Apr
7
Note to self:
Filed Under Uncategorized | 2 Comments
Never – EVER – wear your wedding band when going out to garden. Especially when it is already loose because your fingers are too skinny.
Friday night Chris and I finished cleaning out our flower bed out front. The prime reason for this was the two cacti that were blocking everyone’s view around the corner. We spent all week trying to wage war on one big ass Texas Sotol. I’m telling you, when the website says “not pedestrian friendly”, it’s no joke. This thing is pure evil. It was probably 5 feet tall, and as big around. The entire plant is made up of long grass-like blades that have barbs running about every inch on either side. About 50% of the time those barbs break off when they catch on something. And about 50% of the time they were catching in my arms. My BARE arms. OUCH!
Anyway, we were down to the base of this thing on Friday, and Chris was hacking away at this huge donut shaped ring of whatever the hell this plant is, while I picked up the remains. Some time in the middle of all this, I pulled my glove off to dump out the dirt, and threw out a few rocks, too. The ones in my wedding band. The ones in my replacement wedding band from when I lost my original ring 2 years ago.
Saturday morning while I was hurriedly showering to get to ceramics class, I noticed my ring wasn’t on my finger, and I didn’t remember taking it off. I checked the two places that I usually leave it. Not there, or there. Now I’m panicking, I absolutely HATE not having my ring. I even wore it (well, the original) during all 9 months of pregnancy, despite it being so tight as to cut off circulation in my finger (OK, so maybe that’s a slight exaggeration, but you get the idea…). At this point I’m openly crying and screaming for Chris. He probably thought I had chopped off a hand (which I tried to do later in the weekend), or burned myself, or saw a bug the way I was carrying on.
Forty five minutes later, still no dice (or diamonds). Chris sends me off to class in tears. I cried the whole way there, then scraped up my hand really badly while trying to put the splash pan on my wheel, and started crying again. After that bit of drama, my instructor, who has to be one of the nicest men on the planet, offered a hug. He’s a really good hugger and I started to feel better immediately. I dove into the work I had left on last weeks pots, and started some new ones. And as grumpy as I was, class went really well. I had a really huge breakthrough and actually threw a few pots that were taller than a coffee mug. But I digress…
On the way home I started bawling again. But at the same time had this feeling that Chris had found the dumb thing. I tried to talk myself out of that feeling because I really thought it was hopeless. The night before we had gone out to eat, and I had washed my hands in the restroom. I figured the ring was either in one of ten bags filled with cactus, or in the ladies room at Red Robin.
As soon as I pulled into the driveway I was accosted by Alexis, who was telling me to go look on my keyboard. Chris came out of nowhere to watch me, too. Sure enough, there was my ring in an envelope on my desk. Sweet, sweet Chris dug through CACTUS to find my ring for me. (Now that’s love!) Smart guy went and bought a metal detector after I left and scanned each bag. He only got one hit (in the last available bag, of course) and dumped that bag onto the driveway. I still can’t believe he found the damn thing.
It’s interesting how a day can start off so bad, and end up so good – and the day was only half over. The rest of the weekend was nearly as eventful, but a completely different story…
Mar
27
Babies, babies, everywhere
Filed Under Parenting, Remembering | 1 Comment
These days it seems like everyone I know is pregnant. I’ve been so busy making baby things, that my etsy shop is really suffering. But really, who cares? Teeny tiny clothes are so much fun to make!
Two of my best friends recently discovered that they will be mommies this year, and it’s really got me thinking. I’d love to have another baby to snuggle and love and nurse and be the sibling that Alexis wants so badly, but I don’t know if I can take the long nights or the late feedings. Why does everyone tell you that having two children is exponentially more difficult than one? How does the human race survive – even thrive – when there is that kind of threat on the parents sanity?
Alexis was/is so good at entertaining herself. You don’t have to run to the next room because it’s too quiet. My aunt who has worked with children in public schools for years, tells us how lucky we are, and that we have no idea what it’s like to have a “normal” child. She raves about how gentle Alexis is, and how you don’t have to worry about her messing with stuff she shouldn’t. And she’s right, we barely did any baby proofing when she was small. I’m afraid of the possibility of getting a “Holy Terror” for a second child.
I also wonder if it isn’t too late for Alexis to have a close friendship with a sibling. At this point, she’d be in 2nd grade before she could even really play with him or her. And even then the baby would only be a year old.
Then there is the matter of space, and money. Daycare is ridiculously expensive. The idea of paying upwards of $1000/month for the next five years for childcare just fills me with dread. And this house is already in need of another room but we love it so much there is no way we’re going to move. There is a good place to put that extra space, but again, the cash to do it would be outrageous.
But even with all those fears and worries, I still feel envy for my friends who are embarking on such a rewarding journey. There is just nothing like watching your child grow up. They surprise and delight you every day.
Perhaps that’s why people keep having kids despite the enormous amount of work. So for now, I guess I will have revel in the fact that I’m going to soon meet two new babies, and I will love them almost as much as I love Alexis. And I can spoil them even more rotten because I can give them back to their parents when I’m done.
Congrats ladies.
Mar
21
To edge, or not to edge
Filed Under Crafting, Quilting, Sewing | 4 Comments
This weekend I finished this blanket – which has been sitting, cut up in a storage container for nearly a year, I think. This thing is SOFT. I mean really squishibly, snuggly soft. (Do you remember those Snuggle commercials? “It’s snoogly saawft.”)
When I started collecting sweaters for this blanket, I was envisioning it as more white with tan and sage accents. And even when I had all the pieces stacked up in front of me, I still expected it to come out mostly white despite the pathetically small stack of white squares. It’s beautiful though, and I wouldn’t change a thing. I love all the different textures and that I wasn’t completely anal about making all the cables run in the same direction.
This is the first blanket that I sewed entirely with my serger. I think I’ve got some tension adjustments to work out, but it sure made the job easier. That machine sews through felt like it is warm butter. And I love how it trims up the edges as you go. All those squares… were not so square when I started.
So the big question is, do I edge it, or not? I was thinking a satin binding in a pale brown or cream, but now I’m not so sure. I’ve only ever edged two of my throw blankets, and those were both done with strips of leftover felt. I have used satin binding on baby blankets, but they also have a knit backing. I wonder if the satin would make it look like a big baby blanket. NOT the look I’m going for.
Mar
17
What the hell is ‘Plarn’?
Filed Under Crafting, Knitting, Quilting, Sewing | 3 Comments
Susan asked me that last night, which disolved us both into giggles.
Somewhere I got this weird wild hair and decided to make this. Yes… I have lost my mind – again. So here you are… 56 grocery sacks worth of plastic yarn. Roughly the size of a basketball. And it only took me 2 hours to cut them up and string them together. ONLY.
Someone please tell me why can never get rid of all my works in progress… oh! yeah! because I keep starting new shit! I never used to do that, I was strictly a one project gal. Somewhere along the lines, I became corrupted. Right now I have the plarn bag, two quilts partially quilted, a baby hat, 3 shirts, 2 chickens, 3 elefelts, and 2 giraffes started. Oh, and 2 bunnies, which I’m not even sure will work out…
On the other hand, I did finish two projects this weekend. And the floor in the sewing room is once again cleared. I don’t say clean, because it is still covered in little bits of wool fuzz from the last batch of sweaters I felted. I should really learn how that vacuum cleaner works.
Mar
15
The secret to weight loss…
Filed Under Uncategorized | 3 Comments
Get rid of all your skinny clothes. Guaranteed you’ll drop 20 lbs and have nothing to wear. Sigh.