New Fabric and Ned

Bear's Paw was having a sale today, so I went and bought some fabric for different projects coming up.  I bought two patterns and a book also.  I took pictures of my last two fabric purchases, including Houston.  They had the buttons like the one I lost in Houston, I did not buy another one.  They have a lot of projects involving wool felt.  I think wool felt projects are homey.  Speaking of wool, where is Chummi Bear???

Tuesday I made a quilt titled "Doggy Heaven", lots of balls, chowchows, sun, grass and water.   It is very hard to get the photos to line up, on top of them not being great, really frustrates me. 

We are dog sitting Sarah, Hoover's sister.  No matter how much I watch out, she always manages to roll in deer poo.  Today was mainly mud, fortunately, but she stinks! 

Ned is the only one home right now and he has been watching a tv show about finding/tracking different creatures around the world.  Coming down the stairs I have discovered a trail of M&M's evenly spaced about every 4 feet.  Now the only thing he is going to catch is a grumpy mom or a stinky labrador.  Of course, he has no idea how they got there.  Ned in general is a strewer.   This room he  has strewn nerf darts.  In the kitchen he has strewn a science project involving corks, matches and water.  The living room has had a bomb detonated in it, that is the only way to explain the mess.  He is now upstairs making "things" out of duct tape, little pieces are strewn everywhere.  He leaves a trail that is easy to track.  I am really glad he entertains himself, but he is bottled chaos (pronounced chowse).

Happy New Year!  May the year be filled with family, friends, good books, beautiful fabrics, yummy food and good health.

My Fine Furry Friend

April 1996-December 2010

This morning I took Riley to the vet to be be put to sleep.  It was incredibly heartbreaking.  To make matters worse,  he was having a good day - up without help and eating.  He received the "the needle of oblivion" and even though it was the right thing to do, I feel terrible.  I miss him.  I hope he is chasing tennis balls in a big warm field with his best dog friend Bo.

I know Riley loved me, but this poem is good. I hope I post it correctly. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hvqipvqn8zE&feature=player_detailpage

The kids and I went to a movie that was disappointing.  Gulliver's Travels was not good and I had hoped it would be.  The same old Jack Black role and formulaic plot.  The kids liked it at least. 

I am reading "the Historian", which is good.  It has been on my list and Maddy gave me a copy for Christmas.  After I finish that I will read "Copper Sun" by Sharon M. Draper.   The seventh grade will be starting a unit on slavery and that is the reading.  It won the Coretta Scott  King Award and is supposed to be quite intense.  I want to be able to discuss it with Ellen, she is squeamish.   

I am going up to my sewing room to putter and think about cute Riley.

Christmas

There are many events that signal the start of the Christmas season, but here is the list of my favorite happenings.

1. Advent calendars and books.  The tree going up.
2. The Redeemer Pageant.  I love watching the kids sing the carols and do the nativity play.  I have been to probably 10-12 of them.
3. The McDonogh lower school's Peace & Light choral concert.  This was my 10th performance to attend.  It drags on a bit sometimes, but the songs are beautiful.  The kids are all in their dress clothes and look so happy.   This year's stage was especially pretty.  I should have taken a picture.
4. The kids and I have a Christmas Eve party every year.  It is always fun!  I always have a big ham, it is a big hit.  We then use the ham for Christmas morning to have Eggs Goldenrod.  I hide the pickle ornament and the finder gets a present.  We generally have approx. 20 kids running around.  An elf brings each of them a present.  It ends with the "Night Before Christmas" being read and reindeer food being tossed out in the driveway. 

This year I am making ice lanterns again.  Last year I wasn't organized.  The year before was a bust, because we had a heat wave and wind.  This year will be my year.  It sounds fancy, but I just make ice in containers and put a votive inside.  Teri said bundt pans, because the votives sit lower in the center.

My December quilt has been up, I just haven't posted a picture. It is felt this time, I used the leftovers from a preschool project.  I think I am going to finally buy a good camera, every picture I add stinks.  This was the last quilt of 2010!

The kids and I went to the school holiday bazaar.  I gave each of the wild ones $10 to spend as they wanted, Mom did no censoring.  It is interesting to see what they do with it.  Ian did the games.  Ellen bought a bracelet.  Ned bought candy, bake sale goodies and pop.  He had a spectacular melt-down at the end of the day and put himself to bed at 4:30. 

Last night I finished a good book.  I had seen it in the bookstore for the last couple years, but never picked it up.  I thought it was going to be another "Marley and Me", a cute but trite, smarmy book. My friend told me I should read "The Art of Racing in the Rain"  and it was excellent.  It is the story of a family told from the dog's perspective.  The main character is from Spangle, WA.  My dad's family is from Spangle.  When we go to Washington we stay in Spangle.  The story really takes in Seattle, but Spangle is mentioned several times.  The book has some dark turns, but is written well.  I enjoyed it very much. I am now reading "A Mennonite in a Little Black Dress".  It is a memoir and actually "laugh-out-loud" funny.  I actually despise saying LOL, next time I will use a better adjective.  Lately, books say they are funny, but I don't really find myself laughing.  This book is making me laugh. I never know if memoirs really are true, they keep having their veracity questioned.  The last memoir I read was excellent, but made me sad that it was true.    

Trails and Trials

One evening this week I did not do any inquiry of what homework Ellen might have.  It is a long drawn out process and sometimes I am just too tired.  The conversations go something like this.
Me, do you  have homework?
Ellen, yes.
Me, what is it?
Ellen, I don't know.
Me, how can you not know?
Ellen, I wrote it down, but didn't look at it.
Me, was it something you discussed in class.
Ellen, yes.
Me, so what did you talk about in class.
Ellen, I don't know.

Tuesday I did not ask, but Wednesday morning I asked if it was completed.
Ellen, yes.
Me, what was it.
Ellen, english.
Me, what did you have to do?
Ellen, research.
Me (with ever mounting irritation), research on WHAT?
Ellen, it was snopes, no slopes, no, the scopes monkey trail!
Me, the scopes monkey trail?  How did that go for you?
Ellen, there was nothing on the internet about it.
Me, so what was it about?
Ellen (with a long pause), land?
Me, you didn't really do your homework did you?  The reason you couldn't find anything is because it is the Scopes Monkey TRIAL not TRAIL.

Ellen was saved by the arrival of the school bus.  I having been laughing over it for days, even if it exasperating.

She also told me she swam three heaps in her swim meet. 

A Dirigible, an Old Dog and Many Small Messes

On Thursday mornings I have early morning carpool duty, up until today I was fine.  Today I could not get warm, so I decided to buy a new coat.  Now don't get me wrong, it isn't like I don't buy new things, I just usually spontaneously buy things.  I went to the mall with a purpose, I wanted a big, fat, puffy floor length, wrapped in a black cocoon coat - Neo on steroids.   I tried them on and on and on and on, but I couldn't purchase one.  I felt like a dirigible.  I did buy a short puffy coat, so I am 1/2 a dirigible - a dirg. Teri will appreciate the fact I have been wearing a coat from 1989 that was bought at the Bon Marche.

It is so cold and poor old Riley is failing.  I have to open and close the door as he confusedly goes in and out.  I have to help him stand up, so I wish he would lounge around.  He has been having accidents and is so thin and bony.  I told the kids to find a big spot in their hearts to hold him in case I have to take him to the vet while they are at school.  I am not ready for him to be gone, so I will keep limping him along.  He and I have been through many things together.

Every room in the house houses a mess.  The dining room table is filled with presents to be organized, mailed or delivered.  The kids each have a charity family to contribute to, so we are working on that.  The living room is partially decorated and needs to have the decoration boxes put away.  The computer room is filled with unfolded laundry - typical actually.  My sewing room and kitchen counters are filled with Christmas craft stuff from the preschool.  I have been cutting out trees with my little die cut machine, nothing major I have just strewn stuff everywhere.  I got excited and used my beadazzler - whoohoo. 

I have been reading the most boring book ever.  Remember when I told myself that I didn't have to finish books?  I can't seem to listen.  This book will go onto the Read and Vomit list.  It is so bad I can't even remember the name.  It is something with the word "ending", which made me think the series was ending.  One more book comes out next year, I know I am weak and will slog through that one as well.  Stephen Donaldson, the author, uses the word puissant at least once a page in every one of his books. 

Ian and I are coming down with colds and feel like crud.  It will be an early evening hopefully. 

I have the idea for my December quilt, the final episode of 2010.  I have made 39 Christmas trees - actually 40, with home and school craft projects.  That was the hint, pretty subtle huh!!