Stash Organization!

YAY! I hope it lasts. So far, so good. But I already had the fabric pulled that I wanted. We'll see what it looks like a few quilts from now, lol!

Sister Soldier Quilt = DONE!

More later, gotta run to the post office!! Wheeeeee!

Do You DESERVE The Life You Want?

What?

Do YOU.....DESERVE...the life YOU want?

Damn you, Bob Greene. Damn you for your fit physique and tough questions.

I have subtly and not-so-subtly started to brainwash my husband. It began a couple years ago...but don't worry! I only use my "powers" for good, and not evil. Ever-so-casually I will start watching a recorded (brainwashing) episode of one of my favorite shows while he's in the vicinity. He might be walking back and forth putting things away, or I might be in the living room while he's in the kitchen grabbing a snack. The cool thing about DVR is it gives you a short description of what the show is about, and who the guests are so you can sneak-attack your beloved without them even suspecting. The show just magically starts playing, and it just "happens" to be a worthwhile watch for both of us.

Many times I blindside him with the Oprah show...but not the sappy ones, but more like when sports heroes are on, miraculous horrific accidents, Suze Orman, Dr. Oz, and then the natural progression to Dr. Oz's own show. I don't know if my hubby is COMPLETELY oblivious to the fact I do this on purpose, but he's not complaining. And I think he really digs Mehmet...lots of good stuff there.

So, the other day he says to me: "Hey, did you see that Oprah show with Oprah's All Stars?"

Me: (shocked)

And he begins to tell me about how salt is tearing apart our arteries, and goes on and on and on...and how it's "still on DVR so you can watch it!"

Heh.

So I chain myself to the treadmill and begin watching THE episode. It was a pretty good one, but the parts that stuck with me was a segment with Peter Walsh (the organizing guy with the cute accent) and Bob Greene (the health-fitness guy with the reality check).

Peter Walsh says this: Flat surfaces are NOT meant for storage.
Bob Greene says this: What do you want out of life.
Peter Walsh says this: Kitchen counters are NOT meant for storage. They're meant to prepare FOOD.
Bob Greene: Do you DESERVE THE LIFE YOU WANT?

Of course. Of COURSE I do. I'm worthy. I deserve it. I am DESERVING. Why CAN'T I have the life I want?

****************************

Here's the thing folks: EVERYBODY can have the life they want. You, me, everybody. The key is: NO ONE hands it to you on a silver platter. When we don't have the life we want, there's a reason. No, the universe is not conspiring against me. It's as simple as identifying the "challenges" and overcoming them. Everything else is an excuse.

Bob: Motivation means you're ready to DO something. Not that you WANT something.

Ouch. That hurts. But, the reason why it hurts is because there's a ring of truth to it. I'm a pretty simple gal, and don't have a lot of material (heh...MATERIAL...buying fast....get it?) *ahem* MATERIAL wants...but I do WANT things for myself...like new countertops, a faster run, smaller jeans, more time to quilt are a few examples.

Peter: Sometimes people think that if they could just buy that one thing, or GET that one thing, things would just be better...and it's not. That's not where it's at.

Ouch. Again. Damn you. Damn you, Peter Walsh.

For a couple years now I've been pining away for new countertops. They were ugly when we moved into our home, and still are. I don't care about them. I want them to disappear and be replaced with sparkly new ones. But that won't happen for quite a while, and the same goes for tiling over our semi-ok linoleum that was not installed by the most accurate of folks. I don't care about IT either. I want it to roll itself up and whisk itself away and have ceramic tile march itself up the driveway and install itself neatly overnight. Since THAT won't happen for a while, what do we do?

Well, today I took Peter's advice and took my items that were "stored" on flat surfaces and put them in their place. Toys where toys go, purse where it goes (I had to declare a new home for it, instead of by the kitchen sink, ha ha!), moved the pile of bills from behind the butcher block and put them in the office. Didn't sort them, but hey...at least I moved them! And cleaned the kitchen really, really well. With an attitude of treating "my stuff" nice. The counters are what I have right now, so treat them like I own them. The floor is what we have now, so sweep and mop it like it's important. I even scrubbed the greyness from a couple drinking glasses that is hard water buildup. Now we have 3 "new" glasses, instead of me looking at them in dismay.

And ran 7 miles like I deserved it. :D

Sister Soldier...ready to QUILT!

Madi says: I wanna lay on it! I wanna lay on Roxanne's quilt!


Leif says: Me too! I wanna lay on it tooooooo! Take a PICK-SHURE of me!


Here is an example of trying to get two kids to smile nice at once.....


And Madi decides she doesn't want to have a picture "with" Leif...


Then, she's trying to get away. Leif is trying to get closer. And cheezin' like there's no tomorrow. Forgive the pomegranite juice on his face.
We really do hose them off now and again.

Aaaaand then the cat showed up......


(and tooted! Oooooh kay, fun's over!)

Homemade Croissants

Look *very* very homemade. I started the process all excited, and ended up just wanting to be done about 2/3rds of the way through. Which sucks, because croissants take hours, so the last third ended up being an hour of torture. Since I've kind of gotten a "feel" for how this goes though, the next time (and there WILL BE a next time!!) it's sure to be much more enjoyable. And, they may even look a little more professional.

I *am* a little upset that I don't have a pastry brush. I think I did have one at one time, and The Hubby either washed it with dish soap (EWWW...soapy everything!) or thought it was a paint brush, or it just got thrown away because I've never been a pastry making kinda gal. So, I used a paper towel to be the pastry brush, and I guess that worked ok. I *did* think to myself that I should go BUY a pastry brush, but I think that falls under craft supplies, so I will resist. How many times this year will I be making croissants? How many times SHOULD I make croissants? Since no one else is really eating them, I suspect maybe once or twice more.

Madi's Second Sock! :D

I'm happy and satisfied today. Madi's second sock is DONE. *DONE*!!

**squeal**

DONE! :D

I can't even remember how or why I decided to knit socks. I know how I decided I needed to knit...I had commissioned an acquaintance to knit a couple hats for Christmas out of some bamboo yarn that I dyed by hand. WHY did I have bamboo yarn? I dunno....because I knew how to dye plant fibers, and it seemed fairly simple to apply to yarn. Note to those that want to dye plant fiber yarn: It is very drippy, messy business. And it takes a whole, whole lot of water. Anyway, after seeing the MAGIC of what happened when the artisan weaved my experiment yarn into something beautiful, I became obsessed. I had big dreams of knitting sweaters and wool longies for my kids that were still in cloth diapers. Thing is, knitting skills don't just come to you overnight...but I didn't think about it before I started. Isn't that always the way? (for ME!)

So, as one kid moved out of diapers into Big Girl Undies, soon after my little guy started making the transition as well. My dream of clothing my boy in beautifully knitted stitches died with every successful "pee-pee onna potty!!" My first and only attempt at longies are still tethered to a set of bamboo needles, somewhere in the Yarn Box. Anyone need a rib stitched "O" for anything? It's about 3 inches wide. Heh. To this day, I'm still left with miles of worsted weight yarn. I'm sure it will be put to use one day...maybe in 2012! :D

Somewhere in the hunt for yarn for longies, I also hatched grand plans of knitting socks. Could be I traded someone their knitting skills for my baking skills....I can't remember. And when I started acquiring knitted socks, I fell in love. The colors, the softness, the warmth...I NEEEEEEEDED more socks. MORE! MORE! I know the yarn for Madi's Second Sock (and consequently, Madi's FIRST sock) came from a Canadian supplier on Ebay. I knew nothing about brands or thicknesses, only that I wanted wool. Superwash.

The 4 balls of Canadian yarn sat idle for months and months, until I went on a dyeing binge sometime this summer. It was then that I discovered little "flubs" and places where the yarn was pieced by the manufacturer. I've knitted with other stuff to know this is not the norm, and came to realize that my "great deal" from Ebay was just a "GOOD" deal. Ahhhh, well.

Never had any real plans for this particular yarn, just that it would be socks someday. Madi had big plans for it though...she was enamoured with it from the start. She asked if I could PLEASE make her some socks? Can I have the purple and blue yarn? Please?

Who am I to say no?

So I started knitting. And had my mess-ups. And didn't read the directions thoroughly. And had to go back and try again. The first sock was challenging to just know what the heck was going on, and exactly WHAT part of the sock I was on. I'd knit a couple inches and then realize that instead of the sock coming together, it was seriously distorted because I forgot to alternate the row that needed me to pay attention with a row that was just knit-knit-knit. The gusset on the heel became foreshortened. The toe became stumpy and unusable. Back to the drawing board. After Madi's First Sock came into existence, I took an extended break and worked on other things. For like 6 months. And I pretty much forgot all the lesssons I learned and had the same "knit-knit-knit" problem.

Madi's Socks sat in a yarn bowl in our front room this whole time, and every so often she'd ask when they'd be done. And if today I was going to work on her socks. And how she couldn't wait to wear them. GAAAAAAAH! See, this is what happens when you over-schedule yourself! You can't get to what you want to do because you've been the "YES Girl" for everyone and everything else!

They're done. And they're awesome.

Happy New Year!

Busy, busy, busy week. Sister Soldier quilt is coming together nicely. Should be done with that within days. I was a little nervous there when I had a bunch of 4-inch squares cut out...but it's REALLY turning out to be pretty! I love it when a plan comes together...even if it's plan-as-you go.

Took a couple short road trips over the holidays and took Madi's Second Sock with me. FINALLY got it all un-knitted where I messed up and now I can begin again down the heel. It's very important to follow the directions when they say repeat steps 1-3 instead of repeating step 3 only. Heh. So, the ankle part is done (has been for 6 months!) and now it's a matter of the heel and the foot. Should be fast. I hope.

Here's the sock pattern.

In other foot news, smooshed my toe with one of the benches around our dining table so sitting and knitting may be just the ticket. That hot throbbing sensation when I stand is *no* fun!