poor smurfy,

Talk about a mental fog. Today is the first day in a long while (as far as I know, snarf) that mine feels relatively lifted. And like my body is my own again, not some drained, feeble, tingling thing. So. Weird. Why all of a sudden, why today. Will it return? What did it all mean. I barely feel like overanalyzing it (for now).

I forgot to mention that the other day I was stuck in a K.Lo closet, the book-nook one, while she cleaned her room (overseeing is sometimes required) and I decided to read the 50 States book. Put together in '96, it listed the Oklahoma City bombings as the worst terrorist act on record and then for NY, there was the WTC, still intact. Aside from that surreality, it was like ah, fact book. I mean obviously it only gives you the bare-bones basics of each state and it's a kids' thing, but at the same time it was kind of nice to present one's brain with a finite amount of information. Like I could go on a webpage and traverse ads and fact after fact after fact, not to mention a million rabbit holes I would surely fall into, as this fact made me think of that fact, and what else could I look up. It's an awesome thing. But then, ah, fact book. So nice and simple. And possibly much more memorable, and therefore meaningful.

Does Lifetime really stream? I must investigate. Bravo does not, so I just assumed I'd be sol for ProRun, just like Top Chef, which is attainable by J.Lo for sure, but it does require reminding and prodding and transferring of files - so labor intensive! is all I'm saying. Not that it's not worth it, for those few elusive but adored shows.

Today was more crafty assistance; I really like this years' decorations. Not that I didn't last year, it's just somehow they're coming together better this year, with less turmoil, and are so bright and almost splashy. A faux marble wall lined with paper torches! An entryway sign shaped like the Parthenon! And things like that.

Here is the type of thing Sophie does. Wii Remote on Back Porch, a still life.

This was from last week on a day when it was wicked hot. I felt very melty that day; so did the dogs. 

The garden snack bar fare. I think the peas will be done soon, but total success for them! Last year we literally had two peapods. This year we had plenty for snacking and enough for a stirfry. Next up, cucumbers and some okra, which I still have to replant after the puppy attack. (Notice the theme here.)

This is how the planterbox looks lately! The morning glories are creeping up a trellis, as well as a hummingbird plant of some sort. Notorious fungus gnats (result of initial overwatering) have been slayed by cinnamon. Also nearby, cilantro has sprouted. 

Lastly, Sophie the rainbow-sword warrior. 

penelope's terrible horrible no good very bad day

A bit hyperbolic for sure, but Saturday did pulse with expectation-fail and decision-regret. Like what was I thinking when, soothingly and cheerily, I was all, I'll stay with the dogs! No problem. And then sent the puppy-whisperer away with the children on their weekend.  I love my puppy, but my whispers do not yet reach her soul. At least the disciplinary ones. That's J.Lo's gift. So it was a day filled with accidents and sharp teeth and bitter tears. In retrospect, I realize two things - 1. it's so wicked cold out that outdoor trips are pleasant for no one; whereas the rest of the week hadn't been nearly so arctic, and 2. my dreams of all I'd get done or not done were way too large. Work? Psssh. Cleaning the kids' rooms? Ha. Also 3. Hormones. Duh. Why do I ever expect that to go well. I should have just had one thing on the list: Puppy. And everything else accomplished would've been cream cheese.

I did watch a fair amount of TV, however interrupted. And this morning I read. And it's been much calmer. Later if I can stand it, I'll go out and procure puppy tags that will make Sophie's collar jangle in an annoying but effective way, so I at least have an idea of where she is.

Oh, also, I took a long-talked-about trip to Goodwill in the next town over and found for $10 two pairs of Old Navy pj pants and a flannel J.Crew shirt that I absolutely adore. The fit, the softness, the color (green w/ white and pink) are a delight. Rural NC, you never cease to surprise me.

Church decoupage project: finished. Easter/Resurrection Garden prep: underway, at least in my mind. J.Lo built a planter box out of pallets (oh Pinterest, you're so magical with your ideas) and Thursday or so I'll go out to procure soil and plants and everything else. Oh, and rocks (to paint? I can't decide), I'll procure  more of those from the yard. Ideas welcome. Saturday is the day.

So now please tell me of your magical adventures with Cath! I want to hear everything. And see pictures. Although maybe you've posted some on FB; must go check.

love YOU,
penelope, not a vehicle or a puppy-whisperer, but still tentatively optimistic about the new day

dear oldsamey,

You're right, I have stopped labeling my posts. I don't like the new interface either - like they have tried to "simplify" it with all the white space and aesthetically I can embrace that, but its simplicity is actually complicated. It's a lie. And, I finally became so fed up with Windows Live writer, with its own impositions on formatting and the inability to add more label-categories, that I uninstalled the whole dumb thing. It was no longer bringing anything extra to the table and in fact was inciting hostility.

Two futures lay before me for the weekend - some travel, which will apparently include snow. Or staying home with puppies, the bigger of whom is ill. And smelly. And making me say things like, "Only my dog." Only Bender, possessing less sense than God gave a turnip (#blessherheart), would continue to seek out with fervor some substance that makes her grossly sick. Anyway. While less exciting, this Plan B alternative would be kind of thrilling, as it would involve a. alone/down time and b. a lot of catching up on TV. I think I'm now three behind on Grey's, one on Downton, one or two on Carrie Diaries? New ProRun. And then (completely ambitious) I still really want to watch P&P with Colin Firth. All in one go.

Or... read. I do heart my latest book in its soothing, magical prose.

Or... some work. Gag-cough. It's not that I'm not grateful for the quasi-abundance of topics in my q, even knowing half will ultimately be tossed (I can sniff out potential problems with editorial approval a mile away), but I'm more and more getting frustrated with freelancing for the time/effort it takes and correlating payment. Like after seeking, sifting, sorting topics, claiming them, figuring out if I can actually do them, writing them, finding pictures, labeling, titling, submitting them and holding my breath on their acceptance, it's like defeat waiting to happen. Granted when that $25 a pop comes through it's a brief but solid thrill, like winning a scratch-off card. Yay. And it's much more awesome to work at home, filling in the gaps of time and not dealing with human coworkers. I get the trade-off. But then. 98% of the topics, when available, are irrelevant, or problematic, or incite great snark. "Activities for Kids on Caffeine?" I think not about pinteresty crafts and lessons regarding chemical makeup and properties of the compound, but rather, Should you really be giving your kid caffeine? Won't it make them hyper and stunt their growth. How would you even reign in their caffeine-riddled energy to do an activity. And every time I see the "Chinese Teething Myths" topic in queue, I want to take a shot. Of hard liquor. Because it's been months now seeing it, and it's been claimed, unclaimed, claimed, unclaimed, and ultimately never written. Because it is a ridiculous topic. Why not just make it "Ancient Chinese Secrets," just as nonsensical and pointless and vague.

I suppose I should engage in something productive now. Like perhaps packing for the weekend, at least the children's things, or finishing my church mod-podge, even though I'm waffling on the overall design (is it cool? does it need something more?) and lamenting my lack of purple paper to fill in the remaining six gaps.

love to you and weeeeeee! enjoy your motorbike ride,
penelaotong

she-nan-i-gans

Admittedly, I thought maybe I could sneak under the blogging radar a bit while you were traversing SE Asia, but no - there you are, hiking stairs and food touring and Facebooking and attracting new friends like a magnet. In all your loveliness. And saying, "Um, friggin' blog already." So here I am.

K.Lo's ear tubes in/adenoids out went well, considering. I mean if we did it all over again with the help of our crystal ball, we would not have had to arrive predawn at the hospital to bargain for a price with a fatted calf. What? Yes anyway - you bargain for a price at 5:45AM in the morning and if you're charming enough you get 30% off the estimated fee and decide you're fine with that. We witnessed K.Lo loopy, gazing at the cloud-covered florescent lights and the curtain walls and saying, "Wouldn't it be great if we lived in a hospital all the time and played hide-and-seek..." which was charmingly slurred when she spoke it. And then they said, "Whoops, have to go back to the other room and wait for x amount of time, we're not really sure how long, because it's too warm in the OR and we can't regulate it.' Which sucked, because she was literally all set to go. And then became very hungry, and very restless, and very whiny. But we all lived, and managed. Stinging ear drops were the most traumatic aspect of the weekend, but cake and birthday presents from Grandma and Grandpa compensated. And then one of the tubes became blocked, and if I had a nickel for every time that school nurse called me by now... it was a sub, and he randomly was all - I looked in her ear, and I think this is the problem - followed by some very specific details. And so we went to the doctor two days earlier than scheduled and it turned out he was exactly right. 

Meantime: drinking too much coffee? Trying to pare back by at least a cup anyway. Five is overdoing it, at least when one's thoughts and heart begin racing excessively. So more tea maybe. But I do love coffee. And hair? Approaching or ensconced in another phase of Awkward, so should I cut again or pin up or... I think I'm going with pins, for now. And silent suffering. I have an end-goal in mind. I did taxes today. It's always a nightmare somehow and makes me feel so. on. edge. but I persevered and am nearly certain they are correct this year and the payback was a good one. 

And the next few days will be a whirlwind of errands for K.Lo's science-center party Saturday and birthday Sunday, and something about a big football game for which we are having friends over? So snacks for that. And art and garden planning, somewhere in the midst. I feel like there are suddenly a lot of events coming up: book club, V-Day, possible movie outing (Beautiful Creatures), possible road trip, cabin camping  in March, anxiously awaiting the fate of the won, and a book-themed baby shower and some other things. Women's Bible Study and retreat weekend and possibly knitting? too many items cycling from hands to air to hands to air and demanding to be caught. But I suppose they'll all land in their place. 

Some random pictures: N.Lo had Western Day at school. I crocheted hearts and hung them on the fireplace. K.Lo at the ear doctor for the bazillionth time. Fearsome medical instruments. One of five shadowboxes displaying Things Removed at said doctor's office in the late 70s, early 80s. Bender hears something. K.Lo's surgery incited a Tooth Fairy visit, as well. My mom does awesome needlework. J.Lo does awesome woodwork. I made doll bedding! two mattresses, pillows and sheets. And N.Lo has a cold, too. 

xo to you, who has much to tell! 

~pen

crafty!

Pressed flowers and ModPodge.

Live Pansy by J.

 

   

I’m totally proud of this wreath!

 

For K.Lo’s preschool teachers and friends.

WinterLand, by M

For my last post before falala land, I leave you with what i did to my office over a few days... had i not actually had to leave, there's no telling how far i would have gone... i was thinking paperchain streamers... dangling ornaments... *sigh*

CraftTime Again, by M

I was walking downtown on trip #1 and it struck me while looking in a store full of odds and ends that we could make lapel pins for the baby shower craft that i was forced to come up with. The perfect thing about this perfect craft is that there's no mess. You just cut pieces from a pattern that you make, sew it together and you're done. The felt is CHEAP. And all in all it was about $40 (for buttons,needles, hoighty sewing thread, and the felt) which should make enough flowers to be about $2 per person. Plus felt was IN in the 40's and 50's. And our shower just happens to be themed in that light- so imagine the inspiration struck and i felt i'd hit internal gold. Good thing i have a mom who likes to make things. She not only made the patterns, but made the samples. And I only looked vaguely sad, and sighed once about the work I had to do and it wasn't but 1second later she was digging into the bag to see what she could do. MOM ROCKS!

IN LEIU of...

Last night i had this weird dream that I was trying to get to the LA Flower Market, and I was biking down there, talking to my cousin on the phone. Then while cutting thru a park I ran into my childhood friend's sister, who didn't recognize me at first, and she finally did and ran up before I left, and said, pray for me because my head is... and she was getting upset, and I nodded like I understood, about how she couldn't quite make quick connections. It took me a while to get out, bcs it was a maze of chainlinked fences, and I kept looking for a bucket, because I was completely unprepared to go to the Flower Market, and finally the girl that was with the sister and her friends, wanted to come with me thru the gate, but I pushed her back and gave her a crayon. Then I was in this beautifully gilted hallway that opened up into alcoves in rooms full of old books- think gold, wood inlay... and it was misting inside the rooms. And I thought all this mist is going to ruin the books, but I thought how odd and beautiful the mist is.... then there were these 2 girls. And I had to knock one unconscious, which I did with the end of an umbrella, a couple times because she kept waking up.... and the other girl and I ran off... onto another portion of the dream. That or my cat marley pawed my face and woke me up.

But what I was really going to blog about was, after 8 years of having plastic underwear drawers I finally freaked out and got a grownup vanity dresser- which I got in the as/is section at IKEA- the stain was this awful driftwood color with grey tones, which apparently they call "antique stain" so I stripped it, took off the hardware, restained it and the laquered it... hardware forth coming. For now, I just like the blank clean look-- and then having looked at the pic, I'm freaked out by the clutter, but there's nothing I can do about that right now. Then I went over to my friend Joanna's- and she had the same style of dresser but in desk form-- and it didn't look as hideous as my dresser.... but now, it beautifully shines. It's good to own a hand sander, stain and laquer, bcs then you can brazenly buy expensive furniture and just say- eh, i'm gonna change it.

cross-section

Nursery: done!

Added: two chocolate brown stripe borders, and the blue bottom half.

Pictured: cross-section of polka-dotted wall by Bug-Bed (where she, knock on wood, now sleeps!); K.Lo selects a video.