I REALLY wish I had the patience to knit (and crochet too). I have the skills to make basic items, I know HOW to knit and pearl (and I can make a crochet chain like a mile long, OH YEAH, recognize), but I just do NOT have the patience to make... anything. I have started many a dish cloth and scarf only to leave them sit in the knitting bag unfinished for...well years now. And dish cloths are little! and I cannot seem to finish ONE! I am such a sad unmotivated knitter, I blame the fact I am not efficient so it take a long time, and thusly does not satisfy my need for crafty instant gratification the way sewing does.
For me sewing, though able to create BEAUTIFUL, long lasting, durable items, just does not seem to embody, to me anyway, the warm, homie, cuddly, handmade goodness and beauty that a hand knit cardigan or blanket can and does. Maybe I need to make more intricate and fancy quilts...
I wish I were that chick who could sit down and knit here and there or anywhere and make a beautiful sweater, I REALLY WISH that chick were me, but I am sooooo not. Nuts. Maybe someday I will find the patience and I will return to a normal human shade instead of this unsightly green that I tend to Hulk into whenever I see something beautiful and intricate that someone has crafted with their needles (or hook) and fiber. I really want to be able to make cardigans for myself, granny square afghans, and beautiful woolly sweaters for my boys and longies and hats and...
I hope for the patience, someday. And maybe someday I will be granted the patience, determination, and drive. So that is my confession for the week. I am HanaJean and I am filled with knitter envy.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Monday, July 26, 2010
TV
I love that MAT would rather watch "This Old House" than any kid's show on PBS. And would rather watch "Dirty Jobs" or "Mythbusters" than any kids show on cable, of which there are far too many. This crazy kid and his grown up tastes, he makes my day.
We have been trying this limiting tv to two hours a day thing. I noticed a while ago that often the tv is on and no one is watching OR the show that the kids are watching have ZERO substance. Case in point, MAT has a fondness for infomercials and QVC as well as the previously mentioned programs, and because of this we watched 20 minutes of snowman shaped teapots that are "oven, freezer, dishwasher and microwave safe" on QVC yesterday afternoon. Wow.
I also noticed that the boys have to be extra loud be heard playing over the tv, particularly when Dad leaves the tv on and leaves the room. Why do men have to listen to the tv SO LOUD!? Well the simple answer is to hear it over the children who then get louder to be heard over the tv. It is a vicious cycle and it gets pretty loud around here. So my solution is to turn the tv off, this is VERY easy for me as most of the shows I would like to watch are not on during the day and I do not get to watch tv for me with children awake.
To be honest the tv usually ends up being on more like 3 hours a day, I am just not a wake up and interact kinda mom, that hour of cartoon in the morning gives me the time I need to wake up and be a fun, kind and loving mother, not the giant, snapping, grouch that inhabits me before I have had breakfast, time, and large quantities of coffee.
So, back to my original point, MAT has been thinking VERY carefully about what is worth his tv time. He is currently watching "This Old House" and I am very happy to not be watching any of the other options.
We have been trying this limiting tv to two hours a day thing. I noticed a while ago that often the tv is on and no one is watching OR the show that the kids are watching have ZERO substance. Case in point, MAT has a fondness for infomercials and QVC as well as the previously mentioned programs, and because of this we watched 20 minutes of snowman shaped teapots that are "oven, freezer, dishwasher and microwave safe" on QVC yesterday afternoon. Wow.
I also noticed that the boys have to be extra loud be heard playing over the tv, particularly when Dad leaves the tv on and leaves the room. Why do men have to listen to the tv SO LOUD!? Well the simple answer is to hear it over the children who then get louder to be heard over the tv. It is a vicious cycle and it gets pretty loud around here. So my solution is to turn the tv off, this is VERY easy for me as most of the shows I would like to watch are not on during the day and I do not get to watch tv for me with children awake.
To be honest the tv usually ends up being on more like 3 hours a day, I am just not a wake up and interact kinda mom, that hour of cartoon in the morning gives me the time I need to wake up and be a fun, kind and loving mother, not the giant, snapping, grouch that inhabits me before I have had breakfast, time, and large quantities of coffee.
So, back to my original point, MAT has been thinking VERY carefully about what is worth his tv time. He is currently watching "This Old House" and I am very happy to not be watching any of the other options.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Boy! Oh! Boy!
Big things happening in the last two weeks. Last week I hit the 20 week mark, halfway to the finish. Woohoo! This pregnancy is flying by. Yesterday I had my 20 week, more like 22 weeks apparently, ultrasound and things look wonderful.
After wrestling with whether to find out the sex of this baby or not for months, yesterday came and went and we decided to try something new. With the boys we opted for surprises. I had a very strong feeling with MAT that he would be a boy, with RAT I was undecided, but we waited till they were born to find out their sex. Since we waited with the first two and frankly I wanted to know this time, we found out. I went in with the opinion of if they can tell us easily, great we will find out, and if the baby is uncooperative I guess we will wait. I am glad our little bundle was very cooperative.
And Little T #3's sex is....*drum roll please*... BOY! Yes folks that is right, another boy for the T family. The technician said "I rarely see babies that are THIS obvious. And now he has curled up into a ball..." I sat up a little and said "HE!" with a smile. The tech said "Oh, I did use that word didn't I, well you wanted to know right? (We had discussed it before she started) So here you go!" She turned the screen so I could see, and folks, I am NOT good an understanding what I am seeing on an ultrasound, the head, heart, and spine are pretty easy spots for me, but never having seen a penis on ultrasound, remember the last two were surprises, I am amazed at how obvious it was. Even a complete novice penis spotter had NO trouble spotting it.
So there you have it, another boy. Mr. T was not able to attend the ultrasound with me, work and all, so I waited till he got home and let him decipher the photos all by himself. He got the the fourth frame, the one that said BOY, and sat down. He mumbles something along the lines of "we are so screwed" and then stood up, smiled, hugged me and said "Another Boy! Woohoo!".
To me, the best part of his reaction is that was my exact internal reaction when I heard. I thought, "Oh boy, another boy, we are screwed...but its another healthy baby boy! Yay!" I think it is funny we had the same reaction. When I told RAT he would have a little brother he, as expected, was indifferent, he will have a real opinion when the little guy is here and comes home. When I told MAT he was getting another brother, dismayed, he said he needed a minute, and went and sat down. After a few minutes he came back and asked, "Well, will he be a nice baby brother?" I assured him that he would be a very nice baby. He then stated, "Well, ok then, I am very happy." He also later told us that this brother would be named MAT, just like him, and would look just like him, and they would be twins and like all the same things. We tried to tell him that this baby would, in fact, NOT be named MAT but they might indeed look alike OR they might look very differently. I suppose we will know in 4 months.
On a completely unrelated topic. I am taking an "All By Myself" mini vacation next week to see my best friend, in North Carolina... I am VERY excited. So between preparing for that, our family reunion, getting ready for MAT to start school in August, and life in general, I might not be around all that much for the next couple weeks. I will return, I am just not sure when.
After wrestling with whether to find out the sex of this baby or not for months, yesterday came and went and we decided to try something new. With the boys we opted for surprises. I had a very strong feeling with MAT that he would be a boy, with RAT I was undecided, but we waited till they were born to find out their sex. Since we waited with the first two and frankly I wanted to know this time, we found out. I went in with the opinion of if they can tell us easily, great we will find out, and if the baby is uncooperative I guess we will wait. I am glad our little bundle was very cooperative.
And Little T #3's sex is....*drum roll please*... BOY! Yes folks that is right, another boy for the T family. The technician said "I rarely see babies that are THIS obvious. And now he has curled up into a ball..." I sat up a little and said "HE!" with a smile. The tech said "Oh, I did use that word didn't I, well you wanted to know right? (We had discussed it before she started) So here you go!" She turned the screen so I could see, and folks, I am NOT good an understanding what I am seeing on an ultrasound, the head, heart, and spine are pretty easy spots for me, but never having seen a penis on ultrasound, remember the last two were surprises, I am amazed at how obvious it was. Even a complete novice penis spotter had NO trouble spotting it.
So there you have it, another boy. Mr. T was not able to attend the ultrasound with me, work and all, so I waited till he got home and let him decipher the photos all by himself. He got the the fourth frame, the one that said BOY, and sat down. He mumbles something along the lines of "we are so screwed" and then stood up, smiled, hugged me and said "Another Boy! Woohoo!".
To me, the best part of his reaction is that was my exact internal reaction when I heard. I thought, "Oh boy, another boy, we are screwed...but its another healthy baby boy! Yay!" I think it is funny we had the same reaction. When I told RAT he would have a little brother he, as expected, was indifferent, he will have a real opinion when the little guy is here and comes home. When I told MAT he was getting another brother, dismayed, he said he needed a minute, and went and sat down. After a few minutes he came back and asked, "Well, will he be a nice baby brother?" I assured him that he would be a very nice baby. He then stated, "Well, ok then, I am very happy." He also later told us that this brother would be named MAT, just like him, and would look just like him, and they would be twins and like all the same things. We tried to tell him that this baby would, in fact, NOT be named MAT but they might indeed look alike OR they might look very differently. I suppose we will know in 4 months.
On a completely unrelated topic. I am taking an "All By Myself" mini vacation next week to see my best friend, in North Carolina... I am VERY excited. So between preparing for that, our family reunion, getting ready for MAT to start school in August, and life in general, I might not be around all that much for the next couple weeks. I will return, I am just not sure when.
Friday, July 9, 2010
The boys decided that the doors look much better white, so they started pealing the old (and much HATED) brown paint off the doors. I was upset for a split second, the mess, the lack of respect of property, the destruction, wait...the quiet, but then I got the garbage can and told them to knock themselves out. Honestly I like the doors better this way, even though they look a bit disheveled at the moment AND it got me a half an hour of near silence, amongst the giggles and "Oooo that's a big piece" and "Need help RAT, let me start that one for you." I suppose this act of destruction really was an improvement...
Morgan's favorite spot on hot days, aside from bring in the pool with the boys of course.
Mr. T WILL fix that hole in the pasture fence today, and the pool will also be disinfected. Very cute and all, but we know that ducks poo where they swim and we do not need duck butt tea to play in. They knew they were in trouble the moment I stepped out the door, they ran back to the pasture and waited at the gate. They have their OWN pools to play in but insist on playing in this one, I think they like the slide.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Someone has been sewing
Oh yes someone has. I recently realized that I have almost no presentable, holeless, airy, comfortable and baby bump allowing garments in my closet. I have MANY MANY pair of long pants, long sleeve shirts, and sweaters. But really nothing for summer, and it is HOT. I have been wearing boxer shorts and sad tank tops around the house, but have only one pair of shorts to wear in public. I have MANY skirts, but none that fit because I have none with an elastic waste or drawstring. So in lieu of this pregnancy being 3 months ahead of my last two, still ending in winter though so we are covered there, and needing summer maternity clothing, it is only the second week of July after all, I have been sewing. Not buying fabric, or clothing, just using up some of the MASSIVE fabric stash I have accumulated over the last 6 years or so
I am going to North Carolina at the end of the month to visit my bestest best best friend, who has been my best frined since we were 5, so 23 years wrap your head around that for a moment, and with it beint THIS hot here, I can only imagine hot bad it will be there. I dont think boxer shorts and holey sad tank tops are proper atire for the plain ride nor the visit, so again the sewing is very much a necessity, if only to not look like that "poor sad barefoot pregant lady". The barefoot and pregnant part I can deal with, but the poor sad not so much.
Today has been productive, and frankly COLD in the basement where my workroom is. My machine is right under a vent with no valve, so it is friggin cold down there. I am sewing summer clothed whist in my corduroys and wool sweater only to come upstairs during potty breaks and nearly pass out because of the temperature difference. But I am so NOT complaining. I have taken almost the whole day, thanks to Mr.T being home for the day, and been drafting patterns, cutting, and sewing almost all day. I have several pieces finished and several more cut and ready to go, sadly I woudl have much more done but the serger decided to go all wonky on me and I had to take and hour or so figuring out the tension problem, luckily I did fix it, so later tonight the sewing will resume! and probably this weekend too.
"Where are the pictures?" you ask. They will be up soon, just because a garment is finished and pristine does not mean I am finished and pristine enough to be photographed in it. Patience my friends, the traveling wardrobe will be posted soon, probably by Monday. There will be lots of stripes, patterns, combos of the two, and versatile pieces. They are probebly not to everyones taste, remember most of my fabric in my stash was origionally intended for children's garments, but all the pieces are sure to be fun, heat friendly, comfortable, and very me. That is all for now, ta.
I am going to North Carolina at the end of the month to visit my bestest best best friend, who has been my best frined since we were 5, so 23 years wrap your head around that for a moment, and with it beint THIS hot here, I can only imagine hot bad it will be there. I dont think boxer shorts and holey sad tank tops are proper atire for the plain ride nor the visit, so again the sewing is very much a necessity, if only to not look like that "poor sad barefoot pregant lady". The barefoot and pregnant part I can deal with, but the poor sad not so much.
Today has been productive, and frankly COLD in the basement where my workroom is. My machine is right under a vent with no valve, so it is friggin cold down there. I am sewing summer clothed whist in my corduroys and wool sweater only to come upstairs during potty breaks and nearly pass out because of the temperature difference. But I am so NOT complaining. I have taken almost the whole day, thanks to Mr.T being home for the day, and been drafting patterns, cutting, and sewing almost all day. I have several pieces finished and several more cut and ready to go, sadly I woudl have much more done but the serger decided to go all wonky on me and I had to take and hour or so figuring out the tension problem, luckily I did fix it, so later tonight the sewing will resume! and probably this weekend too.
"Where are the pictures?" you ask. They will be up soon, just because a garment is finished and pristine does not mean I am finished and pristine enough to be photographed in it. Patience my friends, the traveling wardrobe will be posted soon, probably by Monday. There will be lots of stripes, patterns, combos of the two, and versatile pieces. They are probebly not to everyones taste, remember most of my fabric in my stash was origionally intended for children's garments, but all the pieces are sure to be fun, heat friendly, comfortable, and very me. That is all for now, ta.
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