About Me

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I AM: wife to 1, mother to 3, sister to 2 and 5 steps, aunt to 27, not-so-much-a-chocoholic-anymore, coffee loving, cloth diapering wanna be (my youngest potty trained herself recently), friend to many.

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

The Etsy store is now OPEN!!!

I have been rolling around the idea of having my own Etsy store for almost a year. Then life and fears and finances got in the way. And finally the other night my hubby and I were talking and he told me to just take the plunge and do it. In November I created my profile and policies, but didn't list any items for sale. Yesterday and today I have been working on stocking the store. There may only be 6 items available at this moment, but hey, they are available!!! So, when you have a free moment, why don'tcha mosey on over and take a gander at the goods. Here's the link! http://www.etsy.com/shop/SewLongFareWell?ga_search_query=sewlongfarewell&ga_search_type=seller_usernames
Give me some feedback! Please let me know what you think!! And thanks in advance for stopping by!

Funny lyrics by my son

Christmas is not complete without a Christmas song blunder. My kids were in the kitchen one night coloring in the oversized "Twas the Night Before Christmas" coloring book and singing their favorite little Christmas songs. The list included Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, Santa Claus is Coming to Town, and everyone's favorite, Jingle Bells. In the midst of really belting it out, my 4 year old son stops mid stanza, and says very frustratedly "No, No, No!" He corrected my 11 year old daughter. "Its 'Soap and Sleigh!'" Ho Ho Ho

We Survived Christmas 2009



As we gathered 'round the tree last night to thank God for sending his Son of Light,
we also thanked him for letting us survive Christmas 2009.
The day started out with a phone call.
Receiving that information I tried not to bawl.
It seems someone said they were me
as they used my debit card for purchases in Asia and Turkey.
That was on top of me nursing the burn on my arm.
The day before I was sewing and to my alarm,
when I turned 'round to reach the scissors,
the iron on my forearm made lots of sizzles.
After my kids opened their presents with glee,
we jumped in the car to go see our family.
We had pancakes at my dad's, then headed to my mom's.
That's when the bad luck really hit like a bomb.
While playing a board game, thinking it would make all at ease,
my son started gagging and choking and couldn't breath.
I was across the table, so I couldn't whack his back,
but all of a sudden a game piece popped out of his mouth
and landed in the box with a thwack.
The snow was still falling and there was ice on the ground.
Fourteen nieces and nephews were running around.
The ham was starting to cook up real nice
when we got a call from my aunt and uncle who could not travel to be with us because of the ice.
My sister and her family had planned on going home, but didn't leave;
through the blizzard they didn't want to roam.
So, some were snowed out and some were snowed in, and through all of this we kept up our chins.
During all this, my step-brother's family did not want to be missed.
They drove through the bad weather to get to us and what a sight,
along the highway they saw off to the right
a MoDot grater truck stuck for the duration of the night.
The aroma of ham was filling the air.
The timer on the oven beeped and mom took it out of there.
She proceeded to place the dish on the stove so it could cool.
Little did she know she was about to be a fool.
Instead of turning the heat on under the spuds,
she turned on the burner under the ham and it wasn't a dud.
The dish of Pyrex glass heated up fast.
The next disaster happened in a flash.
There was no warning, just a loud burst.
It's a miracle no one in the house got hurt.
You see, the dish exploded and sent glass shards flying.
My mom and my baby immediately started crying.
There was glass on the counter and glass on the floor.
Just when they thought they got it all cleaned up,
then they'd find more.
Then the next part really ruined the mood.
There were tiny glass shards in all of the food.
We rummaged through the fridge and the freezer
to see if we could scroung up enough to make a left over buffet pleaser.
But there were 24 mouths to feed and we didn't know if there was plenty.
So I made phone calls to Perkins, Golden Corral and Denny's.
Finally I got a hold of someone at LeMaire's,
and they said we were welcome to eat catfish there.
So we all bundled up and headed that way.
It was getting late and no one wanted to play.
We waited patiently and laughed about the day.
The food was cooked fresh and served to us piping hot.
But an enjoyable Christmas meal it was not.
My little nephew took one bite of fish and spit it out,
and then started flailing his hands about.
His lips started swelling and his face got hives.
We were all worried for his precious little life.
My hubby and step-sis rushed him to the ER.
He got the care he needed from the doctor.
When my hubby was driving the Surburban back to mom's,
he tried to stop at 16th and Ingram but something went wrong.
He slid on the ice, the truck wouldn't stop.
So he hit the car in front of him.
His bumper did pop.
The night wasn't over. That wasn't all.
My sister had an asthma flare up,
thank goodness for Albuterol.
To top off the night, my brother-in-law needed the Tums.
His ulcer flared up and he was really bummed.
At that point we decided to call it a day,
and head home and pray the bad luck stayed away.
My mom was laughing so that she wouldn't cry.
We hugged and kissed and said good bye.
We're going to make t-shirts, and my hubby is writing a song
to document all of the things that went wrong.
But the one thing that helped us hold it together
through all of the mishaps and all the bad weather
was to know that God was still in control
and Jesus Christ is still on the throne.
I hope your Christmas has been merry, and unlike our, not too scary.
All of the events mentioned above did happen at our family Christmas, December 25, 2009..

Friday, November 13, 2009

Puff Pancakes



I love this recipe for puff pancakes. It's my go to recipe when the cupboards are getting bare, or when I am too tired to fix a nice and normal supper. The kids love it. And there's so many variations of toppings to make one's palate pleased. I personally get a kick of how it puffs up when cooking, and I have a little let down when the puff falls after being out of the oven for a minute or so. Here's the recipe: Puff Pancake
1/2 c. flour
2 eggs
1/2 c. milk
Pinch nutmeg
1/4 c. butter
Powdered sugar
Mix flour, eggs, milk and nutmeg together, leaving batter a bit lumpy. Melt butter in 9" pie plate; pour batter on top of it. Bake 425 degrees for 20 minutes. Sift powdered sugar on top. Serve at once with maple syrup.

I usually double the recipe for my family. It's not real filling by itself, so I serve it with eggs and bacon, or alone for more of a snack. Our favorite toppings are powdered sugar and syrup (not the most healthiest of all meals...). But some like apple pie filling or crumbled bacon and spinach and cheddar cheese. One can vary in any way he chooses for a scrumptious delight. I found the recipe on Cooks.com, along with about 40 more variations-- one with the batter made in the blender with orange juice as one of the ingredients. Haven't tried that one yet, but sounds yummy. Bon Appetite!

The Worm Who Grew Too Much



When leaving a place of business a couple of weeks ago, all clad in warm clothes and rain coats (because of the 13 straight days of rain we were receiving), I was suddenly intrigued by something that caught my eye.
Now, I know earth worms surface during rain spells. And I also know the ones that live in my neighborhood are usually 6 inches long or shorter. And, it must be said, my son, being on the fresh side of 4 years old and having many environmental allergies, has not yet experienced the joy of puddle jumping and worm catching and digging for worms, like some of the rest of us. So, I did not want my son to miss the opportunity of his little life to see THE WORM WHO GREW TOO MUCH. It it by far the biggest worm I have ever seen, but I thought it was awesome. And had my son not started screaming like a little girl, "Get in the car!!! It's gonna get us!!! Get in the car!!! It's gonna get us!!!" I would have picked it up and played with it a bit. My son immediately grew cat claws and instinctively stuck them in my leg and sides out of great fear, as I laughed my head off. I tried explaining to him that worms can't hurt us, that their mouths aren't even big enough for us to see, and all the great worm facts I could come up with at that moment in time. He was still scared, I still laughed, I got him and his sister buckled in their seats in the car, and then I took a picture of this worm of all worms. The mother of all wigglers, the most giant of all night crawlers, and the most amazing annelid I have ever seen.

Saturday, October 3, 2009

Wanna know what irks me a HUGE amount???




This really gets my blood a boilin'. Meat is not cheap these days. One pays by the cut or the pound, correct? I have stopped buying my meat at Wally World because its just not as good a quality as the local grocery stores. And I am trying to support the local stores more than "the wal-marts". So a couple weeks ago I bought a roast. Can there be any better meal on a Sunday afternoon that pot roast??? And I'm not talkin' bout from the crock pot. (Though those are scrumptious too) But slave over the stove, sear the meat, add your seasonings and veggies and cook in the oven pot roast. I took this wonderful looking roast out of my fridge, peeled back the plastic wrap and was about to douse it in flour, salt and pepper, when I looked at the bottom of the roast and just about lost my appetite. Now, I know good and well that meat cuts contain fat. Usually small portions of fat. Adds to the flavor, right? Well, what would YOU do if the entire underside of YOUR roast was a quarter of an inch LAYER of fat??? I cut it off and took pictures, because I knew I had to have proof. (and because I wanted to blog about it) And then I called the store I purchased said meat from. Being a Sunday afternoon, there was not a lot they could do about it. So said the manager. She told me she was the "lowest" manager, and she didn't know what she could do about it, so could I please call back "tomorrow". What ever happened to, "Let me take your name and number and I will have someone who CAN help you call." and the "I'm sorry" that used to come with mistakes or disappointments? Eye yi yi. All that being said, the roast was still a delight to the taste buds. What do you think about this???

Homemade Deoderant, Anyone??




As the gal at Angry Chicken so eloquently put it, we had a "I'm not a dirty hippie party"! And it was fun. Have you ever thought about making your own deodorant? Or buying it homemade? I never really thought about it until a couple of months ago when I read about it on Angry Chicken blog, and then my friend, Sarah, talked about it. She and I are both allergic to stick deodorant. The only kind I have found so far that works for me is the Degree spray. Still, I am not comforted with the gazillion ingredients on the label that I can't even pronounce, or much less know what they really are.
Sarah got all the ingredients together and we piled in my kitchen with my oldest monkey, and together we made our own lovely assortment of deodorant! My daughter got to count this project as a credit for science and math, so that was a major bonus.
We used the recipe from Angry Chicken. All natural ingredients. Cha-ching! Corn starch, baking soda, vitamin E oil, cocoa butter, Shea butter, and then essential oils. We used vanilla in some, and tea tree in others, and then did a batch of unscented. It still holds the scent of cocoa butter. Its not too expensive to make, and it makes a LOT that will last a long long time. It is NOT an anti-perspirant, but I can live with that. After we mixed it up, we divided it via funnel into the little baby food jars I had been hanging onto for the "we might need these some day" reason. Good thing, eh?
Who knew going green (little by little) could be so fun and smell so good????

Items for Sale

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sewlongfarewell/
Please go take a look at some of my creations! This is diapers and nursing drapes.

Thursday, September 24, 2009










We've had a tough summer. My younger sister had a fall July 4, which has left her with brain damage and the need for a lot of therapy. We are so thankful that she lived as the doctors did not expect her to make it. We've traveled back and forth quite a lot throughout the summer to see her in a facility about an hour away. My motivation level for sewing and crafting went spiraling down the tubes. My mom and I were to be getting ready for the upcoming craft show in November. It would be our second time to have a booth. Mom has not had time or energy to even think about sewing. While on our way to see my sister the other day we were discussing what we needed to do to come up with a game plan for getting our items ready. I said what I thought would be best; call the craft club and back out of our booth. See if they would keep our booth rental money to secure us a booth in the Spring show. My mom took in a big breath and gave out a big sigh of relief. So, we are now not worried about our booth and the lack of things to put in it.
Over the last month I have pulled out the sewing machine again and claimed the kitchen table as my workshop. The monkeys have grown accustomed to eating on the floor, the coffee table, and the bit of linoleum right inside my front doorway. I have made three new diapers off of 3 new patterns. One Little Comet Tails Little One Size diaper, one Darling Diapers Unlimited medium sized diaper, and one EZdiaper. I don't care for the EZdiaper. The idea behind it is genius. If you make it without a true "outside" waterproofing material, there is no way to put the diaper on backwards or inside out. I just don't care for the fit of it as it's just a big rectangle. But a lot of mama's from the Diaper Sewing Diva's board rave over it. I really like the DDU medium sized diaper. It's got a great trim fit. It is different from the others that I've sewn as the waterproofing layer rolls inward at the leg seams so there is much less chance of wicking or leaking. I used a light purple pul outer with bamboo hemp jersey inner, and a snap in soaker made from zorb and sherpa. The LTC LOS diaper, well, I am a little disappointed in. It is trimmer than most one size diapers. It has a snap to adjust the length of the rise. But either I just don't "get it", or the one snap to do this with doesn't do a lot of adjusting. Still, it fits my baby, so I will use it.
I am hoping to open an online diaper store with the diapers I am planning on making. My original goal was to have this done by the end of September. I think I am looking more towards October for that to happen. But, I did get an order last week for 2 diapers, a wet bag and a diaper bag for a friend for a baby shower. I am thrilled with how they turned out and hope the recipient will be as well.
The kids are doing well. My oldest monkey turned 11 last month. She's started sixth grade and thinks she is on the road to adult-hood. She just found out last week that she is getting her 3rd poem published in the spring. I am proud of her for writing and entering her poems. I was always scared to enter my work in anything.
My middle child turned 4 in the summer. He asks me every day if its his birthday again because he wants to be 5 so he can go to karate with his big sister. And now that school has gotten back in session and the buses are running their routes, he watches out our big picture window with wide eyes and a drooly chin yearning for his chance to ride a school bus. Too bad. Homeschoolers ride their slippers to school. Not the bus.
My youngest is almost a year and a half. She is cutting massive amounts of teeth and growing. She has inherited my grace. The other night she fell down more times than she walked straight, leaving her with bruises and scrapes on her precious little face. She is also a climber, which has left her with bumps on her head from falling off of the things she is climbing. Her favorite place to be right now is perched atop the piano bench. She is very independent: she does not want help up or down, no help eating (which leads to big messes after meal time), and is not fond of hand holding when outside. Thank goodness she still likes to be held and to play with my hair when she's tired.

Saturday, July 4, 2009

Well, this Is a sewing blog, right?






Time to catch up on the sewing news...
The oldest monkey needed some type of fanny pack to take to camp so she could keep the epi pen and inhaler nearby. I realized the day before camp that we had no such pack in the house. I made a mad dash to the super sized store to see what they had. The closest thing I could find was in the sporting goods section, right on the "Bubba" isle. It was a fanny pack, well, more like a gut pack. It was huge. About the size of a ladies hobo bag. Had a seat belt for a strap, and I kid you not, on either side of the bag part were cup holders!!! Non detachable cup/bottle holders. Bubba would love it out in the woods, or in the stream while a fishin', but my 10 year old would not be caught dead in it. And I am not cruel enough to force her to wear it 24/7 her first year at camp. I called another store to see if they had fanny packs, and the answer was no. I also dashed into the dollar store. No luck. So, I bought a buckle in the crafting department at the first store, and decided I'd make the pack myself. No pattern. Just simple design. I used some material that was already in my stash. Lined it with Maldin Mills fleece to make it a little padded and water resistant. The kiddo liked it! It's just big enough for the meds and a little pocket change and her camera. Woo Hoo!
Moving on, I stated a few blogs ago that I was off the cloth diaper hype for a while. Still cloth diapering, just not immersing myself all the time in all the information about it. And in April and May I sewed enough diapers I thought I'd be done for a while. Wrong-O. I am always looking for something new. Patterns, fabric, what have you. In May I purchased the new Jalie diaper pattern. I love it. It has 8 different sizes, and patterns for a cover, a fitted diaper, a pocket diaper, or an all in one diaper. The wings of it are a little different that what I am used to. Not hard or bad, just different. And I like them because they are made from scraps already cut so there's not much waste of the material. We've had company the last few weeks, so the sewing machine has been out of the way gathering dust again. I got it back out and wiped it off 2 days ago. Sewing is one of my favorite things to do. When I sew, I can neglect everything else that needs to be done in this house. And today the shape of my house proves it. Too bad! If I can figure out how to dump the pictures from my phone onto this bless-ed computer, you can take a gander at what I have been working on. But, I venture to guess that you have already guessed it. Can you say Diapers??? BINGO! Thanks to some wonderful ladies on a sewing diapers group I belong to, I discovered the Tighty Whitey Hipsters (free pattern) and the Trimsies pattern (not a free pattern, but doesn't break the bank). I have made 7 so far. 4 TWH and 3 Trimsies. CUTE CUTE CUTE. Both are low riders, side snappers, and super thin. I love them! What takes the longest time in assembling them is the snaps. I think it took me about 2 hours yesterday to apply 50 snaps. But with my handy dandy snap pliers it wasn't hard. Just time consuming in marking the placement, and then picking the colors to use! Please humor me and zoom in on the picture displaying the snaps. Notice the different colors used and how cute they are and if they make you think of gumballs or skittles. They did me!
I am finished sewing for today, but I am not going to put away the machine just yet. I am going to tidy the place up a bit and make the monkeys some supper, and then I believe we will go set up camp to watch the fabulous fire works display put on by the fairgrounds. Have a Happy 4th of July! Remember why we celebrate. It's not just another day to take advantage of sales going on, or an excuse for a fancy picnic. Its our Freedom, baby! Enjoy!

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

"Oh, no!" cried Barney


My son turned 4 last week. The weekend before I set out on a mission and went to multiple yard sales to find a working Buzz Lightyear. There was no success for that mission, but I did find some other bargains, including a Wilton Barney cake pan for $0.50. WOO HOO!! My son is an avid Barney the Dinosaur fan. In fact, he has a Barney costume I got at the SalVo for $2.00 2 years ago that he still regularly dresses up in. That was the best 2 bucks spent-- EVER!
Being the procrastinator that I am, I waited until the day of his birthday to bake and decorate the Barney cake. I knew better, but my sister-in-law was visiting for the week, and we got busy with other fun outings. I had originally planned on baking the cake Tuesday, applying the crumb coating of icing (base coating) on Wednesday, and then decorating with the wonderful star tip on Wednesday night and Thursday. I spent all day Thursday with the cake version of Barney. It was soooo worth it, too! When the last icing star was applied, my little boy squealed with delight! Ever so carefully I transported my monkeys, Barney the Cake, and party supplies and gifts to Burger King. I ordered my monkeys some food, and I set to work getting the party table presentable. The simpler, the better, I say. Plastic table cloth in butter yellow, paper plates, napkins, and plastic forks in Barney purple, party hats and blowers in shimmery green, and gifts. Viola. Done. BK no longer allows balloons in the play area, so we had no balloons.
Family and friends arrived. Children played in the play gym. (My eldest reported an accident to the workers; not her accident, but a stumbled upon puddle. eeewwww) Presents were opened with eager anticipation and delight. The Birthday song was sang, candles were huffed and puffed out, and we feasted on the Barney cake. At the first knife cut of the cake, our little 2 year old friend, Ethan, narrated, "Oh, no! cried Barney". I busted a gut laughing so hard! And then when everyone had their fill of cake (we had no ice cream because my son is allergic to milk), my son wanted to look at the cake again. 4 year old minds amaze me. He knew that we had made a Barney birthday cake. He knew we brought it to BK with us. He saw the candles in front of him on the cake. He knew after the candles were blown out and the song had been sung I whisked the cake away so we could serve it. He ate a piece of the cake--the tail part he had special ordered! But he came over to see the cake again. For whatever reason he thought the cake would still be in tact. He saw the remaining 4 pieces and just stared and said, "Oh, no. How could you do this to me? How could you do this to Barney?" very very pitiful. He made me feel like I murdered Barney! He quickly got over the let down when he saw his new gifts again, and friends and cousins wanted to play again. Thank goodness!
I started cleaning up, and had the help of other attending adults. I saw my camera on the window ledge with some of the drinks. I made a mental note not to forget the camera. We had gotten a lot of great pictures that I was hoping we'd get to cherish for life. ("we"-- I don't have a mouse in my pocket. My husband and my step-sister and I all took pictures with my camera) Finally it was time to leave. I remember having the camera in one hand and drinks in the other, and I walked over to the trash to pitch the drinks. I laughed in my mind "now don't throw away the camera with the drinks!" because that is something I would SO do. So, I don't think I actually did it. I don't think I threw it away. But I have no memory of the camera after that. I wheeled my stroller out to the car, I had the basket with party supplies and my box with the remainder of the cake as well. PePaw Truck (my dad) had taken all the gifts and my son to his truck to transport back to my house. Normally, upon arriving at my house, I would have gotten the camera out and dumped the pics on the computer. But because we had company and other plans, I didn't think about it. My mom had been out of town last week and didn't get to join in the festivities. She came over last night to give my son his present and to see us. So I went to find the camera so I could show her the pictures of the party and the awesome cake. I searched high and low. In the diaper bags and purse and under the seats in the car, in the trunk, in the gift bags that I've already emptied and put in my closet for future use. No Camera. I called Burger King to see if I left it there. They said no one had turned one in. So, I am bummed. I don't know what other pictures I had on the camera, other than a diaper making tutorial I was working on for a contest. That's another 5 hours down the drain. No camera. I have no way to show you how awesome the cake looked, or the delight on my son's face when he opened the Barney's Magic Banjo he has been wanting since September of last year, or the bunny ears my daughter put on my son's head in the group shot of the kids. Sad. It may turn up eventually. My house is a disaster zone again from all the in and out and running around and late nights and early mornings and blah blah blah of last week. Today I must tidy it up a bit. We have no more clean spoons or knives. And I think the only clean forks are the toddler sized airplane handled ones. hee hee So, maybe it will turn up today. If it does, I will do a happy dance. If not, I might shed a tear. At any rate, I am hoping for a quiet day.

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

GROSS!

Who knew the previous post and this one would be related? Related how? They both have to do with FISH. The last one was about "Fish Eyes". This one? The lack there of. Ready for this? I wasn't!!!
My daughter left for camp yesterday. And like a good little girl she asked me to please remember to feed her fish (2 fish) while she's away. And like a bad mommy, last night I forgot. But tonight I remembered. To set the stage, the fish tank is not my domain. I don't know how to clean it, I don't know how to maintain it, and I LIKE IT THAT WAY. My daughter's room is a tropical theme, and my husband insisted there be a fish tank to complete the decor. The only thing I do with that tank is add water. Period. The last few days I have noticed a funky smell lurking in that room. And like a good mama, I just close the door. I do have to mention that 2 weeks ago that room got a thorough cleaning (aside of the fish tank), and there is no food allowed in the bedrooms, and we don't have any other animals, so I wasn't really concerned about what was causing the smell. I did notice the tank is growing some nice algae and told my hubby its in need of a scrub. There. I did my part. Right? Stage is set. On with the story. Tonight I opened the door and got a whiff of the unpleasant aroma but went on over to feed the fish. I opened the lid and at first glance thought the pretty fish was so excited for food flakes that it was meeting me at the top. Then the little light bulb in my head went off and I realized the fishy was belly up. I went to grab a bag so I could dispose of him (too big to flush) (I mean, this fish was a hand me down from another family who had had it for like 7 years!) and when I got back and got the scooper thingy and scooped out the fish, I noticed his head was gone. There was spine a danglin', but no head, and therefore no fish eyes. again I say GROSS!!!! How long does it take for one fish to eat THAT MUCH of another? Did my daughter just not pay attention? I am wondering if maybe she hasn't been feeding them, so the fish had a dual to see who the cannibal would be. I hope she isn't broken hearted when she gets home. I really am not. I am not going to rush out and buy another fish so she won't notice. I am going to petition to my husband to clean the tank. And maybe ask him to find another home for the fish eater so we can just move the tank out. I am now going to go to bed with visions of fish spine in my head. Nighty night!

Friday, May 29, 2009

Fish Eyes


This morning I corralled the kids and we all went outside on the front porch so they could breath that thing we call "Fresh Air" and I could drink my humongous cup of coffee. (I was also hoping to welcome my husband home, but little did I know he'd be about 2 hours late...)
The monkeys got a little restless just sitting with me, so they started playing. My middle child is obsessed with Veggie Tales. And the Mr. Lunt character in "Lord of the Beans" kind of scares him. And my oldest child knows this and takes advantage of it. chuckle chuckle. She started chasing him, pretending to be the Mr. Lunt character, and he was screaming like a girl. Then the tables turned, and it was his turn to do the chasing. Instead of saying "My Precious", he's chasing her and yelling, "My Fish Eyes!! My Fish Eyes!" I just about snarfed my coffee right through my nose.

Sunday, May 24, 2009

The Cwean Room

So it's been almost 2 months. And not a lot to show for it. Except my younger 2 monkeys' bedroom is CLEAN AND ORGANIZED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is a MASSIVE feat for me. Last week their room had no floor. Seriously. No floor. Instead it was a swimming layer of toys. Really. I thought about taking a "before" picture to prove it, then was too embarrassed and ashamed to click the button on the camera. But you can ask my oldest monkey. She would testify to the horrific mess. Don't ask my husband... he would not only answer, but then probably start talking about the laundry room. And I haven't reached it yet to work the magic. But just wait. I think I have it written in my planner for Tuesday! Back to the room. I told my 3 year old the toys that don't fit in the toy box and allotted containers for toys cannot stay. They have to go. At first he agreed to this. However, yesterday he was not too happy about the arrangement. He told me, "I do not wike my new room. I do not wike my cwean room. I want my messy room back." I told him Tough Toe Nails! So he went into his room and knocked the Wonder Pets and their beloved Fly boat off his dresser. At the crashing noise, I came a runnin'. I saw him sitting innocently on his floor and asked, pray tell, what was going on. He blinked his little eye lids and said, "Is this a mess?" To which I replied, "It won't be as soon as you pick it up. Hop to it, Skippy." Since everything has a place now, it takes no time to clean, therefore it is staying clean!!! (hallelujah chorus playing in the background)

I have been feeling like quite a failure as a homemaker lately. And I have had my little
pity party and (as my friend Arlene so eloquently puts it) sat on the pity pot. And then I started praying about what to do about it. And then I started google-ing for help. I came upon a site called "homemaking 911". How much clearer can you get??? So, in my free time I have been studying how to get organized and how to really clean. (The cloth diaper study sessions are on the back burner for now) Guess what I found out? If I put into practice what I am studying, great things happen. ( Keep your "DUH" to yourself, please) After I finished that room, I recruited my eldest and moved on to her room. Because we are like that Rubbermaid family, the one on the commercial that says, "We have too much stuff", and we don't have enough places to put said stuff, some of the stuff has been ending up in the corner in my daughter's room. For shame. Not any more! Her room has now been revamped as well. Well, right now there is one bag that needs to be moved to the trash pile, and there is a broom laying face down in the floor saying "Break time! I surrender!" and there is a stack of books awaiting the arrival of a book shelf that will be moved in next week. But the floor is very visible! The junk has been eliminated. I had forgotten how much a kid can hoard for the sake of being lazy. But, I guess she may have gotten that from me. I am feeling so much better about the whole thing. Today I don't feel like a failure. Especially when I count up the 7 bags to Salvation Army, 2 bags to Birthright (a crisis pregnancy center), 3 bags of baby cloths to 3 different families, and so much trash that my husband thought I forgot to send the trash to the curb last week. There is something cleansing and refreshing going on. Maybe I will retrain the inner pack rat after all. there is hope! I envy the people that can maintain a clean and clutter free house. I am trying to become one of those people, and train my kids to be like that.


Wednesday, April 1, 2009

A cloth diapering passion

I have been on The Cloth Diaper Whisperer blog for the last 45 minutes catching up on some cloth diapering reading. First, let me say that this blog is an amazing resource for cloth diapering. If you have a question, they have an answer. If you have a problem, they have a solution. And the people seem to me to be very REAL, which is very reassuring and comforting in today's day and age. This week there is a contest for the funniest cloth diapering story out there. I really don't have a great and funny story yet, but I have another year and a half to two years to go, so I am SURE my time is coming. I have enjoyed reading about other's experiences though. They also have a "Fluff Friday" contest where they give one lucky person a prize. Usually diapers of one sort or another, but it's not limited to that. Recently there was an adorable hand bag. To see this weeks coveted prize, click here. Cutie patootie, right? So, I am entering this week's contest, and I am advertising the blog site because I get an extra entry for doing so. :) Win win situation, right? And who knows, if you-the reader- has your own babe in diapers, or will have future babies in diapers, maybe by visiting the blog you might, just might, consider using cloth. Check out the wet bag I just received this week from Kelly's Closet. Well, my bag is pink and brown in this print. The blue was out of stock. I love love love the bag. The inside is waterproof, so it is perfect for putting dirty diapers in, or swimsuits, or what not. And then I got this diaper specifically for night time. It is SUPER SOFT. I haven't used it on the babums yet because I need to wash it a few more times so it can be up to its maximum absorbency level. I can't wait! I feel like such a nerd. If anyone was to ask me what I do in my free time would I actually DARE tell them I study cloth diapering???? My sister was in town last week and she lent me some "nappies" (what the Europeans and Aussies call diapers). The conversation went a little like this:
D: Hey, T! Here are the diapers.
Me: Sweet! These are BumGenious one size pocket diapers!
D: And here are some thingies for them.
Me: Those would be INSERTS.
D: The only thing I don't like is you can't use diaper rash cream.
Me: Oh, yes you can. There's a safe one for cloth diapering called the Magic Butt Stick. Looks like a gigantic glue stick, but instead of glue, its rash ointment.

Well, you get the picture. When I was a child I never said, "When I grow up I am going to have a passion for cloth diapering". Oh me, oh my.
I am going to give myself a monthly allowance for cloth diapers. I'd better clear it with my hubby first I guess. The diapers can give a bit of sticker shock at first, but they are reusable! and save soooooo much money in the long haul as oppose to disposable diapers. Come on, would you want to wear paper underoos for 2 1/2 years? Then why make your baby????? Ponderous.

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

So, where the heck has Cousin It been lately?

I got in the mood to clean my living room today. Top to bottom (minus the curtains... I'll save them for another day). My junk corner is No More, the shoe and jacket mountain that was behind the front door is Gone! My daughter's desk is now in my daughter's room. I cleaned the mirror, the panes of glass on the front door and the screen, the trim along the floor. You get the idea! And then I broke out Big Red. The vacuum cleaner. We are talking Big Job. I moved the couches and the other furniture, and I vacuumed where the sun don't shine. Then, all of a sudden there was a horrible noise. First the sound of a rock, or something, hitting all possible hard surfaces inside the vacuum and then the sound of the vacuum chucking it OUT. But then there was another sound that hadn't been there before. And it didn't sound good. I turned Big Red off, thinking "she can't fail me now!" and I turned her belly up. And then I saw a sight that I think I will remember for the rest of my days. And the first words out of my mouth were "Cousin It!!!" and then something like "holy crap". I started to pull at the hair that was wound around the spinning thing-ey (such a technical term). There was not only hair, but string. And I am pretty sure an elastic thread that belongs in my daughter's jewelry making kit. And then a hair pin--not a narrow bobby pin, but the kind for buns--looks more like a tall "V". How long it had survived with Cousin It I will never know. I had to get out the purple handled scissors to free the hair monster. Then I started to get a little grossed out. My daughter has a head full of hair, and up until January it has ALWAYS been down to her waist. Its her fault, right? I worked for probably a good 10 minutes before I could see that spinning thing-ey all nice and clean again. Cousin It is now free, and I would like to think Big Red will be working all the better from now on.

Saturday, March 21, 2009

The Thud

Just a little bit ago I was in my bathroom putting on my make up when I heard a loud "Thud" on either my front door or picture window. The thoughts that raced through my mind: That's the morning news--wait, dummy, we don't take the paper; I wonder if its a UPS package-- wait, it's no one's birthday, and we haven't ordered anything; Is it a stupid neighbor dog trying to join our family?--I sure hope not! So I put down my eye shadow and peeked out my curtain. Nothing there. I unlocked the locks on my door and looked out. Nothing within my height's range. Then I opened the screen and saw this red headed woodpecker gasping for air on my front porch! Its eyes were slightly opened, and his beak was moving, and all I could do was just watch. Then he stopped moving and his eyes shut. I couldn't tell if he was still breathing or not--I was barefoot and didn't want to step out. So, I grabbed my camera. My older 2 monkeys are not home this morning and I wanted to capture the moment so I can show them later. I almost shed a tear for this bird. But before doing so, I got curious as to what he hit; my door or my window. So I started looking for clues. That's when I saw this:Pardon the lack of good camera and photography skills. This gunk was fresh and still running. Which then led me to the questions of What Exactly Is It? Was it the remains of a big bug the bird had been chasing? Was it the spit knocked out of the bird? Was it bird puke? Was it bird brain matter??? EEEWWWW Gross. Whatever it is, I need to clean it up before it becomes the permanent "Hello" sign on my front door. Well, I was sure the bird was dead, but was trying to hang onto the little hope that maybe, just maybe he was only stunned. I was wondering how I was going to dispose of said bird before my kids come home today. And do I bury it, or wrap it in a plastic sack and toss him in the trash? He's too big to flush! Do I call the conservation dept? and if I do are they going to blame this accident on moi? The Predicament! Instead of worrying any more, I picked up the phone and called my mom to share the "You'll never believe what's on my front porch" story. We chatted for a bit, and then in the middle of her monologue, I heard a noise. Because I have the great and wonderful cordless phone, I continued listening to my mother and crossed the room to look out on my porch. Low and behold, the woodpecker was gone! And I interrupted my mom to tell her so! :p I did see this in the place of the bird:
(I didn't zoom in close enough, but if you look real hard, there is a red smear in the center to the right, and a wet spot in the center towards the left. If you must, look again at the first pic of the bird, and you can see his head was at the blood end, and his lower self was above the wet spot.)(I just realized that if you click on the picture, you'll get a good blown up zoom!! Now you can really see what I'm talking about.) Why, I do believe the birdie has a head trauma, and soiled itself. I don't have to call the conservation dept, I don't have to bury it, and I don't have to poke it with a stick to see if its still breathing. The bird flew away! All silliness aside, I am really thankful my door did not kill this bird. I am thankful God made birds resilient. And I am reminded of the scripture in Matthew 6:25-34. Not that I was worrying about what I will eat and wear today, but the message is our heavenly Father cares for and feeds them, and that he sees us as much more valuable than the birds! And I was worrying about all the silly notions of how I was going to dispose of this bird when the bottom line is Do Not Worry. I hope this red headed woodpecker's head heals up nicely and he has a long life, and remembers the path to my door so he can avoid it! :)

Friday, March 20, 2009


My son spent a lot of time in grandma's basement over the last 2 weeks while my mom and I prepared for the craft show. One day he came running over to us proclaiming "I found a widdle bucket! I found a widdle bucket!" And the treasure in his "widdle" hand was grandma's thimble. We had a good "widdle" "waf" (that means "Little Laugh" to you slow ones out there) over that.

My first craft show



One cup of coffee. One Splenda, 2 cream. It is very early in the morning (for me) to be up and already on the computer. Well, more truthfully, for me to be up at all! And I am already ready for the day. My 3 monkeys are still in bed snoozin', as is a darling little girl of a friend of mine, who is joining us for the morning. There are so many things I could be doing right now. ie: laundry, dishes, bills But I have chosen to fill my friends in on how the craft show this past weekend went!
My mom--my crafting partner-- and I were informed ahead of the weekend that the spring show is a little slower than the fall show. And then a few times on Saturday some of the other vendors informed us the same. Some were a tad discouraged if not down right irritated. However my mom and I had a wonderful time. We did not make our first million, we did not come close to selling out... of anything, but we did make a little bit of a profit, and we had a great time! We certainly enjoyed people watching, and once in a while gave commentary. (But I will not go into great detail of The Man Who Mooned Too Much) We got to chit chat with some familiar faces, we got to taste test one man's spice/dip booth--the absolute best out of MO! There were a few people who took my card, we got invited to 3 other craft shows, and we got a special order. I think for our very first time it was a very positive experience! And we will definitely be a part of the fall show.
My kids stayed with my dad and step-mom on Saturday. I think it was the first time that set of grandparents has watched all 3 of mine together. Both parties involved had a good time. I know the grandparents were more worn out than my monkeys at the end of the day. I am grateful they got the time together. Then first thing Sunday morning I received a phone call from the babysitter I had lined up that she was sick. I panicked for a moment and then I called my mom. We decided my eldest could go to church with some friends and then they would bring her to us at the show, we schmoozed grandpa Mike into keeping my son, and the bambino would come with us. I was a tad bit relieved, even in that moment, that I would not have to be humiliated and horrified of the condition my house had sunken to, and what the babysitter would have thought of it. Before you judge, grab the nearest 3 active children, let them run rampant in your home, and you sew your fingers to the core-- for weeks, and lets see what your house looks like! lol!! You know, I was really hoping for enough of a profit I could hire a maid to come stay with us for the rest of the month... ahh. What was that response? Did I hear a "Keep Dreamin' Sister"? Oh, the cruelty. lol!
Oh, lets back up for a moment. I mentioned my eldest would be dropped off to us after church. She was, and I was so grateful to my friends for doing so. And she was geared up to have a good time looking at all of the booths. She even brought her very own money. My firstborn perused and meandered looking at each and every booth, zigging and zagging her way throughout the entire building, getting ideas of what she wanted to purchase. She even made friends with 2 other girls around her age that were there with grandmas, and they palled around together for a while. Then, my daughter made her purchases. She bought a gift for one of her friends, a t-shirt for her little brother (monkey #2), a hillbilly telephone (which was a big stick, whittled into the shape of a phone receiver, with numbers drawn in sharpie, and hillbilly instructions on how to use it) for $3.00! and then a hunk of beeswax. I asked her what she would do with that hunk of beeswax. She said the lady told her she could make a candle, or if she rubbed it on her hands, it would make her hands soft. It was a dollar. I thought the lady should have been slapped for taking my daughter's dollar and in exchange giving her a chunk of beeswax. Sorry, that's just my opinion. How is my 10 year old going to make a candle from it??? HELLO. enough said. Anyway, her money is gone, but her heart is huge. She gave her brother the shirt, she gave the phone to her cousin, and the next time she sees her friend, will give that gift as well. I am very proud that she is such a generous child.
I am going to refill my coffee and check on the sleeping monkeys. And then I may sew some more today.

Thursday, February 26, 2009

Simple Joys


I shall blog in this fine color tonight to match the items in my photos. I had not planned on matching the little deer, made from the Simplicity 2763 vintage pattern, to match my vintage Singer sewing machine (so lovingly handed down to me from my grandma). I didn't even really notice how well they matched until I wanted to shoot the work in progress.
A little note about this deer pattern. It is a rather fun little patter
n to work with except for having to pin all the pieces together at once to sew. 2 lower bodies, 2 side bodies, and one upper body. Tedious to say the least. I think I had this little deer looking like a bad voodoo doll project. Pins everywhere! And I am NOT a pinner. Really. But it did pay off. Just look. Now don't you think this is the absolute most adorable deer you ever did see? My daughter tells me its a chihuahua, not a deer. Either way, its a keeper.
Now, take a look at these little wooden thread spools. I have a love for them. I cannot tell you why. I think they are so much better than the plastic spools. I am trying to decide if I am going to hoard them to myself, or mix them up with my other empty spools and make the monkeys a little spool necklace
to play with. Didn't your grandma do that for you? I think I have this vague memory of playing with a spool necklace when I was really little. Maybe not. I have been known to make up memories before...
And now for the last photo. My homemade baby legs for my bambino. I refuse to pay $12.00 for a pair of glorified leg warmers for my baby. But I can justify spending $3.00 on a pair of women's knee socks and modifying them to
fit my youngest monkey. And since they somewhat matched the color of the theme tonight, I thought I may as well show them off, too.
My youngest monkey was sick the majority of the last week, so I have not accomplished much. "Much" includes sewing, house work, reading. But I have not beaten myself up for it. It did get a smidge bit frustrating when I needed to do things (like fix dinner or go to the bathroom) and I'd put the monkey down and as soon as she was out of my reach she'd start bawling. However instead of allowing the steam to whistle through my ears, I remembered the sling I made a few months back. I got it out and wore the baby quite a bit. She loved it. And I did, until she started putting her little fingers up my nose. :) Is nothing sacred???
My first craft show is quickly approaching. My mom and I are doing a booth together. We are both seasoned in going to craft shows. She and my grandma used to lug my sisters and I to craft shows when we were itty bitty, and drag us to them when we were pre-teens, and force us to go as teenagers. And now I am the one who calls my mom the morning of a show and asks her if she would go with me. :) We both love to sew, and at the show we went to in the fall, one of the booth ladies loved the baby sling I was wearing and the matching booties my baby was wearing, and talked us into joining the local crafters club and reserving a booth for this upcoming show. It is about 2 weeks away and I have not built up a great inventory at all...YET. But I am working on it. My problem is I want to make EVERY cute thing I see. And I have 3 monkeys. And the my prince charming works hours any Donna Reid would faint and wither away at. And and and... So, tomorrow, lets keep our fingers crossed that the youngest monkey is all better, and I focus on one project--instead of them all--, and we all find pleasure in the simple joys around us. nighty night

Thursday, February 19, 2009

A lesson for mommy

While trying to wind down tonight, I went blog browsing. Following links on my favorite blogs just to see something new and amusing and enlightening. And I landed on a blog that I fell in love with here. And boy howdy, did it make me blink. Over the last few weeks I have gotten so caught up in what I want to do that I have kind of pushed my wee ones to the back burner. The author of that blog must have been writing just for me for this moment. She put things into perspective. Why is it that sometimes when we have the best intentions we make crummy mistakes? I think I know the answer. Its when I am not keeping Jesus, my Savior, in the spot light. Its when I am asking myself what should "I" do now, instead of What Would Jesus Do. Its when I get upset with my kiddos for messing up MY schedule (or lack thereof) instead of getting down on the floor and playing with them, or reading that library book for the 4th time in a row. And when I start acting on my own whims instead of praying about "it" and then acting accordingly. So, after blog browsing, I read Proverbs 31 and prayed. And then my son got up out of bed after wiggling around in his blankets since he got put to bed, and he asked me, "Can you sit in my wap?" Which of coarse for a three year old translates to, "May I please sit on your lap?" And instead of getting irritated that he was up out of bed, I told him to come sit with me and we hugged and kissed and sang a few songs and I tickled him til he howled (and woke up his baby sister). And tonight he'll remember me as his nice and fun and lovey mommy instead of a grouchy mommy. And I can go to bed with a peace in my heart, knowing that my creator is a giver of grace and mercy, and tomorrow I can start fresh, once again, in this mommy-ness.

Saturday, February 7, 2009

Aggravation


A wee bit aggravated would describe it.
At about 5:30 tonight, I had a brilliant and wonderful idea in my head. "The monkeys are all quiet. One is napping, one is watching Barney for the 3rd time, and the other is working on her weaving loom. This is THE PERFECT OPPORTUNITY for me to sew a shirt to add to my wardrobe (my wardrobe is very small and limited, and temps are in the 60's currently-- last year this time I was in maternity clothes, and the year before I was quite a bit lighter, so I am rotating about 3 shirts and I would like a pick me up!) and don it TOMORROW! Yes, I shall do this NOW!" I put supper (Saturday night special of leftovers) in the oven to heat up, and went to work cutting out the pattern pieces from the New Look 6483. I was going to bring to life View D, and add sleeves. I cut out all of the pieces except #14. I couldn't find #14! I searched and searched. I found 2 of #13, and 2 of #5, but NO #14. That should have been my hint to stop. Right then. Stop. But no. I decided to go with View A. I would be safe with View A. I cut out the paper pieces. I cut out the material. Then it was time for the supper break. I sewed for 30 minutes after supper, and then decided to give the 2 younger monkeys baths. We are going to church tomorrow and I would like them to smell fresh and have clean fingernails and no finger fuzz when we go. Afterwords, I rocked the bambino and then at 8:30 put the 2 youngest to bed. Tonight, unlike most nights, there was no kicking and screaming against bed time. Wonderful!!! I thought I was surely going to be finished with my new shirt before 10:00 pm. Because, after all, the pattern states "1 HOUR easy *sewing time". I had already worked for at least an hour, so baby, I was ready for easy peasy nice and cheesy go time! At 10:00 I stopped because I am getting very tired. I have sewn the front to the back, attached the interfacing, and slip stitched the ends in place. And I top stitched the neck line. I realized I still have sleeves and hemming to do. And then there's applying a thread loop and a button for closure. There was no way that I would have this beautiful creation finished tonight unless I stayed up until midnight working on it. If I attempt sewing anything when I am tired, it takes about 3 times as long as normal because I tend to interpret the instructions incorrectly, and then the seam ripper becomes my best friend, and then I have to do it all over again. If I absolutely HAD to have this article of clothing for tomorrow you better bet your bottom dollar I'd be staying at the machine working through toil and sweat until it was finished. But, since pattern #6483 is a glorified T-shirt, I don't think its worth it tonight. Therefore, I am Aggravated that the envelope lied when it boldly wears the printed words "1 HOUR easy *sewing time", when it should say "BLOCK OUT A DAY, OR AT LEAST 5 HOURS OF IT, easy".
I don't want to keep myself awake all night to do this because tomorrow I get to go to my most favorite store. Hobby Lobby!!!!! My mother and I are going to pack my monkeys in the car after lunch, and drive to the nearest one. One Hour Away. And in this case One Hour means One Hour!!!! I am going to purchase more fabric. My favorite fabric. I am going to get enough to make 3 ring slings for the up coming craft show booth. And with the scraps, I will make some matching baby shoes, and perhaps a few ribbon sensory balls.
Maybe I will sew some more on the shirt tomorrow night, maybe not. In the mean time, I will dream about Hobby Lobby. Sad, right? Saturday night. 10:30. I am headed to bed, and the thing that is making me giddy is a fabric store. What can I say. Mr. Monkey won't be home until tomorrow.

Saturday, January 31, 2009

Amigurumi


I don't even know how the word is pronounced, but I delved into the wonderful world of Amigurumi today. The definition is the Japanese art of knitting or crocheting small stuffed animals and anthropomorphic creatures. The word is derived from a combination of the the Japanese words ami, meaning crocheted or knitted, and nuigurumi, meaning stuffed doll. My owl is complete with moving wings. Though I am not sure if they are supposed to move or not. And the other picture, you ask? The one that resembles the poor Scarecrow from The Wizard of Oz with body parts scattered here and there? Does the picture look like 3 little mice and one spider are predators to the... yellow rectangle? They are not! Once I do a little more surgery on that fellow, he will impressively be a LION! When I finish him, and it won't be tonight for I am crocheted out for the day, I will prove it with another fashion shot. My daughter kept looking over my shoulder wanting to know how I was making the animals, and she decided to take one of the hooks and crochet 2 lines of a wash cloth today. (because being the mean mommy that I am, I would not teach her to do this today. my patience was running a little thin.) And my 3 year old son claimed the owl. He said, "Are you making my owl?" To which I replied, "No, I am not. I am making MY owl." :) Yesterday I stumbled upon the free patterns from Lion Brand, here, printed out half a dozen, and am so excited to create them all. My favorite, I think, and I know she's going to take a lot of work, is a purple Hippo in a bikini. Hilarious, I think. Makes me smile. The patterns are rated easy. Time consuming, but easy. I think it took me about 5 1/2 hours to do this much, granted, there were about a BAZILLION interruptions.
Moving on, I had a question as I was eating supper tonight. Does half a Fuji apple balance out chocolate chip pancakes for supper? Um, can you guess what my son and I had for our last meal of the day? We did. And we enjoyed every bit of it. Mr. K. went to work, and darling daughter #1 went to a friend's, so it left the 3 yr old, the bambino, and myself. Yes, the bambino nibbled on the pancakes, too. No syrup for her, and I didn't give her apples, either. The children were so sticky and chocolaty they got to indulge in a bubble bath before bed tonight. Ahh. The joys of childhood. Good Night!

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