December Equals Crazy Busy

Welcome, December.  Come on in and stay awhile.  Or can you at least make it feel like it's going to last a while, so we get a chance to breathe.

I had to go over the calendar yesterday to see what is coming up, I ended up writing down an entire page  of stuff to do.

I realize that it's not just because of Advent and Christmas - those usually help me take a moment to reflect.  It's that we also have two December birthdays here, plus my nephew's birthday.

Here's my crazy, busy list:  (so, I remember what is going on - I hope!)

December 1st: Go to Mom and Dad's in a.m. to help them with stuff. Chiropractor this afternoon, because my back is killing me.  Tonight, I'm supposed to go to the artist's reception at The Art Garage, which is probably a smart move to help promote my stuff, but we have a chance of yucky weather and I hate driving in it.
December 2nd:  Preschool story hour at the library.  MUST make cookie dough today, amazingly I saved the recipes I like in my favorites!  2 batches gingerbread and 4 batches of sugar cookie.  MUST get my lesson plan for tomorrow's CCD written.
December 3rd: CCD.  Christmas program practice.  Cookie making extravaganza with the neighbor and possibly my sister-in-law, depending on weather.
December 4th:  9 a.m. Mass followed by Santa visit in the church hall.  2nd Sunday in Advent. Turn in Giving Tree gifts to church.  Spend the rest of the day with my sister-in-law.  Thankfully, she's pregnant and doesn't like shopping (too much) right now, so I should be saved from the horror of that. I know she's using her gift certificate at the spa for both of us - isn't that cool.  (Hmm, cool will be right when we decide to get pedicures in December and need to walk out in flip flops.  She even bought me a pair!)
December 5th: Start making Christmas candy...homemade marshmallows, caramels, maybe something new...
December 7th:  Watch my nephew.
December 8th:  Dentist a.m. Watch my nephew.  Since I have dentist in a.m., can't go to kiddo's school and go to Immaculate Conception Mass.  4-H at night and we need to turn in project selections.  Maybe hubby taking oldest to 4-H and I take the youngers to Mass. 
December 9th: Bug needs to take a snack to school.
December 10th:  CCD.  NOT going to program practice.  Cookie party - we're up to 15 people so far, and it could be 21.
December 11th: 3rd Sunday of Advent.  Nephew's birthday party and K is going to share a family party with him again.  Ugh. Need to get her invites written for K's sleepover party, much sooner than this day.  Will have to do them today.
December 12th:  First Reconciliation for K, plus watch my nephew.
December 13th:  Hubby's birthday.
December 15th:  K's Christmas concert at school, plus watch nephew.
December 16th:  K's sleepover, but at least it's only for two people plus the neighbor, maybe?  I'm not too clear on that, yet. (Plus, it's K's actual birthday!)
December 17th:  Sleepover buddies go home.  Parents indulge in adult beverages.
December 18th: 4th Sunday of Advent
December 22nd:  Christmas program practice 6 p.m.
December 23rd:  K doesn't have school. Christmas break until they go back on January 2nd.
December 24th:  Christmas Eve.  Christmas break starts for Bug and the neighbors until January 2nd.
December 25th:  CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!
December 26th:  Hubby off work.
December 27th:  Trip to Milwaukee for at least Hubby for a VA appt. If I can get someone to watch the kids, I'm going with him.
December 28th & 29th: Watch nephew.

Plus, my hubby has three dates that he might be chosen for jury duty this month.  When he called in last night, the first group of potential jurors needed to report this morning. So, he has to call in again tonight to see if he has to show up tomorrow.

Sigh, I'm tired just looking at the list, but at least it gives me something to follow as a check off.

Monday Musing - End of November

Right now...  1:30 p.m.  All 4 kids are finally napping.  Chilly outside but not snowing.  I'm watching my nephew, so my sister-in-law can get some sleep. She feels crummy.

This weekend...  We had a great get together with family on Saturday for Thanksgiving.  I learned some interesting things.  I can try new things with the squash (never doing that recipe again!); we can try something new with the potatoes (the ranch slow cooker potatoes were good), but I better not mess with the stuffing.  I started making the stuffing about 10 years ago, and it has been my job ever since.  I make an apple sausage stuffing, where I use my home canned apple pie filling.  I wasn't going to make stuffing, we always have too much food.  My brother did NOT like that idea, that's why he came home from college. Mom's pumpkin pie and my stuffing.  Ok, quick change of plans and trip to the store and we had stuffing.  And WHY do I listen to how long they say to cook the turkey???  Why??  Because I started it way too soon, again, and it was a bit dry.  ugh.

Then, Saturday night, K and I went to 7 p.m. Mass.  It was our first Mass with the new translation.  I thought it was very good and that more people actually paid attention.  Only thing I don't like is "consubstantial" - really? that's easier to understand??  Sure not easier to say. 

Sunday, I cut felt, sewed felt, organized felt.  Ugh, I think my brain is felty.  It'll be nice to get the puppets packaged tonight.

Some plans for the week... 
Tonight, I have to finish the puppets and printing out the cards and package them.
Tomorrow, I have to make sure I have everything ready for my craft show.
Wednesday, is the craft show at my husband's work. I made good money at this one last year, so I'm hoping they like my new stuff.
Thursday, December 1st!  Wow!  I have the artist's reception at The Art Garage (still can't get over the artist part, but if it helps sell some of my stuff, I'm all for it!)
Friday, get my lesson plans ready for Cathechism on Saturday and probably mix about 4 batches of cookie dough.
Saturday, Catechism at 9. Christmas program practice right after at 11.  Then, come home and see if the neighbor is home to start the Great Cookie Bakeoff in preparation for the cookie party on the 10th.
Sunday, Mass - Santa is coming after Mass - turn in our Giving Tree presents at church, then go out with my sister-in-law.

If I can find some time for myself, I would like to...  Um, this week is about being busy.  My alone time is during naptime.  But we did start the Holy Heroes Advent Adventure and the kids seem to like it.

I am grateful for...  My husband who helps me cut out felt, even though he doesn't want to. My kids for being so enthusiastic about helping me cut out stuff for my puppets yesterday.

Some special prayer intentions for the week:  For my friend, Teresa's father, he's been in the hospital and suffered respiratory and cardiac arrest last night and they think he has a brain bleed.  I'm hoping they can find peace. She is on her way home to Wisconsin from Arizona right now.  That I have patience with my kids this week to do things with them instead of yelling at them.  That my craft show goes well and that Etsy sales take off, so I can do a few more things with the Giving Tree and maybe send some money out as the Christmas Elf to some people that I know need things more than we do.

Something that makes me smile...  The look on Fixit's face this morning when I declared today a pajama day - for her, not me!  The look on Bug's face when she came home to tell me about the new girl in her class.  K's enthusiasm for life and how generous she is.  She chose her own name from the Giving Tree and wants to use her own money to buy the present for this little girl.

I got the Monday Musing idea from Nadja at Patch of Dirt Farm .  Thank you and I'm so glad that I found you.

Epic Fail

I'm a beginning crocheter.  I knitted many moons ago and could be considered a very, very, beginning knitter.  However, this is about my beginning crocheting.

When I was learning, relearning (because I'm pretty sure that my Mom TRIED to teach me), trying it out last fall, I didn't want to start with potholders or anything normal.  Nope, 2nd thing I made is a 17-skein afghan crocheting 3 strands at once.  That sucker is heavy and my husband loves it.  I've also made a blanket for K.  I have the yarn to do the blankets for Fixit and Bug.

However, none of these items has required the use of a pattern.  They are "supposed to be" rectangular.  They have turned out roughly rectangular.  They are warm and no one complains.

Then, this fall, my sister-in-law has a baby and since we're broke um, since I wanted to give her something handmade... I was going to do my first foray into "gasp" trying to read a pattern.  Honestly, I'm a smart lady. I have a college degree and graduated with honors. I'm a substitute teacher.  I can teach math to 3rd graders.

Here is one of my guilty secrets: I CANNOT count when I crochet.  If you cannot count, you cannot follow a pattern.

So, for me to attempt a baby blanket that wasn't just straight crocheting was a monumental task.  I did it!  I followed the pattern on the back of the yarn wrap and made the blanket.  The hardest part of the pattern was trying to make sure that I had 106 stitches in my chain row.  I must have counted that thing about 10 times and still was never quite sure that I had the right number.  However, the thing turned out and now my niece will have a homemade Christmas present.  Admittedly, it took me about a week to crochet the thing and I'm pretty sure that my mother would have been done in an afternoon, but she has been crocheting for years.

Anyway, on to my epic fail.

I figured if I could follow the pattern for the blanket, I was now able to move on to something a little more challenging, like slippers.  I have a leaflet of 9 "EASY" crochet slipper patterns.  Followed the directions (kind of forgot to check for gauge, but really? people do that!?) kind of.  You know that gauge thing, where it says 4 stiches = 1" and 4 rows = 1".  Yeah.  I didn't do that.

So, the end result is one, count 'em, one, slipper - because I'm not making another one.  I'm actually going to throw this one away.  The pattern I was following was the size to fit Bug, actually to be 1/2" too big for Bug.  Well, the slipper is too big for me.  My foot is 3 inches longer than Bug's.

sigh...

I'm going back to working on felt and when I feel like it, I'll try to follow a pattern again.  It's not going to happen for a while again.  I have to get brave enough to try and attempt it again.

Thankful Thanksgiving Thursday

It's easy to list the "thankful fors" today on this day when everyone else is celebrating their thanks. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

I'm thankful for little pirates.

I'm thankful for girls with the "I can do it" attitude, even if it means starting over and over, again.

I'm thankful for nephews that tease their cousins.

I'm thankful for impromptu concerts and kids that love all types of music.

I'm thankful for my wonderful husband who does what I ask, even when he really doesn't want to.

I'm thankful for my Dad who lets my kids "help," even when it's faster to do it by yourself.

I'm thankful for my Mom who is always there. (Sorry for not having a picture!)

I'm thankful for lots of homemade canned food and plenty of food in the cupboards and the freezer and the money to be able to buy more.

I'm thankful for my sister being able to come and visit us for a long weekend earlier this year.  Love you!

Thankful Thursdays

A time to remember to be thankful

A pause in the week for praise,

thanksgiving and thinking positively

in addition to the normal daily praise

we need to give God.

p.s. and Thankful for Jamie at Lord, Make Me a Saint for the encouragement she keeps giving me, even while she keeps getting handed the raw end of the deal with this latest pregnancy.  I prayed my rosary for you and your little one last night.  God Bless.  (And for giving me the idea for Thankful Thursdays and the above quote!)

She Took It ALL!

I'm still amazed that The Art Garage wanted my projects for their holiday show. Hmmmmm

I took in some of my stuff yesterday to Ann, for her to review and decide on.  Wouldn't you know that she took ALL of it for the holiday show.  I took in two mushroom houses, two felted mats - bumblebee fields and the ladybug racetrack.  I also took in 4 whimsys of gnomes, 6 pirate maps with pirate gnomes and sea monsters (formerly dragons), and 4 each of my puppets.  Quite the honor, now I just hope they sell.  And now I have to get back to making more stuff for my craft show next week.

Add caption

See the pet snail and the dragonfly - gnome mailmen hate dragonflies.

How about the flower petal path to this house?

A gnome whimsy.

Bumblebee fields

Ladybug racetrack.

The back of the pirate jacket

Knight puppet - or if you flip his visor down, he's a football player

Fairy puppet

Princess Puppet

Santa and Reindeer puppets

ACCCKK!!!!! It's a Great Honor!

Gee, that came out of the blue!

I've been busy cutting, sewing, and new idea-ing for my craft show on the 30th and to put things (finally) into my Etsy shop.

You know the route, plugging away, because I have a deadline, but going with the what-I-get-done attitude.  That is, until I get a phone call from a lovely lady who volunteers at The Art Garage .  Ann had noticed what I call crafts last year at craft show - see, craft.  And I displayed some of my gnome houses, whimsys of gnomes (def: family of gnomes), and some needle-felted play mats for their Christmas showing and sale last year. 

Well, I had been getting the emails as part of her mass emails about this year's Christmas show and sale.  No one has been buying my houses and I haven't made any new mats.  I've been crafting.  I've been making my puppet kits and pirate maps.  So, I ignored her emails. 

Then, Ann called me yesterday, which is technically the day after things were to be taken in.  She told me that she was checking to make sure I was okay and if I had been getting her emails. 

Well, yeah, I was getting them, but I'm not an artist.  How did this stuff apply to me?  None of my things had been juried for this year's show.  She DIDN'T care!  She wanted my stuff for this year's show, because she liked what I did last year, that I had an "artist's eye" (still working on figuring out what that means!), and she LOVED the sound of my puppet kits.

So, I'm back in this year's show - sight unseen!  Which translates into - AAAAACCCCCCKKKKKK!  (Meaning, ugh, I've been busting my butt to get ready not only for the craft show, but also for this show.)  She extended the deadline for me, and I have to have everything in for Tuesday.

So, the table is full of felt in various stages of something.  From full sheets, to cut up sheets, to sewn parts, to bits and bobs, and now the sewing machine.  Plus, I have to fill out the exhibitor paperwork, the sales tags, print more puppet inserts, cut out the bag tags, print more business cards, and figure out how to fill out a bio sheet.

This was my 10 minutes of brain-clearing, back to the sewing machine, the scissors, and the glue.

Cue Suspensful Music

You know the kind:  Bum Bum Bum Bum like the English mysteries on PBS.

Yeah, that kind.

I wish I could have gotten a picture of this, but it would have ruined the atmosphere.  It was pretty dramatic around here.

The girls were playing together (nicely, without any yelling).  They all slinked downstairs and were poking into this and poking into that around the living room and kitchen.  Opening drawers. Peering around corners.

Not acting normal (as if such a thing exists in this house).

I sat in my chair and just watched this, scratching my head, and not saying anything.  I was intrigued and had to watch this performance unfold.

Finally, after 10 minutes of watching them sneak, slink, investigate, I couldn't take it anymore.  Especially since they weren't really saying anything.  I'd catch a snippet of "Hmmm, not here," or "Keep looking, we MUST find it." 

(Proud Mommy moment, the suspense was killing me, but I didn't blurt out "WHAT!  What are you looking for?")

So, Bug came into the living room and I whispered, literally whispered, to her, "What are you guys doing? I don't know what you are looking for?"

Her whispered response, after glancing around to make sure no one heard her, "Shhh, we're looking for clues."

Which prompted my intelligent, "Huh?"

"Mama, we're detectives and we are looking for clues to solve the mystery."

Consider me clueless at this point, "What mystery?"

Now being looked at with disbelief, "We HAVE to solve the mystery."

By this time, K and Fixit have joined Bug in the living room. Obviously, I was an interruption to the game, but I didn't get it.

So, Bug tries to explain it to her mother, again, "We never fail. We always catch the bad guy. We're going to solve a SISTERY MYSTERY!"

Then, I literally get a song and dance routine about solving the Sistery Mysteries and that they never fail. They'll always find the clues.

I was laughing so hard that I had tears streaming down my face.  What a hoot!  Honestly, how much time and thought had gone into creating the Sistery Mystery Detective Team? (and the related song and dance commercial spot?)  Oh, geez.  I'm not sure how we went from Agatha Christie circa 1980 to a Broadway song and dance routine, but we managed.  Then, after I had been singularly enlightened, they returned to the world of mystery.

Cue the jazz hands.