the sky is pink

Candy Cane Pillows

2009-12-15T10:12:00.003-05:00

First it was the candy corn craze and now it's the candy cane craze. Last Christmas I made a few candy cane things, but had ideas for many more. I just didn't have time to do anything about it. One of the things I wanted to make was a new pillow cover for the candy corn pillow.

After a quick stop to the fabric store for something last week, I noticed this candy-cane striped fleece as a remnant. I thought it might be the closest I would get to a candy cane pillow this year, so I snagged it. I washed it immediately and whipped up a quick pillow.

The kids love it, but it wasn't what I had in mind. And when Lera's mind is set on something, it is set on something. And there is no room for negotiating. So yesterday, amidst all the hustle and bustle of the holiday-birthday season, I sat down to think. And that usually translates into running or sewing. Since I had already run that morning, it only left sewing as my option.

I grabbed scraps of red and white and worked on it until it was finished. I worked around kids and homework and getting our last and final Christmas tree up and dinner and town council meeting. It was going to be finished.

And I'm so happy that it is. A year in the making.

I am the Mom of a Teenager

2009-12-13T18:09:00.008-05:00

This teenager, in fact.

This boy has up and turned 13 today. It kills me. How did this happen? I was so not ready to have a teenager. And it suddenly makes me feel so old.

This is the boy that made me a mother. This is the boy that made me labor for days before he would exit my body. The boy that made this mama have contractions every five minutes for over 40 1/2 hours straight. The boy that was so large for this mama (a big 8 lbs. 13 oz.) that she pushed for an exhausting two hours and 42 minutes before he came into this world. The boy that was so very bloody that he looked like he had been dipped in red paint from his waist to the very top of his ~~wee~~ giant head. The boy that made his mama lose so much blood during delivery that she passed out and went into convulsions shortly after he was born. The boy who nurses nicknamed "the bloodiest baby we've ever seen," who made this mama nicknamed "the one who passes out."

Yes. It's that boy. The birthday boy.

What a fine young man he is turning into. The boy who finished his last merit badge (this past week) to earn his Eagle Scout award. The boy who will be an Eagle Scout after his project, which will be in the spring. The boy who is taking all accelerated classes in school. And taking Algebra (for high school credit!) while only in the seventh grade.

Happy birthday, my teenage boy. I hope you have a wonderful 13th year. I hope it's magical and fun and groovy and in all ways happy and merry. Happy birthday, Taylor. I will love you forever and ever.

It's Beginning to Look {a little} Like Christmas

2009-12-10T08:37:00.005-05:00

Truth be told, I haven't really been full of the Christmas spirit this season. I think I could be in Christmas denial, but I want to blame it on the heavy birthday season that is coming upon us. I couldn't really think about Jackson's birthday (party) until Thanksgiving was over. And then, I couldn't start thinking about Taylor's birthday (this Sunday) until Jackson's was over. And then we have Christmas and Carter's birthday to end the year.

I've been going through the motions, just hoping for survival at the end.

Earlier in the week I decided it was time to start getting our Christmas trees up. Through past experience, I know better than to decorate the house before Jackson's party. If you recall the party from two years ago, the party goers flipped over my sofa during their banshee-style siege on my house.

As I started to decorate the tree in our formal living room I came upon an ornament that said, "celebrate" and another that said, "peace & joy." And I burst into tears. (I think the Christmas music in the background had something to do with it, too. It was "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.") It was a sweet and tender reminder that I'm not doing all of this for my children or myself. I'm doing it to celebrate the birth and life of my Savior. And suddenly, everything seemed much more important and took on a new perspective. It truly is the most wonderful time of the year.

And I realized that Mrs. Scrooge was gone and Lera was back.

And while I was busying myself in the red room, two little helper elves were decorating our little white tree in the upstairs hall.

Complete with a snowy village. These vintage houses belonged to Mom-Mom. Sawyer was so happy when he saw a temple (really a church with a steeple that he called a temple). We used some scrap white fleece and tulle to make it snowy and magical.

And then I remembered I had a few vintage ornaments from Mom-Mom that needed to go on the tree. Many decades ago my grandparents loved to bowl. I guess someone gave them this ornament for Christmas one year.

And this sweet vintage candy cane, which was one of several, but the one in the best shape.

I am grateful for the tender mercy given to me to that reminds me of the true meaning of this Christmas season. It is such an important thing and I lost sight of it. But in the end, I found it. Or maybe it found me.

Flower Shirt

2009-12-09T14:57:00.003-05:00

I have already publicly professed my love of white shirts. So, when the idea of flowers hit me it was coupled with another flower idea. I knew it would have to be in white. I am the kind of gal who wears white after Labor Day.

This was so very quick and simple. It's just a $5 long-sleeved shirt from Target (not even on sale). I took an old white tee and cut a strip off. Then I did a long basting stitch along one long edge of the strip and gathered the bobbin thread. It ruffled perfectly. Then I sewed the ruffle directly onto the shirt, in a circle, close to the basting stitch. Easy peasy. Done and done. How's that for simple and quick?

I wore it Thanksgiving Day and as soon as I removed my cardigan, my sister exclaimed, "I just bought a shirt like that!" And then she admitted she spent more than $5.

Sweater Capelets Times Two

2009-12-08T08:28:00.002-05:00

After seeing this cute sweater capelet tutorial, I thought it would be something that I'd like to do. Especially because I had been invited to attend a charity concert and knew I'd have to dress "more professionally," according to my mother. So off to the thrift store I went. And let me tell you, there are some ugly sweaters out there in this world. And I do mean Ug.ly. With a capital U. Most made with nasty-feeling acrylics.

Anyway, moving forward ... I went into the thrift store and could not find a decent sweater. I finally settled on a gray cotton sweater that seemed to be in good shape. I came home and threw it in the wash, only to discover that there was a huge hole at the bottom hem. I had planned to use the hem of the sweater as the top of the capelet, but oh well. The sweater was so extra large that I had plenty of sweater left to make my own hem. (It just would have gone a lot quicker if I could have used that hem.)

So I made the capelet and then after I tried to wear it I realized the cotton didn't have a lot of give and that I would stand on my toes to be able to move my arms better. It wasn't going to work for me. So all that extra work was for nothing.

I went back to the thrift store a few days later armed with the knowledge that cotton was not the best sweater material to make this capelet if you want to have full use of your upper extremities.

It was then that I ran upon this charcoal gray wool sweater. Without any holes. And it was $2 cheaper than the sweater with free holes included. The sweater had some stretch to it and I thought it would be perfect.

I really liked this capelet, except, it did start to get stretchier and stretchier as I wore it (as evidenced in the above photo). I have since taken it in on the side a few times. I'm hoping eventually it will fit perfectly.

And what would a capelet be without any embellishment? I whipped up three flower pins to wear on my capelet. I used jersey, muslin and tulle to create them.

* * * And here's a funny little story that goes along with the charity concert: * * *

Being on town council, I received two complimentary tickets to a concert that benefited victims of domestic violence throughout our entire county. The letter that accompanied the tickets asked me to R.S.V.P, so I did. That evening at the concert we were sitting really far in the back of about 700 - 800 people. At the beginning of the concert the hostess introduced herself and the person who played the prelude music. And then she said, "Tonight we have a distinguished guest with us ..." At first I wondered who it was. And then a sick, sick feeling came over me. And then she announced my name and the town that I represent. I wanted to die. I didn't know if I should stand up (remember, I was in the way back) or just stay seated. I was freaking out for a moment and then I just waved my hand. Oh, I wanted to die. I was totally not expecting that. At the end of the concert I felt a tap on my shoulder and a lady asked me if I was from the town council. I confirmed I was and then she asked me if she could take my picture next to their domestic violence display. (I made Joe get in with me.) Sadly, all the county's town councils and mayors, and state delegates and senators were invited and only one sent a letter, which was read.

And a side note: That cute little gray flower was lost the night of the concert. I don't know if I was applauding too wildly or what, but I noticed it was missing after the picture. I have since made a replacement.

Nine

2009-12-07T07:07:00.003-05:00

Jackson is nine. My artistic, fun-loving boy is nine.

It seems like yesterday my water broke before bedtime and my doctor tried to convince me it was only urine. And so I waited until it happened again. Only minutes later. So off we went to the hospital. After getting checked into the hospital, they started to induce labor. At 4:20 a.m. I was 5 cm. But by 5:15 a.m., I was in full panic mode. I told Joe I felt like I needed to push. He gently reminded me that I was only 5 cm and couldn't push yet. So I ignored it. Until the next contraction. It's hard to explain, but I could feel the baby's head "clunking" down through my body. He was definitely engaged. I told Joe, again, I needed to push. And he gave me the same advice that I couldn't push yet. That's when I had a mini freak-out. I fumbled around in the bed to look for the nurse's button and as soon as I saw the red button, I pushed it. When the nurse called back in, Joe casually told her, "she thinks she needs to push." And with that, the room was filled with nurses and my doctor. And Jackson was born at 5:22 a.m.

Jackson has been the victim of his older brother's antics and has survived. He currently has a Christmas ornament hanging on the state's tree in Annapolis. Jackson is very loving and compassionate. He has had two very good friends with Downs Syndrome. One he was going to marry in preschool and the other came to his birthday party on Saturday. Jackson just has a way about him.

Jackson, we love you. Thank you for being in our family. Happy birthday, my boy.

I am noticing how yucky that cake pan looks. I made gingerbread and you were supposed to mix all the ingredients in the ungreased cake pan. I guess I scraped down the sides and didn't notice how ugly it made it look. Sorry if I'm grossing you out.

Ruffled Lampshade

2009-12-03T08:18:00.004-05:00

A long time ago I thrifted some really fun milk-glass lamps. I instantly fell in love with them, but they were shadeless. For months I had searched high and low to find the perfectly-shaped shade and, I was convinced, it was not to be found. So I settled on regular-shaped shades instead.

I found some fabric from my stash that would accent my bedroom (and "new" table) and decided upon white pompom trim for the bottom. Well, that's been the hold-up for a year and a half. I could not find white pompom trim. Every. Single. Time I would go into the fabric store, they would have pompom trim in every color under the sun. Except white. I had a teensy bit left from Spenser's Easter capelet, but it was only enough for one lampshade.

Well, maybe the white, pompom-fringed lampshade was never meant to be because a few weeks ago I had the brilliant idea to make ruffles for the lampshade. And as soon as I received said inspiration, I could not rest until they were finished. And really, it only took part of a rainy Saturday afternoon.

I am so very pleased with them. I guess good things do come to those who wait. And my poor little milk-glass lamps were very patient for a year and a half.

Randomness:

On Tuesday afternoon I was outside spray-painting a picture frame. I was returning to spray on another coat, shook the can and, as soon as I bent over, heard the sound of someone running up behind me at full speed. I seriously thought I was about to be attacked right in front of my house. I spun around to see a deer (!!) running down my sidewalk, just 5-6 feet away. It scared the living daylights out of me. Of course I jumped 50 feet in the air and screamed. With a witness down the street. I can't seem to do anything without being seen these days.
A quick knee update: Still bruised. It has been almost six weeks. SIX! I also have a pocket of water on my left kneecap. It hurts both knees to wear jeans. Especially if I have to bend them to go up or down stairs. The bruise from my chicken coop fall is still on my shin. That has been just over six weeks. My shin is still tender, too. Even knee-high socks hurt my shin. (I did start running again, but the knee has me sidelined again.)
I stink at Advent. The first night I put red pens in the stocking for the children's scriptures. I made Sawyer cry. When I asked him what was wrong, he answered (through his sobs), "I don't have any scriptures." Broke my heart. I guess he will be getting his very own for Christmas. At the tender age of three. Gotta love him.
Last night, I forgot about Advent. Until five of the six kids were in bed.

I guess that's all for now.

Town Council Funeral Skirt

2009-12-01T08:21:00.007-05:00

So, the day before the funeral my mother asks what I'm wearing. And then she reminds me that, now that I'm on town council, I need to dress "professionally" for some events. Uh ... I don't know. Joe is wearing his "dress blues," which is the equivalent of the military's tuxedo and I'm wearing .... Ohmygoodness! What am I going to wear?!? You would think after a decade or so of only wearing black, that I'd have a bunch of black in my wardrobe. But I don't. I still have the skirts I wore to Kristen's funeral, but they are seven years old and I was two-weeks postpartum then. And I have a black pencil skirt, but that just didn't seem right to me.

So what's a girl to do? Well, whip up a black skirt as quickly as possible.

I gave the fitted A-line skirt another go. And, again, it was too large. But it just had to do. I used some velvety soft black, no-wale corduroy that I had bought to make a Halloween dress for Spenser. I had exactly enough for the skirt.

I've been finding creative enjoyment out of fun facings. It's a little bit of my personality coming out and only I know about it. And, well, now all of you, too.

(I also wore a gray ruffle shirt that I made a few weeks back. I can't remember if I blogged it then. I don't think I did, but it's similar to the mod green shirt. And I wear it all the time.)

Edited to add: labels are from here.

Awards

2009-11-30T14:23:00.003-05:00

During my brief hiatus, we had a lot going on with the boys and cub scouts.

Jackson earned his Wolf.

Carter earned his Religious Knot, Webelos, and ...

The Arrow of Light.

Both boys have been working very hard on their scout stuff and we are very proud of them.

And Taylor, my almost 13-year-old, is finishing his last merit badge required for Eagle. He is just one project away from being an Eagle Scout.

(It helps that Joe is an Eagle Scout, which he earned as a 13- or 14-year-old. You would think after three boys in scouting, I'd know what I'm doing. But I don't. I have a lot to learn before Mason and Sawyer are old enough to join.)

Thoughts From a Marine's Funeral

2009-11-30T13:54:00.003-05:00

(watching the funeral procession, taken via my cell phone)

November 16, 2009

Joe and I just returned from the funeral of a young marine killed in Afghanistan.

At the end of the funeral, the Marine’s father went up to the casket and tapped on it. Then he escorted the young widow out.

After the church funeral, we went outside for the military proceedings.

It was completely silent standing outside. The only sound was the giant American flag blowing in the wind. And the very hungry stomach of a person nearby. No one spoke.

I could hear repeated taps. I couldn’t see what it was at first. Then I realized the taps were the feet of the Marines who were carrying the casket. Small, short, quick and precise steps in unison. Each made with exactness.

As the flag was lifted off the casket, Joe pinched the back of my thigh and said, “behind us.” (He was still standing at “attention” so he wasn’t supposed to move or speak.) When I turned around I saw and heard the 21-gun salute. And then the bugle played Taps. Perfectly. All the while the flag was being held in the air by two Marines.

After the song, they proceeded to fold the flag. As they slowly folded the flag that lie on the top of the casket, the marines took turns saluting the folded flag.

I strained my neck to see Marines taking ribbons/medals off their own uniforms to place on top of the casket. They were gathered up and given to the family.

The Marines carried the casket, with their calculated steps, to the hearse. The Patriot Guard led the hearse out of town with a police escort. The sights and sounds of the motorcycles starting up and leaving were incredibly moving.

(the giant flag hoisted by a crane)

I had learned about the life of this marine before and during the funeral. The main theme reminded me of one of my favorite scriptures: "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:13) While under heavy gunfire, this marine ordered the other marines to take cover. His life was taken as he spared the lives of others. And it wasn't his first time. He was awarded his third Purple Heart posthumously.

Plaid Scarf

2009-11-12T08:39:00.006-05:00

(See. My hair does not look purple.)

I was browsing through some blogs a few weeks back when I stumbled upon a cute, simple scarf. I thought, "Hmm. I'm always cold. It looks easy. I think I shall do this." And that was that. A few days later I slipped into the fabric store for Halloween fabrics and picked up some homespun cotton. And then it sat. I guess you can blame it on my fall because everything sat. And only absolute priorities were taken care of, like Halloween and a little girl's birthday. Everything that was non-essential was put on hold.

Well, now that my knees are not grossly swollen anymore and are only grossly bruised now, I'm trying to get back to my regularly-scheduled life. And so I made it this week.

Complete with the fringed edge.

It does keep a neck warm.

Random Updates:

A Marine was killed this weekend in Afghanistan. He was from the outskirts of my town. It's very sad. While I did not know him personally, as a mother and the wife of a soldier, it deeply touches my heart. The funeral will be on Monday, less than two blocks from my house. And one of my widower neighbors is going to be part of the clergy. A little girl at the bus stop told me yesterday that he was her godfather. Sadness, I tell you.
I went to an orthopedic specialist on Monday about my knees. (The same one that Spenser saw for her broken leg and finger and who treated Sawyer for his broken collar bone.) He said nothing is broken or torn and to take anti-inflammatory meds for the swelling and pain, which is what I've been taking since the day I fell. He suggested that I do "ankle-strengthening" exercises, like stand on one foot for 30 seconds at a time and then switch. And then to do it with my eyes closed. Since doing these exercises, my ankles have been hurting, like how it hurt before I fell. And there's no way I can do it with my eyes closed. For some reason I get terribly dizzy when I attempt to do it with my eyes closed. I blame it entirely on years of morning sickness.
My knees are still sore. I can't bend them all the way back, like if I need to stoop down to put something in a bottom cabinet. I have to sit on the floor and then pray that I can bend my knees enough to get back up. And there is no way I would even think about kneeling on my knees. Not gonna happen.
The muscle in my chest still hurts, but the pain is no longer from the center of my chest to my armpit. The area is shrinking. Slowly, but surely. The actual area of pain is about the size of my fist.
I haven't run since the day I fell. And it's starting to kill me now.
~~I think there was something else, but I can't remember it now.~~ I remembered! Sawyer went to the ENT this week as part of his follow-up from his surgery. One of his tubes is blocked with "gunk" and it's not the first time. We are treating it with drops, but it might be the end of this tube. We'll have to see if he will need to have a new one put in. The doctor is not sure if Sawyer can last the autumn and winter without it.

The Quiche Project

2009-11-10T13:12:00.004-05:00

Two years ago our family started Operation Service. Our goal was to serve a nutritious meal to some of our elderly neighbors. We have one widow and two widowers right on our little end of the street. They are so kind to us and our children.

Some weeks are better than others with actually getting the meal out and delivered. It really depends on what I'm serving my family for dinner. If I prepare a roast, I always share. If I prepare a potpie with leftover roast, I only sometimes share. (I have to make sure there is enough to feed my own family first.)

When I decided I wanted chickens, my plan was to make quiche as part of Operation Service. For some reason, older people love this bacon-cheddar quiche, as I have discovered through several family members. So yesterday afternoon, I decided to use some of the dozens of eggs in my fridge, and I set out to make quiches. Two, in fact. One to split amongst the neighbors and one for the children's breakfast.

And while it was still warm from the oven, we delivered quiche to our elderly neighbors. Five of the children walked with me and were very proud to carry and personally deliver the food. (One neighbor wasn't home, so I delivered it on my way to my town meeting last evening.)

Spenser's drawing from church sums up how we feel. I We are happy when we serve others.

(Sadly last night on my way home from the meeting, there was an ambulance in front of Bud's house. He was having chest pains and called 911. He was walking and alert, so we are hopeful and praying for him. We heard he was being transferred to a hospital in Baltimore today.)

And, since I'm talking about eggs, I just had to show you these humongous eggs. I'm sure there's a whole bunch of double-yolkage going on in those eggs.

They are so big, the lid won't even close!

He Said ...

2009-11-09T07:39:00.002-05:00

he loved me more than all the rainbows at his house.

At first I didn't know what he meant.

But I think I now do.

I am forever grateful for three-year-old boys.

Purple

2009-11-05T08:38:00.002-05:00

This morning's smoothie. Blackberry-banana-peach smoothie with cottage cheese.

Carter's eye after being kicked with soccer cleats during a pregame soccer warm-up. (He was helping Jack's team warm-up and was the goalie.)

Shoes? I thought they would be more red than they are. Oh well. I've never owned purple shoes before.

These are this year's birthday shoes. A little tradition I started a few years ago when I saved up birthday money and bought shoes at a price I would never normally pay. Last year I bought the boots. These fun shoes are from two years ago. Hmmm ... I can't find any record of what I bought in 2007. I'll need to research this.

(The day that I bought those faux-red-mostly-purple shoes they had a sale, so the shoes were $20 off. That's my kind of deal.)

Oh, and my hair was almost purple-pink last week. I decided to color it and in the lighting it appeared to have a purplish tint. Of course I freaked out, but it was just my imagination. Whew!

Halloween 2009

2009-11-03T09:14:00.002-05:00

The kids went trick or treating on Saturday night. Taylor went with some friends from school. The other five went with our family friends.

Taylor was something. I'm not quite sure what. He wore that cape and carried a sword. Jackson and his friend, Lorenzo, were soldiers. Carter was a scuba diver. Kallie (family friend) was Scooby-Doo. Mason was a zombie. (He decided to forgo the white and black face paint he wore for our church's trunk or treat last week.) Spenser was a witch. And Sawyer was Peter Pan.

I only made a few of the costumes this year including:

Peter Pan. I took the easy route and used green craft felt. I found a red feather for his cap. He wore a pair of Spenser's brown leggings under the tunic. They were supposed to be green, but we didn't have green.

A witch. A store-bought black shirt with a black felt skirt (cut with a jaggedy hem) and an orange tulle "tutu" overskirt.

She really wanted to be a witch. I tried to talk her out of it.

And Carter the scuba diver. He wore black girls leggings, a hooded sweatshirt, flippers for his feet (cardboard covered in black electrical tape), and his oxygen tanks (two two-liter bottles of soda spray painted black). Carter wants to be a marine biologist, so this costume was perfect for him.

Joe and Kyle took the kids around and Kim and I handed out candy. And laughed. And ate candy. And laughed some more. There are a lot of funny people out on Halloween. And I don't just mean the kids.

Five

2009-11-02T07:36:00.002-05:00

A beautiful girl in our house turns five today. And her gift of the day? Fifth disease. How's that for poetic justice? She woke up with the happiest attitude and the rosiest cheeks. One look at her and I knew. This is our first case of this virus. And it happens to the girl on her fifth birthday.

We had a little birthday tea party for her yesterday with her girl cousins. I surely hope that we didn't contaminate anyone before her symptoms appeared this morning. (She never had a fever or any signs of being sick.)

And here is the thrifted china I found back in the spring/summer. I figured she's want another tea party like last year.

I love you, my girl. I hope your cheeks come back to normal color soon. Have the happiest birthday, my little love.

Funny Things to See

2009-10-29T13:35:00.004-04:00

A bird in our flag bunting. Joe said one flew away (over his head). This one stayed. I had a feeling something was living in them. They are noisy.

And check this out. I boiled some of our eggs and this one was a double yolk. I've never seen anything like it.

I asked the kids who wanted to eat the egg with two half-yolks (everyone wanted a half). Jackson replied, "Do you mean the whole yolk? Two halves make a whole." Funny little ~~smart~~ kid.

Tablecloth Skirt

2009-10-27T08:15:00.004-04:00

So here's the skirt that took weeks in the making. Well, the actual making didn't take weeks. It was just a long, slow process. I cut out the skirt and did nothing with it for weeks. Then I inserted the zipper and sewed the side seams and did nothing with it for weeks. And then when I finished the skirt, I realized it had a horrible mistake. It was like the skirt was not meant to be.

This skirt, like too many in the past, did not fit. I made the A-line, side-zipper skirt from Sew What! Skirts. It's a book I really want to like, but I have found that all of the skirts I have made from it (excluding the wraparound skirts) have been grossly large on me. By inches. After the zipper was sewn in this skirt, I tried it on. I ended up taking an inch off one side seam (because I was not going to take out that zipper). The skirt was doomed from the start.

After the skirt was finished, I noticed the zipper. And then I tried it on again, and it was so big around my waist that I could tug on it and it came over my hips. The skirt required two darts at the waist, which were about an inch each.

I knew I couldn't live with the wonky zipper so I fixed it. What? You don't believe me?

Oh ye, of little faith.

My favorite part of the skirt might be the hidden detail in the facing. I used a vintage pillowcase.

[Last night as our town council meeting was starting, we were standing to say the Pledge. As I tried to stand up, I banged one of my sore knees on the table and then the standing-up movement with my sore chest muscles made me grunt. In the microphone. By accident. Which meeting was being taped for broadcast. It was really just a reflex grunt from my pain. However, it made the mayor turn around and look at me. I tried to stand as straight as I could, all the while wincing in pain. **The doctor said I have "traumatic prepatellar bursitis," which is basically "water on the knee." He prescribed an anti-inflammatory for my knees and said that it would also help the pulled muscles in my chest. Let's just pray it works. Also -- my blood pressure was also high (for me). They think it is because I am in pain.**]

Again?!?

2009-10-26T07:28:00.002-04:00

On Saturday morning I was going to go for a short run. I told Joe, “just two or three miles, depending how my knee feels,” and out the door I went. I wanted to get in an outdoor run before the Saturday rain hit.

I started my iPod and started my watch. I thought it was impossible, but it happened again.

My left ankle gave out on me (which it usually does in the same spot every run) and I did not recover (like usually do). I fell.

Yes. Lera fell. Again. Go ahead laugh. I’d join you, except that I pulled a muscle in my chest and it hurts any time I try to breathe, laugh, or move.

It happened so fast that I couldn't even think “not my knees! NOT MY KNEES!” Before I knew what was happening both knees were on the road and my mind was screaming, “not my face! NOT MY FACE!” And I threw my hands down on the ground. And I did a major, major push-up action. Well, I didn’t really push up. I just landed that way. Like I was going to do a push-up, if I could do a push-up. My nose came within two inches of the road.

To make matters worse, a car stopped to ask if I was okay. Yes. There was a witness to this fall. (I keep wondering, “do I know that person?” and worse yet, “do they know me??” I’m terrified at the thought of hearing “Oh, the new council person just did a face plant on the road back there.”)

So I lost a little bit of my dignity that morning. And a bunch of skin on my knees That fall I had last week in the chicken coop pales in comparison to this fall. I am sore from my armpits to my ankles. (Oh, the faulty ankle is fine, by the way. It just pulled a naughty prank on me that morning.) I can’t bend my knees without wanting to cry. I can’t squat to lower myself onto the sofa. I can’t get off the sofa. I had to use the wheelchair-accessible bathroom at church yesterday so I could use the bar to lower myself and hoist myself back up again. All the while groaning in agony. (I only went to church because the children were in a program and I didn’t want to miss it and one of my boys had a talk.)

So that was my weekend. Sitting on the sofa with ice on my knees and handfuls of ibuprofen. Not much else to report. (Oh, except poor Spenser had an ingrown toenail fixed on Friday. That poor little girl.)

So, for those of you who asked, I think I will put something in my sidebar about the number of falls Lera can take. This fall makes three. Well, three that I can remember. Three that have caused significant pain/injury. (Since mid-July.)

*Oh, and did I mention that I was less than 10 seconds into my run when this happened? 10 seconds! I was in front of my next door neighbor's house. Well, actually, in front of the lot that separates us. That may have been my shortest run in history.

*If you notice the nasty yellowing bruise down my shin, it has grown to be longer than the length of my hand, from my wrist to the tip of my middle finger.

You Know You're a Redneck

2009-10-23T07:31:00.002-04:00

when the only thing holding your son's trumpet together is some super glue and clothespins.

But, you're a little classier when you have trumpet-case fur sticking to it, giving the trumpet some extra bling.

(For the record, Carter's mouthpiece was stuck on. As we tried to remove it, the trumpet fell apart. It was Sunday night or so. Joe glued it and Carter took it to school on Monday. As the band teacher tried to remove the mouthpiece, it fell apart again. Poor guy. He was probably sweating bullets when it broke. We glued it again. And then again. And now, the mouthpiece is stuck again. It will probably stay attached until his new one arrives. Any day now.)

So, I ask: What's holding your trumpet together?

Is it ever

2009-10-22T08:34:00.002-04:00

too early in the day to eat pumpkin roll? I think not.

Pumpkin Roll:

3 eggs, beaten

1 cup sugar

2/3 cup pumpkin

3/4 cup flour

1 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix ingredients together. Grease and flour* cookie sheet with sides or jelly roll pan. Pour in mixture and add nuts, if desired. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Sprinkle paper towel (or clean kitchen towel, I use a dedicated "pumpkin roll" flour sack towel) lined with powdered sugar and roll cake in towel. Let cool for 1/2 hour.

Beat together:

8 oz. cream cheese

1 cup powdered sugar

4 T. butter

1/2 tsp. vanilla

Unroll cake roll and remove towel. Spread mixture on roll and roll up again. Refrigerate.

*Pam cooking spray with flour works wonders. I do not suggest Bakers Choice. It's crap.

Now ... what to do with the leftover pumpkin ... Suggestions?

Ouch!

2009-10-21T07:21:00.003-04:00

Yesterday morning, I fell. I was in the chicken coop and somehow I must have stepped on a branch (that we use for a roosting bar) with my left foot, tripped over the branch with my right foot (those toes were trapped under the branch), and then fell on top of the branch. Thankfully I was wearing pants because, even though it still scraped up my leg, it could have been worse. Oh, and the pants protected my legs from all that chicken poop that I landed on. It could have been worse.

The area that was swollen (and actually only slightly bruised but hurts so freaking much) is longer than my pointer finger. And I have long fingers. It's kind of hard to see in the picture, but it hurts. Oh, it hurts. It hurt to touch the mattress last night and it hurt to move it. It hurts when I stand up from sitting. It hurts when I'm sitting. I can't cross that leg and let it dangle.

Apparently I'm just a klutz. Since I fell in July I haven't been right. I'm still sporting a scar on my shin from that fall and I didn't blog this but at the time I thought I broke my pinkie finger. I didn't have it checked out until September, when I went in for my pre-op appointment. They x-rayed it and said it was not broken, but if it still hurt in a month they wanted me to see a hand specialist. Well ... it still hurts. I'm trying to justify it by saying it doesn't hurt as much as it did a month ago, but it still hurts. Especially when it's cold. And this morning there is a chill in the air and my pinkie hurts.

And my knee hurts. Boy, my knee hurts.

Ruffled Shirt - Mod Green

2009-10-20T08:30:00.003-04:00

During our rainy Saturday I had the chance to sew. It is a rare thing to sew on a Saturday. We usually have three soccer games that last all day long. And, while they usually play in the rain, it had rained for three straight days and it was decided that they didn't want the fields messed up with cleats, so all games were cancelled.

It was bliss.

We just all hung around the house because it was too cold and dreary to do anything else. Carter had a friend spend the night and so everyone had their own thing to do. Peacefully.

I sewed. I had a list a mile long of things I've wanted to do and haven't had time to do. I tidied my long-neglected sewing area, mended a few things, embellished a few things, and sewed a few things. One of the shirts I embellished was this $4.20 clearance special from Target. I bought a second shirt to cut up and ruffled away. Total cost = $8.40 + tax and a few minutes of my time.

Here is a closeup of the ruffles. The color of the shirt is "mod green" and closer to the color in the top photo. This photo looks all washed out.

Hmmm ...

2009-10-19T07:23:00.000-04:00

Think anyone will notice??

Marimekko Love

2009-10-16T15:09:00.002-04:00

When I saw this bag advertised in a magazine, I fell in love. Before I even knew it was designed by Marimekko. Thankfully, the bag is inexpensive and benefits a good cause. You can get yours here. (I bought two. And my sister bought one. We aren't sure if we have enough, so you better act quickly.)