I'd pretty much stopped making jewelry for a while, but the itch is back. I'm going to give Etsy a try. First I have to get some pictures taken, which is always a challenge (for me) with sterling and with the very little bit of sunlight we get at this time of year. Anybody have any tips for me?

Speaking of pictures...when reading about scrumbling a couple of weeks ago I somehow ended up at this blog and saw this picture.



Oh. My. God.

I'm happy to say that my very own copy of Crochet Workshop by James Walters (the fabulous man himself!) arrived in today's mail. Makes me want to grab some balloons and do my own happy dance.

I love the felted mamas at Lactation Nation. I think this one wants to come live with me.

I've been tagged by a weirdo. I mean tagged to tell six weird things about me :o).

Here's the scoop: Each person who gets tagged needs to write a blog post of their own 6 weird things as well as clearly state this rule. After you state your 6 weird things, you need to choose 6 people to be tagged and list their names. Don't forget to leave a comment that says "you're tagged" in their comments and tell them to read your blog for information as to what it means.

1. I have a double uvula.
2. I hear everything that's being said in a room where a bunch of conversations are going on.
3. I have an extra piece of skin on my ear.
4. I married Jon.
5. I'm tongue-tied.
6. I love picking fuzzies out from between babies' toes.

I'm tagging Dagny, Ms. Muddpie, Jenny, Danielle, Joanne, and Crystal.

It is (finally!) cold here. Rowan is desperately awaiting some snow. She built us a beautiful fire last night, and is very happy because she seems to have inherited Timmy's fire magic. Jon brought in loads of wood for us last night, so it'll be another cozy day here.

For me, cold + fires = major need to craft. I'm plugging along on my blanket, giving my fingers little rests but ignoring their protests as much as possible. I'm resisting the urge to put it down and start up something new because I'd love to finish it while it's still cold enough to want to use it. I came across scrumbling the other day and can't wait to try it. It appeals to the part of me that's obsessed with crazy quilts. Since I can't sew without some sort of injury and lots of cursing, I usually get my crazy quilt fix by buying quilts other people make - like this one that's made of what look like dress fabrics and is backed with flour sacks.




It's, well, scrumbilcious :o).

Someone posted a link to the T.W.I.N.K.I.E.S project on unschoolingbasics this morning. It reminded Rowan of cockeyed.com, so we spent quite a while there this morning. Rob Cockerham's one of those people I'd like have stay at my house for a week or two.

Later in the day I attempted a mohawk on Dagny for the first (and I'm told, the very last) time. I offered to take a picture as she bolted up the stairs to rinse it out. She declined.

Tonight is Maggie-Ray's let's-watch-American-Idol-for-my-fourth-birthday-party. There will be giggling.

Rowan decided a costume was in order, and will be attending as an elegant witch with a cauldron full of surprises.

In going through her dress-up supplies she came across the perfect thing for me to wear.

Dagny showed me how to crochet last September. I love it. Unfortunately my hands aren't such big fans of it lately and I can only manage a row or two before the pain overshadows the enjoyment. It's a bit frustrating to have to go so much slower than I used to, but I'm noticing that I'm paying a lot more attention to how the yarn looks and feels, which is cool.

I've been working on this blanket for a while. It's the first thing I've ever made with the intention of keeping it for myself. It's soft and warm and colorful, and I'm really enjoying the thought of it being mine.





Luckily, when my mind's feeling crafty and my body's not I can go look at pretty things that other people are making here and here and here, and soothe myself by imagining that no one will buy this quilt so I can someday snatch it up for myself.

When I was a kid - maybe 7 years old - my parents got me some Mickey Mouse ears. I really loved them, but I remember feeling too embarrassed to wear them outside of my house.

We had Rowan's birthday party on Sunday. She and Dagny decided to be fairies for the day.

When I grow up, I want to be as cool as them.

We found our house seven years ago this month. It was a mess. Layers of ugly wallpaper, stained carpeting, moldy laundry in the basement, piles of stuff everywhere, tubs and hallways and closets overflowing. (And cabinets - Jon's favorite moment was when he opened a kitchen cabinet and some bullets fell out. For the guns hanging on a rack in the next room.)

When we said we loved the house the realtor visibly stopped herself from talking us out of it. Half an hour after making an offer we sat down for Chinese food at my sister's and I opened this fortune.

We figured it was a good sign.

What made me keep it and frame it, though, was the word 'home'.

My house is making me a bit bonkers. We have what they call a 'pest control problem' - some lovely flying squirrels have moved in. Lots of the projects we thought we'd have done by now haven't even been started. The ones we have started are taking an awfully long time to finish.

But my home is happy.

Probably wouldn't hurt to play those numbers, would it?

We're big fans of http://www.makingfiends.com/ and were very excited to learn that it's coming to Nickelodeon as a 1/2 hour show. We haven't been able to find any info about when it'll air, but I joined the Fiend List and hopefully they'll announce it at some point.


I have a little fiend of my own.







He's part of my Ugly collection. He sits on a shelf in our living room, laughing and pointing at us as we go about our business.

I love the look on the cashier's face when I buy a new Ugly. A couple of times I've been asked why I'm buying something. My response of, "I just think it's pretty" never seems to satisfy.

Yesterday was Rowan's 10th birthday. We've both been feeling a mix-up of happiness and 'what the heck happened?!?' about how big she is.

At the end of a fun day we came downstairs for a snack. I looked over at Rowan and realized that her feet still don't quite reach the floor. Somehow that made everything ok for both of us.

What do you get when you mix birthday cake

party hats

some baby toes

a good book


a slightly wacky boyfriend

a few M&Ms



and Santa on a cow?

New Year's Eve at Karen and Timmy and Timmy's!

Today, it's all about the waffles.