Sewing mis-haps

Grr. Grumble, grumble, mutter, complain.

That carseat cover I mentioned a couple of days ago? It's almost on it's way to being chopped up into something else. That's how sick of it I am. Today I monkeyed around with the canopy- spending far too long trying to get it right... And when, finally, after a couple hours of muttering under my breath and fighting with bias tape... I was ready to try it out.

So, I put the plastic parts back in from the original, excited to be nearly finished- and discovered it does NOT. fit. Somewhere, somehow in cutting the pieces patterned from the original canopy I made some wrong cuts.

Oooh, oh, oh let's just keep this kid-friendly and say I was not impressed. The thing is- it will have to do. I'm not starting over. I'm much too stubborn for that. Perhaps when the steam billowing over my head blows over I might try to modify it a bit, but more than likely it will stay as it is.

At least the actual cover part is working. So far. Still have to put in holes for the belts which I've been putting off till last because I'm terribly afraid of ruining it.

Ah well. You win some, you lose some, right?

One whirlwind week down... Not sure how it can already be Saturday night but it is. I'm catching my breath for a few days before it all begins again.

We took our older two kids to a hockey game tonight while the little one went bumming with Grandma and Grandpa. I was a bit amused by the fact that my kids knew next to nothing about hockey. Who are the guys in the stripes? Is that big truck going to come back and clean the ice? What do those numbers mean up there- 4 and 4?

Ah, gee. Sorry kiddos. Apparently we haven't been to very many hockey games in your young little lives. When Lydia was the only one we went several times that winter. Then they went to a couple games with Ryan last year, but according to him they lost interest as soon as their candy supply ran out. Such good little dedicated fans they are. Tonight they enjoyed it. Of course a nice size box of popcorn split between the two of them probably helped.

We topped off the evening with a trip to Wal-mart for some essentials- needed some thread and bias tape to finish a car seat liner (cover?) I'm working on. When I pulled out the car seat to wash the original cover a few weeks ago my mind suddenly conjured up an idea to sew up something a bit more fresh. It's close to being done and I'm excited with how it's turning out so far. But it did present with it's share of headaches. At one point I felt as if I was doing more ripping out than sewing. Ugh. That's when sewing becomes a (dare I say it?) chore. Maybe I'll post some pictures when it's complete.

I went into my sewing room... er... the kitchen this afternoon to sew and was promptly followed by two little tag-alongs who wanted to sew as well. So... I pulled out the little sewing machine that was mine when I was a kid (a tough little machine!) and cut some squares for them to make little quilts. They actually did really well and even though I got exactly nothing done on my projects they were excited to really put something together. And, admittedly, it was fun for me to see them take up an interest in something that I enjoy so much.

And with that I'm going to call it a night.
G'night.

Here we go...

So. Tomorrow is the begining of the last semester for us. I hate the thought of this break ending, but I'm ready. I think. Even though for the past week I've been going through bouts of dread and anticipation. And fear and excitement. And nervousness that keeps me up at night and... Okay, you get the idea.

The baby clothes are washed, the house is cleaned (well. kind of.), several meals have been cooked and frozen, jam is made, loaves of bread are in the freezer, the sewing machine has been humming along almost nightly since right after Christmas...

Now, three busy weeks and January will be gone before I even have time to register that it was ever really here at all. At least these three weeks should be the busiest weeks until the final three weeks of the semester. And by then the end will be so close I'm not sure I'll really care how busy things might get.

So ready to be done with this. I've been a student waaaay too long, now and I'm ready to get this semester over.

Okay.
Ready now.
Let the craziness begin.

I'm losing

Calling all moms with experience in potty training...

I've met my match. This kid is impossible. Way too old to still be in diapers but so frustratingly stubborn I can hardly handle it.

Yes, I'm well aware that this isn't the best time to start trying to potty train him... But we've tried so many times in the past when timing seemed impeccable. So when he expressed a mild interest last night before going to bed I jumped on it- all set to go with several pairs of undies and multiple changes of pants this morning.

And then we sat. And waited. And waited. And I loaded him up with juice and water and milk. And we waited some more. And I'm slowly going insane. Because he's so stubborn he's squirms around refusing to go on the potty while I just know the minute he gets back in his undies the waterworks will suddenly break loose.

No amount of bribing works. He's been offered trips to Wal-Mart, colorfully wrapped presents to chose from, candy, and several other miscellaneous prizes. He'll gladly put the undies on- his head swirling with all these great offers- but then he refuses. to. go.

Any advice? Besides try again another day- because most likely that is what this is all going to boil down to once again. If there was one part of parenting I could hand over to someone else to deal with- this would by far top the list. In fact, it's so far above anything else on the list it's been granted a super-special list all of it's own.

Argh.

This Zoo is a Place

So the excellent plan of getting masses of meals put together today crumpled when Ryan got called in to work. And he got called in for tomorrow to, so we're on hold. I refuse to do it all myself. Hey. It was his idea, after all! His hours are unpredictable, but I'm always so thankful he has a job!

I did manage to get some strawberry and blueberry jam made this afternoon- a project that somehow slipped into the evening hours and managed to leave me with three overly rambunctious kids. Eep. The noise level in this house has risen steadily since about 4 p.m. and being the tired mom that I keep glancing at the clock wondering if it's time to tuck them into their beds yet.

Jack & Lydia are running around the house finding "great hiding spots" to hide from Hannah. And the funny thing is- Hannah's just got her own plan going on and could care less about finding her siblings. In fact, I'm quite sure that she doesn't have a clue she's apparently supposed to be seeking out the other two. Yet every few seconds I hear shrieks of, "She's gonnna find us! Come on! Let's go find a secret hiding spot so she can't find us!" Brilliant. You can't lose at this game.

Speaking of games- the kids got a few for Christmas and we've been playing them a bit. I love the simplicity and short time frame of games that have colors rather than numbers on the dice and approximately two rules to follow.

Uhh. Uh-oh. The kids have now moved on and are declaring themselves "Tiggers". They bounce on their tails, Lydia says, Watch me. I'll bounce on my tail, as she poses at the edge of the couch. This might end dangerously. Okay, somehow she landed on her head but bounced up saying, "I'm okay! I'm okay! I'm like a real tigger!"

Next up, it's Jack. His landing wasn't quite as happy as he landed on a little fence for his farm set. And as he held his foot in pain I couldn't resist another teaching moment from the school of Mom- That's what happens when you don't pick up your toys. And the lesson once again falls upon deaf ears as he looks at me oddly and hops back up on the couch.

Now here comes Hannah over the back of the couch. Who traded these kids in for a gang of wild monkeys while I wasn't looking? Perhaps a bit more startling and mysterious- how is it that no one has broken a bone yet today? Excuse me while I knock on wood.

Guess what kids. Bedtime is coming early tonight. (There is a bonus to dark winter evenings after all- they never quite know exactly when their bedtime is... As soon as it's dark they declare it must be 'middle of the night'. I fear this isn't going to work for too many more years.)

Yes, yes, I hear you. I AM appreciating these days.

What Mondays were meant for

What a way to start off the first week of the New Year! Ryan finally had a day off of work so we overhauled our house trying to get it clean and (somewhat) organized before the new semester begins next week. I'm still amazed at just how much can get accomplished in a day!

Ryan defrosted the freezer in the basement and scrubbed it out so tomorrow we're planning to put together as many meals as we can fit in there to make that daily task easier after the baby is born. For a little while anyways. I'm lucky that Ryan likes to cook- so I'll let him take care of most of that while I make some loaves of bread and some jam from all the berries that were hiding in the depths of the freezer.

Why is it that it always seems it's the impending birth of a new baby that makes us kick into action around here? Seriously, besides right before the birth of my other children the only other time I cleaned my house this well is when I was hosting a shower here. A little bit more of this cleaning-frenzy would be nice a few times a year anyways.

It doesn't hurt that I've got a lot of nerves firing around inside of me right now due to school. I know once this semester begins, things will fall into place but right now I can't help wondering how everything is going to work out. In other words, now might be a bad time to ask, but, uh... What have I gotten myself into?! I just have to keep reminding myself: what is meant to be will be. And if it's all meant to work out, it will.

Four months. Four short months left in this crazy journey through school. So apprently scrubbing my house from top to bottom and sewing baby stuff like I'll never touch my machine again is how I deal with the nerves.

I'm going a bit crazy- what else is new?

Ringing in 2010

Welcome 2010!

January, and a whole new year, I am ready for you.

{I hope}

So many changes to look forward to this year.

So much to get done, so many little things to enjoy.

A new addition, a graduation, and so much in between.

Hope.

Happiness.

Health.

Dreams and aspirations.

Faith, family, and friends.

Looking forward, thinking back,

Remembering,

And moving on.

Not giving up,

Not letting go.

Holding tight to those we love.

New paths to travel,

New ways to explore,

While keeping old roads open.

Quiet times,

Celebrations,

Joy in simple moments.

May your new year be filled with all of this and more.

Let the next chapter begin!