finishing up the ladies

The gingerladies are almost done . . . . I just need to add their ribbon bows. Wendy is making cute brown and pink polka-dot pants to match.

projects

I've made lots of "to do" lists for myself before. But I hate to admit it, I'm the queen of never following through. The sole purpose of a to do list is to set goals for yourself, accomplish those goals and knowing the feeling of satisfaction when crossing each item off your list when the task was finished. I would make the to do lists, admire my organization but I could never get to the "accomplishing the tasks and crossing them off" part. And if I did finish a job, I would have had long misplaced the list. The other day, I wrote a huge list for myself and mentally I have been checking the things off in my mind. But this morning, I wrote down a handful of little jobs I needed to get done today. And low and behold, I accomplished the little list. And truthfully it did feel good to cross each thing off as I completed the task.

I've been working on some small projects today. I made this little bag for The Divine Miss O's friend. Every Thursday my friend and her daughter pick Miss O up from her preschool and drop her and her friend off at dance class. I'm eternally grateful for this help.


















You might have noticed the little "shop handmade" section over there to the right. My friend and I are starting a little endeavor. I make shirts and she makes pants. Together we have little cute outfits. We decided to put some together and see if they sell on Etsy.com. Today, I started two ideas. Gingerbread girls on pink shirts anyone??? She will be much cuter when all her embellishments are added. I love the mittens top. It might just be my favorite so far. I'm working on a penguin top too. But he's not finished. I'll let you know when we post our first projects for sale!!

walls and floors

J got the hardibacker up for the walls and floor this weekend. It's starting to come together. Next step tile and cabinets and paint!!

thankful

Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn't learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn't learn a little, at least we didn't get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn't die; so, let us all be thankful. —Buddha

disney princess on ice

Today we drove to Seattle for Disney's Princess on Ice. It was a fabulous show! As always Disney bombards you wtih merchanise the minute you walk into the door. But the show didn't disappoint. It was great for us all. Baby Love loved the music and bright colors, she danced and sang. She especially loved the seven dwarfs. Wonder Boy enjoyed the fireworks and dragon fire and cotton candy. The Divine Miss O cried at first which took J and me off guard. We didn't expect that reaction to the princess fanfair. I think the loud music and bright lights put her into sensory overload and it was scary to her. She complained of the lights shining in her eyes. After some readjustments and pulling her onto my lap, she did great and really enjoyed the show. Her favorite was the Little Mermaid.





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baby blogging basics

demolition phase

More master bathroom remodel pictures. I can't believe how big the area the shower and toilet was looks. J found a shower base that will fit the area and he is going to tile the shower sides. Then we'll get new shower doors and a new toilet. Yay!!





















This is where the toilet used to be . . . .















This is where the cabinets used to be. Our new cabinets and counter top are in the garage. I can't wait until things start to get installed.

look out Ron Weasley

to do

i heart langley

Yesterday, I spent the day in Langley WA, a little water front town on Whidbey Island, with my dear friend. Without kids and hubbies no less!! The weather was superb!! We shopped, we walked, we talked, site-saw, and we lunched. I couldn't have asked for a better day. Thank you Wendy!! I really needed a day away. Next up: LaConner in December?!?!?!

yes, I am that mom

I admit it. At first, very reluctantly. Now, however, I admit it and I will not feel ashamed or embarrassed by it. I am that mom! You know, the one you roll your eyes about when you are an office staff at a local elementary and you see me coming down the hall. Why? Because you know, I'm coming to make you have to think about your job and concentrate on the reason we take the little things into consideration. The details we have meetings about. The mom who annoys you and troubles you to make the extra effort. The one who inquires about the events that occurred or policies that should be followed. Yes, damn it! I'm that mom!!


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I was greeted this morning by a mother of a fellow student in Wonder Boy's class. She was nervous and upset. She didn't know how to approach communication with me. At first I was panicking thinking Wonder Boy had done something to her son and I was horrified. After piecing half sentences and thoughts together, she managed to tell me she witnessed our children going into a boys' restroom with a custodian yesterday afternoon. She was upset and unsure as she eavesdropped on the conversation being had by the three. She wanted to know if I thought she should talk to someone. And of course, I said YES! "This morning!" "Right now!" "No waiting!!" I said. She asked if I would go with her. And again, of course, I said yes.

We met the principal after lots of shuffling and running around. I was still not totally clear on the exact details. But this I did know. My son went into a restroom with a male and I'm not okay with that. EVER! The meeting was chaotic and the conversation was fuzzy. Still not able to completely process the situation, I left feeling uneasy and unsupported by the principal of my child's school. The one person, above all others, I should be able to entrust his care and well being with. the more I stewed and pondered it all, the more upset and pissed off I became.

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After talking with Wonder Boy and his classmate's mom more, we filled in the missing pieces. Apparently, the two boys went to the bathroom at recess and found a mess. Someone had painted all over the walls in the boys bathroom. The two boys went to the office to inform them of the situation. The Secretary called the custodian on the walkie talkie and then sent the boys back out to finish up recess. On their way back out, they ran into the custodian and then showed him where the mess was. Innocent enough, I know. And whether the boys led the custodian into the bathroom (which was most likely the case) of the boys were led into the bathroom by the custodian is beside the point. The three of them were in the bathroom by themselves. ALONE. This seemingly innocent situation could have had devastating results. Only takes a minute. And none of us would have ever been able to forgive ourselves if it had.

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I plan on writing a letter to the principal and vice principal informing them both of the facts that we do know. I will expect follow up and confirmation this will never happen again. If it does, I want serious consequences taken. I will not let this drop. We don't get second chances when it comes to our kids. So yes I am that mom. And by God I am damn proud of it!

circles

I woke up this morning at 4:30 am and couldn't go back to sleep. I rolled around a lot and desperately tried to go back to sleep to no avail. I fear I am turning into my grandmother . . . . falling asleep at 6pm and waking up before the birds. The preschool that I have been working at this year is kept very cold, frostbite cold, and my hip from a previous break when I was in college was aching. Yup! I just heard my inner grandmother voice saying: "Y'all, I just couldn't sleep 'cause my hip's a hurtin' me."

So there I was. Flipping wide awake! Because of that fact, my mind started racing and thoughts seemed to clog up my frontal lobe at an alarming rate.

I belong to a very strange and wonderful species called women. On one hand you have all the many wonderful traits woman possess: compassion, wit, multi-tasking abilities, the ability to bear children, nurturing, boobs, one handed cooking skills, etc. The list could go on. On the other hand, women can be catty and downright mean to each other. This funny world of females starts young. Observing girls and boys in their social circles is quite the experiment. Girls can say a million words with one glance and every other girl knows just what she meant with a brief moment of eye contact. Boys seem to wrestle and push each other around all the while oblivious and unaware of the world happening around them. They live in the now whereas girls tend to stew on all the what ifs and whys.

It doesn't change as adults in my opinion. Partly not being able to fall back to sleep this morning was due to the many thoughts I just can't shake about the women in my life at the moment. I keep wondering and worrying about the impression I put forward in my day to day life. There are very few people in my life of friends and family that I never have to second guess what their true feelings of me are. The few that I know will love me and protect me no matter how many stupid things I say or do. And let's face it, if we all were disowned because of the stupid things we've said or done, I would be a very hated person by now!! And so would you, my friend, so would you.

We are just so hard on each other, we women. Always doing the "dance" in our social circles. People who deny this fact are either very naive or very self absorbed. The old saying rings loudly in my head almost daily: Life is too short to worry about the silly things. And, although I know this to be so, so, so, so true and right, it's truly easier said then done. It's hard to not get caught up in the dance. It's hard not to wonder. Or worry. Or gossip. Or talk about it until all the people around you are so sick of hearing about it they would rather pull their own fingernails out with a pair of dirty pliers then listen to you relive the single moment you've been stewing about one more time.

After my second cup of coffee, two Excedrin Extra Strength and dropping Wonder boy off at school, I write this to purge. And I feel better. Less worry. Less fear. Less care. We all have external issues we are dealing with and I need to realize that I can't control how life is treating the ones around me. I can only be a listening ear and a compassionate shoulder if they choose to lean on me. Until then, I tell myself again: my life is just too damn short to worry about the silly things. And so I keep calm and carry on.

midst of chaos

The master bathroom currently looks like this:

My very handy husband is in the middle of remodeling the bathroom. The last of the ugliest wallpaper is on the switch plates. Horrible!! J is going to finish taking out the cabinets, repair the walls from the pink and green tiles (I know, screams of old lady), pull up the flooring. texture the walls, paint, lay tile floor, put in new maple cabinets and a new countertop. I can't wait. Although, having to do all this work on the weekends and in between birthday parties has proven to be a bit of a challenge. Sigh!

inspiration

My Mr. Wonder Boy has been invited to yet another birthday party. We have two lined up this very weekend. One on Saturday and one on Sunday. I very much love the people and their children in which these particular birthday parties honor, but it feels like our weekends have been slowly but surely eaten up by umpteen parties. I struggle with wanting to pick out the perfect, themed gift without breaking the bank. I usually find myself wondering the aisles of Target browsing all the many overpriced plastic toys. And most times I cave and pick out something just to have something to deliver to the birthday honoree. However, I was reading some of my most favorite crafty blogs and I was delighted and inspired by Angry Chicken. Having not yet purchased a gift for the Sunday party, I rush out to Michael's and put together an awesome art box. I have to say I really love it and I hope the newest member to the six year old club likes it too.

The wooden cigar box from Michael's is adorable. I love it!!

I glued the 49 cent pencil on top for added cuteness.

Inside: lots of fun art stuff including colored pencils, modeling clay, paint by numbers kit, stamps, oil pastels and a sketch book too. So fun, right??

have you seen my teeth?

This picture totally cracks me up!! The Divine Miss O had these gummy teeth in her Halloween bucket and picked them out as a treat last night after dinner. So funny!!

just say no to oodle and poo

J and I sorta, kinda have our hearts set on getting a Scottish Terrier. I want a black male so that I can name him Angus Andrews (no joke). But I would settle for a girl and name her Fiona too. This is a somewhat hard decision for me because shelling over hundreds of dollars for a dog when I can save a dog's life for almost free is tough for me. I'm a firm believer that mixed breeds (aka mutts) make the best dogs. In most cases, you can go down to the local humane society and picked out a perfect pet in no time. For a small fee they make sure your new family member is spaded or neutered and current on all vaccines. Or you can be walking into the corner "little store" one warm, July afternoon and walk out with your very own Frieda for the cost of Frito Lays potato chips. We've had Frieda for at least 10 or 11 years now. She is truly the best family dog. She hardly sheds, great the kids, very low maintenance - we love her! But then there is that cuteness factor tug when I see those adorable black Scotties that makes me want to throw caution to the wind and scrounge up all the change I can find just to fork over at least five hundred smackaroos. I know! Totally crazy!! But have you seen those little buggers? They are friggin' cute!

J thinks it would be fun to get a puppy for Christmas (you know, the time of year everyone charges more) as a surprise for the kids. He has been randomly browsing the web, asking people at work, doing research, etc. He checks a Seattle website for local dog sellers and we were looking through the recent postings tonight. All these weird names started popping out. Schnoodle! Cockapoo! Labradooble! Goldendoodle! Pomapoo! Chiapoo!!!!! Really? For real?Come on people!!! You are just making mutts and calling them "designer dogs", then charging an arm and leg for those poor animals. What gives? If there is real money out there selling mixed breeds, you know - mutts, then I'm going to find the next unsnipped male poodle and letting Frieda get busy. Who knew!! Look out world . . . . . . Aussiecatoodlelabs are the next big thing! (So I'm guessing because we really don't know what breeds Frieda is. However, that shouldn't matter to you as long as we brand those poor puppies some ridiculous "oodle poo-poo" name, we'll have you running for your checkbooks. Well, that is, if Frieda wasn't fixed.)