Halloween in June

Let's have a party in June, shall we? Every year when October rolls around, I am busy with school and the upcoming Christmas craft fair season. I don't get to enjoy Halloween crafts. And, let's face it, Halloween is my favorite holiday. I don't go for scary Halloween, I prefer a more whimsical route. So this June, I'll be hosting Halloween in June here on my blog. Join me, won't you? Grab the button on your right and put it on your blog. We'll have links to fun ideas, recipes, and tutorials to get us in the mood. So pull out your Halloween projects you just didn't have time to get to last year. We'll have a spooktacular time!

Thanks to Amanda for the button design. Witch graphic by Lilly Bimble.

Weight Loss Wednesday

I have hardly thought about my weight this week. With the flood on Thursday, I missed my Weight Watchers meeting. Tomorrow is Kindergarten orientation for Patch, so I'm hoping to go on Friday. I am not expecting good things. We've had a lot of eating out, since our kitchen has been out of commission. Yesterday was the first day I could really get in there and do anything. Like dishes. Normally we have a no-shoe policy in the house. Kids shoes are gross. But we are now facing the opposite in the kitchen. The floor has staples and is rough wood. The last thing we need are splinters in tender tootsies.

It's hot here. In fact, it truly is too darn hot. Like 90. With major humidity. I tolerate summer. I know, I know. I should love it. I love taking my kids to the pool (and they love going). My birthday, anniversary, Patch's birthday, and Curly's birthday all fall within summer. I love to grill. I love going to the park. However, I love all this when it's about 75 tops. Maybe we should move to San Diego. I don't think dishwasher hoses crack in San Diego. In fact, I'm certain they don't.

Onward and Upward

I have been elbow deep in guck the past few days. Cleaning up after a flood is awful. I empathize with the people whose entire homes are being flooded as we speak. I still have my house. I still have my family. I still have my sense of humor. Anything else I need? Well, that's why God invented Target. I get to go pick out a new iron tomorrow. I am very excited. I also get a new ironing board cover. I've wanted a new one for months now. You can hardly see the clouds for all the silver linings!

I have something very fun planned for the month of June. You won't want to miss it. In fact, I have a feeling you'll want to play along. And tell all of your friends. And tell your friends to tell their friends. Have I piqued your interest yet? Come back over the next few days and all will be revealed. And remember the thing about the friends? Do that.

The Flood

As I sit here, I am not listening to the sounds of my children playing. I'm not even listening to the click of the keys. I am instead listening to the sounds of nearly a dozen industrial blowers, tasked with drying out my main level and basement. Yesterday morning, I came downstairs to hear the rush of gushing water. I rounded the corner into the kitchen, only to land in an inch or so of water, which was not only filling the kitchen but running into the basement as well. The basement, AKA my studio. Horror, shock, and regret immediately hit me.

Not two weeks ago I felt strongly that I needed to get all of my fabric into plastic bins. I immediately went to Target and purchased a bunch and dutifully brought them down to the basement. Then I got distracted by laundry, kids, pretty fabric, tv, and any other worthwhile and worthless endeavor. The bins are still sitting, empty and dry, while my fabric has taken a beating. Anything in a bin or covered drawer is fine. Anything sitting on a table or in my open storage is not. I have been able to salvage a lot, but my current in the works projects are ruined. Not only did color run, but some of the projects were done without pre-washing the fabric. Which means that if I did wash it, the blocks would all shrink to different sizes and would not be usable. To say that I am heartsick is an understatement. I knew I was getting a spiritual prompting two weeks ago. I ignored it. I thought I had more time. Big lesson learned for me: when the Spirit speaks, don't keep sitting.

Other than my personal loss, we're looking at major damage in our kitchen. The vinyl floor was ripped up yesterday, revealing a less than attractive wood floor underneath that is studded with Frankenstein-esque staples all throughout. The cabinets are soaked. The wall between the kitchen and living room is very wet. Hopefully the blowers will be able to dry us out to avoid mildew, but I think a lot of damage was already done. We are definitely getting a new floor. We might also be getting new cabinets. And if the wall is damaged, hello major kitchen remodel. There is a silver lining, people.

Weight Loss Wednesday

Last week I lost a little over a pound. I am a little over 2 pounds away from losing 50 pounds. As I watched The Biggest Loser from last night, I got weepy as they carried their weight on their backs, shedding the amount they lost each week as they went. It made me want to load up a backpack with 50 pounds worth of stuff and walk around the block. I looked in the mirror today and loved what I saw. I feel more confident about myself, and I have tons more energy. To misquote the elephants in Dumbo: Let us take a solemn vow. I am no longer an elephant.

Shower Gift

My friend Michelle is having baby #4. After 3 girls, she's finally getting a boy. Boys are great. I'm glad I have one. Boys are also busy and messy and silly, so I'm equally glad I only have one. I wanted to make her something unique for her shower, as I figured she was probably going to be inundated with tiny clothes adorned with balls, frogs, and trucks. So I made a pillow. Then I put a bird (or 6) on it.

I embroidered their family name on the bottom, and then did an envelope finish on the back. I think she liked it.
The best part was that I had all the materials on hand, so it was free! Sort of.

I Didn't Go

This past weekend was International Quilt Market in Salt Lake City. I tried to convince Curly that it was a medical necessity for me to go, but he didn't believe me. Other members of The A Team were there. So was my Hanging Chair Sign. Candice has some great posts with photos that will make you wish you were there. 14 hours on your feet a day for 4 days? Sign me up! Sally also has some pictures on her blog. Julie was there, too, but she only has one picture. I hope she takes the hint and posts some more!

I have started saving up for Houston in the fall. Amanda needs me. So far I have $3.27. How much are plane tickets again?

My Thoughts

I lost a follower today. Where did you go? Who were you? Why don't you like my kids?

I forgot to blog yesterday. So we'll save my weigh-in news for next week. Let's just say I am really close to a milestone.

I haven't had any heat or air conditioning on in my house for over a week. I feel so frugal.

Diet Coke is delicious.

I feel more like me in my new contacts. It's been since last July that I've had any. Why are they so dang expensive?

I would much rather wear a skirt in warm weather than shorts.

I would really like a pair of yellow flats.

I still get nervous each time I make a quilt. What if I mess it up? What if I ruin the pretty fabric? I usually get over it.

What's on your mind today?

Happy Mother's Day!

To the greatest mom alive: Thanks.

Shades

My kids love sunglasses. They each have at least 2 pairs. I heard it helps save their eyes later in life. Also, the look really cool. Ginger loves to have a pair on, even in the house. This little one is ready for summer. Today at the park, she climbed up on the playground and went down the slide all by herself. It's official: we no longer have a baby in the house, just a toddler.

Happy Birthday, Dear Flower!

12 is a big deal.

Weight Loss Wednesday

Photo courtesy of Mini-me. Yes, I am wearing a hoodie with horizontal stripes. I'm just amassing my wardrobe fit for What Not to Wear.

Just a quick thought this late on Wednesday -- any time I am frustrated by how slowly the weight is coming off, or how many little setbacks I have, I think that if I had gained 46 pounds in the same amount of time, I would be hugely fat. I won't tell you the number, but I will tell you that I would be right at home at The Biggest Loser. That's some pretty good perspective for me.

Spring Break Surprise

On Thursday of Spring Break, I told the kids we were going on a picnic. I packed up the car with all the stuff we would need, like extra outfits and pillows and a pack-and-play. Luckily our kids aren't too aware of their surroundings, so they didn't even pick up on the strange packing list or lack of food. About an hour into the drive, we broke the news: We were going to New York City. The girls were so excited. Patch cried. He thought a picnic sounded funner.

We stayed with Grandpa in Harlem. On Friday morning, we hopped on the Subway and headed down to the Brooklyn Bridge. The walk across took nearly an hour. It was really fun.
We had lunch at the world famous Grimaldi's Pizza. Yum. I love pizza cooked in a brick oven. I also love eating at places that are world famous. We walked around Brooklyn for awhile, in an area called DUMBO (Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass). We found the Jacque Torres chocolate shop. It smelled delicious and reminded me of the movie Chocolat.
After Brooklyn, we hopped back on the subway and did some shopping at the American Girl store. We walked up to Central Park, rode the carousel, and walked over to the LDS Temple that is near Lincoln Center. We climbed on a fountain, got in trouble, and then got back on the subway.
Dinner was at Ellen's Stardust Diner, where the waiters are actors and Patch fell asleep holding a hot dog bun. We did a little more shopping after dinner, and then got back on the subway to get our car, which was parked in Harlem.
It was a really fun trip. It was a really fast trip. Our kids were so surprised and are begging us to go back. Spring Break just wasn't long enough.

A Ginormous Amount of Gratitude

I know some of my readers don't give two hoots about quilting and the online quilt-blogging community. So a little background info may be in order. Recently, an virtual discussion has been taking place about the direction of quilting. To sum up, some people think modern quilting=easy quilting and some people think that traditional quilters are old fat ladies who wear quilted vests. As a community, we have put down our rotary cutters and pulled out our claws. I don't like it. I also don't like when people are mean. So here is the biggest THANKS! I can shout. I have never received a negative comment on my blog. I have only felt support when I brag about my projects, my family, and my life. My readers rock, and I am grateful.

One Week Ago

Reality is not as fun.

Weight Loss Wednesday

I skipped my Weight Watchers meeting last week. With all the kids home for Spring Break, I didn't think it was a good idea to arrive at a meeting with 4 kids. I knew in my head that I wouldn't be weighing in, so I wasn't as careful as I needed to be. I went to the movies twice and ate movie theater popcorn. Twice. And I had cupcakes. It was all delicious. I'm not scared to face the scale tomorrow, because that number is as permanent or as temporary as I choose it to be. Trust me when I say: It's temporary.

I broke down and turned on the air conditioning today. The temperatures have been in the 80s, and our house just didn't cool down at night. When I woke up today, it was 79 in the house. Our Easter chocolate was starting to melt, and that would be a tragedy.

Appalling

My last post was so long ago. It's appalling! What can I say? We've been busy. Spring Break was last week. We went to NYC for the day on Friday. It was Easter, which is always a wonderful day. And then it's been warm -- in the 80's kind of warm -- so we've been outside. I have a ton of pictures to go through, not to mention some pictures to take of some fun quilty things. So don't delete my blog from your list of favorites just yet!

Weight Loss Wednesday

...On Thursday. Oh well. A day late is better than never, right? It was a victorious week for me. I am down another 3.2 pounds. Yay me! Today's discussion was about "me time." It's hard for me to spend time on myself. Curly works a lot, and strange hours to boot. I'm with the kids a lot and when I'm not, I am wiped out. But I decided in the meeting to do at least 2 things that make me happy. I got in the car, called the YMCA and made a playroom reservation for Ginger so I could Zumba. Ginger hates being left, and it's hard for me to listen to her sob as I leave. But, she has a good time while she's there. So I left her without guilt and Zumba'd for a wonderful hour. And then tonight, I sewed. I found some really pretty and fun fabric for a picnic quilt, so tonight I started it. I think it's going to be lovely.

So those were my two things I did for myself today. It was restoring to my soul. I feel happy and optimistic. And also, I feel tired. But mostly I feel really good. For those who are losing weight along with me, keep up the good work! Any victory should be celebrated, so go to it!

Moving On

It's Monday already? Yikes. This week went by fast! We had quite the momentous weekend here. Nearly the entire family came up to see Curly and Flower in South Pacific. They were both so good. Curly's French accent is tres bon! And Flower was the perfect little Polynesian girl. It was a fun weekend.

Then yesterday. Yesterday! Ginger took her first steps. She thought it was so funny. She enjoyed all the cheering. But then she got confused. She thought that we were clapping for her fall. So then she would take half a step, and then make a big production of falling and say "Oooohhh!" on the way down. It was pretty cute, but not as cute as walking. We tried to tell her that, but she didn't believe us. And now today, she refuses to have her feet touch the floor. Anytime I put her down, her bum goes back and her feet go up. The message is clear: Hope you enjoyed the show on Sunday, because it's never happening again.

Weight Loss Wednesday

I haven't been in to weigh in this week. Patch has a nasty cough today, so he's home from preschool while we try to help it get better. It makes his cheeks rosy and his bottom lip chappy.

Speaking of bottoms, I fell on mine on Monday. I was carrying a giant basket of laundry down the stairs when I slipped. I landed on my left cheek and tricep. I have bruises that you would have to see to believe. And, well, you'll just have to take my word for it. There is no way I'm taking a picture of my tush, no matter how cute it's getting.