Rainy Saturday

Catching up

Here are a few not-so-great photos of projects I finished last year. The first photo shows Angel the star and Triangle Man (inspired by the They Might Be Giants song). They're made of recycled felted wool and mostly vintage buttons. Triangle Man's expression reminds me of Mr. Peanut. Must be the eyebrows. Both were commissioned by Ally and Ethan.

The goddess dolls were made for Ally's preschool teacher and Ethan's first grade teacher. The kids have already told me that they expect dolls for their current teachers, as well. They'll supervise the effort, of course.

Hey, there's a blog under this pile of crap

Dab flabbit to Betsy!* It's certainly been a long time since I posted. Excuses for not posting: life, work, not being able/motivated to step into the sewing room to do more than retrieve a fax from the machine, blah, blah, blah.

So, although there's no earth-shattering news to write about, I decided to start the new year with an attempt to post at least once a week (which, if you look at the calendar, has already been spotty).

What's been happenin' chez geriatric dog and company? Aside from putting two fine young people to bed approximately 4 times each per night (just got back from the last tuck-in); running those same fyp to school, judo, tutoring, and scouting; dealing with bigger fyp's adjustment to second grade (the drama of which is now past, thank goodness); dealing with the smaller fyp's... umm... fiesty attitude (the drama of which will probably never pass); attempting to connect with my type-A personality of a husband; and desperately trying to catch up at work, it's been just another year. My fortieth, to be exact.

I really don't have a problem with getting older, I just can't seem to get the hang of the growing up. Forty is responsible, down-to-earth, determined, goal-oriented. My forty is flighty, daydreamy, easily distracted, and haphazard. And could probably use a nap. And chocolate.

So, in an effort to turn this past year and my forties around, I've considered making some resolutions. (Hey, committing to impetuously made promises isn't terribly responsible, is it?)

8Organize: Get rid of the unnecessary stuff that clutters our lives (old magazines, old fabric stash, things that were to be filed but ended up in a pile instead, seldom played with toys, etc.)
8Exercise: Get moving every day doing anything (somehow, this always makes the list)
8Harmonize: Rediscover the joy of being a couple; work as a team; make sure that I tell (and show) the kids and Mark that I love them every day
8And get our butts to church more regularly. Okay, that one doesn't end in "ize" but we seriously need to make that more of a priority. We're kind of hit-and-run members of our congregation. Someone asked us if we were new members the last time we were at church. We joined two years ago...

So far, the organizing is going pretty well. We cleared out the kitchen cabinets and our respective desks. Mark did a thorough sorting and pitching of the pantry contents. The kids decided which games and videos they wanted to keep and have begun to tackle their rooms. The stack of papers, however, is still taunting me from its home in a laundry basket.

The exercising, not so much. But I am walking the kids from school and sometimes to school if we're not running late (more organization would certainly help there).

I've got a long way to go with the harmonizing--more specifically, just finding the time to be a partner. Every day brings a new opportunity...

And we're going to church this Sunday, or else.


*Exclamation courtesy of Ally

Snow Day

On Tuesday, six inches of snow fell and, this being a place where a couple of inches of snow is big news, the schools closed.

So, we played in the snow, sledded on our neighbor's five-foot "hill" (hey, it's flat here, you know), drank hot chocolate, and had lots of fun! And the kids finally got to wear their snow pants!

The joys of chicken legs

So, do you love it when your dog does chicken legs as much as I do? Chicken legs instantly put me into a good mood.

I'm back after a sidetrip to Depressionland, with a stop at No Scannerville. So what better way to get back into blogging than posting Kingo's chicken legs. I hope they brighten your day, too.

the rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated

No, I'm not dead, I haven't entered the witness protection program, and I haven't been incarcerated. I've just been in the fifth circle of hell, magazine production, followed by the sixth circle, unexpected article assignments. Ugg. I promise to write something fiber-related soon. Possibly tomorrow, after I finish cutting a gazillion lines out of one column and browbeating several recalcitrant article reviewers.

Studio sign

I want this sign (and the flashing lights) for the hallway outside the studio (aka sewing room).

Drowning in Bears

No, this isn't a picture of my daughter's bedroom, although it could be...county fair 2005