Thursday, September 29, 2011

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

the sound of silence



10:09


Hello darkness my old friend.
I've come to talk with you again.
kids are finally in their beds sleeping.
nothing into my ears creeping....


which led me to the internet.




which led me to this video.








which led me to this video.






Like fine wine and my hubby
this song gets even better with age.


AND their hair stayed exactly the same?!?..


That my friends is how my brain works after ten...




Deep. I know.





Saturday, September 24, 2011

Update on Elsa...

It has been a while since I updated you all on Elsa's vision.  
Looking back at where she started,
 this girl has made incredible progress.
Since March of this year Elsa has changed in so many ways,
just like all kids do the first year.  
But the most exciting growth she has had
is with her vision.





In March, when the teacher came from the Anchor Center,
she thought Elsa could see 18 inches.
Now Elsa's vision measures in feet!

I don't know how much detail she can see at a distance 
but I am sure that she recognize things up to 6 feet away.
She got new specs earlier in the year and they helped tremendously.

chowing down on her birthday!

When Elsa was born she never gazed into my eyes 
like a typical newborn.
I would say that of all the stresses of her visual impairment, 
that one hurt me the most.

But this year on the Fourth of July, 
Elsa gazed at the fireworks,
then turned around and deliberately looked into my eyes.

I will never forget that moment.

Watching fireworks could be her favorite new pastime


Since last year, Elsa's eye pressure in her 
left eye continued to increase
putting her at risk for glaucoma.
So earlier in the summer, surgery was done to
 slow the production of fluids
and decrease the pressure.  
She still has to do eye drops
 a few times a day, 
but the surgery was successful.  
We will keep her pressure monitored every 3-4 months
with an exam under anesthesia.

Last month we took Elsa once again to The Children's Hospital
for a surgery to uncross her eyes.  
It is amazing to me the knowledge and 
skill that her doctor has used for the good of Elsa. 
We have to patch Elsa's stronger eye a few hours a day 
to train her weaker eye.  So far the results are pleasing.

So thanks for the continued prayers for Elsa.

She is a strong and curious girl with
not a fear in the world.


Friday, September 23, 2011

getting my act together

I really should be cleaning
or playing with the kids at least
but I'm on my second cup of coffee.
Thinking about what I oughtta be doing.
I have restarted my commitment to the flylady


.FlyLady's FlyToon


She is really bossy some days,
but if you listen, your life gets fixed right up.


Only it works like this for me:
Monday: wash your sheets, dust, vacuum, mop and gather trash


Tuesday: No "big" assignment so usually I think about doing what I was supposed to do on Monday.


Wednesday: Plan menus.
When I actually do this I sit down with a piece of paper...
maybe at the computer.
Stare at the sale ads.
Stare at a pile of coupons or
better yet search for printable coupons online.
Try to download some mysterious coupon printer.
Take apart the printer to see why it isn't connecting to the computer.
Search for recipes that coincide with both a coupon and what's on sale.
Try to figure out if anyone would even eat all the strange things I come up with.


Thursday: Go to the store for groceries.


Remember that Thursday morning is the worst time for shopping since everybody already bought the good stuff and the new truck isn't unloaded yet.
Ditch coupons.
Ditch menus.
Buy 18 cans of sloppy joes.
Buy economy pack of buns.
Forget to buy hamburger.


Friday: Realize I have forgotten to do all of the other stuff I was supposed to do.
Yell at the kids for leaving their shoes all over.
Pick up 17 pairs of my own shoes laying all over.
Sweep up Monday's cheerios off of the kitchen floor.
Decide to wait until next week to mop since it isn't technically the day for that.


Saturday: Family fun day!
Whoo hoooo. don't have to do nothin.


Sunday: Rest.
I know it has been a busy week!!!!













Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Tool for creating a computer junky outta your baby

Here is a fun link 
for your little ones, 
especially those with low vision.


     

There is a quirky sound that
 corresponds with pushing a button 
and the images are high contrast.

zoom in for bigger n better








Monday, September 19, 2011

Monday's Daily Doodle



My Rainbow Babe


Medium:
 Giant black sharpie
 (now in recovery cuz i got distracted and left the lid off)
Soggy plastic box of water colors
(original colors barely identifiable due to enthusiastic preschoolers)






Friday, September 16, 2011

losing myself in the WWW.

It is a bad sign when you are visiting a sight titled: TIME-WASTERS

Then you follow a link.

Thinking you have discovered something marvelous you draw a self-portrait.


And when you go to set up an account so you can save the masterpiece,
it tells you that you already have one.

Must have been in a real zone when I discovered it at some mysterious moment in my own history.

Wonder what I looked like then???




Thursday, September 15, 2011

Growing Corn



This week I had the privilege 
of working on an interesting paint job.

The house had been owned by a local 
family that decided to rebuild.

Instead of demolishing their 
previous farmhouse
they sold it to a nice couple 
just starting out.

The house was moved over 40 miles 
in just a matter of hours.

Amazingly it survived 
the relocation with just a few cracks
in the drywall.

Included in the damage was
a beautiful mural of a cornfield
painted by a local artist in 2000, 
whom had since relocated.

The new family decided to 
keep the mural in the 
nursery for their upcoming
baby girl.

Being Pioneer Seed 
loyalists,
they had the corn grow up
in front of the  
Garst sign and 
around the corner

Before:
The white vertical line is the drywall repair.

After:





On an another wall 
the family chose lime green
to match the nursery bedding
We added some butterfly details.







I had a wonderful time getting 
to know this mamma-to-be,
and wish her and her 
growing family the 
best in their new home.


Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Our hero:

"A father is like a lighthouse

standing tall above the seas.

When the storms of life come crashing in,

the light from your father you'll see."

Author: Dana Roberts Clark

Monday, September 12, 2011

The Baby Shower

Remember a few weeks ago
when I had the privilege of taking belly shots
of this gorgeous girl??






Well from her perspective,
time is inching along.
But for me time is
flying closer and closer to baby!!! 

In order to celebrate
she let me throw her a little
Baby shower luncheon.

Of course, I do not have the brain power
to remember to take pictures of the
actual event
but I had a great time
obsessing over it in preparation!

Pooches & Pick-ups Trucks Spring

This is the fabric
she picked for baby's room.
So i decided to just roll with it!



I decided to make the invites.
Which required a trip to the paper section
of the craft store. 
Wow.
Did you know they have brads
that look like little screws??? 


So after snipping and punching
and attacking the paper
with my handy-dandy sewing machine,
this is how they turned out:


Another fun project we did
was a cute little white felt bunting.
(I say we cuz Milo
was the official white button hunter)



 We hung them across the windows
 in the screen porch.

Using this tutorial 
I made little chocolate kiss containers
and loaded up some old trucks
that Larry had as a kid.




Like a true farm town girl,
I raided a harvested Millet field
for leftovers and added some
trumpet vine flowers from my yard. 

Can you believe that these
quircky little berries were
growing on the vines on my porch?

I looove it when I'm making something
and stumble on what I want
right under my nose!!!

So I added these arrangements
to the windows.





And of course,
being the super cool chick that she is,
miss mama brought a tray full
of these delights for the tables!!






Add in food, some Grandmas, and some great Pals,
and there you have a baby shower.

Now just bring on the little tike!!!!

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Teaching the kids to color on walls.

The other day I thought
(or likely said out loud)
to myself...


"Girl! You have lived here three months and not a drop of paint has splattered across the floor.

Get in gear!
Let's see those bristles bristle,
those rollers roll."

So I obeyed that smart ol' voice in my head
and got out a trusty gallon of black paint.
What?? you don't just have a spare gallon
of black paint laying around???




Slapped it up on the wall.
Followed by a couple of coats of chalkboard paint from my supplier mother.

Then I read...
"allow to cure for 1 week."

Hmmm...
Don't know that I have ever been able to wait a week for anything.
Well maybe for lolly gagging
 babies that refused birth.
But that is another story altogether.


So I did it.
Well I waited 3 days.
Then I figured that since technically
when you have a baby at home each day's length strings out ultra long. So that would be 4. 
And with the heat, 5
and the multiple wind gusts from the kids opening and shutting the door, 6 &7
 It was surely enough time.



Our hero ran to the store and bought us two boxes of chalk and away we drew.




I'm thinking of finishing off 
the entire house with it.

One. Big. Canvas.
















Thursday, September 8, 2011

listening to tunes n bein crafty...

Sewing bunting for Sara's
baby shower...

Listening to this...





Elsa LOVES it.

Hope your having a great day!!

Monday, September 5, 2011

Tips on becoming urban

Town life is sinking into my bones.

The education on being civilized has been interesting to say the least.

So if you are getting ready to shed your rural status and head into the high life here are a few pointers:
  • Starting with the obvious: You cannot pee in your yard in town

  • Grass is as easy to grow as goat-head stickers as long as you have a sprinkler system and a teenager to mow
    • side note: we have killed a few spots, but only to give the rest of the grass warning as to who is in charge around here

    • side note #2-I guess that's what the different bullets mean-butanyways...if you don't follow the tip about peeing, you will end up with yellow spots in the yard.  At least that's what the neighbor said referring to his dogs.

  • You have to park the right direction in front of the house.  Otherwise a police officer will tap on your door and your three year old will yell "the cops are coming!!" which makes you feel like you are more gangsta than you had thought.

  • Do not use the cool orange cones surrounding the missing pavement as sleeves for your tennis game.  It is a possibility that a driver would be distracted by your awesomeness and drive into the hole. 

    • for demonstration purposes:  
Please note illegal parking job. Geez.
        
    • Fortunately there was no traffic the day of the demonstration

  • There are different ways of disposing stuff in town
    • Grass clippings go in a separate can from your trash. Then you shove that grass disposal can in your minivan after it has sat around for a week.  You drive it to the dumping pile on the edge of town.
      • added bonus: a car that smells like fermented grass clippings!!!

    • Gallons of grease from boyscout pig roasting do not go out to the edge of your property for the coyotes.
      • After consulting various city experts, no one really knew what to do with all of that. 


  • If you throw a tantrum at the park on the Fourth of July and your Mom drags you home and you lose your boots in the process, the great ladies at the town hall will return them to your front door in just a few days!
  • Lastly, your move to town allows for quick trips to run errands.  If you wait for that "trip to town" you will become a hermit and have to hire a babysitter and spend a whole day running around!  



  May your journey to becoming civilized be full of wonder
...and God bless the neighbors.