Lately...

I am sorry I left such a negative post up for so long without burying it with something new and positive.  I have not been idle and wallowing in self-pity as my previous post about Mother's Day might suggest.  We have had family visit, we have visited family in Michigan, we have visited family in Columbus, plus various other projects I have been working on lately.

One such project is trying to be a bit more organized and decluttered at home.  I actually read from front to back, a book about living minimally…The Joy of Less by Francine Jay.  The completion of this book is a feat in and of itself, due to the difficulty I am having maintaining my attention span lately.  It has been a long while since I have read from start to finish, a real book for adults.  I am ashamed to say how long, but suffice it to say, it has been a looong time.  I read quite often, but the only reading I have been able to get through and comprehend afterward is articles from The Smithsonian, CNN on my Ipod, and perhaps the backs of cereal boxes in the morning.  The daily devotional I was making time for every day has been inconsistent at best.  I really wish I could read something more than fluff pieces and magazine articles. 

I don’t know why I am having so much trouble with this, because I love to read.  This has been such a problem for me that I got a book at the homeschool convention about how to read literature!  In other words, a book about how to read a book!  I am still slogging through it, taking notes as I go.  

Anyway, decluttering.  The book didn’t really tell me anything I didn’t already know in my heart, but it did inspire me enough to go through my home room by room and cull through some stuff.  There were some interesting ideas in the book on how to begin and how to maintain a mostly clutter-free home.  The best advice, perhaps, was the recycle can located beside our mail table.  Holy cow!  Since April, there has been only about five envelopes on the mail table at one time, instead of the huge, falling-over pile which dominated the entry-way for years, even at our previous homes! 

I am in love with my new craft closet, with all my stuff in its various pods for various activities.  I have been doing very well keeping all my flat surfaces clear and am feeling much better about how crowded our home is NOT!  I have been able to find things for our activities immediately and consistently and even have a clean, cleared off table on which to do them! 

I don’t know which of my Facebook friends recommended that book, but I am so appreciative of the motivation it stirred. 

Since I have had flat surfaces and could find all of my things because they were all in one location, I have completed a crochet project I am quite proud of. 

Instead of trying a bunch of different patterns for crochet, I decided to master one thing.  I have trouble with patterns and am finding that I am not really getting good at any project or stitch because the work changes too quickly.  Jack of all trades and master of none, perhaps.  The motif I chose to work on until I was great at it was the Blooming Granny Square.  I didn’t know what I was going to do with all these squares when I felt I was ‘done’, but I didn’t really consider that when I began. 

I chose the Blooming Granny because I also wanted to learn a popcorn stitch and I really enjoyed the 3D effect of the motif.  So here is how I began:

I made lots of these squares in various colours, using my St. Vincent De Paul Yarns I got at quite a steal on multiple visits.  I had a few ‘sparkle’ yarns and used those for the flowers themselves.  Pretty soon, I found myself cranking out Blooming Granny Squares everywhere…baseball practices, watching tv, and car rides. 

After making a bunch of them and feeling like ‘I got this down’ I had to decide what to do with them.  Ultimately, I decided on a messenger bag, modeled on a small one Sara gave me a while back that she got from Peru.  So I had to choose how these squares were going together, and what I was going to have to do for the bag to come together. 

I determined that the yellow background needed another colour to break it up, so I chose the fuzzy textured green to make it look rather ‘Springy’ (as in the season).  I crocheted the lines ‘up’ so the squares are essentially little windows and the whole thing is very textured.  The flower petals pop, as do the green dividers.  The second picture doesn’t show the texture very well, which is a shame because that is my very favourite thing about this bag. 

I put the whole project away for a while, because the part that was coming next was very intimidating to me.  Sewing in the lining.  I am not good at sewing, and have a difficult time knowing where to begin.  Especially when I am designing without a real pattern or instructions!  Fortunately my Mom came to the rescue and helped me with the lining and gave me a good idea on the strap. 

The end result is below.  I photographed a corner of the over-flap up so you could see the lining.   

Done yesterday!  I am so pleased!  I am considering embellishments such as a button for the center of the over-flap or perhaps some beaded fringe for the flap, but I don't know.  I really like it as-is.  I haven’t decided what my next motif to master will be yet, but I have to admit that I am quite in love with the Granny Square in all of its various forms! 

I am toying with the idea of entering it into the community faire we have in September.  We shall see.  

Mother's Day, Schmother's Day: A Day Just Like Every Other Dadgum Day of The Year

As a mother, the most exhausting activity I do every. single. day. is planning ahead.  I can hardly sleep at night because the constant planning and anticipation in my head just keeps on 24 hours a day.  I have found (especially with two kids under 5) that the key to a successful outing, successful at-home day, successful anything is anticipation of all the things that can and will go wrong.

Better bring ice water and snacks to every baseball practice and game, otherwise we're stuck with whiny kids begging us to shell out money for crappy ball park food.  I have forgotten before and paid the price.  Literally and mentally.  This would occur even if we had a six course meal just before we came.  Bringing our own snacks insures that Phillip won't buckle under the pressure!

Better bring quiet toys along with the ice water and snacks to the hour and a half long writing club, otherwise I have 2 little kids running amuck in the library after only forty-five minutes and disturbing the other patrons.

Lydia can do great at using the potty for days, then when I forget the backpack full of wipes when we go somewhere, she poops in her underpants. Not just poop, but POOP!  There it is running out the top of the underpants and down the legs.  And if I didn't have any wipes, I darn sure didn't have any extra pants.  Happy day.

My brain is constantly whirring and whirring all the time trying to anticipate what is going to go wrong and planning ahead accordingly.  I would love for someone else to pack lunches, pack useful things in the family backpack, bring drinks, plan and time meals, etc.

Knowing the energy I put into what should be a simple outing (like taking Archie to baseball practice), perhaps one can imagine how I might enjoy a break planning for my own birthday or Mother's Day.  Two days out of the whole year, I want to just be along for the ride, kind of like everyone else in my family is for the entire year.

Knowing the above, one could probably guess that holidays around our house are a one-woman deal.  Surprise, my children!  I can only imagine the shock on your faces reading this in the yearbook as adults.  Christmas traditions happen only because I work to make them happen.  The fancy breakfast, the tree, the decorations, the presents, the dinner, everything.  Without my planning and preparations, we'd all get up, rosy-cheeked and shining eyes in excited anticipation on Christmas morning and... go work on our cars or some other garage-type greasy endeavor.

This past Easter, the Easter presents were only distributed because I planned ahead of the camping trip and was prepared. Phillip would have probably preferred taking a nap to filling and hiding eggs, but I required his help because we had been camping all weekend.  Colouring Easter eggs?  Me.  Birthdays?  Me.  Phillip actually picked the place for Archie's birthday last year, but there would have been no food for his guests, no cake, and no family birthday gifts if I hadn't anticipated and planned for all that.

I didn't plan anything for my own birthday this past September (because I thought someone else should), so we sat around and did...nothing.  My family was visiting, and we sat around and talked.  He pulled it out at the last minute by picking up five or six mystery dishes at J Gumbo's and bringing them home.  It was fun to try to figure out what we were eating.  I hadn't eaten at that establishment before, and I really enjoyed the adventure in food.

I spoke to Phillip a week before about Mother's Day.  I will do this essay style:

_____________________

WHAT I WANT TO DO FOR MOTHER'S DAY

What I want to do for Mother's Day is go to Old Time Pottery and pick out a few containers for a container garden on the day before Mother's Day.  Then, I'd like to go to a place which sells plants and pick out some plants and get some potting soil and mulch. On the Big Day, I'd like to plant my container garden all day with my children.  And grill out at home for dinner.  I wouldn't really care to go out to dinner because the restaurants will all be very crowded.  Except White Castle.  And we all know how I feel about White Castle.  The end.
_____________________

The day before Mother's Day went swimmingly.  Went to the baseball game, went to the Old Time Pottery, and I got plants.  Even though the plants, soil and pots came out of my own bank account (I bought my own presents), I was still unfazed.  It wasn't the present itself I was anticipating (well, mostly not--I was rather excited to pick out pots and plants!) but I was really, really looking forward to planting them together with the children.

On the Big Day, we went to church and I really enjoyed the kids' Mother's Day programs.

Here is Lawrence and Lydia when we were dropping Lawrence in his classroom so he could get ready to sing with the Cherub Choir:

The Cherubs are so cute!  The little blonde girl Lawrence is standing beside (he is front and center) is one of "his girls".  There is a family of three of the cutest little blonde girls, and he always refers to them as "my girls".  In typical monkey-see, monkey-do fashion, now so does Lydia.  

Here is a video of the Cherub kids singing:  "I jump, jump, jump and I praise the Lord" and then Stomp, then Wiggle, etc.

Archie sang with the Jubilee Choir as well!  I was fortunate to get a little snippet on video where he thanks me in the song for helping him with his magic!  I loved it!  

We came home and I asked Phillip to take a picture of me with the kids.

After church is when it all turned downhill.  Wouldn't you know, it rained.  After days of gorgeous weather, it didn't just rain a little bit that you could work around, it was an all-day-crummy type of day.  No planting container gardens with the children.  Because we were so busy on Saturday with baseball and plant stuff and kids' naps, I had to go grocery shopping after church since we had no food in the house.  Blech.

Phillip, meanwhile, took not one nap, but TWO naps!  I wished him a happy Father's Day after the second one.  During his naps, the kitchen sink problem we have was spilling out under the cabinet, so I had to empty out and bail water.  Which made me have to sweep and mop the floor.  Because it was raining, we couldn't grill, which meant I had to come up with Plan B for dinner and cook it.  I thought the kids would enjoy having something special for dessert (since it was Mother's Day) so I got some strawberries, homemade whipping cream stuff and pound cake materials while I was at the grocery store so they could make me a surprise strawberry shortcake.  Which I had to supervise being made because Phillip was busy napping.  Surprise!

The kids wanted to give me a Mother's Day present.  Of course Phillip hadn't anticipated anything like that (I don't know why...he had a week's notice from me that Mother's Day was upcoming) so they were scrambling to make chore coupons.  I have already enjoyed the lawn work and car cleaning ones.  The car cleaning one was particularly helpful.  And it is remaining relatively clutter-free, even though it has been almost a month since he cleaned it out!

I called my Mom to wish her a happy Mother's Day, and it turned out she was having a day similar to mine.  Ah, commiseration.  Thank goodness for that.

That evening, while checking my Facebook page, I noticed all of my friends' happy posts about how their husband and children showered them with much love and affection.  All of which I pointed out to a very well-rested Phillip.

First-Second Car Show of the Season

Okay, I'm digging into the very end of April, here at the very end of May, but it's been a busy month.

This isn't the very first car show, because Phillip went to the kick-off for the season in Sharonville the week or two before by himself.  I am quite literally a fair-weather car show person.  The weather was either cold or drizzly or both, so I was excused from that one, as were the kids.

The second one at the Harvest Home Fairgrounds is just up the street from our house, so we were to head on over to meet Phillip after church.  Church was difficult because both little kids woke up on the wrong side of the bed.  Grumpy and Grouchy.  After we got home from church, it just got worse.  The kids were demanding and grouchy, which made me really grouchy.  Phillip had called to ask me to bring his lawn chairs that he forgot to include in the extremely spacious trunk of the Camaro, for whatever reason.  So not only was I to bring the kids, the backpack with our 'stuff' in it, the sling for Miss Lydia to ride so it wouldn't take all day to walk to the event from the car, and some water because of the heat, but I had to tote two chairs as well.

It turned out that this event was extremely well attended, much moreso than when he did this one two years ago.  I had to park several blocks away and trudge with the baby in the sling, the backpack on my back, two chairs and a whiny three year old who didn't want to walk.  Archie carried the water.  By the time we found Phillip, I was beyond done with whiny kids.  Fortunately they immediately detached themselves from my leg and hip and onto Phillip's!

I made sure they ate beforehand because I didn't want to have to purchase junky, overpriced food at the show.  Of course, the moment we arrived, the kids started grumbling about being hungry!  I don't know what it is about going somewhere besides home which makes them hungry, nay starving, even if they have just eaten!  The PB&J's that I forced them to eat before we came would have to sustain them.  More whining ensues.

It turned out I really, really enjoyed walking around and looking at the cars unencumbered.  It lifted my spirits almost immediately.  I always learn something new at events like these and I find it fascinating the stuff people spend actual money on.  Probably the same could be said for things in which I am interested, but it's way more fun to make judgments on the spending habits of others than reflect on my own!  :-)

After we looked at the cars, we went to the playground so the kids could run, jump and climb some of their grouchy away.  

Lydia's favourite activity ever is swinging!  She loves it and could do it for hours!

Phillip even took some pictures of his car in its spot.  He somehow snagged the sweet spot on the perimeter of the park underneath the trees.  The shade was nice, because it was pretty hot out there!

After the playground, I took everyone home and put them to bed.  Then I put up our screen room on the back porch, got out my chair, blended some ice for a frosty mudslide and put my feet up for the rest of the afternoon.  It was fabulous!  Phillip came home about an hour after us and we both dozed in chairs in the shade out back until everyone woke up from their naps.  The day turned out pretty darned great after all!