Happy Sewing Mom

Well, yesterday afternoon, on a whim, I decided to hem up 9 of Little Sister Girl's shirts. I cut the snaps off of her onesies that she doesn't wear much now, and made them into little t-shirts. Now that she is very interested in the potty like Big Sister Dancer Girl, Little Sister doesn't wear the shirts with snaps anymore. I got tired of looking in her drawer for little shirts, and it was becoming very annoying for her to try to go potty and have her shirts hanging in the potty--yuck! I did it all in about an hour, I think, or at least in an afternoon. My kind of project--over and done in a day. Here is a sample before picture of a onesie. Dancer Girl and I did try to type this yesterday but our entry was lost due to "Blogger Maintenance" or something. Dancer Girl also typed something....

i love you. daddy loves me.

Good Ol' Mom

speaks for itself http://motherkitty.blogspot.com/ see Sept. 28, 2005, transitions & passages

10 Days til Wallace & Gromit

http://www.wandg.com/

ok, I thought of something nice to think about. Wallace & Gromit. We love Wallace & Gromit. Their new movie will be in theaters on October 7.

Is September Over Yet?

Four days left in September. Part of me is trying to feel really optimistic that a new month might bring something exciting and unexpected, some relief. But then I remember the hurricanes....Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. And I dwell on the families without homes, without electricity, without loved ones, without telephones, without plumbing, without banks, without post offices, without grocery stores....et cetera, et cetera. I ponder these things with a heavy heart, knowing I really have no clue what real loss is, no clue how most of these displaced human beings really feel. I have no real idea of how to help them, but I have great faith in the resilience (sp?) of the human race. When I think of wars, and families with loved ones at war, I wonder how are they getting by without their loved ones. I think of places like China, with such hateful disrespect for human beings. I think of places like Israel and Palestine, and how Abraham's two sons' descendants (cousins) are at war with each other. And I think of how children are blissfully ignorant children are of all the yuck in the world....Enough of me, here are some thoughts from Dancer Girl....

n.jjjjjjjjjjjjjjjummmm,,,ujjkm,jyyujmmk,kuu k jmmnhjklijhjnntnjjk9i98kibp,o,.kjiirfrjjjmkj i okk,,,,,,kkjhhhhnljkkkll,miihytffffdffdn

What a Week!

Well, the irises got planted, Dancer Girl's beautiful white kitten was returned to us, we had a blueberry muffin tea party, and Long Hair Daddy and I actually had a date this week. A 4.5 hour date, with tag-team babysitters. The girls stayed with one friend 2 hours and were picked up by their wonderful Uncle, who entertained them with an actual trip inside McDonald's (no drive through for them) and fun with play-doh for the rest of the time. We got to go to the movies, and to dinner, with time to spare. I actually went somewhere without diapers, wipes, and Cheerios! Overall, it has been a roller coaster of a week. The girls had a great time and hubby and I got some much needed time together.

Oh, yeah, and I remembered to take the garbage out, too.

Sharing Armor

Hurricane Rita, husband's cousin in serious car accident with 18 wheeler, my uncle in surgery today for sarcoma recently discovered, husband working 16-20 hours per day for last week to 2 weeks to make up for missed deadline ....

Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities; who heals all your diseases; who redeems your life from destruction; who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies; who satisfies your mouth with good things; so that your youth is renewed like the eagles's. The Lord executes righteousness and judgment for all that are oppressed. He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel. The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy. He will not always chide: neither will he keep his anger for ever. He has not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. Like as a father pities his children, so the Lord pities them that fear him. For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust. As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourishes. For the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and the place thereof shall know it no more. But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children's children; ..... from psalms 103 (my paraphrase)

No weapon that is formed against you shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against you in judgment you shall condemn....from Isaiah 54:17

recent thoughts....If you are wearing armor and are in battle, you can use your shield not just for yourself but to shield your neighbor....And above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith you shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. (ephesians 6:16)

armor picture from http://www.arador.com/gallery/cht.html

Moon Shadows and Stoplights

This week has been full of questions from four year old Dancer Girl. Why are there moon shadows? (following the recent Why is the moon a crescent? question) Also, Why are there stoplights? Why are they red and green and yellow?

Of course I can't quite capture the original inflections here. I love these questions she asks. I love her curiousity. It keeps me on my toes (no wait, that's pretend ballet class....)

http://arthistoryclub.com/art_history/Stoplight#History
http://www.coolquiz.com/trivia/explain/docs/stoplights.asp

http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/imgcat/html/object_page/gal_p37298.html

Long Hair Proud Daddy found a really cool site that showed the earth rotating from space...

http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/050908_messenger_movie.html. We also did some fun things with flashlights and balls, to show shadows and light, night and day on the earth. Dancer Girl was very interested in the fact that some people are asleep on one side of the world and awake on the other. Fun with flashlights never ends-- both Little Sister Girl and Dancer Girl LOVE flashlights. Big Fat Kitty doesn't jump as high as she did when she was a kitten....

Brain Teaser

Bible Brain Twister By John Kezer

I once made a remark about the hidden books of the Bible. It
was a lulu, kept people looking so hard for facts, and for
others it was a revelation. Some were in a jam, especially
since the names of the books are not capitalized, but the
truth finally struck home to numbers of readers. To others,
it was a real job. We want it to be a most fascinating few
moments for you. Yes, there will be some really easy ones to
spot. Others may require judges to help them. I will quickly
admit it usually takes a minister to find one of the 17, and
there will be loud lamentations when it is found. A little
lady says she brews a cup of tea so she can concentrate
better. See how well you can compete. Relax now, for there
really are the names of 17 books of the Bible in these
sentences.

One preacher found 16 books in 20 minutes. It took him three
weeks to find the seventeenth one.

(Hint: See how many books of the bible you can find in the
text above.)

Someone forwarded me this, I am not posting the answers yet....It came from the Good Clean Funnies List http://www.gcfl.net/. I found all 17 in less than 30 minutes, with interruptions from Dancer Girl, Long Hair Proud Daddy & Little Sister Headbanger Girl. I did get my Bible out about halfway through. I LOVED this puzzle.

p.s. Motherkitty posted the answer in the comments section. Good job, Motherkitty!

9/11 Thoughts

http://www.laurelrose.com/SEPT11a2001.HTM

Even though 9/11 was over a week ago, in 2005; and a week and 4 years ago, in 2001; I know we all from time to time think of all those families affected on that day. Here are some thoughts well written by my Dad, that put into words how most of us must feel about the horror of that day. This is a part of my Dad's writings, which I strongly believe will be taught in some contemporary college literature or humanities class in the future. He refuses to bind them up and publish them for profit, but leaves his thoughts free for all to read and contemplate.

A Day for My Girls

Well, Little Sister Girl, affectionately also known as Headbanger Girl, has been very fussy lately. She got one of her little sharp canine teeth in last week, so maybe this is the prelude to the other. We did have a very interesting time at Sirloin Stockade yesterday (details too scary, we left with doggy bags).

Though she is only 18 months old, she has surprised me very much this week by deciding she wanted to try to use the potty on her own. Hurray for Little Sister Girl! She has made several attempts, and succeeded many times. In short, this means gearing up for spending lots of time in the bathroom, reading books, saying "Bye Bye" (flushing toilet sound), and encouraging other good bathroom habits... The real trick is getting myself ready for all the "interruptions" in my day, my "plans." But then again, this is why I am a Mommy. Just to see her proud little face, and hear her cute slurred version of "I did it!!!" It could be a nuisance, but I think it is really an opportunity to celebrate and slow down several times a day.

One of my goals in recent times is to make sure I make Mother and Daughter Time for Dancer Girl. With Little Sister Girl taking up so much of my time and on my lap, Dancer Girl feels left out sometimes, I think. Today is Monday, and it should be a quiet (relatively speaking, Long Hair Daddy!!) day in that we don't have to go anywhere. I will play pretend restaurant or school today, whether I like it or not, and I will have snuggle time with Dancer Girl. Maybe we will go outside and plant some blue irises I got almost free at a yard sale. Both my girls love being outside and helping me dig in the dirt. Maybe we should have a picnic (wheels turning).......

Here is the link where I found this beautiful blue iris picture:
http://www.mooseyscountrygarden.com/gardening-articles/bearded-irises.html

War & Peace

Okay, it took Tolstoy 6 years to write War and Peace, I don't feel so bad taking such a long time reading it.

http://www.ltolstoy.com/timeline/index.html

















This picture is from the Tolstoy website, it is part of his estate Yasnaya Polyana.

Tolstoy & Yarn

http://www.ltolstoy.com/index.html

Leo Tolstoy is one of my dad's favorites. Off and on over the past couple of years, I have been making my way through War and Peace. This book is about war, yes, but also a lot about marriage, which surprised me. I think I will probably start over, because curious Dancer Girl likes to remove bookmarks from any book I am reading. So over the past few years, I have been trying to make a habit of remembering the page number I am on. Well as you can guess, this doesn't work well for War and Peace. Maybe the next time I start I will keep a short journal of my progress. It took me many years to appreciate history, and now some of my favorite reading material are biographies. This site has wonderful photographs of Tolstoy, young and old, and pictures of his home. Anna Karenina is also one of my favorites.

On a completely different note, someday I will post pictures of some of my completed needlecrafts, mostly crochet, some sewing. I love to create with my hands, and mostly give away what I make. I have many works in progress at the moment....some current, some started years ago that I get out occasionally and work on. Little Sister Girl, Big Fat Kitty, and Dancer Girl LOVE to play with my yarn (while I am trying to work). As you can guess this makes progress slow. I am very proud, though, because my little Dancer Girl, wants to learn to crochet and asks to help every time. Needlecrafts will be a part of her education. Attention Motherkitty, be prepared! Your turn to teach her is next!

Even Curiouser....

all of my bullets and numbering choices showed up as little flowers.......no matter how i try to edit them or how they look in the preview pane.....oh yeah, and the line breaks are very interesting, not what i chose at all.....same as Kitty Cliffhanger Update. That is NOT how I wanted that to look by the way....just gave up. This is still going to be a wonderful day, quite an adventure, I expect.

Curious

1. Just wanted to see what some of these buttons will do....

Now is the first day of the rest of my life.

Now is the first day of the rest of my life.

Now is the first day of the rest of my life.

• Now is the first day of the rest of my life.

1. Now is the first day of the rest of my life.

ok, all done...

Someone I Greatly Love

Calm Delight

I once heard a definition of joy as calm delight. I like that word with that definition. I feel hopeful and happy and calm today. Which should be weird because on the surface my life is very turbulent right now, many challenging things going on right now. There are so many things that are out of my control that I could worry about, but I am choosing not to. Today I will rely on God for wisdom and strength to do what I should do, and somehow everything that should get done will get done.

Happy Grandparents Day!

Just wanted to write a quick note of appreciation to all the Grandparents in my life. There really is no way to say how important they are in my life and in my children's lives. One of my life goals is to keep my family close to grandparents, cousins, etc. It's the main reason my husband and I don't move somewhere else. Grandparents, you are greatly loved, and I am glad my children love all of you.

Up at Night

Sometimes I find myself up in the middle of the night. After my second baby I decided to look at this time as an opportunity instead of a bother. I have a lot more peace now that I just use the time reading, praying, crocheting, or surfing online. Sometimes I even try to clean up my Inbox. Eventually the baby will wake up & want to nurse or I will get sleepy, & then I just squeeze back in to bed. This, by the way, reminds me of baby kittens sleeping on top of each other...that's me on the bottom.