Yowsa

Sometimes people in this family put tennis balls in their hollow leg. Quite sprained.

Robot inspiration

Robot in real life

Snip, sewin' away

I haven't quilted for five years now (except for a couple of thank-you gifts). This is huge.

Somewhere in there with my and Ty's cancers, I made a bargain with The Universe: I give up something I enjoy, You leave us alone.

So that really worked out. One spine fusion, one hip surgery, two rounds of chemo, multiple surgeries, two radiation treatments, a hysterectomy and several herniated discs later.....

I decided to do something I love again. I mean life is going to throw at you what it will, it's good to have coping measures. This group of quilters haven't let me slide off into the dark hole I'd been wishing would swallow me up, they never forgot about me. And now I'm back.

It's a mess, but a joyous mess. And except for accidentally snipping a hole in my pants, it's turning out pretty well. Here is my latest Work in Progress:

There will be two-one for Nicole and one for Ellie. That's 197 yoyos each, in case you were wondering.

Also, sometimes we goof off with Photo Booth.



Lastly, I worked a glorious 5 hours in my yard yesterday. One thing about the weather here...you never know how long the sunshine will last until you're safely in July, so get out while the gettin' is good. I'm stiff today, but it's the kind of hurt that feels good, let's you know you're alive rather than making you wish you were dead. And that my friends, feels amazing.

P.S. Could somebody please tell my body that 3 AM is not a decent wake-up time? Also, three hours is not nearly enough sleep.

You Guys

It's nearly been a week. One whole week. I feel human again.

I cleaned like a mad woman today and it felt good. Very good. My aunt saw me down on my hands and knees wiping up dust bunnies (behind the entertainment center, no less--where no one can even see them, I know!) and said, "You must be feeling better."

It's felt like this past week has been holding it's breath, waiting for the pain to come creeping back, but it hasn't. Hallelujah! See also: knock on wood.

The cloud has left my fuzzy brain, and I no longer feel as if everything is moving in slow motion - like the very air is thick as gelatin. In an effort to speed up the purging and rescue my system from the onslaught of medicines, I've taken to drinking Green Smoothies.

I'd heard rumors they were delicious, but come on, there's loads of spinach in there, they couldn't possibly taste anything but offensive. I'm glad to say that was wrong-headed of me. Here's a before and after shot:

I like to cut up half an apple, a fresh strawberry or two, add in some handfuls of spinach, water, a tablespoon of seeds (chia, hemp, or ground flax) and frozen fruit. Blend. Drink.

Drink some more. Feel the green replace the gunk.
***
I sewed this weekend. A lot. And all of it by hand. I'm beginning to think these quilts will get made after all. I love how they're turning out, too bad I accidentally snipped a hole in my sweats.
***
Ellie informed me that tomorrow is her hopping-on-one-foot class where she is practicing her Easter dance and perfecting her game technique (said game involves hopping (of course) on one foot (of course) whilst holding a stick and tossing a golf ball). I don't know about you, but I can't wait for Easter to arrive.

Yo Yo Ma

I am not even going to mention that one topic even once. It is boring both of us.

Anyway, one thing I can do is stitch the snap out of some yo yos. I've made over one hundred and with the ones my girls have made, we're in the neighborhood of 160. Great! Only 240 to go.

One downside to numbness in your finger tips is that you don't feel the needle pricks until you REALLY feel them. Ouch, gives a whole new meaning to the phrase "on pins and needles".

Our camera is kaput. It is at the shop on life support. We will know more about her recovery plan on Monday. I super, super miss her.

Lately, I've felt like putting a smiley face emoticon after every thing I type, I'm counting it as a side effect of the meds. Normally I'd just be sarcastic and expect you to know I meant it in good humor, it's how I deal, peeps.

Do you know that it is almost April? Yes! (dramatic fist pump)

Also lately, I have been playing doctor (no not that kind, although...). Anyways, I have a tens unit (total lifesaver) and a few of my people have had injured lower backs. And do you know, it is a very helpful tool when dealing with pain (FYI no one with a pace maker should use one of these). Just call me Doctor Organic.

Numb-ditty, numb-ditty, numb, numb, numb (Dr. Seuss, represent)

Yesterday was the best day I've had so far since the whole neck/back thing started. I had the least amount of numbness, I mean the same area is still numb, just not as frequently.

So of course I started a project. I have 50 of 400 yoyos completed. I figure the girls will now have something quiet to do while I read to them (actually, it's sort of addicting so it doesn't count as slave labor...no, it's really more of a drug-pushing thing).

And of course today the numbness is trying to come back, and the pain is now on my left side. But hey, I squeezed in all the cutting out for Nicole and Ellie's quilts. Happy Wednesday!

Ellie-ism:

Mom, sometimes I go "puh-beet, puh-beet" so strangers won't know I'm really a special grasshopper.

How To: Experience books

This experience book gets my vote for most awesome Christmas gift! Ty's Communication Intervener, Mark, put this together for us to read with Ty. An experience book is an interactive story that relates something from the reader's experiences. In Ty's case it is also a tactile book.

Almost every page has a detachable item that he can feel to help him remember the original experience. Please to enjoy.

Gingerbread House - Southern Plantation

Here is the last in the gingerbread series. Guess which entry was Nicole's favorite?





This week my kids will be constructing their own gingerbread* creations.

*and by gingerbread I mean graham cracker. What candies/supplies do you use?

How to: Snowflakes

Every year in December we print out a slew of snowflakes from The Quack Shack and sit around the kitchen table, all of us snipping away while Mr. O reads to us. Just click on the links, scroll to each snowflake, click on the thumbnail and print. Then fold them on the lines in the order labeled. Before you know it, you'll have your own blizzard.

And then we sip our own home-brewed Hot Chocolate (which is really Alton Brown's recipe with a few tweaks - the addition of Sucanat being one).

Do you snowflake? If you do, please leave a link in the comments.

Gingerbread House - Notre Dame

Another impressive entry at the local BSA Gingerbread Festival















Coming up soon - our own gingerbread/graham cracker house creations.

How are you this fine Wash Day Monday?

How To: Gingerbread Roof

I attended the local Gingerbread Festival with my daughter's class. I have so many pictures, I thought I'd break it into a couple of posts. First up, roofing materials. Check out all the creative uses of candy for roofing materials. As per usual, click to biggify.



My favorite is the Big Red Gum roof. Which is yours and do you make gingerbread houses?

Don't forget to enter to win a free custom apron of your choice from Aprons by Amy. Winner drawn tomorrow. Please spread the word.

Fireside Sweater

Here is the sweater I've decided to knit for myself. It will be perfect for sipping a steamy cup of Chai Rooibos tea or hot cocoa. And for sitting by the fire. And for reading a book with Ellie snuggled on my lap. And for....

What do you know, this is a dang multi-purpose sweater. I must make it. I'm just not sure what color. Suggestions?

P.S. I will be rearranging labels here, forgive me if it clutters up your Reader (I don't think it will, but one never knows).

'Tis the season

Finally, a little blustery weather to bring out the baker in me. Not that I'm glad about fall finally coming, but there's nothing like baked goods to cozy up a home.

I've been experimenting with a friend's whole wheat pumpkin muffin recipe, using kamut flour instead. It makes for a rather spongy muffin, so I'm not quite satisfied with the results - must tweak some more. My poor family. At least there's chocolate in every batch so they're not complaining too loudly.

I'm hoping to add back in some bread-making and Scottish oats for breakfast in the mornings, maybe some home-made yogurt for smoothies. And to finally find the perfect home-made hot cocoa recipe.

***
Last weekend I visited my Grandma B and she showed me a quilting project her mother had worked on. She asked if I would finish it. It's a 1940's sunflower quilt on a black background, and I think it's just the thing to get me back into quilting.

So, tell me - What does this colder weather bring out in you?

Face!

So apparently Ty sprayed me with one of his atomic sneezes and he's pretty sick (sick enough I almost called in the paramedics - his lips went completely blue during one of his coughing fits). And that means, you guessed it, I'm sick too.

Could I just have a new face? Mine hurts. And that is after all the homeopathic doctoring. I can't imagine how lousy I'd feel without it. On the upside, my throat is so raw I don't want to eat a thing and that's half the battle.

Speaking of battles, I've given up soda - for the bajillionth time. At least until Christmas. Some friends and I have made a goal to lose 20 pounds by December 25th. I think it's a reasonable, obtainable goal. Anyone else want to join in?

I'll be implementing my Three Bites rule again. You know instead of the Entire Bag/Plate/Pan rule.

This weekend I've been watching and listening to Conference while working on this service project our quilt group is doing. Everyone sewed blocks, someone sewed them together, then quilted it and I put the binding on. It's for Quilts of Valor which donates quilts to soldiers who've been injured. I can't think of a better way for me to get back into quilting. How was your weekend?

Minchatas and Gang Signs

Ellie had a "minchata" for her birthday (thank you grandma and grandpa). What? You don't do those? But it's so fun to whack at them and then make a mad scramble once all the candy comes pouring out.

Every morning the light bounces off the hall mirror and makes these streak of rainbows on the floor. Ellie loves to lie down in them and slowly turn her head while looking down, "Oh mom! Everything is blue, is purple!" I am pretty sure she will not go blind doing this.

"Mom, I'm doing the plus, plus equal signs." (mathematician gang signs, yo!)

Also, girls play with train tracks differently than boys do. Who knew?

And lastly, a bambino project I recently finished.

And further lastly, Ty has been sick this weekend. I doctored him with some oils and presto! no fever today. Coincidence? I will keep testing with my apothecary cabinet and get back to you.

Most lastly, I experimented on myself. I have some notes that say to take 2 drops each of lavender, peppermint and lemon oils under your tongue for allergy relief. I was pretty sure it wouldn't work, because I am a skeptic and all that. But! I am not sneezing and my nose has quit running like a faucet. Huh.

Done!

I know, I know you all wish you were having baby boys right now AND that I was your BFF.

This yarn is hard to work with, but it's all organic. In fact, it grows this color and no dyes are used in processing it. So perfect for a baby.

Make-Up Monday

Ellie came tearing into the house in full high-pitched wail. You know, the kind where you can't catch your breath because the owie hurts so bad. Her sister came running in after her so I asked what happened.

A rock fell on her head.

Fell on her head?

Well, I was sort of looking at it and it sort of dropped on her.

By now a nice sized goose egg was forming smack dab in the middle of Ellie's forehead. I tell ya, you gotta look out for rocks. Rocks is dangerous. Thank goodness for Dora bandaids, they make everything better. (She now has a bruise the size of a quarter).


Remember that trip to the mountains I took? The one with friends? They all worked on their quilting projects, but since I'm on a break with quilting I took some knitting instead.

These are some fun slouchy socks that I'm trying to figure out as I go.

Cute alert: an owl hat for my niece

Perfect to go with an owl dress

Oh look, a sweater I meant to finish making up for a baby boy LAST fall. Oops. Too bad there are no little baby boys on the way.

And my mom's Christmas (yes, last Christmas - but now her birthday) scarf is finished.

It's my first experience making lace. Was fun. What are you making up these days?

Crafty Birthday Surprises

Every Labor Day Mr. O's sister and daughters come up for a visit (and for Swiss Days). Both of them enjoy quilting and each brought a birthday surprise for Ellie. The first is a sweet little purse just right for holding her tissues and a Lipsmackers.

The fabric is from Japan.

This is a little book she takes to church.

It comes complete with crayons, paper and a pocket to keep her drawings.

The owl fabric is also Japanese. Isn't Ellie lucky to have such talented, generous people in her life? The gifts have been a big hit with her. Thanks aunties!