04.17.09
I wish I could blog more…
I haven’t been for a few reasons. The first and most over-riding reason is that the whole focus of the blog will change in a month or two to the renovation of my grandfathers home, which my husband and I have been given. The other more demanding reason is my 2 and 4 year olds. They really can’t stand it when I am online or on the phone. As anyone who talks to me on the phone can attest to. The first 10 or so min. are usually okay (on a good day, if you happen to be the first call of the day). After that, all bets are off, my kids will do just about anything to get my attention back. Frankly, if these two ever have to go to daycare, I really feel sorry for the provider, because they are used to me answering them almost immediately at any time day or night.
I have so many things I want to write about but I thought I would share my train of thought, so that you can be part of my world for just a few minutes (lucky you, right?).
So, as I sit, I begin to think about what I want to share the most, I have been so sick, “Mikayla, get out of there!” where was I? Oh yes, so sick that I could barely get out of bed for about 5 weeks, I have morning sickness, which I think would better named “pregnancy sickness” since it happens “Miranda! Get out of the cat litter!!!” Crap, have to go wash her hands….Sigh. Morning sickness, it happens all the time, in fact for me, I couldn’t move after about 4PM. A little over a week ago, I visited the Dr. who told me that I should try vit. B6 both morning and evening and a half tab of Unisom at night. Overnight I felt better. (what is wrong, it is too quiet….go into stealth mommy mode to find quiet children, find this in the bedroom…)
Okay, got the cat de-extentioned. Got a snack for kids, that might buy me a min or two. Nope, forgot water. Now? We’ll see.
We had a really nice Easter, I sang in the choir, bittersweet as I won’t get to sing in another one for a year (this wee one is due right when the next choir would be). I was sad because my brother could not make it, he is having truck trouble. I am being yelled at, Randa needs help on the potty, be back in a minute.
At this point, I would generally hit delete (it would be half as long as this because I would not have included what what distracting me, and I start by just putting ideas down then adding substance) and just give up for now. At least I know my kids are “attached”…to my hip. 
Good thing I love them so much.
03.04.09
In a pit
Have you ever been in a mental pit? You feel like everything that happens to you is just against you? Today was one of those days for me. I was having a tough day with my oldest daughter who is 4, which then lead to a not-so-kind conversation between Matt and myself. Even though our conversation had literally nothing to do with my ability to parent, I left the conversation feeling like the worst mom in the world, completely unable to effectively love my daughter. Isn’t it also funny that exactly when you don’t need to feel more condemned, is the exact moment that the condemnation comes? You start hearing messages from the TV or books you are reading and suddenly, you are the ugliest worst scum on the earth. Not worth the air you breath.
There are only a few things that you can do in a pit, you can lay down and let the dirt pile on you, or you can climb out. In the midst of my negativity, I picked up a book that I am reading, Facing Your Giants, by Max Lucado. It asks the poignant question, what are your personal giants? For me, it is taking what people say incredibly personal (I have always had this issue) and anger at one person. Now, I can’t explain to you why I let my anger grow to the point of running my life for a while. I think it is because I am a pretty shy person, always have been. There are very few people that I allow “in”, very few people that I talk to on the phone or converse frequently enough to be called friends. This person fit that bill. We had a disastrous miscommunication and it cost us our friendship. One of the dangers of having an argument online. While I was reading this persons name popped into my head. Then the question arose in my mind “what would you say if that person contacted you, what would you say if that person gave you an apology”? I had always let my anger take over and was able to say that that wouldn’t happen anyway, why dwell on it? This happened again today, and just added to my feelings of negativity self anger. Then I got a phone call, the phone call was negative too, and for a minute, I decided to just lay down in the pit.
I decided to take the kids on a short walk to clear my head. By the time I got back I had decided that the pit was not going to win. I turned on the computer, clicked into facebook and saw that I had a message. No biggy, I am part of a group that is an add-a-thon for fashion wars. It was not someone for fashion wars. It was my old friend, the one I spoke of earlier, with real communication.
Well, I sat there for about 2 seconds, to see if my anger grew. It didn’t. You see, a lot has happened since our argument. As a direct result of our fight, I stopped spending way too much time on the computer. I now read and play with my kids like I should. I read for myself, I clean my house, I learned to knit!! I could have forced my anger back to the surface, I could have ripped the olive branch that was extended limb from limb, but who would gain from that? We both lost out on each others love and support over the last year.
I realized when I was writing my reply to her what I was really so hurt/angry about, it was less about what was said and done and more about losing one of the few friends that I have/had, that was the long and short of it. Selfish as it may sound. I hope that we can some day work through the issues and become friends again, but if that is not in the cards, then it isn’t.
I am still scaling the side of that pit right now, but I am on the way out, and it helped to finally slay that giant of anger that I had let control part of me for a long time.
01.14.09
Out of the mouths of babes
We had just finished our dinnertime prayer and I continued to talk to Mikayla about prayer, she is just such a sponge about all things related to Jesus. I explained that she can pray whenever she wants, that above all, Christ wants to know her. Matt then told her a story about when he was driving the car and started to slip on ice, he told her that he started to pray and the car stopped. Mikayla looked at Matt and said, “When you start to slip, the best way to stop is with God.” Amen baby.
It has been a pretty uneventful week here. I keep trying to find time to get into my sewing room and crank out some diapers (or something else). I just need the peace that a little sewing brings. I have a pair of pants for Mikayla mostly done and about 5 diapers cut, just waiting for me to finish them. The worst part is, until I stock something, my store will stay off of people’s radar, so I have to do it.
I also found a little time to work on Miranda’s quilt that I started forever ago.
I have never been a neatfreak, I had an adopted director long ago and far away when I was in Mary Kay who used to say that cleaning her house was like making love to it. I just never got that statement, if cleaning your house is like being it’s lover, let’s just say I was barely a flirt… That all started to change about a week and a half ago. I got tired, seriously tired, of doing a grueling 3 day power clean before anyone showed up to visit. I decided that I was just plain done with that. If I can clean the whole house in three days, surely I can keep it clean with a few minutes of maintenance a day? I made a list of all the things I need to do daily, and all the things I need to do weekly. I cross off the days item after I do it, I can see my progress all day long. I am feeling better about being at home and I don’t have to worry about anyone just dropping by. The only drawback is that I am sore at the end of the day, but like someone once said, no pain, no gain.
01.08.09
Tag, you’re it
I have been tagged in this challeng by Meleesa and Tara
So, here are the rules of the challenge:
1. Link the person who tagged you
2. Mention the rules on your blog
3. List 6 unspectacular things about you
4. Tag 6 other bloggers by linking them
1. I am on facebook way too much for anyones (most especially my own) good.
2. I love to bake and I have the hips to prove it.
3. I once was a trekkie.
4. I took 7 years of French, and still dream in French occasionally.
5. I am an insufferable ring twirler.
6. I share a birthday with one of my closest friends.
Calm after the Storm
What a month!
So much has been going on in the last month.
The first holiday event was Dec. 18th. That was Mikayla’s last day of school. She wanted me to make a scarf for her teacher, since her teacher liked the one I made for her so much. I was bored with that pattern, so I picked the Christmas Lace pattern (figured it was appropriate). If you are on Ravelry, you can find the pattern here.
On the 21st of Dec. I performed with (I think) 16 other men and women in the Assembly of God Church choir. I was told that we sounded really good. From my vantage point, the second time was better, but both services sounded good. We (husband, daughters, and I) were supposed to head out immediately following the second service to Sioux Falls, SD. Matt has quite a few family members there and they do the family Christmas there. Unfortunately, the windchill was dangerously cold that day and there were blizzard conditions on the way, so we chose to not go.
On the 24th, we left for Wilmar, MN to visit my mom. We spent the whole day there, frosting cookies, having fun, etc. It was a really fun day. I gave my mom and Tom each a hand knit soap sock, we really don’t exchange expensive gifts, but they liked them. The one I gave to my mom is here
On the 25th, my father and brother came and we had as relaxing a holiday as can be expected (and surprisingly a warm day considering just 4 days before, it was so bitter cold).
Mikayla decided the day after Christmas to take down the tree, so we did that too. Phew, what a couple of weeks.
Jan. 1, we just hung out until about 9:30PM, got the kids to bed late, then we just sat here and did our own thing, wished the hubby a happy new year, and that was it.
Jan. 4th we went to go visit Josh and Becky. Grammy Trumbo came at the same time and we celebrated Christmas yet again. I would be a complete liar if I said that seeing that wee lumpling did not make me want another one. I wanted another one anyway and seeing such a cute, sweet baby makes you want one even more. I made some little booties for baby Allison, and a calorimetry for Grammy.
Interspersed with all the knitting was a ton of baking and volunteering, which I love. I am really glad to back to “normal” life again now though.
12.12.08
I love spritz cookies
I have ever since I was very little. My mom used to make at least a double batch of them so that they would last longer than a day. Naturally, the first cookies of the season I make (annually) are the spritz. I married a man who shares my love of these so simple looking butter cookies that taste so wonderful if done right and like cardboard if done wrong. This is the first year when I did my entire batch on stoneware and I have to say, I don’t think I will ever cook them on anything else. They are evenly done, not burnt, the color stayed true. They look and taste wonderful. I would make a bunch more if money was no object, but it is. 
So, here are the pics the first picture is on my poor mans cooling wrack (crumpled tin foil)
going into the tupperware for its short stay there
12.03.08
Girls Gone Loopy
I love this little hat. My Mikayla loves it too. I got this pattern from hooked up knits. Bethany is a great friend and makes some really beautiful things. The pattern was totally easy and the finished hat looks really good. If you don’t have the right needles to make gauge, adjusting the pattern is easy too, if you are doing it on dpn’s it is even easier. You decrease twice per side (I used 4 dpns and a 5th to knit with) so on each side count all but the last 4 stitches on one side, then divide by 2, I was unlucky in that I had an odd number on each needle, so I did an even decrease, then an odd, but it still worked beautifully.
Here is the hat:
and here is the hat after it was stolen by sister Miranda, doing her best Pirate impression (she did steal the hat y’know)
You can find this on Ravelry here.
12.01.08
The holidays have begun
We went to Grammy Trumbo’s for Thanksgiving. It was a really good, albeit too short of a visit. Miranda is just over 2 years old and started potty learning about 3 weeks ago. She has been doing so well, it was so much fun to not have to worry about diapers. We got there Wednesday night, spent all day with Grammy on Thursday, Matt went hunting on Friday while we did a little shopping, Saturday morning we headed home.
On Saturday, we stopped on the way and met my dad for a quick lunch and in the particular town we were in had a neat little house for Santa that was open, so after we were done eating lunch, we trucked on over to go see Santa. Mikayla was too cute, when we asked her if she wanted to go see Santa, she says “but, I thought it was just a dream?”, her way of saying that she thought Santa wasn’t real. So for a photo op, we lied to our poor, smart little 4 year old, and told her Santa was right over in that little house.
So here they are, after 5 hours of riding in a car, getting up at 7AM to be on the road by 8. They look a bit rumpled, but cute none-the-less.
11.17.08
Deer hunters widow
Matt went deer hunting this last weekend. He has wanted to go with this group for some time, I don’t begrudge him the trip in the slightest. He enjoys hunting and it puts food on the table occasionally, food that we normally could not afford (do you know what deer, duck, goose, and pheasant cost).
That being said, I am tired. It is funny how a one and a half day trip actually equates to a week of extra work at work away from home. Working out the garage preparing and packing, taking trips to sight in barrels, spending time on the phone finalizing plans, etc. He left very late on Friday night, and got home later in the evening on Sunday. Now it is monday and he is gone again helping clean the meat. Again, I do not begrudge him that, he helped shoot it, if he wants to take some home, he should help clean it. It is just that I am so tired.
I took the opportunity to get started on a felted purse for me. My dear friend Rachel bought me a felting kit for my birthday, and I just have not had the opportunity to start it. I think I am going to change up the pattern a bit though, it calls for a straight box style purse, I am going to add a fringe on the top, I also want to change the handle style, it calls for a long i-cord over the shoulder strap, I really don’t like doing i-cord and I have no shoulders to speak of, so I am going to put on market bag style handles. Here is a picture of how far I am after Saturday.
11.15.08
some finished custom diapers
I don’t like to talk too much about “the business”. I don’t want to look like I am bragging. I am proud of the work I do, but I don’t want to fill this blog full of talk and pictures of cloth diapers. This is one of those rare occasions where I want to show something that I have completed, just for the pure fact that I enjoyed making it, and it turned out looking so nice. A wonderful customer of mine sent me an email asking if it would be okay to send me some of her personal stash of fabric to use as the outer layer on a couple diapers for her. I have no problem with that, and I had time to do it, so I said yes. We emailed back and forth a few times and she sent me the fabric. I don’t get to work with designer fabrics very often, so this was fun. 
She picked out the surging and snap colors (though I admit, if she had just said “you pick” I would have chosen the exact same colors).
Here is the medium:
Large:
and some wipes for her:
I am just so happy with how they turned out, and I hope she loves them as much as I did making them.
