SAHMs Club

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-22T10:16:00.000-07:00

These past couple of days have found me in Santa's Workshop actually making Christmas Accordion Tags, however I stumbled upon some witch's brew and concocted this:
I believe that one cannot have enough Halloween decorations, especially if you have children around. (Like my inner one.) So I had a lot of fun decorating this with all the spooky critters and creepers which allowed me to participate in the superfun challenge at the Cupcake Craft Challenges "Things That Go Bump in the Night!"
Love it!

This was based on Sharon Johnson's Splitcoast posting: and her Instructions. Happy Halloween and Merry Christmas have the same number of letters (midnight ruminations) so it works perfectly. After fiddling with the different papers for the ghost space between words I ended up making my own "dp" although I REALLY wanted the Twilight paper from Pink Paislee Twilight collection, just couldn't find it in town. I used Elegant Eggplant and Basic Black ink with the Negative Embossing technique to create this panel, hopefully evoking a spooky background. The circles are punched out of the Shimmery White, I sponged the edges (because plain just didn't look full enough) and I added Stickles dots (because I LOVE STICKLES!).

Paper: SU!: Elegant Eggplant, YoYo Yellow, Basic Black, Shimmery White
DP: Tim Coffey Halloween "I Want Candy" (green), Best Creation Inc. #GP320 (white swirly), Reminisce Halloween Collection "Jack" (pumpkins, black & orange polka dot)
Ink: SU!: Pumpkin Pie, Basic Black, Elegant Eggplant, Green Galore
Accessories: Recollections (Michael's stickers: spiders (so cute!), cats, ghosts, & bats) ? Pumpkin stickers, Making Memories "Spellbound" chipboard alphabet stickers, Ranger Stickles: orange, purple & green; Cuttlebug & D'vine Swirl embossing folder, circle & slit, tag corner punches, misc. Halloweenish ribbon, sponges, Fiskars scoring tool
Technique: Negative Embossing

Confessions of a (4 Year Old Mom, I mean Mom of a Four Year Old, oh dear... I am I rambling? What was I saying?

2009-10-15T22:16:00.000-07:00

My dh says I am not the same person I was before I had kids. Ain't that the truth. I don't look the same, when we got married I was a size 4 and on a good day these days I am a size 12, not that size matters, unless it is your boobs or your butt or the nether regions in between. My ankles are the same, however my feet are not and I grieve the loss of my Cole Haan shoes, you know the ones I bought when I had a paying job. I don't talk the same - I never used to ask anyone, "Are you poopy?" And yes, I frequently bust out with some motherese to smooth a moment. But Holy Crapola do I mourn my memory or complete lack thereof. I don't remember jack spit... I don't even remember to write it down because I still believe that I can remember stuff, I have forgotten that I don't. Or is it do? I don't remember. I hate having conversations with people because I can't recall names very well and heavens it is like English is a foreign language because I almost never get through a sentence because I pause to find the right word. You know the one on the tip of your tongue.
I lost my purse the other day. I can't hardly miss it visually because I hang my keys from it and they are big and loud with all the keys on there. I nearly went on a rampage tearing my house apart looking for it, meanwhile my kids just sort of ignore like my dh does until I start muttering about how I can't find my purse. My daughter calls me a silly goose because

I AM WEARING IT. IT IS STRAPPED OVER MY BODY AND HANGING DOWN MY BACK. Makes you think twice about how much junk you got in your trunk.

I lost 15 minutes of my life looking for something hanging around my neck. Seriously. Am I nuts or what? How do I cure this? I know it is sleep related, I don't need some fancy shmancy researcher to tell me that; I sleep completely different now. I can hear if there is a change in my kids' breathing down the hallway. Someone farts and I am up. I hear the little one roll over and I am awake so that I can be there when he falls out of bed again. Ever vigilant. Sometimes I am up giving medicine and reapplying lotion for my little guy with food/environmental allergies and DH will never know that I have been up for half the night. There was an earthquake and it didn't even phase my dh, snoozing next to me in Lala Land. Must be nice. jerk
My life changed completely and his is still the same. I just don't get that.
I still can't find the kids' National Parks passports - I put them somewhere safe, so I didn't forget them when we went on our trip... in July. I have all these stamps to put in them. The kicker will be that when I finally do find the passports I won't remember where I put the stamps and stuff to put in them, I know it! Last night I had prints made at Costco to send to my parents & to give to MIL for her birthday. I picked them up this afternoon. Can I find them? NO! I have searched the house & my car to no avail. What could I have done with them? I have a vague notion of seeing the envelop after I tossed in the front seat, you know, so they would be out of harm's way. I remember this because my daughter wanted to look at them. We went to the grocery store, home and then the library. I might have carried it in the house, but probably put the envelop down without even giving it a second thought. I have no idea. Called the store and no one turned them in there. I have lost other things too. Like my wedding ring? Yeah, that was fun. I put it down in the same place every time so it is easy to find, except this time it was different. I tore everything apart, even the sink and went through all the garbage twice. I was frantic and had to confess to my dh about it and starting asking about the insurance policy on it. He decided to look for it, and came back with it 2 minutes later. I kept checking the wrong cupboard - you know the one where I DON'T put it. He looks at me like I have lost it. {sigh}

Yeah, I have.
So I will return to the website and reorder 2 more so I can fall asleep knowing that I have solved one portion of my problem. I just have to remember to pick them up tomorrow after work and not lose them. How hard can that be?

Pink Camoflage and a Forest Friend

2009-10-10T18:42:00.001-07:00

My daughter has a pair of pink & brown camoflage pants that I just covet, but instead of using my desire for misdoings I used it for inspiration. The brown color scheme is this week's Stamp Something Challenge. I made the pattern by tearing paper in the same direction all the way around with rounded edges, kind of oak leafy. The sketch is from Laura's #36 at 2 Sketches 4 You. I think this will make a sweet girl's birthday card.

All supplies are Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted:

Stamps: Forest Friends (2009), Friendship Blooms

Paper: Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa, Kraft, Pretty in Pink, Pink Pirouette, Bella Rose DP

Ink: Close to Cocoa, Pretty in Pink

Ribbon: Chocolate Chip grosgrain, Making Memories Kids Trim "Kate" bric-a-brac

Accessories: Scallop Edge punch, Nesties & CB, Ranger Stickles "Cotton Candy", Creamy Caramel marker, pop & glue dots

Hubby's Birthday!

2009-10-01T18:40:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday Honey!

I find it hard to make masculine cards sometimes and honestly it is hardest to make one for my dh. So I cheat by making it from the kids' perspective and All in the Family accomplishes that! The card sketch is from Mojo Monday #106. This week Technique Challenge (TLC 240) was foil embossing which I used on the arrow. I used chipboard and with a little extra muscle on the old CB, it works just fine! Also if you think that you will somehow save yourself a hassle by peeling off the adhesive backing so that you aren't messing with the foiled impression then you are sadly mistaken. Use the adhesive backing to attach the foil and then a glue dot to attach it to your work. {ahem} Up near the top of recent challenges was negative embossing (TLC160) and I used that on the red heart. I REALLY liked that effect so I will be using it again. All the deets are at Splitcoast!

Challenge within a Challenge Day!

2009-09-27T16:01:00.000-07:00

Boy, it has been a long time since I posted anything. I go in spurts... following my fancy... and it feels like I am back into stamping which is good for my soul. Getting together with one of my best friends who shares a stamping passion got me into doing challenges. I think I have combined the most ever for me into this project. And boy does it remind me when Tim Gunn comes into the workroom and put his hand under his chin when he declares "this could be beautiful or a hot gooey mess."
Here goes:
I used this week's challenge from Get Sketchy #7 and their Bonus Challenge Distressing. I distressed the Basic Grey DP: Infuse "Saturate" and the "thank you" circle from the Stampin' Up! All Holiday Set with the Stampin' Up distressing tool. I sponged all the paper as well to soften everything. Using Basic Grey paper (Infuse) and Chipboard Elements allowed me to participate in their challenge for Week 4: Embossing. I stamped the farm image from Harvest Home with Timber Brown StazOn and then used a combination of colored pencils and crayons to color the image and then blended them with a blender pen. I then did the Cracked Glass technique on the focal image which involved heat embossing with Ranger's UT Clear Embossing Powder. I stepped outside of my box in the Ways to Use it (SCS challenge WT237) with the use of Chipboard. I love the way people use it - I think it adds so much to a card... I have just been afraid to use it, worried it will look like an afterthought rather than integral and thus wasting it for a better card, a better idea. I decided not to overthink it. Lastly, I'm throwing this into the Limited Supplies Challenge (LSC239) for the SOS, mine being So Saffron, Old Olive and Saturate.

Stampin' Up! Stamps: Harvest Home, All Holiday, Canvas, Timeworn Trim

Paper: Stampin' Up! So Saffron, Old Olive, Whisper White, Close to Cocoa, Watercolor paper

Designer Paper: Basic Grey Infuse "Saturate" and "Invest"

Ink: Old Olive, More Mustard, So Saffron, Chocolate Chip, StazOn Timber Brown, VersaMark

Chipboard Elements: Basic Grey (corner pieces) and Marcella K (scrolly thing)

Accessories: SU! Chocolate Chip grosgrain ribbon, WC pencils & crayons, Ranger UT Clear Embossing Powder, sponges, exacto knife & cutting mat, distressing tool, pop & glue dots

A New Superpower!

2009-03-28T23:25:00.000-07:00

The morphing into motherhood from naive single gal (now I have two hearts that roam outside my body) obviously began during pregnancy. How else does one give birth to something bigger than a loaf of bread and weighs just under a gallon of milk? Then there is the ability of leap tall piles of laundry in a single bound, faster than a runaway shopping cart, to rescue your kid from scaling the kitchen cupboards - yes, I gave birth to Spidey Baby - he'll be friggin' awesome on the climbing walls. Add to that the two lives you live (the Clark Kent - Superman syndrome) where you are Wife and Mother. Maintain the world for everyone in the family (can't you just hear the little mice from Cinderella singing Cinderellie Cinderellie...). Also you must be able to help them find everything. My stepson has called me from the house, where he is... to ask me if I have seen his car keys - you know the ones he used to drive himself to an empty home with. And yes I have found them for him. I amaze my self. No need to thank me.... ...... ...... Still waiting to actually say that to him.
My latest superpower is evolving quickly. I have learned to become Invisible. The other day I woke up earlier than everyone else and I snuck stealthily into the kitchen to make myself a cup of coffee that would actually stay warm throughout the entire sippage. I might have even rested my super self instead of tackling my nemesis May Tag. I got the teapot boiling and a cup ready while listening to the local news on TV. I was just waiting for the light to turn green on my espresso machine when my partner in grime stumbled into the kitchen.
He ground his beans and got his pot ready (french press) and used all the water in the tea kettle.

Then he walked away and changed the channel to his current love Hannity.

It was if I wasn't even there!

I looked down at myself - I could still see myself in my rumpled pj's and slippered feet but apparently he could not. I must be Invisible.

This power is occurring in my kids' vicinity as well. Sometimes I feel like I am talking to myself!

I tried to use it last night after my kid barfed up pickles and apple juice all over himself and the kitchen floor but to no avail.

I have yet to master timing for it but when I do....

Something Worth Blogging About!

2009-02-23T23:04:00.000-08:00

It has been a while since I got online to write anything. I have been busy, even too busy to stamp. {sob} I took a part time job to earn some cash in these hard times and boy does a job crimp my stamping time. Also, I have been working on getting my little kids their own bedroom. But first I had to convert it from a teenager pit with a penchant for duck tape. Goof-off gets that sticky stuff off the wall, just in case you ever needed to know. Even after I pleaded with her to leave her room as neat as I had been able to get it before she came home from abroad there was still a week's worth of cleaning in there before I could even start to make it a place for my little ones. Well, the paint is on, the bunk bed has been bought and the carpet cleaners are coming tomorrow. The carpet cleaners have forced me to rid my bedroom of all clutter, which is fine because I don't actually like the clutter, it's just that I have never been very good at managing it.
After all is said and done I think I deserve a cupcake and something warm to drink. Have you seen the new release from Elzybells Art Stamps ? OMG these are so stinkin' cute and yummy I have to bite my finger. Powered by caffeine, you know I love anything coffee. She has this cute set called Cool Beans which has a bunch of steaming cups of coffee and charming sayings. I always want to send out cards to friends asking them to coffee. Then there is this other larger set called Tea for Two which has mugs, and steams and whipping and marshmallows and more wonderful little sayings, some for your love and others for friends and even one appropriate for a gift. I would love to have that set to make little thinking of you treats to send out with birthday cards. Then there is a set with Elzybells wonderful character/caricature surrounded by all things yummy and desserty called Just Desserts. This little girl reminds me of my daughter with her curly hair and smiling face. Easter is coming and she is featuring an Easter Egg set called Eggstravaganza with great variety of patterns and decorations for making the perfect Easter basket card or place card for your Sunday feast.
There is still more! I don't know about you but I AM all things cupcake. My daughter will be having her 4th birthday next month and I am throwing a cupcake theme birthday party for her. It will be her first one with friends. We'll play a version of "Pin the Tail on the Donkey" with candles on the cupcakes, along with a couple of other games and decorate cupcakes for her "cake." I even bought cute little cupcake lip glosses as party favors. So how cute would the set Hey Cupcake be for invitations and thank yous? Sprinkles! Frosting piles! Cherries! "Topped with love and sweet wishes." Isn't that the most adorable edible saying ever? There are some other single stamps with funny sayings on them as well, my favorite being: "I can resist anything but TEMPATION!"
All this chatting about yummy things has made me hungry!

Heart's Content

2009-01-18T14:33:00.001-08:00

This was created for Mojo Monday #69. I think I have also combined it with VLVJan03 which is to add pink - I say think but I cleared out my cookies from my computer and erased my log in name & password for Splitcoast therefor I am barred from entering the relevant pages until Splitcoast gets back to work on Monday. :D

Paper: Bella Rose DP, Pink Pirouette & Chocolate Chip

Stamps: Many Happy Returns & Friendship Blooms (VersaMarked into the upper left corner).

Ink: VersaMark, Pretty in Pink, Chocolate Chip, Pink Pirouette, Riding Hood Red

Acccessories: Soft Subtles buttons, Whisper White & Pretty in Pink Taffeta Ribbon, SU! On Board Basics, SU! Cutter Kit: distressing tool, SU! Cutting Mat & Craft Knife, Mat Pack & piercing tool, Zots, MonoAqua, snail glue

Bee Mine

2009-01-18T14:18:00.001-08:00

This was created for a Splitcoast Stampers Limited Supply Challenge #203 for a Non-Cheesy Valentine's Day Card. The idea is to make a card easily replicated 30 times. I deviated a little bit by adding the Mellow Moss ribbon - the flower just didn't look right floating in space, folding the card to make it a 3" x 3" (was supposed to be a face only) and by embellishing a little bit with the pens. It looked too plain without the Markie's Mom touches.

All supplies are Stampin' Up!

Paper: Real Red, Confetti White, Pretty in Pink, Summer Picnic DP

Accessories: Scallop Circle Punch, 1 3/8" & 1 1/4" Circle Punches, Black & Mellow Moss Gingham Ribbons, Vintage Black Brad, White Gel Pen, Black and Real Red Markers, and Mat Pack

Christmas Thank You Cards

2009-01-17T13:16:00.000-08:00

I loved to see what Kittie747 has posted over at Splitcoast Stampers. She is an inspiration to me and challenges my card making abilities. She created this card which I used as my base for my Christmas Thank You notes. She submitted it for the Sketch Challenge #91.

Stamps: Flaky Friends, Petal Pushers, and Canvas

Cardstock: Riding Hood Red, Whisper White, Confetti White, and Old Olive

Designer Paper: Basic Grey "Wassail" Laurel Leaves and Stampin' Up Bella Rose

Ink: StazOn Timber Brown, Old Olive, More Mustard, Craft White, Bashful Blush, and Almost Amethyst

Markers: Creamy Caramel, Chocolate Chip, Old Olive

Accessories: Riding Hood Red ribbon, Yellow Stickles, pop dots, sponge

Technique: sponging, masking

KWerner Design Blog Color Inspiration #38

2009-01-17T12:39:00.000-08:00

I have been purging old magazines but saving interesting articles and found one for tiling floors in Martha Stewart Living from September 1999. She had a pattern for gingham, which I love. Kristina's Color Inspiration this week was perfect for creating the gingham colors. I created the gingham with my 1/4" square punch. I laid them out on a strip of Rose Red and created the pattern with the Whisper White and Pretty in Pink, leaving the Rose Red as open space.

Stamp Set: Heartfelt Thanks
Paper: Rose Red, Pretty In Pink, Whisper White, and Pumpkin Pie
Ink: Rose Red, Pretty In Pink, Pumpkin Pie, Basic Black
Markers:Certainly Celery and Old Olive
Gingham Ribbon: Pretty In Pink.
Accessories: 1/4" square punch, pop dots

Two Year Olds and the Time-Space Continuum

2009-01-09T22:50:00.000-08:00

You are not alone if you cannot figure out how a small two year person can make a huge mess in an unbelievably short amount of time. I haven't blogged in a while and I am sure this is why. I am running all the time, that is, unless I can get all three of us to nap together. Not today, which is definitely the reason why I was so grouchy this evening. And the 2 year old is the one who got the recharge. You know, the one who makes the huge messes in a time that is not relative to the amount of mess. We have crappy toilets. Those low flow kind that you have to flush twice to get anything to go down. While the two year old is not potty training, he is in love with the flush. Much to the dismay of his three year old sister who is still on the potty. The other day I heard a flush, then giggling by the 2 yo, panic by the 3 and the sound of feet stomping in a puddle. I rush in there to see the little boy jumping in the puddle. The puddle of poopy water. Thank God she didn't have diarrhea. Crap! I had even moved my garden gnome from the shelf above the tub to the floor in the bathroom keep him from getting wet - this certainly was not what I had in mind. I plunge the toilet, disrobe the kids so they aren't running around on my white bedroom carpet and I grab every available towel to start containing the mess. It's not like I don't do 50 loads of gross laundry every day. And it makes you wonder, am I alone in this stuff? Am I the only mom on the planet who is dealing with something like this? She was on the potty and I was coming back to wipe her butt - how does such chaos occur in the second it takes to see who is calling on the phone or fold another shirt on the bed in the adjoining room?

Yesterday I witnessed that there is at least one other mom who is dealing with this issue of motherhood. Nothing like a two year old to make you feel, what ever profession one may have spent years cultivating after the education to land it, like an incompetent fool. I was at the gym and walked out with this other mom who I really like. I think, given more time, we could be good friends. We are about the same age, as are our kids and have similar educational backgrounds. We frequent the same grocery store which happens to have kid care so that we can relish no more than an hour and a half of blissful shopping alone and sometimes sit next to the fire place, sipping on some Starbucks. We walk over to the gym kids care center to pick up our kids. She takes her two year old to the potty while I am wrangling mine into his coat. We are still sort of chatting back and forth and I think she takes a moment to help her older daughter with her jacket. She actually leaves a foot inside the bathroom while she is doing this. I work on getting my daughter into her coat and am gathering up my stuff when I hear this mom say "Oh!" and her daughter's name. I turn to look and mom is gathering a football field of toilet paper off the floor and telling her daughter to put down the toilet plunger, that you can't put it in your mouth because it is icky. First of all, I didn't think there was that much toilet paper on the roll, even the industrial size. And then, how can one properly explain to a 2 year old how incredibly gross the toilet plunger is and all the reasons why you don't want to touch it, never mind lick it? And I wonder to myself, how did she make such a big mess - her mom was right there? I didn't hear a thing, no clue as to the chaos unleashing in there. She was really calm, mom was. Me, I was laughing. Bent over, hands on knees, tears streaming, unable to breathe, causing a scene laughing. In fact, I giggled about it the rest of the day. I told her I thought I was the only one. I shared with her my shoe licking story. It makes no sense. These little people are powerful mess-makers and are lightening quick about it. Is there a fast forward button on him that I haven't found? Is he wired like the bunny on the Comcast High Speed Internet commercials? Does he have a little Usain Bolt in his britches? You may have a plan, but give them 30 seconds and you are off down another highway, without a paddle.

And so, if you are reading this at the end of another day when you really didn't get anything of note done, but yet you are bone tired and your mind is craving something intelligent to process (you won't find that here) know that you are not alone. If you have cleaned up some bizarre mess and prayed that your kids won't come down with some horrible bacteria-induced illness, then you are not alone. If you have wondered what type of restraint was legal so that you could go to the bathroom by your self and have them remain safe and mess-free, then you are not alone.
And if by chance you figure out how they do it, let me know.

Itsy Bitsy Spider

2008-09-22T14:45:00.000-07:00

I have spiders. No, not me personally, but in my house. There is one in residence in just about every corner. My kids like to hunch down and yell "Spiiiiiideeerrrrr!" at the ones that live in the corners near the floor. I don't know, do spiders have ears? I'da moved out of that neighborhood pretty quickly so I am thinking they don't. I don't really like spiders. I don't want to touch them - thinking about getting rid of them with a tissue and feeling that horrid crunch is enough to send me into a willy dance. I mean, I know they are not likely going to be able to fight back and win, but it just gives me the creeps. There was one in residence in my bedroom, above the door frame to the outside that could flatten himself to fit behind the frame if I came over. Yet he was big enough that I could see him squatting there in all his black hairy glory from a prone position in bed. Ick. One day he was on the wall. I saw it as an opportunity to move him along elsewhere. So I came at him slowly with a glass and piece of stiff paper. That bugger squared off with me. In a wrestling stance with his front two legs off the wall in a ready position. I moved, he moved. He frickin' knew I was coming. Way too intelligent. Eventually I won and got him outside where I just left the glass over top. Just in case he could run fast too. I know there are two more in the bedroom. Talk about fung shui and a kink in my chi. I don't mind the other ones in the house so much because they aren't thick and squatty. They are more refined long legged spiders.
There are more outside. Obviously. They live in the evergreens in the front flower bed. I think they are solely responsible for the disappearance of the honeybees. The spider realtor sold them on some great property. The evergreens are next to some salvia which is still blooming its beautiful little purple blossoms which are just abuzz with all kinds of bees. Big fat fuzzy ones, honey bees and those not so nice looking bees. And there is just about two in the web every time I go by. It is close to where I load my son into his car seat. It is kind of a nice science experiment for my daughter - I tell her the spider is have a bee shake. Slurp! One of these misty mornings I will take a picture of the web - it is the classic spider web shape and really something beautiful when it is all sparkly with dew.
Back to the ones inside the house. The thing is... they are living here, making a killing off other insects I don't necessarily see. I wish they would do a better job on the fruit flies - I had some really ripe mango on the counter the other day. So I feel bad about getting rid of them. What if they are better guests than their food? In the meantime I will just deal with the two icky ones in my bedroom. And remind my husband again to install the door sweep to the outside door in our love nest.

The Things You Say to Your Kids

2008-09-15T12:11:00.000-07:00

(This might be one of those 'you had to be there kind of moments' but I can barely write this post I am laughing so hard, nearly out of my chair and crying as I relive it.)

The little kids and I were just finishing up breakfast, sitting around the kitchen table together. I had finished my coffee, well most of it anyway. I make a pot of french press so there is usually some debris left on the bottom of my cup that I would rather not chew, but the kids like the smell of my creamer (Cinnamon Vanilla Cream). When my son smells his dad's cup of coffee (French press, French roast, regular half and half) he usually says "Ewww! Stinky barbage errywhere. So Cole is sniffing away at my cup and I am reminding him not to drink my coffee. Ryan is coloring on an envelop to send to her cousin in Colorado, so listening to the conversation but not face to face with it, if you know what I mean. He actually does take a sip, which leads to him using his whole hand and the back of his sleeve in swiping away at his tongue to get the grounds off and spitting when I hear Ryan tell him very matter of factly: he is going to get another eyeball.
It took me just a minute to register what she had said, but she was just repeating something I had said to her: Coffee is not good for little kids. If you drink my coffee when you are little you might grow another eyeball in the middle of your forehead. Now wouldn't that look funny? Now leave my Frappuccino alone while I put your brother in the truck, okay?

It's Been a While!

2008-09-14T22:29:00.000-07:00

Gosh, I just didn't blog much this summer. I didn't make any cards either. Until last night. My DH went out of town to the Reno Air Races so I quickly called all my girlfriends (those who were in town) and invited them over for girls' night at my house. I am not able to do it when he is here because our house is so small there wouldn't be anywhere else for him to hide... or keep him and the kids otherwise occupied (am I dreaming or what!) Older step-daughter went to college in Australia and has been gone a couple of weeks now. The older step-son has made this his primary residence so there have been a number of changes afloat. Anyway, with everyone supposed to be gone I jumped at the chance to have everyone over. Some girls were able to make it, even just for a little bit. Two of my friends brought over their kids so there was all kinds of activity here. As far as I knew my step son was going camping and wasn't going to be around. That wasn't actually the case - he was here with a friend playing Rock Band in the living room. So when one of my friends came in she played bass while he and his friend had drums and guitar covered. I thought it was hilarious. Eventually they took off and I served a gourmet meal of pizzas and brownies. My friend with a one year old took off to take her kids to bed while my other friend Toni and I made cards. We searched the web and decided on Poetic Artistry Mojo Monday 52.

My step-Mom and Dad have been in town to attend her best friend's wedding so I made Sally a wedding card. Her colors are cream, burgundy, black and gold. Therefor: Very Vanilla, Bravo Burgundy, Basic Black and Anna Griffin dp AG227. I stamped the Bravo B paper with Bravo ink with the Filigree background. The cake from Little Hellos was stamped with StazOn Jet Black on VV as well as the dp. Using Toni's awesome suggestion I paper pieced the cake plate onto the image. I colored the heart in Bravo using a blender pen. I used Stickles to color in the dots on the cake. Don't you just love Stickles? I used my mat pack to place the Basic Black brads. I also used my Cuttlebug for the very first time to make the ovals (Nestabilities!) for the sentiment. It was easy thanks to Cat's CB sandwich stack posting at scs. I had read about the way your plate is scarred with the die but I still was surprised by it. However, I loved the way the sentiment came out. I {heart} those ovals! The "happiness" from Warm Words was stamped in River Rock and then the "wedding" from Occasions Collections was placed just above it in Bravo B. I used 1/4" black grosgrain ribbon under the sentiment. There are pop dots under the cake panel and sentiment. By the time we closed up shop my son had fallen asleep where he had fallen last, wrapped around his kitty (stuffed animal) and the two girls were still running around. It was 12:30 a.m. You know these will be the nights of their childhood that they will say "Remember when...." I don't understand how they can still wake up at the same time everyday no matter what time you put them to bed. But it is what it is.

I love naps.

I can't believe my life! and other ramblings

2008-07-09T22:40:00.001-07:00

My mom came up today and we made 3 batches of strawberry jam. Ryan's job was to wash the berries and she did a great job! She stuck through it happily through three half flats of berries and was ready to do more! We got 18 various sized jars out of the deal. Cole napped pretty much the whole time we were cutting up the berries and processing the first batch. The house was hot but it smelled yummy. I remember my mom canning when I was little and no doubt it is why I do it today. I want Ryan and Cole to remember us doing it with their Grammy and talk about it with their children. I wish that my sister and my Grandmother were here to join in (Sister died in '93 and Mom's mom died from breast cancer shortly after my parents were married back in the '60's.) I am glad that I can pass on that tradition to my kids. Anywho, raspberries ripen in about two weeks. I plan to do apricots, maybe some red plums, and the tiny little blackberries and huckleberries, if possible - hard to do those with little kids. In the fall I'll make applesauce and can pears. I learned last year that when you think you have enough, you need to do 2 more batches because it is heaven in the winter. I am also going to try to make pepper jelly. My step-mom made this last year and I think it was one of the best things I have ever eaten in my life. She made it with bell peppers (orange, red and yellow) instead of jalapenos and the color and taste was phenomenal.
We have had a number of nice days so we have been busy at the park and out in the jogger. The down side to that would be (besides allergies) the skylights in the bedrooms above my bed that made my room hotter than Hades. It makes nap time in here near impossible, but the kids don't know how to nap anywhere else except the car. The bathroom stays cool but there is not enough room in the tub for the three of us to sleep. I keep my computer turned off because it manages to add a couple of degrees to the room, I am sure of it, not to mention the fan that runs to keep it cool which drives me crazy. Therefore I cannot sneak in here at a moment's notice to write something or check my email. I still have the card I made for a 4th of July birthday on my camera and I think I will post it tomorrow.
Our daisies are beginning to bloom out in the front yard. These plants were given to me by my friend Toni - they came from her Grandma's garden and I love that fact. They are so cheerful. Ryan noticed the four that have opened the other day and she came running into the house so excited. She had her hands up to her face, one on each cheek (disbelief!) saying, "Mommy! I can't believe my life!" Somewhere along the way she has gotten her sayings crossed and I think she actually means "I can't believe my eyes!", however it is so stinkin' funny I'm gonna leave it as is.
Ya know babe, sometimes I can't believe my life either.

Home Sweet Home, But Without Toilet Paper

2008-06-28T22:28:00.000-07:00

We made it back home yesterday, early evening. Our vacation was awesome. The weather could not have been more perfect the whole time we were there. Sunny and hot. So nice since we hadn't seen the sun since last fall around here. All except for the last two days and by then I was really looking for a nice lightening and thunderstorm. It was mighty windy that night. The kids played outside from dawn til dusk and I sat under the tree reading my book. Loved it. We stayed in the little house next door to the main so we were in our own space. There was good food every evening and eaten together on the picnic bench on the front porch. So nice and very little in the way of pesky bugs.

Dale Jr. finally won a race, even if it was under a green white checker caution.

On both the trip out there and the way back we searched for the Oregon Trail. Along our way we followed the Mormon, California and Oregon Trails. There are interpretive centers in several different spots. We stopped at Glenn's Ferry, ID near the Three Island Crossing of the Snake River, the Baker City, OR site, and the Blue Mountains Crossing, OR. If you follow a map you can get to actual wheel ruts at these three sites. Think about it. This was how the west became populated as it is today, yet there are still traces of the original journey by these thousands of covered wagons. You can still see the path they traveled. You can also see that these traces will disappear, probably in my lifetime. The Oregon California Trail Association has been awesome enough to place markers so you can get out and walk segments of it. The Baker City site was closed but we were able to get out and walk for quite a ways on the trail. There is even an Ezra Meeker marker on the site. He was a man who saw that the trail was disappearing back in the late 1800's so he convinced some people in congress and in local city governments along the way to place markers to show where the trail had gone. So much of it now is gone due to farming, development, road and railway construction, time and weather. I had my daughter get out and walk it with me as I am afraid it won't be there when she is old enough to appreciate it again. She sure had fun looking for markers and we talked how so many of the travelers actually walked instead of riding because the ride was so rough inside the wagon. Plus you needed room for all the provisions. I find the whole thing absolutely fascinating. We did have some misses along the way looking for wheel ruts. You can follow the trail and imagine the landscape as the emigrants saw it by taking roads posted with the route sign and it is worth doing in some spots. Route 30 out of Glenn's Ferry is a nice drive but no ruts and the same with Old Oregon Trail Road that connects from Mountain Home, ID to Bliss, ID. I should have done better research before I left but really I had no idea I'd be so obsessed about it by the time I got to Glenn's Ferry on the way out there. You can pick up a map that shows the route and where you can still see the ruts.

We drove to the Canyonlands National Park outside of Moab, UT on the second day of our trip back home. It was another really interesting place to be. The geography and geology of the site are amazing and worth a visit. We will do the Arches National Park the next time we head out to Colorado. Maybe I'll get my butt in gear and post some of my pictures of our journey. While at the visitor's center at Canyonlands I bought my kids each a passport to the National Parks. I wish I had it last year on their first visit to Yellowstone. (Don't even get me started on how awesome that was.) There are stickers to place in the book as well as a spot to hand cancel the date that you visited. I thought it might be something they will enjoy when they are older.

I met the most awesome helpful people along the way. After traversing the Blue Mountains in the modern covered wagon (Yukon XL) in at least a foot of snow in mid-June, some nice man from the Parts Plus store in Baker City replaced the windshield wipers on my truck and gave me information for buying chains for my stupid fat wide tires that suck in the snow. On the way home there is a visitor's center in Naturita, CO where there is a really nice bathroom and an amazing amount of information in the form of murals and pamphlets and the lady who runs the place. In Moab, UT at the Napa Auto parts Store (Go Mikey!) this honest nice young guy (Employee #3) changed the bolt on my battery (stripped due to the nightly unscrewing and morning reconnection process) and got me all good to go with proper coolant levels for heading into the desert. He could have told me I needed a new battery and I would have bought one, ya know? There was the cheerful waitress Ana at Jeremiah's restaurant at the High Country Best Western in Ogden, UT who was just a doll and took good care of road weary travelers. I don't think I could have met nicer more helpful people along the way. It felt almost eerie in a good way how great people were.

We hit traffic in Salt Lake City, Boise and of course Seattle. The rest of the way was just fine. When we got home there was no one there to greet us but it was just as well because we could just collapse on the couch for a little bit and regroup. The house wasn't too bad, I have seen it worse on return. There were dishes in the sink and the dishwasher hadn't been emptied. There were sippy cup items in it so I am suspicious it is the last load I ran. There was no food (except a couple of Oreos), no clean towels although some laundry had been done but the coup de gras was there was no toilet paper. THEY WERE USING PUFF'S PLUS WITH LOTION TO WIPE THEIR BUTTS! Thank god we aren't on a septic system. I was too tired to go to the store last night so I found fish sticks and french fries in the freezer to make for the kids. We showered and went to bed. Today I mostly did kitchen clean up and laundry in an attempt to reclaim my house. I also went to the store and bought some provisions. I do miss sitting under the tree reading my book.

I just finished the The Lake of Dead Languages by Carol Goodman and found it a good read. I had a hard time putting it down so I kept it out on the journey home so I could read it if my mom got out of the car for any reason. The last time I got home from this trip I read Across the Great Divide : Robert Stuart and the Discovery of the Oregon Trail by Laton Mccartney. I found it really interesting. I have been on the hunt in used book stores along this journey for another Oregon Trail book In the Wake of the Prairie Schooner by Irene Paden. I didn't find it so I'll most likely buy it from Amazon. My mom told me a little about it last year, how her dad got the family out along the trail when she was a kid. They used that book as a guide. I might read Undaunted Courage : Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson, and the Opening of the American West by Stephen Ambrose as I heard a number of positive reviews by all kinds of people since last year. I also picked up some fun titles at the book store in Crested Butte, CO but they are still in the car so I can't share them with you yet.

I hope to feel settled enough by Monday to actually stamp again. Last year I was in a funk for a couple of weeks following our vacation. Hopefully things will go smoother this time. And nothing like a Girls' Night to get me back in the groove of things tomorrow night.
TTFN

People Are Weird

2008-06-18T08:36:00.000-07:00

Some one from my past called me up out of the blue. Strangely enough he found me on vacation at my Dad's house. Normally I would welcome a call from an old friend. But the main point would be that this person is a friend. The person who called was a neighbor of mine from when I was 7. They lived next door for a year. I have no memories of this boy - and a faint one of his sisters who I actually played with. He was older than I was by about 3 years so maybe his experience was more meaningful than mine. He talked to me like I was his best friend and that we spent years together. My dad keeps in touch with his parents so that is how he made the connection. My mom told me that they were on the East coast to travel to historic sites so they were gone most every weekend. He told me all about his life and asked about mine. What I am going to share with this person? I told him about being married and my kids - we didn't have any memories to reminisce about ~ so we didn't. And he shares WAAAY too much information about one of his sisters and trauma that occurred to her as a child and how she can't over it and how none of the family is willing to do any of the things she asks of them to help her heal. By now I figure she must be the normal one and the rest of them, including him are the kooks. The whole conversation started off bizarre from the beginning.
"Hello? Is this Amy XXXXX? My name is Officer So and So from the Washington State Patrol. I am following up on a report that your vehicle has been stolen. Can you verify this information?"
I was stunned. I have driven my vehicle from Washington so how has it been reported stolen? Is something funky with the actual owner of the vehicle? Yikes! I am speechless and don't know what to say to this officer. He then asks me if I know who he is. (Like I am EVER going to guess that.) And then he confesses that he is who he actually is. Not exactly my humor but I like a good joke now and then. One of my friends got me good when she had her husband call me up as the IRS and give me the government inquisition for not doing my income tax on time. Now that was funny. But not appropriate for some one you don't know. And since he started it so weird I can't seem to get into the groove of the conversation. Since our parents are still friends I feel obligated to be nice and polite to this person but I want to hang up. We make nice for about 10 minutes and then he says he has to go.
Buh~bye!

Wedding Day!

2008-06-14T21:08:00.000-07:00

My sister and her new husband were married today in a beautiful little chapel. Their vows to the kids ~ she has one boy and he has two boys and a little girl ~ made me cry. So sweet. My sister looked stunning and her new hubby was as handsome as ever. They were so happy. The reception was a good time - we got to show off our Electric Slide that we have been practicing for the past couple of nights. The only dance I didn't see performed was the Funky Chicken. The cake was so fun - with permission I might be able to post a couple of pictures. It is funny how family events bring the drama out in people and I am happy to say that it wasn't our side of the family. Our side has the potential to be pretty quirky so I was relieved. I feel bad for my new brother-in-law but he is the black sheep of that clan and that is just fine. He is an awesome guy.

The other drama that occurred today was a little more serious. We (my mom, the two little kids and I) arrived at the chapel and parked in the shade of a tree. It was warm today, sunny and in the 80's. I put the keys to my car on my seat and left the door open because Cole had fallen asleep and I didn't want the car to get too hot. I heard a bell dinging but it didn't really register with me as to why. I got Ryan dressed in the back of the Yukon as there was no way she was going to fit in her car seat wearing her fancy dress and petticoats so we had the trunk open. I had her out in the grass where it was cool and was just gathering the rest of my stuff. My mom shut the trunk and someone else did me a favor by shutting my door. That little dinging noise? Yeah, that was the car locking. With my little boy inside. I don't have any other keys. OnStar has gone digital and I didn't upgrade it from analog. I kinda freaked out a little bit, did some swearing, and then went numb. I saw CSI so I know how fast that situation can get bad. My dad called 911 and had them on their way. There was a table cloth hanging from a wire coat hanger in a nearby tree (after ceremony mini reception on the lawn) so this nice man attempted to break in my car. My cousin called the Yukon dealer to see if a key could be made. I checked someone else's vehicle in a similar shady area to see how hot it was getting on the inside. And there is Cole, just dozing away. People were really nice and supportive. And I know the one who shut my door felt horrible as she looked like she was going to cry. It took so long for the cop to show up - we were debating about which window to break when two vehicles pulled up. The cop and the locksmith. The locksmith attempted his fake keys and then went on to the door jimmy. After messing around with it for about 5 eternal minutes he got the door open - the alarm system beeping like crazy and that is when Cole woke up. That is also when I began to cry. Holy Crap, ya know? He was fine, not any hotter than he normally is when sleeping. I fed him so extra water and milk and he seemed fine. More clingy than usual during the ceremony but no surprise after waking up prematurely from a much needed nap. It is scary to me how many close calls I have had with serious injury or worse with my kids. I mean I know we wouldn't have let that situation get out of control - it is easy (?) to break a window, but life is tenuous. We have our blinders on for how fragile it really is. I know because I lost my sister when she was 21 in 1993. I feel like I am being watched over ~ that someone protects my children and I am thankful. We recovered nicely from our little episode and went on like normal. My kids had a lot of fun dancing and playing on the practice putting green right off the porch were everyone was gathered and getting jiggy with it. Na Na Na Na Na Na .....

Checking In!

2008-06-13T22:22:00.000-07:00

We made it! We left on Monday and had a fun night in Cle Elum staying in a caboose near the Iron Horse State Park. The Bed and Breakfast was great. We knew that snow was expected on the pass that night and it was a heck of a storm east of there. The next day we hit snow - a foot of snow in the Blue Mountains in Oregon. My car's tires are not made for snow so it was a worrisome trip for me. And my windshield wipers are crappy, not scraping the snow completely off the driver's side. And I don't have windshield washing fluid with the antifreeze component, no I have soap and water remnants because my reservoir is cracked and you don't need the fancy stuff in the summertime. Made worse by the gallon of coffee I had consumed that afternoon. We were crawling up the pass at 25 mph just following the RV in front of us as traffic was down to one lane. There was no getting off the exits because they weren't plowed and you were only going to get stuck. After an hour of that when the snow had tapered off due to elevation drop, we made it to an exit with no services but I pulled off anyway. I squatted by the front passenger head light so that no one would see me as they were passing on the high way below but go figure that another car decides to use this useless exit. And there I am, in the rain, on a three point hover, with my pants down my ankles, giving them a clear shot of my vajayjay, peeing away that gallon of coffee. And I am not exaggerating, I peed forever which is quite the feat for me as I seem to have a rather small bladder or overactive gotta go trigger (I think they make drugs for that!). I waved with my free hand - what else am I going to do, ya know? On we went with out any more snow, but a new set of windshield wipers and the cost to buy chains for overly large tires. We made it Boise, ID that night. We were able to do some touristy stuff the next day by going to an Interpretive Center for the Oregon Trail. Last year we took this route and it follows the path that the trail took. I then read a bunch of history books on the trail so it was nice to be able to see these landmarks again with more understanding about them. Still have yet to see some wagon ruts though... maybe on the way home. Wednesday night we stayed in Salt Lake City which is a beautiful spot. We stopped at Stampin' Up! headquarters on the way out of town. Ryan and I were given a little tour. The building is beautiful. I didn't run into Kristina but it's not like I was going to ask to see her - can you imagine if all the people who watched MACM just stopped by to meet her? She'd be so fired. We watched a little clip of how they make stamps which was really cool. Ryan was given a little Stampin' Spot and a cute little stamp as a parting gift. We made to the house here by about 4:30 p.m. A number of my step-mom's family is here - her sisters and their kids and it is like just one big party. Last night there were Cosmopolitans (too many for me) and relearning the Electric Slide (the last time I did that was gym class in 8th grade). Such a blast. So I should sign off so I don't have bags under my eyes for the wedding tomorrow.

Wordless Wednesday

2008-06-11T00:01:00.000-07:00

Bags are packed for Vay Kay

2008-06-08T23:46:00.000-07:00

I finally got everything I think in the bags. Laundry is done, house is okay as is. I got my birthday dinner tonight - yummy Japanese! (Baseball tourneys all weekend.) My daughter likes California rolls as much as I do. :D My car died again last night. I caught it as it was taking its last breaths ~ I learned how to hook it up to the battery charger. I'll just have to go back to unplugging the battery every night so it doesn't die on our trip. The plan is to go to the gym for one last step class with my favorite instructor - she has a C-section tomorrow and will be gone for 6 weeks. Then, banking, last minute vehicle maintenance, gas up and try to get new tabs on the vehicle. Yeah, whoops! Shower, load car and off we go to get my mom. Like I wrote before I should be able to make updates while in CO. Today, I researched all the Starbucks between here and CO and then paired it up with a municipal park. A nice way to travel with kids. Oh, and you know how I mentioned that there was no way not to send the daughter off to college abroad - the only way it won't happen is if she decides herself not to go. Today she was tottering off that plan and looking at the in-state college. She doesn't feel right having Dad spend so much money sending her to school. (Cool!) I think she is caught up in the emotions of the high school doors locking behind her. We'll see what develops. If she doesn't go, I can't change her bedroom and we will most likely have to spend too much money on another vehicle for the younger kid. Ahhhhhhhh! However if she stays then my son will be more likely to remember her and that would be good. It is so funny how life isn't simple. If I had one of those Crazy 8 balls that tells you answers to your questions I am sure it would tell me to "ask again later".
Later Alligators!

Haven't been here in forever...

2008-06-07T21:16:00.000-07:00

Gosh, I haven't even framed an experience with a blogger's mind for so long now, I feel kinda rusty. Not that I am a pro at this. Darn it, I didn't win the Wii. I finally got the checkbook in the computer (2005 thru current) and have it balanced. Now hubby just has to make enough money to cover everything. If you thought of our finances as an outfit, it would look like something close to this: an expensive nice pair of shoes paired with a mini-skirt and crop top. Not as bad as pasties, but trust me - they're under the crop top if things get worse. Still have to figure out how we send a kid to college abroad in the fall. We make too much to qualify for federal loans but have no cash to speak of. Got all kinds of equity tied up in various places. I can't stand it. Oh, and not an option not to send the kid to college abroad, even though she got into a good in-state school. The half-full side of that is I'll just commandeer her bedroom for the two little kids about a month after she takes off. I want to put them in bunk beds. (There are four of us in the master bedroom right now.) Anyway, so I have been trying to get the checkbook all figured out and in before we leave on our trip on Monday. He wants to pay bills and then figure out how much he has to put in the account and I would rather work with a budget with the funds in the account and send them off from there. Hate joint checking too. Would rather not have him access the account other than to put money into it. He was mad at me because I took the IRS refund and stuck it in the account to pay bills and didn't say anything to him about it. I swear, if he had known there was that kind of money in the account he would have bought the latest computer for one of the older kids (none of the 3 computers between the 2 of them is very old) and funneled more money towards some baseball invention he is involved in. I think we should pay bills first, ya know? Oh, and eat. So that's done, but of course it will be a mess when I get home because he doesn't record checks in the register - hence the carbon copy checks. He spends money like he has it. Just wish we did.
I finally went to Urgent Care and got myself a check-up. Bronchitis and Sinusitis. So I am on Amoxicillin: 2 pills 3 times a day. I also got myself a little prescription for Diflucan for the unfortunate side effect of the other antibiotics. Ladies, you with me on this? I'll take that pill tomorrow. I remember the first time I ended up with a yeast infection because I went to the Doctor. It was in college and had gotten myself a pretty good cold, good ol' chest infection so got some antibiotics for that one and a week later had my very first yeast infection. I was pretty steamed up that no one warned me that I might end up with a little problem elsewhere. So I was proactive with this sets of drugs. Don't want that hassle ever, never mind the week I am due for my period, traveling for 3 days in the car and attending a wedding a week from now.
Let's see, last week I was also really pissed off at my husband. It all boils down to priorities. The pie chart is huge in the favor of one kid. Totally uncool. I wanted to attend a baby shower. I thought I had worked it out with him that he was going to look after the little ones while I went. The day before he informs me that he never actually gave me an answer and to call my mom to see if she could do it. (She jumped at the chance to spend time with the little ones. I love my mom. She is always there for me.) He told me that when he watches them he can't get anything done. (It means they actually want him to play with them instead of on his computer on the couch.) He is actually standing in the doorway telling me this as he is headed out to the baseball field for a friggin' double header. What the hell are you getting done while sitting on your ass for 6 hours on a bleacher? Gosh, what is that gushing sound in my ears? It's my hubby, winning the Hoover Award for Dad of the Year.

I made him a Father's Day card anyway. Because my kids love their dad. I'll have the kids sign it and stash it for F's D and have him open it then. All supplies are Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted. Base card is Real Red, with a layer of Basic Black and Whisper White. I put the Black where I wanted it on the Red and placed it down on the cutter to slice away. Same with the next layer of White. My friend Toni asked if I had glued it down and then cut it. It was a great idea I didn't think of. The Red "Father" from the All Holidays set is on pop dots. A little bit of gingham to just add a touch and there you have a bold masculine Father's Day card. He also actually remembered my birthday so I went ahead and got him a replacement pocket knife for the one he lost a couple of months ago. His pocket knife is just part of his daily personal toolkit. He has his wedding band, watch, wallet, and belt that he carries on his person every day. The sound his watch makes - the links that hold the band together - are part of his music that he makes when he moves. His pocket knife usually clips onto his jeans and he uses it for all kinds of things. It isn't one of those Swiss Army knives, but he uses as if it were. It disappeared and I know he is missing it, because I miss it too. It is always handy to have him around if he has his knife on him.

I also made a card for my nephew who will be turning 9 while we are in Colorado with him. I had originally set aside a card for him that has this cute little frog on it: "Have I toad you how much I love you lately?" (Stampin' Up!) But I found out today how much he loves camouflage. I am thinking that if he likes camo, he might not be into little toadies. So I made him this card: The base card is Kraft. The other layers are Always Artichoke, Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa, and Mellow Moss. The layers on top of the Always Artichoke are on pop dots. The sentiment is also from All Holidays and is stamped in Close to Cocoa on twill tape. Love that stuff! Aged copper brads from the Hodgepodge Hardware. Used the Mat Pack and piercer from Making Memories Crafter's Toolkit to pierce around the edges of the paper. I think I would like to make this card again but tear the paper into strips and then place the layers and see how that camo turns out. I'll cut off that little bit of tape fringe off before I give it to him.

It will be forever before I get to make another card again! We leave on Monday, wedding is next Saturday and not sure when we will be heading back here. I am not in a rush to return. Can I tell you how much I am looking forward to my vacation? I won't have to cook dinner for at least six people who won't show up or like what I have fixed. I will not have to put up with any one's dirty dishes in the sink or the counter or where ever, even when the dishwasher is empty. It will all just accumulate until maybe the folks around here actually notice that they are messy and expect someone else to clean up after them. They will run out of dishes until they remember to actually load the dishwasher. After they scrape the mold out of the drinking glasses left on the computer table and bedside shelf. They will run out of room to leave dirty dishes in the sink and on counters. They will run out of clean pots and pans to cook in. They will run out of towels because a new one everyday is dropped on the bathroom floor or left to mold in the corner of a smelly bedroom. They will run out of toilet paper because no one bothers to put anything on a shopping list. They will have to look for their shoes at the front door in the massive pile that will accumulate there in a matter of days. They will be unable to tell which pile of laundry is clean because as each new person does laundry they empty the previous load to the floor. Do you think they are going to mop the floor of the laundry room? They will run out of space in the garbage can because they don't bother to recycle. The last bulb will burn out in the living room and leave them in total darkness because the lights will not turn off by themselves any other way. Hopefully no one will break, well.... just open the front door and steal stuff because the door is always left unlocked, even when no one is home. And if it does get locked then dad will have to drive 20 minutes back home to let someone in because this person can't remember to carry the house key on his person. Somehow remembers the cell phone, tho. But school will be out and really, someone is always at home and on the computer or watching TV and bonus, there will likely be friends over while no adult is at home. The personal trainer will have to let himself in the house to wakey wakey his student. PT is strong enough to open the door despite the layer of crap that impedes its progress. My guess is that the lawn will be about 1 foot tall, not that I mow it now, but that the house will be unpleasant to reside in so the only one who does mow it will spend more time at the hangar. I hope he has fun doing it all by himself because that is what he asks of them now. Ahhhh, Vacation. I just hope Fishy survives. I'll call Merry Maids or Terminex to hit the house before I return.

I should be able to post from CO because I'll have access to the computers while we are there. Where I am going it might actually act like summer instead of mid-February.

I am still here...

2008-06-03T21:47:00.000-07:00

Sorry.... I have been sick for the past couple of days and not been on the computer for fun. I have needed to balance my checkbook for a long time and I am trying to get the whole thing done before we go on our trip on Monday. I haven't made any cards. Plus I have been too PO'd at my husband to even be funny about him while blogging. More on that later. It all boils down to priorities: his and mine are different. I wish he put his kids higher up on his list. Men are so weird, ya know?

Some new cards

2008-05-28T23:00:00.000-07:00

I am sick again! The whole family sounds horrible - there is that seal bark cough coming from every room and every member in the family. The other night I couldn't even fall asleep because of all the stuffy noses that were trying to pass air through the snot barriers. Is that gross? Yeah, I was nauseated over it myself that night. It isn't like you can stick your fingers in your ears and sing "Lalalalalala" at 2:00 in the morning. Anyway, I pushed it and did too much stuff and it came around again to bite me - it is going on 3 weeks now. I had a fever yesterday and could barely do a thing. I didn't have a fever today but I am gonna hit the sack early. I felt well enough that I made a couple of cards today and posted one that has been trapped in my camera for a week now - DH borrowed my camera to take pictures of the airplane he is building.

This is the card I made for a baby shower. They are going to be surprised as far as boy or girl. I cased: nvscrapmom did this card which I used as a jumping off point. http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/gallery/photo/899190?cat=12358 I just bought a Cuttlebug but didn't buy any embossing plates yet ~ Michaels didn't have a good selection and Jo Ann's didn't have any. Small town stores. Anyway - I loved what she did. Right down to the Stickles on the moon and the pop up of the Sweet One band. Everything is Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted.

Paper: Barely Banana, Pretty In Pink, Bashful Blue, and Very Vanilla
Stamps: A New Little Someone, So Many Scallops and Fresh Fillers
Ink: Timber Brown StazOn, Pretty In Pink, Bashful Blue, Apricot Appeal
Accessories: Watercolor Pencils, Aqua Pen, Mat Pack & piecing tool, Yellow Stickles, Scallop Punch, Signo white gel pen, black SU! journaler, Pretty in Pink marker, Black, pink & blue gingham ribbon, glue & pop dots
Techniques: faux stitching, doodling

This card was created for my step-daughter who will be graduating soon. The school colors, as you might guess are green and white. I love that Event Full has the graduation stamp - it is not a specific set that I would buy, you know? As I look at it I might see if I can pull of the hats off bundle and back it with another layer of Whisper White or Basic Black to make it pop a little bit more. The card sketch was SC128.

Stamps: Event Full
Paper: Whisper White, Glorious Green, Basic Black, Paper Pizazz: Graduation
Ink: Basic Black
Accessories: Me & My Big Ideas Ellen Krans: Graduation, Black Gingham ribbon, glue & pop dots

My step sister is getting married in June and we (my mom, and the two little kids) will be heading out to Colorado in a couple of weeks... YEAH!!!! I could not cut this DP once I had trimmed down the piece that I had ~ I was going to do the card sketch that I ended up using for my mom's birthday card (below) so I just left it and I think it speaks for itself. It measures 5 1/2" X 5 1/2". I also didn't have a wedding image that went with the paper: everything I have was too cutesy. It mostly fits into this week's color challenge CC168: Sage Shadow, Chocolate Chip, and Very Vanilla~ I added Blush Blossom because it softened the card and complimented it nicely, IMO. I used the paper that was going to be on the outside (you know, the fab card in your head) and put it on the inside. It is layered with Blush Blossom and every piece of paper except Very Vanilla was touched to the Encore Ultimate Metallic Gold pad. I thought the Fairytale saying was very appropriate, especially for these two wonderful people.

Stamps: Full of Life

Paper: Very Vanilla, Chocolate Chip, Blush Blossom, K & Company Brenda Walton "Somerset": Bouquet Glitter and Diamonds Foil

Ink: Blush Blossom (sponging), Encore Ultimate Metallic Gold (edges)

Accessories: White Organdy ribbon (off some gift), Chocolate Chip, Sage Shadow & Marvy Dusty Pink markers

Techniques: sponging

This last card is the one I made for my mom's birthday completing the CC168 and SSS4 from Heartfelt Greetings Super Sketch Sunday, May 18th. I already love her blog. I added her blog to my list of Favorite Places to Go. These are the colors that I think of when I picture my mom. It turned out okay, but you should have seen the debris field of discarded attempts for the image. Anyway, thanks for looking!

Smells like Waffles

2008-05-25T22:20:00.000-07:00

It was such a nice day today and it was a gift. The weather man said it was going to be crappy. We took advantage of it and went to the park before the sun turned the slides into fanny toasters. The little kids and I were the only ones at the toddler park for quite a while so I could push them on the swings and let them slides down the slides as much as they wanted. We went last weekend when the weather was like mid-July and there was a waiting line for the toddler swings. Other times the park attracts tweens and teenagers who run around like bulls in a china shop, and it is time to go. We played out the toddler park and headed over to another area where the slides are longer and there are tunnels to crawl through. It is a grade school kid park but they both love it and if it is not too populated then we usually stay. I brought my book in hopes that I could read for just a minute but that's just dreaming - never going to happen. I get out there and play with them in all the areas. It is fun and for safety too because there are gaps in the play structure so that the bigger kids can swing out and do stuff like the overhand ladder thingy - which seemed like fun until it turned into exercise in gym class. Remember the President's Fitness Test? You had to run the 800 or what ever it was and do push-ups and sit-up and for girls, hang from the bar with your chin above it? Not a fun week in gym. I remember there was this girl Lisa who was pretty short compared to the rest of us and she could hang up there for well over a minute. It seemed the smaller you were the better you did at that one. My friend Amy, who was really tall could only hang for 12 seconds. Me, about 40 seconds was my max.
Anywho, I climb through the tunnels behind my kids and we go down the slides together. Okay, well it is more like, I schlep my body through the tunnel because I am just a little bit too big to do it on hands and knees and as for the slide, it is curvy and my ass drags down it at a rather modest creep. No whee for me! I think it is okay that way though. We went to one of those play places for a friend's birthday party for her little boy and I think I cracked my tailbone. I wore pants made out of a synthetic material and I went flying down the slide like a greased pig and skidded a couple of feet on the crash mat. Bumpity bumpity went my rumpity.

So I am the only adult playing on the structure until this charming man with a British accent gets on with his two little boys. The story isn't even about him, but rather about this pack of three kids there having a picnic with their grandma. They are so excited to have a big kid on the structure that they flock to me like flies on stink. At first I don't really notice it but they keep inserting themselves between my kids and I, which I don't like. My little boy is too little to be on this stuff by himself and I need to be free and clear of and from other children when I am taking him down the slide and by the gaps. I move so that they can play where they are and we have space to play on the other side. Except they move with us. The oldest is a girl about 7 or so. And wearing a T-shirt with Pull-Ups and no pants or underwear. Her little butt cheeks were hanging out the sides of her Pull-Ups which couldn't have felt nice. I originally thought she was wearing them over her shorts to provide a better sliding fabric but that was not the case. The next was a boy somewhat younger, maybe 5 or so and the youngest another girl at around 4. I had my kids go through the tunnel to go back over to the slide when I heard them following us and then felt some one's face in my butt. I forgive a little bit of this stuff because I imagine in her excitement that she has no concept of personal space. We head up the slide and she is practically pushing me and has nudged my daughter out of her way so she can be right behind me. She ends up going down the slide with her feet in my hair because I have to lay down to go down this slide. I ask her nicely to let my daughter be right behind me and not to be so close that her feet are on me. We continue to play and it doesn't get any better. Her head is up my butt so far I am sure she can smell what I had for breakfast. This is so bizarre! I even lose the niceness in my tone and the asking quality the next time I speak to her. Grandma finally tunes in and asks them to back off. I wish she would have told them to butt out, but apparently she couldn't see what was happening. They basically then are just watching to see where we are headed so that they can get there first. The next time we head through a tunnel I pick my feet up a little bit so that they provide a bit of a barrier and natural discouragement from breathing up my britches. All I can think of at this point is a joke that my friend told me yesterday:
Papa Mole sticks his head out of his hole and says, "I smell honey." Momma Mole sticks her head out of the hole and says, "I smell maple syrup." Baby Mole tries to poke his head out of the hole and says, "Can you move? All I smell is molasses."

I Can See the Future....

2008-05-24T23:20:00.001-07:00

Mind if I just rant for a little bit?

My husband is confusing me. We have 2 children together and his two teenagers living in the house with us. I must say the daughter is doing awesome. She just got another scholarship grant. Who Hoo! Only 35 more months of college in a foreign country to pay for! She broke up with her boyfriend last night because he didn't want her to go away to college. And she thought that if she continued dating him through the summer she might not want to go away either. And then 2 years down the line at an in-state university she would have regrets. How friggin' smart is that? I would have never made that decision when I was 17 and I would have stayed and regretted it. I still regret it.... not going on an international exchange during high school or college. It is why I went with Rotary in 2000 ~ wasn't going to let another relationship prevent me from experiencing something amazing and worthwhile. What is even more amazing is that her Sophomore year in high school she was hanging out with the worst people, dressing all Emo and making poor choices. Her dad straightened her out. There were consequences that were handed out for poor choices and followed through with. She moved in with us and has stayed ever since. Even through all of the sad bribery her mom has offered her in order to get her to move back: belly button piercing (she took her up on that one), let her drive the car, offered her a used one and some other weird things too bizarre to go into right now. If she was caught doing something there was punishment like taking the phone away, loss of all activities with friends, a homework and TV/computer time schedule, loss of the car her dad bought her. And there were discussions about choices and consequences and seeing the bigger picture. And she got it. She dumped her loser friends, more than a few of them dropped out of school that year. She gave peer pressure the middle finger and found a better set of friends. How many kids do that? She is graduating with honors in her high school "focus," has won awards for her many projects in school, received grants & scholarships, and has been accepted into her first school of choice.

It is the boy's turn to cause concern. He has really crappy grades, D's and F's along with some C's and B's. Trouble is, he is smarter than that. Trouble is, so is Dad. He has unlimited time on his computer. His mom got him Grand Theft Auto for his birthday. See above paragraph for sad bribery. (She wants him to spend more time with her. On paper he lives with her so we pay her support every month when he actually spends his time outside of school and baseball here, even on "her" weekends.) I feel bad for her. I don't want to live her life as ex-wife trying to co-parent. Anywho, I don't see the same reactions in dad that I would expect. His grades are worse than his sister's ever were, yet there is still plenty of time spent at baseball and on the computer with a little TV thrown in to balance it all out. Baseball. Regular season has ended and now he has started another league. Double AA or A or something. So he continues to have practice in the early evening after coming home in the afternoon to wage war on NYC. On alternating days he meets with his personal trainer directly after school to lift weights or run, depending on the day. His physical transformation in a single year has been amazing. After regular baseball team practice there is no less than an hour at the batting cages, every day. What I can't figure out is why this is continuing while the grades are so poor. Dad has even admitted that he should probably be doing something. He gave me this line of bullspit about how difficult it is to dominate another male. I cry foul ball here. That is the biggest plate of crap set before the Queen in quite a while. When I think of my husband I can visualize him with a steel core, might also be considered a pole up his ... wait a minute! I am getting off base here. He can dig his heels in like no one I know. And it is basically his way or the highway with a lot of stuff. So how hard is it to pull the plug on the computer? Take the cords away while he is at school. Sorry, no more computer until your grades improve. He wants to get his license at the end of the summer. Biggest carrot a teenager will chase after as far as I know. No coffee no workie! I think Dad might be concerned that the kid will not move in with us. He should be free to live where he wants, regardless of the desires of either parent. He doesn't tell his mom he wants to live with us because he doesn't want to hurt her ~ he is a caring kid at his soul ~ but instead he is sullen and angry and totally disrespectful to her in every way he can be (unless it is his birthday) because he is angry about having to coddle her feelings. I would think that the kid is hoping someone will actually take the reins and tell him to shape up. Instead he is adrift.

Dad was trying to convince me (or himself) that he has raised his kids well. Funny, one of his dad's favorite sayings was if you were going to do something do it to the best of your abilities. And my husband idolized his father. The time he spends at home he is usually on his computer, yes researching something for work, but ignoring his littlest kids, the ones who still want to play with him. No one has to any chores. No need to help clean up the kitchen after you make your self a sandwich or whatever, or help after dinner. Cleaning the bathroom is foreign territory as are brooms for when you come in the house with dirt and grass on your cleats. Garden tools are on another planet. Hey, think maybe you could help out by mowing the lawn or doing your own laundry? Dad cleans the boy's room! DH isn't the neat and tidy man he claims himself to be. Gee, I wish I could live there. And dad doesn't support the idea of after school jobs to earn money because they might take up too much time for baseball, or softball when she played or other school activities. The girl has pretty much had a job for two years now and really likes having her own money. It is why she has an iPhone. She gets it. But a job would get in the way of baseball and he needs to relax after his hard day too.

So I don't get it. He was able to get the job done for the girl but not for the boy. Maybe he is getting tired of raising children. My future? I have a girl and a boy who will one day be teenagers. And I will be the Guy. The Good Guy and the Bad Guy making sure my kids are raised to be responsible, helpful, charitable, respectful, fun, educated, balanced children, most likely by myself. I gonna make it as right as I can make it.

Flip Turns

2008-05-20T22:42:00.000-07:00

Three Kid Circus posted the winner to the Wii Fitness Contest she just ran. When you have a moment you have to read her entry on Fit in Only Six Minutes a Day. I haven't laughed so hard at a blog story ever. It made me think of what my most embarrassing fitness moment would be.
A couple of years ago now I joined my local gym. It has everything: weights, fitness classes and the pool. I used to swim in college for exercise and I got to be okay at it. Not that I ever lost weight doing it, but it was something I could do. So to ease back into fitness (was I ever really fit??? I don't think so, I was just Young) I headed for the pool. It is good for your cardiovascular system and doesn't put too much strain on your body, your lazy ass couch potato body that hasn't seen the light of day on a walk in many a year now, nor known the strain of spandex pulled tight enough around your thighs to snap you into the next dress size. And being the thrifty gal that I am, I pulled out my old college swimsuit ~ I was still the same size so I didn't need to get a new one. It is a one-piece with plenty of coverage in nice enough colors, colors and cut that don't say LOOK AT ME! Perfect. Never mind the toll that chlorine takes on a swimsuit, specifically the elastic of the swimsuit, I was rarin' to go. I found my goggles, my pool shampoo, my flip-flops so I don't pick up anything icky off the gym floor... I mean, I am close to thin now! And off I go.

I am kinda of a cold wimp so it takes me a while to actually get in the pool and all the way wet - I mean, it is cold. But once submerged I am ready to try my stroke. Luckily I have chosen a time where there are not too many people using the pool. Some of those people will mow you down like road ragers in rush hour traffic: you're the idiot in the fast lane taking a casual Sunday drive, communicating their displeasure with you with hand signals and some choice words, distorted by their underwater filter - you still get the message though. I try the breast stroke and to breathe every third stroke on opposing sides. Three breaths in and I gotta take a break, I am way out of shape. But I soldier on to the end of the lane and make my way back and forth a few more times. Then I decide to pull out my bag of tricks. A couple of yards out I decide I am going to pull out one of my old and only skills, the flip turn. I am not sure that is even what it is called but you swim near to the pool wall, dive down like an otter and do a flip, timing it so that your feet can use the wall to push off for another lap.

I remember that the flip turn is best executed for me about two strokes out and I dive down, make my turn, my feet actually hit the wall perfectly so that I can thrust off and be a quarter of the way down the lane without taking a stroke. I left the top of my bathing suit at the wall. Except I don't know it yet. I keep going on down the lane, complete that lap and decide I need a rest at the pool wall. You know, the end where the camera focuses on you and you look at the stop watch to see which world record and personal best you have broken and imagine yourself in your crown of bay leaves and some bling around your neck. Or the end where you grip the wall like you might not be able to haul yo ass out of the water and you're sure you have digested a fair amount of chlorine because you didn't get your mouth completely out of the water during that last sucking air attempt.
This end of the pool is also the business end of the pool. There are chairs there for the slightly creepy old men that hang out and the moms watching their kids taking their swim lessons, the hooks for hanging up your towel, the walkway to the sauna, public pool shower, and the hot tub. It is also where there is a public restroom and the door to the men's locker room. It is busy and I am topless. My elastic has given completely away, eroded by the sands of time and the gallons of chlorine never completely washed out of the suit. And my boobies are out for one and all to gaze upon. The air is cold, the water is cold and I am somewhat numb from both colds and I don't feel the difference between water wet and air wet and lack of suit wet. Better yet, I become aware of this fact when someone I know looks at me and immediately averts his eyes from me like I am Medusa. I mean, why would he not say hi to me? Maybe because I have a booger. That sometimes happens when you are exercising and sometimes when you are swimming. And heaven forbid, I am doing both. So I reach up to casually wipe my face and nose and that is when I notice that something is wrong with my suit. I don't have a booger, he is not looking at me because .... Oh, because I am half naked in the pool? Yeah, that's probably why. I sink back down to get a better look at what kind of wardrobe malfunction I am having. The elastic has disintegrated at the strap and at the clip in the back and now there is nothing quite holding it up or together. I can feel the water in the pool evaporating at the blaze of red heat that my face has become. And what do I do now? Poke my head out of my hole like a prairie dog to see how many people have witnessed my nakedness? How am I going to make the mile long walk to my towel and slink off to the women's room, the farthest door away from where I am without passing everyone? I am certainly not going to venture back into the middle of the pool like nothing happened, maybe you really didn't see what you think you saw, and I can't even pretend to swim because I can't hold my suit together and swim at the same time. If there had been a fire alarm to pull at the side of the pool I would have done it.

I hung out there until my lips turned blue and my teeth chattered and hypothermia relinquished me of my embarrassment. I figured that everyone who had been a witness to my boobies had gone off to tell someone and have a good chuckle over it and wasn't in the pool area any more, so I could go back to just being another person slaving to the fitness gods. I scrambled out, holding my suit together as best and as casually as I could and made my way to the ladies locker room for a shower. I figured once I had my clothes on no one would recognize me anymore.

I still run into that guy every once in a while and I think to myself: he has seen my boobies.

And I wonder if he is thinking the same thing.

Home Sweet Home

2008-05-17T10:32:00.000-07:00

This is the card I created for scs Ways To Use It Challenge #166: Inchies. An inchie is a 1 inch square canvas (paper or fabric) on which you create your work. Mine is a 1 3/8" because that was the closest square punch that I own. The image from Little Somethings was stamped in StazOn Timber Brown and watercolored with crayons and an AquaPainter. It was matted on More Mustard and then Bashful Blue. The Bashful Blue covers up my handwriting attempt at Home Sweet Home. The Bashful Blue is pierced using the Mat Pack. I hand doodled along the edge of the Whisper White and felt it needed something else. I usually reach for the ribbon at that point. I thought the black & white gingham could look like bees with a yellow brad. So I added some bee trails and called it good. All supplies are by Stampin' Up!

The little beehive is also an image in Alison Jay's 1 2 3 A Child's First Counting Book. It is a picture hanging on the wall in the house of the Three Bears.

Little Boys

2008-05-16T23:13:00.000-07:00

What makes them pee when you take off the diaper?

What makes them squat down to play in it afterwards?

Thank heavens we were headed to the shower. We all needed a bath after today. Thank heavens I have an extra bath mat always at the ready so that I can clean up that mess and have another one to step onto when the shower is done.
We hop in there and I am getting all of us cleaned up when Ryan tells me that Cole's potty is open.
Huh?
I look at his little private parts and you could say that is exactly what has happened. I don't have these parts so I don't really have a good answer for her. I have nothing I could relate it to. If my nipple decided to roll inward I am sure I would be hopping around like I stubbed my toe, holding my breath to see if I could pop it out again. When I have to clean in his penis area ~ especially after the round of nasty smelling diarrhea we have been through again, he always squirms his hips like it is uncomfortable. So I am gentle and quick. I let my husband deal with the whole circumcision thing - I would have left it alone where it just me.
So I am just not sure how it feels to have it rolled back like that. I reached down and pulled his hood down ~ I mean I think it would be sensitive, like a hermit crab without his shell. He popped it back so maybe it is like having the window down in the car on a hot day. I just let it be. Ryan was already back to making smiley faces on the shower door leaving me to be the only one wondering about little boys.

Maybe Spring Has Sprung!

2008-05-16T22:51:00.000-07:00

Today was gorgeous ~ it was sunny and warm with just a hint of wind. So we took advantage of it. After the gym and library we went to the airport to wash my truck. I wish I had brought my camera because the kids had a blast playing in the water. Ryan spent the whole time running through the monster puddle we had created while Cole was entertained just by standing there stomping his feet. They got soaked pretty much from the waist down. I also got to vacuum the inside of my truck. I wish I had the money to have someone detail it for me. Although I wouldn't be able to hand it over the way it is - I would feel guilty for letting someone else start where it is now. I still haven't gotten the gum and candy out of the carpet from the previous owner. I need a vacuum attachment with the micro-nozzle end so that I can get into all the crevasses of a car seat. So nice to be able to hoover up a car seat - makes it almost like new. Cleaning the truck is like the purse game, only way grosser. I found soda bottles (not from any of my regular little passengers), Cheerios, and dandelion petals. But the coup de gras was the wad of used tissues from one of my passengers who sat in the back of my truck on our way to pizza last weekend. The whole family is sick, coughing up a lung here and there, with runny noses and froggy throats. And no one is going to eat another snack in my car for a while.

At least until tomorrow.

Kristina's Color Inspirtation Challenge #9

2008-05-15T23:07:00.001-07:00

This is the card I submitted for her 9th challenge. The colors were Real Red, Pumpkin Pie, So Saffron, Old Olive, and Tempting Turquoise. I loved this color combo. I'd save it to decorate my next kitchen. I stamped the 5 1/2" square base card with Real Red using my Canvas bg. The ship was stamped on Whisper White, Real Red, So Saffron, and the Summer Picnic DP. I cut those pieces out and colored in the Olive Olive. I used a Signo white gel pen to color in the anchor and port holes. The image was masked so I could sponge in the sky in Bashful Blue and use my WC crayon in Tempting Turquoise to make the waves. It was blended with the AquaPainter (thank you Toni!). Next I stamped it in VersaMark and then applied Ultra Thick Embossing Powder and applied the heat gun. I noticed the StazOn might have run a little bit under the embossing powder so that will be something to play with. The other thing I would do would be to apply another layer of powder because my smokestack cut out is poking through a bit. The tag was stamped with Real Red, hand doodled in Tempting Turquoise and attached with a brad. I added the ribbon and placed the various layers on pop dots. Overall, I like how it turned out ~ even if it didn't make her Top Ten! There is always next week!

Wordless Wednesday

2008-05-14T00:01:00.000-07:00

Pedals to the Wind

2008-05-13T22:36:00.001-07:00

This was created for scs Color Challenge 166: Rose Red, Soft Sky & Pumpkin Pie. The gallery is full of beautiful cards so I had to play. While looking I ran into a great card with a cupcake on it and it was for something called Mojo Monday. I checked the site out, it is called Poetic Artistry, and loved her card & sketch so I decided to play there as well. I just got this new set and thought the flower blossoms would be fun in the PP; only later did I remember that I had some flowers that might match. I stamped the image in Jet Black StazOn on watercolor paper. I masked the bike and flowers to sponge the sky in SS. If it weren't for a cc I would use Bashful Blue as I think it is a much happier sunny kind of day sky color. I colored the bike in RR with a blender pen. The tires were done with a black WC pencil and then also blended in. I used SS scraps to weave a little basket and then touched it to the SS pad to give it some depth. (It sounds like I might have known what I was doing, but in reality I had no clue what was going to happen to my cute little basket. It actually turned out just like I wanted it to! LOL I think I just got something like that in a new stamp set: "If you at first succeed, try not to look astonished!) I used a PP marker to color in the flowers. The SS layer was stamped in SS using the Polka Dot background. The base card, in RR, is stamped using the Everyday Blossoms wheel in RR. I added the PP grosgrain ribbon embellishments and sat back to look at it. It needed something. So I dug through my stash trying to remember where I kept the flowers. Found them without too much trouble and played with it in various forms. I ended up keeping the flower with the two layers of petals and changing out the brad with a RR one. I would have used white if I owned white brads. It still needed something. One of my favorite children's illustrators is Tracey Campbell Pearson. She does ink and watercolors so I borrowed her outline technique and added the PP pen to the bike panel. It is one of those things that once you start you have to keep going and if you don't like it your stuck with it unless you want to make another one. I am not that gal. I don't mind mass producing but I don't like redoing a mistake. Go figure. I liked it so I did more handwork on the SS panel in black marker, polka dots like the stamp. Last I colored in the centers and dots to the RR blossoms. I like it better than when it was plain. I had originally popped some of the little float away blossoms on micro pop dots but you couldn't see then and there wasn't enough surface area for them to really stick so I peeled them off. One was still on my work surface which I added to the prima, just cuz I thought it might look cute.
This card took me a little while longer to make. My toddler never feel asleep during nap and I could hear her scampering around in the bedroom. I'll be so sad when she drops her once a day nap. It is my time. To nap or stamp or fold laundry or call a friend. Then the baby woke up. I got there in time to say hi and give him a hug and catch his barf. Aren't you thinking cute little orange blossoms too right now? Hey, that's my get away bike! I haven't had as much time at the computer and thinking funny blogging thoughts because the three of us are a little punky right now. Each of us has a head and chest cold and he has the vomiting and nasty smelling diarrhea to go along with his cold. I had to do laundry so that we could have blankets tonight and the most abundant amount of clean bedding as possible before we went to bed. The last time he had the flu in January we went through all the bedding & his pj's in the house. In a 4 hour stretch. Starting about 2:00 in the morning. I bought more bedding after that. Then I caught it and that's when my friend Shannon brought over the pink 7-Up because my DH didn't have the time to run to the store. My other friend Rena was reading my blog, catching up and thought that I was sick again so she bought me Fresca, in the original flavor. Although she was disappointed that I wasn't in need of her soda (not that because I wasn't sick) I was very happy because it is now secretly stashed away from the soda snatchers in the house for the next time I am praying to the porcelain god and my DH is too busy to be kind and thoughtful. Blog candy is when win something off some one's blog.... so is that called Blog Booty?

Orange You Wonderful

2008-05-11T23:28:00.001-07:00

I created this card for Beate's Weekend Sketch Challenge #47. I still had Pumpkin Pie (orange) on my mind because of Kristina's "Color Inspiration" or Color Frustration in my case for last challenge. I had fun but liked the other submissions a lot better than mine. Anywho, I wanted to do something cute with orange. I just got the Tart and Tangy set from the SU! Occasions catalog and knew I was going to use the orange in some fashion. Beate's challenge included an oval. Hmmm.
I don't own Nestabilities YET and I went to Michaels this week with my 40% off coupon to get the Cuttlebug and they were OUT OF STOCK! #@$">%#*$'! She wouldn't issue me a rain check. Lady, it isn't easy to drag my kids around this store puh~lease help me out here!
I looked all around my house for something to use and I finally found an oval. It came off the top of my daughter's fish toy. It even came pretty close to the size I wanted. So I traced and cut it out. I am not a very good snipper. Drives me nuts!
I have the new DP Summer Picnic that matches the Tart & Tangy set so I pulled a couple of sheets out along with Whisper White, Real Red and Pumpkin Pie. When I was brainstorming over Beate's challenge at nap time I came up with Orange juice sweet. And if you say it fast enough it sounds like Aren't You Sweet. All fine and dandy until I look through my stamp sets and realize I don't have the sentiment "sweet!" Must be in my craft room over at my friend Toni's house. During my search I pulled out my Warm Words set just in case because it does have a lot of fun and cheerful words, including the "wonderful" I ended up using, stamping in Basic Black. I decided to write out "you" in Real Red using my ABC Alphabet lowercase set, made better by the use of my Stamp-a-ma-Jig. That has to be in my top 5 tools for perfect placement of stamp images. Really great when you hand-mount your own stamps - you can do a lousy job of mounting and never know it by your masterpiece!
Since the scalloped edge might cover up some of my graceless cutting I used my 1/2" circle punch to pop out a bunch of Pumpkin Pie paper circles and glued them on the back of the oval. I decided to further cover my cutting tracks by sponging on a little Pumpkin Pie around the edges. Add a little Pumpkin Pie grosgrain and call it kinda punny. When I added my submission in my comments I mentioned a bit of MacGyvering to make this card. She said she was glad that I didn't do any MacGrubering. Boy, so am I because with having to small children, not to mention some pretty icky runny noses and stinky butts there would be lots of opportunity for some nasty tools! Plus my house already looks like something exploded.
I am much happier with the way this one turned out. The colors are happy together, the orange fruit is cheerful, and someone receiving it might feel a little bit better about his/herself. I hope you enjoy it.
Thanks for looking!

Happy Mother's Day!

2008-05-11T23:21:00.000-07:00

To all you Moms out there I wish you a very Happy Mother's Day!

My daughter planted a petunia for me at the gym Kids' Club the other day. They got to paint the little cartons that they planted the flower in. It is really cute, and she was so proud of herself. I'll snap a pic of it and post tomorrow. My husband took the little kids and I out for dinner ~ yummy Thai! He then took my daughter into the grocery store where she could pick out some flowers for me. I'll post that pic tomorrow as well. I got the loveliest Mother's Day card from my kids. I hope you all had a nice day as well.

DragonFly Friend

2008-05-10T12:36:00.000-07:00

This is the other card I made for the In Stitches challenge . I have been thinking about this DP since I bought it. It is Cosmo Cricket called Fleuriste. Yummy!

The base card is 4 x 8. I wanted the project to be long enough that I could have more of the designer paper showing. The base is Blush Blossom. I just got that cs in my latest order. I kinda overlooked it for a while, but I really like the softness of it. It was stamped with River Rock using the Canvas background. The three panels are Almost Amethyst, Pale Plum, and Certainly Celery. I sponged the edges of them in River Rock as well to soften their effect. River Rock is so versatile! I stamped the image in Jet Black StazOn and colored the flutterbyes in the Soft Subtles markers. It is mounted on Blush Blossom. I used a crewel embroidery needle to sew 1/4" taffeta over the dragonfly wings. They are shimmery in my mind when I think of them. I also added Stickles: Waterfall and Yellow to the main body of the dragonfly for some extra shine.

I faux stitched the image panel in a basic straight stitch, the DP panels in a zig zag, and cross-stitched around the edge of the base card. Oh! and I faux sew as well I sew IRL. Enjoy and thanks for looking!

In Stitches

2008-05-10T11:52:00.001-07:00

No Time to Stamp has her Stamp Simply challenge #34 posted. She says: we want you to sew — real or faux — your choice. You can machine stitch, hand stitch, lace something up, faux stitch with pen, faux stitch with pierced holes, faux stitch with the perforator on SU’s cutter kit — whatever you can figure to do — you can even sew on a button!!!

I really wanted to get my hands on my ribbon embroidery supplies and sew a garden of flowers and critters. Couldn't even locate my needles. I want a craft room! I'd have shelves where I could organize my supplies, be able to use my sewing machine, leave a project out on the table without the fear of crumbs and soda splashes...

{sigh}

Yesterday was my step-son's 16th birthday. He'll go for his driving test later on in the summer, something to do about not having applied for his learner's permit in time to take the test on his birthday. It'll work fine that way, his big sis will head off to college, most likely without her car and he'll have something to drive. It keeps him from wanting to borrow mine. I remember finding her high school parking space application with my Tahoe information on it, stuck in a book of mine she had borrowed. As if she was going to take my car, park it for 7 hours, and then go off for Lord knows where for hours until whenever... as if I didn't have a toddler in tow and a baby on the way with limited activity restrictions and things to do. I got a real kick out of finding that application.

This is the card I made for the birthday boy. My husband didn't really like the card I had pulled out for him, he said it was too girly so my challenge was to make a manly manly card. To me that meant primary colors, no ribbon, brads, and a sap-free sentiment.

His card was all SU! supplies: Basic Black base card, Brilliant Blue panel, Real Red and Whisper White. I used markers to color in the sentiment and Real Red brads. I used my new Mat Pack, which I love! and my crafter's tool kit. My husband gave a little ooh when I presented it to him so I know he was pleased with it. We wrote our hand sentiments with a Signo gel pen, great for dark cards. I also made him a cherry pie as his birthday cake. I had been asking about when we were going to have him for his birthday because we share the day with his mom. DH had said that he didn't think he would be with us for dinner so I figured we would celebrate at our next dinner together. Yesterday afternoon, birthday boy was hanging out on the couch and I learned that we were going to pizza for dinner. Holy cherry pie not made Batman! So off the the grocery store we (the little kids & I) go to pick up regular grocery stuff and hurry home to make the pie. DH swears he told me to make it for yesterday. I still think the info was too vague. He gives me a present to wrap, I make the card and I get the pie made and in the oven to bake while they are at baseball. In the meantime the baby has asked to go "nigh, nigh." What kid asks to go to bed? How great is that? I know we are going out to dinner so I left him in his clothes. My daughter decorates a card for her big brother. When they get home, big sis rolls in with her BF and we all get in the 'burb to go to pizza. BD Boy is carrying a bag with him. When we finish pizza he asks that he be dropped off at his mom's. Only on his birthday and Christmas does he ask to go see her, 353 other days he demands that he stay with us. So we do. And the only one to eat the cherry pie is my husband. This morning Big Sis and Dad had it for breakfast. Maybe there will be some left when BD boy comes back.

So Sweet!

2008-05-09T14:46:00.001-07:00

Friday is Limited Supplies Challenge at splitcoast; today's challenge was "No Stamping." I used the new Designer Paper series from SU! called Summer Picnic. I can't tell you how hard it was to cut it! I used the coordinating rub-ons called A Perfect Day for the flower in the middle and the sentiment. I cased a card (Sassy Tulips) from last week's Featured Stamper (FS65) Nutsymuhl for the design sketch. I loved the challenge from No Time To Stamps "Stamp Simply" #31 in which black was used as an accent. I love Mary Engelbreit so I wanted to add the checks but I don't think my card has the same level of whimsical as her works does. Another great stamper Markie's Mom always frames her work in white gel pen dots so I used her technique here too.

Here is a link to my card in the scs gallery for all the details.

Kristina's Color Inspiration Challenge #8

2008-05-08T10:17:00.000-07:00

The colors for her latest challenge are: Brilliant Blue, Pumpkin Pie, Bashful Blue, and Whisper White. This was a challenge as these are not colors I would normally put together. I think of football when I see blue & orange together, not that I could name a team. I posted the details on splitcoast.

I won Blog Candy!

2008-05-07T12:05:00.000-07:00

Kittie747 is one of my favorite people to case - I think her work is AMAZING! I love her scenes- to me they are works of art. I drop in at her blog and yesterday she was offering Tuesday Treasure Hunt Rubbernecker Bucks for blog candy. To win you had to leave a comment on her blog telling her what craft tool you couldn't live without. For her....it would be a watercolor brush. A number of people talked about their cutting systems... and no kidding... it is a life saver. I can't cut a straight line so I don't think I would make cards without my rotary cutting system by Fiskars.
Okay, time for a ramble..... Last night I read the children's book the dot by Peter Reynolds. It is a great book with a wonderful message about encouraging art. There is a little girl, Vashti, who thinks that she can't draw anything. So her art teacher told her to "just make a mark and see where it takes you." So the little girl grabs a marker and stabs the paper with it. (I have been there!) The teacher looks at it and then has Vashti sign it. The next time she walks into art class her picture is framed in "swirly gold" and hung above the teacher's desk. And Vashti thinks to herself that she can make a better one. And off she goes to explore the dot with all kinds of art materials. She creates numerous compositions based on her original dot and is the hit of the art show. There is a little boy there admiring her work and in awe of Vashti. But he says that can't draw a straight line with a ruler. So she asks him to show her. And then she asks him to sign it.
Now how cool is that book? It is one to buy and have on the shelf for both my kids and myself. I encourage you to check it out at your library or local book store! End of ramble....
But everyone talked about their cutter so I thought about what I reach for in my craft cupboard (wish it were a door knob!) when I am going to make a project. I reach for my Tomboy tape thingy - another essential item when making cards, so quick and easy. But before I even do those things I usually am on the computer. Maybe it is a card sketch or a color challenge (waiting waiting waiting with baited breath for Kristina to upload her latest!) or I have a specific project in mind and I know that there are fantastic cards made for inspiration in some one's gallery, someone like Kittie747.
Anywho, I am off to go spend my Rubbernecker bucks... Yahoo!

A Cup of Tea by Amy Ephron

2008-05-06T22:17:00.000-07:00

This novel was inspired by a Katherine Mansfield short story, A Cup of Tea. I think I will check it out from the library to see how it differs. It was a quick read, each chapter being only a couple of pages long, at most.

It would have been perfect for my car book. I keep one there so that if both kids fall asleep I am not stuck in the car waiting for them to wake up. I can't move them either because most likely they will have power-napped and be awake when I don't want them to be. I take advantage of these moments and turn them into Me Time. That means a trip through drive-thru Starbucks, drive somewhere nice or home and settle in with my car book.

Can you change some one's life by doing something nice for them? Can your act of kindness set the course of their life in a completely different direction? Did you think that by doing so your life would not be touched other than to be able to say that you did something nice for another person? How many people's lives are touched by your actions, even if they are not the direct recipient?

This is that story. Yet there are pieces missing, on purpose that make you wonder who the characters really are... what happened to shape them into who they are.

I read it fairly quickly, as I enjoyed it. I will tell you that, as the back of the book reads..."there is a shocking conclusion." Okay, not exactly earth shattering like Night Fall by Nelson DeMille (holy crap!!!! the way ND wove real life and fiction together!!! a favorite of mine) or absolutely angering (for me) at the horrible tragedy of Message in a Bottle by Nicholas Sparks ~ I was so bitter about the ending of that one that I swore I would never read it again and nearly made up my mind not to read another one of his stories. I got over it enough to read other books by him.

The thing I liked about A Cup of Tea was that what I predicted what was going to happen, didn't. And it didn't end like I thought it was going to once I figured out that my prediction was wrong. It is a bit of a dark tale. A good winter book, under a blanket on a comfy couch on a rainy day, sweetened by a cup of hot chocolate.
(Did you think I was going to say tea?)

No more snackin' more me!

2008-05-05T12:27:00.000-07:00

I have recently discovered that I no longer wish to eat snacks if the bag is open in the house. My new weight loss secret stategy? The power of observation. There is a teenage boy in the house who likes snacks too. He also likes to keep his hand in his pants while sitting at the computer or watching tv. Not much of a hand washer.

Inspiring Story (and yes, I teared up over it!)

2008-05-03T11:11:00.000-07:00

Opponents carry injured home-run hitter around bases
Someone commented on how this was a win in life.... so true.

When I post there are a little over 1200 comments regarding this story. Some people get it and others just don't.

LSC166 - Spotlight on circles

2008-05-02T18:20:00.000-07:00

The limited supply challenge in sc was as follows:

This week, you're limit is on tools. Not only are the tools limited, but you can only use one type of punch.... CIRCLES!

Stamps: any
Paper & Ink: any
Embellishments: any
Tools: circle punches, circle die cut shapes, circle cutting systems

I made this little sour cream container because my friend and SU! demonstrator Toni usually gives one away as a door prize and I think they are adorable. My other friend Wendy and her DH (I have more than 2 friends!) are going away to Mexico for 2 weeks. As a little going away gift I got them some SPF 30 lip balms so I packaged them up in this, using the LSC for the week as my theme. It is also in my gallery for all the nitty gritty details on products, mostly SU! The only change I made was the placement of the third strip of tacky tape - it's on the other long side of the paper.

Thanks for looking!

Oh the things kids say...

2008-05-02T18:17:00.000-07:00

Mommy! I have to go poop!
Okay, just give me a minute. (I'm putting food on plates.)
I'm nervous.
Why?
The poop is making me nervous!
Okay, we'll go right now!

Hide-and-go-seek! ( 3 Year Old Version)

2008-05-02T13:53:00.000-07:00

Wendy, you close your eyes and I'll hide, 'kay?
Okay! Ready? I'll close my eyes. One... two...
Ryan scampers off to hide, giggling loudly the whole way.
three.... four....
scrambling inside the box, almost shrieking with delight
five... six...
Tee hee hee seven... eight...
nine... ten... Ready, or not, here I come! Now where is Ryan?
Over here!
Is she under the table?
No!
Is she under the easel?
No, I'm in the box! By the door!
Did I hear something? Was it Ryan?
Yes it was!
giggle giggle
I think I'll look in the box!
laughter from within
Oh! There you are!
How did you ever find me?

Kristina's Color Challenge #7

2008-04-30T22:00:00.000-07:00

Kristina has issued her latest color challenge.

The colors are Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa, Soft Sky and Very Vanilla.

I used Soft Sky for base card stock, Close to Cocoa DP, Chocolate Chip as a base for the Very Vanilla piece with the pussy willow from the Blooming with Love stamp set. It was stamped in Timber Brown StazOn and the pussy willows were colored in with a Creamy Caramel marker. The sentiment is from the Simple Delights set stamped in VersaMark. The band is Chocolate Chip grosgrain and the ruffle is Very Vanilla Taffeta. All materials and stamps are by Stampin' Up! I think it will be the Mother's Day card I send to my step-mom in Colorado. Thanks for looking!

Wordless Wednesday

2008-04-30T00:00:00.000-07:00

What is Wordless Wednesday?
On Wednesdays all over the Internet, bloggers post a photograph with no words to explain it on their blog. Hence the ‘wordless’ title. The idea is that the photo itself says so much that it doesn’t need any description.
Check out WordlessWednesday.com for an archive of interesting WW posts.

Taken from: Mom's Talk Radio formerly Mom's Radio Network) is a network of Internet radio and podcast programs for moms. It's like chocolate for your ears!

If I've said it once....

2008-04-29T19:17:00.001-07:00

I have said it a million times:

Leave the bathroom door closed.

Cole likes to play in the water. Any water. The toilet has water! Okay, how gross is that? No matter how often I clean the toilet. Our toilets are crappy and I mean that. They are the low-flow kind that helps you "save" water unless of course you have to hold the handle down and flush it two or more times to send it away. They get plugged at least every couple of days. And the older kids are not interested in making sure the bowl is empty before they leave. I have been asking nicely for as long as Cole has been crawling or couch surfing to please keep the door closed. I have heard the warnings about how toddlers can fall into a bucket of water or toilet head first and don't have the upper body strength to push themselves out again. I hate thinking about it. I baby-proofed the house as much as I possibly could but it really doesn't matter if you don't have everyone on board with that plan.

Finally, something to illustrate my point:

These are Daddy's glasses. He was watching them while I was in the shower. He decided to go out and mow the lawn. Did he tell me he was leaving? The kids were in the bathroom with me for the moment, but were wandering freely back and forth. (Leaving the bathroom door wide open so all my nice steamy warm air was escaping while leaving the cold front right outside the shower door.) Ryan came back in and said that she couldn't find him anywhere. (Where could he be, he supposed to be watching the kids?) I told her to see if he was in the bathroom. Apparently he had been there because he left the door open. Then he went outside. YOU CLOSE THE FRONT DOOR WHEN YOU LEAVE..... same concept!!!!

I found Cole playing in the toilet. Thank God it had been flushed properly. Later on DH told me that I heard him go outside and mow the lawn. Really? Because I am pretty sure I didn't hear anything other than the sound of the shower, the kids making their usual din, and the sound of my own voice over theirs. I guess I am supposed to just know where he is and what he is doing. I think I'll try that next weekend when he is in the shower and sneak off to Starbucks. You heard me leave!

So I grabbed my camera, took a couple of shots and left them there. :D

Five Quarters of the Orange by Joanne Harris

2008-04-28T22:59:00.000-07:00

I finished this book the other day. The author has also written Chocolat which I have not read yet, while the movie is one of my all time favorites. It will be interesting to read it and see how different it is from the book. Perhaps at this stage it is even unfair to offer an opinion on this book based on my Chocolat-the-movie expectations. I thought that perhaps this book would be like Chocolat, whimsical in nature but still dealing with the stuff that happens in every day life.

Every day life.... life is what happens when you are making plans, right? The movie Parenthood with Steve Martin had a good analogy about life. Near the end of the movie the Grandma is explaining to him and his wife how life is like a roller coaster. Steve's character thinks she is just senile while his wife truly understands what Grandma is talking about - thinks she is brilliant actually. It isn't until the school play that it makes sense to Steve's character.
My own life, and as I watch, the lives of my friends are just like the game of Chutes and Ladders. It seems financially to about all of us that just as you're about to make it to the tippy-top finish line you are dealt the spin that sends you packing all the way down down down to the beginning. Never mind the other stuff that comes with marriage and family, life and death. And you don't get to just lay there, crying about it - you pick yourself up and do it all over again. The fun parts are the rewards along the way as you make your way back up again.
Anywho, overall I liked Five Quarters of the Orange. I will read it again sometime down the road and most likely get something new and different out of it at that time. At times it made me tense: I didn't want to read further but I had to. It made me uncomfortable at spots because of what was occurring to/by the characters. The book, Like Chocolat is written in the prose of food. A number of the names are fruits like raspberry and peach, the mother's recollections are threaded through her cookbook, and the main character owns a restaurant. It is a rich book, with lots of textures and flavors woven throughout. It is not a bright and cheerful book, although there is resolution and hope in the end; I have a friend who is going on a vacation for a couple of weeks and I am not going to give it to her for her beach read, not light and fluffy enough for that kind of reading. I will give it to her when she gets back and let her choose a time to try it. And who knows, she may get something entirely different out of it than I did.
It's a keeper but won't be worn torn on my shelf.

You and Me and You and Me and other ramblings

2008-04-26T00:33:00.000-07:00

This is the card I created for Beate's Weekend Sketch Challenge #45. I was compelled to make it tonight. I had to because I made a card that was a good idea but not a good final product. It was a submission to No Time to Stamps: Stamp Simply #32 - Think Outside the Box: to use a stamp in some way that it was not originally intended. I thought that was a great idea. I used alphabet stamps: two B's became a butterfly, U for tulips, D & o for a ladybug, O for robin's eggs. The scribbly flower from Mixed Bouquet became the bird's nest. You get the idea - check out her blog for the creative ways people used their stamps.
I am happy with this card so I can go to bed without my mind stewing over the other one. Base cs is Ruby Red with the Weathered stamp in River Rock. What a great color ~ SU! should really add it to their Neutrals selection in their catalog once it is gone from the In-Colors. The sentiment in Chocolate Chip is from Cornish Heritage Farms: The Rummage Bin "Primitive Beginnings." The accent is from K & Co. ancestry.com. The designer paper is from My Mind's Eye: "#2 Berries" & "Just Like Us". I {heart} dp! The dp pushes me to try new and different colors. I bought the Bazzil paper because of a card that Biggan did - she has amazing colors and puts her projects together beautifully. I was in the Bazzil area trying to recreate that card when I stumbled into the Mind's Eye selection. I could spend all day and all my money on paper. Biggan is on my favorite places to go: she is the Swedish blog that I can't read! I tried to convert it but you know how well that goes... language is such a fluid thing and there is a lot of lingo in the paper crafting world.

It was a good thing to get out of the house for a while today. We were out of peanut butter and I heard that gas prices have reached another high per barrel. Yippee! Time to fill the tank and Costco has the best prices around here. I drag the kids out of the house before 9:00 am Monday through Wednesday so I can go to the gym. I feel like I owe them a morning at home. But there comes a time when you just have to change the scenery. For us, that was a trip to Costco. Ryan loves to go there because of the samples they hand out. She reminds me every time she sees a station, "Mommy, I'm hungry!" And yes, that was me, trying to act casual, holding my daughter's hair out of her face as she spit the sticky wad of almond butter into the trash can.
Kids keep you really humble.

Left Over Scraps!

2008-04-25T10:59:00.000-07:00

The List:
1. Make a square card. (Any size)
2. Use only scrap pieces of paper. (The base card doesn't have to be a scrap.)
3. Use ribbon or fiber scraps.
4. Use only ONE other embellishment.
5. Use any colors, stamps, and tools.

My List:

My card measures 4.25"
All scraps: River Rock (base), Old Olive, Very Vanilla
Christmas Ribbon
Stamps: Absolutely Fabulous, Friendship Blooms
Ink: River Rock, Basic Black
Tools: Distressor, Glue & Pop dots

I tend to save anything that I think I might have a use for at some later date so I love a challenge like this. (Although - I don't know if this is reinforcing bad behavior or not...)

The paper was from my Easter Boxes project. I had to cut a 1/2" off the DP to create a smaller bottom box so I had this pile of pretty strips of paper. It was pretty late last night and I was just finishing up the card project I am making for my mom when I saw the pile. I spread them out and just started to weave them. Kristina recently did some ribbon weaving on her blog which looked pretty nice. The ribbon was from a gift basket of chocolate covered nuts that we got at Christmas. They were yummy!

Tire Swing

2008-04-24T11:07:00.000-07:00

When I was a kid we had a huge elm tree in our front yard where my dad placed a tire swing. This provided hours of fun for my sister and I as well as our neighborhood friends. When my husband gets home my kids greet him in a way that any outsider to our family would think was bizarre. They both lay down on their backs with their hands and feet up, little turtles who have landed on their backs and can't roll back over. Or the little dogs in the pack showing their bellies in submission to the Big Dog. Then comes the mantra from the little boy, "'wing, 'wing!" They want to go for a swing. I swear my daughter is as tall as she is for her age because she has been stretched out from swinging. It's the stuff the doctor tells you not to do and dad does it anyway. Swinging comes in a variety of ways and all to the delight of the little ones. There is much happy shrieking and laughing and it does make everyone smile.

It's hard not to smile when you go for a swing at the park - I almost never see kids frowning while swinging. I find it is a place where you can let go of those things that pester your mind and drive you crazy. When I lived in Ohio there was a factory that had a company park with the old time swing set - the kind that would not be allowed to remain standing these days. The arc of that swing when you were really going seemed to last forever. I loved that swing and wonder if it still there.

There was a challenge two weeks ago on scs on using eyelets. The above card was my submission and these were the thoughts behind the sentiment from the Happy Hellos stamp from the Stampin' Up Lots of Thoughts stamp set.

A Mother's Day Card for Me!

2008-04-24T10:53:00.000-07:00

A locally owned bookstore in town was a huge destination spot for many people but because the way people have changed the way they buy books the bookstore decided to close. Along with books they had a great selection of cards - unusual and quality in their selection. The ripple effect still touches me on major holidays because that was where my DH shopped for my cards. He doesn't like the ones in the grocery store and isn't the Hallmark kind of guy. So instead I made myself a Mother's Day card for him and the little kids to give me. It was fun. This was for another combination of splitcoast challenges; a card sketch (layout) and colors: chocolate chip, pretty in pink and certainly celery. I used SU stamp sets: All in the Family & Accessories, Fresh Fillers, Blooming with Love, Mixed Bouquet and Watercolor Garden.

The main flower image was done using Watercolor Crayons and I added Yellow stickles to the centers. The stickles are also on the flowers that the kids are holding. Those flowers were cut out and popped up a little bit using mini glue dots.

How cute is this?

2008-04-22T23:28:00.000-07:00

http://www.scrapsupply.com/forums/album_showpage.php?pic_id=18758

I LOVE how creative people are - they make you look at the world with new eyes. I find it thrilling to see what other people come up with. Inspirational challenges are fast becoming a favorite of mine. What inspires you?

Grow Grow

2008-04-22T23:13:00.000-07:00

"Behind every blade of grass is its very own angel that forever whispers, grow grow." (The Talmud)

My friend Kari gave me a book a couple of years ago and this was one of the quotes in it. This quote has always stuck with me. Now that I am a mom it has even more meaning to it. It is the definition of Motherhood - for you are their angel whispering, hoping, cheering for them to achieve, to grow.

In the eye of the beholder

2008-04-20T18:20:00.001-07:00

Mess? or tunnel?

You decide.

Beate's Weekend Sketch Challenge #44

2008-04-20T17:53:00.000-07:00

I was able to do Beate's challenge since there was not a Sprint Cup race on TV today. I am number 117! It is not posted to my scs gallery as there are no uploads on Sunday. Here is what I used:
Stamps: Simply Sent Simple Delights card kit and Watercolor Garden
Ink: VersaMark, Rose Red, Close to Cocoa, River Rock, Always Artichoke, Soft Sky, and StazOn Timber Brown
Paper: River Rock (for the base card), Night of Navy, Always Artichoke, Kraft, Soft Sky and Basic Grey DP Phresh & Phunky: Phlordilee and Phiniky
Accessories: twill tape (stamped with the StazOn), SU Vintage pewter brad, Brown SU journaler (stitching), K & Co. "Ancestry.com" adhesive chipboard, SAMJ, glue dots
Tools: SU Mini-envelope template, Making Memories Paper piercer, sponges
Techniques: faux stitching, distressing
It is difficult to see but I used VersaMark to stamp the flower on the Night of Navy. On the envelop I stamped off in Close to Cocoa, River Rock and Rose Red. I distressed the envelop and stamped the inside with the smallest stamp from Simply Sent with River Rock. The sentiment card from WC Garden is stamped in Always Artichoke and I sponged River Rock and Rose Red along the edges. There is faux stitching along all the edges of the main blocks.
Thanks for Looking!

An Apple a Day...

2008-04-19T23:58:00.000-07:00

I was wandering around the new submissions on Splitcoast when I ran across a card that really popped to me. I opened the post up to find that it was part of this challenge:

http://notimetostamp.blogs.splitcoaststampers.com/2008/04/18/stamp-simply-challenge-31-black-accents/

The challenge was simply to use black accents, that's all. And there's no time limit! Woo hoo! So I made this after I put this kidlets to bed.

I used Stampin' Up (SU) products for stamps & paper. Filigree stamp for the background on the Old Olive and Swirls & Blossoms for background on the Real Red, both stamped in VersaMark. The Real Red inked apple is out of the Fresh Fruit set. I used a Brown SU marker for the stem. The double stacked ribbon was a technique challenge from a couple of weeks ago; it is a combo of Michael's ribbon. The SU gingham ribbon in the corner is secured by a Vintage black brad. It was a very simple card to make.

I uploaded my card and stumbled across another challenge from Beate - she's big at splitcoast! http://beate.blogs.splitcoaststampers.com/2008/04/18/weekend-sketch-challenge-44/ I hope to give this one a shot tomorrow.

I think it is fun to wander around people's blogs and see where you end up. Around the world in 80 pages, ya know?

April showers bring May flowers

2008-04-19T14:31:00.000-07:00

Okay, so if April showers bring May flowers what does mid-April snow and hail bring?
We awoke to snow this morning! It started after I went to bed last night. The flakes were the huge ones that would cover the palm of my daughter. The ground wasn't cold enough for it to stick and play in. It made for some happy kids though! Ryan wore her cherry boots with her jammies for breakfast and Cole wandered around, pointing and saying "'no, 'no."
I googled the saying and the New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition, 2002. brought me this: Some unpleasant occurrences bring about better things. My personal version of this one: "A little cow manure in the garden to make the flowers grow," although that is not exactly how I say it when I am relating it to someone else.
The weatherman said to expect thunder snow this afternoon. I love thunder, I can't wait!

Mommy, keep your eyes open

2008-04-19T13:36:00.000-07:00

I don't want to! I am sick.
Mommy, why are you spitting in the sink? I could hear the concern in my daughter's voice as I dealt with a terrible headache and yes, regurgitating my lunch.
Mommy, just take a deep breath, my daughter tells me. She's such a sweetheart. My son is on a high-fat diet so that he gains some more weight. We even go back to the doctor on Wednesday because he hasn't gained enough since January. He drinks half and half instead of whole milk. He gets toast with lots of butter and breakfast sausages to start his day. Cheese whenever he wants. Steak and pasta Alfredo for lunch. Basically I feed him everything I wish I could eat a lot of. Everything that isn't on his allergy list, which complicates the whole food thing. So yesterday after nap I fed him ice cream (made with only egg yolks) and whipped cream. I also ate some too. (sigh) I have no trouble gaining weight. But that all came back up. The good news is that it tastes okay the second time around. I have learned from experience that Doritos do not taste good again, but peaches are pleasant. The kids had the same thing that I had but they were fine, thank heavens.
The children, of course, can sense that I am ill. Ryan was making sure I was cozy on the couch and sharing the blanket with me so I didn't feel alone. Cole was up close looking in my eyes and giving me pats. I, of course, sleep with one eye open because he has not yet grasped the term gentle. Well, I should have kept an eye open. He bonked me on the head with the house phone and the hand-held music box that once belonged to my sister. (Think sharp object before the idea of baby-proofing and child-safety was invented.) He also thinks it's funny to sit and throw himself back with all his might. It is just not so funny if he is on your lap and you're caught unaware. God, you gotta always be on your A game as a mom.
I make a call to my DH to see what he has got going on. He is at his son's baseball game out of town. After that, the boy is off to batting and then back home to work with the personal trainer. No help there. The last time I was sick, it was January. My son was sick too and lost the weight that I had been able to put on him. He was drinking Carnation Instant Breakfast with half and half which the doctor suggested as a weight-gainer that night. Now he has taste aversion to anything chocolate and grape (Pedialyte). Anyway, the morning that I was first ill I asked my DH to please go to the store to get some 7-Up. My mom always served Fresca during these episodes and to tell you the truth I am not sure they even make it anymore. DH said that he didn't have time. (DH is older than I am - I think that he forgets that someday I am going to be taking care of him. Think slightly evil giggle.) How nice and caring he is - just makes me swoon...no wait, that is the fever. I am not sure I covered this in my Thank God for Girlfriends Post, but my friend Shannon brought some over right away and she and the 7-Up were life-savers. I love my girlfriends.
So I move off the couch and to my bed for maybe a moment's peace for my headache. Soon the little pitter patter of small feet can be heard. And a moment after that, Cole is straddling me and bouncing up and down because this is how we play "Giddy-up Horsey" and Ryan is jumping on the bed. Ahh, peace and quiet.
When my husband comes home I am serving dinner to the little ones. Frozen mini-pizza that I don't have to prepare, or smell much for that matter. When he comes in he says hi, scrapes the little kids off of him and heads to the garage so he can participate in personal training. Are you kidding me? I barfed. I still have a screaming headache. And you're going to do what you always do? He doesn't really like the look on my face but isn't stupid enough to ask "What?" He amends this by taking the baby with him to the garage. Not really helpful because it prolongs the dinner hour for me and puts off bath and bedtime for all of us. But I take advantage of it by finishing the laundry. Yippee.
I get "dinner" fed to the little kids and have them in the bath when DH comes to ask me about dinner plans. If you were a baby bird I could help you quite easily... open wide. Okay, that's gross and evil thinking but I am doing way more than I feel like as it is. There is plenty of stuff in the fridge.
It's fend for yourself night!
I think I heard him heading off to the store as I was putting jammies on. It is always fun when he goes to the store because he buys as if money isn't tight, and even better if he goes hungry because there are all kinds of treats in the house for days.
I put the three of us to bed and was asleep before 10:00 p.m.
I am much better today, thanks!

Live Love Laugh

2008-04-18T13:21:00.000-07:00

I think that is such a great motto to live by - the key is to remember to practice it every day. I need to laugh as I reshelve the books again after finishing this post! Friday is Limited Supply challenge day at splitcoast stampers so I made a card. I just got this stamp set last week from Cornish Heritage Farms. The set is called "Primitive Beginnings". I had been visiting with out of town family so I have been out of the house most of this week. It sometimes takes me a couple of days to settle back in. I wanted to participate in Kristina's color challenge on Wednesday but the pile of laundry was more pressing. Hopefully I can catch the next one. Thanks for looking!

Fitted Sheets

2008-04-17T15:36:00.000-07:00

Don't they just drive you crazy when you want to fold them as nice as the flat sheets? Sometimes it just really BUGS me when I can't get something to look nice. And yes, I have even resorted to having a mini-temper tantrum (privately, as I should be modeling proper anger management to my young children) and balling up the wad and shoving it on the ridiculously shallow shelf in my bedroom closet. There!

Today I went on line to search folding fitted sheets knowing that Martha has one out there. http://www.marthastewart.com/article/how-to-fold-a-fitted-sheet I wish Martha had done a video; however, I hadn't ironed my sheet before attempting this project anyway. I watched a couple before realizing I wasn't in the mood to follow directions step-by-step. I did it how I usually do it (no, I didn't have a temper tantrum) and it turned out pretty good. I thought this video was the best one of them all: http://www.metacafe.com/watch/384148/fold_a_fitted_sheet_with_perfectly_squared_corners/
I'll try it next time!

Redefine Your Life

2008-04-14T15:27:00.001-07:00

Sounds like the title of a self-help book. I think that is what parenting is - a redefinition of your life. Say goodbye to staying up late and sleeping in. Hasta luego to going to the bathroom all by yourself and eating your food while it is hot. Au revoir to impromptu trips out with friends, never mind a quickie with the DH in the middle of the afternoon.
Let's take a moment to redefine picnic.
As you used to know it, is sounds wonderful. A red and white checked blanket spread out on the ground with all kinds of yummies in a wicker basket. Some food. Some beverages. Something sweet. Some chat. Maybe even a little nap under a tree in the heat of the day or quiet time with a book next to your partner.
(sigh)
The other day my friend Wendy and I decided to get together for lunch. She works in the construction industry as I did before I quit my job to be a stay at home mom. Some days she has difficult clients and likes a break from the stress of her day.
I like contact with the outside world. Other adults. I like getting out of my house. Sometimes all you seem to do at home is clean up a mess so they can make it a mess all over again. I have lots of books around so that my kids and I are surrounded in a print-rich environment. The book shelf is open so that I can stack books on both sides and it defines my daughter's "bedroom" area from the rest of the master bedroom. (We have 6 people living in a 3 bedroom house.) My daughter loves to look at books (YEAH!) which I encourage. She just isn't able to reshelve them easily. My son loves to stand in front of one side of the bookshelf and PUSH all the books out the other side. Then he chooses a book from the pile on the floor. I can only stand this chaos for a little while before I have to straighten them back up on the shelf. Mess begets mess. The books are not alphabetical or on the Dewey Decimal Point system but they are grouped in similar sections: Maisy books together top shelf, My First Little House Picture books larger shelf on right, board books on their the middle short shelf; you get the idea. And yes, life would be easier for me if I didn't care about grouping.... Time to get out of the house! Strap the kids in and off we go.
Redefinition: Picnic
We eat in the showroom because there is a play area for the kids to play in which is great because maybe they will self-entertain for a minute while we have a chance to talk. Plus, the room isn't used by others on a regular basis and we can lock the door. I get a box of California rolls which Wendy, Ryan and I will eat but the restaurant forgets Cole's side order of steamed rice which is a bummer. Wendy volunteered some cheese from her stash upstairs which supplemented their meal nicely. I brought along our snack bag so there were graham crackers and Ritz for Cole to eat but it didn't seem very much like lunch for him. We brought the little kids' table and chairs for them over to sit beside our table. I spread out their little feast and they made a huge crumbly mess in just under a minute. There is the normal amount of getting up, cleaning, wiping, reminding and catering as with any meal with my kids.
Then Ryan requested one of the cheeses. Cole was happy with his string cheese so everything was fine. Well sort of. She was gobbling down the cheese like a mouse while Wendy and I were talking. I look over at her when she starts making some distress noises and she is drooling. Unusual since she is three and not teething. She tells me that the cheese is stuck. She is leaning over and spitting little bits of cheese on the floor, the table, her shoes.
Am I a good parent? Ready with a soothing voice to tell her it is okay and we'll get it out right away?
Nope.
I am crackin' up! I can barely tell her it's going to be just fine, but she is laughing too so she is not traumatized (a lot) by this event.
We have been through this once before so I know what is going on. The cheese is stuck on the roof of her mouth. I have her get a sip of water which has no effect at all. She is trying to push it off the roof of her mouth with her tongue. I tell her to scrape the cheese off with her finger. She gets some out but not able to fix it completely. She is gagging a little bit at this whole thing. I stick my finger in there and get some out too. I take a break to wipe the tears from my eyes and grab more paper towels. I sneak a peek at Wendy and she is laughing at this whole episode, too. I thank god she has cats because she is familiar with hairballs. I figure this is just like that. Ryan gets her finger in there for another attempt and a chunk of cheese comes flying out. Projectile vomit made of cheese. Okay, maybe not exactly like hairballs. It hits the floor with a splat and I thank god for industrial grade carpet. I can barely stand up. I am saved because I have to get on the floor to clean it all up.
Ten minutes later, calm is restored. Everyone's hands , shirt, leggings and shoes are washed, the cheese has either been picked up or ground so fine into the berber that you can't see where any of it landed and the crumbs have been hoovered outta there. Wendy and I settle down for the rest of our picnic.
Redefine: picnic.

Melissa's Bridal Shower Card

2008-04-14T15:24:00.000-07:00

This is the card I made for Melissa's shower. We had such a great time visiting with family. The theme of her shower was chocolate so the food was yummy too.

Melissa's Bridal Shower Treats

2008-04-11T11:09:00.000-07:00

My sister Melissa is getting married to a wonderful guy. She is actually my step-sister because my dad married her mom. I got the best deal out of that union. I have a wonderful "other" mom and grandma to my kids, the little brother I didn't get as a child and a second sister. I don't think of them as step-anything - I am truly grateful that they are in my life.

So in honor of her impending nuptials we are gathering together this weekend to celebrate and I made her these. A found this video tutorial on a website by Angie Kennedy Juda called Chic n'Scratch. http://chicnscratch.typepad.com/chic_n_scratch/2008/01/ghirardelli-c-1.html

Melissa's wedding colors are brown, green, cream and pink. The only thing I did differently was to add some glue dots to make sure the chocolates stayed securely inside the holder and changed up the ribbon to use the pink grosgrain I had on hand and the Certainly Celery grosgrain as well as the Chocolate grosgrain from the tutorial. Otherwise everything is exactly the same. This is called a CASE = Copy and Share Everything. For more stamping/paper crafting acronyms click here: http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4947

Ca$h Math

2008-04-11T10:49:00.000-07:00

This morning my DH traded me my small bills (a grand total of $41) for his $100 bill. He is always generous with the cash he has on hand and I appreciate that. He likes to keep a small roll in his pocket - not like a dope roll, but just a couple of big bills and coffee change - he calls it his walkin' around money. His friend Curt always told him it was hard to feel really bad if you had a C note in your pocket so DH adopted that practice. Before I married him I almost never had cash in my wallet. I always relied on my bank card. But I have found that it IS nice to have some cash and you do feel okay (well, not about everything) if you have a $20 on hand. So I scrounged through my purse, less cluttered for the purse game post from the other day, kept the money I owe to a friend and gave him the rest. I had made a $59 profit before it was even 9:00 in the morning. He always says, "It takes money to make money."

Wake Up Mommy!

2008-04-09T12:49:00.000-07:00

"Mommy, my bottom is cold."

I am snuggled down under my cozy comforter cover, velour blanket and flannel sheets, fighting off waking up for just a minute more. You know the second your feet hit the ground it is going to be a dead run until you lay down again. I am breastfeeding the little one because he is the early riser among the three of us and the one that needs the most supervision when up and around. I am actually kind of warm next to the baby and under all the bedding so I can't figure out why her butt would be cold.

It hasn't dawned on me yet.

I ask her if she would like to cuddle up next to me under my blankets and she snuggles right in. So I finish with the baby, roll over and wrap my arms around her. She tolerates that for a minute before she needs to be free. Some days I feel like I don't hug my kids enough. Once you get up you are always moving. We usually just don't stop for a hug in the middle of the grocery store, you know what I mean?

So she scoots over and I starts squeezing her little limbs and tushy because I find her adorable. And her bottom IS cold. So I start investigating. Up her back and down her legs are cold as well. With just a hint of wetness. I put my glasses on so I can further inspect my bed, my SANCTUARY.

Let me just pause to tell you a couple of things. About two weeks ago my daughter was playing with my glasses which were in the bed on my pillow to keep them safe from the baby. He loves glasses and I was afraid he was going to break them. So they were up in the safety zone while he was wondering back and forth between the bedroom where I was and the living room where Daddy was sitting drinking his coffee. This is an unfortunate time to be a little kid in my household as both parents are engaged in activities that are not conducive to play by young children. Mommy is still trying to sleep - after all, I am the one who gets up and attends to all needs in the middle of the night. Daddy is drinking his Coffee, his most prized time of the day. He gets to relax and think and dream on his next venture, after all he is on a dead run the minute he leaves the house. Neither one of us protects the other one's special time.

Anyway, my daughter is with me chatting away about glasses when I hear "SNAP!" Not a good sign. I am so near-sighted that I need my glasses to fully see the condition of my glasses so I sit up and take a peek. Yep, they're broken. They now look like Opera Glasses. There is one side which I can still stuck behind one ear but the other piece is there on the bed. My glasses are thick so they need both sides to hold them on my face properly. And the frames were so cute - little thin wire ones that cannot be glued or even taped together. And one of these days when money is not so tight I will head right into the Doctor's Office to get a new pair. Until then I will wear them as is. Broken.

My bed is my sanctuary. It is a further extension of a no-shoe house. I want clean things in my bed. No clothes that have been to the outside world are allowed in my bed. I change the kids and myself into bed clothes when it is nap time. Today at the gym's Kids' Club some little boy came out of the bathroom without washing his hands. I know because I was right outside the door putting on coats when I heard his transaction. And off he went to go play. That is how things go. They just don't need to go in my bed. I take it so far that if we go to eat Mexican (my favorite) or similar dining experience I toss my kids in the bath before we get into bed. I don't like the smell of Food in my bed. I even close the door when I am cooking so kitchen smells stay in the other part of the house. Anal retentive, I know. But I like to get into a bed that is clean when I am clean. I sleep better that way.

So there is pee in my bed. And this is pee that occurred some time in the night because there is little wetness left to touch. But the smell is still there. Which means that everything has to come off my bed and the down comforter has to head to the dry cleaners. Spring cleaning has begun!

It's my fault. I knew I should have run her to the bathroom one more time. It had seemed like she had just gone poop so I didn't bother. And she was all zipped up in one those pajamas that have the feet so to sit her on the potty basically means to undress her and redress her all over again. I remember trying to catalog how much she had actually consumed in liquids as I was debating about it. Apparently more than I thought. She still has plenty left for our morning ritual of the potty dance.

So, comforter is at the dry cleaners and maybe I'll get it back on Monday or Tuesday of next week. Which is a bummer because both my husband and I sleep better with the weight of the comforter over the top of us. We got it at the Bon Marche about 5 years ago. The sales lady was explaining the differences in the weights of the comforters and making her recommendations. The one we chose was going to keep us plenty warm, she warned us. She actually suggested the one up from the one we had chosen, but is seemed like it didn't have enough down in it. Boy, was she right. It was winter and we were sweltering. Eventually, we acclimated to our comforter and it has been fine ever since. And we miss it when it is gone.

It is 2:30 p.m. and I am still doing laundry from this morning's misadventure.

You know, you should NEVER ignore that little voice. I'm not talking about the one that is telling you her butt is cold (and don't ignore that one either), but the one in your head that reminds you to do stuff. A stitch in time saves nine. Ain't that the truth!

The Purse Game

2008-04-07T17:55:00.000-07:00

Have you ever played this game at a bridal shower? It's the one where you dump out your purse and you get points for certain things. Here is what is in my yellow and black Beijo purse:

Wallet #1, supposed to be for check book but it doesn't fit
Wallet #2, just for credit cards and ID
Packet of Kleenex, opened
Wrigley's 5, new gum product, unopened - don't even know if it tastes good!
Check book & register
Stila lipstick "Jo" (red, from my wedding)
Bloom lip gloss "Cutie Pie" kinda dark pink & is the YUMMIEST!
Mary Kay Signature eyeliner pencil "Amethyst" sample
Chapstick "Peppermint"Aquaphor Healing Ointment sample
2 Carefee mini pads
1 Kotex Ultra Thin Ultra Compact pad
1 o.b.
Cowgirl Chocolates "Spicy Orange Espresso" (dark chocolate) for a real emergency
Mini key chain ProMariner flashlight
L's BD gift card :)~
Broken zipper pull from purse (need to find some pliers)
7 receipts (grocery store, Starbucks, scrapbook store, used book store)
Empty Red Starbucks Mitten to hold gift card which some little purse bandit misplaced today (Grrrrr!)
And the Pièce de résistance: Frigo Cheese Head String Cheese, unopened, put in there a little over a week ago now, I believe

What's in Yer Wallet?

News Flash: Men Create More Housework for Women

2008-04-07T14:53:00.000-07:00

(cue special music for breaking news story)

http://dollymamas.com/home.aspx

Having a husband creates an extra seven hours of housework each week for women, according to a new study. For men, tying the knot saves an hour of weekly chores.

Yeah... remember when you were dating and your boyfriend was SO helpful around the place? Mine never let me do the dishes and I FELL FOR IT! I grew up in a household where my mom did all the kitchen work and my dad was truly proud of himself if he carried his dish to the counter, near the dishwasher. Then he retired to the couch, you know, because he was tired after a long day's work. It bugged the hell out of me. She worked a full day too but somehow it was fine that he didn't have to help. So this was so important to me in choosing a mate - someone who shared in the chores around the house and didn't expect anyone to clean up after him.

Apparently it is true that you will live in a situation similar to your up-bringing so you fall right back to your old familial patterns.

"It's a well-known pattern," said lead researcher Frank Stafford, an economist at University of Michigan's Institute for Social Research. "Men tend to work more outside the home, while women take on more of the household labor."

I wonder what would happen if I went back to work full time?

He points out individual differences among households exist. But in general, marriage means more housework for women and less for men. "And the situation gets worse for women when they have children," Stafford said.
Having kids boosts house chores even further. With more than three kids, for instance, wives took on more of the extra work, clocking about 28 hours a week compared with husbands' 10 hours.

Try adding two small children and two teenagers whose Dad doesn't want them to do chores. (I can't really explain why this is the way it is, but they aren't required to do anything and I am not supposed to ask them.) Do you think they are going to volunteer?

So, I am building my OWN character and those of my little children by raising them to contribute to their household and smile while doing it. :D

I found that card the other day at a store. I laughed so hard I had tears running down my face. I thought the timing of the news story was great since that card had been on my mind for a week now.

Lost my passport to normalcy

2008-04-04T09:16:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, one of my good friends and I were headed off to our Investor's Club meeting along with my two kids. I don't like to bring them to the meeting but yesterday I used up my "kid-watching coupon" with their dad in the morning. (He thinks it is my job... I think he is their dad.) I used him as a last resort too, because I know what a cramp it puts in his schedule. But since his older daughter had agreed to do it but then decided to spend the night at her mom's house I figured he needed to deal with her flakiness, not me.
I had my Annual - you know, the one with the stirrups and I can't supervise the children very well from that position. Never mind how weird that experience might be for all of us. Plus I can here the retelling of it in the line at the bank. "Mommy, why was that man ....." or "What holds that metal thingy in there?" I have to say, I have no idea about that one, nor do I think I want to know.
One of the last appointments I brought both kids to was Cole's 9 month check up. Ryan was having difficulty listening... or is it I was having difficulty getting my point across to her? about not climbing on the exam table. The doctor told me she was going to step out of the room so I could have a parenting moment. Yeah, something shrivelled up inside of me at that moment. Anywhoo, I decided after that appointment I would see if I could lessen the number of attendants.
Sooooo, I had to bring them along to my meeting last night. My friend is really great with my kids and I think they look forward to seeing her as much as I do. I told her how much I appreciate her helpfulness with them, too. We had to stop at the store which means unstrapping the two from their car seats and lugging them inside. Never a quick stop when you have to do that. But she is a trooper and gets right in there to do it. When my kids were newborns it was always nice to have someone along to help carry stuff - newborns need a lot of stuff like 30 diapers and 25 changes of clothing just in case you get a couple of poops up the back, plus a couple of shirts for me for when they whoops all over your shoulder. That is not even all of it. I called those people my baby-Sherpas. Life savers.
It is funny to see the differences between my girlfriends and my family. The other night our family gathered for dinner; we all came in separate cars. Daddy and big brother (J) had come directly from a baseball game, big sister (M) came with her boyfriend and Storm Holt arrived in the Yukon. My husband left earlier than the rest of us so he could take J to batting practice. The rest of us finished dinner and then it was time to leave. The little ones were obviously squirmy and getting tired. M and her boyfriend left as I was leaving but offered no help getting us to the car. Mind you I am carrying all the leftovers to go in our fridge, the baby and trying to hold Ryan's hand so that we are careful as we leave the restaurant and make our way through the parking lot to our vehicle. I can do it, but if the situations were reversed I would have offered help. Same thing happened with J when I took him to batting practice yesterday. He just climbs in the car and sits there while I put the two kids and my stuff in the car, open the garage to put his bike away, pick up the recycling can which is laying the street, drag it back to the garage and lock the door to the house. Ummm, HELLO?
The entire car ride home, Ryan fed my friend and I a running commentary on boogers and poop. Not that it wasn't fodder for further conversation between my friend and I. But you know you have lost your passport to normalcy when you just accept these topics as regular conversation.
To quote the Talking Heads and their song Once In a Lifetime: And you may find yourself behind the wheel of a large automobile ....And you may ask yourself-well...how did I get here?

With this ring....

2008-04-02T17:48:00.000-07:00

Do you take your wedding ring off? Is that a sin? Not one of the Big Ten, but a no-no in your marriage. I think it has to do with intent. I take mine off a couple of times during the day. I'll remove it when I am doing dishes and kitchen clean-up. I usually where those yellow gloves to protect my hands because I have sensitive skin, but I am in and out of the sink so much that sometimes I don't, or the gloves are sweaty on the inside and need a break from KP duty. My skin is sensitive enough that too much water/washing during the day gives me a rash of little red itchy bumps. The same kind of rash that I will get under my ring if I wear it while cleaning. My finger has even begun to smell under there like rotten kitchen sink sponge if I don't take my ring off to let it air dry. And no part of the body should smell that way. Ever. I have a beautiful ring; wide band, tension mount, platinum, and I love it. Part of my problem is that it was sized for a smaller me, the me before two kids. There isn't much room under there and if I am swelled up even a little, for any number of reasons (salt, sugar, exercise, overheating, cramps, whatever...) it gets tight. Uncomfortably tight. I had to take it off after about the 6th month of each pregnancy because I didn't want to have it or my finger cut off. And after a couple of months after the kids were born I was able to put it back on again, relieved.

I am back at the gym trying to get closer to my pre-pregnancy size. I do step classes two times a week and my hands always get puffy when I am exercising. I don't like the way the constriction feels, like my finger is choking. So I leave it in a safe place where I know I will find it again when I am ready to put it back on. Anyway, I am hoping that in a couple of weeks of proper eating and exercising that this is no longer an issue.

I don't feel different when I have my ring off. I am not free. Or searching for something. Married is married whether I am wearing my ring or not. I love my husband and want to stay married to the father of my children. And on the flip side of that, I don't think I would get married again, unless I found someone who could do their own dishes.

Tales from the Crib

2008-03-31T21:08:00.000-07:00

Imagine the noise you would make if you got to lick a fully-loaded with frosting (or whatever) spatula, from end to end. Kind of like the pigeon about to devour the hot dog from Mo Williams The Pigeon Finds a Hot dog. http://www.pigeonpresents.com/book-info.aspx?bid=17

Aaaaaaahhhhhh

I was driving my two little kids back home from the mall. It was not a very nice day here... rainy, cold, and had been both for quite a while. So I was concentrating on driving because conditions were not the best when I heard my daughter make that noise "aaaaaahhhhhh" from her car seat and her little brother cracking up. I think he was around 11 months so it was really fun to hear him laughing those full belly laughs. Well, what do most kids do when someone finds something they are doing funny? They do it again. She would make the noise and he would laugh his little head off. I thought this interaction between the two of them was really charming and I am giggling away myself as I listen to them. I do have one of those little mirrors that lets you peer into the backseat to see what kind of hell is breaking loose, but I try not to spend too much time on it because, you know, I'm driving.
Well, the two of them had been at this for a good five minutes or so when we got to our exit where we had to stop for a red light. I turned around to see the game in real time. I nearly barfed right there in the car. SHE WAS LICKING THE BOTTOM OF HER SHOE. The shoe that had walked through the mall, played in the children's museum, took a trip to the potty and scampered through the little landscape areas as you make your way back to the car in the wet, grimy parking lot. You've looked down and seen a lot of detritus (fancy, shmancy word for "all kinds of nasty crap") which you don't want to step in. It's the reason I have a no shoe house.
My next thought is "how am I going to clean her mouth?" I can't really wipe antibacterial lotion on her tongue. And a baby wipe just seems inadequate. Ummm, normally I wouldn't condone the consumption of vodka by a toddler, but that stuff packs a punch and would probably kill anything she might have picked up, plus a few brain cells. I don't have any vodka, or mouthwash in the house, for that matter. By the time I got her home it would be too late anyway. Heck, it was too late already; she had been doing this for the entire car ride home and we were almost there. Well, how do you turn this into a positive? She building her immune system! I tried to think of something that would discourage her from doing that again. I came up with: "There are squished spiders on the ground. You don't eat spiders do you? Plus, there is all kinds of dirt and icky things Mommy doesn't want you to put in your mouth." I know she is not overly fond of spiders so I think that worked. She has asked me on a couple of occasions about the spider parts on the bottom of her shoe. Better on your shoe than in your mouth, honey.
When we got home I gave her a big glass of orange juice and a kiss.
On the top of her head.

Ryan's thank you cards from her birthday

2008-03-27T23:04:00.000-07:00

This was based on a sketch challenge (SC169) splitcoast posted yesterday. I love this little set; it is called All in the Family with its Accessories and Family Phrases.

What's for dinner?

2008-03-27T21:58:00.000-07:00

What does that question evoke in you? Some days it is the bane of my existence; others, not so much. I am never sure how many people I am cooking for. My family is made of up my dear (damn) husband (DH in text lingo), two teenage step-children: both teenagers, a girl (M) and a boy (J) , my two kids with my husband: a girl and a boy, and myself. I usually have to plan for as many as 6, but more likely it will be just the little kids and myself. There is a "shared parenting plan" on paper but that seems about it. Dad and J spend a lot of time at baseball-focused activities such as batting and conditioning which take place after school, regular practice and games. This growing boy has to be fed somewhere in between all his activities so the two of them often grab something at the store while on their way. M likes to hang with her friends so she will often eat out with them or have dinner with her mom, or a bowl of cereal while I am fixing dinner.

I don't mind left-overs - they make lunch really easy the next day and often I think the dish tastes even better. My husband? He hates left-overs, unless it is a ham. The teenagers aren't into them either. I will cook something new every night that I prepare dinner. So... I have to plan for 6, likely just feed 4 and try not to have too much in the way of left-overs as I hate to throw food away (my fridge can end up with a lot of left-overs). Or I end up with an odd number of uncooked items for the next night. If I am lucky, I can get my husband to take us out for dinner one night a week. It seems like a vacation to me.

Some days I don't even want to cook. Cereal makes a good dinner. So do PB&J sandwiches, but not for the baby because he has a peanut allergy. He is also allergic to egg whites which means no mayo - he is pretty much up spit creek as far as lunch goes. But I am talking about dinner.

Teenagers and toddlers are pretty much the same thing - their body size is about all that is different. They will look at food and decide they don't like it. They don't like green veggies. I am so proud of my little kids, though. They help themselves to bell peppers (red, orange and yellow) and munch on them like they are apples. The same with carrots ~ sometimes they are crunching away before I can even scrape them. So, we eat a lot of corn. And we all know what doesn't happen with corn the next day.

I try to make kid-friendly food. Kid-friendly food that I will eat. And I understand that my cooking is different from M & J's mom's cooking. But I haven't been able to win them over, except for a couple of dishes. I have noticed that they aren't always keen on what Dad cooks either so maybe it isn't my cooking, per se. So I leave most food in its basic form: steak, baked chicken, hamburgers (although I can gussy up those babies with grilled onions, bacon and cheese and they are still a hit), and hot dogs in the summer. I can branch out to tacos and paninis on the grill but that is pretty much the list of known eatables by all members of the family. No casseroles or crock pot creations. Even spaghetti is plagued by problems: my husband and I each like our own differing recipes, while M doesn't like red sauce but will eat the pasta with butter and garlic salt and J doesn't eat anchovies if he sees them go in his dad's recipe. They always go in the sauce, so you just have to time it right. I don't think you can taste them, the sauce just has good flavor. I like mine better because it is what my mom made for me.

My husband isn't too fond of pork ~ he thinks it is fattening. But when faced with the task of cooking he heads straight to chicken-fried steak. Go figure. Everybody likes that dish, even me.... I like it too much. He is also happy to eat Marie Callenders peach pies and ice cream. I guess it is selective fats that we shouldn't eat.

If you ask anyone around here "What would you like for dinner?" you are likely to get shrugs and "I don't cares" from the teenagers. My husband doesn't even want to think about it. He thinks I am nuts when I ask him in the morning before he goes to work if he has any wishes. I know it is morning but I will be headed to the grocery store before I see him again. And if my timing is right, I can get it done in the morning while the store is between meal rushes and my kids are well-rested. But I would love a suggestion here and there. Sometimes I want to be able to make something that I know he would like to eat. Or something that everyone will enjoy. Or so I don't have to think about it.

“After a good dinner one can forgive anybody, even one's own relations.”
Oscar Wilde

Sure, until I am stuck with the kitchen clean-up too! :D
But that is another story.

What did you have for dinner? Got any good ideas?

Kristina's Color Challenge #3

2008-03-26T23:52:00.000-07:00

Her colors were Orchid Opulence, Rose Red, Pumpkin Pie, Basic Black, Whisper White. This was my submission. Check out the gallery of submissions - there were some incredible cards created out of her inspiration.

Fishy gets new digs

2008-03-24T10:36:00.001-07:00

Fishy, our betta, got a new home on Saturday. I no longer feel like a slum lord. He seems much happier now - swimming around and exploring his live plant and rock.

Happy Easter!

2008-03-24T10:29:00.001-07:00

Happy Easter to you! We (my kids and DH) went to my mom's house for a lovely dinner. She pulled all her four-forked recipes off Epicurious and dinner was fabulous. She made deviled eggs with wasabi! Yummy Yum Yum! I made these boxes for everyone at the table. Here is a link to Kristina's video tutorials - there is a lot of great information here: http://www.kwernerdesign.com/blog/videos.html and she is as cute as a bug! Inside the boxes I made were a Cadbury Caramel Creme Egg (a favorite from my childhood) and a Lindt Chocolate Egg (a favorite from my second childhood). Cole, who is allergic to peanuts and egg whites got raisins. He is only 15 months anyway. The Easter Bunny was good to my kids. Thank goodness for grandparents and attentive aunt and uncles. I completely forgot to dye eggs with my kids this past week. I am sure the kits will be on sale today at the store! It will be fun no matter what day. :D

Hooray (for me!)

2008-03-23T22:42:00.000-07:00

I recently uploaded a bunch of the cards I made to splitcoast. One of them was a card I made for my friend Kari who just moved. I love the style of a lady known as Kittie747 who makes fabulously detailed and complex cards - I think of them as landscapes, like full paintings. For Kari's cards I looked through Kittie's gallery and found some ideas but made up my own design for the card. Well, she - Kittie commented on my card and thought I did a nice job. I feel like the heavens above just shined a sunny light on me along with a glory chorus in the background.

A philosophical question posed by my 3 year old

2008-03-23T22:21:00.000-07:00

Mommy, does Fishy get thirsty?

Fishy is the Japanese Fighting Fish (Betta) Ryan just got for her 3rd birthday from her big sister.

Not knowing the answer myself I did what any smarmy professor would do and posed the question right back at her. All I know is that they have a special little organ that helps them breathe surface air because they often live in small bodies of fresh water with low O2 levels. So they seem like us in that we both breathe air but they live in the water so you can't really compare them in this same way. Air is always touching our bodies because of the atmosphere..... can you see why I couldn't really answer her? I know just enough about a bunch of things to know that I don't know enough to answer her question.

What do you think, Ryan?
Oh, yeah.
Okay, then.

My Fortune Cookie fortune

2008-03-20T21:51:00.000-07:00

Someone will be very proud of you

Do you mean today?

I wonder who that would be. My kids are too little I think to grasp such a concept. Plus they are right smack in the middle of it, too difficult for perspective. I don't think my husband gives it a thought to what I might have done today; he might just notice what I didn't get done. I didn't see my mom or my dad and step-mom or any of my friends today either. And nothing I said to any of them on the phone would leave them the impression that there was something to be proud about. I guess that would leave me. Some times you just have a day. Not a fantastic one, where you can recognize yourself as a supermom and not a horrible day where you think you should resign your position as chief care-giver, 'cause mom is too much a compliment for your efforts, or lack thereof. I took care of all of their basic necessities and did chores around the house. I gave them love in the form of kisses and hugs, books and games like peek-a-boo. I even got them to sleep at a reasonable hour and had some time on the computer before my show at 10:00 p.m. (Okay, it was Lipstick Jungle.) I had their car seats checked by the professional car-seat installer, and mainly because I do not want the responsibility of actually installing them, perfectly, myself. My husband just rolls his eyes at me, thinks I am neurotic. (Heaven forbid something happen to be because he cannot put the kids in their car seats properly.)

Funny, but the first thought I have is how someone would be proud of me in regard to the Me as in Mom. It is mostly who I am these days. I am with them just about every minute of the day, asleep and awake. For myself, me who is not mom, I recently went back to the gym. I exist better when I am exercising, mentally, physically, emotionally. I eat better which is key for weight loss as well. I have tried for 3 years to exercise at home and I just cannot do it. The way I like it: schedule, routine, separate. Doing exercise in the living room with two small children is like trying to make the bed at rush hour (see previous post). Step aerobics is stepping on a bench, not the small bodies of your offspring. Lifting weights for exercise should not be the continued removal of the baby from the DVD/VCR buttons. And yoga breathing is not taking calming breaths because you are trying not to blow your stack because your toddler wants to lie under the mat. Plank is hard enough with the weight of my own body, never mind the enthusiasm with which they think it is time to play bus stop. And I don't want to be interrupted. LOL ~ That comes from the lady who doesn't even get to poop without interruption. (Why was a sliding door without a locking latch installed as the door to my toilet? It should be more along the lines of a castle draw bridge surrounded by a moat and a grumpy dragon. Maybe I'll design that into my next house.) I keep hoping that Pavlov's Theory will kick in some time here soon. How many times does my daughter have to open the door and say "Mommy, it smells stinky in here." And I say, "No shit, Sherlock." Okay, no I don't actually say that. It's more along the lines of: "Well then, don't open the door." And "I'll be out in a minute, sweetheart." The baby is impervious to it, as they all must be at that age since so often they are worthy of hazmat suits themselves. He just wants to rip small pieces of toilet paper off the roll and put them in the toilet.... while I am still sitting there.

(sigh)

Not all of my blogs will be about poop. Only some of them.

At the end of every day I kinda weigh it in my head, take stock of how it went. And I usually can find lots of stuff that I could have handled differently and better. But I get some true beautiful moments when my daughter will say something touching and kind. Or when my son will give me a pat on the arm and the "mmmm" noise for asking or giving a kiss. I can confirm that I do model positive behaviors and that what I am doing is so worth it. But it is also nice to have some time to yourself to think about this stuff. And to not think about it at all.

Sometimes being a mom is like holding your breath under water. Every once in a while you have to stick your head up for air, the air being a MOMent for your self.

Making the bed with two small children

2008-03-17T18:05:00.001-07:00

is like trying to pave the freeway at rush hour.

Letting my self go

2008-03-17T17:44:00.000-07:00

"Mommy, your bed smells like poop."
Great, what every mother wants to hear.

Okay, so I farted. (What did I eat?) It was nap time and I was breastfeeding the little one while reading stories to my toddler when I tooted under the covers. You know how that storm system travels under the cover of darkness, and a down comforter. But that is one of the things I have noticed about myself since I have been a stay at home mom. At first I kinda relished in the fact that I could fart when I wanted; until now, my coworkers never complained. After a while, you stop thinking about it and let one slip when you're in public. Oooops!

Gosh, I can remember being in about 7th grade and praying while I was walking down the hallway of middle school not to do something totally embarrassing. "Don't trip. Don't fart. Is there something stuck in my braces? Oh my god, I think I have a wedgie! Did I put on my Secret deodorant this morning? Is my bra showing? Oh, there's Jimmy V. Just walk normal. Is everyone looking at my butt?"

End of an era, I guess. And I can just imagine being in the line at Starbucks when my toddler tells on me in front of a lot of people.

"No dear, that was your father."

Yukon update

2008-03-17T17:41:00.001-07:00

The service manager called today to say that they were unable to locate the battery draw. The other day they noticed that there was one but were unable to pinpoint the source. Over the weekend the battery did not die, as usual and still after it being driven the draw has disappeared. "Would I like to come get my car? You won't be charged for that part of the service."

We own an aircraft maintenance business. We would never send an aircraft out the door without solving the problem.

Idiots.

Getting my Yukon XL fixed

2008-03-15T12:30:00.000-07:00

About a month ago I went out to start my car and the battery was dead. And I think "crap, I left an interior light on." It might have taken my husband a couple of days (3) to get me a new battery which is not an easy thing when you have two small kids and a family of 6 to take care of. Sometimes you gotta go to the grocery store! (Never mind find some sanity in the bottom of a mocha.) It was deader than a doornail - I mean the remote key entry system wouldn't even work. So he replaced the battery on Saturday night and we dropped a teenager off at the movies and then went for Mexican. I didn't go anywhere on Sunday. On Monday morning I got up to go to the store and the car was dead again. My husband brought home a battery charger and got it charged up again. Somewhere in there he figured out that if you unhooked the battery the problem was eliminated so I carried a little wrench on my keyring to hook up the battery whenever I needed to go somewhere. Eventually my dh found the time (he's got lots of time everyday for baseball for the teenage boy) to take it to our aircraft business where he and the other mechanics did some bypass test to see if there was a drain on the battery somewhere. They weren't able to find anything. He wanted to take another crack at it but I just want it fixed. (See girlfriends entry from the other day.)
Yesterday, Cole and I got up early, gassed up the vehicle (pump shut off at $75! - figured I needed to fill it before gas hit $4/gal) and took it out to the Chevy dealer to have them service it. I explained to them that there is some sort of draw on the battery and that something that may/or not be related to the problem is the OnStar button on the steering wheel. If that button gets pushed you can not hang up and it ties up the radio. The only way to hang it up is to pull the fuse under the hood - I know so much about my Yukon! :)~ - and since it is an "older" vehicle (2003!) the OnStar system isn't digital and OnStar discontinued use on analog in the vehicles in February so I can't call them to have them hang up. Anyway, I told them not to necessarily fix the OnStar for now because I am not using the system but bear in mind that it might be part of the problem. I heard it is a simple fix and the dealer can install the digital system easily. So I shared the information with the service tech. I had them call my husband to share what they found.
They call him later to tell him it is a dead battery. Hello?! Did you not hear me? Yeah, the battery might be weak but it is new and something else is causing the problem. My DH corrected the service manager and told him about the test that they had performed at the hangar and mentioned the OnStar button. The manager said that he was told not to fix the OnStar. Does this seem difficult? The car is there for the battery and if the OnStar is the problem, well that's the solution. It wasn't there specifically for the OnStar system - I can pull a fuse now and then a lot easier than I want to pay who knows how much for parts and labor on a system I don't currently subscribe to. But don't not try to fix the car. I was pleased that everything I told them (on my own assessment) my husband told them but so irritated that they didn't listen. They weren't able to get the problem solved before they closed for the weekend. The service manager didn't have the huevos to call my husband back to let him know - he had the dealership owner do it. In the meantime I have a loaner (gag) until they get it fixed. I feel like a target in this little car and really don't want to drive my kids around in it. The loaner's gas tank was empty understandably because who wants to pay for someone else's gas these days but man, I just spent $75 on gas! The nice thing was that the Chevron guy came out and pumped it for me even though it was a self-service station. Thank you Chevron guy! Should be interesting to see what the service guys find if/when they find the problem. I have googled "battery draw OnStar" and do come up with some stuff. Might share it with the service techs on Monday. Idiots.
:D

Kristina's First Color Challenge

2008-03-15T11:18:00.000-07:00

http://kwernerdesign.com/blog/2008/03/color-inspiration-1.html

Kristina has just created her first color challenge and the above is the link to the challenges. Last night I had a moment so I was able to participate although I don't think you will see it displayed with the other ones that people posted unless she updates her link again. You can see my submission in my splitcoastgallery: http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/gallery/photo/849780?cat=4576.
Yesterday I uploaded a bunch of the cards I have made lately. I have been getting comments and I love it. It seems really cool to share your cards and have people look and say something about them around the world. Thanks for looking!

Tigger, the original texter

2008-03-11T00:01:00.000-07:00

TTFN: Ta Ta for Now!

Thank God for Girlfriends

2008-03-10T23:51:00.001-07:00

I have the best girlfriends. I so appreciate the email that goes around that talks about how important they are. And it is so true. They are always there for you and listen no matter what you are saying. Does your husband do that? A group of us get together at least once a month to have dinner, play games and catch up on each others' lives. Last night my girlfriends gave my car a jump and to quote Rena: "We don't need no stinkin' men!" Girlfriends are even more important to me now that it is harder to see them - being a full time mom makes it hard to go do the stuff you used to do. I call it bc - before children. Gone are the days when you can just go somewhere at any time. So I look forward to when they get off work so we can chat - it makes me feel human again to talk to my friends after spending the day chatting with 3 year old and trying to figure out what Cole is trying to say at 15 months. THANK YOU to my girlfriends who are there for me, through thick and thin.

Heard this on the news last night

2008-03-07T11:23:00.000-08:00

Men who do housework may get more sex
By DAVID CRARY AP National Writer

NEW YORK (AP) -- American men still don't pull their weight when it comes to housework and child care, (Surprise!) but collectively they're not the slackers they used to be. The average dad has gradually been getting better about picking himself up off the sofa and pitching in, according to a new report in which a psychologist suggests the payoff for doing more chores could be more sex. (Seems like a no brainer to me.)
The report, released Thursday by the Council on Contemporary Families, summarizes several recent studies on family dynamics. Joshua Coleman, a San Francisco-area psychologist and author of "The Lazy Husband: How to Get Men to Do More Parenting and Housework," said equitable sharing of housework can lead to a happier marriage and more frequent sex. (Afterall, everyone is making a mess in the house.) "If a guy does housework, it looks to the woman like he really cares about her - he's not treating her like a servant," said Coleman, who is affiliated with the Council on Contemporary Families. "And if a woman feels stressed out because the house is a mess and the guy's sitting on the couch while she's vacuuming, that's not going to put her in the mood."

I heard this story on the news last night. Funny thing is that there is a bit of an age difference between my husband and I, so he is still in that other era. The news story also stated that women spend 11 hours a week with their children while men are up to 6. Excuse me, I spend 13 a day with my kids! Hello? Who did you interview for this story????

An Excerpt from the Messenger of Magnolia Street

2008-03-07T09:52:00.001-08:00

I enjoy food so this passage struck a cord with me. To set the scene Nehemiah has come home from D.C.after being gone from his little home town for 10 years and has gone to his aunt's cafe:

Hunger that winds and growls around the empty places of his soul. Before he knows it, he isn't eating. He is diving, rolling, wading through food. Rejoicing in food. Passionate all over again, in a brand-new way, about food. About each dish laid out before him. His knife is the conductor, his fork the first string, and he is performing for a private, delighted audience of one. He has wandered right into being love-drunk on gravy, and just another bite of that jelly on just one more biscuit. He is full of so much love, so much flour, and pinches of this and that, that his eyes water.

Quote from my Kindermusik Teacher's page

2008-03-06T09:17:00.000-08:00

"Parenthood brings as much joy as ever, but it still brings boredom, exhaustion, and sorrow, too. Nothing else will ever make you as happy or as sad, as proud or as tired, for nothing is quite as hard as helping a person develop his individuality-especially while you struggle to keep your own."
~Elia Parsons

Thoughts on being a married single parent

2008-03-04T22:19:00.000-08:00

No, not a typo. I have been married for 4 years now with a 3 year old daughter and a 15 month old boy. Yet I find myself falling into the category of something like a single parent. Thankfully I do not have to work outside the home so I get to raise my children full time. And I can't imagine how real single parents actually make that work. It's just that when my "partner" is here, I am still doing it full time. My kids get bedtime hugs and some play time but that is about it. Occasionally a diaper gets changed and the toddler taken to the potty but the parenting is really limited. Limited by being a visionary and self-employed but a workaholic at that and then by baseball with his son who almost lives with us full time. That is another story. I am sad for my kids who don't get a lot of his attention, who don't get the balance of being raised by another person besides me, by rarely being refreshed so that I can do it all again tomorrow or an hour from now, for that matter. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my kids and know how lucky I am that I get to spend so much time with them. Time does go by so quickly.... heavens my daughter is already three. (How did that happen?) But it is good for them to have one on one time with their dad. He is a good person and has a lot of love to give them. I understand that he is tired at the end of the day (uh, me too), running from this end of the earth to the other end of the world each and every day but that doesn't change the fact that his little kids need him and want his attention. He isn't usually working when he comes home when I feel that he should spend time with the little ones in the hour that they are still up before they go to bed. I have even postponed dinnerhour and thus bedtime so that they get to see something of him every evening. But he usually ends up in front of the tv or visiting with his older children. I am not trying to get my kids to "compete" with the older ones, it's just that they are going to be awake longer than the younger ones.
Sometimes, I need a break. Anyone with young children knows that not every day is easy. Whether it goes well or not you still have to try to paste a smile on your face, good thoughts in your head, and cheer in your voice as you keep slogging on. But in my household it doesn't matter. Even if I have had the worst day ever, I am still the one who gets them ready for bed, teeth brushed, jammies on, stories read and tucked in until they are asleep. My husband has never done it. Never spent more than 2 hours alone with them ever. Not even when I was sick with the flu and throwing up. (Thank GOD for girlfriends - and that is another story!) He hasn't cut a single fingernail. He doesn't know where I keep the underpants if the toddler has an accident. (Never mind they are in the top drawer of the dresser which she can't reach, I mean not everything fits in the bottom three drawers, if you know what I mean.) What is the deal? I wonder if it is because we are married that he feels they are taken care of and thus do not need any help from him. I hope that my children grow up healthy and happy and think good thoughts when they look back on their childhood.

To Do List R birthday

2008-03-03T12:31:00.001-08:00

Thank you Notes:

S
Grammy
Grandma & Grandpa in CO
Auntie M & J
Uncle M
Big Sis M

Daughter's birthday

2008-03-03T12:19:00.001-08:00

It was such a fun day. I got everything accomplished that I wanted to get done, in one way or another. My mom came up and we went to lunch; we had a nice meal together. We got home, frosted cupcakes and waited for big sister and her family to arrive. R opened presents like a mad woman. I think she has entered the age where the opening is the gift and the present is something to be enjoyed later. She got What Grandmas Can't Do from my mom. Grammy personalized it by adding little pictures of my kids and her dogs and all the little places we go together when we got to her house (Starbucks and the French Bakery) and it is so cute. Her big gift is the contribution to her 529 plan. She got an easel with all the supplies, a Gymboree outfit, a soft sushi set, Mommy's Little Tote, Summertime in the Big Woods (Laura Ingalls Wilder) and My First Book of Sushi from her dad and I. She got My Little Pony, Pooh coloring stuff, and some sweet safety-themed books from her aunt and cousin. Her uncle got her a play sushi set - so cute! G & G in CO got her a beautiful Gymboree rose jumper outfit, a piano trumpet, and Emma a mood puzzle. From her big sister and her family she got 2 cute (yellow & turquoise) shirts and an adorable set of brown petal pusher pants. Her in-house big sister got her a Beta fish. I remembered to actually use my camera during a family event! Yeah!

To Do List

2008-03-01T10:46:00.000-08:00

My daughter turns three tomorrow! I need to:

Make her birthday cards (one from Daddy and I, other from little brother)
Wrap presents
Have her decide on type of cupcake decoration
Clean house