enjoying the moment.

today chris took the kids with him to new jersey to hang out with grammy and boppa. this means i get the entire afternoon and evening alone. he did this last week, too, and i gotta tell ya...i didn't know what to do with myself last week. so today, as they drove off, i went to the kitchen, made some coffee, came upstairs to spin some yarn but just ended up sitting and thinking about our morning.

i took the kids to a park nearby, pool forge. it's a great park - big pavillion, great playground for all ages, and a nice, cool creek. lots of mud, flowers, rocks and twigs to play with. we were there celebrating the end of the school year with one of the homeschool co-ops we attend, community homeschooler's learning group. it was so nice to play in the mud with eli, as he collected little pebbles to chuck into the creek and watch the ker-plunk. he was so into the creek - didn't want to leave it, except to play with some of the bigger boys. stella had her friends to run with, play kickball with, hold hands with and slip in the creek with. she is normally nervous near the creek, but today, with her friends, she was brave and walked across to the otherside. i haven't taken any pictures lately, but this one will be burnt on my brain for awhile: stella, standing on the other side of the creek, beaming, hands held high. i felt my eyes burn a little...and clapped for my girl. we ate some ice cream and headed home, wet and muddy. it was a really good morning.

what's happenin'

stella lost tooth number 3. this one being the top left. top righty has slanted himself over to try to take over the whole space, thus making our beautiful girl look slightly hill-billy-ish. teeth number 4 and 5 are seriously wiggly. toothfairy's gonna be busy.

10 in 10...from chris to me for january...this amazing chalkboard was completely made up from scratch with a wonderful rim to hold the chalk and a nice big blackboard for me to write all kinds of stuff on for school. it currently has some questions from the catechism for young children and our bible memory verse. we use it for reading, memorization and copy work. pure love.

and just because he's so darn cute.

but while posting these adorable photos...this sat over my right shoulder, trying to be ignored. this is so totally disgusting. go ahead, look closely. nasty.

but, friends, it can be done.

exactly 30 minutes later, we have a clean sink.

hand washed by me. hand dried and put away by chris. time for bed with a clear conscience.

media free...continues!

well, we thought the media free week would be horrible...kids shrieking, parents swearing, utter frustration. and, well...nothing. the kids were great. made great art, played pretend like nobodies business. we got organized. did taxes. cleaned house. life feels good and sane here. so we're keeping it up sans rules. we just don't turn on the tv anymore. its not a thought. we play games. read books. write. draw. paint. knit. rip. knit again. (more on that later). so...i'm figuring out how to keep the blog going, while not visiting the computer as often. i have things to write about...i just haven't sat here to do it! i'll get on that.

and thank you to ann krestene for the bread recipe. yummy! we have been loving the zojirushi...is it normal to go through a 5lb. bag of flour a week??? yikes. we are gonna get chunky around here! (hope not, really...just sayin' we're eatin' a good amount of overly delicious bread as of late!)

well folks...i hope to write a more interesting (both verbally and visually) post very soon. just wanted to say...i'm here again!

xo

ok...i'll try...

so i talked briefly with rachel on the phone the other day, then read this post, and said to myself, c'mon...write!

so, it may only be a sentence or two, and it may be mundane and not very inspiring, but i will try my hardest to post more. chris has the camera on tour, so there won't be any new photos, but maybe i'll pull out some old ones.

like this...our october consisted of a very special birthday...stella turning 6...


don't you love the red tutu over the t-shirt and jeans!?! she insisted...and i was thrilled! she wanted a "rainbow-cake-tea-party"...so i made up a rainbow cake!...very fun to mix and bake and play with all that color! all hidden under a real chocolate buttercream...mmmmmm.

then, of course, halloween. we thought we were having a princess leia and luke skywalker, but stella changed her mind the day before (yep) and i whipped up this costume thursday night before friday's trick-or-treat. again, she was SO happy...it is well worth it.
we were accompanied by lilly - the old fashioned lady, and ida - the girl beaver. good times!

so...maybe next time, i'll hit a bit of november...voting, tour, getting ready for the holiday season. see, there are always things to think on, right?

so what's up??

so...it's tuesday, i know, but i'm getting there. thought i'd share some photos of recent stuff:

eli broke his pinky finger by slamming it in my studio door. of course, he was listening to me telling him to please stop playing peek-a-boo with the door...a sweet little, "ok, mama" was followed by a cry i've never heard out of him and the sight of a purple swollen little finger. a trip to the e.r. resulted in x-rays and a splint. the follow-up visit to the orthopedic doc resulted in this:
thankfully, he is so into spiderman right now, that he thinks he has webs in his cast and shoots them out at everyone. yep...check out the spidey cartoons on netflix...he loved them. wish you could hear him sing the song...every word of it.
we've been spending our saturday mornings (like half of america) on the soccer field. stella has wanted to play for a long time, so we did it.
she is having so much fun being a part of a team...
i love that these photos look like she's all over the ball...truth is, she'd rather share the ball, if you know what i mean!
my mama found this great china set at a yard sale. now we just need some guests for dinner...any takers?
and i'm about to get sewing on some new fall clothes for me and some christmas gifts for the rest out of these books. for those of you interested in japanese craft books, this website offers great help in translating your books and patterns...check it out!
so, in other news...i've been working on getting mickleton music going, but it doesn't seem to be happening. while it's a disappointment in some ways (lots of hard work promoting, marketing, etc.), part of me is relieved...life is busy enough! especially with the school year starting up...we are homeschooling stella this year (her kindergarten year). i think that deserves it's own post. i've realized that folks are either completely supportive or completely opposed to homeschooling. and that has been hard. still trying to find some supportive friends with kids stella's age. hoping our co-op will do that!

and for total randomness (and to entice the nyssen's to get there butts to the east coast), chris and i went to vietnam (restaurant, not country) on saturday and i got my usual, #41, with added crispy spring rolls. we were with megan and jed, and meg showed me a new way to eat the spring rolls...and holy cow!!! THAT good. wrapped the little delicious bites in a lettuce leaf with a sprig of mint, dipped into the sauce - heaven in my mouth. also, went to the bar first and had a french martini. crap. good. need to go again....(c'mon, rach!!!)

anyway...i'm back in a way. slowly, but surely!

10 x 10

{i'm hi-jacking the 10 on 10 project via ann-krestene and jen. enjoy!}


10am::


11am::


12pm::


1pm::


2pm::

3pm::


4pm::


5pm::


6pm::


7pm::

catching my breath

wowzers.

we hibernated last week due to a nasty virus infestation. stella and eli had it bad, up all night for about 4 nights coughing like crazy. broke out the nebulizer again. i have a love hate relationship with that thing. freaks me out, but it works...so i don't know. we all camped in the living room...it was the only way we got any rest. stella had to sleep almost completely upright, so she was on the couch. i pulled her mattress onto the floor where i crashed and had eli by my side, all propped up on pillows. not fun. and quite exhausting. glad they are better now...

in the meantime, i had delusions of glorious hours of knitting as they napped away their illness, but no. i barely got anything done! but i'm back at it now. the hourglass body is finished and i'm halfway done sleeve #1. looking good (might still be a bit baggy, even with doing the smaller size!...oh well. it'll be cozy) i panicked about the bagginess one night and had to set it aside. so i cast on elizabeth zimmerman's february baby sweater. so cute and easy. i can't give details because the recipient reads this! wink wink lura. i got some hours to myself on sunday (thanks chris) so that i could hit the yarn store again (what a problem!)...they were having a great sale! 30% off ALL yarns. i got some nice merino for more baby items and some luscious malabrigo for a sweater for stella and an aran for me. i'm going to try to design it myself! this may not happen for a while...but the stash is now sufficiently overflowing with goodness. also got some great sock yarn...i still never knit socks! gotta try it.

so...my pay it forward friends, your gifts are now planned and hopefully will be completed by the end of the month. i'll keep you posted!

hope to be back into blogging mode now...see you soon!

oh boy

this post was meant to go up on monday and didn't. then last night i was just too tired...so here it is, wednesday. you are due 2 posts...i'll try for tomorrow and friday(i have ideas, just no time in front of this dang computer! just things like what i'm working on (knitting projects) and figuring out womanhood/feminism/christianity/life... not bad or very big deals, eh? yeah, we'll see how this week goes)


anyway...my boy...loves trucks. bulldozers. trains. busses. things that go. he also loves animals. like baas, moos, oof-oofs, mows, errrrs, hisssses, vvvrrrmmmphs, you know (translation: sheep, cows, dogs, cats, lions, snakes, elephants) he also loves to be crazy...run fast, bang into things (like the chairs or my legs) and jump into the air and land flat on his bottom. it HAS to hurt, even in a diaper. he pile-drives his stuffed toys, or tackles his dada, whoever is available. and all of this, i'm told, is "what boys do." i'm ok with it, i think.

my problem lies in encouraging rough-housing, funny-like-violence, and the like. i may sound dramatic, or may be acting in such a way, but my boy will not be a wild, roughneck. he can be all boy while being sensitive to others, careful about his and others bodies, respectful to his and others belongings, etc...you know?? i'm just trying to figure out how you balance this stuff. so many folks we see around think his "wild child" behaviour is funny (which, i gotta say, it is!) and that he really IS sweet (no mean intentions, not trying purposefully to hurt anyone or anything). i just want to be sure to encourage the right things. and i think i WILL figure it out, or i AM. he is so loving...

i had to work tonight, so when i got home, the kids were asleep. but i had to slip eli's jammies on and he woke up briefly. as soon as he opened his eyes he smiled and said "mama!" then excitedly told me about his evening with dada..."mamie! boppa! eya! dada!" i ask, did you see grammy and boppa with stella and dada? he says, "uh-huh!" with a big nod. did you have fun? "uh-huh!" did you go outside? "uh-huh! mamie! boppa!" do you love your grammy and boppa? "uh-huh! nigh-nigh, mama!" do you want to nurse and go nigh-nights with mama? "uh-huh!" and his head hit the pillow. he nursed briefly and was sound asleep. my boy...

woops...its not friday

so i had one of those things happen where a day comes and goes without me noticing. i had no idea yesterday was friday! until bedtime that is...but still a whole day without that realization? geez! i did do some things...picked up a small project (out of my stash no less!)
i'm just about done a small neck-kerchief thingy from the last minute knitted gifts book in o-wool's balance (color: brick).

lovin' it. and i'm loving that i have two official signer uppers for the pay it forward thing. so erin and jen, please email me your home addresses! yahoo!

oh...so today IS saturday and i am going in a few hours with stella and nana to see disney's high school musical: the ice tour. stella is so stinkin' excited (singing those songs constantly) and i'm...ok about it. i have mixed feeling on the movie. i think it is over stella's head and she shouldn't be watching it, but it is also so sugary and benign...what the heck. it'll fade out eventually too, right??

so...backk to the neckerchief. i want to wear it today! maybe mom will have her camera with her and i can grab a snappy of it! i hope you all have a great weekend!

p.s. there is still room for one more to pay it forward!

resolutions

i normally don't make new year's resolutions, but a midnight promise to a friend has sent me thinkin'...and now to a-doin'! thanks, jon! his may not be a crafty blog and i may not understand half (or more) of what is written, but we've decided we need to do this more, take advantage of what is available to us. so we are going to try to blog on mondays, wednesdays and fridays. that way it happens...and maybe i'll be a bit more organized! ha!

so here it is, wednesday...and uh, not sure what to say! i'm out of practice and tired of feeling all glum about the new year! i have to say, the comments i received from my sad new year's post really gave me some warmth and love! thank you thank you! especially the strangers i've never met or new were reading! how wonderful to get such encouragement!

i am thinking for this new endeavor to kind of blog thematically (maybe)...like mondays will be family, wednesdays: craftiness, fridays: free-for-all. we'll see.
i'm hoping to acquire a new camera, but it may need to wait until my birthday (february!), so pics may be few and far between...but hang in there! (i know it's a bit boring without them!)

so, for craftiness...i already purchased some sale christmas fabrics from superbuzzy for next years gifts...i'm going to TRY to get some done WAY ahead of time. i also ordered a book (from a giftcard!) that i plan on using ALOT! i'm going to get the new yarn for said project this week (with another giftcard to my favorite local shop!) so the new year's looking full of making and doing. some for me and more for others!

speaking of others... remember that post a while back about paying it forward??? well none of you signed up!!! i won't call you lame-o's for not wanting to do it (wink wink) but want to offer it up again. i may even have to say, i'll just do the paying it forward, and you can decide for yourselves to do or not to do...but then i'd be breaking the rules!!! so c'mon!!! let's pay it forward a bit. i'm ready to send some great goodies to 3 signer-uppers.

alrighty...thanks for the support and friendship. back to work today girls...

xoxo see you friday!

i need this

so i'm doing it. committing to it (for now).
i need balance. or something.
so, i'll post tomorrow and probably thursday too...
but friday? nope.
not even checking in.
i'll come back on the weekend maybe (prolly),
but friday? nope.

crafty update and free pattern! (a LONG post)

what a day! we spent the day in parkesburg, pa, helping my folks remove carpet from their living room in preparation for some hardwood flooring. i say "we"...chris and my brother-in-law, chris (yep, right). my sister, lura, and i set up my grandmother's christmas tree. it was a really nice day. and then i checked out my favorite blogs. i have this routine now. goes a little like this: angry chicken, soulemama, wee wonderfuls, whipup, sewmamasew's handcrafted holidays, bandwidow, under the weather, my girl hazel...

so i begin that routine and come across this(page down a bit)! i was shocked to see my little name mentioned here! so excited to have so many new visitors today, yet horrified at the thought, "well, melis, you better get some photos and you BETTER finish those projects!!!" come to think of it...that's a good thing~~~accountability! so, thank you, sew mama sew, for mentioning my blog! and welcome visitors from so many places!!! hope you enjoy your time here!

AND... i finally have some photos to show off from my holiday gift-making, and one from my stella~~~

i've been dying to share this with you all. stella had asked for some clay a while ago and got it after being very brave getting the flu shot! anyway, she had very clear plans as to the first project with said clay...that being: baby jesus in a manger with mary and joseph. here it is:

stella's nativity made of clay and painted with tempera paints. yes, joseph is missing an arm (to be glued in the morning).


okie doke. how about those therapy bags i've been bragging about! tell me what you think... i wish we had scratch-n-sniff computers for this one, because they DO smell SO SO SO good...

small cold therapy bag for the freezer, filled with peppermint scented barley:


eye pillow, filled with eucalyptus scented flaxseed:


large heat therapy bag, filled with lavendar scented rice:


my wellness packs! all have removable, washable covers made of 100% cottons and linens (like the japanese prints? thanks superbuzzy!)


detail of my favorite print set!!!



and i decided to share a favorite knitting pattern of mine with all of you! it's my favorite scarf that i knitted two years ago and wear it ALL the time. the minute it is a bit chilly out...there it is. and it is loved by many...requested by my mom for christmas, infact! so as i knit hers (out of louisa harding yarn's "grace" - silk and merino! ooooh! aaah!), my friend, loren, will be knitting one out of blue sky alpaca's sport weight for a friend. feel free to knit along! and send photos of the finished product!! you WILL love this scarf!

here it is, modeled by me...headless!

My Favorite Scarf


How to Make It:
i have no idea what yarn i used for this particular one shown, but i recommend using any yarn suitable for size 10 or 11 needles. something a bit chunky, or use sport weight and hold two strands together (that's what i'll be doing with the silk/wool, and what loren will do with the alpaca). You'll need one ball of a chunky yarn and two of sport weight.

THE PATTERN:
CO 25 sts
Work in K1P1 rib (row 1: *K1 P1*repeat from * to end; row 2: *P1 K1*repeat from * to end) for 3.5"
End WS.

Make "holes" to tie scarf:
Next row (RS): K1 P1 K1, BO next 7 sts, finish row in pattern
Next row (WS): P1 K1 (7 times) K1, CO 7 sts, finish row in pattern
Continue in rib pattern for another 4 rows. finish WS)
Next row (RS): K1 P1 rib for 15 sts. BO next 7 sts, finish row in pattern.
Next row (WS): P1 K1 P1, CO 7 sts, finish row in pattern.

hole detail, keep in mind they have been worn for two years!:

Continue in rib pattern until piece measures 15" from beginning.
End WS.
Place 11 sts on holder. BO next 3 sts.
Working with last 11 sts, contine in rib pattern until this "tail" measures 12" from split. BO in pattern, weave in ends.
Pick up 11 sts on holder and work in pattern until this tail measures about 16" (or you run out of yarn...whichever!)
BO in pattern, weave in ends.

to tie it on, i hold it with the short tail on top. wrap it around your neck, put the short tail in the top hole, and the long tail in the bottom. i leave it just like that, but you can tie it in a knot, bow, whatever!

how to tie it on:


i have imagined this scarf for kids detailed to look like a monster with crooked eyes (the holes) a silly grin and two long legs...but have yet to make it that way.

anyway...hope you enjoy the pattern. it's my first one ever shared publicly...so please give me feedback! thanks so very much! stay tuned for more holiday giftmaking!

g'night!

back in the game

so to speak...

today was pretty productive and good for the most part! 3 cheers!!!

we got up and went with our friends loren and milja to get some yarn at my new favorite local place(some koigu kersti hand painted camo-colored merino for some boy leg warmers!) and then we were home to prepare the "wellness" packs. also called heat/cold therapy bags. whatever...they are awesome. and beautiful, if i can say so myself! i am going to borrow a camera tomorrow to take some photos for y'all. thank you to sewmamasew's kristin for the great tutorial and ideas!

so...got 3 big lavendar scented rice bags done. i did the main bag out of cream colored cotton flannel. the covers are strip pieced out of cotton and linen with some great japanese prints thrown in! yeah! i love them! i also did 3 peppermint scented barley "boo boo" bags for the freezer (same process with sewing) and 3 eucalyptus scented flaxseed bags for eyes/sinuses! i'm now a little too into this and want to make more!!!

but i need to take a moment to make a couple of these great hooded towels for stella. the poor girl still loves her baby towels, but she is just too darn big! so i'm off to tjmaxx to grab some great towels to alter.

so...i'm gonna get some sleep now and hope for another productive day tomorrow. hoping to have those twirly skirts done! i need a check list...

wellness

wellness, yes. that's what we're wanting right now. it seems like the moment a stressful situation is over, i get overwhelmed with sickness. when we got home from eli's endoscopy, i was SO tired. (but understandably so...) so i napped. woke up feeling achy and tired. hmmmm. stella has had this sinusitis thing for 3 weeks. on nasal spray, antibiotics, etc etc etc. coughing all night long, yada yada. so...i wake up tuesday morning SO stuffy, headachy, tired...the works. eli gets diarrhea.

we rest. i knit more. we watch tv. (merry christmas, charlie brown) i'm pumping the vitamin c, echinacea, tea, water...take alkaseltzer cold. that stuff is gross.

wednesday. still not feelin' it. call out of work. more resting. more tving. (shrek the halls...the grinch)

today. a little better. ran errands, decided to cancel stella's violin lesson. just not 100%...restful night. now i'm thinking, more alkaseltzer? not sure. it's on it's way out. hoping for a cough free night with some REAL rest. (an hour into it and so far so good)

tomorrow? making the wellness bags featured on sewmamasew's handmade holiday's blog. got all the supplies lined up and ready to go. first one i'm making? the eye pillow with flaxseed filling and eucalyptus oil for the sinuses. and it's gonna be mine.

gift making

er, um...yeah. exactly...well, a gift for me, that is! how stinkin' selfish is this...i spent the whole weekend working on this!



(knit in blue sky alpaca's sport weight in a nice, deep green (almost brown)mmmmm, cushy!)

well, i'm blaming it on the need to relax, sit still, and not stress. the testing for eli begins monday morning, 7am. he's not to eat or drink anything after midnight, which will stink, taking that he still nurses and typically right around 4am. i've been fighting the tears and the worry (for i know it adds nothing to your life!), but man is it hard! so...cute sweater in tow, i will set off to the surgical center at 6:30am with chris and eli. stella will stay with grammy and boppa for the night. can't wait for monday to be over!!!

so back to that holiday gift making (the real kind...you know, for others!)

get ready!

photos are here (finally)...i'll post some here but be sure to check my flickr page for tons more!

but first!!! i received my fall swap package in the mail this weekend! it is so nice to get fun mail! alison sent me a hand quilted scarf! (she said she never quilted!!!) it's pieced on one side with great cotton prints and the back is this lovely velvet/fleece piecework. so cozy! and lovely!!! i also received 2 appliqued tea towels with fall leaves and a GREAT pincushion. i LOVE this pincushion so much!
how much joy can a pincushion bring??? lots i tell you, lots. THANK YOU, ALISON!!! and thanks to chara for hosting this swap. i really enjoyed it. i'll post photos of my goodies when i get THOSE developed. i'm slow on that part, really.

onto the photos! first:

stella's party...

the flower fairies we made...


what we do at "school"...some of the time!
write...

play...

build...


and some recent crafting for lilly's 8th birthday gift. i made her an embroidery kit. check it out...
the gift bag (why it is sideways...i can't figure...) i embroidered a little mousey tea party on it from wee wonderfuls stitchette's.

a peeky inside...the nicely lined bag (wink wink) and another wee wonderfuls transfer for lilly to embroider herself!

the goods...the bag, the transfer on linen in a hoop, floss, needles, and handwritten instructions (not shown)...


well...hop on over to flickr now to see the rest. eli did not get proper attention here, but i can't figure out the flipping of the photos. nor how to upload straight from flickr...so whatevs.

thanks for hanging in there folks. you keep me going! i'm gonna try to keep on looking up...needing some inspiration, hope, change...
big sigh...

so embarrassed...

i just noticed that i haven't posted for 24 days. not good. yeah, i've been "busy" or "stressed" or just plain uninspired (and still waiting for those photos...pickin' em up tomorrow). but here are some things that have been spinning in my head:

i finished my fall swap package and mailed off to canada on friday. i am so excited to share whhttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifat was in it but can't until alison receives it! everything was so fun to make and put together. i'll post photos when (1) she receives it and (2) when they are developed.

halloween...oh it was fine. i worked so missed out on trick or treating. stella was a spooky cat (black cat costume made by elin for lilly a couple years ago...SCORE!), eli was a mouse (by elin for ida!!! hooray!!! no work for me!) even thought october's project of the month was to make a costume, i will count the 7 fairy skirts, pairs of wings and face painting i did at stella's birthday party...think that's ok???

i took the pledge, did you??? (see the button???) i am really gonna try. i hate mass produced junk...but i know some people prefer it to be "returnable" or ...well, just mass produced. oh well...we'll see what i do with them.

for handmade gift ideas you should check out:
sew mama sew
creature comfort's holiday gift guide
indie collective's gift guide
and, of course, etsy
there's gotta be something for everyone in those lists!

i am thinking of hosting a swap for december...kinda like a big pollyanna...for project of the month. you'd send me email, name, address, i'd match you up w/ someone, you'd send a handmade gift of some sort. any takers? i'll decide if it's for reals later on.

for november, i want to collect thanksgiving recipes....i was thinking of posting them all together for a reference of sorts. so if you have a favorite, please send it my way!!!

alright...check out the poll i have and answer honestly...

i hope to post photos tomorrow...for now, check out chris' flickr page...he's hooked!

i'm gonna hit the hay...eli has a fever and who knows what the night will hold!!! (if it's like stella's from saturday...it'll last 8 hours, end up with yuck in the trashcan, if you know what i mean, and then fine and dandy...we'll see.)

alrighty...thanks for hanging in there...this was a rambler!

a week away to 5

i can't believe my little girl will be 5 next week. i think it is a universal feeling that the fifth year is significant. some bridging over from toddlerhood into little-kid-ness. this year, stella has decided exactly how and what she wants her celebration to entail...we will be having the obligatory family ice cream and cake on friday night, the day after her "real" birthday, and the all girl outdoor fairy beauty shop party on sunday. what a combo. we've been gathering ideas and supplies for the girls tranformation...she wants them all to get fairy skirts (we'll be making those), flower face paint (aunt lura has to do it), painted nails (by aunt andrea), and fancy hair (any volunteers!!??) we are having a pink tulle fairy house all decorated with gathered pine cones, acorns, leaves and other findings from stella's outdoor gathering times. this is all her. and i love it.

something very fitting popped up last night over here...i bought mine promptly and hope it arrives in time for me to stitch it up for her! acorn fairy's must be in the air! stella collected acorn tops for hats for the clothespin doll fairies she wants to make. we'll use some wool for hair, glue on the acorn hat, draw a little face, dress her up with fabric scraps, make some feather wings...and voila! this will be the "craft" for the party.

did i mention she also wants to make her own lip gloss...??? we'll see about that!

oh dear...she is getting big!

anyway...we're off to pick up the car from the shop, grab some things at trader joe's and maybe get some more supplies at joann's. i'm hoping for a very productive weekend while chris is away in iceland! sigh...

also...did you notice i moved project of the month over here??? i'm hoping you'll still be inspired and email your photos to me to post in the sets...i jst can't manage 2 blogs right now! alrighty...have a great weekend! see you back here on monday!

weekly update

so that blog malaise is lingering...

truth is, my mind has been overly occupied with not so creative, more contemplative thoughts that don't lend themselves to blogging, ya know?

so...i thought i'd let you in on the mundane in my life:
1. we did switch totally to gdiapers and i love it. feel good about flushing it away and not piling it up in the landfill...sigh of relief!
2. we got some klean kanteens and a sigg for chris (inspired by rachel and others out there in blogland) i plan on making some kanteen kozies to spruce up the look (stella wishes for a sigg now because they are so cute!)
3. just finished watching season one of curb your enthusiasm. pretty funny. not stellar though.
4. also just watched grizzly man. bizarre and disturbing.
5. happy to find routine these days. i need it to keep my mind from spinning.
6. i'll be posting some photos soon of the apron and tea for 2 set i made for the women's auction at my family's church...happy to say it brought in some good cash thanks to a devoted fan!
7. has anyone ever done sitemeter or the like? you can see who visits your site when and from where and how they found you. interesting at first, freaky after you think about it for too long...but interesting nonetheless.

and here's an idea...maybe y'all should leave a comment saying hi so i can "meet" the people visiting my little blog...that would be fun, wouldn't it??? and i don't think i'm being sarcastic...really...

okie doke. hopefully fall will arrive here soon with crisp cool air and refresh my brain and spirits...needing some rejuvenation these days...so send some light my way, think happy thoughts, pray for some inspiration...

so dramatic, aren't i!!???

thanks for keeping me going girls...i'm still loving the updates on your blogs!!! makes me happy!

unpacking...

well...we've been home from seattle for almost 2 weeks...and while the clothes are all put away (except for chris...whose clothes are now repacked and somewhere in amsterdam), i feel as though we are still mentally unpacking the trip. we loved our time there so stinkin' much...with offers of places to stay if we wanted to move....it gets tempting...but truthfully, i'm not ready for that yet. could yall just move back east????yeah, seattle is a nice city, but its YOU i like, every part of you (mr. rogers...)

ok...and i have been suffering from general blog malaise...i think in part due to no camera!!! annoying!!! i should just do film. no digital. we'll see.

anywhoozle (loren, it's contagious), we're truckin' along...and i hope to back in blog form soon...sorry for being a bit boring...but i'm in good company

alrighty folks...have a good week...maybe i'll getup the gusto to type some more...
xoxo