New Design!

I've given the blog an overhaul.  I thought it was time to "uncutesy" the site -- while I do like the old colors and elements, it was too "scrapbooky" for my tastes.  I learned how to do a new header from a tutorial on MADE.  This is one of my favorite blogs, and I got my inspiration from one of the entries she posted on her contest to redesign her header on her own blog.  There were so many impressive designs on there -- for a person like me, a little intimidating.  But here's where I landed and I like it for now!

Cost Cutting

So we're cutting costs here.  I've always been kind of a cheapskate at heart, but a weird one... Penny-wise and pound-foolish.  But I feel like maybe I have a jump start with the penny-wise part; now all I have to get is pound-wise.

I'm considering what to do about the internet/phone thing.  I only have two options when it comes to internet: cable broadband or DSL.  I don't think the DSL is fast enough, not nearly as fast as cable internet. But I can't get the faster internet without the cable tv, and I want to be free of that.  Most television I want to watch, I can get on the internet, and the kids don't need unfettered access to the inanity that is E! and MTV (or Disney, for that matter).  Rounding back around to the internet issue: if I'm planning to stream all my tv and other stuff, I need a fast connection.

I still need a land line for a house phone.  I feel like with two small guys here in the house and crap reception in my neighborhood (thank you, Sprint), I really shouldn't try to rely on a cell as the house phone.  But it's tempting.

So I'm stumped.  And that's just the internet/phone/tv thing.  I'm screwed.

Let's All Go to the Drive In!

That's just what we did last night!  The boys and I cleaned out the van, grabbed some Popeye's (superyum!), and headed out to see Rise of the Planet of the Apes at the drive in.  Good movie, great dates. I recommend going if you have kids - or even if you don't.  It was fun. I do have some thoughts, though, and would do a few things differently next time:

1. Start earlier - This is a problem for me overall, but last night I wish I had started the process earlier. We were clearing out the back of the van still when we should have been hitting the road, and that set us back for the rest of the evening.
2. Ask for plates & spoons - Evidently they don't give this to you when you order the humongo family meals unless you ask for them.  And so we had delicious mashed potatoes, green beans, and red beans & rice that we couldn't eat.  Kind of a bummer. Well... as much a bummer as Popeye's can be.
3. The kid(s) will be wound up - Just deal.  Remember that they can either remember the awesome drive-in y'all went to, or they can remember the yelling ("Just throw it into the big trashcan!", "Get buckled up or we can't go anywhere!", "For the millionth time, grab your pillows and get inside!").  Maybe I'll make sure we go in jambes, or lay them out before we leave so they're ready to go when we get home.
4. Sit farther away from the people smoking pot - Don't know how to plan this, but seriously, this is not what you want for the kids.  Or maybe you do.  In which case... well, I don't know what to say about that.

We had a great time and the movie did spark some good conversations. Plus, D spotted Draco Malfoy in the movie - maybe he has the moviespotter gene? We'll see!

Figured it out?

I have figured out that if I keep some time in my day to be creative and/or inspired, then I'm much happier. To that end, I spend time online reading these blogs (here, here, here, here - are some recent ones I've found) and have learned how to quilt.  (Well, I'm stuck in the middle of an unfinished first quilt, but that detail is just a minor one...)  I take it where I can get it.  I've taken my sketch pad to work with me to get a few minutes in when I need a breather - drawing mandalas is surprisingly relaxing, and mentally very refreshing.  I'm exploring lots of traditional media that I've never really looked deeply into before, like paper art (sherenschnitte and quilling), quilting, embroidery, printmaking - primarily by reading about it.  I'm finding that I have an itch to sew, and if I could only get that stupid machine into the repair shop I'd be golden.

So this weekend I've spent a ridiculous several hours working on a photo that my boys want made. It's a composite of several sources and involved costuming, a brief photo shoot, and lots of Photoshop Elements. In the end, I suppose I'm ok with it - they boys are thrilled, though, and that's what really matters.  Not sure what we'll do with it, but they love it and it gave me an outlet.

New Love and One Around the Corner

Just found a new love.  Like most new loves, it's a timesucker.  It has potential.  It can either bring out the best, most brilliant parts of me, or it can quickly plunge me into the Neverland of "shiny".  And like most girls newly in love, I am betting on it always bringing me light and joy and inspiration and never bringing me down.  Pinterest!

I also have a thought that I might start another blog. But that will have to be a separate thing... I thought it might be a good way to keep focus on a weight loss goal.  Nothing like doing it in public to give a greater sense of accountability and nothing like needing to return to it daily (writing, posting, editing, generating ideas, etc) to give a prolonged sense of focus. So I am gathering ideas about starting it, and that should be just around the corner.  Might give a little fun to it!

Always look on the bright side of life...

So I've been in a pretty crappy mood today. I won't go into it, but my job is wearing on me.  The winter has reached its zenith of miserableness.  I'm tired, my laundry is piling up again, something smells bad in my car and I can't find it... Yadda yadda yadda.

Who needs that in their life?

So I've decided to write down 5 specific things I am glad for:

1.  I have two super-smart, funny, creative, healthy, good-lookin' kids who love their mama.

2.  Mexican food.  Hot, spicy, cheesy, salty, deeeelicious!

3.  Friends who won't let you eat Mexican food every day.  And who don't judge me when I do.

4.  My family loves me, even with all my faults.  I can't seem to run them off, though I have evidently tried a time or two (or three).

5.  I have some pretty cool stuff to call my own: great gadgets and gizmos, yarn out the wazoo, beads & jewelry stuff, my new Bamboo tablet, my awesome laptop...  And the talent to be able to do something with them.  I am not the most talented, I am not the most imaginative or creative.  But I do have some talent and I do have some skills, and I put them to good use from time to time.

PS I love Monty Python.

Quilts, crafts and Mormon Mommies

I've been cruising the internets lately, looking at handcrafts.  Somehow my Christmas browsing on Etsy seems to have left me with a hankering for something arty and crafty.  So I've been looking around to see what kind of stuff I can find.

I've found a lot.

Some of my favorites:
Ravelry, of course.  Go-to source for knitting. I think I may figure out how to crochet one day soon and this will be my first stop for a cute, easy project.

Angry Chicken - This name alone it totally FTW.  But really, I'm not sure I'm down with everything on there... (note the Solstice cloaks she made her girls...), but she did a really good binding tape tutorial.

"Sexy Librarians" pattern from Sublime Stitching

Sublime Stitching - Awesome chick from Austin, TX, making cheeky and fun embroidery.  She's kind of a rebel with a very traditional palette.  She kind of started me down this crazy path.  I thought that if there's one of her out there, I must be able to find more modern girls like us.  Have yet to find someone really that interesting, although there are some contenders.

V and Co. - Like to see what she does, plus she's funny in a spazzy kind of way.  I think she'd be fun to hang out and laugh with.

Don't Call me Betsy - Very nice stuff from a girl who is self taught.  Adventuresome and thrifty.  And she uses delicious fabrics.

Sew Mama Sew - Great fabrics, tutorials, and right now a pillow month dealio going on.

The Plaid Scottie - Sass.  And color.  And wonky.  Love it.

a la Mode - This girl should be my friend.  I love her aesthetic, and her adventurous nature.  I dig her color choices and patterns she works from.  If you like blogs with music, she has good music playing. Good music or no, I still mute - bugs me.  But not enough for me to quit coming back.

Simply Modern Mom - Tutorials.  Tips.  Lists.  Recipes. And great photos.  Aaaahhhh....

Vogue Knitting - Really? I need to say more?

Living with Lindsay - Lindsay cracks me up.  She has good stuff, too.

Susanne Loves - Beautiful modern quilting and photos.  I love looking at her stuff and dreaming that someday I could pull off something that cool.

Tater Tots and Jello - Great projects, and this is where I learned about the Silhouette.  I may be late to the party, but I fell in love. Must have.

Taylor Made - I like her stuff a lot.  Doable, practical, and not-fussy.  My kind of gal.

Design Mom - I really like looking at her things. Some of them are more than I would be able to/want to tackle, but many others are totally something I could do. All serve as inspiration.

Gen X Quilters - She has the outlook that we need to bring quilting up to our generation. While she appreciates the history and the beauty of the traditional quilts, she also knows that there needs to be some movement if the artform is to progress and survive.  And I love looking at her stuff.


A disturbing number of these blogs are by Mormon women (ummm, definitely not all.  Hello, Vogue.) who have made Martha look like a overreaching, high-strung harpy.  Oh, wait...

Anyway, these women have these adorable little lives: none of them seem to work, they stay home with their ds, dd, 'little noisemaker', etc, and they manage to cram all sorts of crafting and housework into their days.  And they also manage to have these beautiful homes and what appear to be calm lives...

I was wondering about this, because I was noticing a trend and decided to google "Mormon mommy blog".  Before I even got past the "m" in "mommy", it had suggested "Mormon mommy blog".  (As a side note: I'm telling you that I have a serious skeeve about the way Google seems to read my mind when I go to search.  It also makes me feel like I never have an original thought in my tiny, dusty head.  But I digress.)  Evidently there is a whole community of these Mormon mommy bloggers.  And other people had noticed the Stepford perfection of their vanilla-scented lives.

Mitch O'Connell's reform school girl pattern from Sublime Stitching

Why am I focusing on this? I'm not sure. I love the things I've seen there, in a voyeuristic sort of way, and not all these are from this crowd.  Sublime Stitching and a la Mode are written by women who would be my friends - if only they knew it.  (Again, the internets are creeping me out just a little.)

But nevermind.  I just have to look past the perfection and the gentle Saintliness, and see the beauty they are bringing and the fun they are having.  I think I need to bring some of that peace and happiness and fun back into my own house.

Can I hire "fun"?

Happy Valentine's Day!

So happy Valentine's Day, y'all!  Yesterday the boys and I undertook one of my Valentinestravaganzas, and made really cute little candy airplanes.  I got the idea from www.CrapIveMade.com, and it was a great success.  We got to do a fun project together, there was something everyone could contribute, I got to use my nerd skillz... We were all thrilled with the results.

The only thing we didn't account for was breakage.  Our LifeSavers did have a little trouble holding together, so we were about 8 short for Tommy's classroom.  So around 11pm, I started on Tommy's valentines for his friends.  They came out quick and I think they're pretty cute. They definitely reflect his personality:

It was a beautiful day, after all the hellacious snow and cold we've been having.  I did the Happy Dance because I was able to do some laundry for the first time in days.  This morning the boys left for school, happy in their own right for the sunshine and the bags of valentines they carried with them.  

Dinner tonight was breakfast.  We had scrambled eggs a la my Grandmother - fluffy and over low heat.  I have no idea why she cooked them that way, and I know I could turn the heat up if I wanted to.  But every time I make eggs I think of her and I just feel compelled to have that little moment with her, cooking the eggs on low.  And we also had deeeelish pancakes!  With marionberry syrup!  From Oregon!  And we had a little moment of anticipatory grieving at the inevitable time when we run out of the syrup...

But in the meantime, the boys really, really enjoyed their pancakes.

 

Someday I'll figure out how to post these pictures in some other way than just a running column, but tonight I'm tired. All that Valentining until 3 am, added to pancakes for dinner (even if there was plenty of protein to go with them) have made for a very sleepy chickadee.  So it's not happening tonight!

Hey, y'all!

So, I'm back.  Who knew that it would take so long? Well, I guess anyone who knows me could have guessed it.

So this weekend I've spent doing things like cleaning the house, folding laundry and getting the furnace tuned up.  As a reward, I've allowed myself a little Jake Gyllenhaal ("Jarhead") and to knit some gaiters for the boys and me.

We were all so cold with the snows last week and having to go out to shovel (or in T's case, play in the snow) with a scarf isn't all it's cracked up to be.  So I decided what we need are a bunch of neckwarmers we can pull over our noses and ears and keep as warm as we want.

Super easy and super warm.