One of the lovely gifts I got for my birthday this year was a "party in a box" from my sister. I love getting boxes of fun stuff in the mail and I think this is such a thoughtful gift. There was a sneak preview CD from her band, a handwritten and water-colored recipe for vanilla buttercream, cupcake wrappers, ribbon, and custom cupcake toppers!
There was also a sweet birthday banner and bunting. Just add friends, and you have a party! In addition to being an awesome sister and gift-giver, she is an excellent musician. She contributes her talents to various bands and she is currently raising funds via Kickstarter to record an album with Envelope Peasant and the Scientific Orchestra . Check them out, you need some new music in your life!
My new pot of miniature roses and my birthday pedicure are so on trend, aren't they? My Knockout Coral Drifters I planted last spring aren't blooming yet, so I'm happy to have these little grocery store wonders by my back door. The insane color of the blooms and the dark green of the leaves gets me every time. I'm also anxiously awaiting a bud or bloom on the more lady-like Belinda's Dream rose I got for Mother's day last year. It was a tough summer, but I'm hoping all of this wonderful spring rain will make up for it. I'm spending my weekend in the backyard. I've got big plans for the desolate flower bed. What are you doing?
After a scary afternoon with no power and a fire burning way too close to my husband's office and 3(!) of my friend's homes, things seem to be under control again. That particular fire was started by some IDIOT throwing matches into a dry creek bed. As if mother nature wasn't enough.
Anyway, as you can see from the video above, these fires are not to be trifled with.
And not to be gross and political, we have Rick Perry to thank for making it so incredibly difficult to get the resources in place to fight these fires. Texas Cut Fire Department Funding by 75% This Year
For those of you not living in the state and find him an ideal candidate, please dig a little deeper and see how he has taken our schools from bad to abysmal and slashed public services. His own family doesn't even like his politics.
As I made my last post, a fire started very close to us. I can hear sirens. It's closer to my friend's house than mine, and she is without power.
I found out on Twitter, and I'm following the developments here
We are ready to go, if need be.
As you may have heard, we are experiencing some serious wildfires here. The map above shows the situation as it was when I woke up at 7 this morning. (Real time fire map here) The fire in Bastrop County is 16 miles long and as wide as 6 miles in some places. If you are not familiar with Texas geography, East Texas is a pine forest. A huge, very dry, pine forest. It's a perfectly terrible situation for fire. There is no rain forecasted for the next ten days.
My husband and I figured out an evacuation meeting point, and a backup meeting point in case the first place we picked had to be evacuated as well. I packed a "go bag" and gathered all of our important documents so I could grab them in a hurry if need be. We're nervous. It's surreal to look out your window and everything appears fine but know that less than an hour's drive in any direction, there's fire.
Now, as I write this around one pm (the above map shows the current situation), things are feeling slightly less scary. The fires that were within 10 miles of our house are under control or out. The winds have died down. I've heard FEMA is supposed to be here today.
But our resources are maxed out. All reports are that fire-fighting capabilities have been stretched to the breaking point. There is no guarantee that some idiot won't toss a lit cigarette, light a BBQ or drive a hot car over dead grass and start another massive fire. We are just trying to be safe and ready to go if need be, and to help out our Central Texas neighbors anyway we can.
You can help too, by making a donation to the American Red Cross of Central Texas . The last report I heard said 475 homes in the area have been completely destroyed and many more damaged. Every little bit helps these people in their time of need.
Meanwhile, I finished a quilt top this weekend. Crafting is always soothing.
Today we tie 1925 as having the most 100+ degree days in a calendar year. We are poised to blow that record out of the water.
The sky most days is a relentless, empty, terrifying shade of blue. What animals that have survived the drought thus far act strangely. Squirrels drape themselves along tree branches like miniature fur rugs, too beaten down by the heat to run from our barking terrier. Huge wolf spiders show up in our kitchen, at our entry way, in broad daylight, given up on their own safety and smacked to the hereafter with my shoe.
I hear there is in rain in heaven.
The tomato plants quit early this year. The temperatures stopped dropping down enough at night for them to continue to produce.
This drought and unyielding heat bring to the forefront of my mind how we are just animals too. Fortunate animals that have figured out air conditioning and water treatment facilities and indoor playgrounds, but tied to the rhythms and whims of nature nonetheless. I find myself thinking that everything would be ok, all of my problems would be solved if it would just rain.
The memory of water stains the dehydrated gutters as the heat, once an abstraction but now a living thing, shimmers off the pavement. I feel a little desperate in the afternoons. You can burn yourself getting into your car. Many people have died from heat exposure. Things are so much worse in Africa. I think about those people a lot these days.
I feel a little desperate when I see the weather forecast on the news at night. I keep thinking, "Surely, next week will bring relief." But it never does. How long can this go on?
There is an event tonight at the ballpark to have the largest rain dance in Guiness book history. I sense God laughing.
The boot fairy has heard my cries and bestowed upon me a fabulous pair of Frye Harness boots. It's amazing what happens when you whine incessantly for months ask nicely. The boot-to-lanesplitter shirt ratio is a bit off, so I think I'm going to hem it up to show more of my leg than just my old man knees. The boots make me bold. (which is also why I clearly couldn't be bothered to get my husband's sandals out of the shot) I wish I could get paid in boots.
It's been a while since I've posted, though not for lack of subject matter. I just hate this time of year. It's bone chillingly cold, everyone is sick, and the skies are grey more often than not. I have been hunkered down, waiting for spring.
I do have some bright spots of color to share now. We had a laid-back Valentine's Day. My husband came home for lunch (seeing him mid-day is always a treat!) and we splurged on these awesome coffee mugs. And of course, there were roses.
This one goes beautifully with my new purple kitchen walls.
See the double center?
These long late winter nights have been filled with making of various kinds. I have knitted my first successful sweater! I wore it to mom's night out and no one even asked me if I made it. I count this as a huge compliment, because it looks so good people must have thought it was commercially made. Unfortunately, I have yet to get a great picture of it. This one will have to do instead.
It is so flattering and comfortable. It has also restored my faith in my ability to knit garments.
It hasn't all been knitting here, either. Here is the first doll of 2011.
He is made from a new pattern I designed and a sweet 9" tall. His jammy pants are upcycled from an old button down and his shirt is flannel. I'm not 100% happy with his shirt, but overall I love him and plan on making some more. There are a lot of things happening in the doll department but they're not quite ready to be announced yet. Stay tuned...
I am excited to be working on not one, not two, but three custom dolls right now! There is doll debris all over my "studio" - it's a happy mess.
I've always been a firm believer that you need a little chaos to be creative. It's never really bothered me to work out of piles, some fabric over here, floss over there...as long as no one moves my stuff, it falls into its own natural order.
I wish I could take a sunny view of the piles of laundry and dishes and toys that exist outside of my little work area. Raising a kid is a creative process too, right?
This is genius. There is nothing funnier than the truth, is there?
And in case anyone is curious, I am the mom who has hobbies and whose kid wears disposables.
Actually, I only need $ 595,000 plus closing costs. And some money to get alpacas and such. Anyone want to help a city girl realize her fiber farm dreams? I'll let you make a reality tv show out of it.
Kids' music is pretty terrible. I gave the Wiggles a shot one day and I didn't even make through one song. The lyrics were something like "Fruit salad, yummy yummy, fruit salad yummy!". Is that anyway to teach the beauty of the English language and the power of song?
Ben loves being sung to and we recently signed up for a music class. (Does a 7 month old need a formal music class? No. Does mom need to get out the house? Yes.) The research-based fancy-schmancy music class songs are definitely a cut above the Wiggles, and I can make it through the CD a couple of times, but there's only so much I can take.
With that being said and a summer road trip coming up, it's mix tape time. Here are my picks for a playlist that everyone can enjoy.
Found this during my blog ramblings today. These kids look so happy, confident and engaged and their teacher seems really amazing. From what I can tell from watching their videos, these kids are 5th / 6th grade. Look how many boys there are! Look how they are all participating! If you search "PS22 chorus" on YouTube, you can see all of their great work covering pop songs.
Last week, the Renegade Craft Fair was even more awesome than expected. It was crafty sensory overload - there are so many talented and creative people out there! I could have easily spent multiple paychecks on all the goodies, but I ended up only getting a skein of sock yarn and a pair of earrings.
The yarn is from Kitchen Sink Dyeworks. It is the luxe merino fine cashmere blend in the colorway "Irie". I'm currently searching for the perfect sock pattern for it.
I forgot to take a picture of the earrings and I forget which vendor i bought them from. Oops.
There was a lot of inspiration to be had and my friend Tiffany got some great ideas for adorable baby onsies. They can be made in a single nap time! That's like crafting at the speed of light!
Easter dinner at my house was a success! The emergency can of icing and the M&M's salvaged the cake, my dad stepped in to make the traditional pea salad (so traditional that there's no written recipe anywhere) and there were enough solid nap times in the previous weeks for me to make little Easter baskets.
I used a tutorial I stumbled upon on one of the AlphaMom blogs via Craftzine. I can't find it again, but the process is very simple.
1. Mix equal parts clear Elmer's glue (I found it at Micheal's) and water. 2. Shred paper. I used brown paper bags and cute gift bags I got on super sale at Target. 3. Cover a bowl or something to use as the mold with plastic wrap. If you use something made out of glass, you'll have to pour a little vegetable oil down the side of the mold between the plastic wrap and the glass to get it to slip off. I forgot that cling wrap clings, and freaked out a little until I figured this trick out. 4. Dip handfuls of the shredded paper into the glue mixture and apply to the mold, like paper mache. 5. Enjoy the goopy, silly, messiness of it all. 6. Wait about 24 hours before trying to remove your nest/basket
For Lent this year, I gave up sweets. I know that seems rather childish, but since my third trimester, I've developed a vicious sweet tooth. This has not been an easy 40 days.
So you see why I've been fantasizing about the Perfect Cake. My family and friends are seated around our dining room table, having just finished enjoying our first big family holiday meal to be celebrated in our new house. Everyone did save a little room for dessert, though, and out I walk with the Perfect Cake. It's a white cake, light and fluffy like the clouds angels sleep on. It has a raspberry jam filling and is covered with a smooth, pristine layer of vanilla icing. It's a cake to celebrate the end of dark times, the miracle of resurrection. It's a cake of grace and hope.
I am no celebrity chef by any means, but a cake, I've made cakes before. Why did it have to go so horribly wrong?
My husband is out getting more icing to try to make it look somewhat appetizing. Another can of icing and a bag of pastel M&M will salvage it, right?
I love New Year's resolutions. They're like makeovers. They're irresistible. "I am going to make a sweeping change that will drastically improve ______". This year, I would like to drastically improve my brain. Pregnancy rendered me incapable of completing a thought. Mommyhood has me speaking Parentese more than English - and I teach English as a second language for a living.
So, this year, I will read a new book a month. Books I've read in the past can't be re-read, but other works by previously read authors are acceptable.
This is technically my buffer book, since I started it in December and finished it in very early January. (Yes, buffer books are allowed, I'm not going to set myself up for failure.) I live in a house divided over fiction and non-fiction. This was my husband's book that I picked up while nursing and I couldn't put it down.
It is a fascinating look at what causes trends, epidemics, and other large scale changes in our world. The book is written in a very accessible style and Gladwell illustrates his point with intriguing real world examples, like the story of Sesame Street's success or how STDs spread through cities. Even though I finished it a month ago, I find myself still thinking about it. Which, with so many grabs for my attention these days, I find that a high compliment. The official selection for January was The Mysteries of Pittsburgh by Michael Chabon. I picked it because it was on an endcap near the cash register at B&N and I read a couple of pages while waiting to check out. (Clearly, my book choices are well researched. Does reading a book just because it's there make me a book slut? I digress.)
This is Chabon's first novel. On the cover, someone makes a bold statement comparing it to The Catcher in the Rye. Ordinarily, such claims would cause me to roll my eyes and move on, but I'd already read a few pages, and you know, it was...there. And, I've read two other Chabon books and enjoyed them thoroughly so I figured I'd overlook the Catcher in the Rye thing and give it a shot.
I'm glad I did. The writing is beautiful. It's the kind of writing you want to lose a Saturday to. Unfortunately, I never got to do that, but I did finish before the end of January.
It's an unique coming of age story that I didn't identify at all with. Our protagonist is a recent college grad, circa the late 80's. He's staring down some huge coming of age questions, such as, "How do I reconcile my childhood with what I want my adulthood to be? What do I want my adulthood to be? Do I like girls or boys?"
In the late 80's I was first grade girl who liked a particular big-eared boy in her Sunday school class. In college, I was a philosophy minor so by the time I graduated I was over the whole meaning of life thing. The drinking though, I could identify with the drinking in the book.
While I was reading, I kept thinking that The Mysteries of Pittsburgh would make a great movie. Lo and behold, someone beat me to it and it came out on the big screen in 2008.
I haven't seen the movie version, but from the trailer it looks like the original story has been heavily reworked. Have to be honest, I doubt I will rent it.
If you've made it this far, congratulations. It's been a long post. But it's been a while and the baby was asleep, so I sized the moment. I hope everyone else's resolutions are going as enjoyably as mine!
The neglected to mention that if you were a hipster girl in 2005, you were learning how to knit. They do get half credit for having the model wear what looks like a hand knit scarf.
Our little boy is here! After 19 hours of labor (I went natural!), he finally made his way into the world. He weighed 7 lbs. 14 oz. at birth. Now here we are two weeks later, and the little chunker in my lap is 9 lbs.! He can already wear the next size in diapers and has grown out of some of his newborn clothes.
We had a little scare with severe jaundice that ended us up back in the hospital on bili lights. We were fortunate to be able to room-in together so I was able to continue to breastfeed. We are all home, healthy and happy now.
One of the lovely gifts I got for my birthday this year was a "party in a box" from my sister. I love getting boxes of fun stuff in the mail and I think this is such a thoughtful gift. There was a sneak preview CD from her band, a handwritten and water-colored recipe for vanilla buttercream, cupcake wrappers, ribbon, and custom cupcake toppers!
There was also a sweet birthday banner and bunting. Just add friends, and you have a party!
In addition to being an awesome sister and gift-giver, she is an excellent musician. She contributes her talents to various bands and she is currently raising funds via Kickstarter to record an album with Envelope Peasant and the Scientific Orchestra . Check them out, you need some new music in your life!
