Wednesday, November 29, 2006

Close up..


Erin's Quilt_3
Originally uploaded by Geeky Mama.
In case you want to see the beautiful machine quilting done by Julie from Fat Quarter Quilt Shop.. here's a close up shot. I love what she did.
In case you're a crafty type like me - maybe you'll want to know this:
I did everything by hand. Except the quilting. I know, I know - that's backwards from how most folks do it.
I hand cut, piece and bind my quilts. I just don't hand quilt. I've tried it and don't like it - and I'm all about hobbies only being about the parts you like. So, I machine quilt the small (baby) quilts myself or send them out to someone with a frame and a good professional quilting machine. Someday when I win the lottery I'll buy a far nicer quilting machine & quilting frame for myself - until then, Julie saves the day.

Finally Done


Erin's Quilt
Originally uploaded by Geeky Mama.
I am thrilled that I have finally completed the baby quilt - though the baby is now 6 months old... I'm certainly not prolific, but I'm slow and steady.

Thanksgiving 2006


turkeyday_girls_2
Originally uploaded by Geeky Mama.
About as good as it gets. It was 50 degrees outside - everyone on Hubby's side of the family got together and the kids had a blast. The food was perfect, my SIL is a wonderful hostess and everyone was healthy, happy and relaxed. I'm sure we'll look back years from now and wish every year could be this simple and good.

Thursday, November 23, 2006

Happy Thanksgiving

A short list of things I am especially Thankful for as I take time to reflect this Thansgiving:

It goes without saying that I am most thankful for healthy, happy, thriving (and smart and beautiful, if I do say so my own non-humble self) children. 2 of which can now wipe their own butts - and the remaining one is edging closer to an interest in using the potty on his own.. so life is getting far too easy.

I cannot help pause and be grateful my own children are young and safe at home with us - not in Iraq fighting in a quagmire of a war. As angry as I often am at the "leadership" and "foreign policy" (More like lack there of. I can't even type those without words in connection with our current administration without quotes..) of this nation, I am truly thankful that I and my children were born in this land of great opportunity - and many freedoms.

Also high on my list to be thankful for are the dear friends who I don't see enough of lately.

And my dear husband, who I now see MORE of thanks to a change in his job is also someone for whom I am ceaselessly grateful. Besides being one heck of a father and husband - he's my bestest friend and the steadiest presence in my life. He makes me a better person - makes me laugh and..well, I'd better stop there before I make people puke with a line like "he completes me" - a la Jerry MacGuire.

But beyond that - here are a few material or intangible goodies I've stumbled across in the past year that make life just that much better and make me grateful..

1. Audible.com - This American Life On Demand.
2. Pre-paid monthly parking pass card
3. Paradise Iced-Tea by Sara Lee
4. Target. I heart Target.
5. Simon Delivers.
6. Scouting Websites with oodles of good ideas and info.
7. Good health insurance.

Happy Thanksgiving

Wednesday, November 22, 2006

I love these spontaneous chats with the kids...

An interesting talk from our minivan Monday night about what people are "good at" versus what they struggle with.

Oldest (step)daughter asked me: "Tell me something I'm bad at."
Frankly, I'm not sure what her motivation was in asking me this. The conversation was preceded by me saying something about how I know I'm not good at lots of things - but I'm good at guessing how long it will take for us to get from point A to point B in the car.. that I have a good gut feel for that sort of thing. Anyhow - she persisted and this is how it went:
---------------------
Em: Tell me something I'm bad at. Really.
Me: Well, how about I tell you about the "sandwich" method?
Em: OK. How's that?
Me: Well, you start with a positive thing - that's the squishy white bread on the top. Then you give the meat: the sandwich middle. That's the bit to chew on and think about - the criticism. Then you follow that with another positive - another slice of squishy white bread.
Em: OK. Go.
Me: Well, first off you are very empathetic - do you know what that means?
Em: Yeah.
Me: (droning on and on)... you have the most kind generous giving heart. You are very sensitive to other people and--
Em: (impatient) - OK OK, tell me what I'm bad at.
Me: (hesitant) Um, well, when you want to play with something you dump it all out and often move on to the next thing.. it's like the organization thing your teacher mentioned. You need to clean up and get things set back where they belong before you move on to the next thing..or else you'll lose things. Like those --
Em: (totally unimpressed.) Oh. Is that all?
-----------
What? She expected me to say: "Oh, well you struggle with a deep secret we've never told you. See, you're actually a princess in a faraway land and we've been raising you here in suburban Minnesota so you can have a chance at a normal childhood."

Me thinks she's seen one-too-many Disney movies perhaps.

It reminds me of the reaction I've been getting to this burn on my hand. People stare and don't want to ask - and then sometimes pluck up the courage to ask about this big 2 inch open sore on my hand.
"Ohhhh.. What happened to your hand?"
And every time I say: "Oh, burnt it getting muffins out of the oven" this look of total disappointment flashes on their face. So last night Hubby and I came up with a more salacious answer for my future use.

Next person who asks me gets THIS:

"Oh. I did a very bad thing. I ironed his shirts ALL WRONG. So he HAD to teach me a lesson. It's all my fault that I angered him so..."

Seems to me that's the sort of answer people are hoping to hear anyhow - some deep dark secret or somesuch rather than just hearing that I was half-asleep and/or clutzy baking blueberry muffins over the weekend.

And yes, that's just the sort of sick humor we have at my house.. my apologies if I've offended any REAL battered women. The only battery that occurs at my house is me injuring myself running into walls, tables, and all manner of furniture. This is why my first choice in home furnishings always involves ROUNDED CORNERS. And there's your REAL deep dark secret for the day.. I buy only rounded edges on furniture.

Thursday, November 16, 2006

Having Fun at the Cube Farm


carpet_treat
Originally uploaded by Geeky Mama.
I still have leftover Halloween candy in a big ol' bowl in my cube. Today I was nibbling on some milk duds and one fell. I looked everywhere - but couldn't find it. Then I was instantly worried.

If you didn't know it was a milk dud and you ran across this small brown thing on the carpet at work - what would YOU think? I'd wonder if someone tracked in poo, personally. Apparently that's where MY brain goes.

So.. instantly my next thought was (pure evil)... I ought to sprinkle some all over the building.. perhaps near the doorways to bathrooms just to see how people react.
My third thought, all in short succession, is how funny it'd be to freak people out by plucking one off the carpet and eating it.

There is nothing that strikes me as more funny then that sort of Will Ferrell-esque totally inappropriate actions in public sort of humor... and I have a long list in my head of things that would make me laugh pretty hard that would probably strike others as totally inappropriate behavior.

Thankfully I'm too introverted (and like my job and coworkers too much) to let my "inner-Will-Ferrell" out.

Friday, November 10, 2006

The difference between 2 and 3

So, I was enjoying some lunchtime blog reading and have remembered why I got a blog.
See, before I had a blog I would leave these REALLLLY long comment posts on other people's blogs when something they wrote struck a chord with something I could relate to, too.
Today that happened again. I read this post:

Crunchy Mama Post Link here

And started commenting away. I stopped myself when I realized it was getting far too long. Like, printed, single space 3 pages too long.

So, for baby Caity's mom, and to any other mom's out there pondering a third child.. here was what I was writing in the comments section:

We have 3 beautiful healthy children. #3, Mr. Man, just went up to a "big boy bed" not too long ago (and has even more recently regressed to needing to sleep in our bed..but that's another story.) - not unlike Caity. It's simultaneously wonderful to see their growing independence, and terribly depressing because they're only so little for only so long and then poof! - grown up, sassy and "don't need you, just hand me the car keys, mom".

I sometimes do the wistful sigh and wish outloud for another baby..but hubby is done, really really done, at 3. Looking at our checking account balance today I'd have to say that's a fiscally responsible stance on his part. I've just started buying the first few Christmas presents.. and it's going to be rough going doing it cash-only this year. Goodbye humble savings account, we hardly knew 'ye.

We look after a 4th child once a week and for occasional overnights or short weekends so we're used to managing 4 kids -- it's no big thing for us. However, that 4th child is not ours to feed, cloth and finance for college education (yet).
So, the problem isn't really lack of time, energy or attention for another child - we already do not have enough of any of those - and perhaps were already stretched well before #3.
At this point it's mostly financial and space (we have a tiny house) constraints that make adding another family member a difficult proposition.

Once while saying out loud (I think a coworker brought her baby in - and I got a whiff of that new baby smell and was weak in the knees) that I sure wish could have more babies and that I'd still like to adopt more kids my coworker who has 7 kids (yes, 7) said: "Once you've managed 3, it's really no big thing. You wouldn't even know the difference. The real struggle is from 2 to 3."

On reflection I think he must be right. #3 is what pushed us over the edge in a lot of ways. For one thing you've moved from man-to-man to zone defense. Secondly, you have to start asking the older or more ambulatory children to pitch in and be your extra hands, eyes and ears from time to time. More than before. And you lie to them and yourself and say it's helping them "bond" and this is what it's about to be part of a family. And then you plunk down cold hard cash called "allowance" so that they continue to help out without being embittered.

After #3 I remember hearing these words leave my mouth more often: "Yell down to me if your baby brother starts to drown, OK?" or "Please tell me if he gets too near to the fire place." (These are rare examples, please do not call CPS - my kids are happy, healthy and well-cared for I swear!)

So, for those of you thinking about 3.. here's my own personal observations:

A. Day care for 2, tight but manageable. Day care for 3 - a total Freakin' ton of money. We pay for 2 (NICE) BMW leases each month. ($1800)

B. #3 made us move up to the minivan (we'd been ok with regular 5 passenger cars until we needed more than 2 car seats + a booster)

C. #3 is who has me convinced we have truly outgrown our 3BR, 1400 sq foot house. He is using every last square inch and climbing up the walls.. I think we need more space for him to roam and/or climb.

Don't get me wrong.. I LOVE Mr. Man. I am SO happy I have all 3 of my beautiful children in my life and love them deeply, primally and more than words could ever express.
But dang if they aren't expensive. And the move from 2 to 3 was really hard.

So - if life is getting too easy with 2 and you wonder if it won't be a big deal to go to 3. Oh, it will. 3 is far different than the difference between 1 to 2. (And I know that makes no mathematical sense.) It's a big leap. If you can barely cope with what you've got - think hard before making that leap.

That said, I don't think you will EVER regret bringing another little person into your family, heart or life. So, it's no-lose situation. Even if you look at your empty wallet and say: "Dang, I guess mommy can't get her hair colored anymore" - you will never resent that it's because of this new beautiful child who's...hey, are you writing on that wall?! STOP THAT RIGHT NOW! DO NOT TOUCH THE CAT! NO! NO! NO!!!!!!!

Saturday, November 04, 2006

The one in the Green shirt..


Amy@ the Fair
Originally uploaded by Geeky Mama.
is the one I'm voting for. Hubby took this back in August at our annual trip to the "Great Minnesota Get-Together" - and it's a lovely picture of my neck and the back of my head...and then, just to the left of that...the political candidate we're both rooting for on Nov. 7th.

Hubby met Average Joe this afternoon - but Amy is the candidate we most hope wins this coming week at the polls.