New Theme Song

My life needs a new theme song. I have decided that as I walk around my house, the song "Another One Bites The Dust" needs to blare from invisible speakers hidden in nooks and crannies. Patch has succumbed to the strep. He woke up last night at about 2 am. I found him on the floor of the bathroom, surrounded by throw up. I slept lightly for the rest of the night (if you can call it sleep) and then witnessed him throwing up 3 more times. He never quite figured out how to make it to the toilet. The little blessing here was that he did make it to the bathroom. Well, until about 8:00. Right when I needed to leave to take Mini-me to school, he threw up in the kitchen. Gross. Why is motherhood so gross? To bring this long and gross story to an end, he is now on antibiotics and I am home bound until Wednesday.

Would anyone like to take bets on who is next? My money is on Curly.

My fellow Creative Consultants have been busy. For some sneak peaks, go here, here, here, and here. I have mine started, but I keep getting interrupted. Between teething and puking, there hasn't been a lot of "me" time here. Pray for me ;)

A Gift

I think I need to get this for The Spinster Sister. It's very apropos.

Snow Day, Take 2

Schools are closed again today. We got about 9" of snow. It's a wet snow, so it doesn't really look like 9" right now. Apparently the commute out of DC was a nightmare. It took my dad and brother over 7 hours to travel less than 20 miles. That's what I call crazy. The kids have already been out to play with the neighborhood kids. They came in after about 2 hours with red cheeks, ready to rest.

This week also starts a new access schedule for Flower. We are no longer picking her up during the week, and she will be going to church with her mom and step-dad, instead of with us. It's a hard transition for all of us. Mini-me and Patch are not happy. We really think this is what's best for Flower. She's almost 12, ready to start Young Women, and getting really busy at school and with friends. Being a tween means that parents are lame and siblings are a drag. Unfortunately, she can't escape us completely, so she'll spend most Friday nights here and most of the day on Saturday. We'll have to revisit that when she's old enough to date, which, if Curly has his way, will be never.

I made another knitting needle roll for a customer. I just love these bright fabrics. It makes me think of spring. Can I just confess that I really don't like spring? I like the colors, as long as they are bright -- no pastel spring for me, thank you very much. I don't like the odor. There, I said it. There is a white tree that makes me sneeze. And, Frederick is pretty rural. The scent of farms thawing out is pretty rank. I used to commute to DC via the train, and the station is right close to a farm with livestock, namely pigs. Pigs do not smell good. That really has nothing to do with pretty knitting needle rolls now does it.

This is a view with the top flap folded over, which keeps the needles in their slots should you pick it up upside down. I just love that pink fabric. I think it would make a really cute kids skirt, don't you?

Weight Loss Wednesday

Man oh man. Was it a good weigh in yesterday! I never thought I would be excited to get on the scale, but I really was. I worked really hard. I tracked all my food and I even made it to the gym a couple of times. I'm down another 1.8, bringing my grand total to 37 pounds. Curly and I started eating a new treat this week. We slice some banana, add blueberries and blackberries, and then add a couple of tablespoons of fat free cool whip. It's heaven in a bowl, and it's zero points. I love snacks like that!

Today was a snow day here. I really thought that handsome Doug Kammerer was going to be wrong again. We had about an inch or so this morning, followed by some rain which quickly turned to ice, and now it is snowing to beat the band. I have a feeling we'll be home tomorrow, too. We may get 8 inches. Don't judge me, but if that happens, I'll be in my bathrobe.

etsy updates

I added a few things to the etsy shop today. For those of you wishing you had gotten one of my fabulous creations as a Christmas gift but didn't, treat yourself!

Wristlet

eReader Cover

Notebook

It's Friday!

I like to say things like: I literally died. It's hilarious to say things that make no sense whatsoever. I try to reserve it when telling a story that is full of hyperbole. You know, the kind where I am wronged and, according to the story, tell the person exactly what's on my mind. In real life, I rarely tell someone off. But in a Jana Story, it's a must. Most of my friends know fact from fiction. They also know that I am not literally dead.

I went to one of the quilt shops in the area. From now on, I'm going to refer to it as "The Quilt Shop Which Must Not Be Named" I went to find some grey fabric for Curly's neglected t-shirt quilt. They didn't have much in the way of fabric, grey or otherwise. I also got into a discussion with one of the workers about whether or not a certain fabric was modern or not. She insisted yes, while I insisted it looked like acid washed jeans. We agreed to disagree, and I left without anything. Sad, but true. At this rate, he's not going to get the quilt this year, either. I just can't find what I like locally!

I am looking forward to the weekend. We have nothing planned, and I like it that way. It's going to be cold here, so we're going to snuggle and stay inside. It's going to be nice.

Weight Loss Wednesday

Again this week I am down .8 pounds. That seems to be my favorite amount to loose. I think this week my biggest victory was over emotional eating. Even pretty girls get bummed out every once in a while. The old Jana would have eaten all through the evening after the kids went to bed. But this week, every time I would get the urge to go to the cupboard, I would stop myself and do a hunger check. Most of the time I wasn't hungry, just a little bored or sad or stressed. I am learning!

Curly has been working hard at rehearsal for The Drowsy Chaperone. He plays one of the gangsters who disguises himself as a baker. Last night he didn't get home until 11:30. He's a little tired. It's a delightful show, so if you happen to be in town, go see it. And leave him a big tip.

Everything I Know About Motherhood

I've been thinking about the lessons I've learned from being a mom. I've been a step-mom for over 8 years, and a mom for 7. I pretty much am an expert. So, here's what I know, so that you can be an expert, too.

1. Motherhood is not like baking cookies. You can raise your kids all the same, and they will each turn out different.
2. If you serve snack items as a meal, your children will not count it as a meal. Same goes for cereal. They will cry that they forgot to have lunch or dinner, even though they ate a lot at those same hours.
3. Don't start anything with a baby that you aren't willing to continue for the next 5 years. Read your baby 5 stories a night followed by rocking them to sleep? Have fun doing it every night for the next 1,820 nights.
4. If you mix veggies into their favorite foods, they will still eat those foods and still really like them. If you tell them veggies are in them, they will never touch that food again.
5. Silly voices can cure a variety of ills. As can Diet Coke. Diet Coke is the most magical medicine ever invented. From hurt feelings to hurt knees, it's a miracle drink.
6. It's not a break if your kids are already asleep. It is a break if someone takes them during their most waking, and therefore crazy, hours.
7. A sense of humor is a must. Being beautiful helps, too.

That's pretty much it. 7 things. One for each year. Hope you learned something today.

Monday, Monday

I was inspired by Flower's desire to cross stitch and picked up something new and fun to work on. Well, new to me. I chose to work on Bent Creek's Winter Snapperland. It's 4 different mini patterns put together with a cute border. It's been slow going for me. I had some linen put away with the patterns and went to work on it. When I had nearly completed the border, I found that the linen wasn't big enough. So, I had to start over.

It's really fun to do and has made me fall in love with stitching all over again. I have to stop myself from staying up until 3 am working on it. I get a little obsessed. I also have to make deals with myself. For example, I can work on it after the dishes are done. Or, I can work on it when the laundry is folded.

On Saturday, my package from Amanda arrived. Isn't this fabric so pretty? I love it. And look at those buttons! And the crocheted flowers!
I think this one is my favorite:
Now to figure out what the heck I'm going to do with it! I have about a month until I need to reveal my finished project and tutorial. I have about 10 different ideas. The hardest part is choosing one!

Weight Loss Wednesday

Welcome back, bloggy friends! It was another good WW week. I'm down another .8 pounds, bringing my total achingly close to 35 pounds. I have a whole box of cute corduroy pants that I am dying to wear. I think I have about 10 more pounds to go before I can button them. In the meantime, I am enjoying wearing tops that don't require easy access for nursing. I've even broken out my pretty black dress to wear to church. Not nursing is so nice for my wardrobe choices.

Here is a picture of my baby, one year ago today.

And here she is now. The little rascal likes to take my cell phone and hold it up to her ear and then laugh.

I got my wish and we have a snow day today! Mini-me and Patch were out sledding with the neighborhood kids earlier this morning. It's a good thing they got that in, because the 2 inches we got are melting fast. That's right -- 2 inches closed schools. I am not complaining. They are entertaining each other and are happy to be home. And then tomorrow I'll send them back to school and the snow will be but a distant memory. I love Maryland.

Thanks for all the love yesterday, especially about the knitting/crochet needle organizer. The pockets vary in size, so it can hold a variety of things, from scissors to circular needles. If you make one, let me know. I'd love to see pictures!

Big Announcement

A few days ago, I found out I had been selected to be part of an elite task force:

Amanda, the brains and beauty behind The Quilted Fish, put out a call a little over a month ago for quilters and crafters who wanted to be part of a design team. I applied and was fairly certain those with bigger blogs and more internet presence would be chosen. I was beyond thrilled that I was selected to be a part of things! I am having a hard time controlling the exclamation points !!! because every time I think about it, I do an internal happy dance. Go here to meet the rest of the team. What it means for me is that Amanda will send me some of her darling fabric, and then I will turn it into something fabulous and you will ooh and ah. It's going to be really fun.

Yesterday I teased you with some cute pink and brown fabric. Here is what I did with it:
Isn't it cute? Some of you may have just said "What is it?" It's a knitting and crochet needle roll. I followed this tutorial, but made a few minor alterations. For example, I did not sew the outside of the flap. That way, the flap can go down further if the needles in the top position are shorter in length.
I used fabrics from Lakehouse Fabrics. I think it's so cute and I hope my friend who commissioned it finds it pretty and useful.
It looks like the snow is coming. They just announced that schools will be closing an hour early today. All I want is one snow day. I want to be able to hang out tomorrow with nowhere to go and nothing to do. Then, I want to get back to normal on Thursday. 2 inches of snow should be sufficient. Anything more than that is overkill.

Happy Monday

Monday is a happy day. It's the day where, every week, I decide to be organized. I sit and think about what I'm going to do to make my life start smoother. And, I also decide to start on Tuesday. That's probably why it never happens! So that's why on this Monday, I'm starting today. I have laundry going, the dishwasher is humming, and sheets are ready to come off beds. Ahhh. Being busy is hard work, so I've already stopped at the GetGo for my giant Diet Dr. Pepper. It's delish.

The Year of Jana is all about making goals I can stick to. So, I finally decided on my New Years Resolution. It's to drink more Diet Coke. So far, it's going really well. I think this year I might actually stick to my resolution! I know what you're thinking. "Why do you have a Diet Dr. Pepper, then?" Two reasons. First, GetGo is owned by Giant Eagle (where Curly works), and I get fuel perks (money for gas) by shopping there, and they only have Pepsi products. Second, I refer to all brown caffeinated drinks as "Diet Coke." Also, I have decided to be my biggest fan. I get really tired of listening to people bagging on themselves. I'm just not going to do it anymore. I am awesome. And beautiful.

And then, after I'm done with my housework, I get to play with this fabric:

I'm so lucky! Come back tomorrow to see what I did with it. It's all cut out and ready to turn into something functional and fun.

Weight Loss Wednesday

I started off my 2011 weight loss with a bang. I am down 3.8 pounds. Nope, not a typo. Almost 4 pounds in a week! My total is now 33.6 pounds gone. I am almost to my halfway point. Hooray for me! Weight Watchers started a new program a few weeks ago. This past week was the first week I tried it. I would say it worked. The main difference between the old and new programs is that we no longer count calories. The points are now calculated with a formula that takes proteins, carbs, fiber, and fat into consideration. Some of the foods I love to eat have a higher value, and some are lower. It's a challenge to change my thinking, but WW has great tools (books, calculators, internet) that make it easier. I'm excited and re-motivated after that fantastic week!!

What I Did Over Christmas Break,Part 2

Poor Ginger was weaned last week. Other than 3 days of her expressing her feelings of rage, dissatisfaction, and betrayal, it went quite well. We now have a little girl who will drink whole milk cold. The only little issue, and I hate to even bring this up because she's such an angel, is that she is very specific about what kind of cup her milk is in. No boring old sippy cups for her. She prefers this kind, bought at Target originally with juice in it. It's a strange choice.

What I Did Over Christmas Break

I taught Flower the fine art of cross stitch. Let us remember: It's not a hobby; it's a way of life.

2011, Baby!

One of my favorite Friends episodes is The One With All The Resolutions. In this episode, Ross wears leather pants, Chandler can't make fun of his friends, Monica takes pictures with a very bright flash, Pheobe tries to teach Joey how to play a guitar without touching a guitar, and Rachel can't gossip. At the beginning, Joey blows a noisemaker and declares it: "The year of Joey!" I did something similar in 2002. It was "The year of Jana!" I didn't know if you were all aware of that, but looking back, I'm sure you will see that 2002 was indeed all about me. A month into it, I met Curly and 6 months later we were married. I think we can deduce that 2002 was a wonderful year for me.

This year, I am also declaring "The Year of Jana!" One of the things I realized this fall was that if you look for good things, good things will happen. In 2011, I'm looking for greatness.

Now I'm off to sew a little. Ginger is asleep and the other kids are quiet. Perfect time for me and Lena to bond. Hope your 2011 is great! I mean, it is all about me, so of course it will be.