Thursday, March 29, 2012

Busy?

It's 2:00 in the afternoon.  A typical afternoon.  What's ahead today?

2:30 pick up twins from middle school. Drive home.

3:30 pick up Drama Girl from middle school, where she has been tutoring, drop Wasabi Girl at gymnastics.  Drive home.

5:00 feed Jungle Boy and Drama Girl early dinner.

6:00 drop off Jungle Boy at ballet.

6:15 drop off Drama Girl at Improv performance.

6:30 pick up Wasabi Girl from gymnastics. Drive home.

7:00 Feed Wasabi Girl dinner.

8:30 pick up Jungle Boy from ballet.  Drive home.

9-ish or whenever she's done and calls me - pick up Drama Girl and drive her home.

Collapse.

I'm looking forward to my husband returning from his business trip.  Not just because I miss him, but because he can help drive.

If I even get one load of laundry in between all these trips I will consider this day a great success.

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Way Back When-esday: Construction

Isn't it great when kids get out their blocks and play together?


So cute and fun. . .until that moment when somebody needed to clean up.


I still remember that day.  They were so proud of the lego/blocks world they created.

Now they're older and they make a different kind of mess with their toys:


The blocks were definitely cuter.  The charging cords just give me a headache.

Way Back Whenesday is hosted by Cheryl at Twinfatuation.

Monday, March 26, 2012

Makes My Monday: Momcation

Next week is Spring Break for all three of my kids.  We've spent weeks discussing what everyone wants to do and where they might want to go over the break.

The consensus?  They all want to stay home and hang out with their friends.  *sigh*  That means mom wouldn't get a break from the driving/laundry/cooking/cleaning chores.

But my wonderful husband came up with his own idea.  He's staying home to play chauffeur to the kids and he's sending me to Quilt Camp!  Yay!!

Every year Empty Spools Seminars offers classes at a beautiful retreat site called Asilomar on the California coast.  I've attended before, but it's been many years.  Quilters travel from all over to attend and I've made some wonderful friendships there.

Imagine six days of beautiful scenery, good food (they bring platters of fresh cookies into the classrooms every few hours to sustain us) an in-depth quilting class, and to top it off, there is even a quilt shop installed on-site at the resort so we can buy even more quilting supplies and fabric.  It's heaven.

I'm so excited.  It works well for me because, being Greek Orthodox, our Easter falls on April 15th this year, so I wont miss any of those preparations.

I'll be taking a machine applique class, which is somewhat uncharted territory for me.  Looks like fun.

"Makes My Monday is hosted by Cheryl at Twinfatuation.  Pop over to her blog and see what's making people smile at the start of the week.

Friday, March 23, 2012

Let the Games Begin!

related [litandlaundry.blogspot.com]
Let the Games Begin!


My kids are all pretty excited for the Hunger Games movie. I'm taking Wasabi Girl and six of her closest friends on Saturday. Drama Girl and Jungle Boy are both going with friends today. Are you planning to see it? Did you read the books?

And yes, this was a real conversation at the breakfast table this morning.  Not sure what to think of  it.

Monday, March 19, 2012

Makes My Monday: Speaking for the Trees

Had a great evening with the whole family last night when we went to see The Lorax.  Here are my kids, 15 and 14 and 14 years old, and we still all love going to see a kiddie movie together.

Back when the kids were very small, I subscribed to a Seuss-of-the-month club and got a new Dr. Seuss book each month for several years.  I treasure all of the memories and the kids remember all of the books well.


The Lorax is one of the more sophisticated stories with a message, but even children can relate to how much the Barbaloots love their trees and how wrong it would be to cut them all down.


The movie is gorgeous and my kids burst out laughing at many of the funny parts.They have pretty sophisticated tastes now, so I consider this high praise for the movie.

It struck me as we were walking out toward the car that although they still enjoy kiddie movies, my three have really grown up.

"I liked the music!"  I said
"I already downloaded it!" chimed in Drama Girl as she started playing it back on her phone.
"Hey!  The Once-ler was Andy from The Office!" said Jungle Boy, also tapping away at his phone as he researched the cast list.

I miss reading them stories at bedtime.  Thanks for all the happy memories, old and new, Dr. Seuss.


Makes My Monday is hosted by Cheryl at Twinfatuation

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Family Drama

Family Drama

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Wordful Wednesday: Life in Oxymoron Land

Sometimes the world makes no sense to me.  Or the sense that it makes just makes me laugh.

Drama Girl reminded me as she ran out the door yesterday - "I'm staying late at school mom, so our Improv Team can rehearse."

Can you really rehearse improv?  I still don't know what she means.

Then there's the family member who actually gets incredibly sleepy, even though he's in a coffee box.  Of course he started to get up as soon as I got out my camera.


But the real double-take happened when I passed by the music stand in the living room.  Does this make sense to anybody?






Wordful Wednesday is hosted by Angie at Seven Clown Circus.

Monday, March 12, 2012

Design Wall Monday: Cookies and Squirrels

Today I have two finished tops up on my design wall.  Three months late, the Christmas themed flannel cookie quilt is all put together: 


It's huge and thick and will be really cozy next Christmas.  I have the backing so this one is ready to be basted by my team of basting elves this week.  (What am I going to do when the kids move out?!?)

The next one is the "Henrietta Whiskers" block of the month by Bunny Hill Designs.


There are still two more long skinny blocks top and bottom, which will have more crows and more wool stars all over.  Then two borders.  This is my $5 quilt.  The local quilt shop sold the first block instructions and fabric for $5.  If we brought it in finished the next month, we got the next block free.  I added and substituted a lot of my own fabrics from my stash, but I'll always think of it as my $5 quilt.

Please excuse the note pinned on the lower left.  I still have notes on some embroidery to add and buttons to add when it's finished.  Forgot to take the note off for the picture.

Design Wall Monday is hosted by Judy Laquidara at Patchwork Times

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Does Everyone Need A Plan?

I worry about my kids and their futures.  Probably no more and no less than any other parent.  Each one is so different in their approach to life.  I guess I compare them to my own journey too much.

I was a planner.  Planned all my high school classes years ahead of time.  Planned how to get into the absolute best college I could.  Planned how to make the most out of my college experience by packing in as many classes as I could.  I worked very hard and yes, I was pretty miserable from the pressure (not all of it self-imposed) on me.

Now I look at Drama Girl and her opposite approach to her education.  She's so relaxed about the whole thing I feel like I have to worry for her.

Then today I took a look at her in her team uniform.  Of all the types of school teams one can be on, I think this one is just rather awesome.  It sums up everything about her.  Creative, spontaneous, wild imagination, and dead smart.

And then I realized. . .she'll do just fine.


Sunday, March 4, 2012

It Helps

related [litandlaundry.blogspot.com]
It Helps

Friday, March 2, 2012

It's not mean if it's funny



Crochet hook:  $2.19
Scraps of yarn: free from stash
Cake keeper: $:12.00



Seeing son run across the room when he spotted what he thought was a piece of cake:  Priceless.


(Free pattern can be found HERE.)

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