Sew Long Fare Well

2011-09-28T09:23:00.002-05:00

Its been a long time, you say? Have you missed me? Would you like to know what we're up to?

We have been enjoying the pork from the freezer. AJ has not missed taking care of the pigs. In fact when Prince Charming and I talked about getting more pigs, she quickly piped in "NO WAY". Coco Bean is now reading with ease. He can also do basic addition and subtraction. He would much rather have 50 problems crammed onto one notebook paper than do 50 flash cards. Curly Top is no longer curly, except on very high humidity days. So I'm thinking we need to give her another nick-name... How about what we call her every day: Nickel Pickle.

In trying to come up with something to blog about just now, my heavy thinking was interrupted by something in my peripheral view. Coco Bean is Indiana Jones today. His cowboy hat is his fedora. His old monkey leash (backpack with a harness on it) is his whip and satchel. And his little voice is continuously humming the Indiana Jones theme song. I looked up in time to see him "lasso" a metal vine on my bakers rack, and he had a look of determination on his face. With his hands he was pulling on that whip to make sure it really was secure, and instantly I knew what he was thinking. Before he could raise his foot to climb, I blurted, "Indiana, don't you even think about scaling my bakers rack, or there will be big trouble!" He looked at me, gave me a sheepish grin, and unhooked the monkey tail leash from my piece of furniture. I guess I guessed it right! Oh, my.

Nickel Pickle is now begging for a snack. Less than 10 minutes ago she had a 2 egg omelet. She's wanting dessert. Can anyone say she's MY child??

I finally got caught up on pillow orders. Last month. I have a few I need to finish for gifts from myself. I have missed sewing for my own family. But I believe the sewing shoppe will close for just a bit to outside orders so I can have a little break from the pressure, and so I can sew for my house for the holidays and my kids for Christmas. (Christmas is less than 3 months away, People!!)

While the kids enjoyed public school last year, the parents (myself and Prince Charming) did not enjoy the fact there were drugs in 6th grade!, the multiple PG-13 movies the 12 year old class watched without parental consent, and the sad realization AJ was not challenged at all- basically her education was put on hold for a year. We had heard enough about her class being "the bad eggs" from countless teachers and parents and we didn't want her to become one. Coco Bean did wonderful in kindergarten. I have a great amount of respect for his teacher being able to wrangle 21 kids, and teach them to count, read and write. They are both back home with me this year, and we are back on track with the Robinson Curriculum. Both kids were upset they would not be seeing their friends every weekday, but I think they are thrilled to go on fun field trips (such as a corn maze), and that they don't have to be standing at the end of the driveway waiting for the bus at 6:45 am. And maybe mama's lunch is better than school lunch. :) (and Coco Bean really loves he can be Spiderman, Mario, Peter Pan, or Indiana Jones as he does his work.)

I do not have any pictures to share this post. Our computer bit the dust, got fixed, and then after being re-booted it bit the dust again. Computers do not have 9 lives like cats do, unfortunately. My wonderful landlady/friend/grandma-to-the-kids-figure has kindly let me borrow her computer. Out of respect to her, I will not fill her computer with all of my pictures. Though she might actually like them, I don't want her to feel like I'm making her watch all my slides from a vacation 20 years ago.

I guess that's about it for now. I am going to enjoy one more cup of coffee, and make sure the children are on track with today's lessons, and then I am going to sew.

Welcome to our happy home

2011-03-31T11:40:00.005-05:00

My little Curly Top will be 3 this weekend. We are not buying her any store bought toys. Instead, I am making her gifts. So far I have made a Tinkerbell name pillow (at her request), a Tinkerbell costume (also at her request), and quite frankly, the cutest thing I think I have ever made, this little doll house. I found a tutorial here and put it together last night. I sewed the buttons (for closure) on this morning. The whole thing took about 2 1/2 hours. I did buy the little wooden peg people from www.gemmielou.etsy.com. I looked all over, and this shop had the most reasonably priced. I am so excited about it. Its all I can do to keep it hidden and not bring it out to play with it myself! I can't wait to see her face. I hope she loves it.

Throw a wrench in it

2011-02-24T10:27:00.003-06:00

I used to pride myself on being easy going and spontaneous. Over the last year or so I am having a hard time admitting to myself I am not that way anymore. I want to be in control. And if I have my day planned, you'd better not mess up my schedule. You see, if you do, you may see me roll my eyes, sigh, and stomp my feet a little bit.

I am trying my best to keep a clean house. A facebook friend nailed it the other day when she posted, "I have come to the realization that since I've had kids I don't clean. I just organize the mess." If there were an "AMEN, SISTER" button I would have clicked it!!!

I also am trying to keep up with the kids' appointments. Luckily AJ is not in any sports this season. But we have doctors appointments for ear infection follow-ups, appointments for shots (apparently when we switched doctors last year the shot records fell through the cracks and I am just finding out that all 3 kids are behind. Nice.) Birthday parties, academic contests, honor choir, valentines party... if you're a mommy you know the drill.

I also found a sewing niche recently that has sent my "sewing business" (I have been trying to get up and running for 4 years...) sky high for me!!! This is soooo exciting!! At the moment I have more orders for these pillows than days in the month.

Then there are the normal trips to the grocery store, gas station, fabric shop (aka Wal-Mart (big sigh and roll of eyes because compared to some quilt shops the fabric at WM is a joke!))

And we live out in the boonies, so I really try to orchestrate as many things as possible into one trip into town. Well, if I wait for the kids to get home from school to leave, I'd better have supper in the crock pot or plan on sandwiches otherwise everyone will be a whiney mess come supper time.

With all of these things, I have become a much better planner and follower of the plan. The kids usually fall in line.

Coco Bean got sick this week. Wrench in plan. With him home for 2 days being more needy than usual it was hard for me to stick to my schedule. And with him home for 2 days, well, lets just say he's a normal 5 year old boy who likes to play but doesn't like to clean up. Wrench in plan.
And there's Curly Top who has only just discovered if mommy is not looking she can get into any drawer or cupboard and pull as much out as she possibly can until mommy discovers what she is doing. And being 2, she can't really put things back in an orderly fashion. Wrench in plan.
And the heater coil went out on my car last week. So I can't drive it. Luckily my loving husband is giving up his vehicle for me. But that means on the days he works Curly Top and I have to be ready very early, in time to take him to work. Don't get me wrong. I am very grateful I am not left being home bound. But that extra hours worth of drive time is a wrench in my plan.

Now, before you go and tell me to count my blessings, let me tell you I count my blessings every single day. It is a blessing I am a stay at home mom and I can stay home and take care of a sick child. My 3 children are such a blessing to me. I would be lost without them. I love that they have activities they are involved in. I am thankful my husband is giving up his ride so I'm not high and dry. I am thankful for my sewing machine and for my grandma who taught me to use it.

I also know that my saga is not that different from most other moms out there. I am not asking for a Bozo Button or a gold medal because I think I'm Mom of the year for being able to coordinate our life.

I am just blurting out that my mentality can sometimes be that of a 2 year old, and when "MY" plans get messed up I will throw a tiny tantrum. Then I will collect myself, wipe my face off, come up with a new plan, and then get up off the floor and get busy. Maybe one of these days I will wear a catcher's mitt and be able to catch that wrench as its coming at me, and then will some suave finness I will just tuck a wisp of hair behind my ear, smile, and take plan B. I'll let you know when that time comes.

This little piggy

2011-02-23T08:58:00.005-06:00

Sunday was D day for our swine. We've had the X on the calendar for a while. My daughter, whose chore it was to take care of the pigs, has been eagerly anticipating a happy dance. We have never been a part of getting any kind of live stock, other than cats and dogs, into a vehicle for transport. I believe my husband thought it would be a little easier than it was. He created a corridor for the pigs to walk out of their pen and over to the ramp of the trailer. We had some friends present to help, both of which have been a part of farming cows and pigs. We. Well, I was there, but I wasn't "in" with them. I was behind a make shift corridor wall holding it steady. My feet never got in the mud. However I was following orders. I offered to get in. Now my daughter is a different story. She was ready for anything. Her idea was to saddle up and ride the pigs from the pen to the trailer. To make a long story (like 2 1/2 hour long) short: pigs were lured, pigs freaked out, pigs ran back into pen. Repeat a few times. Pigs were lured, pen entrance was blocked, pigs freaked. Everyone stayed quiet and still til pigs were calm. Pigs got lured with lots of food, including my spicy sweet Doritos. Landlord came and laughed, and then got in to help. Finally pigs got into trailer. Ground started out as a grassy patch. But by the end of the ordeal it was as muddy and mucky as the pig pen. Daughter amazed me. No one got hurt. Our friends are a huge blessing for helping. Hubby and friends transported pigs to butcher. In 3 weeks we will have a freezer full of pork!!! And AJ's chore time has been cut in half. Happy Dance.

Moving on. This little piggy. I have been thinking about trying to lose weight for a long long time. 5 years ago I lost 40 pounds. Then we had baby #3, and I gained it all back and then some. Last spring, almost a year ago, I got plantar fasciitis in both my feet. I suffered with it until this past October. It was horrible. I could barely walk in the mornings, and by the evenings I thought my feet would fall off. One of the causes is being over weight. I couldn't really go walking with that condition. And I couldn't do my workout videos. So I really became sedentary. Bad. Well, my feet healed up, and since then I have been "planning" on starting a good exercise/diet program. Here we are, 4 months later and I don't have one going yet. In the last few days I have noticed my left foot is starting to bother me again. Its not "bad" yet, but I seriously do not want it to be out of commission again. So, its either do something now, or really pay for it soon. One of my friends who blogs has started The Pants of Truth on Mondays. (disclaimer: her blog is not for the light of heart. She tells it how it is and doesn't hold anything back) She has somewhat inspired me to jump on her bandwagon. But she is braver than me. She takes a picture of the number that appears on her scales. I could do the same, but then I would tell you the piano got on with me. So, today I have started a very basic routine. And by basic, I mean basic. No frills. I just jumped on my little trampoline until my face turned purple. (only about 4 minutes) And I drank a glass of water and took a multi vitamin. I also wrote down my weight and measured all over; waist, stomach, hips, thighs, etc... A few weeks ago I stopped using sugar in my coffee and started using liquid Stevia. I picked up a brochure for Vim & Vigor weight loss plan at the Dutch food market the other day. The bottle of Vim & vigor sells for about $17.95. Its vinegar with some other ingredients. The brochure says to take 1/2 ounce of this concoction before breakfast and again before supper. Then exercise 10 minutes a day. And eat sensibly. Oh, and drink at least 7 glasses of water a day, adding an extra glass for every cup of tea or coffee you consume. This brochure claims if you follow this plan you will lose 7 pounds and 7 inches in 7 days. See, very sensible. But I am not paying $17.95 for a bottle of fancy schmancy vinegar. I know raw apple cider vinegar will do the same toxin flushing and other good stuff for you type thing, and I already have a bottle of it in my pantry. I didn't take it before my bowl of dry generic apple jacks cereal this morning because I didn't "start" my plan until after it was already consumed. But I did jump, and drink a glass of water. And I am blogging about it. If I am held accountable, then I will have a better success rate. If after 7 days I have this 7 pounds and 7 inches success, I might get brave and share a picture of the piano on the scales with me.

Think outside the boots, er, uh, box

2011-02-18T06:24:00.003-06:00

This picture was taken one week ago when we had snow and wind chill temps in the negative teens. Since then, the weather has changed, bringing sunshine, wind, and warmer temps; yesterday's high was 75. The sun's rays have melted all of our snow rather quickly, creating quite a muddy mess. The pigs are in hog heaven with all of the mud. Good thing they are happy. They only have 2 1/2 days until they go to the butcher's. (happy dance!!!)
My 12 year old, AJ, is the lucky one tasked with the chore of feeding, watering, and taking straw for bedding to our 2 piggies. She hasn't had any trouble with this task except in extreme cases of rain, ice, and yesterday's mud.
It normally takes AJ about 30 minutes or so to get her chores done. Feed and water the dogs, feed and water the chickens, collect eggs, and feed and water the pigs. I guess she does start with the pigs just to get the hard part over and done with. I normally keep my ear open to listen to her normal sounds: singing at the top of her lungs, tossing buckets, getting water, coming in the back porch to grab the egg basket... Yesterday I was cleaning up a paper clutter spot and it dawned on me I hadn't heard her for a while. I glanced at the clock and realized she'd been outside for 45 minutes or so. I went out the front door and hollered her name. She quickly screamed, "Mom! Come help me!!!" The momma adrenaline kicked into high speed and I ran from the porch, through the yard, across the road, back behind the barn, and... Came to a complete stop and started laughing. The sight of my daughter was priceless. The look of tear stained defeat. Shoulders slumped. And then the puzzlement when she saw I was laughing. AJ: "Mom, I've been yelling at the top of my lungs for help and now my throat hurts, and so does my head." Me: "Why are you just standing there?" AJ: "I'm stuck." Sure enough, she was calf deep in mud and couldn't pull her feet out. And, I failed to mention she was in the middle of the pig pen.
Now, two days ago we had quite a fiasco as well. She was taking longer than usual so I hollered to her and she said, "Mom, I need your help. The pigs are out!" They had busted through their gate and were out in the cattle pasture. Well when they saw the food bucket on the path to their pen they came back with no fuss whatsoever and while they ate, AJ and I make-shift fixed the gate as best we could. Think cinder blocks and 550 cord and one handy dandy square knot (tied by yours truly, thank you very much).
But last night the pigs were peaceful and not causing any ruckus and were not even trying to head butt AJ into the water tub (like one tried to do last week). They were just looking at her, wondering what she would do next and when she would get out of their pen.
She asked me again to help her. Me: "What do you want me to do?" AJ: "Get me out!" Remember I was not expecting this. When I called out to see where she was, she yelled for help. I didn't take time to put my mud boots on. I just ran. In my pink slippers. Do you think I am getting in calf high mud in my pink slippers, white socks, and good blue jeans? Uh Uh. No. Thank you. She just pleaded with me. I told her she needs to start thinking of solutions before she sank like quick sand. She said she'd been thinking for 20 minutes and was still stuck. Now she was holding an empty bucket. I told her to take one foot out of a boot and put her foot in the bucket. Then she could use both hands to pull her boot free. Worked like a charm. Then I had to tell her to put the foot back in the boot, take her other foot out of her other boot, put the other foot in the bucket and pull that boot free. That boot was STUCK. She pulled and pulled and couldn't get it. She was going to wear the bucket out of the pen. I said NO WAY, Jose! I told her to use her hands to dig and pull the boot out. She started crying. She pulled her sweatshirt sleeve over her hand (only one hand) and worked that boot free. As soon as she got that boot out, one of the pigs decided it was a perfect time to go #1. AJ yelled: "That's what I had to put my hands in! Gross!" To which I chuckled yet again. After her pride was totally hurt, her sleeve mud and muck covered, and her boots were free, she sloshed out of her little swamp land and got out of the pen. We had a talk about helping yourself with what you have instead of waiting for someone else to dig you out of a mess. And then she had a shower. I know she will be glad in 2 1/2 days time.

Sometimes you get what you ask for

2011-02-07T06:35:00.004-06:00

In my coffee cabinet one can find many many coffee mugs. Some are huge, like 12 ounce size, and some are a dainty 4 ounce size. One particular afternoon I was needing a bit of coffee, but was not in the mood to swig from the 12 ounce buckets, so I asked my wonderful, full of good humor and waiting skills daughter to get me a small cup of coffee. (How's that for a run on sentence??)
And that is exactly what she served to me.

No, I didn't drink glue. That's just in the picture to help you size up my little cup.

Well, doggone it. I have tried for about 2 1/2 hours to upload this one measly picture. But, as fate would have it, my computer is NOT cooperating. So, I will have to try again later. Please stay tuned.

Keeping the vampires away

2011-01-19T07:13:00.002-06:00

I woke up in the night feeling like my tongue was not helping me swallow right. I went back to sleep. After my alarm so delicately woke me up this morning (note the sarcasm), I found my handy dandy flashlight and bathroom mirror, and looked at my tonsils. Holy smokes. They are swollen so big they are almost touching. So I found the garlic bulb on the window ledge, took off a clove, did the Rachel Ray smash it with the blade of a knife move, sliced it into about 8 pieces, and one by one swallowed about 5 of them with gulps of water. Then I proceeded to gargle with some potent salt water. I think in my pre-coffee stupor I was expecting instant renewal of health. Instead I got instant garlic burps. I know the garlic will help, but in the meantime I know I will be warding off the vampires. and the kids. and the prince charming. Hmm. Maybe I will get some quiet time today after all!!!

Random

2011-01-14T19:44:00.004-06:00

A purple skeleton, a mini frisbee, and a toy tuna can.

What do these items have in common?

Did you guess yet?

Give up?

The other night after the kids were in bed, I was getting ready to go out and put more wood in our Hardy stove. I was already wearing my black hooded jacket. I put the hood on and these toys rained down on my head. Apparently my little Curly Top placed them there for safe keeping. Apparently I was paying more attention to facebook than to the 2 year old. You got me, Curly Top, you got me.

The Rules of a Toddler

2011-01-13T14:23:00.002-06:00

My friend Cynthia shared this in a post today and I had to immediately hijack it. Such words of wisdom have never been spoken. Thank you, Cynthia!!

The Rules of a Toddler

If it is off, I must turn it on.

If it is on, I must turn it off.

If it is folded, I must unfold it.

If it is a liquid, it must be shaken, then spilled.

If it a solid, it must be crumbled, chewed or smeared.

If it is high, it must be reached.

If it is shelved, it must be removed.

If it is pointed, it must be run with at top speed.

If it has leaves, they must be picked.

If it is plugged, it must be unplugged.

If it is not trash, it must be thrown away.

If it is in the trash, it must be removed, inspected, and thrown on the floor.

If it is closed, it must be opened.

If it does not open, it must be screamed at.

If it has drawers, they must be rifled.

If it is a pencil, it must write on the refrigerator, monitor, or table.

If it is full, it will be more interesting emptied.

If it is empty, it will be more interesting full.

If it is a pile of dirt, it must be laid upon.

If it is stroller, it must under no circumstances be ridden in without protest. It must be pushed by me instead.

If it has a flat surface, it must be banged upon.

If Mommy's hands are full, I must be carried.

If Mommy is in a hurry and wants to carry me, I must walk alone.

If it is paper, it must be torn.

If it has buttons, they must be pressed.

If the volume is low, it must go high.

If it is toilet paper, it must be unrolled on the floor.

If it is a drawer, it must be pulled upon.

If it is a toothbrush, it must be inserted into my mouth.

If it has a faucet, it must be turned on at full force.

If it is a phone, I must talk to it.

If it is a bug, it must be swallowed.

If it doesn't stay on my spoon, it must be dropped on the floor.

If it is not food, it must be tasted.

If it IS food, it must not be tasted.

If it is dry, it must be made wet with drool, milk, or toilet water.

If it is a car seat, it must be protested with arched back.

If it is Mommy, it must be hugged.

The Gingerbread Man

2011-01-11T23:01:00.004-06:00

A few nights before Christmas after my oldest two kiddos had gone to bed, little Curly Top was still wide awake. Prince Charming was home and we were all three at the dining room table. Coco Bean had made a (graham cracker) gingerbread house in kindergarten before Christmas break, and it was on display on the table. I was holding Curly Top while talking to Prince Charming. After our conversation was finished I asked Miss Curly if she could sing the ABC song for her daddy. She started singing but about 3/4 of the way through she stopped and demanded, "Who's in that house?" She was looking fiercely at the gingerbread house. I laughed and said, "No one." and tried to get her to finish the song. She sang about 2 more letters and once again abruptly stopped and said, "But WHO is in THAT house?" And I giggled as I said, "No one." And she bluntly stated, "Yes it is. It's the Gingerbread Man!" I had to pick up the house and show her there were no inhabitants. I LOVE her little mind. :)

2011-01-11T07:15:00.004-06:00

Like I said last time, it might just be best to move backwards in the "catch up" of my blogging.
I was going through the pictures we took in December and cracked up at the ones from our Christmas program at church. NONE of my oldest turned out. She is a blur in them all. How disappointing! But I did get some good ones of the younger two. I even got the one of my son with his finger in his nose, but am not sharing it today. This was the first program with my youngest, Curly Top, participating. She was not involved in any of the 2 rehearsals, so she really didn't know what to think. Luckily she was a sheep and there were 2 shepherds to keep her in line. My little Curly Top loves baby dolls. Especially dolls with hair or eye lashes. She is a thumb sucker, and while she sucks she plays with hair or eye lashes. In the program, baby Jesus did not have hair, but he did have lashes. So I got a picture of her hand in the manger trying to get those lashes. And the second picture is my Coco Bean and Curly Top just standing and looking out at the crowd, and just being. Not being funny our loud or even happy! These cannot be my children! I am a smile-er. All the time. Smile. How in the world can they just stand there in the spot light and not be a teeny weeny bit thrilled to be there? I LOVE this picture. These two kiddos did not have a hard task in the program. They were to be sheep. No lines, no songs. But my oldest, AJ, was a narrator. One of three. They basically told the nativity story in modern day language while the other kids acted it out. Short, sweet, to the point, and they did a good job. AJ even smiled the entire time. I knew she was mine. :)

Well, it looks like the pictures did not load in order. The first is my non-smilers, and the second is Curly Top getting those lashes.

Happy New Year!

2011-01-08T18:54:00.005-06:00

So many things to talk about. After all, Christmas came and went, as did all the Christmas projects. But where to start? I could smush it all in this one posting, but I fear you may be sleeping before the last sentence. So I shall hit a few hi-lites. Maybe start with today and work myself backwards?? I think that sounds like a plan because I made something I really LOVE today. Earlier this week I was re-introduced to a site I get lost in. A site I love. A site containing only patterns. Go figure. Me? Love patterns? Noooo. And while I was on that site I found the most perfect pattern for any child's gift! A personalized name pillow. How perfect the timing; we had a birthday party to go to today for a 3 year old precious little friend. The pattern didn't call for anything crazy, and most pieces were conjured out of larger fabric scraps I already had. Silly me. I printed out said pattern Thursday morning. I was going to clean a bit (will save that story for another post) and then sew. But a little bit of cleaning turned into a rampage, so I didn't sew. Then yesterday I needed to run to town for errands in the morning and was going to sew in the afternoon, but I got some crazy kind of pressure build up in my eyes and had to lay down for a while instead. So, that left this morning as the only sewing time available before the party. Hmm. Does this sound familiar? Me--waiting until the last moment to start a big project? Noooo. Not me... I got up a little early, made coffee and muffins, checked my favorite Internet sites, and then marched up to my sewing room. My Fun Room. And I went to work. I emerged at noon with a finished product. I showed my kids to see if they approved. And now all of them want their own pillow. I do believe I can accommodate their wishes. But not tonight. Then I had to hurry like my pants were on fire to shower and get ready to leave the house by 1:15. Hmm. Do you think I cut the time a little close? Yeah, well, who's counting? Well tell me, how do you think it turned out?
P.S. The site I got the pattern from is youcanmakethis.com

2010-12-10T08:14:00.002-06:00

By the way, I did find a set of A-Team walkie talkies on Ebay, just like I had when I was little. I had forgotten they were not battery operated. They were joined by a long plastic cord; think tin cans and string here. They were only $4.99 plus shipping. I didn't bid on them. But I did show the listing to my prince charming who just shook his head and walked away. But deep down, I know he wants a set of these for Christmas.

Ebay is my Weakness! Part 2

2010-12-10T07:21:00.004-06:00

Move over CPK, forget My Friend Becky!! Welcome 1950's vintage doll patterns, and extend your hand to the classic dolls that made those patterns what they are! I had finally cleared my "watch list" of the dolls mentioned in the previous post. I had a realization that what I really wanted was to sew the dolls clothes and not play with the dolls myself. Don't get me wrong. I still have vivid memories of my dolls from the past, but I also know that having one today won't magically put me in a time machine and take me back to my childhood. So, instead of looking for more dolls I knew I wouldn't bid on, I started looking at the patterns for them. I have a few original CPK patterns that belonged to my Grandma, but I have none for Becky, or any that would fit Becky. So I started searching original patterns for her. And then I came across one that said, "Betsy McCall's Friend Mandy" which is the doll who started the "My Friend..." collection. Well, I didn't know who Betsy McCall was, so I had to do a search for her. Lets just say I opened a door (or rather, Pandora's box) to a whole new world of dolls. Dolls my mom is most certainly familiar with. Note: when I was a kid, every so often my mom would pull her childhood dolls (I think there were only 2 of them) out to "show" my sisters and me. We were allowed to look, but never touch them. Even though my mom went on and on about how beautiful they were, their faces kind of creeped me out. And one of them was much bigger than our average dolls. That creeped me out a bit as well. And then there was a memory (sorry to do this mom, I'll be as discreet as I possibly can!!) of an evening when it was late and mom was a little tired and a lot slap happy, and she started impersonating her walking doll. It was really funny! But also REALLY CREEPED me out. I used to think if any of my dolls moved like that I'd for sure get rid of them PRONTO. Well, yesterday Ebay opened the door to the days before my time. The golden yesteryear. I met Patsy Sue, Linda Baby, Terri Lee, Posie, Tony, Betsy McCall and her little sister Linda, Daisy, Ann Estelle, Roberta, Honey, Gum Drop, Princess Mary, Rosemary, Nanette, Mary Hartline, Sara Ann, Fluffy and Sweet Sue. Granted, not all of these dolls are from the 50's; they may range a few decades (but I didn't go THAT far in my research). #1. I think my mom's doll may be Roberta, Princess Mary, or Rosemary. She'll have to tell me which one. #2. My name is Tara LeeAnn, and growing up my mom would call me Terri Lee and I HATED IT! My name is Tara, NOT Terri!!! However I didn't know until yesterday there is a BEAUTIFUL DOLL Named Terri Lee. I called my mom and told her it will not hurt my feelings any more if she calls me Terri Lee! Really, you can ask her! lol #3. I found out why my mom had to do a moving impersonation of her doll. It is a "walker" doll. The doll is designed to walk and because it doesn't have bones and free motion, it only has joints so will walk a little CREEPY! There is a collection of dolls called "Saucy Walkers". Some of them do have faces that remind me of Chucky, but some of them are extremely beautiful! They range in size from 7.5 inches to 30 inches. And there are patterns for almost all of them. Patterns I have fallen in love with. I have mentioned on the blog before I am a sucker for vintage patterns. Mercy. I am in trouble. Now I have about 150 patterns in my watch list! And a few of the dolls, too. I like the Patsy and Honey dolls. And something else I realized. My grandma had some dolls for us to play with in the toy closet in her house. After she passed away, I kept some of them. No one else wanted them. They were small and plastic and old. Well, I had them until last year when we moved. We got rid of a lot of stuff we either weren't using or didn't need/want anymore. Guess which bag those dolls went into. Notice I said "bag" and not "moving box". I believe their final destination was Open Door. Maybe they met my Cabbage Patch girls. Those dolls were made by Effanbee. One was just a plain ol, nothin' special baby doll. But the other was an 8" Fluffy. Grandma had even made a few clothes for it, but I don't have the pattern she used. I could just kick myself. I don't have any 8 inch dolls to sew for here in the house. But there are so many 8 inch doll patterns available. I am a mess, I tell you! And today I told myself I am NOT going to Ebay. I have things that need to be done! But I have this hankrin', I want to see if what I was looking at is still available. My name is Tara, and I am an Ebay-aholic.

Ebay is my Weakness!

2010-12-03T22:55:00.002-06:00

This week I think I have spent more time on Ebay than anywhere else. We're in the Christmas (present) season. For the last few years my family has been on a spending diet. We have trained ourselves to live "frugally". So in thinking about what I would like to get the kids for Christmas, I came up with a few ideas and went to ebay to see if I could find some good deals. What I really found was that I could sit and browse through the vast selections for HOURS on end. I DID! UGH. SHEESH. And then I realized I was looking for things I liked as a kid. Not the things that are cool today. I looked at My Friend Becky and Cabbage Patch Kids until my eyes were crossed and I had like 150 of each on my "watch list". And then I had another realization. I am getting old. Why? Because I don't even know what is COOL today. We don't have cable, so I don't keep up.
Then I found myself looking for vintage doll sewing patterns. My great-grandma, Mimmie, used to make dolls for all the granddaughters every Christmas. I am thinking about re-birthing that tradition with my daughters and maybe nieces. We'll see. Backtrack with me for a moment. Yesterday while I was yet again caught in 1983 and looking at the CPK's on ebay, I remembered that a few years back I still had all 3 of mine. Valentina Cornelia, Hetty Tara, and Olive Candace. They were my all time favorite dolls. And believe you me, I was NOT a doll person growing up. I hated Barbie, I didn't care for paper dolls. I loved my Billy the Kid cap gun, A-Team walkie talkies, and I wanted to be a stunt man when I grew up. (Some dreams do die!! Thank heavens.) But I loved my Cabbage Patch Kids. Well, I had saved them well into adulthood. I couldn't bear to part with them. Then after AJ was born, I pulled them out of storage and cleaned them up, and "lent" them to her to play with. But much to my dismay she didn't like them. She didn't play with them. She didn't dress them. She didn't want to take them with us in the car, she didn't want to take them to church, she didn't want to sleep with them or have tea parties with them. She didn't like them. Period. So finally after years of being a pack rat, I read some books on organization, and cleaning up the clutter, and how to keep memories without keeping things, and I went on a purging binge, and added my CPK's to the boxes of "stuff" to go to Open Door or Salvation Army. And I took them! Yesterday I vaguely remembered doing so, but in hopes that maybe, just maybe "their" box didn't go bye bye, I went through all my boxes in the storage closet to see if I could find them. I wanted to cry. The girls are gone. But I did find my boxes of handmade dolls from my great-grandma. I let little Curly Top pick 2 to play with. She likes them, but she doesn't want to see them when she's going to sleep. Sheesh. I also remember having My Friend Becky. I mean having her well into adulthood as well. And I remember purging her as well. But memories! She had a green dress with little pink flowers, white slip on shoes, and a white straw hat with an elastic band to hold it in place. She had the sweetest smile, and red hair. And my big sister had one just like her. My sis, DJ, and I used to share a room with a full size bed. When making the bed, we would mirror image our stuffed animals and dolls for display. It totally makes me want to go back to 1983!!!!! Had I kept Becky to ebay her (instead of donating her to charity) I could get $50 or more! Its crazy. Anyway, because I loved these dolls so much I was once again thinking maybe my little Curly Top might love them, too. So I spent time on Ebay looking for the perfect ones for her. I saved so many to my watch list! And then I got hit with a reality check. If the dolls are mint in box now, they are priced so high I won't pay for it. And if they are not mint in box, they've been out for around 30 years! collecting dust and germs and whatever! And do I want to spend good money on 30 year old dolls for my daughter who might hate them??? Probably not. A better question would be, "Tara, do you want one of these dolls for Christmas?" To which I would reply, "Shh, don't tell anyone, but YES!!!" I wouldn't play with them or take them to the store. But I would sew clothes for them. I have my grandma's vintage CPK sewing patterns. But the Fisher Price My Friends patterns are hard to come by. Ok, its getting late and my eyes are crossing. Time to say goodnight!!

2010-11-19T11:17:00.003-06:00

Hello my friends!
The craft show came and went. The things I rushed and made towards the end of "creative time" did not move, but the things that didn't move at the last show practically sold out. Funny how that works! I have been doing some thinking on "no more craft show" just because there is a lot of creative work and investment in materials/patterns/time, and not a lot of earnings by the end of the show to really really make it worth while. But this show this last weekend was better than the last 2 combined and kind of restored my faith a little bit. I am happy to announce my mom and I will not be involved in the spring show, but will most likely have a booth in the next fall show.
I have also done some reflecting on what made me enter this world of madness in the first place. And then I remembered it was my passion for cloth diapers! The first 2 shows and a yard sale a couple of months back showed no respect or interest from anyone for cloth diapers. But this show this last weekend was completely different! The basket-o-diapers was the main conversation piece of our booth. Young and old picked up, touched, felt, squished, laughed, questioned and had nothing negative to say about the "next generation" of cloth diapers. I even had about 18 baby doll diapers that sold like hot cakes! One of them is now on a chihuahua pooch! lol The owner took the diaper out to her car and put it on her dog and took a picture for me to see. Its a good thing I have a great sense of humor and an appreciation for "whatever works"! And I even got a couple of custom orders! The picture is from the first order I will be delivering this afternoon. Which leads me to the next topic!!
I am technologically challenged. I think I accidentally threw away my good camera at my son's 4th birthday party. Since then I haven't been posting pictures of my own taking. Well, yesterday I finally dove in and pulled out the OLD camera and dumped some pictures, so you can "see" what's going on. :)
We have not been using our printer since we moved. #1. No toner #2. The computer got a bad virus and had to be fixed last spring, and when that happened the driver for the printer (?) was not re-installed. Well, I pulled on my big boy boots yesterday and decided I would figure it out! I had this nagging idea the printer brochure and discs were in a drawer in my room. Then I thought why would it be there? I haven't had it out since we moved, so it must be in a box in the storage closet. Yeah. I spent 45 minutes going through boxes and found nada. When I finally gave in and looked in the drawer in my room, guess what I found? Yup. Exactly what I needed. So, I walked through the steps and loaded what needed to be loaded, and dusted the printer, and man, we are in business now! Its kind of empowering. (wipes tear)
Moving on...
Coco Bean is learning to read. He brings a small book home every night in his backpack for us to read together. They are called Baggie Books because they are sent home in ziplocs. And its a different book every night. It amazed me one night last week. He went from recognizing letters to reading to me in a very short amount of time. WOW is all I can say.
Miss AJ is doing well grade wise. We are taking a break from karate for the winter and volleyball season is finished, so I am looking forward to peaceful evenings at home. She is missing the activities. She asked if she could do basketball (which runs a few nights a week through the winter) and the academics club. If the academics club does not have a lot of running back and forth for me, I'll consider it. But I gave a full hearty no to basketball. Sorry, sports fans. Its just too difficult with two little ones who need to be in bed at a decent time.
Curly Top is a little pistol. Since Halloween she's been asking for candy at every single free moment of the day. UGH. She is also changing her own clothes every time I turn around. Again, UGH. She is still mimicking every single move Coco Bean makes. Even the CRY every time mommy says its time to play. I know. I'm so mean to make a child go play with... T.O.Y.S. What is wrong with me???
The chickens have stopped laying eggs. I miss them. The ones from the store really do taste different; they lack in rich flavor. Hopefully they'll start laying again. Its almost time for the pigs to be slaughtered. My mouth is watering. And we are in the middle of deer season. My hunter of a hubby did get a deer the other day! And he's going back out to the woods in his next group of days off. Coco Bean wants a small bow and arrow so he can go hunting as well. Wait, maybe it was so he could be Robin Hood. I don't remember.
That's all for now! Time for another cup of coffee and a trip back up to my sewing room. :) Must fill another diaper order for Tuesday. YAY!!!

Don't Eat the Charmin!

2010-11-11T17:46:00.002-06:00

On the way home from picking up AJ, I stopped at the grocery store for some food items and some toilet paper. The TP is currently on its side in the middle of the kitchen floor. Curly Top was on her way through the kitchen when her attention was grabbed. She bent over to get a closer look. She touched the plastic and then asked, "Are deese marshmallows?" To which I responded, "No, dear. It's toilet paper." To bad her dreams will be flushed down the drain...

2010-11-11T06:49:00.002-06:00

Well, the craft show is just a few days away. If you know me at all, you know I am one who is trying to overcome the disease of procrastination. It is very difficult, though, because procrastination runs deep in my veins. I have 2 items I want to mass produce for the show. Last week it was no big deal. "I have a WHOLE week left". No problem. Yesterday, however, I was thinking "this is a problem" as I was laid out on the couch with a 101.5 fever. The couch held me from 12:30 yesterday afternoon until 5:30 this morning. I awoke feeling much better and well rested. Now I don't know if it is because my little bug ran its course, or because of a concoction my prince charming made for me last night. I had never heard of it before, but last night drank it and this morning googled it. I was very thankful to read it was not a poisonous drink; he's not trying to knock me off. lol Pine Needle Tea. There are some nice pine's in our back yard, so we didn't have to spend $12.00 on a mail order box of tea. The pine needles are loaded with vitamin C. Prince charming chopped up the needles and let them steep, and added honey. He enjoyed a cup with me. AJ wanted a cup as well, but she is allergic to most trees and weeds and plants, so we decided against it lest she top her night off with a bottle of Benedryl. The flavor of the tea is a tad bit pine-y, but not so much you feel like you're sucking on a car air freshener. And with every sip there is a tingle at the back of your mouth. It cleared my sinus pressure almost immediately. Well, either the pine or the hot steam. And then I slept all night long.
Today I am hoping for a nice long shower, and to make my way back up to my sewing room. I fear I must clean up the house a bit. When mama's down, the tornado hits the house. I am thankful for the leftover baked spaghetti from the other night so no one had to cook last night. And I will put on a smile as I do the dishes and be thankful for the dishes themselves and for the family who ate off them.
And maybe I'll learn a little lesson from this that will prod me even more to become less of a procrastinator.

2010-11-09T12:18:00.002-06:00

The fall craft show is this coming weekend. I am trying to rekindle my love affair with my sewing machine. I am spending more time with it than with any other member of my family. One of my friends was here last week with her little munchkin and we were all playing together in the sewing room. Sarah was helping cut out material, and the baby was playing in the pack-n-play. And well, Curly Top didn't want to be left out, so my over sized baby was crammed into the pack-n-play as well. I haven't put the play pen away yet, and little Curly Top wanted to play in it again today while I was working. When I am in craft show mode, "WHATEVER MAKES YOU LEAVE ME ALONE" is my answer to almost anything. So, I threw her in. She played with her babies and her Barbie phone and her blanket while I cut and sewed away. And then over the buzz of the sewing machine I heard her say to her baby, "My mommy won't cover me. My mommy won't cover me. My other mommy won't cover me." I didn't want to be the mean mommy of the little play group, so I finished my seam, cut the strings, and went to little Curly Top and covered her up. She looked up and said, "No, my OTHER mommy. She is upstairs in her office." and promptly took the blanket off. I have been replaced???? I was cracking up at her imagination as I made my way back over to my project. I haven't been replaced. Her "other" mommy can't make her pb&j or give her popcorn, but I did for lunch today! And now she is happily ready for a nap! And I will happily make my way back to my play room, after making coffee. I don't know which I love more; the coffee pot or the sewing machine. I don't think I could live without either.

another oops on my part...

2010-11-01T08:59:00.002-05:00

If you need a refresher, go back to my first blog after Christmas 2009. There's a little ditty about all of the horrific things that happened to our family on Christmas. Find the line about my mom blowing up the ham. Pyrex glass everywhere.
Fast forward to this past Saturday.
My brother-in-law and two nephews are in town. They had called to see if they could come over. Of coarse my answer is YES!!! But then I had to inform them that my husband and daughter would be hunting until dark. (AJ was at a volleyball tournament, but would get ready for hunting and rush out the door as soon as she got home.) To my dismay he said they would wait until Sunday to come then, because the boys would want to see AJ, and they were to be at a set of grandparent's house that evening. Which is ok, but my prince charming had to go to work Sunday so wouldn't get to see them, and I really wanted to pack in as much time with the boys as possible. So I went into problem solving mode. I thought real hard and real fast and determined that maybe the grandparents and the boys would all want to come to my house if I made supper for all! Then the cousins could see each other, and my hubby could see the out of towners, and we could all be with the grandparents. So I made phone calls, and I thawed out two chickens. Everyone agreed!! Dinner was to be at 6:00 or so. AJ and prince charming could eat when they got back from hunting.
I dressed the birds. I seasoned one with seasoned salt and pepper and onion powder. I seasoned the other with a blend of rosemary and Parmesan, garlic, onion and pepper. My mouth was watering. I peeled and chopped potatoes for mashing. I opened two quarts of the garden green beans for boiling with bacon. I had plans of homemade biscuits. I made a chocolate oatmeal cake. Tea was brewing. Smells were wafting. I was smiling. My brother-in-law and prince charming were sitting on the porch speaking of manly things while my younger two were playing with my nephews. I couldn't help but peek at the birds. I noticed the dishes were dry and browning. So moisture was needed!! I ran the tap water hot and put some in a measuring cup, and headed to the oven, and poured a bit into the first dish. Mid stream the Pyrex dish BURST! Glass shards and chunks were in the oven and on the floor and in the next dish over. My mouth dropped and I was stunned. What would we do?????? I went to the porch and asked the men to help me. They laughed at me. My brother in law made fun of me. "Wait til I tell your mom!!!" They asked how it could possibly happen. And they cleaned it all up. Then they asked what we would have for supper. My bro said we could all go out to eat. Which would be fine, except we had cake and green beans and mashed potatoes and biscuits in the works. I thought "WWGD"= What would Grandma Carol do?? Side note: Grandma Carol was a lady who could effortlessly and magically whip up a 5 course meal in 15 minutes while you swear she was sitting and talking in the living room with you the whole time. Mind blowing. Back to the story: Well, I had a package of chicken breasts in the freezer and some deer meat. So, I seasoned the breasts like the bird with the rosemary, and I made a meatloaf with the burger. Dinner would be about 45 minutes late, but problem solved. My dad and step-mom brought salad and ice cream and strawberry lemonade cake. Prince Charming and AJ made it home as the table was loaded with food. We feasted and enjoyed every one's company!!
I am so grateful our table is big enough to seat 10, even if 2 people are at the corners. I am grateful my husband repaired some chairs so we have enough to seat 10. I am so very grateful we have food we can share when we have friends and family over. I am grateful for my family. All of my family. Immediate and extended and all of the "steps".
And most of all, I am grateful I have two more Pyrex dishes. hahahaha

Bugs!

2010-10-13T09:48:00.002-05:00

Curly Top climbed on my lap and started frantically taking off her socks. She was whimpering. I asked her what was wrong and she said, "There's bugs on my feet!" I looked at her feet closely and didn't find any bugs. I told her so. She cried and said, "NO, there's bugs on my feet!" Then it dawned on me. She had been sitting, crouched over on the floor coloring for quite some time. Her feet were asleep, and this is how she describes that prickly sensation! Phew. I am glad there aren't really bugs on her feet!

Ladies and Gentlemen, We Have Bloomers!

2010-10-08T21:09:00.002-05:00

Ahem. May I have a drum roll please?? I said I didn't think there would be bloomers to go with tomorrow's ensemble. I also said I wasn't a quitter. Well, after the Hamburger Helper gave me a boost of carbola-energy, I went back to the sewing room and whipped out the bloomers. I skipped the 3 tucks that are supposed to be at the ankles, and instead cut off about 8 inches of length, put in a 1 1/2 inch hem, and sewed lace at the fold line. I also added a little blue bow to the seam at the hem line. Just for kicks. And I saw them in another person's blog and wanted to duplicate, even though hers were pink. I had blue thread in the machine, so I went with blue. But looking at the bloomers, I think I need to add at least one or two tucks, otherwise I think AJ will look like she's wearing white pants under her dress. The pattern does show the bloomers at pants length, so, I will think about it for just a bit and see what I end up with.
Phew. What a day. Now I'm off to the shower. Bliss.

2010-10-08T18:04:00.002-05:00

Ok. Roughly 5 1/2 hours later I have FINISHED the dress!!!!! And I am thinking there will be no bloomers for tomorrow.
So, what crossed my mind today?
*I am psycho
*My back hurts
*I have a headache the size of Texas, and its still lingering
*My darling daughter had better LOVE this dress or I will strangle her
*If my darling daughter does not LOVE this dress, I will have it shrink wrapped in that specialty acid free paper and save it for Curly Top
*I can't wait to see AJ in this dress
*I inwardly laughed when AJ asked me what I was making and I replied, "A bar dress for some lady in town" and she replied "cool" and walked away
*I am thankful for the VCR and DVD player
*I owe AJ big time for making her make Hamburger Helper for supper tonight
*I am so glad I didn't buy the same pattern in Curly Top's size thinking I'd get a set done for her by tomorrow too
*Like stated in earlier post, the pattern is not hard, just VERY time consuming
*There is enough material in the skirt alone that I could make a tent and hide in it
*I'm glad I found some non-scratchy eyelet trim in a box of "left overs" that was my grandma's. This will make AJ happy too
*If this pattern is historically accurate, no wonder girls/women could wear the same dress for years: tons of fabric, gathered and cinched with ribbon at the neck, arms and waist. And its long enough to accommodate growth spurts
*At about 5:00 I went brain dead and couldn't figure out how to do the last two tucks above the hem of the skirt. I had just done the first one! It took lots of calculating in my head, looking at the pattern, looking at a ruler, and head scratching to finally get the job done
*The pattern said to hand sew the hem in place for the hidden hem seam affect. I rebelled and said an out loud "NO" and I machine stitched it. I even thought about using invisible thread so it couldn't be seen. But I didn't. I used the same thread used throughout the dress. Hem Police, come and get me.
*Maybe I should brush my teeth today so my children don't faint over when I try to kiss them
*Wearing pajamas all day does save on laundry, and its oh so comfy
*I do need a shower. A long hot shower. I am hoping one will help with my muscle pains from hunching over most of the day
*I am so glad this is over!
*I can't wait to see it on her! I was going to give it to her tonight, but my Prince Charming called and said he wants to see her face when she gets it. He won't be home until tomorrow morning. So, I will be patient
*I guess I should spend some time with the kiddos tonight. And then glorious sleep will take over!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2010-10-08T12:28:00.002-05:00

Apparently I am insane. Yesterday and this morning I thought I was Wonder Woman or something. Maybe Nancy from Sewing with Nancy, or Martha Stewart. Those women can pick up anything and with a slight wave of the hand over a pattern and a piece of fabric and a short amount of time at their sewing machine, the finished product appears! There is no "unsewing" with the seam ripper, there are no harsh words spewed from their mouths, there is just a pleasant Cinderella smile that silently says, "There now, that wasn't hard, was it?"
I think of myself as an experienced seamstress. But today I had to look up "understitching". Did you know that term is not in my prized "Encyclopedia of Modern Sewing: a Wise Book" from 1955? So I had to take a little Google break. But I learned what it was and did it.
I usually do not read through a pattern before I begin. I just tackle the project head on. I should have read this M4...whatever the number is. It is not a "hard" pattern, per say. But it is TIME CONSUMING. If I were just making one thing off the pattern, say the bonnet, I would be finished and sewing room put back together. But I was, as stated before, INSANE. I thought I could make the dress, apron, bloomers and bonnet in 2 days. Count them. TWO. Along with laundry, cooking, dishes, and children. HA HA HA. I didn't think ahead. When Curly Top was a baby, I was a night owl. I guess that had something to do with me nursing her. I would stay up until the "last" feed of the night. Usually around 1 or 2 in the morning. And while the house was quiet, I sewed to my little heart's content. I am no longer a night owl. Remember a few posts back I said something about putting the kids in public school? And they ride the bus? Well, they have to be ready and waiting for the bus at 6:45 AM!!!!!!!! Which means we have to get up before that so they can get dressed, have breakfast, and get the morning routine finished. So, I have to be up by 5:30ish. This mama can't stay up late anymore. I am usually in bed by 10:00. Sometimes even 9:00. And because I am used to that schedule, last night when I thought I'd stay up late sewing, I was yawning and going cross eyed while making the apron. If you know anything about sewing, you KNOW NOT to do it when you are tired, or the seam ripper that helps you unsew will be your very best friend. I didn't want that best friend last night, so I went to bed. Proudly when I woke up this morning, I was thinking "two down, two to go". Then I laid down on the couch with Curly Top after the older kids left, and without the intention of it, I went to sleep. FOR TWO HOURS! AGH. When I awoke out of my sleepy stupor, I decided I was ready to attack the dress and bloomers. Here I am almost 4 hours later, and the dress is not finished. The bodice is, but not the sleeves and skirt. And would you know why??? Because on this "costume" there is tedious work that I thought I could fly through. Button holes here and there to thread ribbon through. Buttons and button holes for closure. Eyelet to look pretty. Lining. I am not complaining about the dress. It is going to be beautiful. But my back is aching, I am still cross eyed, and I am hoping beyond all things holy that it fits my daughter. AND SHE'D BETTER LIKE IT!!! he he hee I feel bad because I have let the VCR and DVD player babysit my 2 year old yesterday and today. And there are still loads of laundry to wash and dirty dishes in the sink. And did I mention we are still in our pajamas???????? Now. Its time to pull myself together. When I start a project and have a time frame to work with, I do not quit. I am not a quitter. I am going to fix Curly Top a PB&J, I am going to heat up left overs for myself, I am going to have another cup of coffee, then I will brush my teeth. And maybe my hair. And then I will put myself back in the sewing chair and work work work until my AJ has a beautiful Little House on the Prairie ensemble to look beautiful in tomorrow. And while she is looking beautiful, I will wear a smile in spite of my aching back, puffy, bloodshot eyes, and possibly mangled hands. And I will completely forget about this the next time I decide to make another rushed project. Don't remind me, okay?

2010-10-07T08:09:00.002-05:00

Today is a big day. While I am still in my pj's and robe, and still enjoying coffee, I have yards of fabric in the washer, and a pattern I am working on cutting out. I am going to attempt the McCall's M4547. My AJ requested a Little House on the Prairie dress a very long time ago, and has reminded me a few times over the years she still wants one. She is 12 now, and I know that her want for "dress up" will not live much longer. This weekend we are going to a historical festival and I thought this would be the perfect ensemble for her. I am going to make the dress, bloomers and bonnet. And if I have enough time tomorrow, I might whip one up for little Curly Top as well.

Yesterday I started phase one of "no more toy room, move sewing room, and create pantry". In a few hours time I rearranged Curly Top and Coco Bean's bedroom. This consisted of emptying all drawers so I could move the dressers. While I was at it, I thought it the perfect time for weeding out summer clothes and out grown clothes, and went through 4 boxes of winter clothes and too big clothes. Then the appropriate clothes were put in the appropriate drawers, and the others were put in boxes and put in a closet. The toy box from the play room was emptied and cleaned and moved to the foot of one of the beds. I didn't have any toys in it when the boy got home from school, which was fine with him, because he spent the majority of the next 45 minutes hiding in the toy box. Curly Top then joined him. Yes, it is THAT big. I finally said, "Don't you guys want to come out of there?" To which he responded after pushing the lid up, " No! We're playing checkers in here!" I doubled over laughing. We don't own checkers, and if we did, I don't see my 2 year old and 5 year old playing it, together, in a toy box.
Last night I took AJ to karate while Prince Charming stayed home with the younger 2. They ate supper and he was in the process of getting them ready for bed when AJ and I returned home. We sat down to eat and little Curly Top decided to play in her car (laundry basket). She fell over backwards and yelled, "Woooaaa! Pick me up!" which was a lot funnier last night than it seems to me now. AJ picked her up and said something like, "Let's be more careful, sis", to which the little pistol answered, "I'm not a "sis". I'm Nikki Nichole!" Too funny.
Moving on. Here's what I've been thinking about the last few days:
My China is now at my house instead of in storage. I may take it out of the box, wash it all up (by hand of course) and use it on a daily basis. At least through the holidays.

I give my children napkins at meal time and they still wipe their hands on the edge of the table. WHY??

Is chocolate cake any different than a pop tart for breakfast?

I told AJ to dress warm the other morning when it was 45 degrees outside. She arrived in a t-shirt and a loose knitted poncho. I asked if that would be warm enough. "Mom, they have heaters at school." I replied, "And you have an hour long bus ride." She said, "I'll be fine." I grinned when I saw her shivering at the bus stop. Poor girl. The last few days she's been wearing a fleece hoodie.

My little Curly Top played with a toy spider/web off and on yesterday. Today she is refusing to go in the living room because the spider is in there. She even called Woody on the Toy Story cell phone to tell him not to go there 'cause there's a spider.

Dehydrated pears = yummy goodness, especially when you're the one who sliced them and dehydrated them.

My bangs had a wee bit of poof to them Monday, causing my face to look a bit longer than usual. I got asked if I'd lost weight. Then my head got a wee bit poofed.

The washing machine just ended its cycle, so I need to traipse downstairs with the spiders to put all the fabric in the dryer. And I suppose I should get ready for the day so I can sew and hit phase 2 of my "no more toy room" mission. Curly Top is being entertained by a Barney movie and a tea party on the living room floor, so this is prime opportunity, man!! Until next time...

2010-10-01T08:20:00.002-05:00

Well, Good Morning to you too!
I've had my 3rd cup of coffee, but not because I'm dragging, but because it's chilly! Pancakes have been eaten, dishes have been done, today is Friday AND payday AND early out for the kids, and AJ almost missed the bus. Almost perfect so far! lol
I have tried writing blogs the last few mornings during my sacred coffee time, but there really seems to be nothing wonderful to blog about. Nothing horrible either, so that's good too. I guess the most exciting news this week was Coco Bean got lost in the school. He was supposed to wash his hands and return to the class room. He washed his hands and freaked out because his class was no longer in the hallway. So instead of going back to class, he went to look for them elsewhere. Luckily an aide found him wandering, panic stricken, and returned him to his teacher. And of other note worthy news, we adopted a kitten from a bus-mate's family. The silly mother of Coco Bean's seat buddy told all the kids on the bus that she has FREE KITTENS. So, AJ, being the kitty freak that she is begged and pleaded. We finally told her if she could come up with a good spot for litter box and food dish she could have one. So, she did. And let me reassure you it is not in the kitchen or entry way. (Those were her first suggestions, and I laughed. And for a short moment I thought we weren't going to end up with a kitty. Sigh) The new member of the family is named Del Gato, and he is very cute with long white whiskers. But sadly, Coco Bean is highly allergic to him, so cannot touch him. Its funny, Coco Bean's allergy tests never popped positive for cats. But his poor little face gets beat red and itchy and his nose runs after he's just literally touched the cat. Wah.
I am trying to decorate for fall and Halloween. I haven't done this since, let's see... before AJ was born! I have sewn up a scarecrow panel and clothes pinned him to a hanger and hung over one of the living room doors. And then I sewed up what looks like a gigantic pot holder. It's a quilted piece with a printed jack-o-lantern pumpkin wearing a stove pipe patchwork hat with a sunflower on it. I put it on one of the end tables in the living room. The little ones have been working on construction paper pumpkins, ghosts and Frank-n-steins. They are taped here and there in the dining room and bedroom. I have more ideas in the making, but instead of sewing yesterday, I cooked. We had meatloaf and scalloped potatoes and dirt cake. Then last night before going to bed, I sliced up eight apples and put them on the dehydrator. TIP OF THE DAY: Before placing anything on dehydrator trays, lightly grease said trays. I wish I would have seen that tip or at least remembered it last night. Oh, well.

On a different note, there will be some changes taking place around our joint. Since the children cry and wail and gnash their teeth every time I ask them to play, I will be giving away the majority of their toys, moving the remainder to their room, and turning the play room into my sewing room. There will be more room for me, less mess for the house, and less crying for the kids. We shall see...

AJ has signed up for volleyball at school. When we agreed to let her play, we were not given any information that 6 of the 7 games were away games and she would not be provided transportation. Had we known that in advance, we would have been sticks in the mud and said NO. But, since we were unaware, we cannot say no now. Her first game is tomorrow. She is so excited! I am too. It almost makes me want to wear one of those "Mom of #___" shirts and put a bumper sticker on the car. But I don't have one of those shirts and we don't decorate the car. The gravel dust would just cover it anyway. HA!

I just asked Curly Top to go play. She started crying. I guess I need to go mother her. wah Until next time...

2010-09-29T09:15:00.002-05:00

If I were a steam engine on this fine morning, I would need some steam to get a movin. I got a full nights sleep last night. I went to bed at 9:15 pm. Pathetic. But I had been up since basically 3:45 am when Prince Charming's alarm clock started slapping us in the ears in attempts to rouse him out of bed. He finally got up at 4:11, and there after, I helped make coffee, find clean laundry that was still sitting, folded nicely in baskets, and run upstairs to make sure the kids were still covered up and slumbering soundly. At 4:30 I dropped back into bed. At 5:00 I decided since I wasn't yet asleep, there was no sense in forcing myself. I had to be up at 5:30 anyway. So, I got up and started the daily routine.
Well, that was yesterday. Today is a different story. Today I woke up, got AJ and Coco Bean ready and fed and out the door to the school bus. My plan was to go back to bed. But what was that?? What did I hear?? Curly Top proclaimed, "Mommy! I am awake!" After she ate her breakfast I asked if she wanted to watch a movie. I knew the answer already, and knew that I might be able to catch a few zzz's while laying down with her. I did nap while she enjoyed Barney's Big Adventure. And now I have coffee. I want to get busy. There are sheets to be washed, dishes to be done, and fall projects to sew and craft. I. Just. Can't. Get. Started.
Maybe the steam from the coffee will help.

Lessons for today

2010-09-21T08:45:00.001-05:00

no matter how often and thoroughly i sweep, there is always a stray Cheerio lurking about, waiting for the broom and dust pan to be put away before showing itself
the trash won't take itself out. so i finally did it. but i didn't pick up what had overflown to the floor. wait til i have another cup of coffee.
the laundry is indeed like rabbits: ever multiplying
feeding a toddler beans makes for a poopie machine
a clean house is for magazine pictures. i really wish there was a magazine full of regular pics for regular people so i didn't feel so inadequate at times.
ice cream does make you feel better
i can prejudge my day by the amount of coffee i drink in the morning. 1 cup=not enough, 2 cups= normal day, 3 cups= be on the alert, 4 cups= you'd better stay outta my path
aveeno lotion is the best remedy for dishpan hands. scratch that. 12 year old is the best remedy. aveeno is second best. (grandma's, don't be alarmed. since aj started school, she has only had to do dishes twice.)
when curly top makes requests of me (like can i have juice or will you read to me), no matter how many times i answer her, she will make the same demand with increasing volume from the word "go" until I meet that request over and over and over and over. i have no solution for this.
when trying to teach coco bean how to tie a shoe, i know its time to stop when he falls over playing dead.
i would really like some french toast right now.
vinegar and/or bleach work really well at cleaning sippy cups that have been left in a toy box or car or under a bed too long, and when the lid comes off only a person in a special suit who works in a lab 6 levels under ground can identify the contents.
but sometimes its better to burn that sippy cup and buy a new one.
warning: do not eat LJ Silvers food and not expect to wake up in the night with bad dreams and a greasy stomach ache.
the last 2 nights i have prayed that my little curly top would stay in her bed and sleep all night long. the last 2 nights she did. prayer works.
don't open a new bag of potatoes when the bottom is seeping liquid. a plague of gnats will take you and your house as hostage and plunder.
when the toddler says "up, up, i want yooouuuu", you know you are loved unconditionally.

Decree!!

2010-09-19T17:34:00.002-05:00

From this day forth (or until the next time I decide to make a change) my monkeys will be forth known as:
AJ (monkey #1)
Coco Bean (monkey #2)
Curly Top (monkey #3)
Prince Charming will remain Prince Charming as long as he stays out of the dog house.

It has been brought to my attention that my precious babes should have more endearing names. After pondering this, I have agreed, and give thanks to the one who pointed this out to me.

You may now return to your regular daily reading.

Memo: The Mesh Shirt is STILL Out

2010-09-18T18:26:00.002-05:00

To the man at Ohio and Broadway today:
This memo is being published to let you know THE MESH SHIRT WENT OUT OF STYLE IN 1987.
PLEASE DON'T SCARE MY CHILDREN AGAIN.

The self appointed fashion police

2010-09-13T08:52:00.003-05:00

It's Monday morning. (I accidentally started typing Monday Moron. oopsie. Glad I caught that one.) I have been up for 3 hours. I am nursing my 3rd cup of coffee. And I left the pot on thinking I may have to have the dreaded 4th cup today. I rarely EVER have 4 cups of coffee in a morning. I can't remember the last time I had 4. Sometimes too much coffee in the morning can really make guts hate the person they are indwelling. You know what I mean???
Well, this entry was not intended to make you think of my guts. So, I'd better get on with it.
Remember the mouse from the other night? 2 mornings later (which is now 2 days ago) my prince charming was still sleeping, and the oldest monkey was out feeding the animals. The younger 2 monkeys (is the plural form of monkeys: monkeys, monkies, monkey? Just wondering because of the whole fish/fish, deer/deer, goose/geese thing) and I were finishing up our breakfast at the table. Middle monkey got up to go get his cowboy gear on. Hat, bandanna around the neck, boots and lasso. er, uh jump rope. We improvise around here. As he was turning around to come back to the table to ask me a question (probably "where are my hat, bandanna, boots, and lasso) he started screaming like a neanderthal yet again! Which in turn scared monkey #3 into screaming at the top of her lungs as well. My seat is at the far side of the room. (at the table, but if I so choose to do a 180, at the keyboard of the computer desk. quite handy, I might add.) As they are screaming, prince charming shoots straight out of bed again, and as I see him trying to throw himself into his jeans (our room has a door leading to the dining room), I am trying to ask what in the world they are screaming at. Having heard the screams, my oldest monkey runs into the house to see what's wrong. Monkey #2 finally spits out, "Its the mouse!" I start laughing as I get up to come see it/figure out what to do with it. I get to that side of the room and there is indeed a mouse, and once again it is running in circles! Its the funniest thing I've ever seen! I think the high pitched screams of little children scares the bejeezers out of the poor little thing, and all it can do is RUN! In Circles!! Prince Charming and I were both barefoot, and I was trying to find something to do something to this unwanted-in-my-house creature. While I was looking around, my #1 monkey, wearing her mud boots (because she'd been outside) stepped up and stomped on the little thing. Shock and awe filled my hubby and me. And then she said, "It's still moving. I have to put it out of its misery!" So she stomped the thing again. And then she did the most responsible thing she could and picked up the little mouse by its tail and threw it outside. Then she cleaned the floor where the stomping occurred. What a gal!!!
P.S. I know the plural form of monkey is monkeys.

Beware of traveling on the stairs!

2010-09-10T08:52:00.003-05:00

(note the rusty orange color to add to the spooky factor)

As most of you are aware, my youngest monkey desperately believes there is a gorilla in the upstairs wings surrounding the steps. We've tried to calm her fears. We've searched for this gorilla. I even thought the mountain in the recently hung Ansel Adams picture might be what's frightening her. But, we haven't found the gorilla or anything that resembles it.
My husband, the man I thought was mature in his age, had to rummage through some boxes and totes in the storage closet that is nestled in the wing upstairs. While he was looking for his treasure, he came across something that he couldn't put down. He not only decided right then what he would do with this item, he enlisted the help of our oldest monkey to be an accessory in his crime.
The smallest monkey, only being 2 years of age, went up the steps to go play with her babies in the play room. However she did not make it to the play room. Her older, wiser, protector of a sister steered her instead to "show" her where the gorilla was upstairs. When my little, poor, unsuspecting monkey got over to the area where her gorilla resides, the older monkey gave some sort of signal, and all of a sudden the door bursts open and my masked husband, in a scary old bald man mask, jumps and snorts and yells, scaring my baby sooooooooooooooooooooo entirely much that she trembled and ran in a circle and screamed at the top of her lungs. She continued screaming and saying, "I want mommy!!!" over and over while her daddy tried to console and comfort her. Much to his dismay, he could not comfort the frantic baby. I took her from his arms and went straight to the rocking chair. The poor thing whimpered and frantically sucked her thumb for what seemed like an hour.

That was yesterday before supper.

My small monkey WILL NOT go upstairs. She wouldn't play last night, she wouldn't sleep in her bed (so I let her sleep on a pallet in the living room), and today she will not even go to her room to pick out her clothes for the day, which is usually her favorite morning activity. The poor thing is truly scared. The husband still thinks its funny. agh.

Then, in the middle of the night, well, it was about 4:00am, my middle monkey came down the steps into my room to wake me and tell me he was scared and asked if he could sleep on the couch. I didn't argue because I wanted to get back to sleep as soon as possible. Little did I know he went back upstairs to retrieve his pillow. Upon his descent, while I was returning to my slumber, he started stomping and screaming at the top of his lungs. My husband and I shot right out of bed and tried to get into the little space at the foot of the steps. My prince charming made it in front of me, so I was left standing in my dark room without my glasses on. They were all the way across the room on my nightstand. When we finally got my son to speak, after all his shrieking, he yelled, "There's a mouse!!!" All I saw was my hubby high footing it, as he was barefoot. He told ME to do something with the mouse! I couldn't see the mouse and I had no idea where he was at the time. Then hubby says, "It just went under the fridge. I don't have anything to stomp it with. I don't know why I told you to get it." Then he starts laughing as he tells me the mouse was on the 4th step up, ran down the stairs, and once it was on the floor it started running in circles until it finally shot under the fridge. He couldn't fathom why the mouse would be running in circles. I was rolling, and shot out that the poor little thing was probably scared to death of our son screaming at the top of his lungs.
The middle monkey was still freaked out, so I walked him to the living room and bedded him down on the couch with his pillow and a couple of blankets. Then I went back to bed and drifted off to sleep with a smile on my face thinking about the gorilla and the mouse.

Its Unanimous!

2010-09-10T08:44:00.002-05:00

Many thanks to all who took precious time out of their day to vote!!
The vote is unanimous. Tara K., author of Sew Long Fare Well, will now be blogging on a regular basis. The allotted time will share "drink coffee" on her schedule.

Please keep in mind that while she is desperately trying to follow her new schedule, there may be days when the schedule is thrown out the window, or when things like "cleaning up spilled juice" or "sewing is too important" or "the kids missed the bus" may take precedence over coffee/blog time. She promises to make these days few and far between.

And as always, each and every one of you is important and valued and massively appreciated. Without you, this blog would be just an outlet; words aimlessly thrown into cyberspace. Thank you!!!

2010-09-08T10:01:00.002-05:00

There is a little monkey sitting in the dining room floor coloring. She has changed her clothes 3 times so far this morning. And she has sported a little white straw Easter hat, a straw cowboy hat, and a black and white polka dotted bucket hat. And to complete each ensemble, she must wear the princess tennis shoes. At one time, she carried her favorite blanket, her baby doll with hair that she rubs and pulls while sucking her thumb, and her over sized purple stuffed cow. Then she threw all those aside to play a game of Hungry Hungry Hippo. What a busy little monkey. I cannot complain. She is keeping herself occupied while the other monkeys are at school.
Real school.
Public school.
The first day of school, the youngest monkey was just fine. She stayed by my side and talked and sang, and was ever so excited when the older two were dropped off by the school bus. The second day she was a different story. She wet her pants twice and threw horrible fits. The third day she was just a little cranky. But now, two weeks later, she is getting used to time alone. Without her older brother to mimic all the live long day, she is learning to think on her own. She is telling tales, playing with her baby dolls, and taking wonderful long naps. One day last week she watched a Strawberry Shortcake movie and learned some big words. When I went to get her ready to go "bye bye" I said, "Lets get your socks on." She stated, "Deese are not socks. Dey are imagination!" They were gray and pink and white striped; ever so cute. How can one argue with that???

While I am enjoying some peace and quiet, I am trying to get used to my new "schedule". There is time for cooking and cleaning and sewing and reading. Or if the weather permits (like yesterday), just reading. I can feel some sanity reentering my brain.
I have made a meal plan for the month, have been keeping up with the dishes (so I no longer wake up to last nights supper dishes telling me hello on the counter top), and I've started baking some again. My next goal is to start sewing for the fall craft show.

Speaking of reading, the book I just finished is titled "Before Green Gables" by Budge Wilson. This book is about the life of Anne Shirley from the time she was born until she was on her train trip to Green Gables. The author wrote just like the original Anne author, and had my full attention from the first page. So, if you are an Anne of Green Gables fan, I would definitely recommend this book.

The older two monkeys are enjoying school. My oldest has asked everyone, including the teachers, to call her AJ. And they do. She loves her music and art classes, and next week she starts volleyball. She's never played before and is ever so excited to start.
The middle monkey was so thrilled to get a Buzz Lightyear lunch box that he didn't care what else kindergarten consisted of. He's learning his phone number and address, and how to tie his shoes. This morning he was miffed at me because I made him a bowl of Malt-O-Meal instead of letting him buy breakfast at school. If that's the worst thing he remembers about his first year of school, then I think we're doing ok.

Well, I didn't have "blog time" on my schedule. So I must bid farewell. Or, maybe I should change my schedule??? Should I take a vote?? My devoted readers, all 5 of you, would you vote to "get a move on" or "change the schedule"?
Until next time...

You've been in the egg biz too long when...

2010-08-18T22:45:00.003-05:00

While heading into town tonight the monkeys and I were talking about the sad event that happened with the kitty and the dog. 5 year old monkey pipes up from the back seat, "I have an idea. The momma kitty just needs to lay another kitten, then we'll have more." Oh, my. Too funny. Did we correct him? No way!!!

How NOT to catch a tomato

2010-08-18T12:33:00.002-05:00

I was standing at the counter peeling and quartering tomatoes today, preparing them for canning. Peeled and quartered tomatoes are quite slippery. One section slipped from my hand and the first thing I thought was "Catch it before it hits the floor!!" One hand was holding a knife, and the other was covered in tomato juice, so I did what seemed rational at the time and caught it with my hip. Yeah, the peeled tomato quarter was between my hip and the counter. Luckily I was wearing a gray t-shirt used mainly for lounging around the house and not my best "going out" white shirt. The moral of the story is: When preparing food and working in the kitchen, wear an apron.

2010-08-18T12:15:00.002-05:00

(Grim reaper music playing in the background)
While I was weeding the tomatoes and green peppers I heard a little kitten meowing. I was smiling to hear the little fellow. I kept weeding. Then I heard my oldest monkey screaming, "NOooo LadyBird!!!" So I look up and see her in hot pursuit of the boxer dog. The boxer had the kitty in its mouth and was running and shaking it like it was a chew toy. We got the kitty from the dog. Dear daughter took the kitty to the porch to nurse it and I no more than got another weed pulled when I heard another kitty meowing. I ran to investigate and found yet another kitty in that dog's mouth! I rescued the kitty and ordered daughter to put the dog on a leash and tie it to the porch. Daughter was sobbing. She did as she was told. I got to looking over the kitties. The 2nd kitten was fine; just had a little doggy drool in her hair. But the first kitty was not so lucky. I could tell by looking at it that something was very very wrong. She didn't have any "out ward" injuries, but she wasn't moving. About 30 minutes later, I pronounced her dead. Darling daughter sobbed and sobbed. These kittens were born a few weeks ago to our neighbor/landlord's wild cats. They stayed on her back porch for a few days, then the mama cat moved the kitties. We didn't know for two weeks where she had moved the little babies until one evening my oldest monkey went on a quest to find them. And she did!!! They were well hidden in a place we do not venture to. A space we don't invade. The well house. Since her discovery, daughter has gone to visit the kittens daily. She has named all three: Starbucks (see, she is my kind of kid), Navy Blue (her absolute favorite), and Mittens (actually named by my middle monkey). The dog killed Navy Blue. Daughter keeps asking, "Why did it have to be MY kitten she killed?" What she fails to realize, and it really is a hard pill to swallow, is that the kitten who isn't really hers, was killed by a dog who really wasn't "ours". I can think of it like that and not be overcome with grief. But to an 11 year old girl, That dog killed Her cat. Nothing I can say right now will change her mind. And that is why I am not going to tell her how I see it. When her daddy gets home today, we will be having a kitty funeral.

2010-08-17T15:27:00.002-05:00

Is there a way to sum up the last 6 months without blogging what would seem like "The Longest Story Ever"??? I will try. Here goes. Drum Roll Please!!!!!!!!!!! rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

We moved from the city into the country. I only agreed to move because I was promised my own sewing room. It worked out because the house we had to sell was sold to the first couple who looked at it, and because the house we were living in (my grandma's) immediately had new renters that were as impatient as I'll get out to get in. We now have plenty of room to stretch out in, and plenty of storage space for all our things. We are trying to simplify and become self sufficient, so that led us to a garden, chickens, and pigs. I haven't hardly gotten a chance to sew, but the machine (or is it the room) is now beckoning me to spend time there. My youngest monkey is a pure mimic of my son. Copy cat extraordinaire. I asked her if she wanted big kid undies just like brother's. She said yes. I told her if she wears them, she has to use the toilet just like brother. She said OK. We got home from the store, she put on the undies, and she has been potty trained since. WOW! She's had a handful of accidents, but not in the car, and only once at night. What a change from using cloth diapers!! I am learning to can. So far we have pickles, green beans, and tomatoes. I've also made homemade rolls and bread. My husband has learned to build a pig pen. I have had to dispose of 2 dead chickens. Dead from the heat, poor girls. We have lived without air conditioning when the heat index has been over 105 for weeks on end. The kids have been sleeping in the living room instead of upstairs in their rooms because of the heat. I have killed one opossum with a .22 handgun, and my hubby has killed a momma opossum and 5 babies. Started out with a .22, and then had to move up to a shovel to decapitate them. Yuck. We've acquired a pure bred boxer because she was dumped down the road. We've seen loads of deer, a few snakes, killed hornets, fought mice, and welcomed kittens. The kids have gotten to ride a horse named Sadie. And we've played in the creek. We've also had a lot of company over the last few months. We will continue to home school this year. The oldest monkey has already started, and I'm trying to figure out when I'll start the middle monkey in kindergarten.

I am so thankful my husband wanted to move. I am so thankful he coerced me with a sewing room. Where we are is so peaceful. He and I make it a point to have coffee together every morning he is home whether he is here for the day, or will be heading off to work. Our family eats all of our meals together at the dining room table. (I mean we can actually use the table because it is not covered with my fabric and sewing projects!!!) We do not have cable, so our schedule is not built around favorite television shows. I am learning to plan and schedule a tad bit better, because we can't just hop in the car and run to the store whenever I feel like it. The kids are getting used to "staying home" rather than running around. Now don't get me wrong. Life is not perfect. I mean, there is a cow pasture right outside the dining room windows. Let me tell you, on a 100 degree day, that is a pleasant aroma drifting around! But, I grew up next to the fairgrounds and learned a long time ago how to hold my nose and keep breathing. And our basement is not finished. There are 3 rooms in the basement and it can be rather scary. Brown recluse spiders the size of my hand! I only do laundry when there's day light. I am a chicken. The house was built in 1924. It is old, but it has been very well maintained, and it is beautiful. The woodwork is gorgeous. Now, the lime green carpet in the living room is less than desired, but that's okay because we're going to rip it up and throw it out and refinish the hard wood floors underneath. And our landlord is like family.

OK, I am impressed. I don't think I have ever squeezed 6 months onto one page before. Can I have a balloon???

After some prodding from friends and family on facebook (well, they are my real friends and family in real life as well) I am going to try to blog more regularly. So, until next time!!!

She's really not a baby anymore

2010-02-10T10:05:00.002-06:00

My baby monkey, who will be 2 in April, as I am finding out, is not really a baby anymore. Though I will desperately try to keep her a baby as long as possible, and lovingly refer to her as the baby until she is 25. (maybe 30. Heck. Maybe until she is a grandma!) She is talking. A lot. She is particularly fond of her older brother, and therefore mimics his every move and phrase. If he says, "Can I have a snack, mama?" she is right at his side and immediately says, "nack, mama?" And she is learning how to respond. Just now she picked up the jumbo sized pump bottle of baby lotion and looked at me with her big blue eyes and asked, "woshin, mama?" as in 'give me some please'. To which I replied, "Not right now." So she cocked her head to the left and said, "I nut?" which translates to 'why not'?
I worked on a few sewing projects yesterday while the monkeys ran amuck. As I passed through the living room on the way to the powder room, I bent down and tickled her. Instead of giggling or running or pretend screaming, she looked straight up at me and said, "Top it. Top it, mamum." which translates to 'stop it'.
Hee Hee. The other day I ran to the store and left the monkeys at home with my hubby. He called me to tell me it was time to come home after the baby monkey had dirtied her diaper, stripped off her pajamas, stripped off the diaper and put it "somewhere" (where he couldn't find it), and gone to him to clean her up (because she did get some on her hands and belly---eeeewwww). Guess what she had done? She put the diaper (mind you it was a cloth diaper) in the kitchen trash. She had gotten out a changing pad and laid it in the floor. AND she had a fresh diaper ready and waiting by the changing pad. The kids knows what she's doin'!! Hubby cleaned her up. And I was kind of cracking up under my breath. Oh, and you ask how did I find the missing diaper? I followed the smell throughout the house. lol!
This little one. The one who likes to crumble drop biscuits in her palm. The one who likes to hide behind the living room curtains and shriek with delight when I pretend I can't find her. This little one who mimics me when I am wagging my finger and hollering at the older 2 monkeys is still very small and young. But she is not a little baby anymore.

M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E

2010-01-29T22:33:00.002-06:00

Darling son got mad at me today. His 4 year old mind could not fathom why we couldn't just jump in the car and go to Disney World today. The conversation lasted about, oh, say, 30 minutes at least! "But WHY can't we go?????" and I was doing a pretty good job of explaining until he sadly sadly said, "but N. (baby sister) wants to go to Disney World, too. She doesn't like Santa, but she likes Mickey." If Disney wasn't a 3 day car ride away, and was a free attraction, that little statement would have had us at Disney world TODAY I tell you!
So, we did the next best thing. (not really, but humor me please) The monkeys sat down together and watched The Jungle Book. And all the while the littlest monkey held the Disney World ad from the Family Fun magazine. The ad that has the Muppet cast working like the Extreme Home Makeover show, and then the next page the Muppets are riding a fire truck down Main Street, Disney World, as Gonzo is being carried away by balloons shaped like Mickey Mouse's head. Cinderella's castle in the background. Boy. I bet that ad does get Disney a LOT of new business. How dare they put that ad in the ONE magazine we have a subscription to. I think tonight I will sing them to sleep with "when you wish upon a star". Maybe that little dream will come true.

Just so that you know...

2010-01-26T22:21:00.004-06:00

Just so that you know... My home computer has a virus, so there will be no picture uploaded from my phone tonight.
Just so that you know... We had pancakes for supper tonight. At 9:00 pm. We NEVER eat that late. 2 of the monkeys were begging to go to bed before I ate my last bite. That NEVER happens either.
Just so that you know... I love to sew.
Just so that you know... I am a major procrastinator. I don't know why. I just am. I am not proud of it. I am trying to change. And I've been saying that for about 10 years. The little engine that could??? I think I can, I think I can. Put put put. steam out ears.
Just so that you know... I hid in the bathroom from my children the other day. Really. So I wouldn't end up having a tantrum in the middle of the living room floor with them. It did work for a few minutes... and then... steam out ears...
Just so that you know... I still love coffee. And I love good chocolate. But I am not quite as bad a chocoholic as I have been in the past. Interesting.
Just so that you know... I don't think there is any point in washing my car when there is fog/rain/slush/puddles all around and MORE in the forecast. But, dear husband, if you tell me I need to wash it, I will.
Just so that you know... I have made my own bread from scratch all week. Until yesterday when my honey wanted some samichis (that means sandwiches, but its funner to say like that) and I didn't have time to make up the dough and let it sit and rise for a couple o' hours, so he was stuck with Sara Lee. At least nobody doesn't like her. (if you're scratching your head saying "what???" and picking your nose, remember the commercial jingle for Sara Lee.)
Just so that you know... I just threw a load of cloth diapers in the wash and added bleach to the load. For the first time in our cloth diaper journey. And I am scared to death I might have just done something very very bad. But hey, if they come out splotchy but smell good, maybe it'll be ok. (The little monkey has been eating a lot of raisins, and raisin bran this week. This has been a horrible mistake. Bran and raisins in a 21 month old create horrible nastiness I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. Well, on second thought, maybe I would...) Lets just say, we KNEW when she entered the room BEFORE she entered. The scent preceeded her. PEEEEEEEE EEEEWWWWWWWWW
Just so that you know... I am wearing my pretty apron right now. I was too tired to take it off after cleaning up the kitchen after making pancakes at 9:00 tonight. who knows. Maybe I'll sleep in it, too. lol
Just so that you know... My mom and I are getting really motivated and excited about the upcoming craft show at the Missouri State Fairgrounds in March. It will be our 2nd time having our own booth. Me thinks it's the 2nd weekend, but right now, I couldn't promise. So check back soon. I'll get it posted.
Just so that you know... I made my first attempt at baked potato bags and rice packs this weekend. Baked potato bags for putting potatoes in, and then putting in the microwave, to give you nice and fluffy baked potatoes to eat. Rice packs to either put in the freezer to put on boo boos, or in the microwave to heat to put on your sore muscles to help with aches and pains. They turned out rather well, if I do say so myself. And I do.
Hmmm.
Just so that you know, since it is getting late, I am going to turn off my husbands old laptop computer (That I am ever so grateful for) and am going to go brush my teeth and crawl in bed. I am really quite tired. Have a wonderful night, oh dear cyber friends in cyber world.

Nachos ala Gayle

2010-01-04T08:48:00.004-06:00

Hubby was gone the other night. I was getting ready to put the monkeys to bed. I was getting bored. I called my friend Gayle. I hadn't talked to her since the day after Christmas, and that's just too long. We chatted for a bit and she asked me what we did for New Year's Eve. I told her (that because of our crazy Christmas) we spent a quiet evening at home, complete with Rotel dip and chips. Who DOESN'T have that on New Years??? As any good conversation goes, we stopped talking about the kids and our schedules and focused on the food. She asked if I had put taco seasoning on the meat that I added to the Velveeta. And I replied No. And she asked if we dressed it up with lettuce, and I replied "No, but if you keep talking like that I am going to get a hankrin for Nachos!" To which she replied, "Me too". And that's when we decided she would come over with nacho fixin's (minus the Velveeta, because I still had some o' dat) and we were going to feast properly. What a great friend! She ventured out in the freezing weather to the store, and then to my house. And that's when I learned how to make the best nacho plate ever. She made her plate first, and I copied every layer.
1. Crushed tortilla chips in the center of the plate
2. Lettuce encircling the chips, making a nice green decorative boarder on the plate
3. Hamburger--with taco seasoning-- on the chips (not on the lettuce)
4. Rotel Velveeta Dip on the hamburger
5. Sour cream
6. a squirt from the packet of "taco vinaigrette dressing" that came with the lettuce (WONDERFUL STUFF WITH A KICK)
6. shredded cheese
7. tortilla chip strips
8. more tortilla chips layered on the lettuce

We feasted. I don't know if it was the best nachos I've ever had because a) I was hungry b)they were just plain wonderful or c) because it was shared with my friend.

Use #567 for Duct Tape

2010-01-04T08:05:00.003-06:00

Making sure the 7 foot artificial tree stays in the storage container that is too small to house it.
Mister who invented Duct Tape, This Bud's for you!!

Somehow I talked my husband into letting me throw out our old artificial tree last year after Christmas with the "plan" of purchasing a new one on clearance. And then when I went to shop for the clearance Christmas tree, the stores were already sold out.

And then I forgot.

Two weeks before Christmas the oldest monkey was fussing that we really needed to put up our tree, so I sent her out to the garage to find the box. It had housed an artificial tree that served us well over the last 11 years. And it too was held shut by the trusty duct tape. But alas, the box could not be found. And I hear a little bell in my brain reminding me that maybe, just maybe, last year I disposed of this tree. I couldn't remember for sure, so I called my sister to see if I could have really been this barbaric. You see, when I do anything major, like throwing out a Christmas tree, or throwing out holy socks, I call my sister to let her know just because someone needs to know what I am doing. Someone needs to care. So she humors me and listens to all my goings on.
She chuckled and said she did remember the day I threw out the tree. Yes, it was gone. And sadly, we were not in a position to fund a new tree just before Christmas. Before majorly flipping my lid, ideas started swirling in my head. Ideas like "paint a tree on the wall" and "make a tree out of construction paper, complete with fringed branches". Ideas like "let the children have a hay day with the arts and crafts supplies. We can repaint next year". And then I remembered there is a magnificent thing called "Freecycle". I am a member of this group! So I turned my computer on and went to my Freecycle page, and sent out a plea for a free Christmas tree. It went something like this: Wanted: Artificial Christmas tree. Doesn't have to be fancy. Prefer all pieces present.
That afternoon I got a reply from someone who had a 7 foot tree waiting for a new home!!! But it needed a stand. I knew my hubby would fashion something for a stand, even if it was made from potatoes and a coffee can. I set up a time for pick up, cleaned out my trunk, and loaded the 3 monkeys in the car to go get our new tree! We brought the tree to its new home. And it sat in its box for about a week awaiting a stand. My hubby didn't concoct a stand, for I found one at Hobby Lobby. The Saturday before Christmas my oldest begged and begged to put up the tree. I was not feeling the greatest, so I supervised with my head resting on the arm of the couch. I watched as she gingerly took all the branches out of the tote and separated them into their color coordinated families. I watched as she started assembling the pieces into a tree. I watched as this tree started to take up all of the space in my living room. We live in a modest sized house. The way I had moved the furniture to make room for the tree to be centered in front of the picture window was not going to work. The tree was covering a couch cushion from both couch and love seat: across from each other on opposite sides of the room!!! When she stated 7 foot tree, I thought "great! We have 8 foot ceilings!" But I failed to think about the width that accompanied the height. oops. I told my monkeys, "Daddy's not going to like this tree." And as the next row of branches was added to the tree I said, "Daddy's going to make us take this tree down." And when I could no longer see my book case or window, I exclaimed, "This is not going to work! This tree is bigger than our house!" And that's when my daughter put her foot down. "Mom, I want a Christmas tree! We can live with this tree for a week! Daddy's just going to have to deal with it!" And that was the end of the argument. She was working diligently on the tree when all of a sudden she threw a branch and screamed. She had seen a spider. I got a tissue and captured the spider as she freaked out. She yelled, "No wonder that lady wanted to get rid of her spider infested tree for free!" I had a little shiver run up and down my spine as well, so I got out the vacuum, hooked up the hose adjustment, and proceeded to vacuum all of the remaining branches. Then started laughing and praying the tree wasn't really infested. She finished putting together the tree, and applied the lights, and then helped her brother put on the ornaments. The tree was indeed a beautiful tree. I really think the only reason the previous owner got rid of it was because it needed a stand. The color was gorgeous. The branches were full of life and not brittle. It was a great tree. The next day I figured out how to arrange the furniture so we would be able to be in the living room with the tree without having to sit under the tree. We enjoyed our treasure for not only one, but two weeks. And then I decided we didn't live at the North Pole, so it was time to take it down. I did that deed myself one night when the oldest monkey and my hubby were gone hunting, and the little monkeys were in bed sleeping. I don't know how I did it, but somehow all the branches got stuffed back into the little tote the tree came to me in. But it was so full the lid wouldn't stay on. I thought about waking up the little ones and having them sit on the box. But then I figured I couldn't store them in the garage with the tree for the next year. So I found the solution. With each strip applied to the tote, I smiled and said a little blessing for the inventor of Duct Tape. And finally, the tote was sealed and ready to be stored. Did you see the little black thing on the floor by the tote? Can you tell what it is? A mouse. My son thought it was really funny to plant his rubber varmints he received from Santa all through the house. I found a spider on the piano. But I'll save the rubber spider story for another day.

The Etsy store is now OPEN!!!

2009-12-30T15:29:00.002-06:00

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

2009-12-30T15:25:00.002-06:00

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

2009-12-30T15:14:00.003-06:00

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..

Puff Pancakes

2009-11-13T08:55:00.004-06:00

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

2009-11-13T08:36:00.002-06:00

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.

Wanna know what irks me a HUGE amount???

2009-10-03T13:22:00.002-05:00

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??

2009-10-03T13:08:00.003-05:00

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

2009-10-03T12:18:00.002-05:00

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

2009-09-24T14:29:00.004-05:00

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.

Well, this Is a sewing blog, right?

2009-07-04T16:11:00.011-05:00

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!

"Oh, no!" cried Barney

2009-06-30T11:40:00.006-05:00

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.

GROSS!

2009-06-09T21:29:00.002-05:00

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!

Fish Eyes

2009-05-29T10:59:00.002-05:00

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.

The Cwean Room

2009-05-24T21:56:00.006-05:00

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.

A cloth diapering passion

2009-04-01T22:49:00.006-05:00

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.

So, where the heck has Cousin It been lately?

2009-03-31T22:20:00.005-05:00

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.

The Thud

2009-03-21T10:01:00.007-05:00

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! :)

2009-03-20T07:50:00.004-05:00

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

2009-03-20T07:14:00.003-05:00

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.

Simple Joys

2009-02-26T23:15:00.010-06:00

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 pattern 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

A lesson for mommy

2009-02-19T22:45:00.002-06:00

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.

Aggravation

2009-02-07T22:04:00.004-06:00

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.

Amigurumi

2009-01-31T20:23:00.006-06:00

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!

A little chicken?

2009-01-29T20:34:00.008-06:00

As dinner time was quickly approaching, I realized I had forgotten to put my whole chicken in the crock pot this morning. So I took yet 'another' opportunity to get on the blessed computer today and googled "whole chicken recipe" and came up with a very satisfying bird. Very very simply, I shook and sprinkled nothing but salt, cracked pepper and onion powder on the chickie (inside and out), and then put "dallops" of margarine on the top of it, after inserting 3 tbsps of margarine inside the bird. I was giggling to myself, scratch that! I was full belly laughing as I was invading this foul's space, repeating, "You want me to put my what...in the What What???" Am I the only one who remembers that commercial from a few years back? Well, I know my older sister remembers it, only because I remind her of it each and every time either of us fix chicken or turkey. And we both still laugh hysterically like little school girls.
Wanna know why I forgot to house the chicken in the crock pot for the day? I'll tell you anyway! I got out my Motivated Mom's cleaning schedule (that has been nicely tucked away in a desk drawer and forgotten about for a year and a half) and decided to get busy. Ahhh. It is wonderful to step into the kitchen in socked feet and not get stuck in dried juice drops, shaken from the spout of a "no-drip" sippy cup from a toddler. Why? Because the floor was mopped!!! And there are no more smiley faces drawn in the dust on the piano bench. Why? Because it was dusted!!! I love the Motivated Mom's system. (don't scoff at me--its been a busy year and a half!) Some women took oodles of time and divied up the household duties and split them up into very do-able tasks, and then published it for all of the domestically impaired house wives to use and learn from, for a very minimal fee. And if you are like me, and have a hard time doing a daily Bible devotion, they even have a calendar with daily reading built in. BONUS! Kudos to the Motivated Moms group. My husband thanks you!

Half way through the day, and still in my pajamas!

2009-01-29T10:51:00.002-06:00

Once again I am still on the computer instead of doing the "house wifey/mommy/seamstress" duties. I am intrigued by all of the blogs I read about sewing and cooking and cloth diapering. I confessed to my sister last week that I did not think I was worthy of creating my own blog. However, I wanted to become a follower of a select few blogs, and to do so meant having to have my own blogger account, from what I understand. Don't you think that while I am creating my own account, I may as well have my own blog, too? Only makes sense to me. So, instead of getting up and getting all ready, I sat down at the computer with my cup of coffee to wander through this site and see if I could actually create an account and a page. Thank Heaven's the instructions are written for dummies! After taking my sweet time, I do believe a page has been born. And with this page comes responsibilities. Therefore, I solemnly promise to only post things I think are too wonderful to keep to myself. I will not post about the mundane things ie: today I cleaned the spilled coffee grinds off the floor, and that was it. I promise to not flaunt my family as being the best, most perfect family in the universe, because honey, let me tell you, we are not! I will not give financial advice because I am not a millionaire. But I will share the simple joys, the things that make me smile, and the things I continually learn that help me become a better wife, mommy, and friend. Fair? I hope you read and enjoy my future postings, even if you found them by accident.