What My Mother Doesn't Know

With a title like that you would think I have some juicy confession, but no. I am way to boring for anything like that. What my mother doesn't know is that she has started an epidemic over here in our little corner of PA. A birdie sling epidemic.

I am quite sure when she sent me the purse pattern, she had no idea that it would spread, multiply and and replenish the earth so fast. It has been just over six weeks since I stitched the last little button on my bag, and today I can count eleven birdie slings made since then, and three more under construction, and several more in the planning stages. We are talking epidemic proportions!

I am thinking Amy Butler (the designer of the bag) should send my mom some commission, for helping spread the birdie sling infection!

Here are just five of the slings. It is really fun for me to see the different fabrics and colors that everyone is coming up with. It really is the best kind of epidemic to have!

For funsies, let take a running total of these girl's sling production:
Me, I have made two, one as a gift
Elise, has made three, with two more cut out (she is slightly crazy)
Gina, has made two, and someone who saw her bag is paying her $75 to make one for them,
Melanie, has made one and is making another
Amy, to my knowledge, this is her only one (so far)
and several other s not pictured have made and are making some.

I'd Like a Pink Parasol

It must be spring since it has been about a month since I posted. Busy month. Lotsa happening. Let's just take it one thing at a time.

There are few things that I can actually rate as the best or worst of all time, without doubt, hesitation, or the feeling that I am being overly dramatic. Claire's fifth birthday is one of those times. In her five short years, with five loud birthday celebrations, this birthday was the worst birthday she has had. No competition. No question.

For starters, it was only our small family in attendance. That in and of itself isn't bad, but she has always had friends come to her birthday parties, so all through our simple celebration she kept saying, "I don't like this party. Where are all the kids?"

We decided not to have a kid party this year because we were out of town up until the day before her birthday, which was actually on Easter Sunday, but we, being goodly parents, lied and told her her birthday wasn't until Monday because we weren't ready for it on Sunday. I feel no shame. So Monday, at four o'clock, I finally went to buy Claire some birthday presents. At 5:30 I put her cake in the oven and ate dinner. At 6:00, whilst the cake was a coolin', we get a call from our realtor asking if we could show our house in an hour (panic). So we hurriedly and harriedly cleaned our house and got the heck outta there, leaving the cake unfrosted, and the presents unwrapped. We went to get some ice cream, got creeped out by the ice-cream guy, came home at 8:00 and smeared a slab of frosting on a corner of the cake, put candles on, and Cody wrapped the gifts like he was a blind man with an aversion to tree-huggers.


And it turned out just fine (lame-o, but fine). After eating cake and opening presents, she finally admitted that she was five, and I could tell she had a good time. But still, worst birthday in her short little life.

(she asked for an umbrella for her b-day)

(an easter pic of our happy little girl)

We love her so much and never get tired of her silly imagination, we do get somewhat tired of her excessive drama (I don't know where she gets it), and her feet are starting to look like grown up feet (that makes me kinda sad). I am mostly struck by how fast she is growing into a little girl. Lovely.

Dabbling

For my birthday, my mom sent me a pretty bird sling purse pattern, as well as all the material to make it. It was a perfect gift- it let me use my creative side, trying and learning something new, and it is really cute and useful.

I have had people stop me at the grocery store and Rite-Aid, to compliment my bag. This may be a common occurrence with you guys, but I am not much of a purse person, and am always carrying around something blah. But not anymore. And it has set my blood bubbling for more bags; I want more! Thanks, mom!

Friday Night Treat

This recipe is on the back of the Reese's peanut butter chip package, and it is a little slice of heaven. Not really a slice, since its a cookie, so I will say a heaping teaspoonful of heaven. I took them to my friend who was in the hospital after having her fourth little girl (rock on!) and she later texted me that they were the best cookies she had ever tasted. These cookies are good, but it probably helped that she had been eating hospital food for two straight days. Try them. You'll thank Reese's.

Heavy Lead Apron

This is kinda a weird post. It's kinda a ranting and raving kinda post, that uses the psuedo-word 'kinda' multiple times in it's opening paragraph. The rant is about me, in case you are worried I was going to rant about you, or skinny jeans. I need to lay this out on the table, because it has been bothering me for a long time (so have skinny jeans, but I promise this post isn't about that).

Judgmental people are annoying.

I am judgmental.

I tend to have way to many opinions that really don't need to be shared, but that I let slip out anyways, and cast my heavy lead apron (you know, like at the dentist office; I love the way those feel) of judgment over anyone who happens to be standing near me.

The problem with being judgmental is
A.) I don't know everything. (shocking, I know)
B.) Some things that I thought I knew the what-what about come back to bite me in the butt (like how I use to view moms that had screaming kids in the grocery store; i take that one back, way back).
C.) It is okay for people to view things different than me. If you want to get engaged after a week of knowing a guy- fine. That's your choice. You don't need me spouting my opinion off because it's none of my business.
D.) Listening to people be judgmental hurts everyone involved. Even if you aren't the one they are being judgmental about, you start to think of the things that this person probably judges you about when you aren't around.

This is how I think; this is what keeps weighing on my mind. Why can't I shut my mouth and be more respectful? So narrow-minded, so snotty. I don't want to be this way. There isn't much greater torture to me than knowing I have hurt some one's feelings. I have already made one teary-eyed phone call begging for forgiveness this year, I don't want to have to do that anymore. It must stop. Because I really don't like judgmental people.

Circle of Life

Shane called. He asked if he could speak to Claire. This is how the conversation went from Claire's side.

"Hi, Shane. . . . watching TV. . . .okay. . . okay. . . . okay. . . . .okay. . . . yes. . . . okay. . . . okay. . . okay. . . um. . . okay. . . I want to go watch TV now. . . okay. . . okay . . . okay. . . okay. . . okay. . .see you later, bye."

Again, Cody wasn't happy, Claire is more interested in the tube, and I am left reminiscing about the first time a boy called me. Kyle Isaat in the third grade. He called me and yet I was the one who got in trouble, by my dad. The circle of life.

The Master

My dad is an incredible artist. I have known that my whole life, since we had some of his artwork on display in our house. But he has really taken the last 30 years off from painting and drawing. He recently started devoting time to doing the art projects that he has been brain-storming, collecting, and planning for my entire life. He hasn't lose a touch of his genius. When I saw them for the first time, I was blown away at how good he is. His favorite medium is charcoal and he loves to draw people with interesting faces (i.e. wrinkles). I give to you his masterpieces.

This one has been hanging in our house for as long as I can remember.

This one was done years ago and then folded and stored in our basement forever.

This is one he recently completed. It is my favorite.

This is also a recent one.


This is a recent one, though he has been planning this one for a long, long time.
And he is still going, most recently completing this one: