Sunday, February 28, 2010

SNOW SNOW SNOW SNOW SNOW...

Oh I have had it with snow.  I know God must role his eyes at me since if you look at some Nov. posts I'm sure you'll see me going on and on about snow and the magic of the season but now it's the end of February and the magic has long since fled leaving us house bound, bored, and cranky.  Oh how I dream of soft spring breezes and that smell of mud that seems to waft through the air in April, carrying with it so many exciting expectations.  This year I want to try my hand at strawberries, and I've discovered a park where raspberries grow wild that any one can pick.  Oh how I yearn for spring!!!  I did take the kids out side to play in the snow for the first time and Hunter hated it!!! He whined and cried and quite frankly the snow totally freaked him out.  He kept shaking his mitten and saying "there is snow on my mitten." and getting stuck in the deep deep snow.  Well I think he'll appreciate it when he's older and can make snow forts and such but for now I know how he feels, "There is snow on my mitten!!!"




Too much snow even for me





Wednesday, February 24, 2010

A Dream to Own My Own Business?

Yesterday I was sewing most of the day.  I made my own bias tape and started putting together some little baby jackets and well I thoroughly enjoyed myself, every last minute of it.  It helps that Brian was here taking care of the kids (that's how he provides something to "give") and it helps that I'm finally getting to a place where I'm not constantly ripping out seams and redoing things, but it was something else... I love this kind of work, I love when I find that really cool fabric and I love deciding what to do with said cool fabric I love finding notions and buttons and trims and I like the puzzle of deciding what to make to go with what.  I love vintage looking things and now that I've found a website full of fabrics like that I just feel so joyous.  Is it stupid to find something like this so fulfilling and exciting?  Probably.  Could it be a passing phase attributed to things like Project Runway?  More then likely but then again maybe not.

I have come to a place where the cookie cutter products in your cookie cutter mall stores don't interest me any more.  I don't like giving a gift to someone that cost me only money I want it to have part of me in it (not literally although that does happen quite a bit, tears, actual blood from poking myself etc.)  Also I have only boys and well boy clothes leave a lot and I do mean A LOT to be desired so maybe that's why working with baby and child prints has started to bring me so much joy; I'm beginning to see the possibilities of what could be for my children, my friends children my nieces and nephews and maybe even stranger's children.

I don't think I want an actual brick and mortar store that sounds like a lot of work and not much time for actual creating but an internet store and blog most definitely.  When the kids are older and I'm better and faster at sewing and crocheting I feel like I might be able to make a little money at all of this and if I like doing it then how cool would that be?  My store, or maybe line of goods is a better way to put it, would be called "Sew Vintage" and the children's line would either be called "Bugaloo" because that my pet name for my baby or "Lambie Pie" because that was and is my Grammy's pet name for me.  I will sell aprons, maybe some ladies clothing, unique jewelry, linens, crocheted hats, scarves, and gloves, vintage inspired baby and children's clothing with lots of options for boys.  As long as we're dreaming let's say it really takes off and I have to have stuff made from my ideas I will start a factory in India where the women are paid a living wage and taught to read, write and do math, so that they can escape from a life of prostitution and we'll be part of the Fair Trade (it means my stuff will be a little bit more expensive than wal-mart but I think it'll be well worth it).

Of course to get to that place some things have to change; more ideas, better skills, a little more time and a permanent place to set up my sewing machine.  But for now I'm happy with my little home made gifts and little blue (my sewing machine.)
My little "who" who inspires me and keeps me from sewing all at the same time!

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Granny Squares

So It's been a couple of weeks full of sick children, being snowed in the house, too much laundry and tons of crocheting.  The crocheting I don't mind, actually, I'm getting pretty quick and am happy to report that I have over 30 granny squares completed but have 50 left to go and I've run out of yarn.  I'm not sure how that happened as I followed the directions in buying the yarn and my squares are measuring the same size as the pattern but oh well that just means I get to go back to the yarn store!!  Problem with that is that I'll walk in and get ideas to make other things with other different colored yarns since true to form I will be really excited about something new on the horizon while I still have a ton to do on this particular project.  What I'm excited about?  Well my crocheting friend Beki just finished a really cool pair of fingerless gloves which I have been wanting since the beginning of the winter when I read about some on Posie Get's Cozy's blog and so now I'm thinking matching hats, gloves, and scarves for christmas gifts?  If I start soon maybe just maybe I'll get some done for every one but I'm sure I'll be bored with that and on to something else by the time December rolls around, oh the travesty of my limited attention span.

I've also discovered a great website that sells super cool vintagy fabrics and notions (link on left) and so that got me jonesing to start some sewing projects including a summer dress that My friend Megan bought me the pattern to last year.  I'd really like to have the dress done for my trip to Main in May.  So what ends up happening is that I have so many ideas I just run around accomplishing nothing... slow down brain ok now be mature and make a plan; three granny squares a day, cut out dress pattern while waiting for fabric to come in mail, wash fabric, jerry rig broken sewing machine, make some cookies... oooh birds out the window I'll stop and watch them for a while, now what was I doing again...

Thursday, February 11, 2010

No Mind Can Conceive What God Has Planned for Them

Here is the first hat I made, this is my neighbor and she is the proud owner of my first creation


I'm posting this one so you can see the back of it. (try not to look at me) you can see how the colors became a bit rustafarian, but I am very happy with it (notice the flower that took a while to figure out).


I am a strange person, I've come to accept this and even enjoy that I am sort of an enigma.  Of course it gives people I'm just meeting a hard time really understanding me but I don't mind that, it simply means that most people only know one side of me.  This isn't because I am trying to keep other sides from them it's just that they really only come into contact with this or that because of the situations in which I interact with them.

Let me explain what I mean; I am a mom (a stay-at-home one at that) and I love being a mom, but I'm pretty liberal in my view on women's rights, and I still want to be attractive and exciting and I really like going out with out them (and I usually don't even feel guilty for it). I love sewing and crocheting and baking, I totally dig decorating with things from the forties and before I love the idea of aprons and pies cooling on window sills but my favorite type of movies are loud action films I don't really care for chick-flicks and I really don't like foreign films- give me an awesome spy movie with great special effects or an awesome si-fi story line and I am super happy.  I love to laugh and am good at doing funny things by accident but I suck at joke telling and being funny on purpose.  I love to sing and play my trumpet but I mostly like old music, and jazz and sometimes no music at all; I like the way the birds and wind sound and I don't want to drown it out with the radio.  I love to write but can't finish any thing.  I see God in nature more then any other place, I like church and singing and all that but I'm really jazzed about the Lord when I am actually studying scripture and seeing cool connections and word play between the old and new testaments not when I'm singing a chorus for the millionth time.

This is just the tip of the ice berg.  And I bring it up because there are only a few people who know most of these sides of me.  My best friend Megan, my mom and dad, and most of all my Husband.  It's strange that he can see all the good and bad and weird and ugly and still like me (he thinks I'm quirky but he likes it, he is good at telling jokes and stories and I am endless material for him) even though I weigh a lot more then I should he thinks I'm sexy... more then any one else he knows me and sees that I am so much more then mom, daughter, crafter (I hate that term, "crafter").  Funny that he sees me being a mom more then any one but probably sees me as more then a mom then any one.  This makes me happy that there are people who know me and fine with the fact that not every one can (sometimes this is a good thing).

But of course there is someone who knows me better still and this is Jesus.  My entire point is that we think that when we give our lives to Him (and I mean really give our lives) that things will get boring or that he'll send us to Africa or that he won't.  He'll make us sacrifice what he hold most dear, but he is the one who created us to love those things.  Why would he call a person who loves the out doors to work as an accountant, or give some one a gift to speak and make them be silent?  Why is it that we picture heaven as a great big white (not that exciting of a color) place where we just sing all day?  If God could create a person as multi-dimensional as me then why would heaven and his will be so flat?  It wouldn't, I think that this a lie to keep us away (you know "you only live once and only the good die young" and all that).  I thought this verse was so cool; "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him." I Corinthians 2:9, we can't even begin to imagine what God has in store for us so it must be pretty exciting right?!  When we come to the Lord he does ask us to give everything to him but it's not so he can throw it a way it's so he can make it better and show us how to use it for him (which I'm thinking is going to be the way more exciting way to do it as he has greater connections and resources) "seek first the kingdom of God THEN all these things will be added on to you." not "then they won't".  Let's embrace who Christ is let's trust him with ourselves and then lets embrace who we are I'm thinking we won't ever be bored.

Thursday, February 4, 2010

OMG I C!!!!

Isn't this pic pretty I took it with a cool color swap feature on my camera.

Oh my goodness I am crocheting!!  Ok I've actually been crocheting for a couple of weeks now and well...I'm not sure you can call what I was doing actual crochet.  I made a blue flower that ended up looking like a defunct swastica and a bag that was so misshapen it became a goofy wash rag (which I will use so that someday I will look at it toss my head and think smugly, "oh ha ha how rudimentary my skills were back then.")  But now I think I'm actually getting it, I'm making a took and it's going surprisingly well after much "frogging" (crochet term for ripping out your work, yes I am learning crochet speak) and much stalking of Beki my patient and great crochet teaching friend I think I may be making a real live hat!!!  After the hat I want to try a flower again (to put on the hat) and after that I want to make something for a certain baby I know, but we'll see I get frustrated easy so it can't be super hard and I'm always over confident in what I can accomplish.

Ok I did not crochet this hat and scarf that Conner is wearing (it's mine by the way) but the point is I could... maybe.


I remember distinctly saying one time that I had no desire to learn to crochet and here I am desiring it!  Just goes to show you, I'm weird.  But just think; now I'll have something to do on those long trips to Toledo (since I have children and can't really sleep all the way there any more) and something to do while at my in-laws house.  Plus I can make all manner of cute hats, scarves, baby jackets etc.  Huh I wonder what I'm going to be learning to do next year (please not scrap booking!)  Well I'm off to stitch some "sc" into another "round".

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Nap Time

For those of you with small children you will understand when I say that nap time is by far the best time of day! For those of you with grown children keep your "enjoy this time it goes by so fast.." to your selves.  I know it goes fast, it scares me so much and I do enjoy it and really try to cherish the moments...but that one and a half hours of pure quiet is what keeps me sane.  I organize everything around it, lunch dates with friends and neighbors, deliveries, cleaning. Nap time is my time and when I don't get that I feel it for the entire day and I'm not the only one, besides walking, nap time is Rangers favorite time of day too.  Thing is my house is loud and noisy (call me sometime at 11:30 and count how many times I have to say "What's that I'm sorry, couldn't hear you?"  After I get the kids down I make a pot of real loose leaf tea (I need the caffeine by then and it's fancier then regular tea) I sit down and do my devotions and journaling all the while watching the birds out my big front window.  Then I check my email, face book and blog.  I snuggle with the dog and if I'm really tired I take a nap.  If you don't have a time like this during your day I encourage you to get one (even if you don't have children or they're grown) it is healthy to have quiet, it is good to reflect and if you are a person who struggles with time with God put it into your routine here.  There is a reason why yoga and meditation makes you healthier, it helps reset your brain and this is what nap time is, a brain resetter.
Dogs make great nap time pillows

Your dog puts up with a lot if you have children, he will thank you for nap time!!


Rules for nap time.
Keep it quiet
Try to have it every day (with in reason)
NO CLEANING
NO WORK
Do something for yourself (like chocolate, or tea something just a tad indulgent)
Try journaling, praying or bible reading
Find a blog you love to visit or a book you like to read
Don't be afraid to sleep
Most importantly remember this is for you, DO NOT FEEL GUILTY (ahem Beki) know that doing this for you will make you a better wife, mother, colleague etc.