An Exciting Announcement

Nah, I don't have "an exciting announcement" - I just wish I had something exciting to say, and wanted to be cool for a moment .  What did you think I'd say?  Bun in the oven?  Perhaps you already know my brother is getting married soon and thought I would announce it on this post?  Nah, this here's the Amy show.  No guest stars. /wahaha  (Okay, not really - I hope you recognize my joking, flippant voice...)

I just feel a little guilty about both not updating the blog often enough, and also not having enough  terribly exciting things to post. Truth is, life feels a little bit in limbo right now.  We just got our tax return back and I have a ton of home renovation projects I'm itching to get to, but sometimes life has a way of sitting in the middle of the house and making you climb over and around it to get anything done.  It's not any one big thing...just, you know..life. I have been spending my days with mounds of busy work: mailing letters, paying bills, driving across town to pick up something I forgot...meeting with the wonderful working class heroes: the furnace and roof repairmen.

I wish I could pull myself together long enough to make a tutorial or draw a comic or something, but such is life and there ain't no tutorial, funny comic, or exciting announcement.

I did; however manage to pull these together in the past week:

This first is a robot I made for my nephew two Christmases (what IS the plural of Christmas?)  Anyways, it was a gift two Christmi ago, and he has since loved it enough that it was handed back to me for some patch work.  I doctored him AND gave him an upgrade of a laser gun. 

Welcome back, little guy - sorry one of your legs is longer than the other.

"What do you mean I'm not the exciting announcement?"

I also put this together to house Maggie's V-tech tablet.  (Which, btw moms, is highly recommended...you know, by me for what it's worth...)  I take very little credit for this.  The single thing I did was sew it together.  It was Maggie who picked out the fabrics, she who chose handles over a single strap, and she who said, "Mom, I want it to have a happy hippo wearing a tutu."

Man, I love that kid.

Yeah, the tutu is a little high up there, but we're not fancy here.  One of these days I'll stitch some extra tulle in there and make her a little more modest.

 

Money Shot

Hello hello!

Just a quick post to link up with one of my favorite bloggers (top 3 for sure!), Flower Patch Farmgirl.  She does this thing called Money Shot Monday, where you take a picture from your day on Monday and link it up.  I keep wanting to link up with her, but don't usually have much going on on Mondays.  Monday is always grocery shopping/dishwashing/chore doing/trying to clean up the wreckage from the weekend day.

But yesterday had a little extra in it.  Yesterday had some victory.  Allow me to sum up the day in two silly memes:

ME:

MAGGIE:

And here's my "Money Shot", complete with 30% off jar and dragon plushie:

God bless your Thanksgiving if I don't talk to you before then! 

Little Bit O' Progress

So, some of you have asked if I'm making progress on the craft room. 

Of course, those of you who haven't actually voiced your curiosity, are undoubtedly on the edge of your seats.   :D

So, here's a little picture of some of the progress being made.

I was excited to find the thread organizer at a thrift store for half of what Wal-Mart was asking.  Plus, I picked up those great jars for $3 each. The filing box is another great find for $12 at an antique store.  I really geeked out about that, and still get weird looks from people every time I get overly enthusiastic about a box.

Unfortunately the drawers will have to stay that way for a while.  It will be a bit of an investment to paint them and buy new hardware.  I don't mind - it will give me something to look forward to.

This little painting is what Maggie created here.

I probably just need a little more thread to fill in my organizer.  I'm sure it'll fill in as I go.  Any suggestions on other things that might fit nicely on those little wooden rod dealies?

All right, I'm going to go get back to it.  You lovely folks out in that thar cyber world have a good 'un!

"I Believe"

So, I'm told I'm not much for sharing.  Truth is, being transparent sort of ***exaggerated air quotes*** """Freaks me out."""  So when bloggers were getting together for a link party to talk about what they believe, I did not jump to join.  But, as I time went on, I kept thinking about it, and kept noticing the beauty all around, making me really assess this - so I wrote it anyway.

And here is my version of what:

I "Believe"

And let me just say as a side note...I'm a little sheepish mine is so long when Audrey's is so short and graceful - saying what she wants to say without overstaying her welcome.  But here it is anyway.)

• I believe jumping on a big trampoline with children is the best calorie burner.
• I believe in keeping some twinkling lights up all year round.
• I believe in dollar store flip flops, pink scrubs, and towels straight from the dryer
• I believe in tipping the waitress, even if she's mean.
• I believe it was a mistake to forgo small town candy shops, drive-in movie theaters, and toy jacks.
• I believe in drawing with pen around freckles to make them look like faces.
• I believe in telling nighttime stories for Peter Pan, (but not so much in leaving cookies for Santa).
• I believe in a long day of thrift store shopping.  Oh my, do I believe in a long day of thrift store shopping.
• I believe someone who is hard to love is in need of that love all the more.
• I believe in colorful felt, my husband's potato soup, and displaying your soap in a pretty dish.
• I believe in learning some big words like, onomatopoeia, and antidisestablishmentarianism just to have them at your disposal if you need to sound smart. (In fact, I just blurt them out whether they pertain to the conversation or not...people are so impressed they just walk away silently because they know they can't compete with my intellect.)
• I believe in humor
• I believe in displaying grandma's crocheted afghan even if it doesn't fit your interior design.
• I believe in occasionally crying for someone you've never met.
• I believe in the wisdom of most cliches, like, "Actions speak louder than words", and, "Home is where the heart is."
• I believe that dishes are some mystical evil and when you clean one, two grow back in its place.
• I believe the best compliment I receive is when people tell me my girls look like me.
• I believe in the unbelievable truth that one man could, (and did) die for the sins of the world.

Amen?

Amen.

Delightful Day

Hello all.

We had a delightful day yesterday.

It rained lightly all day, and the atmosphere was just too nice for working - so I took a break from organizing the craft room, tried out a new pumpkin spice latte recipe (Holly, you must come over and have these with me, dah-ling.), and Maggie and I sat down to create some art for eventually putting in the craft room (she used this flower for her inspiration).

 

I'll keep you guys posted on what we created!

Tell Us About School

Keep CALM and ORGANIZE on

HelloOOooOo.

I enjoyed the "10 on 10" link parties so much that I have joined another link party over at "A Thoughtful Place".  

The theme is "Keep Calm and Organize On", and the goal is simple.  Organize some-thing.

I've been thinking about organizing the kid's willy-nilly art supplies for some time, so the link party is a great excuse to put it on my priority list.  Here is sort of how we use them now:

As you can see, we had some of them them in this little blue organizational tote, but here is the problem with this tote:
1.  They naturally get spilled everywhere if the kids wanted to take them into other rooms.
2.  It still seems to be so open and free that the kids didn't really take too much care to put them back where they belong.  It's like, just as long as they get in the tote, it doesn't matter which part of the tote.

So, my goal was to organize them into something that is easy for them to use, but also to take around the house, into the car...and most importantly - easy enough for them to keep up with the organization themselves, so putting their supplies in the right place comes naturally to them. 

I started with a 3 ring binder and some CLEAR pencil pouches with holes for the binder (I think I spent about $5 all together). 

I absolutely think clear is the best choice for most organizational tools.  This way I don't have to read.  I kid, I kid, but really it does save time that you don't have to label everything, and it is certainly a necessity when you have children using them that don't yet read.

I just organized and stuffed.  I took care not to put anything too thick in it, otherwise the folder wouldn't close.  This is the result:

Very happy with it. 

10 on 10: Part Deux

Hi Guys!

Once again, I'm joining the link part over at  bit of sunshine for the 10 on 10 project.  The project is simple: Take 10 pictures, on the 10th of the month, with the purpose of finding beauty in what is otherwise an ordinary day. 

Emphasis on "ordinary day" here, okay?  I mean some days we could be taking a walk, or doing a craft, or some other semi-photo worthy thing, but today was a day I sort of woke up...looked around, and just said, "nope".  So we spent a good portion of the day playing Mario, building legos, watched a delightfully cheesy 1970s movie, and had a lovely sizeable nap in the middle of the day.  So, with the laziness of the day, I felt I was reaching a little bit trying to get some good pictures, I mostly just snapped pictures around the house.  Here they are!

The wee one helped me out and snuck this one in...that's my shoe, but not my foot.

Oh, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.  Where would we be without thee?

We played a game with the Lite Bright.  It was dark in the master bedroom, so we just took it around to see what things looked like with lit circles all over them.  Lite Bright on the bed...Lite Bright on the dog..Lite Bright on your armpit...I'm really glad I was doing 10 on 10 this day, otherwise this may have been something I would have easily let slip through my memory.

Maggie says, "Mom, it's not a weed if it has flowers."  (She says this, by the way, like she is the master of all knowledge and I have long to achieve her level of wisdom...)  

But, I'm inclined to agree about the weeds.  (Of course, all my plants die, so what do I know anyway?)

Wilson vs. Wilson

I wake up in the morning with the very best of intentions.  A new day has a myriad of possibilities and most days I look forward to carpe-ing the diem for the satisfaction of ending the day feeling established.

The first thoughts of the day are often of the things that need done.  A scroll of  "to do" unfurls in my mind -  I'm sure it's familiar to many...it often looks a little something like this:

- laundry, dishes, mop floor
- pull weeds
- need toilet paper, need coffee (go to store)
- haven't blogged since last week - (do that, maybe?)
- exercise and eat right (?)
- help Aud with homework
- oversee the practice of piano, find music note flash cards
- look online for good deals on new shoes
- finish book, (only 20 pages left)
- check e-mail, return e-mails
- check bank account (have a moment of silence for fallen money)
- Why did you get that high water bill last month?  (call about that)
- The lock on the car is broken - would that be under warranty?  (call about that)
- return friend's phone call
- pick out and get paint samples for play room
- patch holes, fix button, and sew up torn seam on pants (time to throw away favorite pants?)
- take back movie rental
- finish any 12 of unfinished projects...(a second list unfurls)
- take out chicken for thawing (try that new recipe today?)

That's plenty to work with - let's stop there.

As my feet hit the floor, the list hangs over my head in a figurative thought bubble - I expect it will travel with me for most of the day. 

My four year old can sense my arousal like a bird senses the wind.  Bounding out of her bed and into my arms, I can see her own thought bubble bouncing around, in front, and behind her in a chaotic, mismatched font.  She reveals to me her own agenda.  

It is her imaginary puppy's birthday today, and she is having tea in his honor.  I am invited. After that, she has booked us a performance that we can't be late to, or our rock band will never get the respect it deserves.  From there, we will be superhero ninjas and save villages from alien invaders.  We will round up the day by feeding the birds, making pink cupcakes, and engaging in another activity I don't quite catch (but it's something about fire). 

Thus it begins.

The age old dance of Mom vs. Offspring...Being Productive vs. Being Mom...Filling a Day vs. Fulfilling a Life...

The decision lies before me: "To Do" list vs. Pup Pup's birthday tea


I tell her, 'I have a lot to do, and maybe I can play later'.  Although I have said this, I wonder if I have made the right decision.  The guilt of turning away time with my daughter weighs against my need to feel like an accomplished member of society. 

As she walks away in dismay, I notice the nightie that once hung below her knees now suspends mid thigh.  I am reminded  this will probably be one of the last times I can respectably clink teacups with an imaginary husky.

Suddenly play time feels more significant.  Point for Pup Pup's birthday tea.

But coffee tables need polishing and kitchen floors need scrubbing.  Warranties on cars run out and weeds grow taller.  Redbox late fees cease for no man.  These things are all important, too, right?

Right.  Point for "To Do" list.  (Licks finger and tags imaginary point in the air.)

I call the warranty company.  Somehow my relationship with the man on the other end of the line is unfulfilling.  His tone reminds me he doesn't need anyone to pour his chocolate milk. He is only concerned with dates and formalities and doesn't once mention tea.  Moreover, I get the sense he doesn't have any imaginary pets at all. 

Boring.  Point for Pup Pup's birthday tea.

As I hang up, I hear the school around the corner chime the starting bell, reminding me my youngest will be starting school in a few short months.

Yet another reminder that my time with her is short, and yet another point for playtime.

As I pass by the play room door, on my way to assess paint samples, I see all the gang gathered as equals at a round table:  "Brother", the stuffed crocodile, "Kangaroo", the stuffed rabbit, "Connie" the Grand Canyon condor, and no-named-creepy-drawn-on-baby.  I notice what may to the untrained eye be an empty chair...but I can just barely see the outline of Pup Pup's icy blue eyes.   It is here that I wonder whether wafers have been provided with tea.  

Point for playtime.

I realize my more practical "to do" list is losing the battle (4:1), but I tighten my grip on the figurative rope of this tug-of-war.  I am not ready to be defeated just yet.  I turn away, focus, and pull out my fan of paint samples.  I sit at the table and sensibly begin to ponder the colors for the play room door.

Point for Me?

Minutes later, Scarlett pulls my attention away.  She disappointingly informs me I have missed Pup Pup's tea party, but promises me that if I play rock band with her, my stage name can be "Sherlock" (she knows of my fondness for the fabled character).

It is with this thoughtful gesture that my paint sample fan transforms into a microphone as I trade in the shackles of the "to do" list for an air guitar.  I victoriously rise and hurriedly run to the stage with my partner just before the red velvet curtain rises.  The amp wails and pierces my ear, making me wonder if I have made the right decision - but the roadie runs on stage to fix the settings and for the next hour we "stick it to the man" by saluting those about to rock. 


The performance ends with me pumping my rebellious fist into the air.  With ludicrously bejeweled fingers, my victorious punch obliterates the thought bubble above my head - dispersing the sensible list into a million pieces of gold glitter that coat the whole house.

...I'll clean that tomorrow.

Handmade Felt Thingies

Well, I feel like I have some really cool projects in the works, but nothing seems to be going my way with any of them.  I have now deemed them all to "stink", and need a break lest I become discouraged.

Yes, I needed a little respite from my usual things, and a less picky recipient (less picky than myself) - so I got a bee in my bonnet to make my nephew something fun and this is the product of that bee's residing:

I hope you all recognize the tall brown guy as Chewie - of course, if you don't - I would chalk it up to my failing, not yours.  I'd like to do him again sometime and I would make his bandolero more accurate, but for now, I think it's a sufficient toy for a two year old.

Then I made the crocodile, and he told me he wanted to be "fancy" - so I fashioned a bowtie for him.  (Not sure who he's trying to impress...maybe he just wants to look his best for his new little boy.)

I hope he likes them!