Chicken a la Kev

Kev cooked dinner last night. Lucky me. De-Licious.

All the Young Dudes

Yesterday, we took a road trip to East Texas to visit some friends. First stop was Whitney and Bob's new house, which is very cute and has a screened porch and some bluebird houses. This was the first time all of our kids (mine, Whitney's, Shannon's and Julie's) have been together, and it was really fun to see. Of course, just as we got the kids situated for a picture, my camera batteries died, and by the time I changed them, the kids were no longer sitting nicely. I am hoping one of my other friends got a good shot.


Shannon's daughter was kind enough to let the Peanut try out her wings.



From Whitney's, we headed to our friend Cheryl's house for a big BBQ. Cheryl lives on a ranch. She has cows. Below, you can see Kev looking at them. Kev would make a good cowboy. But I would not last very long on a ranch. There is a lot of dirt and mud and stuff out there.

It was fun, but not very relaxing, as we had to chase Daphne around the whole time. She had a blast with all the people and babies and dogs and cows.

There was a lot of good food. Cheryl smoked a brisket, which I heard was excellent. I couldn't bring myself to eat any, what with all the cows staring at me from just over the fence. I had some sausages. I didn't see any pigs around.

Would you eat brisket if this was staring right at you? She looks like she knows exactly what was going on.

It was a good day out, but very exhausting. Today we're taking it easy.

The Continuing Story of Charlie and Harriet...

So, after I finished embroidering Charlie and Harriet, I needed to decide what to do with them, and it was my big idea to frame them for the Peanut's room. She likes birds.

First, I scorched the fabric when I was pressing it (bottom left, under Charlie). Then, I messed up sewing on the pink background fabric, hence the lumpy bits. Then, I couldn't get it centered in the frame. Then I cut the (bad word) out of my finger when I was cleaning the glass with goo-gone, trying to get off the goo from the dumb Target sticker. There was blood everywhere, and I probably need a stitch, but I'm not getting one. So, it is far from perfect, but a lot of blood, sweat, and tears went into this simple little project. I sure hope Daphne doesn't put this in a garage sale or something when I'm dead.

Hooray for Target

Exactly what I was looking for yesterday, found this morning at Target for $16.99. I will probably add a little something to make it less plain...

It's a good thing I found this shirt. I was pretty close to just completely giving up and getting some sweat pants.

Good Times Bad Times

Yesterday, our friend John came for dinner. I made jambalaya (ooh-wee!) and this blueberry cake (recipe here). The cake was really good...not too sweet. I added a little lemon zest, but otherwise, followed the recipe exactly, and served it warm with some of the home-made ice cream my dad made for Daphne's birthday. If you make this cake, you will probably feel happy for at least the few minutes it takes to eat it, and maybe even for a few minutes afterward. Daphne cried when hers was all gone. Plus, it will make your house smell good. And blueberries are really good right now, so this is a good way to use them. It was good to see our friend John, and a nice time was had by all.

Things have taken a slightly more negative turn today, though. Nothing seems to be able to crush my self-esteem more than a trip to the mall. I know I always make fun of Kev for having a "uniform," but since I pretty much only wear jeans and a t-shirt every day, I don't have much room to talk. So I decided I should get a couple of nicer shirts to wear this summer, and you would think this would be easy in a mall with hundreds of stores. Geez. And it's not like I was looking for pants (don't even get me started). All I wanted was a simple white light and airy blouse that fits. But no. The first problem is that everything at the mall is expensive. The second problem is that all this season's shirts are cut like maternity shirts and make me look 6 months pregnant. I do not want to look 6 months pregnant. I have already been through that. Anyway, after trying on about 30 shirts in 4 different shops (poor Daphne, she was so patient), I finally found one shirt I liked, and payed way too much for it, but I will wear it because it is orange and kinda cute and doesn't make me look 6 months pregnant. But the whole experience was depressing. Plus, while we were at the mall, I happened to look down and notice the sad state of my feet, which are in desperate need of some attention. I don't even look in the mirror at my hair anymore. It hasn't been cut since before Daphne was born, so it is very unruly, especially with all this rain, and the silver ones are slowly taking over.

This post is a cry for help. Please, someone, nominate me for What Not to Wear so I can get some assistance from Stacy and Clinton.

I know, Kev, I know. Somebody needs a nap.

Charlie and Harriet

Last night we watched So I Married and Axe Murderer. It was funny as usual.

All is does is rain and rain and rain. I think we will go to the mall today.

Bertha's Buttons

Yesterday, my mom gave me a jar of buttons that belonged to my great grandma, Bertha Kelly*. My dad helped me clean them up. I got to use his cool power-buffer machine in the garage. I think buttons are cool, especially really old ones.


These ones are some of my favorites. I love the orange one because it's orange. It is going to become something cool, but I'm not sure what yet. The ones in the middle have birds on them.

I am always seeing jars of buttons in antique stores. They are always just like the jar I got yesterday: A mason jar with a decorative round piece of fabric in the lid. I wonder why old ladies always kept jars of buttons. It probably won't surprise anyone who reads this that I have my own jar of buttons. It does not, however, have the decorative round piece of fabric, and it is a baby food jar, not a mason jar. I think I may have to rethink that, though...I kinda like my great-grandma's jar better.

*My great grandma's name was Bertha, and her husband's name was Bert. Funny, huh? My g-g-ma didn't really look like your typical Bertha, though. She was thin and very pretty. I will post a picture sometime.

Bird Names

I have decided on Charlie and Harriet, after Mike Myers and Nancy Travis in the genius movie So I Married and Axe Murderer.

Dad Gets Crafty

So, my dad shows up and pulls this out of his pocket. He thinks there should be a girl bird to go with the one below. Nice job, dad. I like it. Stay tuned for the continuing adventures of these two as yet un-named birds.

By the way, my dad's name idea was to combine his name (Bill) with Daphne's other grandpa's name (Floyd) and call the littl blue bird "Boyd." Get it? (Say it out loud if you don't). So, I'll add it to the list to be considered.

And note to Fooie: I'd be happy to monogram just about anything for you except your underpants. No offense.

Please Help Me Name My Bird

One day for some reason I was drawing some birds and I came up with one I liked...the one up there on the left. I wanted to stick him on something, so I embroidered him on a piece of white fabric (above right, and below). That one will probably turn into a patch or something. I'm not sure yet. He'll probably become a rubber stamp too, and maybe a screen print. I really like him. He needs a name. I think he looks kinda like a Sherman, but there is a worm named Sherman on the backyardigans, so I think I'll try to think of something else. Please feel free to help me name my little happy bird guy.

Mad Dash

Yesterday I took the Peanut over to G-ma and G-Pa's to spend the night so Kev and I could have some Mommy and Daddy time. We had band practice, which was fun, and then went to a real movie at an actual theater. So, I can cross that one off my Summer Goals list. We saw a really good movie at the Angelika called "Once" about an Irish street musician. I loved it. I have requested the soundtrack for my birthday. Go see this movie if you can.

This morning I am in a mad dash to take advantage of my free time before Daphne comes home. I went to the coffee shop, the book store (where I had to stop myself from buying the soundtrack to "Once"), and the fabric store (where I ran into my friend Ken, which was weird). (He was buying patches for his jeans because he is about to go on tour with his great band, the Old 97s ...go see them if they are in a town near you).

Now I am going to try to do a little sewing. I only have a couple hours left. But I am looking forward to seeing the Peanut. It's weird when she's gone.

More Drumming

Watch for the rock star ending.

Blogger: The Peanut Gallery "The Noive!"

This is a post I accidentally put in the Peanut Gallery and didn't want to type all over again. Click the link if you want to read it.

It's Official

My friend Emily and I got a Tax ID number yesterday for our little craft business. It (the "shop") is called Mockingbird and Vine. Mockingbird for the street (and the bird), and Vine for a combination of VIolet and DaphNE. It is exciting and a little scary. More details to come as we get things going.

Now I am going to see if I can figure out how to do a hyperlink. Here is what was happening on this date in LRHS history. Hey, I think it worked. Woo-hoo!

T's Goals for Summer '07

• Make a berry cobbler (recipe suggestions, anyone?)
• Make a cushion for the porch swing
• Go to the Arboretum early in the morning
• Try not to complain too much about the hot
• Make myself a skirt with a zipper and a lining
• Blog about more than babies and crafts
• Go to at least two states I've never been to before
• See an owl in the wild
• Go to at least one movie in a theater
• Have more shrimp
• Do the Peanut's first year scrapbook
• Practice my instruments / record a melodica solo
• Knit something for fall

Poll

Hands up if you know what this is.

Suave Fraud

Have you seen that commercial where it flashes through the stages of this girl's life, and by the end, she has a kid and she's sorta all beaten down and disheveled and wearing clothes that look like she borrowed them from Elmer Fudd? It says something like, "Have you let yourself go?" But then, she gets some Suave and everything changes. That commercial makes me so mad. Apparently, her bottle of Suave came with a make-up artist and hair stylist, a brand new wardrobe, a full time maid and nanny, and some serious energy-boosting supplements. Stupid TV. If all it took was a $2 bottle of Suave to be like that lady, I wouldn't be sitting here in my housepants with no make-up, on about three hours of sleep because the baby got shots yesterday and didn't sleep well, eating Peanut Butter Puffins for lunch, watching the Backyardigans in my cluttered house, and wearing a very small hat because if I take it off Daphne will cry.

In better commercial related news, my friend Troy is in a Lowes commercial. I have not seen it, because I don't think people who only watch Noggin are Lowes' target market, but apparently, he comes into the store trying to match a paint color to a large purple teddy bear. Or something like that. So, shout out to Troy, who is cool.

Peanut on Drums

It's My Birthday!

It's My Birthday!
Originally uploaded by Tara H.

Happy Birthday Peanut!

I am so proud of you!
Love,
Mommy

The Fastest Year Ever

http://housepants.blogspot.com/2006/06/february-belly-june-belly.html

If you click on the link, you will see what I looked like this time last year. I can't believe my little Peanut will be a year old in two days. She is such a good, fun little baby, and she gets to be more and more fun every day. I am a very lucky mommy.

Ikea Party Dress

Ikea Bird Dress
Originally uploaded by Tara H.

It fits! I think this is my favorite thing I've made for the Peanut. She wore it to her friend Violet's birthday party today. We all had a big time eating cake and playing with the dog.

Look Ma! I'm Famous!

So, there is a really great on-line fabric store called SewMamaSew, and I recently joined their Flickr group to see what other people are making. And guess what happened! I won this month's $25 gift certificate, so I get to go shopping for free fabric! Woo-hoo! Plus, I got a mention on their Blog: http://sewmamasew.com/blog2/?p=110 Check it out if you want. I've been trying to put their button on my blog template, but haven't been able to figure it out. I will keep trying. In the meantime, I gotta go shop!

Pebbles vs Peanut

I think I know who Daphne will be next Halloween.

Modelling the Banner Pants

IMG_2920_1
Originally uploaded by Tara H.

The Banner is Pants

I made the LRHS banner fabric into some pants. I wish they were for me.

Done!

Summer Dress for Daphne
Originally uploaded by Tara H.

The Ikea fabric is now a dress for the Peanut. For anyone who is interested, the pattern is Burda 9708, and it is EASY. I will post another picture when she tries it on.

Mosquito Be Gone

Today at breakfast, my friend Ken bragged that he has only been bitten by mosquitos four times in his life. "They don't like me," he said smuggly, over his huevos rancheros. If this is true, Ken could become a bazillionaire and a hero to mankind if he could figure out a way to bottle and sell whatever he has that the mosquitos steer clear of.

The place where we ate breakfast was called the Divine Coffee shop. Ken's 7 year old son, Audie, calls it "the old lady restaurant." Everyone in there looked like they lived at Del Boca Vista with Mr. and Mrs. Seinfeld. Audie is funny. He hadn't seen us for a while, and on the way into the restaurant he said to Ken, "Well, it looks like we answered one question. Daphne is gonna have orange hair when she grows up just like on Scooby Doo."

On a completely unrelated note, I would like to informally poll the 2 or 3 readers I have left on the topic of putting on your shoes and socks. In my little family, one person puts on both socks before putting on both shoes (right sock, left sock, right shoe, left shoe). The other one puts a sock and shoe on one foot, then a sock and shoe on the other foot (right sock, right shoe, left sock, left shoe), thus throwing the world way out of balance and causing the first person to feel very uneasy. (FYI: The second person is not Daphne, as she rarely wears shoes at all.) Please tell me if you put YOUR shoes and socks on the right way, or the crazy way. Thanks.

Daphne Walks Part Two

Daphne Walks!

I have tried again to embed a YouTube video...please let me know if it works. Thanks!

Ikea = Danger

Today we went to Ikea. I could have gone crazy in there. Luckily, the Peanut started getting cranky so we had to leave. But not before I found a small duvet cover in the children's section for $7.99 made of this cute orange owl fabric, which is going to be made into a dress for Daphne if I ever have time to sew again.

It has rained and rained and rained. At least it isn't hot though.

It is not even 9:00, but I am going to bed. Friday night just ain't what it used to be.

Blogolution

My blog continues to evolve, but I am still not completely happy with it. I feel like I have to rush through everything I do these days. But, I will keep working on it until I get it the way I want it.

The embroidery hoop in the banner was my great grandma's (thanks Kathy). I think that's pretty cool. The yellow flowery fabric will most likely become Peanut Pants.

Tonight, Kev and I took the Forester for a drive to the lake. Then we went to Sonic and got root beer floats. For about an hour, it felt like we were on vacation. But I miss Daphne. She is a funny little baby.

By the way, she will be ONE year old two weeks from today. Unbelievable.

Dangit

Tomorrow I have to go to an all day conference about Asperger's Syndrome, and since I have to be there by 7:30am, I took the Peanut to spend the night with her g-ma and g-pa in Garland. My plan was to drop her off early, do some errands, and come home and have a little time to do something fun. But it is already 4:15, and I just finished all the errands and whatnot and the day is almost over. Oh well. Do you think it would be rude if I knit during the conference tomorrow?

Mommy's New Wheels

I heart my Subaru Forester!

Friday

Well, the blue Buick is no more. That means the weekend will be spent not doing fun things, but going to look for a new car for me. I hope we find something. I have been without a car since last Friday, and it is a drag. Thanks to my parents for coming to help me out so I could do errands and stuff.
We are supposed to be at play group right now, but Daphne just went down for a nap, so we'll probably miss the whole thing. I was looking forward to it, too. It was going to be outside, and it is a rare nice day...not too hot.
I am addicted to flickr and have joined three sewing/crafting groups. It is fun to see other people's projects. I get inspired.
My friend Emily and I are working on getting the "selling stuff" idea going. It is going to be fun even if we don't sell anything.
I had a nice Mother's Day. Daphne is a good little baby. She can say "daisy." It is cute.
I think I'll go do something else now. Have a good weekend.

Fun with Pork Products

Please do yourself a favor and go read Fooie's newest post about the bacon viking.

http://mindsquirt.blogspot.com/

Ch-ch-ch-changes

As you can see, I am monkeying around with my blog, trying to customize it and make it a happier place. It will not stay like this, but it will take me a while to get it like I want it, so don't be surprised if it's a little different every day.

Also, I am thinking about making some stuff and putting it in an on-line shop at etsy.com. I will not even pretend that I am not telling you this just because I am hoping that now you will leave encouraging comments. I am generally really not much of a go-getter, so I need all the help I can get.

Happy Mother's Day

Baby Ducks!
Originally uploaded by Tara H..

And if you are feeling overwhelmed and tired like I do sometimes, think about this poor mommy...she's got eight babies.

Upside Down Peanut

Upside Down Peanut
Originally uploaded by Tara H..

Peace

Peace
Originally uploaded by Tara H..

Thank Goodness!

I noticed this seal on my paper bags from Central Market. Is there really a paper bag council? How do you get on it? If that is your job, do you actually tell people?
After noticing this on my CM bags, I checked a bag from Whole Foods. No seal! Not only is Whole Foods more expensive than Central Market, they send you home with sub-par bags. Hmm.

TV Rant

One of the mommies in my playgroup emailed us all this from the Today Show or somewhere:

Children of all ages are constantly learning new things. The first 2 years of life are especially important in the growth and development of your child's brain. During this time, children need good, positive interaction with other children and adults. Too much television can negatively affect early brain development. This is especially true at younger ages, when learning to talk and play with others is so important.
Until more research is done about the effects of TV on very young children, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) does not recommend television for children age 2 or younger. For older children, the Academy recommends no more than 1 to 2 hours per day of educational, nonviolent programs.
http://www.aap.org/family/tv1.htm

Apparently it was all over the news yesterday that we should stop letting our babies watch ANY TV at all. No Baby Einstein, no Sesame Street, nothing. With all due respect to the experts, I think it's a bunch of hooey. I feel I am qualified to say this as:

• a licensed and certified Speech-Language Pathologist
• a parent of a baby who watches TV
• a former baby who watched TV

My kid loves TV. She is 11 months old. Sometimes in the morning if the TV is off, she points to it, says "On?", looks at me, and does the sign for "please." That is pretty sophisticated stuff for a baby who has suffered from tv-induced developmental neurological damage.

Here's the thing. Once again, we seem to be looking for something to blame for what is actually poor parenting. TV is like everything else. You have to use some common sense. Don't stick your baby in front of the TV all alone and ignore them all day. Don't let them sit around watching Cops and Pants Off Dance Off. But if you need to make dinner, it is not going to hurt them to watch Blue's Clues for 20 minutes while you cook.

The thing that can REALLY negatively affect early brain development is lack of human interaction and stimulation. If you want your baby to learn language, talk to them. It's as simple as that, provided, of course, that they have normal neurological functioning to begin with. Talk about what you are doing. Talk about what they are doing. Talk about the dog across the street. Talk about what Cookie Monster is doing on TV. Read books to them from day one, and tell them about the pictures. Then, give them some quiet time to play by themselves, process things, and learn about the world.

The reason this makes me so mad is that I know that there are some very nice and well-meaning young moms out there who are going to fear that they've scarred their babies for life because they thought Baby Einstein was OK and let them watch it because they didn't know until yesterday the evil it was doing. Now they will take their babies and hightail it out of any place within 100 yards of a television set, wring their hands, and try as hard as they can to undo the damage. What have I done, what have I done!?

I was awake for two hours in the middle of the night thinking about how mad this makes me.

Chillin' with Joe

G.I. Joe decided to take it easy today, but he has his pistol displayed and ready in case Gumby tries anything funny.

Monday is Pants Day!

So, here are the two pairs of pants I made today. I really love the butterfly ones, but the denim ones need help because of this morning's iron-on disaster (see post below). Please feel free to let me know if you have some ideas on how to save the denim pants. Other than the messed up decal, they are fine.

Naptime

This morning I was lulled into a false sense of having a smooth day. After breakfast, I took the baby for a short walk, and then she played by herself nicely while I worked on making her some pants. Aaahh! "I can do stuff while the Peanut is awake," I thought to myself. Pants are an easy 30 minute project, and I finished them up no problem. These ones are plain denim, and I decided they needed a little personality, so I got out an iron-on patch I found in the clearance aisle at Michaels and began applying it, carefully following the directions on the package. That's when the wheels started to come off, slowly at first, but gaining momentum until there were wheels flying dangerously about the house in all directions. First, only half of the iron-on patch adhered to the pants, so they look ridiculous. I couldn't peel off the part that DID stick, so I will need some kind of new patch to put over it. So much for 50-cent iron-ons. Then, as I was trying to figure out a plan to save the pants, I noticed that while I was busy with pant-making, the baby had pooped a huge gross poop that was by now all over her clothes. So I went to change her diaper, and mid-change I ran out of wipes, so I had to wrestle the baby and keep her feet up (she wanted them down) so the poop didn't get all over the table, while trying to open a new package of wipes, which requires two hands, and trying not to say any cuss words.
I have recovered now. The baby is napping, and I've had my lunch, and after re-reading what I've written so far, I realize it wasn't really so bad. Still, I think I am going to get a pieice of my Easter chocolate and go sit in my chair for a few minutes.

Best Day Ever

I got a balloon! I got a balloon!

Tara Ingalls Wilder?

On more than one occasion recently, GG has commented that I would have been a good pioneer, and although this is very flattering, I feel I must set the record straight. So here is why I would make a terrible pioneer:

• I do not like to lift heavy things
• I do not like bugs of any kind
• I do not like dirt, especially if it is on me. I particularly do not like dirt on my hands or feet
• I have a very narrow window of comfort. Over 76 is too warm, below 67 I get chilly. That does not even factor in wind or humidity.
• I would rather starve than have to kill and skin my own chickens
• Indoor plumbing is a must
• Where would I plug in my sewing machine?*

So, as you can see, my enjoyment of knitting and sewing and birdwatching and baking pies and so forth makes me more of a square old lady than a pioneer. But that's OK with me.

*(There are many more reasons, which I am sure the people who know me well would enjoy telling you about, but they probably shouldn't so they don't get in trouble. )

Go Joe!

It was recently both Easter and Kev's and my anniversary (4 years). We don't really do anniversary gifts. We usually just go out somewhere. This year we went to Cafe Madrid, which might very well be my favorite restaurant in Dallas. It has great Tapas, and as we found out this time, delicious desserts. Go there if you can. Get stuff that has manchego cheese on it. You will not regret it.

For Easter, we usually give each other a small basket of stuff, and this year, among the fancy mustards and Walker's shortbread cookies that are staples in Kev's basket, he got a GI Joe. Not the new crummy one, but the original GI Joe, with fuzzy hair and kung-fu grip. Kev keeps Joe on the computer desk, and sometimes when I come in to check email, I will find Joe in a different pose. It gives me something to look forward to. His current pose is pictured above.

In my Easter basket, I got the usual supply of chocolate to get me through until my birthday, and some bird post-it notes, and this gift certificate (below) to my favorite yarn store! Isn't it pretty? I can't bring myself to open it and ruin the wrapping job. It came with a little chocolate sheep. Nice touch. Kev is cool for going into the yarn store to buy it. He's probably the only straight guy besides the mailman to ever go in there. I need to decide on my next project so I can go buy some yarn.

Kev took the Peanut to New York for Easter to visit his family. She had a great time with aunts and uncles and cousins and dogs and Kev's mom and dad. I stayed home. Four whole days by myself. I spent most of the first day crying/worrying, but once they called to let me know they had arrived safe and sound, I began a sewing frenzy not to be believed. I made 2 skirts for myself, an apron, a skirt for Daphne, the re-cycled fruit skirt from the other blog, a tote-bag, and a few t-shirts. It was fun. But what I should have done was relax. Because by the time they got back, I was exhausted.

I lack the ability to relax at home. If I am home, there are things to be done, so I can't justify not doing them. I have to actually be removed from home to a place with nothing to do if I am going to do nothing but relax. I think the last time this happened was on the cruise I went on with my mom and aunts a couple years ago. When you are stuck out at sea, you can't really have a sewing frenzy.

I am going to have to work on this, because I am pretty keyed up most of the time, and I don't see a whole lotta cruises in my future. Step one is making myself go sit in my chair at least once a day. I think I'll do it now. I'll lament about the Mavericks first play-off game some other time.

Go look at the nice furniture Fooie made...it's on his blog. I envy his woodworking skills.

Going through the tunnel...Not sure I like it

Going through the tunnel...Not sure I like it
Originally uploaded by Tara Holt.

Green Baby

This is a picture of the Peanut back in August of 2006 wearing her beautiful fruit halter dress that her daddy bought for her. Sadly, it did not fit her for very long, and at her age, she could only lie around in it or be propped up for a quick picture. So, in honor of Earth Day 2007, I re-fashioned her fruit dress into the skirt you see below, which will probably fit her for a while. I am hoping it will fit her long enough for her to learn to twirl around in it. When she outgrows it, a square of it will go into a quilt I am planning to make with my favorite first-year outfits. Also in the spirit of recycling, the watermelon shirt was made by using some of my scrap fabric to applique onto a onesie. Go Team Earth! See, the baby is even cheering!

When Camels Cry

The closest movie theater to our house is the Angelika, so we see a lot of "art" films. It's pretty hit or miss with these movies. Some are great, but many are awful - trying too hard to be quirky or smart or surreal or whatever. A couple of years ago,, though, we were lucky enough to see The Story of the Weeping Camel, which is one of the most beautiful movies I have ever seen. Last week it was on the IFC, so we recorded it and watched it again. I think I liked it even more the second time, maybe because I have a baby now. Anyway, I looked it up, and it is on IFC a couple of times during the day next Wednesday. I HIGHLY recommend that you set your VCR, DVR, PVR, TIVO, or whatever you have and record this movie. You will NOT see any explosions, cool spy gadgets, or long and drawn-out car chases. It is a slow, calm movie. There are sub-titles. You have to pay attention. But if you don't like it, I'll be shocked. So next Wednesday, put the kids to bed, get yourself a cup of hot tea and a cookie, put on your housepants and get your quillow (if you are lucky enough to have one), and watch this movie. You will go to bed relaxed and happy and wishing you lived in a yurt.

(Look it up on Wikipedia for more info).

Pretty Things

Some of you might remember a couple of years ago when Kev got me this chair for my birthday (http://housepants.blogspot.com/2005/08/hello-37.html#comments) It is more than just a piece of furniture. It is a Tara Place. A place where I could sit and read or write or think about making various pants or whatever I wanted to do. My own little spot in our house. I love my chair, but I hardly ever get to sit in it these days. I am going to try to spend more time there. I think it would be good for me. Anyway, this is a picture of the chair, but as you can see, something about the worn-out salmon-colored pillow from Kev's batchelor days detracts from the whole idea of it being a Tara Place.

I like pretty things. Flowery stuff. Lace. Girly-girl things. They makes me feel happy. Sometimes, I think there aren't enough pretty things in my life. Like on Monday. So I made this pillow for my chair. Aaaaahhh. Much better, huh? I am going to go sit there right now.

(When I say girly, I mean simple girly, not extreme girly).

Paloozahead Peanut

http://www.paloozahead.com/25357-e64d

click link for silliness.

Pantsapalooza

You may recognize this fabric from the pile I got at the antique store the other day. Some of it, as you can see, is now pants for the Peanut. I used Simplicity 3941 which was in the Sewing for Dummies section of the pattern book, so the pants were REALLY easy to make. I knocked them out in about 45 minutes. I used the 18 month size though, so they are too big, and Daphne will have to wait to wear them later. I am going to make some more in the 12 month size in the meantime. This opens up all sorts of pants possibilities. I can make her some housepants. I can make her some plain denim pants and stick groovy patches on them or I can embroider them. I can put ribbon or lace trim on the bottoms of the legs of some pants. I have a lot of pant-making plans in the works. I'm having a hard time thinking about anything else.

Map

Here is the floating England weather map I was talking about. I think it is gone now.

I started sticking bows in the Peanut's hair recently so people would stop thinking she's a boy, but now she has figured out how to get them out and I'm afraid she'll eat them.

Twister

We spent some family time in the bathroom last night as tornados blew through the Metroplex. Normally I don't get too worried about this stuff, but last night the warning sirens went off, so I figured it was pretty serious. So we all gathered in the bathroom for a little while, lit some candles, and Kev entertained us with some ukulele. It was almost kinda fun.

The weather reporters around here get all excited when there is anything going on, so they sort of tend to blow everything up. I don't mind, really. Better to err on the safe side. But it drives Kev crazy.

Kev said last night that if he was the weatherman, he would wear a costume. I thought he meant like he'd come dressed as the weather of the day, like he'd show up in a cloud suit, or a big lightning bolt. But it turns out he meant he'd dress up like Napoleon or George Washington or people like that. It would be pretty good schtick actually. I'd watch.

When I was in England, the national weather was delivered by a guy in Liverpool who stood on a giant map of England that was floating near the docks on the Mersey. He would hop around the floating England and tell what the weather was like in various parts of the country. I'd like to see Kev do that on a US map floating in the Mississippi in his Mark Twain suit.

Anyway, we didn't have a tornado after all.

Blog Backlog

Dang. I have so much to blog about and so little time. I wanted to blog about my Big Weekend of T-Time Sewing Extravaganza, and our Palo Pinto Easter-versary celebrations, and various Peanuty bits and pieces, but something always gets in the way of my blogging time. I will try to get back to it soon. I am sad to say that nobody else seems to be doing much blogging lately either. Except for Fooie (http://mindsquirt.blogspot.com/ ), and you should all go read his latest blogs because they are funny (cuss-word warning).

Here is a quickie from me. Today I took the Peanut for a stroll down to the local antique store, and pictures are my findings: A cool ukulele book for Kev (above), and a stack of pretty vintage fabrics for me (below). Don't know what I'll use them for yet. Something pretty for Daphne I reckon.

I am sad that the great Kurt Vonnegut has passed away. Read his stuff. It is genius.

I have found a new radio station for when I need a break from talk radio. It is The New Movin' 107.5. It plays stuff like Prince and Madonna and cool old hip-hop, and some bad stuff in between. I finally heard the Holla Back Girl song. I didn't really get it. She's going along OK, and then starts spelling banana. She lost me there. Nice beat though.

April 5, 2003

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY KEV!!!!!