MommyCoddle

Self Portrait Tuesday and more...

I was looking through old photos tonight and found this one, that I don't remember, but I love it--giddy, girlie love! So, I dumped the old SPT (which someone questioned as even being SPT, so I guess it wasn't the greatest) and opted to put this one on instead. Sometimes Emma and I go camera crazy together. We sit on the floor, and hold the camera out in front and snap away, checking each photo after we take it, deciding on a new, funnier pose. This shot must be from one of those episodes.

Here's my former SPT, but I still wanted to post it because you get a glimpse of my new cuff ordered from lizette greco. She was so fun to work with--wanting to know my interests, asking about my blog and shop to get more ideas for the cuff's embroidery. This one was embroidered with birds and a tree branch and it has the best pearly-button snaps. I really like it. Thanks Lizette!

*****

Four sets of buttons are finally listed in my ETSY SHOP . I've already had some interest just from the pictures I've posted here. I'm anxious to see how they do through etsy. 

Still Thankful...

A few weeks ago, Cassi at BellaDia posted some pictures of these adorable sock kitties that she  made.  Of course, I had to comment on them, because my children are obsessed with all things CAT (of the stuffed variety). A few days later I got an email from Cassi saying that she wanted to send one to Emma! 
Yesterday, this package of joy arrived at my door. Not only did Cassi send a sock kitty, she sent one for each of the girls, in their own drawsting pouch. She sent each of the girls a little stack of sticker books, paints and candy, and she sent me some beautiful fabric, buttons, chocolate and vintage knitting patterns! How absolutely wonderful and kind and thoughtful and generous!

I could barely keep the kitties away from the girls to take the pictures...in fact, only the grey one is in these pictures, because the white one was in bed with Emma.

See the little hand in the corner, pulling the kitty off the table, while I'm trying to snap a quick picture?

I love the button details on the edge of the bags:

A wonderful stash of fabric for me...the brown polka-dot fabric is the same as the curtains I sewed for Emma's room:

Thank you so much Cassi. It was a wonderful surprise in the mail. You are so talented and generous, like so many of the ladies I've met in the blogging community. Thank you!

Party's Over, Still Much To Be Thankful For...

The party is over, dishes are being stacked and sent back to their various homes. We had a great Thanksgiving with family--a loud celebration thanks to eight children, but still a celebration. 

Dan and I decided two nights ago, that we  wanted to go with the girls to visit our city's nursing home Thanksgiving morning-- to spend a little time talking with residents there, who had no family to visit them. Emma filled a bag with pictures she had painted and colored, and with much shyness and hesitation on her part we headed off. We randomly picked the second floor and were told there were several residents in the dining hall that hardly ever got visitors.
I have to admit, I get very shy and feel uncomfortable in these situations, but Dan can jump right in--a hand on their shoulder, talking loud enough to be heard down the hall, playing right along with the stories these strangers have to share; "Remember when we used to visit Chicago together? Wow, the girls have gotten so big since the last time I saw them..."
Generally, the men and women we met were quiet and shy. Emma did her best to introduce herself to each one, wish them a happy thanksgiving, pass out some artwork and shake their hands. Every single person we met, grabbed on to those warm little hands of hers or took hold of Mary's chubby little thigh. I'm sure for many of them, they hadn't seen little children in quite awhile, let alone have the opportunity to feel the soft baby skin, or squeeze a chubby thigh. Even just the activity of my two children toddling around them in the room-- weaving in and out between wheelchairs and reclining beds, looking out  windows, finding  art supplies in the corner, tipping over a bucket of markers-- brought some excitement, warmth and joy to the room.

I left there feeling sad for those forgotten or left behind, braver for being able to touch and talk to these people who our culture hides and who I often feel strange and awkward around, proud of my children who can look at them and talk to them without any fear, and who were more and more outgoing as the morning went on. We'll go back. Soon and often.

Maxed Out...

My "Wednesday List" is bigger than Wednesday. It has been a crazy morning of trying to prepare for tomorrow's Thanksgiving celebration. For starters, the cousins are singing a Laurie Berkner song (I love my rooster, my rooster loves me....) for a little meal/dessert intermission. Each one is dressing up as a different animal, as the song goes, and Emma is a cow.
This morning, I sat down at my sewing machine to whip up a little cow hood for her and the needle is completely jammed. It makes about two stitches and then is so tight, I can't even pull the fabric out from under the needle. So, instead I spent the morning, handstitching ears and pompom trim onto a plastic headband. And of course, I agreed to make a costume for one of emma's cousins as well! I think she looks more like a cat now, than a cow, so I'm going to have to come up with some type of udder contraption  to instill the cow theme to her audience (grandma, dad, aunt's and uncle's).

Mary has been in an ultra-clingy phase lately which is exhausting. It means either washing dishes and picking up toys (and stitching cow ears) with a screaming baby tugging at my pants, or with a happy baby sitting on my hip. This is all making me a little crazy. I'm wondering if she might be getting sick.

I've also been spending way too much time on a design for cards to try to sell my buttons. I'm so excited about projects with them, and I thought selling a few might defer the cost of my next class a bit.
I've designed a tri-fold card to hold them, but I'm still working on the design to keep the buttons attached to the card (glue dots maybe) and to hold the card closed (wire clips or waxed twine?) But I love the look so far. (please excuse the glare)

Card Front:

Inside flap:

Buttons:

Of course, I'm spending too much time on the things that aren't essentials--like the Five Day Sale at JoAnn fabrics and button cards. But I need a little break from my messy house and broken sewing machine.
But in the spirit of thankfulness, I am thankful for the many blessings that God has provided for our family--a warm home, loving family, healthy children, opportunities for creativity, and blogging friends.
Wishing a blessed Thanksgiving to you all...cheers.

I'm In Love...

I'm in love--in love with pottery, in particular with making buttons.  Last night was my final stoneware class  and I was sad to see it end. We had  a sort of  "pottery party" to close the class--looking at our work, talking about what went well, what didn't...all while standing around the pottery studio eating hummus, wheat crackers and drinking wine. It was quite the combination.
I was glad to get some time with my instructor at the end of the evening after everyone had left to ask him my little list of questions. We talked mostly about 'where to go from here.' I'll be taking another class after Christmas and he said he'll comp me some clay and glaze. I'm anxious to have some more time for trial and error, because just looking at the things I made, I can tell I have a lot to learn, to try.
So for now, I'm happy to look at my buttons, put them on a few sweaters I'm knitting, maybe as a little detail on a hat, maybe see if they'll sell on etsy (to support a bit of my next class tuition), put a few of the little dishes around my house (emma has already claimed one for her barrettes), and wait for a new class with new opportunities.

Picture-Palooza!

I'm thinking that perhaps I need to rename my blog to something like, "Pictures of My Crazy Children" or "Emma Being A Wack-O" or someting more in tune with my posts lately. I feel like all the pictures I downloaded off my camera today were strange shots of my children or shots of my children's strange behaviors.
So in keeping with this theme, here is the first set of shots: 
On Sunday I decided to stay home from church with the girls because I wasn't feeling very well. Silly me. I thought it would be more restful and relaxing to stay home, drink some tea, read magazinges, knit...while the girls played quietly together at my feet with puzzles and coloring books. Ha.

Instead, I was busy pulling stuffed animals and barbies out of the fishtank, fishing a pink kitty out of the toilet hole with my kitchen tongs (I mean only the tiniest hint of pink ears were showing. she must have flushed), washing both sofa cushions after a full bowl of apple jacks and milk fell between them, and retrieving my retriever from the neighbors yard after he walked out of the gate that blew open in the storms that evening.
I was not relaxed and rested when Dan got home.

Today we were on house arrest because the car has been in the shop for the last few days. Our new (used) car that we haven't even had for three weeks. We (Dan) has been battling with the general manager at the dealership over who should pay for the repairs, and finally they are agreeing to cover everything. Of course. In the meantime, the girls and I have been bound to the house. Today I made lots of progress on laundry, baked two batches of cookies and finally finished another hat that was a custom order from etsy.  Emma gave it a "strength test" before I shipped it off to its new home. I think Emma was suffering from a little cabin fever today as well.

I think it is safe to say that I have met my "crazy children's photos" quota for the week. But who knows, there may be more. Hopefully, we'll get out of the house tomorrow if the rain lets up...I just pulled back the curtain to reveal that the rain has now changed into snow!! Sounds like an excuse for hot chocolate and marshmallows after naps...nothing like a little chocolate and puffed sugar to bring down the energy level in my home...

Happy Veteran's Day

I've been wanting to send out a happy veteran's day wish to my dad.  He served in Vietnam with the Marine Corps. Thanks Daddy for your service to our country, and your family for generations to come.

Autumn Tease

Seems like Autumn is such a tease here in Wisconsin--the leaves change and fall within just a few short weeks. We had big storms two nights ago, followed by a day of high winds. It seemed to deal autumn its final blow (no pun intended). The sidewalk in front of our house seemed to be the meeting place for the neighborhood leaf population.  It must have been a little shelter from the storm for they all decided to rest in front of our steps.  Today the sun was out and the temperature above 50 degrees so the girls and I did a little raking. I'm a little sad to see the leaves go--raked into the street waiting for the giant leaf truck to suck them up into its metal stomach. In the meantime, we still have a back yard full of leaves for our own personal enjoyment. If it wasn't for the peer-pressure of both neighbors with meticulously leaf-free front yards, I really wouldn't care about a little crunching underfoot as you passed by our home.

Crazy Baby

This girl gets crazier every day....
Today it's black straw hat, red plastic fireman's helmet, Dan's swimming goggles. I think every child needs a pair of swim goggles in their toy box, if nothing else for the pure comic relief of their parents. I'm not even going to post the funniest of these pictures for fear that my readers would be concerned about the mental capacities of my oldest daughter.

***A few nights ago, Emma was climbing into the bathtub and slipped-- (maybe it's the soapy film on the bottom of the tub) hitting her eye on the tub handles. (I think, it all happened very quickly). I grabbed Emma to get her back on her feet, then I grabbed Mary, who was already in the tub and starting to slip underwater from all of her sister's flailing. By the time I had everyone in my grip, they were both screaming, crying and wanting to be held. I picked up the soapy, naked bodies and added to the chaos by yelling to Dan who was downstairs on the other side of the house. It was quite traumatic, but a few minutes later both girls preferred to finish their baths versus getting into pajamas. Everyone has recovered although Emma's eye gets darker each day and now there's a dark bruise under her eye as well. It must be spreading. It really doesn't look that bad in this picture compared to how its looking today.  If it doesn't improve soon, she'll either be wearing concealer or we won't be going out very much...

And finally, please say hello to a new crafty girl/mom in the blogging world. I met Carrie  through Etsy. She sells REALLY cute screen printed tees for babies and a few other toys.  I have a link to her store "A Vintage Child" on my sidebar.

Tonight it my second to last pottery class. I will be doing lots of glazing tonight so that all my projects will be finished by next week. I'm sad for the class to be finished and I am feeling like, "Where do I go from here?". I am really enjoying pottery. Perhaps I'll take another class, or get some advice from my aunt who is a very talented potter/tile-maker, as to where to go from here. I can tell I need a lot more time for trial and error.

Since Dan didn't have work today he gave me a few hours away this morning. It was nice, but for some reason, I still feel rushed to get back. I spent most of my time at the Goodwill store and found some great brown wool tweed for 99cents! I can't wait to put it to use.
Now Dan's getting his time away--which I'm sure means he's reading at a coffeshop and  I must go  pick up after the tornado that swept through "while mom was away."

Out of the Oven

I thought I would show pictures of a few of the first things I've created in my pottery class--a spoon rest and some buttons. This was my first set of buttons and I was pretty disappointed with the glazing. I'm going to try a different method next week--dipping them in glaze instead of painting the glaze on with a brush. I also forgot how much they shrink in the bisque firing so my holes are pretty small. I think my next batch will be much better. I've really fallen in love with making buttons--the simplicity, the plethora of color choices. So while people in my class pump out bowls and mugs and giant serving platters, I sit in the back, happily creating buttons of all shapes and sizes. I can tell that there is so much trial and error with pottery. I almost didn't share these buttons, but oh well...it's a learning process and I have much to learn and a long way to go before I get the look that is floating around inside my head.

Life is overwhelming me today. Dan got laid off on Friday and is picking up work here and there this week. Our budget is tight and every penny is accounted for, so I'm a little nervous.  Now, I'm sitting down to balance the checkbook, pay a few bills (i hate the beginning of the month!) and see where we are.  I have a very messy house, a ripped apart  kitchen sink because of a leaky hose, a LONG Bible study lesson to finish by this evening, a husband who is out of clean socks and work shirts, an order for a gift basket (something i do on the side) that is needed tomorrow, an order for a knitted hat that is due asap,  company coming over for dinner tomorrow, and the prospect of not being able to go "home" for Christmas for the first time (except the year emma was born) has me a little bummed out.

But then today, while out running an errand, I saw a couple crossing the street in front of my car when I was waiting at a red light. They were older, but not elderly. The woman was pushing a metal basket and was striding along in front of her husband, who had his hand placed  firmly on her shoulder. At first I thought, how nice it was--the touch of his hand on her shoulder, walking to the grocery store on a chilly fall day instead of driving in a car. But then I noticed the man's eyes were a bit disfigured and in his other hand he carried the stick that a blind man uses to guide his way. He wasn't using it, only holding on it. He was guided by the grip on his wife's shoulder.
But what struck me the most was how quickly they moved--long confident strides, no shuffling, no constant checking over her shoulder, no tap-tap-tap of a cane on the ground looking for firm footing--just two people walking with a purpose and a plan.

And I realized that's how I need to be, to live, to act, to rest--striding out in faith, in confidence, with my grip firmly planted on God's shoulders. He is trustworthy, he won't let me fall or  get left behind or lost. I may not be able to see what's ahead of me, but I need to trust Him enough to take long, confident strides as He leads me forward.

One Dollar Well Spent

 
   

This was definitely one dollar well spent at the goodwill store today. It provided endless entertainment including a photoshoot and dance party--that's emma's kind of fun. She kept asking me to keep taking pictures while she danced around, striking different poses for the camera. A purchase worth every penny.

The Week In Review

The girls pretty much slept through trick or treating.  We decided to have a "royal dinner party" instead. Emma always loves a party. I called Dan when he was on his way home from work to let him know the change of plans. When he came home, he went up stairs to shower and emerged from the bathroom wearing the above costume. The King of the House. The best part was the sheepskin rug that he had pinned around his collar--which was a sacrifice for style on his part considering he's allergic to wool. Also part of his costume but not visible in this picture was the pewter goblet he carried and baseball bat attached to his hip. (no sword was available).

My mother also pulled off a tremendous "queen mother" costume thanks to a bridesmaid dress from me and some great jewelry she just happened to have in her suitcase. The crown is so unattractive but since she never reads my blog, she'll never know I'm posting such unflattering pictures of her online! Oh, and Emma's princess costume was trumped by the purchase of a new dress at Lands End the same day as the party. She's just like me, can't wait to get that new article of clothing on her body. She was actually ripping the tags off in the store before we even got to the counter to pay; and stripping down to her underwear in her carseat so that she could wear it home. (undressing in a carseat doesn't look easy!)

There were many rousing games of "Memory" each night after dinner. My mother had no mercy, but Emma still managed to win a few hands. (I selected this picture because I was hoping everyone would notice the layers emma is wearing. I told her she couldn't eat dinner in her pajamas, which were left over from naps. So instead of REMOVING the pajamas, like a normal child, she simply put on a dress underneath them. That's my girl!)

We took my mom to the Art Center so that Emma could show her where she takes her Toddler Art Class. This is the ladies bathroom. Isn't it fantastic? The tiles are amazing, each one different and to top it off, the bathroom stalls are pink. Emma was in pink-shock.

And finally Mary--still up to her old tricks--rearranging the programs on my desktop (Microsoft Word is now missing) and seeing how many pennies and paperclips she can stuff in her cheeks. She wanders the house with mouthfuls of loose change. "Mary, what's in your mouth?" usually solicits a handful of coinage. My little vending machine.

So, Mom is back to Maryland. It was a nice visit, but it is also nice to be back to the old routine--including back to the blogging world!