80's Jewelry

When my parents moved to Rangeley full time, they did a complete purge of our Topsham house but somehow my high school jewelry survived it. On my last trip to visit them, I discovered a lot of it in my mothers jewelry box.  I know I have a bag of more somewhere in a box in my basement, so these are the ones my mother stole from me when I went off to college. My first thought on seeing them again after so many years was obvious-"What was I thinking?" The sheer size of them are what struck me. They are about the same size as my 80's glasses were so you can just imagine what I looked like. As you can see, I had a thing for cloisonne earrings. I  spent many Saturdays at JC Penneys picking out new pairs. I had many more than what you see here. And that rhinestone straight pin was used to hold together the collars of my buttoned to the neck Limited shirts. Those little blue butterflies must have been the smallest ones I owned. I remember desperately wanting to get holes all the way up my ears but thankfully I didn't.  There are a lot of people my age walking around ears that look like they went through a hole punch. I finally got a second hole in college but I don't even use it anymore.  Who knows, if I hold onto these long enough they might come back into style. 

Lazy Sunday

A whole bunch of nothing going on today and that was nice since it was about 5 degrees outside. The weekend always flies by around here. I don't know who came up with the stupid idea of working 5 days and having 2 days off. It should clearly be the other way around.  

The kids had another pajama day and decided to have a WebKinz beauty pageant. This involved bringing every one they owned downstairs and setting up a runway. In the end, Pinky won by 34 points. As a side note, I want to point out they have gotten most of their WebKinz as birthday and Christmas presents-we don't spoil them that much. This picture doesn't show the 11 Declan owns.

Declan got the urge to paint so I set him up at the table and left him alone. 

Except when I showed up to take his picture and then I got put in my place for disturbing his "art".

I got to go out shopping by myself this morning. I had a Target gift certificate from Xmas that I hadn't used yet. I had no idea what to get. I had every intention of buying clothes with it but there were annoying people in the clothing section so that drove me out of there. I looked at the handbags but Target seems to be going through an unfortunate phase of green and orange vinyl so I was out of that section pretty quickly too. I finally decided to buy something I would never buy myself so I ended up with a Belgian waffle maker.  You usually just get those when you get married so I figured I'd missed out so I got one. I've always wanted one so we'll try it out for dinner tomorrow. 

My project of the day was to organize my knitting stuff. I had to go to several stores but I finally found a wine box that I could use to store my needles. That was only $2 compared to the $20 most places want for the fancy needle storage cases.  I had a lot of yarn to untangle but now its all in one basket and the needles finally have a home where the kids can't get at them and poke their eyes out.

Now that I know what I have, I have no excuse for not making something. 

Knit-Wit

I am proud to say that I have kept up with my blanket project but it has been slow going. Many nights go by where I keep meaning to reach over to the table next to me and start knitting but it usually doesn't happen. These two piles will soon be a blanket though. I have 3 blue squares left to make-that's the start of one of them on those needles. If I didn't have that pesky 40 hours of my week taken up by work then it would be done by now. I could do a square a night and start putting it together this weekend but I'm guessing that won''t happen. I will be using this blanket this winter-just ignore the fact that winter is half over. 

  My goal this weekend is to sort out my knitting bags. I have a tendency to buy a lot of yarn with no clear plan for it. A lot of it is junky yarn I give to the kids to keep them out of my good yarn so you can guess what kind of knotted state all that is in. I have to find something to keep my needles in before someone gets speared by one. They sell really cute roll up bags for outrageous prices in the yarn store. I was thinking though, of going over to the Christmas Tree Shop and buying one of those heavy round cardboard gift boxes for wine. I think they cost about 2 dollars. Also, I own way to much yarn for someone who is technically a beginner-maybe an advanced beginner but still...I want to use this yarn to make a hat using Grace's round knitting loom. I think this will be for next winter. I don't even look good in hats but I liked the colors. There was a hat with these exact colors on sale at Kohls this week for $5 so maybe I should just save myself the trouble. 

I bought this french knitting thingy too. Its really for kids but if I can figure it out, then it will make a yarn snake-like thing that I can make something out of. This seems like such a Girl Scout or Camp Davenport arts and crafts project but I bet Martha knows how to use one. 

Soulemama had a link to a free pattern to make arm cuffs which are like fingerless gloves only you don't have to make the little finger holes which I have no idea how to do. I liked the blue yarn because they will come out striped and the green looked sort of tweedy. To make these though, I will have to learn to knit them using the 3 needle method which is totally confusing. Again, these will probably have to wait until next winter.  I would provide the fancy links to all these things so you know what I am talking about but I am just too tired. 

And, making a reappearance, is this yummy soft yellow yarn I bought last summer but have done nothing with. I want to make sure I make something with it that I will use but I don't know what that is yet. 

1-19-09

                                                 A message brought to you by Grace and Declan.

I'm Back And I'm Cold

Well, I have been ignoring the blog again but I have a good excuse-my fingers were too cold to type. I bought some fingerless gloves and now I am good to go.  It has been seriously crazy cold for days. I'm beginning to wonder if spring will ever really come again and if the new grass in our backyard even exists anymore. Right now its warmed up enough to start snowing and we'll end up with almost a foot. I have always liked the idea of having 4 seasons but I'm starting to have my doubts. Problem is, I don't really like the areas that are warm. I can't see myself living in the desert. I don't want a cactus in my front yard. But all this weather makes us all appreciate Maine in the spring-once the mud passes. 

   You may also noticed I changed the blog up a bit. The banner is not 100% what I wanted but the price was right. Maybe I'll look for a brighter more cheerful one when the warm sun comes back sometime in July. 

The First Step Is Admitting It

Hi, my name is Kate and I am a Facebook addict. I can't remember the first time I was introduced to it but I think peer pressure was involved. It started out as something only the young people did but now us old people are doing it too. I tried to keep it under control for a long time but lately it has gotten out of hand. I sit at my desk at work and get antsy if more than a few hours go by without checking it. I have dragged other people on to it and now they have problems too. Others help feed my addiction by playing Scrabble on it with me. I know I am embarrassing other people by posting pictures of them from high school and college but can't help myself. I don't think I'm ready for a full scale intervention yet but it could be coming soon. I should add, if you haven't joined yet...you should...its awesome.

RIF-Reading Is Fundamental

Do you see what I'm up against when I say I need to read more but have no time? This is the pile from this week although I will admit 2 or 3 of them have been on my night stand for several months. Somehow those are okay to ignore because I will get to them when I can. There is more pressure with the library books and every week I vow not to get any and come home with at least 3 anyway. One of these has to be finished tonight and returned tomorrow because it is due and some unfeeling, probably childless person, has put it on hold so I can't renew it. I can't deal with library fines either. It drives me crazy if I have any and I pay them off right away. Staring at this pile brings up my fantasy of having my own apartment in Manhattan-just like the one Meg Ryan has in You've Got Mail. I live alone there and my job-whatever it is-doesn't really interfere in my life or free time. I spend hours lying on overstuffed girlie couches reading and no one is there to tell me they can't find their keys or they need help in the bathroom or asking me if I knew that Batman rules the world?
Now I feel the need to point out that this particular pile is very chick lit heavy and I do love them but I want you to know in the last few weeks I did read some Charles Dickens and Jane Austen. My mind hasn't completely gone to mush yet.

Slacker Mom

I found this article that really spoke to me. I have realized for years that I am a Slacker Mom but now I am saying it publicly. I refuse to sign my kids up for a million activities that have us living and eating in the car or filling out a crazy calender so we can keep track of where we are supposed to be. At this point Grace has Girl Scouts every 2 weeks and that's enough for her. Declan might do Cub Scouts next year but that's up to him. Neither have any athletic interest but that is not their fault-its ingrained in their DNA. I will say that I am an organized Slacker Mom because I don't lose their papers or forget lunch money. You always hear about kids not having any free unstructured time but that's all my kids have. They don't really go on scheduled play dates-they mostly play in the backyard with the neighborhood kids. Its almost like when we were little in the 70's. Now, just to be clear, because topics like these tend to rile people up, I am in no way bashing how others choose to parent. This is just how it is at my house. Here are some examples:

Haircuts. They both got their hair cut in August for the start of school and only just got another one this week. Declan was growing a mullet and Grace looked like a mop head. I don't know if I was avoiding the cuts because I hate the children's hair place(All that awful kids music and characters-they're creepy) or if I was just avoiding paying for them.

Disorganized toys. Graces Grandma McMahon bought her this handmade dollhouse full of furniture and dolls and she has played with it for years. Sad to say though over the last year it has been a mess mostly because her brother keeps vandalizing it. It took months but today we finally put it back in order and repaired any broken furniture.

Treats too close to dinner. Here they are today at 4pm waiting for the chocolate chip muffins to cook. And yes, I promised them they could have one once they cooled even though dinner is around 5pm.
We made 6 big ones and they are now gone. Dinner, however, was mostly left on the plate. Oh well.

Pajama day. If you notice in the muffin pictures, Declan is still in his pajamas. I had no where to go today and it cuts down on laundry if they just stay in their pajamas. It also makes bedtime go faster.

Here is a picture that could be of me when I was 8. I think there is a future Slacker Mom in the making here.

Late Resolutions

OK, I don't really want to call these resolutions-more like suggestions I should try to remember this year but won't beat myself up about if I don't. I know I am a few days late in doing this but I have been knocked out flat with a terrible cold this past week and am just now regaining what little energy I usually have. I was so sick that even though Patrick Dempsey was back in town for another press conference this week, I didn't even attempt to try to go. So here goes:

- - -Start a budget. Tim and I are terrible. We have always kept our money very separate almost like we are roommates. He basically just gives me half of the bills every month and I pay them. We don't even have a shared credit card. I'm surprised we aren't still writing our names on our food in the refrigerator. After almost 12 years of marriage I am ashamed to say I have no idea what his paycheck is every week. Families that make out budgets never go wrong. You never see people on Oprah talking about how a budget has destroyed their lives. This secrecy almost was really brought home to me when I opened up the TV cabinet a few weeks back and discovered we now owned a Blu-Ray. It had apparently been there for several days too, all plugged in and working. Don't you think this is something I should have been consulted on? Time for us to grow up and if I have to be the nagging wife to do it, then so be it. We have to think of Grace going off to college in 10 years and it would be nice if she didn't have to start out in life with as much college debt as we did.

- - -Do more reading. From the time I learned to read when I was 5, I have always been reading a book. In school I used to carry a book around to read at any free moments during class-this would, by the way, explain my lack of a social life back then. Now, I go to the library every week and pick up several books but I'm lucky if I finish one. I start them all but actually only finish one. I could accomplish this by turning off Facebook and picking up a book but that is easier said then done.

- - - Drink less of the demon soda. In the past, I have always tried to do this by going cold turkey but obviously this hasn't worked. Who am I kidding? I am always going to drink soda, I just need to cut down on how much.

- - - Start an ETSY account. I have piles of jewelry that aren't making me any money sitting in a drawer. Plus, its a good excuse to buy the starter kits online that teach you how to make your own lotion and lip balm. I could sell those too.

- - - Pay more attention to this blog. I have really slacked off these last couple of months and I think winter has a lot to do with it. The shorter days give us less to do and therefore less blog topics. I want to make it cuter too. I'm looking for a better banner for the top but haven't found one I liked yet. I think I want something with stripes.

- - - Learn to knit something more than scarfs and squares. I gave Grace a knitting loom for Christmas and this seems an easy way to learn to make hats. I also want to buy a knitting spool which is also a kids product but so what? You can make a little braided rug with it.

- - - Do more solo stuff with the kids. Grace is always asking for girls only outings and Declan and I spent the afternoon alone together today. He knew exactly how to keep Mommy interested because for a project, he wanted to make me earrings.

- - - Actually wear the projects the kids make me. I now have a pile of earrings that both of them have made me and to be honest, they are not quite my style. It makes them very happy to see me wearing them so I have to remember to wear them around the house and at least pretend to wear them to work.

I know I have more that I thought of but I can't remember them. That's another thing I should try to change-my failing memory. I used to be able to remember even the smallest things and now I find myself dialing phone numbers and having no idea who I am calling once it starts ringing.