Late Night Rant on Quilts and other Homemade Items

I make things. In fact, I LOVE to make things. I sew, I quilt, I bake, I crochet, and just recently taught myself the basics of knitting. And in making things, I love to make things for other people.

Only often, I'm getting to where I don't...

Let me explain.

First off, I HATE it when people assume that because I can sew, I will happily drop everyting I have in my busy life to become their own personal seamstress. I actually have gotten to the point that I'm hesitant to reveal my talent to too many people because I am often bombarded with people who want me to hem their pants, their dresses, or make them a dress because it would just be so much cheaper than the store, plus they are just so hard to fit! And it's not like it would inconvenience me in the least because THEY'LL PAY ME!!!

(Can you picture the look on my face right now?)

First off, the cost of materials to make a dress are usually more than any dress you can buy at, say, Kohl's, especially if they're having a good sale. And as for the fitting thing, hun, if you're hard to fit at Kohl's, chances are I'm not going to even want to touch the idea of sewing anything for you. I don't do pattern alterations for people. I HATE it, and quite frankly am not experienced enough to even try it. Doing it for myself and risking what may come of it is one thing. Trying it on other people's buck is another matter alltogeter.

And then of course, there's the whole TIME thing. Where on my person is a sign that says I have so much time on my hands, that I have nothing to do to possibly occupy myself for a few days? Um, what part of I have three kids and barely have enough time to sew for them, do you not understand???

Oh, and quite frankly, you can't pay me enough anyway, because I really just DON'T want to.

As to homemade gifts, let me give you another example. It was the second quilt I ever made. First, ever that I painstakingly HAND quilted. And it looked VERY nice, if I do say so myself, a lovely patchwork quilted throw, one I would be proud to display in my own home. The fabric was NOT cheap, name brand designer fabric that was NOT on sale. And it took me a LONG time to do this thing by hand. I was soooo proud of it, so excited to hear the response of the recipient as they opened their gift...only, when it came, I actually wondered that they might be disappointed, that she'd much rather have had a very impersonal gift certificate to Books-a-Million, and while it is (sort of) displayed in a non-prominant room in her home, I would wager a guess that it has not been used, snuggled, or even washed, for that matter, not once.

So...I ask myself... WHY did I make that again? Oh, I don't expect every gift I give to be put in a glass case and oohed and ahhed over. Uh, no. I'm not insane, but I really thought this would be the perfect gift, one this person (who loves to read) would love to snuggle up under on a cold winter night and enjoy a hot chocolate and a good book. Conssequently, I think she has since received a Snuggi and uses it quite frequently.

I might be sick.

And this is not the first time a homemade item was met with less than enthusiasm.

So, I've begun to pick and choose who receives my painstakingly made items. My mother ranks as the top receiver, the woman who taught me to sew and who truly does appreciate my efforts (and not just because I'm her daughter and she has to. LOL) I also have a couple friends who also appreciate the effort.

But I have more to say on the matter...on selling items.

I have made things to sell, quilts, toys, etc, and I've come to learn something about myself.

I am a very selfish sewer...or perhaps greedy is a better word, for I seem to develop a relationship with each item that I make, particularly with blankets and quilts, things that take up a lot of my time, where the fabric or yarn runs back and forth in my hand over and over for a time, and I acutally begin to develop a sort of relationship with the item... For example, every quilt I make, I tend to remember what was going on in my life at the time, or what I was doing while I worked on it. I have one quilt in particular that reminds me of watching a series called Out of the Wild with my husband, for I would sit in the floor and quilt away every time it came on. Same with the show Bones. I have another quilt I made that reminds me of my Irish heritage, a simple patchwork throw that is made up of orange and bright green plaid squares I purchased at a display in the fabric store around St. Patrick's Day. I also have a baby quilt I made that I could not bring myself to sell, so in love with the bright fabrics, and it now hangs proudly on my sewing room wall, mine forever more. :)

And I work on one now, nearly finished, that has been a pain and a half and a thorn in my side, the first LARGE quilt I've made on a sewing machine, and quite frankly, I did not have the room for all the close, intricate sewing I had to do, and thought I would lose my mind before I finally finished cramming that thing in the machine, twisting it this way and that, and knocking all sorts of things off of my sewing room counter into the floor as I did so. Now, I'm binding it, and I have what may actually be a permanent hole in my finger from pushing the needle in and out...Yeah, I should probably go in search of my thimble, hmm? But the quilt??? I am totally, madly in love with this thing and wouldn't sell it for anything, even if I thought I could get a couple hundred for it. It's MINE. Deal with it. :)

That said, I haven't made anything to sew (or give) in quite a while, unless, of course, you count my children, though I really consider sewing for my family the same as for myself, as I get as much joy from sewing my kids things as I do for myself.

And no, I have no idea what I'm gonna' do when I wind up with 30 throws for myself, but I think I will be quite content happily displaying them on a rack in my living room. :)

My Childhood

So...my friend has posted in her blog somwhat recently, both of her memories of her own childhood and also a guest post of her husband's childhood, and it got me thinking back to my own childhood...
I didn't have a bad childhood. Actually, it was pretty darn great, to be honest, with a lot of happy memories. I didn't have a whole lot of problems, save the normal high school drama we all get sucked into. Even so, I would not call it my glory days or anything close. I had a happy childhood, and now I am glad to be in the midst of a happy adulthood. I do not wish it back, happy or no. But still, based on that previous post my friend made and a conversation my mother and I recently had, I got to thinking the other day about the days of my childhood...
Okay, well, let's start by a little physical description of myself...and that actually says it quite well. Little. I was short, pretty much the shortest kid in my class...okay, grade. I've always been little, and I suppose that would make me look like an easy target for bullies and the like...

Only I wasn't.

Because I was tougher than I looked. LOL No, really, though, I was. Call it wiry or spunk or whatever, but I was not an easy person to pick on. I was not above defending myself or another, and often did defend many of my friends who do not know about this, because I did not tell them, even willing to fight someone, should it escalate to that, though it thankfully never really did...though I did do some damage digging my fingernails into a couple bullies' arms once or twice. They pretty much left me alone after that. I did have one girl in high school think she would be funny one day, and she yanked down my shorts in the middle of P.E. when the teacher wasn't around. I don't know what she thought it would accomplish. Perhaps she thought I would turn red and cry or run humiliated to the locker room while they laughed at me. Well, I did turn red, but it wasn't embarrassment. It was fury. I lunged at that girl and chased her around the room until I couldn't breathe. (By the way, I strongly believe GOD kept me from catching her. Because I know if I had, angered beyond reason, I would have beat the living daylights out of her and therby gotten myself into a lot more trouble.) And interestingly enough, the girl NEVER mentioned it to me, NEVER bothered me again. I think, perhaps, she did NOT get the reaction she'd been expecting. Maybe I even scared her a little, because I'm sure my anger burned in my eyes. And even at half her size, I guarantee you I would have inflicted some damage had I caught her... Mama always used to say, "You're little, but your tough." True enough.
I've never been a wallflower. I am not shy, not quiet, unless, of course, I have nothing to say. I have always liked myself, always tried to be the kind of person I wanted to be, to be someone I, myself, could like. Part of this is from my mother. She always told me, "Like yourself. Sometimes you're the only friend you've got," and through the years I've come to see how true that can be. Friendships can be so superficial, so fragile. Friends can be both thoughtless, underhanded, mean, and cruel. Both on purpose and also not. I've learned a lot about friends over the years, and sadly, so many do not live up to my expectations of what a friend should be, of what I always try to be for them.
But that's what my mother was trying to teach me early on, and even though it still hurts, when friends forsake you, I did listen. I was at least somewhat prepared.
I also had parents who always told me I could do anything I set my mind to. And they truly believed it. And so do I. Still do, pretty much. Determination is more than half the battle in most things. And my parents did encourage a healthy, full self-esteem of not just myself, but of my heritage and my family name. I was proud of who I was, of where I came from. Still am.
And, of course, I had God. This is by no means the least of my assets. Quite frankly, the opposite. I was raised in a God-loving, God-fearing (that means respect, for those of you who have never heard or used that particular phrase before) houeshold. We went to church pretty much whenever the door was open, but that wasn't it. I was taught to seek Him, to love Him, and that God loved me sooooo much, that I was special to HIM, that He made me exactly like He wanted me to be. I found salvation at an early age, and though I have sinned as anyone, I was so young (fifth grade) that rather than all the things He'd forgiven me of...it was more of all the mistakes He would help to save me from. Oh, yeah, I've messed up. I've sinned. But I look back and see all the things He helped me with, helped me go through, and yes, even saved me from. I had Him to rely on when so many people do not. I honestly don't know how anyone does it without Him.
My mother asked me recently what it was, I thought, that made me different, that made me not a follower of the crowd, not subdued by peer pressure in high school. Was it just my personality, or my raising, or God? What was it? I told her I honestly believed it to be a combination of the three. I am outgoing, I am sure of myself, and my parents only fueled that with praise and compliments and encouragements. And God, of course. He gave me strength, assurance of His love and care for me, and He helped me to want to choose the right path, to make the right choices. (Oh, but don't we wish we'd listen ALL of the time!?? LOL) And he kept me from catching that girl in P.E. :)
I don't like bullies. I think they are cruel and mean, and I was raised to stand up for the "little guy," to not sit idly by and let someone get picked on and tormented. That is how I try to raise my children now, to teach them to do the right thing. To not let someone be trampled upon and to certainly let no one treat them that way. I am not too worried about them. None of my children or quiet, timid, or shy. My daughter, I think, has the gumption to stand up for herself, and I try to encourage her at home, to know that she doesn't HAVE to let someone do something just because they say they are her friend, but she also does not have to get mad, does not have to fight with someone. Just say no and walk away. She made me proud doing this the other day during a play date, instead of butting heads with the little girl who decided she wanted to rename Little Bit's doll. I was in the other room and heard her calmly say, "No. I don't want to," and she did not fight or argue with the girl, as they have in times past. :) As for the boys, they are twins, so it eases my mind to think that they have each other's back. Though, truth be told, sister is probably the one people better watch out for. I don't think she'd take too kindly to anyone messing with her baby brothers. :)
That is another thing that was drilled into me as a child, and I now drill into my kids' brains...Family is important. Most important. (After God, of course). Friends are all good and well and wonderful, but family is forever. No matter where we go, what we do, we will always have our family, and God gave them each other to love and to care for and to protect and to love them back, to care back, and to protect them back. Built in little best friends, I tell my oldest. Even when they disagree, they have to love each other. They have to compromise. They have to bend. Oh, they're not perfect. No one is. But it hurts me to see so many families who think anger and hatred and jealousy between siblings is a NORMAL thing, something you can do nothing about. They don't realize it has to be TAUGHT. Sure, they're going to argue sometimes, they're going to fuss, but it is NOT okay to hate, it is NOT okay to hurt. No matter what, they HAVE to love each other. Families stick together through it all. I wish everyone could see that, could teach that, could have that in their families. Things would be so much better in this world, were that the case.

Saving the Shorts

Don't you hate it when perfectly good clothing is ruined by a random hole or stain? And it's even worse when they're still practically new! Well, this is what happened to my new pair of khaki shorts. I have no idea when or how, but I looked down at them one day and realized a nasty hole had been ripped in the back of them. It was big enough to be noticeable, big enough to show the color of my underwear, to be honest, but I hated to throw them away. I hadn't had them for a full month, even, and they weren't cheap. It being a rip in the fabric and not the seam, it wasn't an easy fix, either. I could sew it up, but the new seam would be as obvious as the hole was, and a patch just didn't seem like a good idea...until I remembered what I had done to my daughter's jeans not long ago, in order to patch up the hole. First, I patched it with a plain, boring, denim patch, then I covered that with a patch I cut from decorative quilting fabric. I then, inspired by the pretty fabric, decided to embroider matching pictures (mushrooms and dragon flies) in the same colors around the legs. It turned out awesome, esp. for a pair of old hand-me-downs that now look like an expensive embellished pair I paid top dollar for. So, why not mine? So, I rummaged through my scrap basket, until I found some fabric I liked and would be easy enough to mimic in the embroidery, choosing a print from Anna Maria Horner's chocolate lollipop line. (I just love her!) And this is what I came up with. Though, please ignore the wrinkles from being rammed into an embroider hoop and carted all about the house. They need a good ironing, but I couldn't wait to take the picture.

A Few Helpful Tricks

Well, like most people now-a-days, my new year's resolution has been to lose weight, and also like most people, it always just sounds good, spoken with genuine good intentions but never followed through. Except this year, though I did get a late start, the last week of April, to be exact. Now, for those of you who do not know me, I am not huge, nor badly overweight. What I am, is a mother of three who, like so many women, added on a few pounds with each pregnancy until they were just not happy with the way they looked any more. It didn't help matters that my last pregnancy was twins, or that I had post partum depression, plus an additional depression coupled with a dangerous drop in platelets, both caused by a reaction to my MS medication. Basically, I am an emotional eater, eating not just when I am hungry but for the sake of food. I LOVE food. I can well be thinking about what to have for supper while I am still eating lunch. This is, of course, not a good thing. It also doesn't help matters that diabetes runs in my family. I do NOT want to encourage that in my own health, rather, I want to do everything I can to prevent it. Now, those things listed above...pregnancy, depression, etc. Those are reasons. I also had plenty of excuses. And I'll be the first to admit, I have a bad lazy streak. And exercise is not something I wake up, stretch my arms and say, "YEA!" about. Nah. I'd rather pour me another bowl of cereal and break out the laptop. But, I'd had enough of not fitting in my old jeans, enough of sighing when I saw myself in a picture, realizing what I REALLY looked like, plus I just wanted to be healthier, and exercise is always something good for people with MS, anyway, so along with my husband, who also wanted to shed a few pounds, I FINALLY got up off my lazy bottom to do something about this. And in five weeks, I've lost 9 lbs. :) Not too shabby for someone addicted to chocolate and who thought they hated exercise. LOL Oh, I'm not done, by any means. I've got about 9 more to go until I'm totally satisfied (though the real test is the old jeans, not so much the scale...) But hey, I'm seeing improvements! I can already fit into shorts that used to BARELY button if I sucked in really hard. I can already wear a couple dresses I haven't worn since before I had the twins. I even fit into a leather jacket I hadn't been able to wear since before my FIRST child!!! (So glad I didn't throw that out!) AND I bought a bathing suit. That I like...and that I didn't cringe when I tried it on in the dressing room. Whoa...that is also something that hasn't happened since before first child. Now, HOW am I doing this? Do I have some sort of gimmick? Some sort of fad diet or fad exercise routine? Nope. Just counting calories and exercising, but I do have a few handy tricks up my sleeve that work for me, and I thought I'd share them for any one else who might be like me and just need that gentle shove to get started. Now, I'm no health expert or anything. These are just trucks that have really helped me. 1. It's an amazing app called LOSE IT. It's free. Download it! Now!!! :) You put in your current height and weight, what your goal is and if you'd like to shoot for half a pound, one pound, or two pounds a week. (I put in one.) Then it calculates how many calories you can have per day and lists it on the log in page where you log in everything you consume and every bit of exercise you do (and yes, house cleaning is on the list. It all counts. LOL) You can even input your own exercise (like I do on the treadmill...it knows my incline and whatnot, so I trust its calorie count better). And, of course, the more you exercise, the more you can eat. It calculates all that automatically for you, too. :) Cool. Also, it's soooo easy to use. My favorite feature is the barcode reader. Say, you have Special K for breakfast, like I did, today. You scan the barcode, then put in how much you ate (1.5cups for me), and it automatically figures it up and adds it in for the day under breakfast. How cool is that?? But the best thing is that it KEEPS YOU HONEST about what you did and your portions. Now, when you take that fifteen minute stroll down to buy that 400 calorie ice cream, you can no longer convince yourself that the walk cancled that out. LOL And it forces you to measure how much peanut butter you've been putting on that graham cracker to either be horrified or pleasantly surprised at how badly or well you are doing with your portions. But either way, it keeps you honest, and that has been more than half my battle right there! (As shows with my bathing suit purchase!) Oh, and on a side note, it doesn't not berrate you or fuss at you if you do not exercise a lot on any given day, like another program my husband tried beforehand. It would dock him "points" or whatever if he did his run fifteen minutes than he had inputted his plan to do so. He got tired of that pretty quickly. 2. Hot dogs are your friends. At least, they are if you are eating Oscar Meyer's 98% fat free hotdogs. These babies have only 40 calories a piece!!! Now, by no means do you need to eat them every day, and hot dogs aren't exactly health food, but say, if you know you're going out to eat for supper, have a low calorie hot dog for lunch. Or use them to help make your cookout more figure friendly while everyone else is chowing down on that hamburger! (Turkey burgers help with that, too, btw, which is fine for me, as I like them better. I'm not a big beef person, myself.) I love hotdogs, and this was a big help to me. 3. Skinny Cow candy. YUM! It's every bit as good as a REAL candy bar, just as big (that's the clencher for me, too), and like, 1/3 of the calories. A real candy bar for 120 calories? Yes, please. In fact, I often save up my calories for one of these as the end of the day for a well deserved reward. YUM YUM YUM! 4. Portions sooo count! And so does the calorie count of any given food. So, be smart. For example...Now while I hate Kix, I happen to adore Honey Kix, even when I'm not on a diet, and while most cereals are about 3/4 cup for a serving, the Honey Kix will let you have 1 1/4 cups for about the same calorie count. Add your skim milk, and you're good to go. 5. Exercise. This is the kicker for most of us. Ugh. Exercise??? When do I have time? Well, to quote Dr. Oz (though I'd already figured this out, to be honest), the best kind of exercise for you is the kind you WILL ACTUALLY DO!!! So...I like to dance. I like video games. JUST DANCE!!! Love it. I have every version of it, and change it up by doing different songs, different versions, plus I have some dance workout videos. Denise Austin's dance workout and The Bollywood Booty are two of my favorites. And dancing, I have found, is one of the BEST ways to burn a lot of calories quickly, if you actually get up and go at it energetically. I also like the treadmill because I can watch TV, read a book, play on the laptop, all while I'm walking. :) I'm a multitasker. I have been known to earn swagbucks on the laptop while burning calories at the same time. LOL My kids favorite is to pile up on my bed and watch cartoons in MAMA'S room while I walk on the treadmill (I very rarely run). Hey, whatever works. We also do family bike rides, sometimes going as much as 10 miles on a nice Saturday afternoon. We really enjoy these and get family time as well as exercise. A great combo. We also do walks together, sometimes, too. 6. Substitute. For exampke, applesauce for oil in brownies and cakes, when you do have to make that special dessert for somewhere, though I advise only doing half, if you want it to have a better texture. But that's personal preference. Oh, and don't eat 6 brownies or 3 slices of cake in one evening. :) 7. Homemade is always healthier, or at least it is with EVERYTHING I've tested so far. Did you know my own homemade vanilla ice cream has only about 70 calories per 1/2 cup serving? And that's using 1% milk, 2% evap. milk and real sugar. The sugar free ones at the store have at least 80 calories per same size serving. And while I do indulge in diet drinks occasionally, I try to steer away from artificial sweetners as much as possible. And I don't have ice cream every night, anyway. My cheese pizza, by the way, also only has about 70 calories per slice, though that is cheese. You would have to add more for pepperoni or ham or whatever. But still, that's normal non-diet ingredients. Not too shabby, and it's very good besides. 8. Diet A&W Root beer is the best diet drink I've tried. So good I dont' feel like I'm actually drinking diet drinks, and I soooo need my carbonated beverage every so often...and especially with pizza. Anyway, as I said, I am no expert nor do I claim to be. I just know these are things that have helped me out and got me started. Already I'm seeing an improvement and feel better, besides. :) Anyway, good luck to any of you in the same boat, and maybe some of these tricks can help you, too. :)

Kids' Clothes Week Challenge

Okay, so this week is supposed to be the kids' clothes week challenge, where you're supposed to dedicate the entire week to making kids' clothes...if you sew, that is. I actually got a head start last week, finishing up some projects I've had cut out for ever next to my sewing machine, and I was going to take pictures today, but, as luck would have it, my camera battery is completely dead. So, maybe tonight if I get back around to it. But anyway, I have already made the boys some pj shorts (long for more warmth and so they don't outgrow them in two weeks...), cut off a pair of Little Bit's pj pants she had ripped (They are pj SHORTS now), and made her a pair of shorts, a pair of pants, and finally finished a top. I also made them all some t-shirts using bought appliques, an owl for the girl, firetrucks for the boys. They LOVE them. Hopefully, I'll have more to show before the week is up! I'm having a blast getting back to my sewing machine after so long long of...nothing. I've really missed it. And it feels soooo good to finally be getting some of my projects finished, for once! I'll try and get the pics up soon! Also, unrelated, but I am working on a knitted/crocheted baby blanket for my etsy shop. Hopefully, I'll have it finished and pics up before too long! Anyone else working on this challenge?

Springtime...

Well, it seems springtime is in full swing around here. As soon as the nice weather hits, it's like I'm hit with this obsession to go outside and garden. Unfortunately, this doesn't last all the way through summer, as once the full blown heat kicks in, I tend to melt, quite literally. LOL I need to live somewhere where it gets warm, but not hot, I guess. Shrug. But right now, I am just in love with the color starting to appear in my backyard! I spent the majority of the last few days outback, working in the garden, planting new flowers and such. The boys and I planted sunflowers, corn, a pumpkin (thought they would love watching THAT grow), some tomatoes (roma and celebrity) and some Zinnias. I also have some Oregnao and a few things I planted the other day that haven't had time to sprout, yet. But anyway, thought I would share a little of my garden with you! I just love the springtime! Second ONLY to fall. :)

Little Men

Just thought I'd put up a picture of the little men I made for the boys for Christmas this year. I used the Eddie pattern from Wee Wonderfuls: 24 Dolls to Sew and Love by Hillary Lang. I used some old onesies from when the boys were younger to make the little shirts, and the pants are made from some cord fabric I've had around for a while now. They were tickled with them, as was I.

Pin Cushion

I made this dress form pin cushion for my mother for Christmas, using a pattern from the DIY Dish. If you haven't tried out their patterns and ideas, you really need to check them out. I also used another of their ideas for the kids, but I still haven't taken pics of them... Have to do that this afternoon, I guess. :)

Done and Done

Okay, so a while back, I posted a work in progress. Well, I finally finished it a while back, so I wanted to get it up on the blog so you could see it. I was pretty pleased with how it turned out. If I make another, I will tighten up the bodice just a hair (it's a tad loose), and I will make the straps a bit thinner...I think they are a tad too thick. But all in all, not bad for a first sweater. :) And, though it's been done for a few months now, I just got the boots this past weekend so I could actually wear it. :)



P.S. Ignore the laundry waiting to be folded on the couch. Oops. :)

Old Fashioned Skills...

Okay, so a friend of mine has this post on her blog, about having skills that some people consider to be "old fahioned." And, of course, it made me want to list my own set of skills, to see what all I have accomplished through the years...

Let's see. I can:
*crochet (mostly self-taught, though my two friends Amy and Anya got me started. THANKS!)
*Knit (self taught, though this is a new skill and I still need some practice...)
*hand quilt (also self-taught)
*crosstitch (also self-taught)
*embroidery (Thanks Maw-maw!)
*sew (with and without a machine...taught me by my mother)
*bake from scratch (thanks Mom!)
*Make my own butter...Note: My brother got me a German butter mold for Christmas. I soooo can't wait to put it to use!!! I could do the whole yogurt, cream cheese stuff, but frankly, not a big fan of either. Oh well. I do make homemade ice cream, though. And just recently homemade slushes/Icees.)
*garden (Thanks Dad and Mom!)
*Can fruits and jams (usually pressure can, but I can water bath can, as well.)
*Make homeade jams and jellies.
*Make homemade from scratch candy...esp. marshmallows. I LOVE homemade marshmallowes!
*grow my own herbs (though the horrible drought this year kind of killed a bunch of mine. Sigh. I do not dry them, though. Tried once, and the potent smell of drying basil just about kicked my husband out of the house with headaches. Oh, well.)
*Camp - and by that, I mean the stuff that goes with it, like setting up a tent, or finding an appropriate stick for roasting marshmallows, sharpening said sick wih pocket knife, making a proper campfire...etc.)
*And though I have not ever made it on my own, I have helped make homemade sausage with my dad.
*Have not raised them on my own, but have a general understanding of raising hogs and goats from my childhood.
*I can put down tile. :) I'm good with grout.
*Write - I know this isn't necessarily an OLD FASHIONED skill, except that I believe it is quickly becoming so as people turn to texts and emails (guilty here) so often that we forget HOW to write, be it a letter, a poem, a story, whatever...

Skills I am looking to learn:
*making soap and other sorts of cosmetics. I want to make lip balm SOOOO bad. Is that weird? :)

Wow, Amy! You're right. Makes you feel right pleased with what you can do when you write it all out, doesn't it? :) Also realized how in sync we seem to be, Amy! Okay, girl, let's start that soap, huh? :)

Fall Pics...a good deal late...

So, life happens, and I apologize for the fact that I can't keep up with my posts of late. I will try and do better in the future. Consider that a new year's resolution of mine, I guess. :) But anyway, here are pics from our Fall Festival at church (we were supposed to dress up old fashioned, so I made Little Bit and me a patchwork skirt and head scarf from a pattern in Sandi Henderson's Sewing Bits and Pieces.)




The other pics are from Halloween. I didn't make Little Bit's cotume. Rather it was my witch costume my mother made me when I was a little girl. I did get her the cool striped tights and a new hat, as my old hat had long since succombed to moth food. And I painted her face with Ben Nye's Lumiere Palette ...left over from my stash of stage makeup from way back when. (And it is, by far, the most AWESOME stuff to paint faces for Halloween. Once you've tried real stage makeup, the stuff they carry at the costume stores just won't do it for you any more...) I also have the plain color one, too. Not that I love Halloween or anything... :)





I did, however, make the boys' costumes. I painted glow in the dark spider webs on black sweats, and crocheted little spider web/spider hats, and little spider amigurumi to go on their clothes. They, too, had to have their faces painted. Of course.






All in all, it was a very lovely, fun Halloween! I will try and not wait until January to post next year's pics!

I'm Not Stupid...

Really, I'm not. I took several computer classes in college, and I passed with flying colors...in fact, was that student who finishes before everyone else and winds up having to help everyone else get finished.

So...

What's the deal with my new phone?

:)

Okay, so I got this new phone. Let's call him Al. (Do not try and follow my brain's process to try and figure out how I know that my phone is a boy, or why his name is Al. It will probably only give you a headache...) But while Al is a smartphone, just like his predessessor, runs on the same workings...software...programs...whatever, I just can't figure him out. So, what's the problem? Why can't I figure him out? Why do I get so frustrated trying to do or find what I need?

And there are a couple reasons for that.

First of all, I HATE change. I liked my old phone. Unfortunately, I dropped it, as I'm kind of like a human wrecking ball for mechanical things. I once got someone's tv stuck in French just trying to use the reomote... But I digress.

Really, I should have gotten another one just like it, (or at least the upgraded one like it...they don't make my old one any more) but the salesperson (and my husband, though he completely denies that he swayed my opinion in any way) convinced me this one was better since it was 4G (Yeah, we don't even have 4G here, yet...hopefully by March, though), and it had a lot more storage for music and stuff (okay, that was the deciding factor. I can use my phone like an ipod. Coolness!) And so I thought...well, it looks pretty similar, and it seems to work pretty much the same.

Wrong.

You cannot tell anything about how a phone works in the three minutes you have of pushing buttons to try it out. Because you aren't surfing the net. You aren't texting anyone. You aren't calling anyone. You're just playing with buttons.

And so I get it home...and it doesn't have SWYPE. WHAT?! This is a big problem for me, who types like the dickens. Really, I type fast, and having to slow down to push the tiny little screen buttons one at a time drives me insane. SWYPE does, at least, hurry that along somewhat. I have since found out I can download this, but again, another process, as you can't just go to the app store and get it. It's complicated, for some reason I don't understand.

(Also pretty annoyed that all the programs are different, the apps mostly different, everything in a different place...did I mention I don't like change???)

But the whole SWYPE annoyance brings me to another point.

I'm kinda' lazy in the whole technology scene, and my husband is partly to blame for that. Because he's like an electronical whiz, both in installing and in using it. Really, I think the man can do anything (though he would tell me he couldn't. He's a little modest, which is a good thing, I suppose. LOL). And so, it's just SOOOO much easier to go "Hey, Hun, will you put my music on my phone? I don't know how." Because then someone does it for me, and I can go back to my sewing, or baking, or chasing four year olds around the house. Whatever. Anything but electronical stuff.

Because that is point three.

It doesn't interset me. Sure, I know I'm CAPABLE of learning stuff on the computer. After all, hubby has shown me a thing or two I actually remember (and a heck of a lot of stuff that went in one ear and out the other...). But I don't really WANT to. I'd rather just hand it to him and go ho hum about my way.

And so I stare at Al and wonder if we will ever get along, my phone and I. I've figured out a few things, like how to put instant dial icons on my homepage...which is NOT done like my old phone at all! I also can take pictures and video, and I have sorta' figured out facebook...except why I am not getting alerts as to when I have a facebook message, though I liked the way my old phone did facebook better and have no idea how to get back to that, or if that's even possible. (And my husband doesn't really know how to help me with that one, as he doesn't use facebook, so he doesn't really remember how it was set up.) The voice recognition isn't very good with my accent, but this phone seems to be a hair better than my old one. But just a hair. It still corrects a lot of stuff the wrong way. (See, even my voice is not set to work with technology...) And it is faster. I'll give it that. And I will really like having my music on there...when I get it on there. :)

And of course, there is the case. It's called an Otter Box. And it's supposed to protect my phone from such catastrophies as caused by human wrecking balls such as myself. :) Of course, it makes the phone quite large and look like something Taylor and his men would use in Terra Nova. (Very military looking.)

Shrug. Oh, well. When it's all said and done, it IS just a phone, right? And I'll eventually get it figured out...hopefully before it's time for a new phone...

Christmas Cards

Okay, so it's that time of year again, and I have to admit it. I get pretty cranky about this card thing...and it's not the sending them. I love to send cards. It's the getting... Sigh. Now, I know you do not send cards to get them or give gifts to get them or the like, and I don't. BUT...it's quite disheartening when you send out, say...50 cards and get back, say...12. I've had years like that. Really, what is wrong with people that they don't send cards any more? I just don't get it. It's so Christmasy, neighborly, friendly, and just well, a tradition.

Now, I don't expect cards back from EVERYONE. Obviously someone old or sick or going through some hard times, I would never in a million years think to expect one back...only, oddly enough, those are usually the people that send them back. It's the ones who have no real excuse other than they just don't want to that really irritate me.

And it's not just the not getting it back. It's the not appreciating them. For instance, I have a friend who I've sent Christmas cards to since...well, I'd say since I've been married, but quite honestly, I did give cards and gifts even in high school to this person. And to this day, I don't think I have EVER received a card back. AND, (here's the deal breaker for me...) no acknowledgement of "thanks for the card" or even better, "I loved the pics of the kids!" Groan. It's just annoying. Don't people have manners any more? I mean, I don't expect a fanfare or a big reward, or even a card, really. A "thank you" or a "I really appreciated the thought" would be nice, though. Something to let me know that my effort even mattered.

Otherwise, why do I bother? Why send out a bunch of personalized cards with my kids' pictures on them and pay out a whole bunch of shipping just to make myself happy?

I guess I sound like a Scrooge, and I'm not, really. Every year I swear I'm not going to send out to who didn't send me one last year, but usually I give in, feeling guilty and send them one anyway. But this year, I may have to just cut a few off. I don't really have the extra money to spend on someone who will likely just throw my thought into the trash can, anyway. I'd rather worry about all my aunts and uncles and cousins who live so far away and who go on and and on to my mother about how glad they were to get the pics of the kids, as they don't get to see them much. For them, I will fork out the money for the cards and the postage with a happy smile, regardless of the card I do or do not get in return. Because I made them smile, and that's what it's supposed to be about, isn't it?

But now presents and what THAT has turned into...oh, that's a whole 'nother post. :)

Knit and Purl

I can KNIT!!! Okay, so I've JUST learned and certainly need lots of practice (esp. with finding the most comfortable way to hold the needles), and I won't be starting any cable or fair isle sweaters any time soon, but come on! I CAN KNIT! And I UNDERSTAND it. Even how to do cable. I haven't TRIED, yet, but I totally get how it's done. It MAKES SENSE. I just can't explain how wonderful it is to have finally figured out something that at one time seemed so foreign and HARD.

And I taught myself. :) But I really didn't have any choice. No one I know (nearby...miss you, Anya) knows how to knit. And though I did know crochet, the two are certainly very different. But I used the Complete Idiot's Guide to Knitting and Crocheting... (Yeah, I know...real self-esteem booster, that title!), and I must say that the instructions were pretty straightforward and easy to follow...except purling. I just couldn't grasp that with the way they were explaining it. I knew I was doing something wrong, so I had to go to good ole' youtube to figure that out and SEE someone do it. Turns out I was holding the yarn (as in, the part coming straight from the ball) on the wrong side, so my yarn overs were going the wrong way. Easy fix. :) But you can't ask a book questions or press play to see someone do it. So, a good mix, the book and the video.

Anyway, here's what my first attempt looks like.



Yep. I know it's not perfect, but I KNOW what I did wrong. :) First off, I dropped a stitch in the first or second row. Still trying to figure out how to hold the needles and all... And then you will see some "mess ups" further up, which I know what I did but have hard time explaining. Basically, I set down the whole thing last night to go to bed, picked it up this morning and had a brain lapse of "how the heck do I do this again???" Anyway, I think I've got it now.

So, my first project will actually be a felted rolled pencil case. The stitches are straight-forward and simple. (No increasing or decreasing, yet...unless you count the leaf...) And as it's FELTED afterwards, I figured it would help hide a lot of mistakes caused by yarn tension and the like. Though hopefully there will not be a lot of mistakes. :) We'll see.

Look Who I Found in the Apple Bowl

She's a sweet little fairy, whom I found hiding out in my apple bowl in the kitchen. I guess even fairies love apples. :)

She's actually a Christmas present for my daughter, who loves fairies. What little girl DOESN'T?? :) But I thought she was adorable and just had to make her. She even has tiny little green wings!! (And my apologies if you can see the glue where I adhered the bow...it hasn't dried, yet, but I couldn't wait to take her picture.)

Hopefully, more pics to come soon of several other projects. Sorry I've been gone for so long...but it's that time of year, where sickness stalks my daughter home from school...or my boys from shopping carts...sigh... I hate being sick. And I hate it worse when my babies are sick. And one of the boys came down with a fever AGAIN today. Not sure if this is something new or a relapse, but as my husband is suffering from a sore throat and a general lousy feeling, looking like somethng new. sigh. Hopefully, it will be short-lived, and we'll all be okay in time for Thanksgiving. I was sick last year with a sinus infection. Fun stuff.

Hope everyone had a lovely Halloween...I need to post pics of my boys' costumes that I made...okay, put that, too, on my ever-growing to do list as the holidays approach at a mad run! :)

Full Hands

So, I took all three kids to the post office by myself today. Now, I know that people everywhere take lots of kids with them to various locations, and please don't for one moment think that I don't take my kids with me when I go somewhere, or that I think three is some rediculously large number. Of course not. Only know that my kids are EXCEPTIONALLY energetic and playful. :) They are NEVER the kids sitting quietly in the stroller or happily holding mommy's hand as we stroll through a store. Nope. I have the ones who giggle, then break into screaming laughter. The ones who pull things down off all the shelves...or try to. The ones who are EVER loud and rambunctious. Bad? No. Misbehaving? Not usually. Rowdy? Often. :) And they, of course, just feed off the other's excitement when they're together. So, all that to say that we were loud and noticeable (albeit well-behaved) today when we walked up to the counter to mail my packages.

I should also point out that my boys are twins...and toddlers. And identical. So, EVERYONE notices them. I have long noticed that twins have this way of drawing attention everywhere you go, so that perfect strangers think they should just come right up to you and divulge their life story if they, themselves are twins, have twins, are related to twins, know twins, or have ever even met a twin. It's like the "twin club" you automatically get put into whether you intend it or no. And while most of the time, people are nice as pie, and I have never minded the attention, sometimes you can get quite the insulting confrontations. Really? Someone wants to argue with me, their MOTHER, that they're not identical because one of the boys' hair looked darker? (He was sitting in the shade...). Really? If you have nothing better to contribute to the coversation, just smile at the cute twins and keep walking. Though I am always polite and just try to ignore them. Not worth the arguement.

But anyway, post office...

So, we went in, and, of course, all three kids want to be held up to see, so while I'm telling the man (who also is a twin and has a set of twin sisters...see, told you. Twin club.), I have to take turns holding them up to see over the counter. So, then the lady behind me, comments. "Are those twins?"

I smile and say yes.

Then I get the inevitable comment. "Bless you're heart!" Apparently, I am in need of much blessing, as I hear that a LOT. Of course, I'll take all the blessings the Good Lord wants to bestow. :)

I again, just smile. What do you say?

Then the kids are done standing at my side (can't hold their hands while I'm paying), so they are chasing sister over to the side to investigate the door and other things post office-y. And they all seem amazed that I dared bring them all. (Though not offended, at least. I cannot stand to be near people who do not like children. Do they forget they, themselves, were once one as well???)

And then comes the other inevitable comment. The one I hear the most often.
"Boy, you've got your hands full!" I've heard that one so many times, I should really just wear it on a t-shirt and save people the trouble. LOL (Though I am curious to know how people must react to a family of five or six??? I only have three, after all, twins or not.)

So, I just smile and mention it's naptime. Because, it is, and we all had a late night the day before, and my kids get more excited the more tired they are. Odd how kids do that.

They laugh and say "Yours, right?" Meaning my naptime. Again, I laugh and smile, because quite frankly, I could use one, even if it had nothing to do with the kids today.

Seriously, though, the trip was basically uneventful and calm, a quick trip to do an errand. And yet, people, friendly though they may be, act as though I should get an award for daring to bring all three with me alone.

And it brought to mind a Bible passage...

Psalm 127: 4-5
As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them...

And it's so true. Children are gifts straight from God. Not accidents or mistakes, nevermind how they got here. And while most people do show their like for children, I am constantly amazed at how many people think three a lot.

Sure, kids are a lot of work, a lot of trouble, take a lot of energy, a lot of money, change your life totally and completely, turn your schedule upside down and rearrange a lot if not all of your plans on many occasions, and yeah, twins are more work than having a singleton. Duh. You just had TWO kids, not one. Obviously, there will be more work included, and esp. if you have another kid already. But kids are also the most fun you will ever have, the most rewarding experience you will ever have, and the most love and enjoyment you will find on this earth. And each new child is more hugs, more kisses, more fun, more joy, more love! (and, yes, more noise. LOL But happy noise is good noise.)

And so yes, my hands are very full. And happy is the woman whose hands are full. :)

In the Quiet...

I love the house when it's all quiet at night...which is actually quite odd for me, when I am a hands down lover of background noise (the TV or radio is almost always on during the day, even if no one is watching/listening). But there's something about nighttime, when everyone else is in bed, sound asleep, and I'm the only one up in this darkened, quiet house. Sometimes I sew, sometimes I cook (bake), sometimes I read, sometimes I crochet, often I pray. It's a very good time to talk to God, with no distractions. Actually, I was thinking the other day of my "prayer closet" (theoretically, of course...I don't have an ACTUAL closet) because we were discussing ours at a WMU meeting a while back. (That's Women's Missions, by the way, if you were wondering.) The ladies (and the article we were discussing) talked about their "prayer closets" or for those of you unfamiliar with the term, their special place to pray, to talk to God. And honestly, I talk to him a good bit when I'm up sewing at night. Or in my bed as I lie there long after my husband has gone sound asleep. What do I talk about? Anything. Everything. Nothing. Depends on the night. I ask for forgiveness. I ask for help. I ask him to help me be a better mother, to not let little things bother me. I ask to not get so irritated sometimes at silly things. I never ask for patience, because patience is learned by trials, and who wants more of those? I talk to God about things. About what I what, what I think, what I have to do. I pray for my children, for my husband, and for our family's safety. I try to always ask his will, though, when I ask for things, for I know He knows far better what I need than I do. I do know that, and I do trust Him. No one loves me or knows me better. I also know that. And I always tell him I love Him. Because I do. I try to listen, too, to what He wants me to do, but I'm not always as good with the listening part...something I need to work on.

But thinking on this, I must say, I guess I don't really have a special PLACE to pray, though certainly my bed and my sewing room get more formal prayer than most other places. I talk to God off and on throughout my day. I pray for little things. "Please, God, let my child win the game!" (Isn't it wonderful when they beat us at a game without our having to cheat to make it happen? :) ) I pray for practical things. "Please God let it rain." I pray when I'm afraid. "Please God let me kill this spider on the first throw!" And I thank Him. I thank Him for such wonderful children I love. I thank Him for this loving, comforting family and our safe, happy home, when so many in far away countries do not even have a roof over their head, whose countries stay in unrest... I thank Him for little things, like my pumpkin plants not dying, yet. (And yes, I thanked Him for us being able to kill the HUGE spider before it could hide under my dryer and make it impossible for me to wash clothes in there again...) And I thank Him for big things, "Thank you, God, for healing my precious boy and taking away his fever!" or "Thank you, God, for giving me MS, instead of something so very much worse!" I've prayed that a lot. And I mean every word of it. From the beginning, I just kept thinking, relieved, of all the things it wasn't, of all the things God had saved me from. Though don't for one moment think this is any reflection of me. That peace was from God alone. I'm not that good, not that calm, or together. He was there, guiding me, helping me, from day one. And, of course, I've had some ups and downs, though He was with me, helping me through each and every one. And I couldn't have managed without Him, my God, my Savior, my Heavenly Father, my Friend. I honestly don't know how anyone does, even without chronic diseases.

All this to say...I like the quiet, the calm, the peaceful, and we should all take time and remember these words.

"Be still and know that I am God."

Because He is. God. Creator of everything. And even though He is the all powerful, all knowing, MIGHTY God He is, still, He loves me and hears my tiny voice. For I am His.

Praise God for that!

Hidden Treasures

I wanted to post this link and let everyone know about a blog just started called Hidden Treasures, where they will be auctioning off handmade items to help pay for the adoption of a boy with Down Syndrome from overseas. He is in an orphanage where he has not been treated well and is malnurished. If you want more information, you can find it here... Hidden Treasures. If you do not wish to bid on any items, you can still make a monitary donation towards the adoption of this sweet child. If you cannot do that, you can certainly pray for this child, the orphanage where he currently resides, and the precious family trying to bring him home.

I'm Not a Short Order Cook...I'm a MAMA!

I have picky eaters. Let's just get that out and said. In fact, we have two particularly picky four year olds...which is interesting to me, as they ate almost EVERYTHING when they were babies.

But now...well, they do not eat vegetables. At least, not unless they are french fried or pureed. Odd, I know, the pureed part, but I think it's a texture thing. Or a particularly stubborn, "Hey, don't change what I'm used to," thing. Not really sure. (Though I cannot stand the texture of pears, so I can totally understand that one...)

And so mealtime has been the constant source of an endless stream of frustration and headaches on my end, crying and frustration on their end.

"Come on, take a bite!!! Just one???"

While Heckyl can usually be conjoled into a bite or two, Jeckyl is another story altogether. He would hold an offensive bite in his mouth for a whole evening if you let him. And I don't. I can't stand it. I'm NOT going to do that to him or me, either one. I can't see as it would actually help anything. It certainly wouldn't make him more apt to try another bite, for that I am certain. I know him. I've met him. He is the stubbornest creature I've ever met...and that's saying a lot, as we're all pretty stubborn in this family.

But I've looked up lots of ideas on picky eaters...and am pretty appalled at what I've found.

Soooo many sites suggest just offering the kid the food, then not feeding them again until they eat it. "No kid will starve themself." But seriously??? I have to ask myself. Has it come to that? Really, starve your child until they bend to your will?? Really?

Now, I could see if we lived in an environment where we could not afford other foods or where things just plain weren't available. But in my home, that is not the case. Is it really such a big deal to give a kid a peanut butter and jelly (all fruit spread) sandwich when we have chili? When I was a kid, I didn't eat chili either. Especially when they eat it all, rather than cry and scream and wail over ONE bite of the chili??? Is that really better?

Offer it, sure. Make it available, sure. FORCE them to eat it, rather than starve??? I think not. Because I know how stubborn my child is, how stubborn his uncle and grandfather are, and I guarantee you that all three of them would go to bed hungry, tummy rumbling before they would eat something they hated. (Can't say I feel much different myself.) I know. My father actually did that a lot when he was younger, because he refused to eat certain things. And it NEVER made him want them. These parents who make their kids sit there, but who (the kids, that is) finally relent and eat it so they can have that cookie aren't REALLY picky kids. They're just being difficult. Or maybe they're mildly picky. I have the other extreme. There is no force on earth, save actual starvation, that would force my boys to eat a meal they didn't like.

And so I am done. Done with the arguing and the pleading and the bargaining and the forcing. There's no point. It does no good for anyone, doesn't solve anything and just makes us all fairly miserable at a time that should be a fun together family time. And so, I have decided that it doesn't hurt if my boys like pureed peas or squash. They feed themselves, eat it like applesauce. But they're still getting the NUTRITION. And then they can eat their grilled cheese or peanut butter and jelly or pizza or whatever. Does it really have to be that big a deal?

And I try to get creative. I like that book, The Sneaky Chef, though I don't make all the recipes. I like the IDEA of just putting veggies in stuff they already like. I used her white puree (zucchini and cauliflower) last night on their grilled cheese. I spread it over the bread, then toasted the bread, and they were none the wiser. And they like pizza. (I can put zucchini, cauliflower, broccoli, spinach, and peas all in that good ole' tomato sauce.) And it's not that I'm really trying too hard to HIDE it, just to prepare it in such a way that they LIKE it, and EAT IT readily. That's the main thing. By the way, we LOVE her Sneaky Chef Chili, the adults, that is. LOL And it's much better for me than the canned stuff!!!

All that to say, what's the big deal if my kids are picky? So am I. I don't eat mushrooms or onions, brussel sprouts or asparagus. Big deal. Neither does my daughter, though we both LOVE spinach and other good for us veggies. And my boys are healthy and strong with good appetites, even if they are a bit more finicky (okay, a LOT) than most kids. But so what? Aren't they healthy? Aren't they happy? Isn't THAT what matters, much more than the extra three minutes it will take me to whip up a sandwich or throw some chicken fingers in the oven? No, I'm not a short order cook, I'm a MAMA, and my kids are worth the extra effort.

Workout

Whoever thought sewing was a relaxing, quiet, NONAEROBIC activity...never tried to shove a queen-sized quilt around in a regular sized sewing machine. I'm just saying...

Pics to come when I can find the camera charger...