So, where the heck has Cousin It been lately?

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

The Thud

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

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

My first craft show

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

Simple Joys

I shall blog in this fine color tonight to match the items in my photos. I had not planned on matching the little deer, made from the Simplicity 2763 vintage pattern, to match my vintage Singer sewing machine (so lovingly handed down to me from my grandma). I didn't even really notice how well they matched until I wanted to shoot the work in progress.
A little note about this deer pattern. It is a rather fun little 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

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

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.