The View From Declan's World

Finally downloaded the kids camera and thought Declan's point of view should be seen.

Pretty eyes-girls are going to love me.
Grace in a Time Out-had to go taunt her with my freedom.
Japanese cartoons can be used to drive your parents insane!
Still no loose teeth.
Candygram....
Mommy reacts to every camera like this but I got most of her.

My Arms Hurt

Tonight, sitting through all that convention coverage, I actually made it halfway through the winter blanket project I started last month. I have these 9 cream colored squares done and now I have to start on 9 navy blue ones. If I keep with it, I could be done in another month or so. I'm not sure if I'm going to make a checkerboard pattern or just do a solid color in the middle with the other color as a border. I ordered Knitting for Dummies tonight off Ebay so I might be able to figure out other projects. I really only know 1 stitch so I have to learn the other ones before I can do anything complicated. I can't deal with knitting instructions because they are in some crazy math shorthand that make my brain shut down. That's why I think the Dummies book will be perfect for me.

Another big project I'm starting is painting our living room and dining room. We painted them 10 years ago when we moved in so its time. Our trim is chipped and beaten up from baby gates and kids and cats. I'm keeping the same colors though-the living room yellow and the dining room green. I just have to find the right shades. You can't really see the samples in the picture but I got these from Home Depot and I'm sure I'll have to get some from Lowes too. I also have to do something about our curtains. I put up "temporary" lace ones but its been 10 years with those also. I want fabric Roman shades because we have really nice window moldings that are just being covered up. Maybe I can figure out how to sew some. I took Declans first week of school off from work so I'm hoping we can get this done during the day when our house will be strangely empty. I know it sounds like a hovering mother to take off a whole week for him starting school but he is my last baby and I get 5 weeks vacation and I need time to adjust. I also need a new background for my pictures. I'm getting a little tired of seeing my wood floor.

It Actually Worked!

Grass actually started growing in the backyard a few days ago and there is more every day. I don't want to jinx it but I think it actually worked. Of course, as these things go, our lawnmower decided to die so this new grass will get a new lawnmower too. I think the kids and I are going to have a picnic dinner on it once we are allowed to actually walk on it.

Why Do They Have To Mess With These Things?

I want to throw something at the TV every time I see one of those Kath and Kim promos that NBC has been showing incessantly during the Olympics. They are horrible. The real Kath and Kim is an Australian show and it is brilliant. You can really only see it over here on obscure cable channels I am lucky enough to get. This new US version will probably/hopefully be canceled very quickly. Now hold back on your eye rolling-I know I watch too much TV but at least its all tax deductible with my job. Now enjoy!

http://www.sundancechannel.com/videos/230058297

http://www.sundancechannel.com/videos/230057936

http://www.sundancechannel.com/videos/230057933

It Starts This Early?

Grace and I went on a quick back to shop shopping trip to Kohl's tonight. I very quickly grabbed some things for Declan and then the long trek through the girls department started. She told me she needed new shirts because she had looked through all her shirts and none were beautiful enough to wear to school. I told her she could get 2 shirts and I swear she looked at every shirt in the place. Most were rejected because they weren't her "fashion". The rest I rejected because she doesn't need High School Musical/Hannah Montana stuff at her age. We somehow got out of there after 45 minutes and 3 trips to the dressing room and 1 almost meltdown from me. I don't remember caring this much when I was 8. I can't wait until she figures out that we don't shop at the expensive stores.

Hoping For Green

After 10 years of an embarrassing backyard that we didn't want to spend time in, we finally did something about it this weekend. Of course, it was actually our neighbor that finally allowed it to happen because she cut down her light blocking tree that kept anything around it from growing. We still have some huge trees in our yard but now we have sunlight which is the key ingredient for growing grass. If I told you how much it cost to cut down a tree you wouldn't believe me-it's more than my first car.

This is the before picture. It's a postage stamp backyard so it could have been worse. You can see the tiny patch of what looks like grass but is actually moss and weeds. In the upper lefthand corner you can see the remains of the tree. You can also see our horrible fence. I think that will be our next project, maybe in the spring. Apparently scrap metal prices are sky high so we can take down the chain link, take it to the scrapyard, and then put the proceeds towards a new fence and finally some privacy.

So, Saturday morning, Tim rented the tiller and went to work. He did 3 times the work I did on the lawn. I had to go off with the kids on errands while he did this. This was the most satisfying thing we have ever done on the house besides tearing out the kitchen. I was hoping to find some cool buried things but nothing better than rocks and roots came up.

Then we added this all this new dirt to the yard and leveled some spots out. We have discovered we are too old for all this manual labor. I suggested finding a nice teenage boy from the neighborhood to do this but Tim wasn't too hot on the idea. We finished just in time for a major thunderstorm which helped tamp down the new soil.

This morning, while I slept due to some insomniac children, Tim spread around the seed and fertilizer. Tomorrow he will spread out some hay on top to keep the seeds in place and then we just water and pray. I don't want to jinx anything but if this works then I can't wait for spring plantings and I'm definitely getting an L.L. Bean hammock and stand.


In other better late than never news, I finally made Grace's night hat this morning. It was much easier than I thought it would be. Declan has now put in an order for himself so add one more thing to my to do list.

If You Want To Feel Old...

Beloit College in Wisconsin puts this list out every year at the start of the college year and I always look for it. I used to find them funny but, as the years have passed, they just become more horrifying.

***OK-I originally put up last years list accidentally so here is the right list.

The class of 2012 has grown up in an era where computers and rapid communication are the norm, and colleges no longer trumpet the fact that residence halls are “wired” and equipped with the latest hardware. These students will hardly recognize the availability of telephones in their rooms since they have seldom utilized landlines during their adolescence. They will continue to live on their cell phones and communicate via texting. Roommates, few of whom have ever shared a bedroom, have already checked out each other on Facebook where they have shared their most personal thoughts with the whole world.

It is a multicultural, politically correct and “green” generation that has hardly noticed the threats to their privacy and has never feared the Russians and the Warsaw Pact.

---

Students entering college for the first time this fall were generally born in 1990.

For these students, Sammy Davis Jr., Jim Henson, Ryan White, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Freddy Krueger have always been dead.

1. Harry Potter could be a classmate, playing on their Quidditch team.
2. Since they were in diapers, karaoke machines have been annoying people at parties.
3. They have always been looking for Carmen Sandiego.
4. GPS satellite navigation systems have always been available.
5. Coke and Pepsi have always used recycled plastic bottles.
6. Shampoo and conditioner have always been available in the same bottle.
7. Gas stations have never fixed flats, but most serve cappuccino.
8. Their parents may have dropped them in shock when they heard George Bush announce “tax revenue increases.”
9. Electronic filing of tax returns has always been an option.
10. Girls in head scarves have always been part of the school fashion scene.
11. All have had a relative--or known about a friend's relative--who died comfortably at home with Hospice.
12. As a precursor to “whatever,” they have recognized that some people “just don’t get it.”
13. Universal Studios has always offered an alternative to Mickey in Orlando.
14. Grandma has always had wheels on her walker.
15. Martha Stewart Living has always been setting the style.
16. Haagen-Dazs ice cream has always come in quarts.
17. Club Med resorts have always been places to take the whole family.
18. WWW has never stood for World Wide Wrestling.
19. Films have never been X rated, only NC-17.
20. The Warsaw Pact is as hazy for them as the League of Nations was for their parents.
21. Students have always been "Rocking the Vote.”
22. Clarence Thomas has always sat on the Supreme Court.
23. Schools have always been concerned about multiculturalism.
24. We have always known that “All I Ever Really Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten.”
25. There have always been gay rabbis.
26. Wayne Newton has never had a mustache.
27. College grads have always been able to Teach for America.
28. IBM has never made typewriters.
29. Roseanne Barr has never been invited to sing the National Anthem again.
30. McDonald’s and Burger King have always used vegetable oil for cooking french fries.
31. They have never been able to color a tree using a raw umber Crayola.
32. There has always been Pearl Jam.
33. The Tonight Show has always been hosted by Jay Leno and started at 11:35 EST.
34. Pee-Wee has never been in his playhouse during the day.
35. They never tasted Benefit Cereal with psyllium.
36. They may have been given a Nintendo Game Boy to play with in the crib.
37. Authorities have always been building a wall across the Mexican border.
38. Lenin’s name has never been on a major city in Russia.
39. Employers have always been able to do credit checks on employees.
40. Balsamic vinegar has always been available in the U.S.
41. Macaulay Culkin has always been Home Alone.
42. Their parents may have watched The American Gladiators on TV the day they were born.
43. Personal privacy has always been threatened.
44. Caller ID has always been available on phones.
45. Living wills have always been asked for at hospital check-ins.
46. The Green Bay Packers (almost) always had the same starting quarterback.
47. They never heard an attendant ask “Want me to check under the hood?”
48. Iced tea has always come in cans and bottles.
49. Soft drink refills have always been free.
50. They have never known life without Seinfeld references from a show about “nothing.”
51. Windows 3.0 operating system made IBM PCs user-friendly the year they were born.
52. Muscovites have always been able to buy Big Macs.
53. The Royal New Zealand Navy has never been permitted a daily ration of rum.
54. The Hubble Space Telescope has always been eavesdropping on the heavens.
55. 98.6 F or otherwise has always been confirmed in the ear.
56. Michael Milken has always been a philanthropist promoting prostate cancer research.
57. Off-shore oil drilling in the United States has always been prohibited.
58. Radio stations have never been required to present both sides of public issues.
59. There have always been charter schools.

Mommy's Day Out

Today, Tim practically pushed me out the door and insisted I go off on my own for several hours. Now you have to understand that this never happens with our screwed up work and sleep schedules. One of us is either at work or asleep when the other wants to do something. I knew it was all his idea but I still felt guilty because he was clearly tired but he has his own things going on that would keep him occupied all day so it didn't matter if I wasn't around. But thank you anyway Dear. I made a stop at Dunkin Donuts and the all important ATM and I was ready.

My first stop was the huge craft fair at the Cumberland Fairgrounds. I've never been there before-I was always more of a Topsham Fair girl since I knew all the spots you could sneak in there. I actually haven't been to a fairgrounds in years but the unmistakable cow/horse smell brought it all back to me.

You known you're at a fair in Maine when everybody has to park in a farmers field next to a big red barn.

It was a good haul at the fair-I got the 2 bowls from my friend Becky's stand plus she threw in one of the adorable mini vases she makes. I want to buy 10 more of them and make little groupings of them on my windowsills. The simmering potpourri is just to make my house smell like Fall.

I also got this great print of different threads for myself. I could have bought one of every print this guy had there. I did buy a few more but I think they are going to become Xmas presents.
Then I wanted to go to a store in the Old Port but I picked a bad day. There was a huge cruise ship in town which meant a few thousand extra tourists to deal with. I walked down to the wharfs to see it anyway. These tugs above obviously aren't the cruise ship but I liked them better.

Next, I made a stop at Goodwill. Once you get past the horrible smell that hits you when you walk in a Goodwill, there are some good finds. It is the best place to buy old books cheap. I was watching something about Gilda Radner yesterday and I found her book there so I snapped it up. A few weeks ago Declan asked me how orange juice was made so I bought this juicer to show him how it used to be made.
Then of course I had to go buy some frames for the prints I bought at the fair. Now the Christmas Tree Shop is full of cheap crap but I love it. I got frames and some art stuff for the kids because I had to come home with presents. I still felt weird being out alone. I kept feeling like I had lost the kids somewhere along the way.
Right next door to Xmas Tree Shop is a Michael's and I went in against my better judgement. I didn't have one of their wonderful 40% off coupons so I swore I wasn't going to buy anything. Of course there was a big ribbon sale. Now I have no need for ribbon and really don't use it that often but I buy it all the time.
So after 6 hours by myself I decided to head for home so poor Tim could go to bed. I was greeted by these 2 mud covered darlings as I drove in. Even though we had to hose them, off I still missed them.

Children Are Strange

My children are being strange tonight. First, they decide they are now going to sleep during the day and stay up all night. So of course that made bedtime tonight fun. I made several trips upstairs to make various threats. One time I found Grace teaching Declan yoga and another time he was singing Secret Agent Man to her. I know Declan learned the song off his radio but where did Grace learn yoga?

The Addiction Worsens

My Etsy addiction is definitely getting worse and my Visa bill reflects that. I can get sucked into clicking on their recently listed items which update every few seconds and suddenly 45 minutes have passed. Here is what the mailman has brought me recently.

This is the bag I felt guilty about buying after watching it for a few weeks. I am sorry to say that I don't like it. Its a very pretty and well made bag but its not what I expected. For some reason I thought it was embroidered fabric and its not. Also it only has a few pockets and its very deep. That would be good except the lining is black so everything goes into a black hole never to be seen again. I think this is going to turn into a knitting bag so my search for a good bag continues.
I don't wear headbands but I found myself attracted to many of them. This one came today and there are 2 more on the way. It sort of looks like a tiara in this picture but you know I don't allow pictures of myself so you can't see it on me. I wonder if they sell tiaras on Etsy?


This could easily become a new craft for me. Except if I tried it, the glue would end up mixed in with cat hairs. I think I'll just save myself some time and just buy them. I should have zoomed in more in the picture but they are the cutest little square pendents.
Here's the cool thing about them. If you flip them over, they are actually old Scrabble tiles. There are so many designs to choose you can go crazy. I expect to end up owning several more and then I will have an excuse to buy a new necklace holder.

So Much To Do...So Little Time

I have many projects to begin as it is and I just made things worse by going to A.C. Moore tonight. I spend all day at work thinking about what I can get done at night but I get home and all ambition leaves. Once I deal with dinner and house clean up and keeping kids in bed, I lose all energy. I do manage to get a little knitting done on my no heating oil winter blanket because I can do that pretty mindlessly on the couch. Then I end up telling myself I'll get to them at the weekend but real life and chores get in the way by then. I run into the same problem with all the books I get out at the library and suddenly they are overdue and I haven't even opened them. Here is what I have bought in the past few weeks and will hopefully get to before it starts snowing.

I got these really cute dragonfly pendents and have yet to make a necklace to attach them to. I thought I had some green beads I liked for them but I'm not sure anymore. Once I do decide on what to use, I can make the 2 necklaces very quickly.

This is the Care Bears fabric Grace picked out for her Little House on the Prairie sleep hat. Not very historically accurate I know. I have some sort of hand drawn directions off the Internet but I'm a little concerned because I've never dealt with elastic and bias tape. Plus Grace has a large head (I'm not being mean, she really does, her doctor used to be concerned about it but turns out she just inherited it from her father according to her.) I hope I don't make it too small. This is really the project I need to get going on or she will think I am neglecting her.

This is a little quilt kit that I just happened to walk by and it was on sale. I had no intention of making any sort of quilt because that is so beyond me but I have a real weakness for toile fabrics. You can see in the little tag what the finished product will look like(hopefully). I have a feeling I will get to this last.
Declan still needs his own crayon roll up. I think I'm going to use the green printed fabric with the black polka dots for his. I know that even though I swore not to do it, I will probably try the ric rack trim again.
I also want to make these fabric banners that I see everywhere for their room. It seems very easy with very little math involved. Grace and I went out tonight to pick out the fabric after Declan fell asleep. So that means she got to pick hers and he didn't. Hopefully it won't be a big deal because he is more interested in the finished product than anything else. Grace picked out all dog fabrics and I got the bundle of boyish flannel fabrics for Declan-at least I tell myself they are boyish. The whole project is sort of girly but he is too little to know that.
Here's my other new knitting project. I want to learn use circular knitting needles and make some kind of neck warmer for the winter. I found this yellow yarn that I love and that isn't itchy. All the instructions I've read for using circular needles have been really confusing but I find all knitting instructions really confusing so I think I just have to sit down and play with it.
Hopefully I can get at least some of these projects done before I go out and buy new ones but its hard to do when all the stores put out weekly 40% off coupons for suckers like me.

Sewing For Dummies

This was the bane of my existence last night but I'm glad I made it. I found directions to make this really cute crayon roll up online and it said it could be accomplished in an hour. I suppose that's true if you have been sewing for years but it didn't take an hour. The directions were straight forward and I found this really cute pack of fabric. It was the ric rack that was my downfall. Now I'm not a ric rack kind of a girl-it's a bit too Hee-Haw for me. Its just that the pictures I saw with the ric rack trim were really cute. I now know you need a Masters in Engineering to properly sew it on evenly. Its hard to tell in the picture but it is all over the place. Grace claimed this one so I'm making another for Declan minus the trim. I still think its a good job for a first timer but it took many more hours than it should have. My arms were actually trembling when I finally finished.
On another note, this was just a cute moment from today. I made cinnamon rolls all the way from scratch which I never do. Grace and Declan were so excited they parked their chairs in front of the stove waiting for them to be finished. Actually my bread machine did most of the work making them. It's funny, every time I use that machine I think of my high school history teacher Mr. Rollins. I remember him going off one day in class against bread machines and how machines that do all the work for you are the beginnings of big brother taking over our lives. He got this crazed look in his eye and he actually meant what he was saying. Somehow I don't think that my cinnamon rolls are hurting anyone.

Things That Make Me Happy

I am such a geek but nothing makes me happier than when Richard Simmons is on Letterman! It's happening right now and those two together are perfection. Richard is actually wearing sequined feathers and it's awesome and he's singing and dancing to ABBA! Dave is horrified! I am so glad they made up after the awful fire extinguisher incident.

Blast From The Past

What do you think could be inside this slightly retro but mostly ugly tin box? The printing on the side says Helen Harrison Candies of Chicago but I don't get a candy vibe off this (fall harvest and chocolate?).
Actually its the box that holds my grandmother/mothers old buttons. Its back from when people actually made their clothes or mended them when they got old. I always was playing with them as a child-I had actual toys but I also liked playing with these. I don't know if its my new found interest in the sewing machine or my trips to Etsy and SouleMama but I am seeing vintage buttons everywhere. So on our last trip to Rangeley I stole it-okay, I asked for it but my mother didn't care.
It still has all the crazy old buttons that I remember. Big winter coats ones and the metal fire department buttons from my fathers uniforms. Tiny fussy ones from women's suits from the 50's.
Its also full of random stuff that has found their way in. A few old belt buckles, a pearl we got at Sea World in 1983, a token for a free hamburger at Hardees, a couch button from our 70's green and brown plaid sofa, a Lite Bright piece from my old set and a bunch of plastic rings that have been around forever but I have no idea what they were used for.
I have no plans to use anything in the box because its sort of family history. I just wanted to make sure it didn't disappear into the dump. I should let the kids play with it but I'm also nervous that things will start disappearing from it into their collections.