Ever After

At church on Sunday, Tad was creating quite a stir. And I’m not just talking about the loud, piercing screams that he loves to produce at the most inappropriate moments. I’m talking about the MANY people that stopped in the hall as they walked by us and commented on how long Tad’s hair at gotten. The remarks ranged from the blunt “You’ve GOT TO cut that kid’s hair!” to the more subtle “Oh, look at that cute little mangy mullet he’s growing.”

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I KNOW that he needs a hair cut. But the thing is, I don’t know HOW to cut a little boy’s hair, and I’m NOT about to pay someone to do it.

Thankfully, a dear friend, Cheryl Underly, came to my rescue yesterday. Her husband had been standing near me and the Tadster in the hall and overheard many of the remarks.  He proactively suggested that his wife call and help me give little Goldilocks a trim.

I’m loving his new “little man” do, but I’m not ready for him to grow up.

He looks a lot like pictures of my dad when he was this age, I think …

Yeah, yeah, yeah.  I KNOW that if I’m not complaining about how much trouble the little guy is, I’m complaining that he’s growing up too quickly.

My supremely talented sister, Heidi Ho, recently crocheted a darling little hat for Miss Vivi. From the moment that the hat came out of box, it has been a favorite of Tad’s.  Ho, here’s the picture I’ve been promising you:

I recently received an email from a friend requesting help in supporting Pediplace, a local non-profit organization that provides health care to children from low-income families.

Pediplace needed volunteers to create little Valentine Treat Bags to provide to the hundreds of children they would treat over the coming week.  This project brought back memories of a sweet care package we received from the Junior League of Plano when Baby Tad was in the NICU following his birth.  It was a draining time, and the thoughtfulness of unseen angel volunteers was touching.  Seeing this as an opportunity to pay-it-forward, I signed up to make 30 little goody bags.

I am not a fan of store-bought Valentines … especially not for this type of project … so I set out to design my own. I created the file in Adobe Illustrator and then cut it out of cardstock on my new Xyron Wishblade (a GREAT find at http://www.tuesdaymorning.com).  The scalloped heart is “sewn” with red and white baker’s twine, a new favorite of mine. The white scalloped heart is then layered on top of a larger red scalloped heart and attached to the top of a small treat bag containing a few pieces of wrapped candy.

And now in the spirit of full disclosure, here’s the rest of the story …

It’s past lunchtime.

Baby Tad is awake from his nap upstairs and wants to be rescued.

Cold cereal is scattered all over the kitchen floor.

I am still in my pajamas.

I haven’t brushed my teeth.

Vivi has reminded me that I “don’t look pretty.”

Speaking of Vivi, she is running around in her underwear.

Speaking of underwear, if I want to wear clean underwear today (assuming that I actually get a shower) here’s what my next project needs to be:

I do.

More than I care to admit. (Think BIG numbers)!

I honestly don’t know why I love buttons so much, especially fabric covered buttons, but they are definitely one of my current craft obessions.

This calendar I finished up today (based on a pattern from the book I Love Patchwork!) was the perfect way to curb my craving for quilting (everything came from my stash!), linen, stamping and buttons.

The buttons, each covered in a small scrap of fabric and stamped with a number from one to thirty-one, attach with velcro, making them easy to rearrange each month.

The months are stamped on linen twill tape and also velcro on.

I love the rush that comes from finishing a project!

Last night, we quietly celebrated BT’s birthday with a dinner of yummy waffles cooked on my (I mean, “his”) his new waffle iron. When he asked for waffles for dinner, I seized the shoppertunity and bought “him” the rotating waffle iron that I’d had my eyes on for years but could never quite justify it.  Too bad he didn’t request a steak for dinner … we SOOO need a new barbecue.  :)  Father’s Day?!?!

Vivi presented him with a shimmery male beta fish which she named “Lauren” or “Elizabeth,” depending on her mood. Trying to explain that her (I mean, BT’s) fish is a boy was an exercise in futility.

Ariana sewed him a Mickey Mouse pillowcase and compiled a list of clean jokes that she figured he could use as source material to spice up his stake conference talks.

But the gift that garnered the most oooh’s and aaaah’s (and is frankly something that I would consider running back into my burning home to salvage, once I was certain that my family was safe) was a GORGEOUS, INGENIOUS, FANTABULOUS shadow box that holds a digital picture frame.

(Link to the Etsy store: http://www.cherishedexpressions.etsy.com.  The shadowbox frame was a custom order).

I love the idea of digital picture frames, but they tend to look too “modern” for my tastes.  I think that this shadowbox concept is an ideal solution.  It gives classy substance to the frame, and the customizable quote in vinyl lettering truly enhances the experience of watching family memories come to life across the digital screen.

WHINE ALERT: LEVEL RED

When I quit my job after Vivi was born, I started taking piano lessons as a way to keep my brain from going to mush and to give me an immediate sense of accomplishment that would otherwise be sorely absent.  How gloriously selfish! How completely extravagant!  Some women pamper themselves with mani’s and pedi’s. Some women actually get their hair cut more than once or twice a year. I splurge on piano lessons.

The lessons used to be one of my very favorite things … a highlight of my week.  I loved practicing and learning and progressing.  I surprised myself by the pieces I had been able to master.

Sadly, lessons with three children in attendance have increasingly become a three-ring circus, not to mention the fact that I have no time to practice, especially with Bryan’s demanding schedule. The needs of my two wee ones consume every waking moment, all of my brain cells, and every ounce of energy. I try to practice when Baby Tad is awake, and he pounds on the piano keys. His naps are the only time I have to effectively accomplish any of my domestic duties.

And so today, I had to make a sad call to my dear piano teacher who, over the last three years has really become like a second mother to me, and tell her that I need to drop out of piano lessons … at least for the time being.

And even as I try to write this, with tears streaming down my face, Vivi is calling from the bathroom because she needs me to wipe her bum and Baby Tad is bawling because he wants to go in and splash in the toilet.

Some days I have a good perspective on my role as a stay-at-home mom. Some days I know that everything is going to be okay.  Some days I know that my kids will grow up too quickly and that I will miss the bum wiping and that the sight of an unprotected electrical outlet will bring a tear to my eye.

Today is not one of those days.

More than ten years ago, I purchased a serger, but I never used it … not one single time … because I was afraid of it.  So, shortly before my year trade-in period expired, I exchanged it for a less intimidating embroidery machine.

But as the years have gone by, I’ve always wanted to learn to use a serger … to tackle my fears of the needles and blades and countless knobs and inexplicable adjustments.  And so having just finished this outfit for Vivi, using my new serger several times during the project, I am quite proud of myself. I still have all my fingers, and I didn’t accidentally slice a hole in the dress.

And best of all is that Vivi loves the funky little ensemble.

This year, Ariana has had the opportunity to participate in several choir performances as a member of …

our church choir …

and her school’s honor choir …

and “All City Choir” (she is one of three children from her school to be a part of this prestigious performing group).

One particularly fun performance was at the mall with Honor Choir, after which the students got to go ice skating.  Membership has its privileges!

The “littles” and I ventured out to the mall to see her perform, and then I took them to sit on Santa’s lap.

‘Twas the night before the night before Christmas, and all through the house …

All we creatures were stirring, especially my spouse.

(The girls and I had come down with a very nasty stomach flu, and BT was having to take care of the unpleasantries)

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,

But Vivi was stripped down to her Sleeping Beauty underwear.

(Did I mention that this was a VERY nasty stomach flu?)

I in my jammies and BT in his cap

Were scrubbing the bathroom, cleaning the ____.

(Yeah, REALLY nasty).

And laying a finger aside of his nose,

BT spread Vicks all around to help the stench smell like a rose.

(Well, maybe not a “rose,” but it did stop him from hurling).

The baby was nestled all snug in his bed,

While visions of sugarplums danced in his head.

(Thankfully, Tad slept through most of the chaos).

When down the hallway there arose such a clatter,

BT sprang to his feet to see what was the matter.

(I said that he slept through MOST of the chaos …)

When what to his blood shot eyes should appear,

But a sad Baby Tad, shedding many a tear.

(It was an answer to prayer that Tad was spared from the illness. I honestly think he would have ended up hospitalized if he had gotten it).

He spoke not a word and went straight to his work,

Soothing the baby … let me remember this night when BT acts like a jerk.

(I’ll never forget the weary look on BT’s face (and the intense love I felt for him) as he, also suffering from a mild case of the illness, mopped the tile, cleaned the carpet, tied our hair back to keep it out of the yuck … )

I heard him exclaim as he surveyed the sight.

Merry Christmas to all?!?  Oh, what a night!

The next day (Christmas Eve), I was able to wrap a present … and then lay down before I passed out … and then wrap another present … and then lay down before I passed out…)

By Christmas Day, we felt well enough to open gifts, nibble on crackers and sip Gatorade.

I’ve fallen IN LOVE with a line of children’s clothing patterns called “Oliver + S“.  It doesn’t help that I also have an addiction to paper dolls and all things vintage, but patterns just don’t get any cuter than this:

These are just a few of the patterns that will be arriving in the next few days.

I had seen them at various quilt stores in Utah before, but I had never dared buy them because they didn’t have real photos, and they were kinda pricey. This morning, however, I found them for 30% off + free shipping … and Googling revealed tons of praise for and plenty of pictures of finished garments from these darling patterns.  There’s even a Flickr group dedicated solely to “Oliver and S.”

They have a couple of free pattern downloads, one of which was used by a crafty someone to make a vintage pillowcase dress.  Yes, I will be making one of these in the near future, too.  I even have the perfect pillowcase for it.

It’s not very often that I get THIS excited about something.

Stay tuned for pictures of Vivi modeling the finished projects.