW to the whole thrifting business (can you IMAGINE????) and she is easing herself into learning to shop in this wonderful way. I say "easing" because when you weren't raised with used stuff and with a love of.... shall we call it, vintage chic?.... apparently learning to sift through a giant thrift store that feels a bit like a jumbly garage sale can actually be rather difficult.

She was going to hit 1/2 Price Wednesday this week, so I thought I would join her. And join her, I did. Although as my luck usually goes, nothing I found actually qualified for 1/2 price.

Cool bookends for the boys' desk:

A darling hardtop suitcase (3 bucks!!!) in almost perfect condition. I tried to air it out a bit in the sun and hoped baking some lilacs inside it would help with the "i've been stored in someone's attic for 30 years" smell. The suitcase is being saved as a trunk for all the doll clothes that I am going to (in theory) make for a birthday gift for Elle. OK, so maybe it will be for her 4th or 5th birthday... ;-)

And Ellie also got this sweet, vintage cardboard print for her room (that is, if I don't steal it for my "studio" -that's just fun to say!).

I LOVE it from the brushed texture to make it look like canvas right down to the fake-woodgrain, green plastic frame.

I don't know about "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle," but I sure had a green day.

Oh, and I found THE MOST AWESOME Father's Day gift EVER!!!! But that has to stay a secret as I think Mike may actually read this....

Really can't imagine having to ease into this; I don't know what I would do without it.

I Could Eat This

It's here. I took the plunge and ordered the fabric because these quilts are something I really want to do for Ellie, something I decided I was justified in using her saved up gift money for, I remembered that I had two vintage twin sheets that would be just perfect for the backings, and because it is something I've always wanted to try.

Seriously, I could just bite right into that stack. Let's hope I didn't bite off more than I can chew.

PS. Check this out. I'm FAMOUS ;-) (and I have really cool ideas)

Mother's Day

So, remember this room?

I know, it's hard to recognize. I can barely see the resemblance myself. Even the closet is neat.

That was my Mother's Day gift from Mike (along with some dahlias and not having to cook all day): a WHOLE AFTERNOON of no child related responsibilities so I could dig myself out of that wreck of a room. It's all mine now, by the way, which is why it ended up so messy. OK, PARTLY why it ended up so messy. We moved all the office stuff out a few weeks ago and everything just stayed jumbly. I now feel like I can tackle my ever-growing list of things to sew and I better get on it soon. This month includes birthday parties for 4 and 7 year old girls, a baptism and two preschool teachers. To say nothing of all the things around the house that need to get done.

**deep breath**

Before I get ahead of myself, let me just bask a little more in that (still) clean room, in the pretty glass of flowers brought to me by my three babes,

in the gorgeous pile of drawings and writings bestowed on me by the boys

including this from Tate,

and this from Cal.

It is enough to make me want every day as Mother's Day. But really, when I think about it, every day is.

Blech and Happy Mother's Day to You!

Tate: Mom, do you know where the throw-up is coming from? It is coming from my BONES."

Oh Pip, I believe you.

I am pretty sure we have a case of Rotavirus on our hands. Ellerie was, thankfully, vaccinated for this; so in spite of a week long version of the runs, she was saved from the violence at the other end. But my sweet Tate always seems to have the hardest time. So, while what I really WANT to be doing is taking care of this:

(You can barely walk around in this room. I may never craft again at this rate), I am trying to take care of my sickly little man and doing enough laundry (again) to keep my local water authority in business for the near future.

I know he needs someone nearby though and like I said before, sick kids are usually good kids. Oddly enough, watching them so vulnerable reminds me just how incredibly much I love them and how much they really do still need me. I think that is what I will take away as my Mama's Day gift: they really do need me and I, them.

It really is a special sort of bond because, trust me when I say this, ONLY A MOTHER would have cleaned up what I had to clean up in the middle of the night last night.

BLECH.

Oh, and Happy Mother's Day to you all! May it be a time to treasure and sickness free! ;-)

A Garden of Our Own

After the "window incident" and before we began yet ANOTHER round of GI virus (I only wish I were kidding), we had a really nice weekend. Saturday was a visit from Nana Sue, Papa Paul and the Great Grandmas, where Mike and I got to go window shopping (literally) and Garden Shopping. This time of year, that is even more fun to me than thrifting. And that is saying something.

It was perfect weather, although probably not hot enough for the naked body parts my sons were sporting.

Man, I need a rope ladder for that tree. Those boys are getting way too big to boost up there.

Ellie enjoyed a little snack in the breezeway while she waiting for the gardening action to begin. (Her headband, btw, is from this pattern. Super easy and possibly addictive to make)

The boys were SO keen to help plant THEIR plants. And watering?

Well, that's fun even when you don't manage to get a drop on the actual plants.

We are all very excited about our 8 tomato plants (Cherry, Burpee Big Boy, and Heirloom), Romaine lettuce, Zucchini, Cucumbers, and some herbs. The boys were out last night (after their entire day of tv and computer games while I moaned in bed, sleeping off the fever) already checking on their progress. "Mom! I think the plants have already grown!! They look just a little bigger!"

Those cinder blocks are our next little project. They need to be weeded, filled in with soil and we are planting some Trailing Soapwort seeds to create a nice little flowered border and to help HIDE the ugly cinder blocks.

In spite of the fact that we worked ALL day and only managed this wee garden and some improvement to the patio, I am learning slowly to just embrace these small changes and not to get bogged down emotionally by what is left to do. And, it's hard not to get excited about a little summer salad from our very own garden.

Temper, Temper

There is nothing like watching your child lose his temper to make you question what you are doing as a parent. I, too, have a temper. So, how much is nature and how much is nurture??? I suppose watching them develop is the only way to really tell. Part of growing up is gaining discernment about what is even worth getting angry over in the first place and then making smart choices on how you act on that anger. I like to think that, at least most of the time, I curb my temperament in front of my kids, even if I am simmering to boil over after they are out of the room. So, is Calvin like me, but just six years old? Or has he learned to be quick to blow because he sees that in me? God help us all, either way, and I mean that.

One thing I do know: a size 1 sneaker chucked at a window makes a break that looks just like Pac Man.

I also know that, even if we are quick to shatter around here, we are also quick to forgive and quick to emphasize love and justice.

So, at the end of the day, maybe it doesn't matter where our tempers come from, as long as we all try daily to make better choices and to share our struggles honestly, admit our faults and accept responsibility for our actions.

Oh, and when we are six-year-old little boys that shatter a window because we want to go to the library BEFORE Walmart, not the other way around, one way or another we pay for half the new window.

'nuff said.