Another Holiday

We are less than a week away from Independence Day. It would be a great day, if it weren't in July. Really? A national holiday where we are outside in the heat and humidity of July? It's not like the founding fathers didn't know about hot and humid. They lived here, on the East Coast! I could see it if they were in California signing the Declaration of Independence, but they weren't. They were here! I watched the weather last night, and they promised a nice day in the 80s. We'll see. Last year, we sat in the pouring rain, waiting for the fireworks. I hope that is not the case this year.

In the meantime, I have a really cute table runner to make. I got it with my Christmas money from The Fat Quarter Shop (thanks again, Rebeccah!). It shouldn't take too long to put together, and I'll post a picture when I do. My little studio stays nice and cool, so this next week I'll log quite a bit of time down here.

This week, most of the O'Kigin clan will be here. If the fly girl can make it, all of Curly's siblings will be here. The only one missing will be Flower, who is still on vacation with her mom. Grandma and Grandpa are hoping to leave on a mission by the end of summer, so this will be the last vacation with everyone for a few years. But, lest anyone feel a little sad by that, we said that at Thanksgiving. Thanks to open heart surgery, they're still here, and we're getting together again.

Christmas Countdown

Only 6 months until Christmas, folks. That may seem like a long time, but it in fact is not. It is a short time. It is an especially short time for those of us who like to kick it old school and do handmade gifts for Christmas. I have a few ideas banging around in my head. Most of them won't get done, but it's fun to dream, right?

For Flower and Mini-me, I want to make them some knitted leg/arm warmers. I have seen them in boutiques and, while they are not expensive, they are the wrong size as they are designed for babies. Flower is always complaining she's cold (hello? Curly makes me keep the thermostat at 73. I sweat when I get ready in the morning), so they would be great for slipping over her arms. And, Mini-me is a dancer, lest we forget. They could keep her legs warm while she's practicing her positions. Best part of making them is that they will be customized for their favorite colors: Mini-me loves blue best (green second, yellow third, pink fourth and purple fifth) and Flower loves the rainbow (seriously, not making that up).

Patch loves cars. Today, we went to visit PT and give him a birthday present. PT got a train table. Patch ran his cars all over it, totally ignoring Thomas and the gang. I digress. By Christmas, Patch may be ready for a big-boy bed. We have a car shaped one just waiting in the garage. Curly likes it because he got it on one of his dumpster-diving expeditions (it came from the church at the end of our alley, so it's not so bad), and I like it because it reminds me of Ricky Schroeder in Silver Spoons. I have plans to make him a car quilt for this lovely blue bed.

Curly just wants his children to get along and love their mother(s). Since that is hard to wrap, and since he can read this blog, I am not giving any clues.

Good luck with your Christmas planning! Let me know how it's going.

Saturday, the Special Day

On Saturdays, I often have the song, "Saturday is a special day, it's the day we get ready for Sun-day!" in my head. I actually try to get my "ready for Sunday" chores done before Saturday, so we can have a play day. Today we are headed to the pool. We haven't been all week because the temperature has been in the 70s. 70s!! It's been nuts. We turned the air off on Monday, opened the windows, and haven't turned it back on yet. We will probably need to today, though, since the dreaded humidity will be back. Houses that are nearly 100 years old can trap humidity in them. It's not pleasant.

Poopy diaper duty calls. Until later, my friends.

Come See my Show!

I'm the star! Sort of. Not really even close. But I have a few lines and dance a bit. Come see me, Curly, and Flower!

S-L-O-W

Yesterday my computer moved slower than Mini-me in flip flops. I could only get on email once. Yikes! Curly was also having trouble at work, so we figure there must have been a Verizon issue.

A few days ago, I took Curly, Mini-me, and Patch to get haircuts. I didn't take Curly's picture. Frankly, his haircuts stopped being a big deal about 33 years ago. But, I did get some cute shots of the other two. Patch looks a little like Matt Damon. Hubba hubba.

Yesterday we said "goodbye" to Flower for three weeks. She will be going to the Outer Banks with her mom and step-dad and both sets of grandparents on that side. I hope they have a marvelous time. We will miss Flower, but we will not miss having to fill the gas tank as often. Coal to oil, anyone?

On the docket today is an exciting trip to Costco, where hopefully they can fix the leak in our tire without having to replace it, and where we will refill on such staples as fruit snacks and pop tarts. I just love Costco, don't you?

Happy Father's Day!

I hope all the dads out there have a great Father's Day. Ours has started out well. We had waffles and "brown bacon" for breakfast. "Brown bacon" is Mini-me speak for "sausage." I'm not sure why. Then, Curly opened presents. The kids each got him a funny card that plays music. They are still enjoying them an hour later. Those cards might get lost later, somehow. Curly also got a book, some gum, a little peanut butter/chocolate action, some racket and tennis balls, and a new tennis racket. He and I both want to play some tennis this summer, so now we can. We haven't quite figured out the kid watching situation, but we will. Soon.

After breakfast, Curly expressed an interest in watching some golf. I turned on the TV, which was tuned to some Nascar, and Patch got very excited. He began to jump and say "look!" The funny thing was, it wasn't even a race. It was pre-race commentary. He didn't care. He sat there, smiling, and listening intently as they described the challenges surrounding cooling the driver without adding weight to the car, poisoning the driver with carbon monoxide, or creating steam. Fascinating stuff.

Photos

Mini-me at the Milkshake concert. Note Lisa in the background, yet Mini-me is not impressed.

Cheese!

A little stitching.

My cheese and crackers quilt.

Another view.

Distant Thunder

We had big plans to go to the pool this afternoon after dropping Curly off at his show. We got all decked out in our swim attire, got a great parking spot, and walked in right at the end of adult swim. Less than 30 seconds later, they blew the whistle again that there was thunder. We had to clear the pool deck for an hour. Given that we arrived at nearly 5 pm, we could not stay. I am convinced there was no thunder, but that it was a large truck. To make it up to my disappointed kids, I took them to the Freeze King for a dinner of ice cream. We had lunch at nearly 3:00, so it wasn't that bad. Tomorrow we will head to the pool early, to avoid any late day phantom thunder.

After the little kids went to bed, I let Flower hang in the basement with me. She watched High School Musical 2 while I finished a quilt top. It is way cute, and way big, so when I have someone to assist me, I will take a photo.

Conversation

Last night, as we were waiting for the babysitter to arrive, Mini-me and I had the following conversation:

Mini-me: What's Jessica's dad's name?
Me: Mr. C.
Mini-me: What's Jessica's mom's name?
Me: Mrs. C.
Mini-me: Well, that's convenient.

Triple H

Today is Hazy, Hot, and Humid. Yuck. I don't want anything to touch me, I don't want to be close to anyone, and I definitely don't want to go outside. Unfortunately, today is the Festival of the Arts here in Frederick. Curly is doing the FtP booth without wifey help. When he gets back, we're going to the pool. Tonight is the Milkshake concert at Baker Park. We love Milkshake. They put on a great show. However, if it's still 90-something degrees at 6:00, we won't be going. Momma can't handle it. Tomorrow will be much of the same, so pray the AC at church is working, and Monday will be the worst of all. Ugh. This is where I am jealous that Colleen is in Alaska this summer, 22 hours of sunlight notwithstanding.

Olivia Quilt

The Olivia quilt is finally done (a year later). Gracie found it this morning and made it hers.

Ballerina

Recital

Today was the day of the big recital. Mini-me was thrilled to pieces. She got to wear blue eyeshadow, which reminded me of creepy pageant children, and bright red lipstick. She remembered all her moves, and her sleeves stayed up. When the class filed out onto the stage, Curly and I both had an "Uh-Oh" moment when we saw Mini-me find her spot (the spot she has been in since learning the dance), and the helper then MOVING her. If you know Mini-me, you will know that she likes things a certain way. Change is not her friend. She, like me, enjoys a schedule and a plan. After all, if you fail to plan, you plan to fail. When I saw her placed in a different spot, my heart dropped and I thought we were in for the largest public meltdown since last Wednesday, when she melted down at a rehearsal because she wasn't in her leotard. Her hands began flailing, which is what she does when she says "NONONONO." Then, the lights turned on, and her arm immediately went to cover her eyes. But, being her Father's daughter and therefore a born performer, she began to tap her toes and plie with the best of them. She was great and earned her toy. I was very proud of her. She says she wants to do it again next year, so all of you who missed the performance of a lifetime, mark your calendars for next June. You won't want to miss it again.

Ack!

If you need me, I'll be in the basement. There's a Tornado Watch out right now. We had a thunderstorm come through at about 11 this morning. Of course, I was alone with the kids. Why can't storms come when Curly is home???

Green Acres

Our weekend seems like it happened ages ago! Friday afternoon, we took to the fields and picked us some strawberries. Ah, country living. Then, we came home and turned those berries into shortcakes and ice cream.

Back in Business

If being Lady Lucille weren't exciting enough, the MEGA QUILTER is up and running again. A woman from the shop came yesterday and there was a lot of fiddling and messing. And now it works. I am very happy.

Casting, Part Duex

I got my call today. Finally! I am Lady Lucille. She speaks, sings with the ensemble (emphasis by stage manager), and dances. When Pat told me I danced, she quickly added "Well, you'll be in the back. Behind the other dancers. You know." Yes, Pat, I know.

So, come to Frederick this summer and see the O'Kigin's take to the stage! I guarantee you won't pay one bit of attention to Winnifred. You'll be too busy watching the appropriate facial reactions of Lady Lucille, the curtain opening of the Page, and the storytelling of the Minstrel (who I hope has to wear tights).

Casting

Curly got a call while at Flower's field day that Flower is in the cast. Curly is in, too, with a major role. They just weren't sure which one. Nice. When asked about me, the stage manager said "Well, I think she's in the chorus, but I'm not sure." So, I'm not Fred. I figured I wouldn't be, but I'm still sad about it. Oh well. It will still be fun, even in the chorus. Or not. I'm definitely not one of the dancers. No sir.

I Cried

There is still one more night of auditions, but I feel I did so badly last night that I cried. My voice cracked. I lost the words at one point. I was just embarrassed. Oh well. Curly and Flower are going tonight, and hopefully they can represent for the O'Kigins. The thing that makes me mad is that I can sing. I am part of the theater's singing group. Ugh. Oh well. There's always Annie, right?

First Time

Tonight, I am going to audition for FtP's summer musical, Once Upon a Mattress. I am nervous. VERY nervous. I've had butterflies all day. In my head, I know it's no big deal. I know it's just community theater. I know it's small time, not big time. I've just never done a musical before. When I did A Christmas Story a few years ago, I had never done a full-length show before. I wanted the part of the mother, and that's what I got. In this show, I want the part of Winnifred. She's the lead. See why I'm nervous? If I don't get it, I may cry. I may cry hard. It won't be attractive. I don't like being unattractive. I have to get the part.

Now I'm nervous again.