How do I love thee?

let me count the rows... a 1, a 2 and a 3! 3 gorgeous topstitching rows, that is how much I love thee oh beautiful coverlocking dream machine! Using this machine for the first time was akin to the first time you cut fabric with Gingher scissors...just like butta.

Baby's House

Baby loved my mushroom pin cushion and insisted I make her a "froom" house. So this is Baby's spring mushroom house. I was finishing it up about 1:30 in the morning last night when she sneaked out of bed. She woke up Jedi w/ her squealing over how "tute" her "froom" house was.
She kept saying, "thank you, Mumma!" and insisting on hugging me. ahhh, it feels so nice to be appreciated!

Taking a deep breath...

I've heard they're free. Okay...so, I know my blog entries tend to be like me...fluffy. Not a lot of grit, no insightful comments, no real controversy. I'm not a leader, risk taker or particularly witty kind of gal. Basically, I like being part of the herd...baaaaa...just call me sheep. These last couple of months I've had to step up and "take charge" in my personal life. A couple posts back I mentioned my mil had been staying with us. She lives 300 miles away from us and we needed to keep an eye on her. She's the one I needed to be in charge of. It is very hard to get a 62 yr old woman to do what's "good for her" when she has no reasoning capabilities. God help me, it was the longest 6 weeks of my life! Praise to longterm caregivers of loved ones with dementia. It is the most frustrating heartwrenching thing to watch.

We took her to a neurologist appt. last week and were once again told we had to wait another 6 weeks to get further testing. 6 weeks makes a huge difference in my mil's mental abilities. It was decided she would stay at her home, alone, with my bil checking in on her and us calling several times a day.

We return home. A couple nights later, Ken and I go out on our first evening alone in 2 months. We were like high school kids, just giggly happy to be ALONE! We received 5 phone calls in one hour from mil looking for Ken's dad (who passed away 5 years ago.) She also informs us she has given herself a prescribed shot she wasn't supposed to administer for another 3 weeks. (don't even get me started on why the neurologist would trust her to administer her own shots!) Drama, drama and more drama. I was selfishly annoyed that my evening was ruined with phone tag and "dealing with the situation." Thankfully, my brother in law stepped up and has her staying with him. I have spent the last two days on the phone arranging appts and getting my mil bumped to STAT status on her testing. I speak with her several times a day explaining the same things over and over and over. She keeps saying she would like to come back. I feel ashamed and guilty for not being ready to do another stint with her. It looks like this is going to be a very long journey for us and I'm praying I have the stamina. I'm also praying for a fast diagnosis so we can get the ball rolling with keeping her and others safe..ie having the state take her drivers license. We haven't let her drive over the last two months but if she isn't diagnosed with something I don't know what legal actions we could take to keep her off the roads.

On a brighter note...don't you love my new decorative pins?!? I got them yesterday from GigiMinor. I had to make up a cute little home for them...this mushroom house bottlecap pincushion. Baby got a kick out of the smoke from the chimney. I think I need to do a spring themed one with flowers and a birds nest on the roof.

Thanks for listening to my pity party and letting me vent.

A little sewing

Ahhh...I was able to fit in a little sewing this weekend. A spring skirt for me. My favorite part is the waistband lining in a cute Kaufman print. The pattern is Burda 7906. I think it runs a tad big in the waist but other than that it's a great pattern.
I also made up a set for Baby. I tried out the new Antonia pattern. Super cute and easy to do as long as you don't mind German instructions. I also embroidered some cute German designs on her shirt and pants. The pants are just a simple wide legged self drafted pattern with knit cuffs. I like the knit cuffs because it makes it easy to stuff in winter boots.

I have been trying to get Jedi to stop doing this Jack Nicholson The Shining face. It gives me the creeps everytime! He won't believe it's not a flattering look for him.

Knit Scraps...

to underpants. What to do with all those knit scraps?!? Why, make underpants! Loral let me borrow her Jalie pattern for underwear...I am so hooked. Don't the boxers sew up cute? I made up about 5 pair for Jedi. Baby received some too...I just eliminated the crotch piece of the boys pattern. Now, I am just in NEED of a Coverpro 1000CP so I can put a professional touch on all the new underpants I'm going to sew!

I spent about 3 hours hiding out in my sewing room today. God help me if I have to answer the same question for the 100th time today. My poor mil is having some memory issues and has been staying with us the last 5 weeks and will be here until we can get her in to see a specialist. If you're of the praying kind please pray that my heart will remain compassionate and I'll have the fortitude to do my duty. OK...pity party done. I have tons of great designs swimming around in my noggin that I'm itching to sew up. I'm hoping to get some summer sets done for the kids this weekend. Blessings to you all.

brrrrr...

We've been pretty much homebound because of the bad weather this last week. It is bitterly cold here in Northern Michingan and the kids were getting a bit stir crazy. So, I let them brave the 15 degree weather for a bit...

D9 and Sparky... The kids conquer our snowplow mound...

Baby is Princess of the Hill...

When Daddy is in charge...

I know I've been a total blogger slacker but I do have a good excuse...my mil has been staying with us and will be here until March 9th. I promise to be up and blogging again then. I'm coming up on my 100th post and that means another drawing!

A Priceless Gift

Nancy, my mil, handed me this unassuming box and said, "I thought you might like this." Before I opened it I thought it might be an old movie projector or something. Imagine my delighted surprise when I saw this...

and this...

Holy Smokes! It's a 1934 Singer 221 featherweight!

look at the "egyptian scrollwork" pattern!

I eagerly plugged it it and held my breath as I flipped the switch...a whiff of ozone and voila it was humming away in no time. What a sweet little machine. It was owned by Nancy's mil, Violet Isabella Reid Milne. She must have bought it when she was pregnant with Ken's father in 1938. I wasn't fortunate enough to have known her as she passed away just before Ken and I began to date but she's sounded like an amazing woman. She came from a farming family of 13 children. I believe she was the oldest. She worked and put herself through college in the 20's, went on many adventures like flying in a biplane, attended a party in Detroit that was busted up during an opiate raid...that is where she met her husband! Had children at the unheard of age (at the time) of 37 and lived a fruitful full life till she passed at the age of 94 in 1994. Look at her delightful fingerwaves!

My Hero

Ken gave us all a kiss and nervously stepped up to the security counter at our little local airport. He was on his way to get his mother to stay with us for 5 weeks. He isn't a "bad" flyer, he just gets a bit anxious. He can't board for another 20 minutes so the kids and I try to wave at him one more time through the security glass but he doesn't see us.

This next part is what Ken calls and tells me after he lands.

Ken boarded the plane and took his seat towards the rear. He got settled in and started to feel a little better about the flight. The attendents went through their preparations, did the exit speech, etc, etc...All of a sudden 3 men came rushing down the aisle.

One of them pointed and yelled at Ken, "YOU!"

Of course all heads turned to look at my 6'1" 260 lb husband.

"You need to come with us."

Ken gathered his things and followed the men.

"You were throwing off the balance of the plane, we need you to sit next to the wing." said the guy in a not so private voice.

I'm sure all the passengers let out a big sigh of relief that it wasn't a hijacker...just a fat guy! Okay, he's not really fat, just big. He was pretty embarrassed though. Trying to be a glass half full kind of gal I said, "Look at it this way, you saved every life on board. You're a hero!" I don't think he bought it.

Manners...

most people have them but some don't! I can usually let bad manners by strangers in public roll off my back but last night I came this (imagine me holding up my fingers a centimetre apart) close to letting some lady have a piece of my mind. The kids and I were having dinner with Ken at the airport before his flight took off (oooh, I have a funny story about that to post tomorrow.) The restaurant isn't a fancy deal, they serve a lot of pizza and such. The hostess brought a middle aged couple to sit at a table 3 feet from us. The woman looked at our table made the universal sound of disgust, you know - the phlegmy back of the throat one, and said, "I am not sitting next to THOSE children!"

Now, why couldn't she say, "We'd prefer a table by the window" or "We'd like something away from the door"?

I'm also proud to say my children are really well behaved in public. We've worked very hard to ensure a pleasant dining experience. There isn't loud talking, walking about, messes, crying or complaining. They say please, thank you and yes Ma'am. They use their manners. Miss Crabbypants should have taken notes.

Thanks for "listening" to my gripe, I'll try to let it go now.

Now Open!

We are currently stocking our store with beautiful new items! Like this amazing button attached to a gorgeous tote made by Loral...

Perhaps you're in the market for a sweet Easter apron...then this Hens and Chicks one is for you!

Of course you can't ever go wrong with mushrooms and hedgehogs!

We also have clothespin holders, journals, heirloom dresses and soap (coming soon)!

Magical 5

Boy was I shocked to hear, "It's a boy!", five years ago. I believe my first words were, "Are you sure?!?" Mac had a sweet round face and a full head of black hair. We named him after Ken's dad, Malcolm, who was battling leukemia. He was perfect...then he flashed me his dimple...yep, he was even more perfect! Little did we know as we stared in awe at our beautiful little man that we would have a very rough first year with him.

Poor Jedi cried nearly every waking moment the first year. It wasn't just fussing cry...he was in terrible pain. Repeated trips to the Pediatrician brought us, "he's just fussy, he's just a needy baby and it's only gas." We finally found a Dr. who took us seriously. His pain was relieved. He began to smile and melt hearts with his big blues.

He's my middle child and my "sensitive" one. He's a Star Wars junkie, a lover of babies, a quiet trouble seeker, a little Scotsman, a hand holder, a thumb sucker, a protector of ladies, a door opener for "the ladies", a star wisher, a mamma's shadow and my son.

May you always find your wishing star. I love you!

journey

Ken's grandfather passed away on the 12th. We are so thankful Grandpa Goodfellow's wife and children were able to be with him. We are also thankful we had a delightful afternoon with him and Grandma Goodfellow in October. He made over the kids in his rumbly deep voice and tried to convince them he had 6 middle names. He was a strong man...surviving multiple heart attacks and numerous strokes throughout his 84 years. He and Mrs. Goodfellow married young, 18 and 16. He left shortly after to serve on a naval ship in WWII. He returned and made a busy life with Irene and their 4 children. He loved his wife, country, children and God. We'll miss you Rusty.

Thrifty Goodness

Cindy hosted this awesome Virtual Thrift party. Be sure to check out everybody's thrifty treasures. I'm posting late due to a funeral but I did find a spare hour to hit our local thrifts and pick up a few goodies...

1. a pack of doll clothes patterns .75

2. some mini cross stitch packs for dd9 to learn on $2.50

3. some bits of crafting items and a little hoop for dd9's above project $1.00

4. an awesome pair of heeled bowling shoes that fit dd9 perfectly. I'll have to make her up a funky bowling shirt to wear with them :-) $1.50

5. patterns in Baby's size. .10 each

6. and the best find...a present for my sister Loral. A Kodak duaflex to take ttv pictures! shhh...don't tell her...it's a surprise. Hopefully she won't read this until I can give it to her in an hour. I dismantled it and gave it a sprucing up. This was my biggest splurge at $3.00

oh yes, I also got that sweet red/white dot fabric for .50

total spent $9.75

5 o'clock battle

I believe we need to reinstate naps for Baby. Come 5 everyday the house gets extra quiet and I go looking for Baby. Sometimes I find Sleeping Beauty...

other times Super Girl is overcome by Kryptonite...

sometimes she falls asleep listening for approaching horses...

On occassion she has made it to the table for supper but she can't fight the tryptophan in her milk.

Yep, back to napping for Baby!

Opening Soon

Loral and I are embarking on a joint adventure. A place to get all your vintage charms like handmade soap, aprons, totes, a sprinkling of Kawaii, modest children's attire and vintage patterns. I'll post a link when we're up and running.

Because, gosh darnit'... (ver2)

...she's special and I love her!

My sister has taken up a new hobby, soapmaking. I thought she could use a more industrial apron so she wouldn't have to worry about lye ruining her good ones. I made it in my favorite style with a full pocket (hand embroidered soap) and out of a twill type fabric.

Her soaps are absolutely fabulous... I wish you had smellivison. The Ginger Citrus is my favorite. Not pictured is a shampoo bar that is totally amazing. I don't have to use conditioner, it brings out the natural wave in my hair and makes it feel twice as thick.

although, I'm beginning to wonder if she has an agenda...I seem to be getting a ton of soap. Do I offend??? oh, I forgot, your smellivision isn't working!

Eat your vegetables!

Finely shredded carrots and chopped fresh spinach are well hidden in spaghetti sauce. Fools 'em every time! I have a bunch of starch loving kids. They simply don't enjoy eating vegetables. Many a time Jedi, 4, has been brought to tears simply for having to eat a whole green bean. Rules are Rules...you must take two bites of everything on your plate before being excused. I know, I am a mean mama. ;-)

I, on the other hand, am allowed to indulge in one of these whether I eat my veggies or not! A delicious Chambord milkshake with fresh raspberries. Yummy! Tonight, I might have a Chambord Martini. Oh, I know, a Chambord Margarita since we're having huevos rancheros. Yes, better to stay with a theme.