I have a problem. I lack follow through. It's more like I have no attention span and I get bored easily. I obsess and dive into things 410%. Then it hits, I am bored and no longer interested. Sometimes (most of the time) I drive myself crazy. Other times I am totally awesome. Like when I made this:Do you see those peacocks. Wow! I was kinda proud of myself after that one. I wanted to keep it too but didn't. Buh bye.
I also made a couple knitting needle rolls and crayon rolls. It was a great learning expirience.
Then I made this ironing mat for someone. Genius idea, too bad I didn't think of it. I hope she likes it. It's so nerve racking sometimes.
Anyway, Alaska girl is coming in less than a week and will be staying for a month with the baby. I am excited to meet her.
The man cub has been sick and throwing up. He doesn't throw up during the day only at 2 am. Sarge wears ear plugs and snorrs like no other. I think I mentioned this before but I used to call his cell phone and leave him messages of his snoring. He didn't appreciate that very much and it made me cackle with glee (on a side note I am embroidering a towel for him that says "I shave my pits with your razor" He will not laugh at that either but I will crack up!) I finally fell back asleep around 4. I was totally exhausted!
RRRRRIIIINNNNNGGGGGG!!!! In my mind I am instantly angry. I think to myself, someone better be dead for my phone to be ringing.
Me in groggy voice: Hello
Some guy: Is Capt (insert my last name) there?
Me: He's sleeping, after all it is almost 4 am.
The guy: Oh, I'm so sorry Mrs. (insert my last name)
Me: Is it an emergency?
The guy: I need to talk to him
Me: (Shoving phone in Sarge's face) Do you hear that? (Sarge is snoring really loud)
The guy: yes
Me: Do you really want me to wake him up, after all he IS on vacation?
The guy: (in a sheepish voice) he is on vacation?
Me: yes, but I'll wake him up if you want
The guy: Oh God, I didn't know he was on vacation. I am soooo sorry. (almost distraught)
Me: ok
The guy: (very uneasy) good bye
Me: bye
I never did go back to sleep. My body began to protest the quick sleep awake cycle I was putting it through. I think I'm going to start wearing ear plugs too. Here's to hoping tonight is better...
So I hear all these people talking about their New Year's Resolutions. I balk at the idea of making resolutions. If I want to make changes in my life I just do it, no matter what day or month it is. So there.
I participated in a doll quilt swap. This is the little beauty I received in my favorite 30's fabric. I LOVE when I participate in a swap and am thrilled with what I get. Sometimes I get stuff and because they don't know you what you receive is just not your thing. This is no the case with this quilt. Woohoo!!
I finally finished the stupid *&&%$$ quilt I sent out. This quilt haunted me for some reason. It's not that I struggled doing it I struggled getting my self to do. I had no drive. With that being said I love how it came out. I don't think the woman I sent this too has this type of style but I don't know her so.... It was hard to mail it away. I invested blood (literally, damn cutter), sweat (Sarge likes the heater way too much) a tears in this quilt.
I tried my hand at another little crafty encounter. I saw these and instantly wanted them for hair pretties. I love how they came out.
I have been signing up for more swaps to keep myself busy. I signed up for a swap called 100 Facts About Me. That was fun to come up with the 100 things. I'm trying to make a tote bag right now. I'll let you know how it comes out.
Every year we take the kids up to the snow. It is quite the ordeal. Last year I didn't go and regretted it. It requires a million cords, a thousand technological devices and chargers galore!
Brace face and Tuller are amped up for the drive. Gotta stop and get breakfast burritos.
The man cub is cozy and entertained with multiple forms of electronic entertainment.
I have my crafty project.
And here it is.... snow.
A lot of it. A lot of fog and dangerous driving conditions. I'm scared so I'm not going to look at the road. I'll crochet a crooked scarf or shawl or what ever...
The infamous Snow Valley(duh)...
Only Big Bear has a bowling barn. That would not be cute anywhere else...
We finally arrive. Everyone out, let's play!!! or text..
Sarge and I are simpletons. We are amused by the same game the Principle (my Brother) and I play. The lets tape each other game. In retrospect we aren't very smart....
Tape the kids, that's what normal people do...
The cabins on the frozen lake. Beautiful (and cold).
Ut-oh. Here comes trouble...
Nothing good can come of this...
That was the part where I jump back in the car real quick before getting pelted with a snowball. Ohhhh the deviance!
My cousins kid was picking her nose, I loved it. She didn't even care a little that we were all laughing at her. Awesome.
The father of the nose picker, my cousin, wrapped a super secret gift for our white elephant exchange. Wonder what it is. My Mom actually picked this gift because it was legitimately something she needed.
Sarge had fun making stupid faces at the baby who was born the same day as P-Diddy. Notice Ama and Aunt Mary laughing in the background. Sarge acted retarded and the baby would smile (so would all the adults). Good times.
The fire department had Santa deliver toys to all the kids. Cool idea. Why don't they go to the ghetto where the kids don't actually get gifts instead of my cousins neighborhood where the 16 year olds get cars for Christmas-- just a thought. Sarge said its because they will get mugged or caught up in a drive by. My answer was, then just drive through the ghetto, slow down a little and throw the stuff off and keep going.
My brother the principle and the customary, I'll film you while you film me tradition. Wonder if we will ever out grow that??
My neice got so excited from the Demi Lavato CDs I bought her. Look how genuinely excited she is when she opened it. That just made my day.
Christmas morning we opted for Denny's. I couldn't believe how empty the roads were. Wooooooow.
Fat Winner hung out and loved on me while the kids opened presents.
The stocking have been hung by the chimney with care (Tyler did it)
The large majority of sweets and treats have been baked. A box of homemade treats has even been sent to Alaska my daughter. I really miss her this time of year, she was my baking buddy. Tonight we will make gingerbread houses and sugar cookies.
Everything is wrapped and put under the tree. Now its time to relax and actually enjoy the holiday. No more running around, no more shelling out copious amounts of money. Now its time to enjoy my kids, love on my husband and enjoy the company of family and friends. Oh, and eat wayyyy too much.
I have been swapping on Craftster again. This week I received this tree of life pendant. I love it! So cute.
And because you all are my vertual friends I thought you should enjoy the perks of being real life friends. So here is the picture I used as out Christmas card this year. Tree girls mouth make me laugh so hard and the man cubs face was also too funny to me. Underneath the picture is my annual Christmas letter (altered for internet security). Happy Holidays!
Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays and all that good stuff!I hope this letter finds everyone surviving the economy, happy and without the flu (we weren’t so lucky). We are alive and almost well and still very much enjoying country living on the Dirt Ranch in the middle of nowhere. It seems our quest of simple living and self sufficiency is still “what we do”. As we keep going about our daily lives we are still learning some powerful lessons along the way.
Sarge is now a watch commander in the ghetto of San *&&^$#. Here are some things I noticed he has learned this past year. First, there is nothing on the dirt ranch that can’t be fixed with chicken wire, duct tape and zip ties. Second, sometimes the people who are supposed to be protecting us from the stupid people are stupid themselves. What I have learned about his job is if you take your time getting to a shooting, everything is dead by the time you get there resulting in a less conflict but more paperwork (he would never say that, but I know).
I am FINALLY done with school and after 12 very long years I have my bachelors. I learned exactly why it is called a B.S. I also learned a few other random things through the year. If you step on a lego on your way to the bathroom in the middle of the night you will actually get a bruise on the arch of your foot and your child will repeat the colorful language you said while acquiring said bruise. No matter how careful I am, at some point I will track chicken crap on my beige carpet resulting in more colorful language. No matter how hard I try I cannot keep my turkeys from committing suicide in their 4 inch water dish when all they have to do to prevent drowning is stand up. While at work I learned that I cannot keep a strait face when an old lady with a New York accent tells me as I approach her home to “take my pants off and stay awhile”.
Tree Girl is now 13 and in 8th grade. She has learned how to put the angel on top of the tree without using a step stool (she’s 5’10”). Next year I’m going to make her put up the lights without a ladder just for entertainment purposes. She has also learned that asking your parents geometry questions is totally useless because we just laugh at her. She actually took in 2 orphaned piglets and learned that they really stink and aren’t as fun as they looked in Charlotte’s Web.
Man Cub, our little Jedi warrior is 8 and in second grade. He is full of all kinds of chaos and fun. He has learned if he yells in the middle of Wal-Mart with a Star Wars helmet on because I won’t buy him legos “that is why Dad is number one and you are number two!” that everyone in the surrounding isles will laugh and I will continually tell him to go ask number one for lunch or to help him. He has also learned if he dumps 4,642 legos in a full bathtub the water will be freezing and it will take 2 hours before you can pick them all back up.
Between all these learning experiences we kept busy. We went to Catalina, on a cruise, to Knott’s, the aquarium, the zoo, museums, the snow, camping, Las Vegas and tons of other places I can’t remember. Alaska Daughter who was in the Army got married and had a baby (I’d like to hear what she learned this year). I learned being a 33 year old grandma isn’t so bad. Oldest son joined the Army and learned that they don’t always station you were they said they would. All in all it was a great year. Here’s to hoping your holiday season was everything you hoped for and more.
I got my package from my Craftster swap today in the mail. I love getting packages it's like opening presents when I was a kid. Above I got some snowman fabric, fabric gift tags, rudolph hair clip and lots of chocolatey goodness. I was in a swap recently and sent my box but never received a box in return. People are crappy sometimes. How can you take like that with a clear consious? My partner needs a spankin. I guess that's just the chance you take. Thanks Julia for sending me such crafty goodness.
On a side note, the man cub is sleeping in the middle of the day. That only means one thing-- he is sick. Poor man cub, I just wanna smooch on his yummy cheeks. Sometimes he lets me and other times it irritates him.
Now I'm off to go learn to knit, the second class Sarge bought me for Christmas. Hopefully I can do it better than crochet-- or straighter than crochet.
I am a thirtysomething Mom, wife, EMT, forever student, ADD sufferer, free spirit (thats a nice way of saying Im disorganized). I was raised in southern California but am a southerner at heart. I am part Annie Oakley, part Martha Stewart (not the jail part), part Roseanne and part Mother of the year. There are more parts I just can't think of them right now.
Do you see those peacocks. Wow! I was kinda proud of myself after that one. I wanted to keep it too but didn't. Buh bye.
