Bits of Life

TMRL

noreply@blogger.com (~*Sarah*~) — Sun, 06 May 2018 20:29:00 +0000

Let's see if I remember how to use this contraption. I don't know if anyone blogs much anymore. Or if they do it's usually as a "social media influencer" and promoting some product or program. I'm just here to dump a bunch of feels on the internet and walk away for everyone to feel uncomfortable. Or relate. Or just judge. I dunno. LET'S FIND OUT FRIENDS. ;)

A very brief catch-up for anyone actually reading that doesn't know our daily life: Zach 13, Lilly 8, Callie 6. We made it fam! Out of the toddler years, and the diapers, and the tantrums, and life is smooth sailing!

PSSSYYYCH. got em! (Side note: had to google sike or psych. Internet says psych. Looks weird though. so SIIIKKKEEEE!) ONWARD.

Real life: Callie has delays. Significant delays. Speech delays, motor delays, cognitive delays. She's 6 but in so many ways she's 2. We've been in that non-stop-busy-toddler stage for 4 years. As I sit typing this she just came in to admire herself in the mirror after changing clothes for the 4th time today. I could tell her to stop, but she doesn't have a 'stop'. She is delightfully happy...MOST of the time. We have definitely hit some tantrums when she can't communicate what she wants or we tell her no, and she doesn't really grasp no. Or wait. More on all of that another time maybe. I'm already off track.

Today is Sunday, it's like 80 degrees, sunny, wonderfully welcome weather after a long, long, gray winter. Callie has been antsy the last few days now that it's nicer and we've been outside a bit and the girl wants to GO OUTSIDE. We should go to the park! And normally, the park would be perfect. You go, you hope some other kids are there to play with your kids and you sit down, and read a book, or play on your phone, throw a bag of goldfish crackers at them and absentmindedly yell "I'm watching!" every few minutes while they burn off energy before bed. Maybe break up a squabble about who's turn is next on the slide or who is swinging the highest. It's amazing!

Except for us it's stressful, and hard, and usually ends with carrying a 50lb kid screaming to the car. You HOPE the park is empty, or at least only has older kids. Callie LOVES, but she loves HARD. Like tackling, choke hold, hair pulling, clothes pulling, SO EXCITED, hard. Other kids...don't love it so much. Huh, weird.

Older kids don't always get tackled for some reason, or at least they're sturdier. Anyone under 5 doesn't fare as well. And so at the park, we're hyper aware, and hovering. We're not over-protective, we've just learned. We're dreading the 3 year old who just walked over, and was sweet enough to share her stuffed animal. And now it's the ever present inner conversation of "How do I put Callie in kid terms? Do I? She's starting to look confused because she's asking questions and Callie is just smiling and shaking with excitement. Aw shit she's gonna---" and I reach out and grab her arm as fast as she shoots it forward to try to grab this poor kid and squeeze her arm and pull her into a bear hug. Sometimes I'm fast enough. But not always. And the not always usually ends in tears from a stranger's child, and me trying to apologize and give a meager "she gets too excited and doesn't understand" and wanting to crawl into a hole because as much as I can explain and apologize, I know the mama bear feeling of it being your kid that was hurt. "It's ok" but it's not ok.

And then I'm stuck between "I hope no one is there." and feeling bad because I want her to PLAY. And have fun. It's easier to stay home. But that's not fair to her. But it's not fair to kids who get grabbed by the hair by little girl who is just SO HAPPY TO BE NEAR THEM.

Keep your kid at home if she can't behave in public.
She has to be around other kids or she'll never learn how to act appropriately.
Explain her diagnosis.
We don't even have an OFFICIAL diagnosis.
We have a pending "intellectual disability".
But no one makes tshirts for that.
People just assume she's autistic.
And it's easier than correcting, or thinking we'd somehow be offended at that diagnosis.
But also don't label her. She's more than a diagnosis. Respect her as an individual.
Wait, did the psychologist ever send her report?
She said she'd send a copy and it would take two weeks.
That was more than a month ago.
Shit, did Iowa City get a copy?
I should check her mychart.
But that password has to be so secure I forget it every time and have to reset it.
I still need to take over that PT eval I was supposed to do in January.
What kind of parent slacks at this stuff like this?
It's ok, she's making progress. We'll get there.
She'd be so much further if I was more on top of things.
Celebrate her accomplishments.
But don't post too much online or it looks like you're making her a social sympathy piece.
The other kids are getting ignored.
The other kids have to help too much.
But it will make them more compassionate towards others.
Or bitter later in life that they had to play second to a special needs sibling.
Or that their mom was always so stressed.
I should be less stressed.
If I was better at keeping the house picked up I'd be less stressed.
If I was more disciplined.
But sweet Jesus it's never ending.
I'm just trying to tread.
She just learned to climb the baby gates we used to keep her out of certain rooms.
You need to teach her not to get into things and make such a mess.
You need to make her help clean it up. (She does.)
You need to embrace this because they're ONLY LITTLE ONCE.
And I'm acutely aware that through it all, I'm grateful that she's overall healthy. Every day I'm aware.

But this shit is just hard. And will probably stay hard for a while. And ALL OF THAT I needed to get out of my head just because...I thought it was nice out and we should go to the park.

How's that for a blog comeback? ;)

Why it's taken me an hour to type a post title...

noreply@blogger.com (~*Sarah*~) — Mon, 09 Jul 2012 21:01:00 +0000

I sat down to type a 'quick' blog post...an hour ago. This is how far I've gotten. Right here.
__________________________________________________

Between nursing the noob - who is now in her bouncy seat next to me, wildly kicking one leg, sucking her thumb, and generally happy for no reason. :) Getting a glass of water, forgetting said water, starting some laundry, doing a sink full of dishes, and kicking neighborhood kids out 50x (I'm only slightly exaggerating). Sat down at the computer about 10 times between all of that, and SOMEHOW didn't get very far. *sigh*

So...here we go!

Callie is almost 5 months old. five. FIIIVVVVEEE. I know babies grow up fast, but she's really pushin' it. Yer killin' me smallz.

Lilly is crazy as ever. Busy being busy, starting to talk more finally, and generally wearing me out from her antics. ;)

Zach's finally getting teeth back where they'd fallen out, which is good because I was starting to be concerned about his tooth to gums ratio. (there was another lost a couple days after this)

And now I've been interrupted so many times, I can't even remember what my original blog post was...

I did manage to bust out my serger, THREAD my serger, (thread my serger AGAIN, because for whatever reason, it doesn't work unless I do it in the right order? Maybe? I don't know if that's it exactly, but it worked!) and make some baby wipes. Out of flannel that I've had for AT LEAST two years. Mhmm, cuz I'm that awesome. Or a procrastinator. Or a hoarder. Ok, not a hoarder, our cat is alive. (ooohhhh, but you know it's true)

I ran to the fabric store today to get terry cloth to make kitchen towels. And when I say "I", what I mean is "me + 3 kids". I started with noob in the Ergo (do you have an Ergo? You should get an Ergo. They're expensive, I know, but if you have more than zero children, you should get one. Heck, if you're a hoarder with a cat, get one. I'm not judging.) Lilly in the umbrella stroller, and Zach on his own two feet. We did ok the first 5 or so minutes. *I* didn't even wander aimlessly, as I'm prone at a fabric store. Then I reached up to touch some fabric (as...I'm prone..) and somehow..?... the bolt tipped over, right onto Callie's poor noggin.

Crappy mom of the year folks! Right here!

So, luckily it was light, and really wouldn't have hurt her, aside from the edge of the cardboard caught just right and gave her a tiny scrape. and she screamed bloody murder :( I can't blame her, with all of Lilly's "affection" at home, she's managed to come out unscathed, and just chillin at Joann's and gets biffed by some cardboard. (she's totally and completely fine by the way!)

While I consoled her (read: nursed in the ergo), Lilly realized she wasn't ACTUALLY buckled into the stroller (rookie mistake) and got out. But I thought...well, let's try it. She's been SLIGHTLY better about not bolting every chance she gets. And she did really well for a few minutes, we walked around and looked at fabrics, she was charming and docile. And then...she must have sensed that I'd relaxed a bit...and started squealing and dancing/running/giggling away. Not exactly a streak mind you, but going for it none the less.

I did coax her back to walking with me...kinda...we found our terry cloth, and after a friendly scolding (?) from the lady at the cutting counter, for her not to sit in the bottom shelf (she was going night-night on some squishy material) grabbed what I wanted, got it cut, and left.

So now that I got interrupted again just there...one neighbor boy threw a dead bird at his brother, who went to tell on him (seems appropriate) told Zach and bird-thrower to go wash their hands NOW. I'll just end it and try to salvage 10 minutes of quiet before Lilly wakes up and/or they come in AGAIN.

Hopefully next time I'll have pictures of finished projects. OR...me, on my first day at the funny farm! it's 50/50. place your bets now!

.
.
.
.
.
.....my front door just opened. I think we know where I'm headed.

Recipe Success!

noreply@blogger.com (~*Sarah*~) — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 00:20:00 +0000

Love when that happens, as more often than not...it doesn't. (user error, usually)

A few days ago I came across this: "Cheesy" chickpea quinoa and spinach

So I thought "that looks good!" and pinned it on Pinterest. (where recipes go to die) but no! I actually MADE this one! I'm officially no longer a Pinterest recipe poser. ;)

I did tweak our version due to..well...I forgot some stuff at the store. Happens. A lot. But mine did end up looking like this: (crappy cell phone picture mind you)

When my husband saw the recipe, I think he started planning what cereal he'd eat after dinner to replace the dinner he was going to fake eating. But, he's a trooper so he feigned interest, and even threw out a "looks good" when it was time to eat.

I'll have you know this got the ever coveted "This is actaully pretty good!" award from Eddie Cupp. From the guy who'd rather eat ding dongs, bacon and mountain dew, this is high praise!

I did "double" the recipe, and used 5 cups of water + 3 chicken boullion cubes because I'd forgotten vegetable broth. No onion so I threw in a tsp? of onion powder, a tsp of oregano, a bit of garlic salt, and some spanish paprika because...well I don't like chili powder and it was red. I know. Weird. But it worked!

I DID manage to get the nutritional yeast, and by golly, it DOES taste kinda cheesy! I'm impressed.

Of course Zach wasn't a fan of the cooked spinach (just FYI...there is a very fine line between "wilted" and "cooked" I perhaps crossed that line) but I convinced him to take a bite of spinach with the chickpeas/quinoa and he wouldn't taste it. It worked, amazingly.

A recipe that is HEALTHY and got a thumbs up from a junk food junkie and 2 kids? Wonderful! :)

I should probably proof-read this post before I hit 'publish' but wee babe is screaming with dad, so here it is suckers! Grammar errors and all! (let's face it, I have grammar errors even when I proof-read!) Go make this! Now!

...ok tomorrow.

Our Gluten-Free Trial

noreply@blogger.com (~*Sarah*~) — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 20:27:00 +0000

And a trial by fire of sorts. Long story, involving...well...poop. But we're trying Lilly (2) on a gluten-free diet for a couple of weeks. There have been too many conversations in our house as of late about diapers, and realizing it's been MONTHS now, and after calling her dr. and getting IT tested (look ma! no parasites!) I resorted to my ever trusty resource...GOOGLE! God Bless the interwebs. =P

Essentially, I found nothing "scientific", but did find a handful of message board posts from moms with toddlers with the exact same situation, almost word for word what I'd googled. Almost all of them...ended up being gluten/wheat related. (a couple were dairy) Technically, I don't buy into the whole gluten free craze going on right now. I think it's a marketing gimmick that people have bought into. I *do* think there could be something to it, that benefits people. But I'm not convinced it's GLUTEN. Wheat, processing of wheat, GMO crops, the pesticides used on wheat crops? I dunno, that's my two-bit theory. But I'm willing to give it a shot, WHATEVER the direct cause might be.

So will it help? Who knows, but it can't hurt to try. Especially when I find recipes like this: Cinnamon Apple Quinoa Parfait
(minus the oat crumble) thank you pinterest!

...I know, right?

So on that note, if you happen to have any gluten-free recipes that you really like, send 'em my way!

I'll keep you updated on if it works...without details ;)

I'm Back! ...Again. ...I think.

noreply@blogger.com (~*Sarah*~) — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 22:45:00 +0000

Oh, hey, hi there! How's it going? Kids are in college now? That long? wow!

Ok, so I'm back, I hope! I actually got the *most* AWESOME comment in my email today, (here) and it was the best kind of random. So much so that I checked my statcounter out of curiosity to see where it came from. In doing that, I saw that my tutorial has been posted "all over" the internet. And by "all over" I mean "like, 3 or 4 places" which is A LOT if you're me. And on pinterest! #nerdyhappydance

I also saw there are a lot of comments I never saw. Apparently, my email only alerts me to the viagra, porn offers, and foreign language jumbles comments. ::thumbs up:: So THANK you! to anyone who commented and enjoyed that post! Had I known, I'd have responded! ;)

At any rate, all of that, along with cleaning up all the viagra links, made me realize HOW. LONG. it's been since old bloggy and I have had a chance to sit down and insult America via my crafting. (That won't make sense if you didn't follow that link and read the crazy.) So I fully intend to get back to it, post every week or so, hopefully make something here and there, and quite possibly, be presumptuous whilst doing it! woohoo! :)

I say "I hope" because since we talked last, I made another one of THESE:

husband giving her a once over, approves.

Callista Rose 9lbs3oz (I don't mess around. Deliciously chubby babies are my thang.) She's two weeks old now, and just woke up FURIOUS that no one is feeding her (as happens when you're 10lbs) So I'm off to do that. More later!

So I'm a Slacker

noreply@blogger.com (~*Sarah*~) — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 20:04:00 +0000

Seriously. I know. Bad blogger. Wait, can I be called a blogger if I haven't blogged in months? hm.

I'd like to say its because of the baby (partially) but it's mostly intimidation. See, it kept coming out that more and more people I know in real life were reading my blog. (and for unknown reasons seemed to actually enjoy it, go figure) but then I got all overly self-conscious, as I'm prone. And then every time I sat down I felt like 100 eyes were on me. And then I walked away. And then my cousin would "gently" reminded me I hadn't blogged in months. Vicious circle.

So here I am. I'm way behind, and instead of making myself crazy trying to compose a post catching you up on the last 7months (which would be info overload, and would lead to me getting overwhelmed and deleting the whole thing...not that I've done that before) Let's just say: you missed out. It's been pretty awesome, my kids are pretty awesome, I made some awesome stuff, I found some awesome yard sale/thrift finds, and maybe a few of the really good ones will end up mentioned eventually.

I really do miss my blog. But I'm tired of being scared of it, so here I am again. Just like I'm hoping to do a craft show this fall, because I'm tired of being scared of that too. Now if I could just be comfortable in public, I'd be awesome. But let's start with blogging again and see where that gets us.

Oh, and just because every post needs a picture of something pretty cool:

a nintendo DS case that looks like an old school nintendo controller? awesome. a friend made it, and it almost makes me want to buy a DS just to have it. it's here

Mother's Day Gift Guide

noreply@blogger.com (~*Sarah*~) — Wed, 05 May 2010 00:46:00 +0000

these are actual links that popped up when I googled "mother's day gift" let's file these under "don't...oh please, please DONNNNN'T"

mom's own slot machine! WITH 500 free tokens! show mom you love her with free tokens!
$25 best buy gift card here mom, get yourself a CD, and maybe a 20oz pepsi, since $25 won't get you much else at best buy.
a poem on a plate this is the cheap plastic plate that she'll hang proudly while the kids are looking. then slowly -over a span of months- move it from the living room, to the spare room, to the basement.
"mom" jewelry the ring isn't hideous. I just...I can't....I can't get with "mom" anything. We know she's a mom, those kids that follow her around at the grocery store confirm our suspicions. plus, the whole mass-produced-jewelry-that-every-other-mom-is-wearing thing.
its a ...cartoon I don't understand.
a lollipop bouquet ok, its candy, I'll give you that. But its crazy pastel lollipops. This is really a gift for your kids, since they'll raid it and she'll let them.

So what DO I get, you ask? allow me...

custom silhouettes of the kids traditional and contemporary. and less work than getting them dressed, out the door, and sitting still for a formal photo without one of them hitting each other.
hairpins they're cute, the kids can each pick out a pair.
a purse or a cute clutch or wallet
some nice soap put together a nice soap/lotion/girly skin stuff basket for bonus points.
tea and cookies yup, cookies. its the internet man, you can get anything. cookies come to your door, and someone else is cleaning flour off their counters. awesome.
if you're going to go for candy get her something she doesn't have to share.
kindle I really tried not to like this thing. I like BOOKS, real paper, real ink, BOOKS. Not these dad-gum gizmos. Too many gizmos these days. BUT...then I fiddled with a friends' ...and I do like it (hate when that happens, now I want one) Plus, its nice when she's reading and sets the book down, and a certain 5 year old comes along and closes the book for her. Re-reading 10 pages while you find the place you left off is always fun. Doesn't happen with a kindle.

If you're still going to go for the gift card, at LEAST make sure its to her FAVORITE store. Ya know the one, the store she goes into often, but rarely buys anything. The "I don't understand how anyone could spend that much money on ____" store. Whether its clothes, yarn, hunting gear, a gallery, or the tattoo shop. That's the one.

Just NOT the sweatshirt with "mommy of ___ angels" with each of the kids as a cartoon stick figure with spiky hair. Please no. thankyou.

Blog, Meet Lilly...

noreply@blogger.com (~*Sarah*~) — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 18:02:00 +0000

Lilly, meet the blog. After all, she is almost 9 weeks old. It's time you got acquainted.

Eliana Sophia (we're calling her Lilly)

9lbs 5oz (yes, I have those numbers in the right order..see below)

4:05am March 1st, 2010

The funny thing is, aside from at birth, she doesn't LOOK as big as she is. Everyone is shocked when they hear how much she weighed. (*I* was shocked when we found out how much she weighed!!)

Just a quick post for now, she's upstairs doing this:

right now. And I'm not sure for how long.

I'll post more pictures and some version of her birth story in the next few days. I want to get it down before I start forgetting.

She's a very good baby, she's absolutely amazing, and we love her to bits. Zach's been a fantastic big brother, and taken the whole transition rather well. :)

Treasury Love

noreply@blogger.com (~*Sarah*~) — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 21:39:00 +0000

Treasury!

And in case you miss it (and quite honestly, so I can come back and dork-out anytime I want)

The Christmas letters in the upper left, those would be mine! Its sickening how much this excites me...really.

As an aside, I totally love this treasury, even if I wasn't in it. I'm kind of in love with that yellow lately.

I lost November

noreply@blogger.com (~*Sarah*~) — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 01:14:00 +0000

I swear it was just November 1st. Right? Am I crazy? And now its the end of November. Tomorrow I'll be 28 weeks pregnant (for those not fresh on their pregnancy info, its 40 weeks total - give or take - which leaves me with 12 weeks left) And as much as I was hoping November and December would go quickly, this is a bit faster than I had in mind.

This last week I'm cycling between

"TWELVE WEEKS???? 12 more weeks?" and

"TWELVE WEEKS??? what do you mean only 12 weeks?"

It depends on what pants I'm wearing (where am I going to put 12 more weeks of baby??) and how many baby related sewing projects I add to my list (pregnancy does something to your ability to judge time required for these things. I have about 2 years of sewing planned that I seem to think I can do in 8 weeks?)

I'm going to try to take a 'belly shot' tomorrow. I originally planned to do the week by week documentation of this pregnancy. Then I thought month by month. Annnnd now I'm 2/3 of the way through and I'm hoping to take the FIRST picture tomorrow. So that plan was a big FAIL. Ah well.

Moving on to what I *have* accomplished in the last few weeks: (keeping in mind the pictures are terrible. Lighting has been junk lately, and I got tired of waiting. I was also too lazy to edit them to try to help the situation.)

My first example of "I don't knit nearly as fast as I apparently think myself able"

I won't post any other info on this until after Christmas. Let's just say I planned to have it done by now, its a gift, and it needs to be finished, washed/blocked, and shipped all in the next 3 weeks. Which...is totally do-able. But since my PLAN was to be done already, its making me panic about 37%.

This is just a random picture because if I get the camera out, I *have* to take a picture of him, and show him the back of the camera to see. Plus....he's freakin' adorable. So there. (he's smiling funny because he kept insisting I take a picture of the inside of his mouth, when I wouldn't, he gave me this goofy smile instead)

I actually hate this card. BUT...I made it. And it was one of those days where I had to *make* something, anything, even if it was fugly. I felt better.

This has no picture yet. (Which, would seem obvious without me pointing it out...duh Sarah) This is another "don't like it" but I've been trying to force myself to just make something without spending days over-analyzing, re-doing, and driving myself crazy trying to make it 'perfect'. Kind of a 'just sit down and do it' challenge for myself.

Play-mat/quilt top #1

Play mat/quilt-top #2

Play mat/quilt-top #3 - this one is basted, and partly quilted. But then I realized my machine quilting was T.E.R.R.I.B.L.E. so I'm ripping it all out (that's not true, I'm PROCRASTINATING ripping it all out, because ripping it all out is tedious and maddening).

Doll quilt that will be in the etsy shop. Hopefully with quite a few other items by this weekend. Love etsy. HATE writing descriptions. Bah.

Another random page I made a few weeks back. Inspired by a sketch from
sketchy thursdays. I never used to use sketches, but I've found them helpful getting me jump-started back into scrapbooking. (I didn't do much with it for about 2 years) Most of the time I start with a sketch, but end up tweaking and moving things that in the end you'd never recognize the two were related. This one was pretty straightforward.

This was a pillow I made for some friends that just had a baby. I screwed up on it (when don't I?) and its a little 'snug' top to bottom, but I was actually pretty happy with how it turned out. The color is lighter in real life...

'baby robin' as their last name is robin. a little corny maybe, but embroidery makes corny ok.

Another baby gift. Play mat/quilt. It was supposed to be gender neutral, and came out a little heavy on the boy side...oops. Since then, said baby has made HER entrance. Hopefully she likes blue!

There's also a baby sweater I COMPLETELY forgot to get a picture of, and a sweater I made for myself that needs buttons. Then I can start on that ambitious baby list =P

5 years

noreply@blogger.com (~*Sarah*~) — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 13:00:00 +0000

Yesterday marked 5 years since my mom died. The picture above was the night Zach was born, he was about 12 weeks old when she passed. I hesitated to post about it here, because it makes people feel awkward and like they have to say something comforting. So don't. :) Its just weird to think its been FIVE years. Sometimes it feels like it was forever ago, and other times I can't believe its been that long. Thanksgiving was always HER holiday. (Literally, I think she'd have drawn blood if anyone else tried to host!) So thanksgiving is its own reminder.

But this year it really occurred to me that she's not there. I do ok - I loved my mom, but we never exactly saw eye to eye - but seeing Zach grow up, and knowing he's missing 3 grandparents (Eddie's parents both passed away about a year and a half before my mom) is weird. And not that he's lacking. His papou and yaya pretty much adore him, and we're fortunate that even though they live 2,000 miles away, he's very aware of who they are and that they love him. We also are blessed to have aunties - both mine an Eddie's - who've taken on a 'grandma' role. They have his pictures on their fridge, and feed him junk food just because he asked, and have a stash of toys for him to play with. He does ok :)

Its just weird to think its been that long. And in case you're wondering, she had a form of cancer called glioblastoma multiforme. If you think "wow, that's a shi**y disease" (and it is) and want to throw a couple bucks into research you can do that here: donate. And if you don't, that's cool too. I know there are about 400 charities, groups and foundations I'd love to support if I had the funding and we can't do them all.

(A few off the top of my head: charity: water, Mother's Milk Bank of Iowa, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital)

I really have no end to this post...so I'm done. :)

What I've been up to lately...

noreply@blogger.com (~*Sarah*~) — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 20:21:00 +0000

...besides freezing. Seriously dudes, its 54 degrees outside (though it "feels like" 49 according to the weather folks. why don't they just say 49. I don't care if its 54 if I'm really 5 degrees colder, but I digress) and its a whopping...59 in our house. though it "feels like" ....59.

In the grand scheme of things - not that cold! Especially when you consider Illinois in another 8 weeks and I'll be longing for the toasty warmth of a 54 degree day. But for those of us ~~stupid~~ stubborn enough to not turn on the heat, its a little brisk. Especially in a 100 year old house, when your kitchen is poorly insulated, and the wind just LOVES to blow into the direction of the kitchen. So I sit here in layers...I don't lie: 2 pairs of socks, footless tights under my jeans, tank, tshirt, longsleeved t, sweatshirt, scarf. And my options have been to sit under my blanket and knit, or...eat. Neither are BAD options, mind you. I really can't complain about either, and enjoy both quite immensely. BUT...days on end of those 2 activities will not do me well in the end.

So I thought maybe a bit of blogging since I'm only a few months behind *ahem* I'm still cold, I'm just not thinking about it. Good start.

So what's new? Just looked back to see my last post was in MAY. Crap. Ok, well let's get started!

I got new glasses...

I made some yogurt (it tasted much better than it looked, this was pre-mixing)

Eddie and his friend Patrick spent a good amount of time throwing rocks at that utility pole.

Tractor ride at the Iowa Machine Shed.

Spent too much money on junky trinkets at the fair.

That cup was really filled with gatorade, not mountain dew, but I don't think anyone there would have judged me. Since most kids were drinking mountain dew and deep fried snickers.

I was shocked at what rides cost "now'a'days". He got to ride 3, because that's all the cash I'd brought.

We didn't eat any of these, I just took the picture.

$26 and an hour later and this was what was left of the fair experience. Truth be told, I don't love the fair. I kinda don't even like it. Its July, its hot, its $13 for one adult and one child just to WALK in. And there's really not a lot to DO unless sweating and deep fried foods REALLY does it for you. Me not so much. The animals were kind of neat, but we can do that other places. Bah humbug fair. (But we went, because...that's what you do, and Eddie was working it all week and it was the only chance to see dad for a bit)

My cousin got married. She looked beyond amazing.

See, even with "I just got married" goofy faces they're still adorable. (Plus, birdcage veil + finger waves = love)

I was there. I was a bridesmaid so I kinda had to be. I even wore a dress. And I hate having my picture taken, thus the strained "good god just take it" expression. ;)

Zach turned 5. I'm still demanding a re-count to be sure this is accurate. I'm not convinced.

It says so on the cookie, so it must be.

I really don't know why I took a picture of this, but it was about 40 minutes of Eddie's afternoon at a family BBQ that day.

Bouncy inflatables.

Plus fireworks with the fam (Plus blankets...in AUGUST. it was unusually cool)

Kettle corn before fireworks (he wasn't really scowling at me, although...he is a little defensive about that kettle corn...so maybe)

I spun some yarn.

Recovered a chair that has literally been in our family for...YEARS. We ended up with it due to an eager husband and...guilt.

And I'm makin' one of these...

Forgive the WIP picture, but its not done yet. Forgive the "its" reference, but he/she wasn't giving up the goods. He/she loves mom more than dad. As I didn't want to find out, and he did. Ha ha Eddie, ha ha.

For those who can't tell - because ultrasounds are SUCH great imagery - head on right, forearm/fist middle, and a knee/leg on the left. And really, I won't be offended if you just pretend to see something. Its ok.

And now, back to my blanket, and my kitchen. Because cooking makes the house warmer for a bit. And really helps with that "The cold makes me hungry" problem I seem to be having....

Towels

noreply@blogger.com (~*Sarah*~) — Mon, 11 May 2009 16:43:00 +0000

Hello again! Hope everyone had a lovely Mother's Day! Ours was pretty basic - alarm didn't go off, woke up 10 minutes before we should have been leaving for church, decided to spend the morning knitting the last bit of my swallowtail shawl instead. Not to shabby! The shawl is currently soaking:

I know, it doesn't LOOK like much now, but wait until its blocked out. Which I'm waiting for too. Because, honestly, I'm not sure how I'm going to block it yet. I'll probably have to pin it to the bed and hope it dries by the time we want to go to bed? Let's hope.

In other - less impressive - finished projects news...I made hand towels. They're pretty lame, but they were a first attempt. Quite honestly ANYTHING was better than the disgusting looking hand towels we've been using. Do you have those? The ones that have been used to sop up spilled coffee/soda, or used as emergency potholders, and as a result LOOK filthy, even when they've just come out of the dryer? We have a PILE of those. I blame Eddie, which is ok, because its true. :)

So anyway, after months of having one or two "ok to be used when we have company over" towels, and a STASH of "please don't make me hand this towel to one of our friends..." towels, I decided to just make some. (this may also have something to do with me being cheap. frugal. whathaveyou.)

So I grabbed a yard of terrycloth from hobby lobby, and made some binding out of the leftovers from the 'vintage sheet turned curtains'. They're wonky and uneven, and cheap thin terrycloth, but they DRY HANDS! So color me happy and call it a day!

I can never seem to just take pictures...

You would have thought he was stealing home plate the way he dove into the shot.

He is awfully cute though.

Yup. That's an amish carriage on our towel holder. It came with the house. And even if I WANTED to get rid of it, that sucker is some sort of uber-super-duper glued on. Sorry for the crummy pictures, it was a very gray day with my sad point&shoot camera. What can I say?

Oh, and for the record, I think the terry was 6.99, and the binding was free. I got 6 towels out of it. Provided, I could probably go to that evil store that rhymes with fallmart and buy some, but this was more fun. And I won't shop at fallmart. That too.

In other news, I will be making an attempt to blog more often. (MUCH...more often) I figured out my problem. People had been telling me they saw/read my blog. People I KNEW. People in real life. Scared the crap outta me. If people read it, they could possibly not like it. Which is stupid logic, because....I don't care. :) I didn't start a blog to be GOOD at it. I just started it for the heck of it. But then I felt all kinds of pressure knowing people were actually going to read it. Like every time I sat down to blog, I felt like people were staring at me. Like one of those dreams where you're in your underwear. I've never had one of those, thank god. Oy. So, I shook it off, realized if they don't like it, I'll live. And now you'll all be subjected to more of my mindless drivel. Lucky you!

Oh! The sheet turned curtains...

I cut it in half horizontally, and then cut each of those 2 pieces in half vertically. Since they had the larger 'hems' at the top and bottom as sheets tend to do, I just had to stitch rip each side partway open to hem the sides, then re-sew the seam, and they were the right size for putting the curtain rod through.

The chair is just my FAVORITE purchase as of late. It was $10 at the salvation army and I love everything about it. (especially the $10 part..)

Indecisive

noreply@blogger.com (~*Sarah*~) — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 19:14:00 +0000

FYI, I'm messing with blog colors. Having a heck of a time, so I've changed it about 6 times in the last 24 hours. I have things working against me...I don't like change in the sense that I'm so USED to the old, that the new looks 'weird' no matter what I do. And I'm TERRIBLY indecisive. So if the blog looks a little ADD the next few days, you'll know why!

Why my craft room is always a mess...

noreply@blogger.com (~*Sarah*~) — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 16:45:00 +0000

**disclaimer: Martha Stewart's of the world - now might be a good time to go scrub the underside of your couch, shine the grooves in your car keys, re-write your to-do list because the first was sloppy... Just walk away now.**

**second disclaimer - Ok, I've been guilty of the re-writing the list one. so what.**

The rest of you, pinkie swear you'll still be my friend after this.

This is what I should be doing:

That's the result of Round 1 of cleaning my craft/junk/crap room. I did the keep, toss, donate, sell baskets and got quite a bit of progress made. Still A LOT left to do, slowly but surely, I'll get through it all. The above is *mostly* the keep pile, and *mostly* things that have no business in this particular room. They have a way of finding a home on my desk. Not sure how that happens. ::coughcougheddiecoughcough:: So today's task is putting all of these things in their respective homes. I was disciplined, I was committed, I was focused.

But....then I found some paper. A little pile of scrap paper. Paper left over from something else. Paper that just HAPPENED to look fantastic paired together. Ah crap, now she's done it. She's distracted....

Ta-daaa!

Dear card,

you're so freakin' (awesome)

Love, Sarah

Yeah, I know, parenthesis around a random word - not correct punctuation. Its ok. At least I don't type my whole blog in rndm txt spk. w/ rndm lttrs missing and then inexplicably adding on extrass. Whyy do kidss do thatt noww? I know we did useless and stupid things too. Oh did we ever... Oh right! Card...

For the record, this is the FASTEST I've ever made a card. Really. Because I didn't let myself fiddle with it. I decided I had to sit down and just DO it. If I hated it, too bad! Just had to get done. And it worked. Go figure. I think it took me 20 minutes, and that included answering 20 questions for Zach, and digging through all of my things to find stamps/buttons/thread. (the downside of cleaning, now I can't find anything)

It made me contemplate doing a 'thing a day' challenge on my own. I'm thinking I just might.

Side note, I obviously resolved my broken camera issue. ...kiiiinda. Its still broken, at the shop actually. But its going to run $150 to get the sucker fixed. ::wince:: Not outrageous, but considering I'm saving up for a Nikon D40 (hello lover!) ...most likely used. I didn't want to invest quite that much in the old one. So I got a cheaper point and shoot for the time being. I don't love it. But...it takes pictures, and will come in handy someday when I get the new one as "Eddie's camera". God bless the boy, he CANNOT take pictures. No really, he can't.

Its alright, I can't throw a ball to save my life. So we're even.

Alright back to cleaning this mess. Focus...

Actual Conversation Earlier Today...

noreply@blogger.com (~*Sarah*~) — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 18:46:00 +0000

Tell me if I'm crazy...

My lovely cousin, Nicole, is getting married in August. She has asked me to be in the wedding (what can I say, my family makes foolish choices...) I am - of course - delighted and honored and plus, just super excited to have an occasion to wear something besides jeans. woot!

So last week, she and I and her mother went to look at bridesmaids dresses. The other girls live out of town, or were working so it was just me. Plus, I'm the hardest to dress, so it made sense to start with me. You know how something can look cute on a hanger or the 80lb silhouette of a mannequin ...but not on YOU?

That's my life. I'm too short, and weirdly proportioned, especially in dresses. But we did find some we really liked. We actually found one we loved - strapless, and more fitted through the bottom. Most of the rest were a-line and flared out - which isn't bad, but we were diggin' the straighter fit. There was also the issue of the v-neck, we liked the v-neck. We especially liked the "no strapless bra required" benefit of the v-neck. If only we could find both in one dress....

Oh...but we may have! So my cousin sends me a link this morning, v-neck, trimmer through the hip/thigh, and chocolate-y brown. Potentially ***IT***. Now, to see how it looks on!

She'd found it online, and I said I'd call the store and see if its available in store. I could possibly run down and try it on tonite. Fannnntastic!

So...I call store, conversation as follows:

*ring ring* (that's my best phone sound effect...)

"Dillard's something-something-sales-pitch-related-to-spring-if-I-didn't-say-it-so-fast-maybe-you'd-understand-it, how can I direct your call?"

me: I'd found a dress on your website, and was wondering if there's a way to see if you carry it in the store?

"I'll transfer you back to dresses"

*ring ring*

"dresses" (with all the enthusiasm as if she'd said "salamanders" or "liver sandwiches")

me: yeah, I'm looking at a dress on your website, and was wondering if there was anyway to find out if you carry it in the store?

"...no"

at this point I stammered and stuttered, because I couldn't believe this was her answer?

uh, I...uhm...well...

"well we don't have everything that's on the website"

~~No DOY genius, that's why I'm calling to find out.~~ I refrained.

me: well, I was just wondering if you had a way to look it up?

::pause::

"well, if you tell me what it looks like, I can go look and see if we have something like that"

---at this point I was just making exaggerated "oh my word you're an IDIOT" faces into the phone, because I can't bring myself to be rude...even if warranted. Bad customer service is a BIT of a pet-peeve of the husband's, and I think its starting to wear off on me...

me: ok well, it says 'Betsy & Adam sleeveless satin dress' and its...a v-neck, knee length, dark chocolate-y brown...

::pause::

"is there like a description? because you're not giving me very much to work with.."

right here is where I lost my 'polite' mode and started my
'OH YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME..."rant as I hung up. There was more, but I think I'd hung up before she heard the lesser desirable parts, which were pretty tame, but still....

Now, aside from giving her the brand name, material, and what *I* would consider a decent general description for AT LEAST a visual scan of the room, I'm not sure what else she wanted. Sassy? Breathable? Perfect for a night out on the town? I'm not an ad agency, I don't write the stuff, I just want you to tell me if you have a dress that looks SIMILAR to what I've told you.

here's the picture in case I've presented you with a visualization challenge.

I'm sure you were envisioning something ENTIRELY different, right?

Needless to say, I'll be heading to Dillard's later this evening to look for myself. Fingers crossed.

Back to it

noreply@blogger.com (~*Sarah*~) — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 16:55:00 +0000

So in the midst of our chaos, the holidays (we were both working like crazy) and the energy/motivation zapping effects of 40*below weather....I have actually been making a few things.

..though I'm telling you, that weather...is murder. I lose all ambition to do anything important after 4pm. April can't come fast enough, and that darn groundhog and I are gonna have words.

I've been searching for something to put up on our walls. And at the same time, I've had these canvases sitting on my shelf for probably a year now. Yeah, a year. What can I say, painting scares me. Notice I didn't really PAINT anything, aside from letters.

I wish I could paint. I'd still like to try, but at this point, I'm better at sticking things to other things...like above.

This fish was actually part of some dangly bit of nonsense on a pair of shorts I bought last summer. Ya know those things that don't make any sense, but they put on to look like some sort of accessory? (which means, yes, I save random tags if they're heavy, bits of cording, and charms/bits that are attached to clothes when you buy them.)

It took me 3 tries to get that yellow right. And I still can't get a picture that shows the true color. The yellow is brighter, and the blue isn't so blue. A bit more sea green. I would try to take a second set of pictures, but my camera is now broken. Mhmm....yeah. Not real happy about that.

But I am pretty happy about this. Even though I hated it all of yesterday afternoon after I'd finished it. Its not quite what I had envisioned when I started, and I'm not liking the brackets after all, and I'm pretty disgusted with my 'handwriting' after the first line. BUT...I still like it, go figure. Because its done. Because it has a some of my favorite fabric leftovers that got some use. Because of the little fish. and because I think this might be one of my favorite quotes ever.

and also because...I finally have something to put up on my wall. That's a bonus.

Hope its warm where you are! And just to be clear, anything over 35 counts as "warm" to me at this point! ;)

I'm back..

noreply@blogger.com (~*Sarah*~) — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 15:38:00 +0000

Ok so I've been thinking about this blog post for a good week, not really sure how much to put here, so we'll just start and see where it leads us. Let's throw in a little TMI warning for good measure.

The impromptu blog disappearance was because I was pregnant, and after a year and a half of trying, with a round of Clomid thrown in, I was apprehensive at best. I didn't want to blast it all over blog-land, but ya know how you spend 24/7 THINKING about it. It was hard to post without it working into play somehow, and combined with the fact that I just had a *feeling* that something was off.

So the first week of January we found out I was right, that I'd miscarried weeks before. Which in my gut, I knew, but that was not a fun experience. Then the fun really started....the next day I had a d&c because my body wasn't registering to do it on its own (what can I say, I'm stubborn to my core..) A week later we were back in the ER with me in pain that about sent me to the floor. I was admitted overnight, and given a drug to expel anything the d&c must have missed. The next day, I felt TERRIBLE. Just absolutely exhausted...to the point I planned my trips up the stairs. I just didn't feel 'right' so I called my dr the next day and went in only to find out I needed a SECOND d&c. (for those of you wondering, yes that's very rare to need THREE different attempts at this deal...go me!)

Luckily, after that I started feeling better. Which was good, because I was about one more needle stick away from losing my mind. Speaking of needle sticks, after 3 separate IV's, and 4+ blood draws, I can say there is a WIDE range of talent in the nursing/phlebotomist field. There are a few I'd like to award with a medal of expertise and skill...and a few others who should be forced to practice on themselves for a few more years. Srsly.

So...end result. I'm feeling better. Beyond that, I'm not sure yet. But I'm back to my blog, and even got back to some crafty-ness the last few days. So let's move onto the fun things shall we?

Sick of This Cold...

noreply@blogger.com (~*Sarah*~) — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 18:59:00 +0000

Title references both the weather (51 yesterday....34 today) and the viral version in my head. While I think a walk would benefit the head cold...the outside cold prevents me from doing so. (not so much ME, but the 4 year old I'd have to bundle beyond mobility...)

So here I sit, stuffy and coughing. Waiting for this thing to run its course. Since I'm not getting much accomplished today - though I did cut out some felt for ornaments - I thought I'd post a few pictures of the latest works:

Hand spun from the previous post.

MMMMmmmmmmmerino. How I love thee.

And new bags..."Kelsey"

"Mariah"

"Celeste"

And now, back to an action packed afternoon of cutting felt shapes on the couch with an enormous glass of water and 100 kleenex.

Don't forget, giveaway entries until Sunday, I'll draw a winner bright'n'early Monday morning!

Ok, ok...mid-morning. :)

What? You mean you're NOT mindreaders?

noreply@blogger.com (~*Sarah*~) — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 16:17:00 +0000

Well, dear friends....I was just re-reading my previous blog posts, and just felt that SOMETHING was missing. That certain something, that extra touch, that....uh....date of the blog give-away drawing!!! DUH Sarah!

So, for all of my non-clairvoyant readers....Sunday, November 23rd. Midnite Illinois time. (and if you sneak a comment in at 1:00am, I won't tell.)

Just thought that bit of information MIGHT be relevant. ;)

Why it takes me an hour to make one card...

noreply@blogger.com (~*Sarah*~) — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 18:03:00 +0000

Alternate title: Crafter OCD

I'm in lockdown mode, trying to get things made for a craftshow I'm doing on the 23rd. I haven't done a craft show in almost two years and I'm in a slight panic. The whole "how much do I need to bring?"

"what if its too much?"

"what if its not enough?"

and of course "what if I don't sell one stinking thing..."

I'll be glad for the 24th to come. ...hopefully with a few dollars in my pocket. We'll see.

So my goal is to make an item or two each day ...to avoid the ever famous 'up till 2am trying to crank out anything and everything'. Its not good. Its not fun. There's not enough coffee the next morning to compensate.

So, this morning I sat down to make a card. Over an hour later (shut up...I know) this is what I have:

Ok, NOW....the issue of the yellow flower. Do I need it? Should I leave it off? Or should I put it here?

or here....

or maybe here....

what about here....

or....leave it the heck alone, set it in the done pile, and call it a day. For the record, I will be mulling this over while I'm at work tonite. It will bother me until I come to a decision. (and for the heck of it, tell me if you have a preference, because at this point, I've looked at it too long and can't 'see' it anymore, thus why I'm setting it aside for now)

In more constructive efforts, we have:

Another card (not thrilled with it either...too much white on the front...not sure what to do about that)

Quilt top, while not my style, I am awfully darn happy with how it turned out. It measures about 30"x40"...now to quilt the darn thing.

This one is still drying, so I haven't done a WPI count or official yardage, but its around 190 I'm guessing after its bath. The colors are SOOO pretty if I do say so myself (and nicer IRL of course) Its 100% merino, which pretty much makes me want to eat it for lunch.

Still a WIP -

Eddie's fingerless gloves/foldover mittens. Yeah, not for the craft show. But of utmost importance since its been a tad chilly in the mornings when he's doing his papers. I think he'd rather not wait until the end of november for these suckers.

And my latest 'only a crafter would understand' project:

A hundred and fifty-some yards of laceweight shetland wool. There are 3 more balls to be skeined/washed/dried, so I'm thinking I'll have about 600ish yards of this when I'm done.

Oh, where'd it come from? Here...

For those of you who aren't following....I bought the vest for $2 at the salvation army, cut the top off above the armpits (as I was taking it apart I realized the armholes are cut and sewn, which makes the top useless for unraveling, but still good for felting) and unravelled the bottom half.

Why do that? Well...because I wanted to? I wish I had a more logical answer than that, but that's all I've got. What can I say? :)

Andd Zach's 'new' rainboots. Which he loves. And wears constantly. Works for me.

(the fabric beside him is paired up for new cosmetic bags...I'm almost positive anyway)

Has anyone seen October?

noreply@blogger.com (~*Sarah*~) — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 14:27:00 +0000

I swear I'd just set it down here on my desk, went into the other room, and now its gone.

So in the spirit of NoBloPoMo (national blog posting month) I'm trying to post twice a week all November. I know, its supposed to be EVERY day of November, but I was already out of the game when I thought of it on Sunday and realized it was already the 2nd. oops.

BUT...we're aiming to get back on track! I miss my blog. And all the people that go with it.

First up - THE GIVEAWAY! Uh...I'm extending that ;) If you posted on the last post, you're still entered :) There are 2 'prizes'. They may or may not contain bits of fabric, yarn, buttons, paper items, and any other trinkets I feel so inclined to throw in. Heck at this point they may very well be stuffed with leftover halloween candy!! (We limit the boy to one piece a day....we do not hold ourselves to that same standard. You'll see me at the gym much more frequently the next few weeks...that's all I have to say)

You know the drill, enter in the comments section, be sure I have a way to get a hold of you. Wrangle one of your friends to leave a comment and you'll get entered twice.

And now a few quick things we overlooked at our last meeting:

Hat Attack II -

For you non-knitting nerds who have things like "a social life" (pshh! whatever..) Hat Attack is a kill or be killed, last man standing, death match....with yarn. Ok so that was anti-climactic. At any rate, the idea is the pattern is released, and you have to knit and send off a hat to your 'target' before you get a finished hat in the mail. Once you get a finished hat, you're dead. Warm and cozy, perhaps, but dead none-the-less. The idea being to knit like you've had 3 pots of coffee, and send off finished hats in rapid succession to beat out the other players.

Well....I hated the pattern. And to no fault of the pattern writer, she did great. Its just not my kind of pattern. So while I knit at a good pace, I wasn't at any risk of a speed related injury. And I was thrilled to be killed with an AMAZING hat. Its plenty big enough (I'm a bit obsessive about hats that actually function as hats, not cute little tams that sit atop your skull.) its in the perfect colors (gray and white) AND...its knit from hand spun yarn, ...from her own sheep.

Folks, we have a winner! I. love. it. Could not be more thrilled! (Ignore the fact that I don't look 'thrilled' so much as 'washed out and exhausted' ....I was trying to do this first thing after I woke up before Zach got up. I know, not my best look.)

I admit, I was a little nervous as to what I'd get back, but decided the fun was worth the possibility of an ugly, small hat. There was a suggested yarn, which a few days into the game, was getting less than rave reviews, and I wasn't looking forward to getting a raspberry and citron hat... I may have even danced a little when I opened the envelope. Maybe.

Now the delightful part....I can't find the card she sent with the hat that lists her website. ...but I will!! And I'll post it here. I have a feeling a certain 4 year old made off with it to put in his Lightning McQueen wallet....

But its awesome, I love it, and its already been worn a few times.

Oh, and just for kicks, here's part of the hat I sent on:

I did get farther than that, but not by much.

And another 'better late than never' - my "new" (coughcoughbackinaugustcoughcough) pendant from homestudio
Eddie got it for me for my birthday. ...sort of. I gave him a list of about 10, he picked one, and then in classic Sarah style, I decided I liked a different one BETTER and changed the order. heh. I was pretty bummed, they used to have a great buy 2/get 1 free, buy 4/get 2 free....deal, that we missed by about 2 days. BUT...I still love my pendant.

I tried to get a picture of me wearing it -

mmmnope.

well, sort of...

when all else fails, put it on the floor and snap a picture!

And in other news, its supposed to be SEVENTY-FOUR today. (yes, Illinois, November, after we've already had a frost, and snow flurries...) so I'm getting ready to WALK up to my polling place and get my vote on. ...I'm also taking a 4 year old with me....let's hope this goes quickly!

100 ways to say you care...

noreply@blogger.com (~*Sarah*~) — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 13:38:00 +0000

or...hey, I've done this blogging thing 100 times now. No. NOW. As in this very post. Can you feel the excitement?? ...ok, maybe that's just the second cup of coffee going down too fast.

Alright ladies and gents, its 8:40am in the grand ole land of Lincoln. I've got a 4 year old's birthday party at 4:00, 2 toilets to clean, 2 cakes to frost (don't ask, I'll explain below), 2 beds to make, and 2 people to get cleaned up and make presentable. (Eddie's on his own.) Plus all that last minute cleaning you do when people are coming over, that in the end is never noticed. ...like I spent 15 minutes on Thursday scrubbing the textured areas of the fridge & dishwasher?

Because that desperately needed to be done? I guess. But hey, its done and it looks good. No one will notice but me, but man am I impressed!

*side note: if you haven't yet purchased your own set of microfiber cleaning cloths, minimize this window and go grab a pack. Its cool, I'll wait. They're awesome, I cleaned my house with one Thursday. Use 'em dry for dusting, use it DAMP for glass/sinks/stove/everything else that can't run away.

So before I start the flurry of neurotic cleaning and errand running, let's do a quick catch up on the blog, shall we? There's a lot to pack in to #100.

First, part of my absence has been due to opening a new esty shop: http://www.helenasophia.etsy.com/

I've been wanting to 're-vamp' my store and my...efforts, in a sense. I finally got some new inspiration for new things, ideas for new 'old' things, and a new shop name! Helena & Sophia are both family names (my great-grandmothers? i think...) I heard them on our trip out East, and they stuck with me until I decided they were the new shop name.

The newest addition to the shop are cosmetic bags and flannel wipers. With more to come in the next couple of weeks! I've already got 2 custom orders in the works, with pictures to follow soon.

Also, way back when I was 25, Marianna tagged me for a brillante award:

Sorry Marianna! I didn't mean to take so long to get to this, but THANK YOU! Part of the delay is picking my 7 to tag. But here goes!

Crazy Mom Quilts - that she does! She's got some great tutorials for your Christmas gift giving, as well as some awesome quilts, so grab a pile of fabric and get going!

Its a Colourful World - Sandy's blog. For one, her cards are amazing. More importantly, she's a major part of Cardsforheroes.org. They send blank greeting cards to soldiers overseas (because, to the best of my knowledge, there is no hallmark store in Iraq...) as well as letters and cards to the soldiers themselves. If you'd like to donate cards, mail to a soldier, or sponsor a shipment, you can find all the information in that link. And check out Sandy's blog for ideas.

Crafty Daisies - lots and lots and lots of great ideas. As an added bonus, they're doing a 'book club' where a group reviews a crafting book, each choosing a different project out of said book. So you get the opinions of a group, and see the finished projects, which I always enjoy because sometimes people go in a direction I wouldn't have thought of on my own.

Sweet Jessie - Because of her I've got a date with a few blank tshirts later this week. A project I've been putting off for over a year for fear I'll ruin it. We'll see.

Feeling Stitchy - I just spend way too much time browsing. Great time sucker, but well worth it.

Primrose Design - Once you spend an afternoon at feeling stitchy, and decide you're going to make something *now* ...pull this one up. She's got a great set of 'stitch school' posts that go over a myriad of stitches with great instructions and pictures. Way better than those black and white diagrams that do nothing but confuse you.

This Vintage Chica - I just love her blog, and I can't quite articulate why. Its a mix of everything, and it all just seems very natural.

So...what else? Oh RIGHT. The blog give-away. (you knew it was coming...)

Here's the tricky part...my camera batteries are dead. (yes, batteries, plural. I let two batteries totally drain. Yes, the idea of having TWO is so you always have a charged reserve, I'm aware.) So you'll have to take my word on this. ;) There will be a drawing for TWO winners. Why two? Because its my blog and I said so. ...I really have no reason, just decided on two.

Leave a comment here. Making sure of course that you leave me SOME sort of contact info. I can't send imaginary packages to imaginary people :) I'll draw names on Sunday, October 26th.

So what's the prize? ...I'm not tellin! I will be posting some photographic hints in the coming days though, so stay tuned!

Oh, and the two cakes? Because at 8:30 last night, as I was mixing cake batter, and went to reach for my 9x13 pans - planning to make two cakes, a half sheet when paired together....I was suddenly aware of the fact that my husband - the ever generous soul - has given away all of my 9x13 pans. ah. right. forgot. (ya know, friend has a baby, you send over a lasagna....only when I do it, I send it in foil. They don't have to do dishes and we don't have to track pyrex?) Bless his soul, he loaned them out. ...a long time ago.

But...I do have ONE left. The same one that was soaking a batch of roving to be dyed for an order. huh. So I made them both in 8" round pans, and now I have two double layer cakes to frost. The best part? I work in a bakery. With cake. That I could have just brought home and been done with it. ...lesson learned.

Voila! A Cosmetic Bag

noreply@blogger.com (~*Sarah*~) — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 20:03:00 +0000

You know the feeling you get when you finish a project you've been lusting after for a long time and it actually came out the way you envisioned? How instead of swearing and lighting a pile of fabric and notions on fire, you actually want to jump up and down and show your 4 year old?

...he was the only other one home at the time...

Backstory: I've been wanting a new 'cosmetic bag' for a while. I've had my current one for probably 5 years and never did like it. While we were on vacation, I looked. Found some I liked, but weren't quite right. Looked once we got home. ...found cheap vinyl ugly ones. Not exactly what I had in mind. Even looked online. Found some REALLY cute ones on etsy. Almost bought. Still not quite right though. (what can I say, my mind's eye is 1. stubborn and 2. picky. Once its there, I can't change it)

I wanted BIG, and box shaped, and colorful and quirky without being obnoxious. So....out of half irritation I typed "cosmetic bag tutorial" into Google. (and this is why I love Google) I found these tutorials: crafster tutorial (this one also links to a more rounded shape bag if that's more to your liking) and three bears tutorial (which is the name of her blog, it is not - in fact - a tutorial for making three bears. fear not.)

I used the second one. The first is next on my list, but....ok the second one looked easier. =P

So now let's walk through the process together before you start your own! I won't get super technical here since you can just refer to the link. Plus....its not that tricky. :) I only made a few small mods - the size of my fabric, used a lining and interfacing, and made tabs on either side of the zipper.

And before we go on, I should point out that I'm a sloppy sewer and this was thrown together as a 'practice' bag. Sewing is not my strength, and I'm envious of those who have pristine corners and tidy edges and everything intersects just so. If you're accustomed to such results, you may want to take a few deep breaths before continuing on to the picture portion of our post. Thank you.

I cut my fabrics to 8"x7" (red outer fabric, medium weight interfacing, blue lining) I also took a scrap of the blue and cut it to 2" wide, fold it in half lengthwise - right sides together - sew a seam, turn it right side out, press it flat, cut in half, and then fold each piece in half to make a tab. I'll show you where that goes in later.

Now for you inexperienced sewers, this is your machine's zipper foot. Now, just to make you all feel better, let's just assume you've never sewed in a zipper before, and had read about said zipper foot...but had no earthly clue what one looked like. You find this crazy contraption in that little bag of odds and ends that came with your machine 5 years ago that you've never used. You could very well use Google to figure out that this is your zipper foot. ...If you needed to. I sure didn't! *hem*

So now you've found your zipper foot, and even got the dang thing on the machine (It kind of goes on off to the side....for you newbies who spent a good 2 minutes trying to figure out why the blasted thing wouldn't go on) Now time to sew the zipper to your fabric. Sandwich your fabrics, (all right sides facing out) and position your zipper and your outer fabric right sides to each other. Sew along the top edge, as close to the zipper as you can (this is easier to explain with the picture of this step that I didn't take...)

Open it up, press it flat and it should look like this... (red outer fabric, zipper, my pant leg)

Ok, now basically do the same again. Make your sandwich, right side of outer fabric facing your zipper. Kinda like...this:

That doesn't help? How bout this one:

See how those top edges line up? Sew those suckers together.

At this point you MAY have to stop to replace your needle. I won't...explain why. Just...if it looks like this...go ahead and change it. It will make the rest of the project much easier.

Ok, once that's done, sew that seam and open and press it flat. Now you have a zipper smack dab in the middle of your fabrics. Great, now what?

Glad you asked! Fold that sucker right sides together again, doing your best to make sure the bottom edges line up. I'm not saying they WILL...but...give it a shot. Now sew a seam there. And if you're like me, your fabrics don't totally measure up (because you didn't cut them 100% accurately in the first place, you lazy slob.) So...for good measure you MAY want to sew that second seam a bit higher up because you noticed not all the blue got caught in the first one.

Ok great! Now...take your bottom seam, and your top/zipper and line them up over each other. Smash it all down flat. ...You could use your iron if you so wish. This is where those tabs will come in. (this is where I had to stop for 5 minutes and figure out how they'd go in. I sometimes get tripped up by common sense...)

You'll want to put them in so the folded edge is inside and the raw edges are poking out. Make sure they're centered, and then sew that open edge shut. If you're paranoid (like me) go back and forth over the zipper and extra time or two. Repeat for the other side.

If you were to turn it right side out, this is what it would look like. You don't need to...unless you want to check your outer seams again to make sure all layers got caught. I did, mine were fine. *phew*

Inside out again....Pinch your corners, pin them, draw a line, and sew. (the more you cut off, the taller your bag will be, the less you cut off, the more 'boxy' it will be. I cut off about an inch and a half.)

All stitched up...

Now cut 'em off! ...Just pretend that raw edge is the telltale 'V' pattern left from pinking shears. I know I should have them, but I don't. I always think "I should pick up a pair" then I stand in front of them at the store, staring at the price and thinking "I should go into the pinking shear business" Its not that they're OUTRAGEOUS. But I have a limited craft budget. (because of stupid things like groceries, and car insurance...pfft.) So when it comes to pinking shears, or more fabric...well, you can guess where my loyalty lies.

So anyway, corners be gone!

Then just trim any extra zipper ends, loose threads, and the like. Now turn that puppy right side out and admire your handiwork!

About this time you'll realize that you forgot to go back and topstitch along the zipper edges. You should technically do that after attaching both sides, and before sewing the bottom seam shut. ...for the record. But you're lazy and don't care that much. You'll keep a mental note for next time though.

You just made your new cosmetic bag, neato huh?

For the record, the measurements above give you a bag that's about 4"wide, 5" long and 2 1/2" tall.

Now, you may be slightly disappointed as you want a bag about twice that size. But you're so smitten with your new creation that you don't much CARE. (I knew rough dimensions going into it, I'll have to tinker with making the larger one)

Because even for its lack of girth, you can fit all of this into it:

And that suits you just fine. (and now you all know my dirty secret. I buy generic makeup from Walgreens....ok its not much of a dirty secret, but its all I've got.)

And there ya go! Pack it full and enjoy it each morning! And if you really do want to make one, ignore my insane directions and go for the clear instructions in that link ;)

There is a way to do this where the lining is sewn separately, then turned in, hiding all the raw seams. But this was practice, and I just wanted to get it done and get an idea of the results, so I didn't worry about it. I would like to make one larger, and I may use that technique.

This was really easy, I bet it took me...an hour? If that, and that included walking back to double check the steps, and tinkering with tabs...and bent needles. You could easily whip up a few in an afternoon out of leftover scraps or a few fat quarters. I think they'd make great gifts - filled with bath goodies, candies, or lotions. For toting matchbox cars or polly pocket/barbie odds and ends. So go ahead and make 10 of them. And then send me a link when you do!

Wonderful

noreply@blogger.com (~*Sarah*~) — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 20:03:00 +0000

Our trip...was fantastic.

Mind you, the reason for it is not what I would have chosen.... And it did rain darn near the entire trip. But we had the BEST time.

Our travel went about as well as we could have hoped for. We did have one quicker than expected layover in Chicago on the way out. We had *planned* to get to the gate, grab a quick lunch and breathe before our next flight.

Nope.

By the time we got off the first flight, across the entire stinkin' airport, and to our gate, they were already pre-boarding. So we did a quick tag team bathroom break while the other stood in line, grabbed some sugar (coke for me, skittles for the boy) and got right back on another plane.

Our only other glitch was we'd PROMISED Zach a hot dog on the ferry boat ride. (Martha's Vineyard is an island, and so you have to take a 45 minute ferry boat to get there) All afternoon "If you're really good, we'll get you your own hot dog on the ferry boat" And good he was!

We got on the boat, and headed off in search of the food counter. Finding none. Ok, wait....its not THAT long since I've been out, I KNOW they serve food on the ferry. Know this. Positive. And you can't exactly get lost on a boat, so after a couple trips up one set of stairs and down another, I realized something was up. And after checking with one of the steamship authority workers, who confirmed that there were only vending machines on that vessel....I realized we were on the freight ferry. Ah.

The good news is we were on a ferry, as our main concern was missing the last boat of the evening. The bad news, we were not on either of the regular boats, that serve food....to worn out, hungry little boys who've had nothing but orange juice, half an egg, skittles, and a quaker granola bar ALL. DAY. (read: sugar.)

The good news was that same steamship authority worker was kind enough to snag a few individual boxes of cereal for Zach to choose from. Frosted mini wheats were much more appetizing than vending machine fare. In spite of that, the poor boy was in tears 10 minutes later. Frosted mini wheats only go so far when you've been promised a hot dog all day, and you've been traveling for 10 hours, and the boats horn scared the daylights out of you, and you're plain wiped out and excited to get to Nana's already!

(we'll leave out the part where the 5 minute trip to Nana's took me 45 minutes because I drove us up island before calling my dad - who was still in California - for directions. In my defense, there was a miscommunication in directions.)

The end result, we got to Nana's! (with turkey sandwiches waiting, which were much appreciated by all 3 of us)

Thursday was collecting Papou and Yaya from the boat, and welcoming the rest of the family members coming in town - some of which I haven't seen since I was....10 or 12? Friday was the service, and it was wonderful. Quite a few people spoke and shared stories, his granddaughter sang...and oh my word...she sang beautifully. That night we had dinner at my cousin's house (her home is beautiful. I finally figured out what struck me most about it, was that it was only built a few years ago, but it doesn't scream "new construction". Its placement on the lot, the colors and flow, all seem so natural that it feels like a house that's been there for 80 years)

Zach got to play with my cousins boys - who are 10 and 12 and could have easily decided they were too cool to hang around with a 4 year old - and they were so great with him. He had a blast and I was so impressed with how obliging they were with him.

Saturday we spent most of the day in Oak Bluffs. It was Tivoli Day (unbeknownst to us) and so we walked the streets where all the vendors had set up shop, did some shopping, ate lunch down by the boats, and Zach and Eddie stopped for ice cream.

Saturday night we went to my aunt & uncle's for dinner. My dad's cousins made a spaghetti dinner you'd have to see to appreciate. The best part was they made my Uncle Theo's sauce. Uncle Theo was really my dad's uncle, and he passed away a few years ago. The last time I had Uncle Theo's sauce, Uncle Theo was the one who made it. It was probably....10 years ago. But it was in the same house, and I can still remember him sitting at the counter with a bowl of little chili peppers (he made a regular sauce, and a SPICY sauce). It was just kind of neat to have his kids making 'his' sauce years later, in the same house I last had it.

Sunday...we had leftover spaghetti :)

I also made a stop at Island Alpaca. Its just down the street from where were stayed, so I pretty much stalked the place until I finally got a chance to stop. Its a really neat place. You park your car, and then walk past the pasture to the barn/store. As you go there are signs with information along the way. Then through the barn, and into the store. The store is really amazing because its not just yarn for sale. (Mind you, there IS yarn for sale!!) But there are also hand knits using the alpaca yarn (knit by locals), wraps, socks, the SOFTEST "stuffed animals", throws, slippers...it goes on.

I picked up a pound of the most amazing roving. Its a beautiful silver-gray, with some darker variations in it. I can't wait until its all spun. (which...shouldn't be long. this stuff is so amazing I think I'd rather spin than sleep.)

I also got a couple handkerchiefs, and a neat vintage camera, and my new favorite refrigerator magnet. Plus, the obligatory "Martha's vineyard" sweatshirt and coffee cup. (I'm a sucker for both, what can I say)

Best of all, we got to spend an amazing time with family. (with the food being a close second...holy cow was it good) It was great to get back and see everyone, and catch up, and just spend time. I love it there, and I'd move in a heartbeat if I could. Don't get me wrong, I love it here too. But the ocean, and the landscape, and the pine trees, and the COLORS. Being there makes me feel like I could sit on the ground and be content to never get up. One of my biggest regrets is I didn't get more pictures.

I also missed going to the Kara Taylor Gallery, which I'm kicking myself over. It was one of the first things I wanted to do, and it got lost in the shuffle the first couple days and then didn't work out. I love what she does and wanted to see the newer stuff. ...next time.

At any rate, it was a great trip, we were sad to leave - its not every day Papou & Yaya are across the hall when you get up.

But, we made it back home safely. ...minus one debit card. Eddie left his in Fairhaven, MA. This was not 3 hours after he 'lost' his wallet (in the car) So Monday was not the day to leave Eddie in charge of things like boarding passes. ;) Luckily, we had mine, and they expired this month anyway, our new ones came in the mail while we were gone.

So....back to laundry, and work, and driving along The Big Muddy Mississippi instead of The Atlantic. C'est la vie. :)