sewing day

Another fun day of sewing yesterday! This time we had two sewing machines, so we were both able to work on our projects at the same time. Charis made a beautiful pink dress for her little girl, using a pattern from 1965. The collar is so cute (sorry no picture, but we may enlarge the pattern so I can make Aubie one)! This is what I made. I have been wanting to make a skirt for Aubie with this pattern for a while, but I just never seemed to get around to it. We improvised on the pattern a bit and came up with much better results from what it would have been. It really helps when you have Super Seamstress guiding your steps : ) (I am sure she would not want to be called this, but she is.) We are planning on doing this once a month. I am so glad to know that I will get one day to sew each month at least.

maya and miguel

Yesterday, Aubie and I were watching PBS. As soon as Maya and Miguel came on, she said, "Dat's like you and like Daddy." And as I looked at them I started thinking they kinda do look like caricatures of us. If my eyes were brown, that would be me as a cartoon. Then today she said it again, "Dat's you and Daddy." I'm glad my sweet girl thinks her Mommy and Daddy are so cute. : )

didaweeda

I hope this story doesn't gross anyone out, but I have to tell everyone how funny my girl is. Tuesday night, my boss called me and asked me if I could work on Wednesday. Since I missed both days last week, I thought an extra day would help out some. But an hour later, I was changing Aubie's diaper and discovered what I thought to be the "preschool virus" (that's what everyone's been calling it). I said, "Oh no, Aubie, you have _______" (won't say the name lest it make someone a bit nauseated). So, I called my boss back to tell her that there was a chance I may not be able to work on Wednesday. As I was dialing the numbers, Aubie starts to sing a little song, "Didaweeda, Didaweeda." So instead of giving a professional I-may-not-be-able-to-work-tomorrow to my boss, I end up giggling into the phone. I had to tell her about the song, or she would have thought that I was just trying to get out of work. So the whole time I was talking, "Didaweeda, Didaweeda" kept playing loudly in the background. I finally had to say, "Aubie, please stop!" because I was laughing so hard. Oh, but she was ok. She just had a mini version I think, because the next day she was fine : )

a picture of Aubie and her Aunt Leah, who started her writing career at a young age sounding very much like her funny niece. Let's just hope Aubie's lyrics progress as well as Leah's have.

dead rabbits

For those of you wondering what the actual story is on pregancy killing rabbits, here is a link:The Rabbit Died
The only dead rabbit pictures I could find were disgusting, so yes, this is original artwork ; ) The inspiration behind this piece is the very good news that I have just gotten. Thus the happy colors despite the dark subject matter. What I want people to get when looking at this is a sort of happy, melancholy feeling. A knowing that the rabbit gave up his life for another's happiness.

Aubie's take on things

Aubie~"What dis, Mommy?"
Me~"I'ts a pregnancy test--which means in about 9 months you'll have a baby brother or a baby sister."
Aubie~"No. I want a baby."

This morning she said, "Mommy, I want two babies."

guess

Hi. Well, it's been a long time, but a lot has been going on. I am still sad, but it usually doesn't hit me until the evening, when there's nothing to think about but washing dishes. But since Saturday afternoon, I have had a little something else to thing about. Something that's around a fifth of an inch long (no, we don't have silverfish). Something that could kill a rabbit (thank goodness they don't do it that way anymore!) and completely change a life. Should I tell you? or would you like to guess? I'll tell you later on today, but I'll give some folks a chance to think about it first : )

Heaven

How do you tell a two year old that someone who has become such a part of her life will no longer be around? I told Aubie that I really needed to tell her something. I said, "Aubie, Mimi went to Heaven" and she said, "hebb'n?" I said, "Yes, Mimi went to Heaven. So, we won't see her around here anymore. We won't see her again until we go to Heaven." And she said, "Ok, Mommy" as though I had just told her to quit jumping on the furniture. She knew it was something serious, but it didn't really make sense. But I understand, in a way. It really hasn't sunk in yet. I know I saw her lying there--she died at a few minutes till 6:00--but it hasn't really hit me completely. Just in waves. I think of one more thing that I'll miss about her, and it makes me cry all over again. I feel like the hardest times are coming, though. Like when I'll go to the Forsyth Rd. Kroger, and it will just be groceries for me and David and Aubie. Or driving home from school and Aubie will say, "I wan' go see Mimi." Things like that are what I'm dreading. Thank you for your prayers, we really appreciate them.

Mimi news...

Well, I just talked to Mom and she said the nurse told her that they turned the ventilator down from 100% to 70% and Mimi was not really able to breath so they turned it back up to 100%. This is not in accordance with her living will. What I gathered from what Mom told me is that Mimi stated no breathing support and no IVs after 48 hours (I may a bit off with the details here). So unless God does a miracle, it won't be very long.


Its so awful to see my beautiful, fashionable grandmother lying there covered in all these horrible tubes. Again, just keep praying for strength for our family. This is such a sad, sad time.

Mimi and Aubie, September 2004

Pray for Mimi

Hey. Normally I post really lighthearted, or at least not-serious things, but today I have sad news. My mom's mom had a heart attack yesterday and is unconcious in ICU. She is not doing well at all, and is not expected to get better. We are all quite sad right now. Please pray for a miraculous recovery for her and for strength for our family.
Thanks.

lunch and thrifting, fun, fun, fun!

What a fun day. You can tell by the hats where we went :) Daniel cracked me up putting on his crown and he did a great job eating his chicken! Renee was very happy. Before we ate, Jill played with a little girl named Alicia, who found an old Wendy's bag (why it was there, I have no idea!) and began stuffing it with woodshavings. After she left, Aubie and Jill took over the task together. I overheard the word "gold" once or twice. And sure enough, when I told Aubie it was time to go (and time to throw the bag away, PLEASE), she began crying and saying, "I wan' play wi' my gold!"
So, our little pirates had been stuffing a leather bag full of gold and planning to bury it where no one could find it when, alas, the Evil Mommies told them it be time to depart and set forth to Goodwill (all the while hoping to find treasure of our own!)

the black lip fairy

I thought it was the SD card that we had--that the fact that it had teeth marks in it. But no. I have a new SD card, and already there are 2 black lip pictures and we just got this one for Christmas. What in the world? I have come to the conclusion that it is a black lip fairy. The fairy that regulates your lip picutures...
It really is true. She messes up good pictures all the time.--10/09/08

i wish it could be Christmas all year long...

especially when I get fun things like this:

My friend Lyndsay gave them to me in my Christmas gift. The "Fashion Styled Button" was one of many--two more in that style only different colors and then several other in different shapes and sizes. She and I both have a thing for sewing notions (buttons, thread, pins, etc.), but especially vintage ones. I am so thrilled that she passed these on to me.

I'm afraid I'm copying : ( but I can't help it, I love how Heather Bailey always posts all these cool pictures of vintage things that she found at antique shops or that friends gave her. My pics will never be as awesome as hers; for one thing, I haven't gotten enough into photoshop (by the way, I got it for Christmas--Thanks, Aunt Marilyn!) to figure out how to put my name on my photos yet. But to use a bit of logic from Anne of Green Gables--"Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery." : )

gum chewin'

Woohoo! Aubie chewed her first piece of gum today without swallowing! I am so excited. I kept giving in to her begging for a piece of gum and I'd give her a little piece and of course she'd swallow it. But today, I was like, ok. Last time. And she is still chewing it! This puts her into big girl status, I think. Only big girls can chew gum (or so I kept telling her). I just don't want her to chew it too much though. I can't be havin' a Charlie and the Chocolate Factory child.

old news, new post

Hey, for those that look at the wardrobe refashion website, just wanted to let you know I finally posted something new. Poor Nichola has been the only one posting lately, it seems. It's just pictures of our Addams family costumes, but I haven't posted on there in MONTHS, and I'm ready to get back in the refashioning business, I think. It really is a lot of fun. Especially costumes. But unless I want to be labeled a freak, I had better stick to refashioning regular clothing, like jeans and such. I just don't thinkMorticia would look quite right walking through Walmart. Not to mention how stinkin' hard it would be just to get from the parking lot to the door.

instant washington d.c.

Can't you just see it? Some folks sitting in an office, trying to come up with their next souvenier pitch. "Hmmm. What about Washington D.C. recipe cards?" "No." "Pincushions! Everybody loves pincushions!" "NO." "What about..." "NO. Hey, remember a few years back, when we did that Instant Washington? The Evergreen State in a capsule?" "Yeah, yeah..." "Well, what if we..." "Put Washinton D.C. in a capsule?" "Yeah." "yeah." "I think it just might work!"
Well, poor dears didn't figure on none of the shapes looking like what they were supposed to be, did they? Little lumps of foam. That's all they are. The We're-number-one finger shape is actually supposed to be Washington's head and his monument combined. My favorite part is, "Watch the Nation's Capitol Appear!" As though dropping these in some hot water is going to be like the Wardrobe to Narnia or something.

walk

There may be some posts with no pictures coming up. I know that I always try to have something, but Aubie's been saying some really funny things, and I don't want to not get it on here, just because I don't have a picture that relates.
Ok, here's one. I told Aubie I was gonna go hop in the shower, and she said, "Not hop in showa, Walk." In a tone implying slow walking. Very slow walking. Maybe she'll make a good teacher one day. A musical teacher-y princess-y chef. Yeah, that's it.

incentive

Have you been feeling a bit low now that the holidays are over? Could you use a little pick-me-up? Like a visit to a beautiful green land far, far away? Well, I don't have the money to send you anywhere, sorry, but for five cents at one of my favorite thrift stores you can get this: That's right, the Evergreen State in a capsule. Instant Washington. Now you don't even have to leave the house. You can just put a few of these little beauties in your bath water and poof! you're there.

Actually, I bought these to use as bribes. I've been having trouble getting Aubie to take her bath lately, and after buying her one packet, I saw how much she loved them (who doesn't love foam capsules?). I realized that this could be just the thing. She made me laugh when I was explaining this to her as we were walking through the store, because she kept asking me to buy some and I said that I was buying some because they were good incentive. And she said, "insinib?" She didn't quite understand my explanation as to what it was, but then, I didn't really want her to. If she catches on, I don't know how I'll get her in the tub.

mysterious and spooky

Happy New Year! I hope it has gone well for you so far. Ooooh. You don't think starting the year off dressed as Gomez and Morticia means this year will be "all together ooky", do you? If so, next year I'll be Mother Teresa or something.
We had so much fun at the 2nd Annual New Year Masqerade. We took a few minutes to guess who everyone was and then played Guesstures, Invisible Football (more on my game than last time, but that wig had squeezed me into a pretty bad headache--let's see if next time I play better. After that game, I will quit making excuses, I promise ; ) ), and 80's Trivial Pursuit. Some questions make you feel old! but some of them made me feel quite young (very nice feeling as one is approaching 31 *shudder*).

Oh, and about the costumes (this will be 3 crafty posts in only a week--woohoo!), yes, I did make them. Well, refashioned them, to be exact. My dress was this awesome wear-on-your-night-out-on-a-cruiseship-in-the-seventies dress. And David's suit (I am guessing) was a little old man's only black suit that he everowned (there were little-old-man toothbrushes in the pocket--I didn't find them till after it was washed, thank goodness) with different color thread here and there to repair certain seams that had started coming apart. But after a little time with my good friend the seam ripper and my aquaintance the sewing machine, a Morticia dress was created (and necessary seams were back together in David's suit). After just a bit more time spent with a white paint pen, David had a Gomez pin stripe suit. I love refasioning thrift store clothing into costumes. If there were a job that fit that description, I would definitely apply : )