wisdom has two parts

On my coffee table

The prettiest needle book ever by Jenn Maruska:

Sweet pincushion by my friend Debo:

New spring coasters:

Mother's Day freesias:

What's on your coffee table?

The glory of spring

We have had a late winter this year. Yesterday I wore a turtleneck and sweater. Not a warm spring at all. But the sun is peaking out today and it is time to pull out some spring clothes. The last two years of cookies and homemade bread have not been kind to my wardrobe. So I'm off to the mall to shop for more of these--unfortunately in a larger size.

On a vaguely related note--have you seen the new commercials for Nair? They have revived the "Who loves short shorts?" song to promote their new formula--one that stays on in the shower. Stays on in the shower? The stuff is a scary enough mass of chemicals before now. I can't imagine trying the scrape that goo off if it can withstand being pummeled with water.

The picture is the corner of my living room this morning. Hopefully I'll finish that quilt this weekend. There are more projects waiting in the wings!

Identity crises in the quilt shop

I put together this quilt top last week using fabrics from the Urban Chicks Swell line. It is so summery and cheerful—I’m really happy with the results so far. I took the top to the quilt shop on Friday to pick out that green border fabric. Quilt shop employees amaze me. They oooh and aaaah over all these quilts that come in—a definite ego booster for a beginner like me. What do they do when someone comes in with something truly ghastly? Do they oooh and aaaah? Maybe they find something they admire about it and just comment on that—like when a friend walks in and asks “What do you think of my new outfit” and you answer “I love your new haircut!”

After I picked out my border fabric I took it to the counter and asked the two lovely ladies there how they would do the quilting. “I’m not a quilter.” I told them. “I don’t do free-motion at all.” They exchanged a meaningful look and one of them pointed at my quilt and said, “Honey, you ARE a quilter.” It made me feel better about not being able to quilt with fabulous free-motion designs. I just don’t think I have the patience to master the skill.

When I was in high school I worked in a quilt shop that was owned by two of my mother’s friends. I can picture the rows of fabrics even now. I loved the fabrics and used some of them to make blouses and dresses for myself. But I didn’t love them the way I love some quilting fabrics now. I think it is the change in times. In the 80s quilt fabrics were dark and calico-y—lots of burgundy and mauve, navy and dusty blue. My mom has some of those fabrics still in her stash. Now quilt shops are filled with stunning batiks and colorful retro fabrics. That is what I love—the cherry reds and pinks, lime greens, and cheerful yet not-too-bright yellows.

So maybe I am a quilter. Any excuse to put some of those fabulous fabrics together works for me.

Just don’t ask me to free-motion.

What is the strangest thing you did this week?

The strangest thing I did this week was teach my son how to remove make-up and stubborn mascara. Oh yes. I thought that I would be talking to him about shaving long before I taught him to remove make-up but...that is the stuff of parenting--going with the flow. We are finally coming to the end of hell-week with his play rehearsals (a week that is aptly named) and his first performance is tonight. His first! Performance! Ever! Be still my jittery heart.

Mommy-blogging with teens in the house is a strange thing. The line of privacy is difficult to sight. Like the Loved often says after he has teased me too much--you usually don't see the line until you've crossed it. I've tried to be careful here. None of Boykiddo's classmates know about my blog but I'm not so stupid as to think that they never will. So I need to be cautious about what I share about him.

Blogging with preschoolers in the house is fabulously full of adorable, yet exasperating moments. Like the time I was in the grocery store with toddler Boykiddo sitting in the cart seat when he suddenly started screaming at the top of his lungs "My p e nis hurts! My p e nis hurts!" I frantically tried to shush him while trying to not LOOK like I was shushing him for fear that it would seem suspicious. I smiled resignedly at other shoppers and waited for Child Protective Services to come barreling down on me. Good times.

I still have exasperating stories. (What do I do about him when he mutters angrily under his breath when I ask him to do something?) And adorable moments--like when he picks me up off of the ground to demonstate his strength or lines his hands up with his dad's to find that his fingers are longer.

The one thing I can share here without any fear of negative consequences is that I am immensely proud of him.

Make-up and all.

Mother's Day gifts

My favorite thing about Mother's Day is when the kiddos bring home gifts made at school. Pictures of flowers made from their handprints, poems written with the letters from "mother" (M is for mom, O is for the orange juice she makes), and bookmarks made from construction paper. Nothing warms a mother's or a grandmother's heart more than a handmade gift from the kiddos in their life.

Randi has kindly asked me to contribute to her fabulous blog Me and My Girl. I am honored and excited to be a part of such a fun endeavor. I have a post over there today with an easy, breezy idea for a great mother's day gift your girl or boy can make. Come take a look.

The Paint Game

Dedicated to Bub and Pie, immersed in her paint chips:

The Paint Game. Let me know how you do. I am "pretty average" when it comes to paint-name knowledge. I did get Bongo Jazz right, though!

via How About Orange.

To diet or not to diet

I'm thinking about food this morning--mostly because I haven't stopped eating it for a second since Thanksgiving. I think I am going to join Weight Watchers Online today.

Here's some fun and interesting food related links:

What does 200 calories look like?

What does 200 calories cost? The economics of obesity.

How to lose weight like a guy.

We're not as fat as the government says.

The cult of Diet Coke.

Happy eating!

Or not.

Return from Vancouver

Hello! We just got back from the land of centres, washrooms, Coffee Crisp and flashing green lights. Canadians, what is the deal with the flashing green lights?! I just don't get it. We have lots of theories but none of them pan out.

Anyhoo, we just finished up a fabulous time in Vancouver, BC. Through the generosity of the In-Laws we stayed in a poshy-posh place on the 30th floor. Floor to ceiling curving walls with an amazing view. Here is the (cloudy) view from the bed:

Yes, those are my feet at the foot of the bed about to drop off the edge of the world. Well, not the world. But it was a long way down. I have to point out again that the bottom of that window is the floor. So cool. The living room view:

The bedroom also had a telescope so we could spy on all the tiny ant people rushing around the city. The telescope came in handy the day we arrived. Streets were blocked off downtown, lots of police, and hordes of people all over the Art Museum steps but we couldn't figure out what the event was. And that is because we are straight and not at all hip to counterculture. We arrived in Vancouver just after 4:20 on 4/20. Time to celebrate cannabis.

I just adore getting away with the Loved. We talked about everything, walked Stanley Park, Granville Island, and Robson, talked some more, ate the BEST seafood I have ever had. And talked. It was so great. There's not much more that I can say to describe it. I guess you just had to be there. Except then there would have been too many people. So I'm glad that you weren't.

Linkity Love

Boykiddo painted this years and years ago. Kindergarten, maybe? Nice and sunny on a rainy day here in Seattle.

Here's some links to enjoy:

Check out the comments on this post at Money Saving Mom for a recipe for homemade wheat thins. I'm hoping to give them a try soon.

Trying to reduce your plastic bag use? These tutorials at Life With Nature Girl for reusable snack bags and napkins might help.

I think I might try making my own laundry detergent--if for no other reason than to say I tried it once. via Randi.

Family Taste Tests at Scribbit. Is this just the best idea ever? I can't wait to do this with my family. What to do first? Soda? Ice cream? Yogurt? The options are endless. My fear is that my kids will like the most expensive options and then refuse all others.

I am waaaayyy past needing this but I sure wish I had it when I was nursing babes. Belly Huggers for pregnant and nursing moms.

Julie at Jane's Apron talks about her favorite adhesives. I also like her idea of using a magazine when using a glue stick--just turn the page for a fresh surface.

Here's a cute card idea at Craft Addictions that I am looking forward to making. Got the punch, got old magazines. Add glue and stir. It is fun to follow the inspiration links too. I love this butterfly collage!

There is so much to say when there is nothing to say

I swear my life is feast or famine. Last week I happily wrote every single day. This week I can't seem to settle my brain down to write anything. Lots of ideas--no cohesiveness. Part of the problem is that many of the things I would write about I have never mentioned here and they would involve introduction that I am just too lazy to do. It has me thinking about all my blogging friends and how we have so many things in life that we don't share on our blogs. A blog is just a tiny slice of a person's life. So here are some things that are taking up my time and energies that I haven't written about yet:

My son is in the school play! How cool is that? It is a small cast of ten ranging from grade 7 to 12. So he is rubbing shoulders with high school kids and deftly learning his lines. I'm intensely proud of him and stressed at the same time. Rehearsals eat up a lot of time that he used to devote to doing his schoolwork.

Girlkiddo is growing up. She asked me about how twins are created the other day and I realized--I have never fully explained to her what puberty will mean to her and she is standing on its doorstep! So we've been talking.

I'm still "crazy". The health issues that came up last fall are still a major part of our lives. Nothing life threatening. Just life altering. I am a medical mystery and doctors appointments and new meds are part of my life now. You can definitely tell how I'm feeling by how often I post. When I am feeling the "crazy" I don't write.

The Loved is soon to be unemployed. He had decided to quit his job and we were hanging in there, getting our ducks in a row before he gave notice. And then, by God's mercy and grace, his team reorganized and The Man RIFed him!!! So awesome. Now he leaves with a severance but still...no job! He has worked the The Man for 16 years so a job change is a big deal for us. Needless to say there have been lots and lots of conversations around here.

We are leaving town for a couple of days next week, Grandma will be staying here with the kids and I am hosting a get-together for all the fourth-grade moms when we get back. So I've got housework to do! I cleaned the fridge last night--what an amazing difference it makes to have a clean fridge.

Okay, I'm done boring you. If you have stuck it out this far, thanks for listening to my ramble!