Late Night Crafting (Part 2)

I finished the baby's cloche and booties. 

They came out darling.
Will post picture soon
If I ever decide to pull out my SD card and card reader

I didn't quite get done with the big sister's cloche. 

So... 

c'est la vie

I think I'm gonna have to pass on that this time. 

And the diaper cake it 80% done. 

Hallelujah.

I, however, am exhausted and grumpy.

It's really no win over sometimes.

I need sleep. 

T-minus 12 hours til shower time.

late night crafting

Photo courtesy of Snowflake Knitting

I am busy. I have a baby shower (or more like welcoming since baby came early) on Sunday and I'm putting together a last minute diaper cake and crocheting up a quick newborn cloche and booties for the baby and a big girl cloche for the big sister. Only thing is, it's late. And I'm tired. And I want to go to sleep. Which is no bueno when you are reading and trying to figure out the little details of a crochet pattern. Ugh.

So here I am at 1A. With a half finished diaper cake, no cloche or booties because I keep unraveling it in my moments of sheer frustration and a fried brain.

Boo.

Wish me luck. I'm gonna need it.

Thursday Thrift Store Finds

A few months ago I needed something new to do. Not because I didn't have anything to do but because I felt like I wanted something new to focus on. We would be moving back into our own place and I wanted to be creative and modern with my decorating while still using our old, well-loved furniture. So I scoured high and low and ended up finding some great blogs and sites online that had A-MAZING ideas and creative touches. I couldn't believe the creativity some of these people had! One of my favorites was Brooke over at . Man, did that woman have some talent. I was in awe. And realized, I can do this. I just have to think outside the box.

So I hit up all my local Goodwills and Salvation Armies for some fun furniture to redecorate and put in our home. Only problem was, the furniture prices at these places were atrocious. $300 for a set of drawers? I think not. This idea wasn't looking so great after all. And I hunted high and low. How could I convince my husband that I NEEDED to pay $100 for this side table just to spray paint it and put it in our room? No way. It was a bust and I was disappointed. Did I have my hopes up too high? Maybe. But when all these thrifty ladies across the nation talk about buying their furniture for less than $5, it's understandable where I was disappointed!

Not one to let a trip go to waste, I meandered around the store and quickly realized that in actuality, maybe I had hit the jackpot, I was just looking in the wrong section.

And then I found these:

Colin Stuart yellow wedges. Brand new. For $9.99. Perfect to pair with a pair of capris or that cute gray J.Crew dress I also snagged up at the local Goodwill that I'll be posting about later. They even look great with some jean shorts and a black tank top. You know, for those days when I'm not chasing my daughter around the playground. And if I decide I don't like the yellow, I recently saw a blog about spray painting shoes to the color that I want. WHAT? M would probably roll his eyes so I'll stick with the yellow...for now ;)

A Lesson in Simplicity

Photo courtesy of Aberdeenshire Council Website

Tonight M, Little Miss B and I went for a sweet little bike ride in the park with our dinner. Unfortunately though my mood was less than pleasant after a not-so-great afternoon meeting and to be honest, I was putting a huge damper on our evening. And across the park I noticed an elderly couple sitting on a park bench, enjoying their evening. The man was drawing on a sketchpad or writing on a pad of paper and his wife was reading her book. They were in the middle of the green field and seemed to just be enjoying their time. Separately but together.

It was a nice reminder that sometimes life needs a little break. We need to slow down. Take a breather and not stress out so much. Life is precious and it flies by. So with that, I took a deep breath and changed my attitude, enjoyed our picnic and fell deeply in love with my husband and babygirl for the 5012839128182783190839817th time as they swung and played together on the playground. How much more simpler can it get than that?

What we've been up to....

This is what we've been up to this week. Can't say it's been the most rewarding moments of mommyhood thus far but I figured I'd give it a try and somehow I've made it to day #5. Yikes. We're definitely not there yet but we're making progress. My baby is growing up!

Why we might never play board games in our house again...

I'm ashamed to admit it (again) but I'm a poor sport. Like seriously, throw my stuff and stomp off bad sport. A couple years ago on our private family blog I posted about my problem and I'm here to admit that I haven't gotten it under much control in the past couple years. I'm not sure why exactly and no matter how much I try and control it, for some reason, it always creeps up on me. And seeing as how I married one of the most competitive people I have ever met in my life, my husband doesn't help the situation. 


I remember one night while dating, we played the board game risk into the wee hours of the night because I was determined to win. We must have played 3 rounds of the game and he, of course, won all three games. I finally got so frustrated, I threw my little army men on the bed and stormed out of the room. It should have been a sign for him to turn and run.


And a few nights during my pregnancy two years ago, we'd pull out monopoly for a little family fun. And with the blend of his competitiveness and my poor sportsmanship, PLUS all those wacky baby hormones...we were doomed from the start. And monopoly was no different then, especially when luck always seems to be in M's hands and he ends up racking up houses and hotels within a few turns. It infuriated me and throw in these wacky hormones, and I swear, we were lucky I didn't tear my fake little money in half and shove the house/hotels in places that are not appropriate for this blog. 


So yea, you can see why it MIGHT have been smart for both M and I to avoid any of those competitive games and maybe even throw them out. But no, we didn't and instead the conversation went a little like this:


Me: Hey, baby, do you want to play a game tonight?
M: Of course. What are thinking of playing?
Me: Oh, I dunno. I was thinking maybe Monopoly
M: Of course baby, I'd love to play Monopoly with you.
Me: Ok, let's do this then!


Seriously, that conversation is pretty much verbatim and we started off excited. Neither one of us thinking about all our past failures to play board games nicely.

But unfortunately, game night didn't end up as fun as it could have been...Fifteen minutes after we started, M had three hotels, I was owing him $1200 rent and I ended up pouting, throwing my money, yelling "I hate this game and am never playing it again!"

Yea, not one of my finer moments. And I don't even have anything like pregnancy hormones to blame my outburst on like I did a couple years ago. Shameful.

Thankfully my husband still loves me despite this horrible trait and I'm praying that Little Miss B didn't pick up on any of my bad habits and ultimately has his competitiveness and not my sportsmanship. Seriously, we might never play board games in our house again. And I think (as you can see) that might be a good thing.

Miss Pickles

I've been on a experimental fermenting kick lately. I don't know where it came from but I'm totally on one right now. I made Napa Cabbage Kimchee, Cucumber Kimchee, Bean Sprout Kimchee and Dill Pickles all within a weeks time. I feel like a little Korean mamasan. Overall the results were too bad. The Napa Cabbage Kimchee came out so yummy but was just WAY too hot. The recipe called for like FOUR cups of the hot pepper flakes. I was really the only one that could handle it and YOWZA, so we will be continuing to experiment on that one. The Bean Sprout Kimchee was yummy, albeit spicy, but not really my forte. The Cucumber Kimchee came out the best. The Dill Pickles were better than store bought (though some of my family claims it tastes more like tsukemono then pickles). And now that I've started fermenting I want to ferment everything. Seriously, what has my life become? :) Recipes and pictures to come in a few days...when I get my life organized.

Free Sewing Patterns

Are you a sewer? Are you looking for some new patterns or fun ideas to work with? Do you hate paying outrageous prices for books and patterns online and at the store?

Well here's some fun and FREE dress patterns to sew your little heart out with.

Seriously, knock yourself out. I am :)
http://craftstew.com/sewing/52-free-dress-patterns

Happy Sewing!

Disclaimer: I am in no way affiliated with any of these companies, blogs, organizations or sites, nor have I been approached, asked or compensated for the information or opinions shared in this post.

TGIF

Thank goodness it's Friday. 

I got lots planned for this weekend.

Like cleaning out our garage and organizing the house.

Going to the fair.

Babysitting.

Helping out at my grandparents.

Finally finishing the refinishing of our patio set.

And finishing up this Elmo hat for little Miss B

Busy.

But we are always busy.

And on the flip side of the weekend,

my new little Macbook will arrive.

Hallelujah!

Be back soon with some fun posts.

Like the adorable projects I've been working on,

the old local hags that caused a ruckus,

and the naked homeless man at the pool

Who doesn't like stories like that?! :)

Vacation Time

I'm trying to plan our *big* family vacation.

It's a little scary with the unknown of M's job

but we deserve this and I want to do this flight before B turns two.

 Wish me luck.

It's scary.

More to come later on where we'll be whisking ourselves off to...

Childhood Classics

With a 20-month-old bookworm, I'm always on the lookout for good children's book. From before Little Miss B was born, her bookcase was full and we'd spend countless hours singing and reading to her in the womb. It was such a special, intimate way to connect to our first baby.

So it came as no surprise as the months passed and her love for singing and reading flourished. She loved the Baby Einstein books, especially Baby Einstein: Pretty Poems and Wonderful Words; she adored anything by Priddy Books like F is for Farm (Baby Touch and Feel) and Baby Says Peekaboo! and if you threw Elmo anywhere in that mix, she was sold. Man those books could keep her entertained for HOURS. We loved it.

Now that she's gotten older, her time is spent with plenty of singing (she likes to make sure she is the loudest in the house - and yes, you can here her all the way down the street), dancing (with all the junk in the trunk...er diaper, this girl can booty shake and yells NO! when we shut off the music) and reading. So like I said, I'm always on the lookout for a good children's book.

So a few months ago, at a Clothes Trading Party organized by our Mommy's group, I picked through the books and found a couple paperbook classics like The Itsy Bitsy Spider and It's Raining, It's Pouring (Nursery Rhyme) that looked like fun easy reads for her.

I'm sure you are all thinking, Ummm hello Heather...Paperbacks? And yes, I thought the same thing, but since they were free and looked like fun spins on classics nursery rhymes I thought I'd take the chance. And boy am I glad I did. Little Miss B LOVES them and being such fun twists on old childhood favorites, M and I love them too. And paperbacks? We wouldn't even know since she does pretty good with them (mind you we do have to keep a close eye on her while she reads them making sure she won't attempt to tear, eat or rip the books :)) I was so impressed with Iza Trapani's rhyming in The Itsy Bitsy Spider that I went out and bought a few of Miss B's other favorites as well, especially Row, Row, Row Your Boat. While not all of them deserve the A+ like The Itsy Bitsy Spider and Row, Row, Row Your Boat, they definitely keep the reading and singing intriguing for her (and us) and it's so fun to see her pick them up and read in song to herself, the dog, her baby and whoever will listen.

If you have kids, I definitely recommend Iza Trapani's various books and the one we have by Kin Eagle. They put a great, fun spin on some great childhood stories and songs and offer some great family time!

India...

I've been lost in India the past few days

Meditating, yearning for Yoga, reflecting, craving the pasta of Italy 

and remembering how important the connection to ME is.

What a great time and reminder to quiet my soul.

I'm loving my travels this time around.

Music Monday - Love Like Crazy

This song has been on repeat at our house for the past few weeks and I am loving it. It totally puts life and love into perspective for me. And I love the underlying lesson of people's negativity and their ideas of what's "crazy", isn't always true. I find myself many times during the song stopping, taking a moment to reflect and watching M and Little Miss B in pure love and admiration.

Love like Crazy by Lee Brice

They called him crazy when they started out
Said seventeen's too young to know what loves about
They've been together fifty-eight years now
That’s crazy

He brought home sixty-seven bucks a week
He bought a little 2 bedroom house on Maple Street
Where she blessed him with six more mouths to feed
Yeah that’s crazy

Just ask him how he did it; he'll say pull up a seat
It'll only take a minute, to tell you everything
Be a best friend, tell the truth, and overuse I love you
Go to work, do your best, don't outsmart your common sense
Never let your prayin' knees get lazy
And love like crazy

They called him crazy when he quit his job
Said them home computers, boy they'll never take off
He sold his one man shop to Microsoft
They paid like crazy

Just ask him how he made it
He'll tell you faith and sweat
And the heart of a faithful woman,
Who never let him forget

Be a best friend, tell the truth, and overuse I love you
Go to work, do your best, don't outsmart your common sense
Never let your prayin knees get lazy
And love like crazy

Always treat your woman like a lady
Never get too old to call her baby
Never let your prayin knees get lazy
And love like crazy

They called him crazy when they started out
They've been together fifty-eight years now

Ain't that crazy?

RIP little Macbook that could (pt 2)

Apparently, my little Macbook that could, can't anymore. With a bill of $800 to repair, I took that money and bought me a new Mac and an extended waranty, thank you very much. WITH money to spare. 

WHEW! Crisis averted.

So to the little Macbook that could, thank you for the past four years. We laughed, we cried, we loved, we hated. We grew up together and now we part ways. Here's to an ending and a new beginning and with that, I say, thank you and a farewell. You will be missed.

This soul rides alone

In too deep
For time has come

I do not weep

To part with some

Words have been said
Actions, they echo

We've all made our bed

It's time to let go

With this soul you have toyed
Seeds have been sown

This heart's become void

This soul rides alone

The 19th Wife

After getting "Dirty" a couple months ago, my mommy's group decided that it was time for something a bit more engaging and intellectual. So one of our friends (a historian) mentioned she was reading a great fictional book that was a mystery but intertwined pieces of the LDS history.

I wasn't sure about it at first. I find the the LDS church fascinating but it was a big, long read and I just didn't know if I could commit to that. Until I picked it up.

I didn't expect it, but I was enthralled with Ann Eliza Young's story and the beginning of polygamy in the LDS foundations. While I took everything with a grain of salt, remembering that not everything that I was reading was entirely accurate, a lot of it (as I've been told and semi-researched) was accurate (i.e., the LDS pilgramage to Zion, the early day massacres of the LDS church, etc) and I really enjoyed the story. Especially the historical part. And the more modern parts got me interested in today's FLDS church and their modern day practices in polygamy. The book also made me think about my duties as a wife and the marriage that M and share. How would polygamy play into that? Could and would I accept it like these women did all because of faith?

Another thing that peaked my interest and constantly made me wonder while reading "The 19th Wife" was  what active LDS members thought of the book. Were they disgusted or disappointed by the portrayal of their earliest prophets? Or did they accept it and early day polygamy as part of their past and as I did, take it all in with a grain of salt? When I researched reviews on the book, I seemed to find a close to even amount of active LDS critics and admirers of the book, but was hoping and wishing I could have a more indepth conversation with active members to gain their perspective.

It definitely ended up being one of my more enjoyable reads and in the end, motivated me to order a couple other polygamy memoirs from amazon.com that M and I will read and discuss. Will I like those? Only time will tell. But in the meantime, this book, I definitely recommend.

Genealogy

So when I was posting about all my craftiness a few weeks ago, I failed to mention one of my most intricate, time consuming projects of all. Family genealogy.

I've always been interested in knowing where and who I come from. Putting names, pictures and dates together. It's almost like a puzzle to me. And I love puzzles. And when I became a wife and later a mother, I became more obsessed. I wanted to know where M came from and where our children's lineage lied. It seemed like an easy enough project.

So I asked around. A couple Historians I knew pointed to the LDS church. A couple friends of mine told me that Ancestry.com had worked for them. So I compiled all the info I got & knew about my family and started looking things up on Familysearch.org, a website & service provided by the LDS church. Only problem was that NOTHING came up. I couldn't find anyone. Of over 50 family members I entered, NONE came back with anything. I was so disappointed. So with a discouraged spirit, I decided to try Ancestry.com and signed up for the free two week trial.

And boy did it open a lot of doors. Within a few days, just based on the information I had on hand, I had over 120 people on my tree and Ancestry.com just kept feeding me more and more information to further complete what I was looking for. I was stoked. The records they have on file are amazing. I was finding handwritten census records of family records from the early 1900s. I found the boat manifest from when my Great Grandfather came over to the USA from Japan. I uncovered family secrets in war records, marriage certificates and divorce records for people. It was amazing.

But as the weeks lulled on and I kept going, I found that I was starting to hit a few roadblocks. How could I not when I didn't have all the information I needed? I have one of the most common Maiden names in the world and without much information grandfather, much less the rest of his family, how was I ever going to find out about him? And with so many family members on both mine and M's side immigrating from Japan to Hawaii, how were we ever going to get the info. Especially since Hawaii records are so much more difficult to obtain and aren't even on the Ancestry.com website. The hurdles got bigger and bigger, and my attention span got smaller and smaller. Maybe figuring this genealogy thing out wasn't going to pan out the way I envisioned.

So I continued to pay for my subscription and tried to fill in the blanks wherever I could. Until finally, a few weeks ago I decided enough was enough and I was going to cancel my monthly subscription. Ancestry.com would save my tree and I could still add anyone's information in that I might obtain, I just wouldn't have access to their database of records. It seemed fair enough. I had about 26 more days to access whatever I needed, 150 people in my tree and that project would be that for now.

 And then, less than a week after I cancelled my subscription, an email popped up in my gmail from Ancestry.com with a message from a woman named Sarah. My first and immediate thought was, "Great, someone to vouch on how great Ancestry.com is and how I can better utilize their website to get the results I was looking for." Needless to say, I was doubtful. Very doubtful. Until I read a little deeper.

Turns out Sarah was a distant relative and her Great Grandmother was my Great-Great Grandmother's sister. Confusing? Very. Cool? Totally. Apparently she found me by my family tree and realized we were family by one of our prominent family names. After a few emails back and forth, she let me know that her grandmother had recently passed after my GG's passing and turns out, they were distant cousins. She went on to give me some information on our common lineage and the families we derive from and some tips on how to successfully compile more information than what I had been finding.


With a couple clicks and a few hours of research, I ended up adding over 200 more people to our family tree, dating some of the family back to the late 1600s in New Amsterdam. I learned that two (of many) families that I come from are the White and Balch families, two promient Illinois families and that much of my caucasian family sailed over from Scotland to America. I was able to find pictures of family members some 4+ generations back and was amazed to see the resemblence in profile to my own GG in her later years. (This woman was one of my GG's gg)

So here I get ready to end my family genealogy project with a long line of names, dates and pictures. Much in thanks to census, war, marriage/divorce records, newspapers, obits, etc. It's amazing what you can find and link yourself to. And in the process, learn where you came from. Try it. And prepare to be amazed!

PW & Tasty Kitchen

One of my domestic goddess (or queen in her instance) role models has to be The Pioneer Woman - Ree Drummond. I'm convinced that this woman can do it all. And should be put on a pedestal. High in the sky. With the Gods.

Ok, maybe I'm exaggerating a little. But still.

So a quite a few months ago I stumbled upon her website while looking for fun Photoshop actions to play with for photos and crafts and such and I just haven't been able to turn back. Got a cowboy fetish? She's got (lots) of picture of chaps and Wranglers. Love photography nd learning more about shooting with your DSLR? She's got it and teaches you more than just a trick or two. Like a good romance story? Read her Black Heels to Tractor Wheels and you will find yourself in love with Marlboro man too. Interested in Homeschooling and/or do you Homeschool? Well, yep, she does that too. And cooking? Don't even get me started on the cooking. Her recipes on Tasty Kitchen have made me salivate more times then I care to admit.

So when I realized she had a cookbook. I made a mental note and knew we'd become great friends. (The cookbook and I; not Ree and I. Though I'm sure we'd be BFFs if we met)

So I made a trek to my local library and picked up her book, The Pioneer Woman Cooks. And holy cow. There are no words. I opened up and became enthralled. I ended up finishing the book in less than two hours.


Her recipes are amazing, her pictures are inspiring, her stories are funny and everything I've tried so far...tastes amazing.

 Seriously, if you haven't at least thumbed through her cookbook, I definitely recommend it. At least browse around on her website and blog and get some ideas. Out of like twenty meals I've made of hers, only one didn't pan out the greatest for us. And that was mostly because it had mushrooms in it and M hates them.

So do it. You won't regret it!

RIP little Macbook that could

A couple years ago, this little guy and I were introduced. And thus began my love affair with Apple.

I used it to write. I used it to edit my photos. I used it to start a photography business. I used it to play games. I used it to keep in contact with family and friends. I used it budget. I used it for everything. This guy, was my life.

Unfortunately though, I was a liiiiiiiiiiittle rough with the guy. And we've had our ups and downs because of it. And on Sunday, he decided to shut off to teach me a lesson. Only problem was....he didn't turn back on.

Apparently, the computer's fried. Shit. And I'm waiting to hear back from the geniuses at Apple to diagnose the problem. Which apparently will start at a price of $300 to fix. Fantastic. I feel like Carrie in the episode of Sex and the City when her MAC (and lifeline) dies. I am devastated.

So until then...

This Dark Abyss

Floating
Drifting
Drowning

Waves keep rolling
Keeping afloat
Hanging on
I can't breathe

Meditate
Find Serenity
Calmity
Whoosh,
whoosh,
whoosh

Shivering in the cold
Drowning in the tide
Losing the battle
Can't swim
in this dark abyss

Sick, round two.

Little Miss B got sick again today
I hope this isn't a cycle we'll keep repeating
Needless to say, I totally had a selfish moment, lost my cool
and regretfully ran my mouth complaining about her getting sick
and that I haven't really gotten out of the house much in the past week
I should have stayed focused on the fact that my daughter was sick
and that she needed this day to recoup again
instead of on me being stir crazy but I didn't
And thankfully, M let me have an outburst, sulk for a few minutes and graciously accepted my very embarassed apology a few minutes later.
Isn't he the best?
His patience teaches me a lot daily and I'm lucky to have someone so patient with me
Because let's face it, I'm a Capricorn.
Which translates to a pain in the ass ;)

So...basically today was a good reminder in that old saying
"Someone has it worse off than you"
and hopefully tomorrow will be a better day.