...that Silly Girl

Why we needed a new van Part 3...

2009-07-04T13:18:00.000-07:00

While that was the end of my not so wonderful driving in college, I was still in for some just wonderful stories to tell (note the sarcasm).

While there was the time I let the tire get too low, tried to drive it to a gas station to put air in it, realized the air wasn't staying in the tire, drove it back to the apartment complex where I called my husband from work to help me and who came to help only then to have the car fall off the jack while trying to change the tire which resulted in the car sitting for several days until having it towed to get fixed, that's not really significant.

What is significant is the time I backed into a parked car. We had just moved into our new rental house and I was showing my SIL around. It was time to leave and so I buckled the kids in, buckled myself in and proceeded to back out. I honestly never saw the car. It was such a jolting surprise to look back behind the van(we had a van by now - two kids in two years was what did it) and see this parked car I'd just hit. Everyone was fine, but S was upset because, well, it was a bit upsetting. I got out to look at the car and it had a sizable dent in the driver's door. And as for the van, the fender was hanging down on one side and I had broken the passenger side tale light. Of course, my new neighbor saw everything. He was really sweet, though, and let me know that it was illegal to park directly behind a driveway. I had no idea, but I also had no idea this car had been parallel parked directly behind my van. That might be why I just didn't see it. Anyways, I left the owner a note about the accident, but I never once received a call. None of the other neighbors knew who the car belonged to; it was just sitting there. And then one day that next week, it was gone. Just like that. I still am somewhat amazed by it all.

As for our van, our neighbor, a retiree, was eager to help repair the bumper, so we let him jimmyrig it back in place, but there was still a nice crack and a busted tail light.

Then two years ago, I think, I was driving home from picking up Chinese takeout and it had gotten dark pretty quick. It was in the winter when it gets dark by 5 pm. So, as I turned around after having to deal with something with my kids in the back, I saw a dog lying in the middle of the street. It was one of those big golden retriever dogs; big. Anyways, I didn't see it in enough time to swerve and rolled right over the poor thing. My van immediately sounded funny and wouldn't let me accelerate much. I pulled over onto a neighborhood street and balled hysterically for a few minutes, then called my husband because I didn't know if I'd be able to drive the van. But it started back up just fine and accelerated alright, so I drove home all the while trying to explain to my kids that the dog had already been hit by a car and that's why he had been lying in the street in the first place and yes it is very sad. I know I didn't kill the dog, but I felt absolutely rotten and had the vision of that poor dog in my head for weeks. I can still picture it.

And lest you think that was it, I have one more. I don't have great eyesight. I've worn glasses since the age of six, so you can probably understand why I'm not too fond of driving at night. I can see fine, but the glare of the headlights just makes it incredibly hard to see. But this incident didn't have to do with the glare of headlights, but, rather, the lack of lighting period. The street was being expanded and had those tall orange cones along one side to prevent falling off the side of the road. Well, I couldn't see very well in this poorly lit street and accidentally hit one of the orange cones. It definitely knocked my side view mirror out. W never fixed it, instead just duck taping it.

So, as you can tell, we needed a new van. We were driving around looking kinda ghetto. So, next time I'll tell you about how we got our new van.

2009-07-02T07:24:00.000-07:00

Update:

Still no new camera, so it's just me, tellin' stories.

But, Mr. M turned 5 and I must say that I really can't believe it. He is such an amazing boy and I just want to squish him with hugs all the time. :0)

I made this cake, which turned out really good and that Mr. M loved.

We went bowling and used the kids bowl free program (you must sign up for the program first and then print off the coupons. A woman didn't know she was supposed to do this and had about six kids there ready to bowl. she was getting ready to spend a lot of money without those coupons for free bowling. So sign up first.) The kids had a lot of fun!

I am also in the process of making a superhero cape for Mr. M. S will want one, too, so I'll have to get around to hers soon.

I am also looking for some fabric that will work for S's backpack. Yup, she will be off to school three days a week this fall and will need her own backpack.

Oh, and I am aware that my banner is seriously old, but without a camera, I haven't been able to change it the way I would like. Soon, God willing.

Why we needed a new van Part 2...

2009-06-25T21:08:00.000-07:00

Here's some more back story. While in high school, I drove very little. Really, hardly ever. So, when my grandmother gave our family her old Crown Victoria while I was in college, I was not the most confident of drivers and was especially leery of large vehicles. But the good thing about a Crown Vic is that they're so big, I wouldn't be the one to get hurt in an accident. :0)

Well, accidents naturally did happen. I had recently started a summer job working in a daycare and my parents decided to let me drive the car since the daycare was clear across town, though close to the university I attended. I think it was about two or three days into my driving when it started pouring down rain as I was leaving work. On top of this, I was making a blind left turn - couldn't see the cars coming from the left because they were coming up and around a curved hill; couldn't see from the right because of some low tree branches. I couldn't scoot out very far because the Crown Vic is huge and would have gotten hit. So, I eventually just jumped out there.

Looking back, it all would have been fine had I not done a few silly things like turning left, but then continuing to turn into the oncoming traffic. Or then over-compensating and swerving back into my lane, but then continuing on into the sidewalk where I proceeded to run over a Stoplight Ahead sign. Thankfully the light was green and I sped through and pulled over. There was something really wrong with the car. But it turns out, I would've had to pull over anyways because the cop that pulled in behind me said he saw everything! To this day, I don't think I've ever been more scared in my life. I could. not. breathe.

I am so thankful that this police officer stopped me. Though he was stern with me at first, he didn't ticket me or anything, saying that I would have enough to deal with when my parents found out. He let me call my parents, who called AAA and sent out a tow truck. All it was was a busted tire, so my spare was put on and I was sent on my merry way.

As I'm sure you can guess, my parents were not very happy with me. I had to pay for the tire. And I still had to drive to work. But I was freaked out and didn't want to, so that was punishment, too.

I wish I could say that that accident made me a better driver, but alas, that was not the case. I had another accident that summer, about two weeks later. A fender bender. It wouldn't have been so bad except that you remember the Crown Vic is huge and this guy drove a wimpy truck who's bumper sat lower than mine, which pulled his bumper almost completely off and that I was cited for and then had to pay to fix. This is why I had to go downtown to the courthouse to take care of the ticket. Funny thing, though. I didn't know they required women to wear skirts or dresses in court. I was in shorts (pre-hijab days) because I was heading to work to play with the kids at the daycare. So, to add to all my humiliation, I had to borrow a skirt that they provide for women like me. Thankfully, that was the last accident. During college. I'll get to the rest next time.

In my defense, I am, now, a much better, much wiser driver. Honestly.

Why we needed a new van Part I...

2009-06-22T13:35:00.000-07:00

We got a new van! I would tell you about it now, but there is way too much back story for that. So, let me get you started.

It all began that first time I went driving with my dad. I only had my permit, didn't get too many opportunities to practice driving, and my dad made me super paranoid. But of course, he needed me to get onto the highway. I had never been on the highway and was incredibly nervous. So nervous, in fact, that I managed to have a miniature panic attack while getting onto the highway because I realized just then that I didn't have my seat belt on. Now, you need to understand that once that became law here in Oklahoma, you best believe my parents were enforcing it. We didn't leave the driveway unless everyone was buckled in. How I managed to forget this one time is still a mystery, but I did.

So, I'm already nervous because of my dad (he was an imposing presence) and even moreso because I didn't have my seat belt on. But there wasn't anything I could do. I couldn't pull over; I was just pulling onto the on ramp. Needless to say, I managed to get us to our destination, but not before nearly getting us killed, and me without my seat belt.

See, my dad gave me the name of the exit and I knew the exit, but until you start driving and need to pay attention to those things, you don't really. If you were like me, you read in the back seat or sang along to the music; you didn't pay attention to names of exits on the highway. Well, it just so happened that I was in the inside lane as I approached the exit, but was unaware until my dad reminded me. Know what I did? I simply turned my signal on and scooted us across three lanes of traffic to the exit never once noticing the semi that was barreling down the highway at us, nearly hitting our backend. Wait, maybe I didn't even have my signal on 'cuz the guy would have at least tried to slow down. So, I guess there was no signal. Of course, you know this freaked out my dad. Since I wasn't aware of the danger we were in until after the fact, I wasn't quite so freaked. As it was, I barely made the exit and barely had time to turn to see what my dad was so upset about. `

This story is just one of many that lead to the reason we kinda sorta needed a new van. More tomorrow...

Weekend Update...

2009-06-16T06:17:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was a really nice one. My aunt came into town and I was really glad to see her. I haven't seen her since Mr. M was born. I always knew we had a lot in common, but when she asked if I'd ever heard of Amy Butler and said she's read all the Michael Connelly books, it just solidified it for me. :0) It's very rare that I get to fling back my closet doors to my sewing space and show off my fabric or works in progress to an actual live person. So it was really cool to share that.

Then I mentioned that I was needing a bread box for my homemade bread and my mom and aunt found one while antique shopping. It does need to be painted, but it's great and I managed to find room on my counter. Yea!

I have Father's Day projects in the works -
this tie - for R and my dad
this laptop cover - for R
I'm pretty sure I'll get the laptop cover done in time, but the ties I'm not so sure about because there's quite a bit of hand sewing at the end and I'm not that speedy at hand sewing.

I'm also going to join a gym so I can get more exercise in. Looking forward to that. Oh, and related to that is this site SparkPeople. It is super motivating, has meal plans and fitness trackers like Weight Watchers, has a really big community support like Weight Watchers, but it's free. Check it out if you're trying to lose some weight.

Now, watch this video for some crazy, Matrix-like stunts. It's crazy/cool.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MeiwLLZjDo&feature=player_embedded

It's me, on a Thursday...

2009-06-11T07:13:00.001-07:00

Okay, so I never really thought my blog had come to depend on photos, but I guess that must be true and would explain why I've written several blog posts in my head only to realize that I don't have a camera to take a picture to explain said blog post.
But, here's the thing. I don't have pictures and I haven't posted in a week or so, but people still visit my blog. So, maybe my words are sufficient or something. So, we'll give it a go until we get a new camera.

Things I would have told you about sooner had I not been self-conscience about my picture-less post:

It was actually a blessing that that little vole ate my tomato plants because my zucchini plant is huge and would have prevented the tomato plants from growing. Now I know to give zukes some room!

We ate our first yellow zucchini squash from the garden yesterday and it were pretty darn good. :0) I can not tell you how neat it was to go out and cut it off the vine and bring it in to eat - cut up and roasted with a olive oil and salt. I've got five more growing now and am wondering if yellow zukes taste as good in zucchini bread as green one's. Hum.

I have been trying to clean out my sewing closet in the hopes that that will get me back in there again to sew. I can now see the floor and our cat, Izzy, is very thankful. Now I just need to clean off the desk area and then I can tackle the many half completed projects I've got goin' on.

This cleaning has also lead to purging of clothes and reorganizing other closets. And I finally pulled out our spring/summer comforter, which we really need to replace. It was from college, 'bout 10 years ago and doesn't look all that great.

We get to buy a new dish washer. Yea! Well, our landlord is paying for it, but we get to pick it and everything. I'm so thankful because our old one has many things wrong with it - one of my kids took off the front panel that tells you all the cycles, etc. and so now to start the thing, you have to just turn until you hear it click into action; there is mold growing inside the dishwasher despite my many attempts to clean it; it now thoroughly stinks and makes my kitchen smell bad; when I have tried to run it recently - about a month ago - the smell is horrible, like sewer water and my dishes would smell like it, too. Yuck! So, I'm going today to order the dishwsher. Yea!

I really probably should go get my kids up seeing as how it's about 9:30 now. Okay, I'll talk at ya later.

Oatmeal Bars recipe...

2009-06-03T11:24:00.000-07:00

First up, my yogurt turned out great! It tastes like yogurt and, thanks to a tip I read, the yogurt is the same consistency as store-bought because I added some dried milk into the batch before letting it set. Now I have a question for you - how can I flavor my yogurt without putting chunks of fruit in the yogurt? My kids are used to the Stonyfield Farms Yo Kids yogurt with no chunks. I couldn't do that to them after I had a horrible experience as a kid eating some blueberry yogurt I didn't know had blueberries on the bottom and basically threw it all up. :( I know I can add vanilla or honey, but how to get the strawberry flavor?

Also, in my quest to make my own snacks and get rid of pre-packaged foods, I found this recipe for Oatmeal Bars that are similar to the Quaker Oatmeal Breakfast on the Go Bars. Mr. M and R really love those in the morning, but they are not cheap and all that packaging drives me crazy.
I didn't have any dried fruit when I first made them, just making them plain, and they tasted great. I did decide to add some chocolate chips to a portion of the batch and those tasted great, as well.

Tomorrow I try the wheat thins recipe. :0)

Oh, and since I hardly ever show pictures of my house and since S took a pretty decent picture of the living room, I thought I'd post this.

Some recipes to try...

2009-06-02T12:10:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm on a quest to figure out how to get rid of store-bought/boxed/pre-packaged items. A while back, I mentioned that I was going to try and get rid of all this stuff, but in getting rid of much of the crackers, etc., I didn't figure out a way to make homemade substitutes for those things. Well, that is one of my goals for this summer. And I have recipes to try out.

First, I'm trying the Crockpot yogurt (it's in the crock right now).

Also on my list are -

Wheat Thins
Graham Crackers
Pancakes that actually freeze well
Pitas
Saltines

And, God willing, we have plans to get a new camera in a couple of weeks.

Camera's were meant to be broken, right?...

2009-06-01T12:26:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately, my camera is caput. Nothing like having water pour all over the thing. Um, so, my posts might be minus pictures for a bit because, well, a camera was not an expense we planned for. So...

In the meantime, please enjoy the winners of Britain's got talent. Diversity was the group I loved from the start and was really rooting for. And they won!

Other notable performances - Shaun Smith (we'll hear his voice on the radio some day

Julian Smith - beautiful tenor sax

Stavros Flatly - they were so great and funny! They were basically dancing like Michael Flatly from Lord of the Dance and they were hilarious.

And, of course, Susan Boyle - now I will say that her performance in the final was not as good as her audition because her timing was a bit off. But she does have a beautiful voice.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovgXSYTtUNw

Bits...

2009-05-29T19:41:00.000-07:00

Space
bar
not
working,
so
here's
a
note
all
poetry-like
and
stuff.:0)
Click
on
pictures
for
more
clarification.

1. skating, they said..., 2. Color blocking :0) by S..., 3. The moon - 5/26/09, 4. Courtesy of my daughter...

2009-05-26T12:11:00.001-07:00

I saw this on someone's blog (can't remember) and thought I would post this since last week wore me out. Have some more to say. Will be back tomorrow. Let me know if you do the meme, too. I'd love to learn more about you. (Bolded numbers are things I have done.)

1. Started your own blog (how about 2?)
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford
7. Been to Disneyland (& World)
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch - knitting, crochet, sewing, baking bread - all I used great tutorials to help me, except for sewing; that I pretty much taught myself, save a tute here or there.
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables - growing some for the first time now!
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you are not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language - Arabic, but I'm not that great. I understand more than I can say.
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michaelangelo's David
41. Sang Karaoke - in college
42. Seen Old Faithful in person
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported by ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive in theater - Oklahoma has one of the best, featured in the movie The Outsiders.
55. Been in a movie - does a fire safety video that was shown around the country count?
56. visited the Great Wall of China
57. Taken a martial arts class
58. Started a business
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout cookies
62. Gone Whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial - and walked across the reflecting pool like in Forrest Gump; it's really slimey.
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guard in London
77. Broken a bone - left arm, at a girl's 12th birthday party, while doing an aerial - something I had never done before.
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle - well it wasn't that fast, but it was fast enough.
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Swam in the ocean
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had Chickenpox
89. Saved someone's life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous - Cindy Williams, who played Shirley on Laverne and Shirley, Etan Thomas
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Fallen madly in love - and still am. :0)

2009-05-22T11:40:00.000-07:00

Hey you all. First, thank you for all the wonderful suggestions on how to use cilantro. I would be using those suggestions, except for one problem - this creature ate it, as well as both my bean plants, my last tomato plant, and I'm scared to think that the beginnings of the carrots underground might be gone as well. Yeah, I'm not too happy.

Once I saw all the vole holes (at least two), I promptly went out and bought Shake Away, trying to take a natural, organic approach to things. Um, not so much. The next morning, there were five new holes. This stuff is supposed to scare the voles off with the scent of fox urine, but my voles took me sprinkling that stuff in their holes, along the tunnels, and even all around my plants, as a challenge.

So, in an effort to save my zucchini, lavender, carrots, and lettuce, I used another natural method - burying jars. I've got four buried up to their necks in the dirt and it appeared to work as there were no new holes or disturbances of any kind this morning. I think it helped that I banged really hard on the tops of the jars so the sound would reverberate down into their tunnels. And there was a little bit of wind to create vibrations to make the voles go away. But when I decided to garden, I never knew I'd wake up each morning praying that the plants were still there. Thankfully, I saved seeds for the beans, so I can start those again, but the other plants were starters or shoots and so I don't have anymore. I hope it's not too late to plant some more tomatoes. I really wanted those.

As for the teacher gifts, the scarf got finished, but the tie is only halfway complete. So the plan is to finish it in the next few days and take it up to the school next week some time since the teacher's will still be there.

And for me, well, it's summer vacation round these parts, so I have some planning to do. I need to get ahold of some science experiments so that we can do one once or twice a week. I think I'll also plan to take the kids some place each week, hopefully for free and kind of do some things throughout the week that relate to that place. Also, I think we might do swimming lessons. My personal goals are to not go crazy, enjoy my kids, join the Y, clean out my sewing space, finish up this massive ist of projects I've got going or want to do, and just have fun.

Sorry, no pictures. I didn't think a picture of my decimated garden would be all that happy.

Have a good weekend!

Here's an update...

2009-05-19T18:07:00.000-07:00

Oh, man. This might not get finished by Friday. :(

Yellow Zucchini Squash, cilantro (which I still don't know how to cook with - any suggestions?), carrots (I put them in way late and am hoping they do alright). There was a German striped heirloom tomato, but it all but disappeared one night; not even a trace of it's existence.

Brandywine cherry tomatoes, some kind of bean, and I think there's the beginnings of lettuce. Please ignore the weeds. We try. :0)

Just a sec...

2009-05-18T20:49:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I'm just dropping in to say, hey. The knitting is coming along, be it ever so slowly. I did manage to make a bread bag and take pictures of the garden, but I'll have to show you tomorrow.

- I found out our city recently opened a birthing center with a naturopath. Though I really liked my doctor and the hospital stays were fine, a birthing center and midwife is something I would seriously consider if I have anymore kids.

- make your own spray starch - works better than any store bought kind I've used. Just shake it up really good.

- check out Zee Avi. Think the next Ella Fitzgerald. Wonderful.

End of the school year means teacher gifts, right?...

2009-05-13T11:40:00.000-07:00

Going out of town last week gave me the chance to get back into reading. I've had The Brass Verdict by Michael Connelly sitting on my bookshelf since December, I think, and it's a shame it has taken me so long. The book is really good and I can barely put it down. Of course, this should not have been surprising seeing as how I've read every one of his novels, all 18 of them. But I think I might have to put it down for a little bit because it's the end of the school year. And I decided to make teacher gifts.

And since one is a knit tie from this book and the other a fabric scarf from this book, I had better get more work done on them than 6 rows of knitting and just the fabric picked out. :0) I do have their addresses if I can't get these done by next Friday. But, be forewarned, the posts might get sparse for a minute or might only be picture updates of the progress. Oh, and I still have to figure out what I'm going to have my son do for his teachers. :0)

April Bags Pattern - my new bag...

2009-05-11T12:25:00.001-07:00

Well, I went down to Dallas Friday for R's track meet. It was nice because my MIL watched the kids and I was treated with a trip sans kids. The weather held out on Saturday and we had a lovely day for a meet. And it didn't hurt that our team did really well.
Now I'm just trying to tackle the laundry.

And here is the purse that I made for the trip. I have wanted a smaller bag for awhile, now that the kids are getting older and I don't need to carry so much around for them. And I really wanted one for this trip, but I didn't think I'd get it done in time. Well, an hour and 15 minutes later, give or take some minutes deciding on what fabric to use and then cutting it out, I had my bag. Thank goodness for kids' nap times. :0)
The pattern is Oh, Fransson's April Bags pattern she made for Sew, Mama, Sew! I made mine a few inches smaller than the small handbag pattern and an inch or two wider. It was perfect for the weekend. The only thing I would change is to add a pocket for my cell phone. Oh, and the fabric is from Joann's.

2009-05-10T20:36:00.000-07:00

Well, I left town, but now I'm back. Will talk more, show the bag I made in an hour for the occasion, and return emails tomorrow, God willing. Hope all you mother's had a nice Mother's Day.

The book - Teaching Montessori In the Home...

2009-05-08T09:36:00.000-07:00

If you, like me, like the idea of Montessori, but don't necessarily like the price of Montessori items, then you will most certainly like this book - Teaching Montessori In The Home - The Pre-school Years by Elizabeth G. Hainstock.

I've wanted to get some of the different Montessori Practical Life Exercises for a while, but the price was just a bit much for me to stomach. And then I came across this book and was thrilled because it explains different exercises for the different pre-school ages with illustrations. Also, in the back of the book it gives instructions on how to make some of the exercises - a dressing frame, scent and sound sandpaper letters and they have held up fairly well.

The book goes into how to make these yourself, but basically for the shoelace frame, I found a wooden picture frame at the thrift store, got some furniture tacks, used some scrap canvas I had from another project, some shoelaces confiscated from something els and then used my grommet setter to set in the grommets. The kids had fun hammering the furniture tacks and it was all really easy to make. For the number rods, I just used that stuff to display science fair projects and colored them with red and blue sharpie. The sandpaper letters required a stencil set, some sandpaper and some glue.

I hope if any of you are interested in Montessori, you will check this book out. It is a great book. I do want to make some of the others things, but haven't made it a priority. Maybe this summer.

Oh, I purchased the book used on amazon for maybe $3. A really great book!

The show that's go me hooked...

2009-05-06T19:45:00.000-07:00

I don't get to watch too much tv. I catch the only shows I do watch on Hulu and watch clips of things on Youtube. And that is how Britain's Got Talent has captivated me. I am not a fan of American Idol; I only watched the first season. But this show has some amazing acts, and I must admit that I have watched several of them too many times to count. If you aren't already into Britain's Got Talent, here's a taste of some of what you're missing.

Shaheen - this is the seeming next Michael Jackson, hopefully without all the problems. The boy can sing, for real.

Julian Smith - after Kenny G in the 80s/90s, I really didn't want to hear another soprano sax. But he chose Somewhere from Westside Story and so I had to listen. Beautiful, just beautiful. The man can blow. He holds the last note almost 30 seconds.

Flawless - this dance act is pretty close to flawless, though I would say Diversity ( I also have a clip of them) is better.

Jamie Pugh - this man has an amazing voice. Think Susan Boyle, but a man.

Diversity - this is the group. they can seriously dance. If you've ever taken dance, done cheerleading (the serious kind where they actually go to competitions and do flips), or just tried to follow some music video, you know that putting together and executing a dance routine is incredibly difficult and time consuming. The guys are amazing, creative, meticulous, and there are seriously no flaws. Watch them and be amazed.

Hollie - She's got a voice that will blow you away, and she's just 10.

Wednesday it is...

2009-05-04T19:23:00.000-07:00

Okay, I'm gonna do two posts today because I've got things that are completely unrelated to talk to you about. So, up first - projects. The other one will be later today.

This is a skirt I made for S using this tutorial. I still have a shirt to applique for her. What's stopping me is that I'm not 100% sure on the fit of the waist. I have a hard time with elastic and measuring out the right amount of elastic. A lot of times, people just say to measure someone and that's fine if that person is there to measure. But what if they aren't? I wish there was some chart that listed the amount of elastic needed for each size, especially little girls. And then, also, is the elastic cut to the stretch you want or the width of the actual waist or what? Any help on this would be great. Then I can go back in and fix the elastic and finish the skirt.

Some fabric I bought that I didn't really need, but just could not pass up because they were on a serious sale.

S taking pictures while we were out running errands. Here's the inevitable self portrait. :0)

p.s. - the sun is shining! After almost two weeks of rain and dreariness, the sun is wonderful. I used to really love a dreary day, but since having kids, I don't enjoy them quite as much because it means the kids are cooped up in the house. :0)

Priceless...

2009-05-01T18:10:00.000-07:00

Lavender: $2.50

Yellow zucchini Squash: $2.50

Cilantro: $2.50

A couple of tomato plants: $5.00

Choosing to reuse/recycle for free instead of paying ridiculous amounts of money for a recycled, "green" watering can from Target (see link and then picture below): Priceless

Just make sure to clean out the container really well with hot, hot water.

So, here's my take...

2009-04-30T12:16:00.000-07:00

So, I've been thinking about this Swine Flu for the past few days and I must say that I am frustrated, for many reasons. My first reaction was to be a little scared. I mean, with all this 24 hour news coverage, who wouldn't be a bit concerned.

But I also immediately thought that the Swine Flu probably originated in a poorer community with few, if any, health options. And just as I thought, they have been reporting the flu probably originated in this town in Vera Cruz that had a huge pig factory located there, courtesy of NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement). This pig farm reportedly did not have a sewage waste system, thus causing obvious health concerns. Apparently this is not the first time this company (I'm not naming it because these claims haven't been substantiated yet) is guilty of forgetting to find a way to get rid of pig excrement. This company was also fined in the US when one of its plants here was found to not have proper sewage. It reminds me of the e. coli outbreak in peanuts and in spinach and once again confirms that our society really needs to look into our farming and food production practices.

However, I am also bothered by the fact that we even know about this town and this company's farm simply because none of this has been substantiated. In this day of 24/7 news, everything is reported, but nothing is fact checked until after the fact. How ridiculous is that. And if this pig farm had nothing to do with this outbreak of Swine flu, isn't that defamation of character?

But let's go even further. This little boy who died in Texas has everyone seemingly freaked out. Understandably, until you realize that the boy came from Mexico. He probably already had the flu incubating in him before even stepping foot on American soil. Furthermore, the boy had several underlying health conditions. That means that his immune system was probably already compromised and made him more susceptible to the flu. I mean, why hasn't the rest of his family that traveled with him fallen ill? And finally, the family took forever to get him to the hospital. The boy first showed signs of sickness back on April 6th! That's almost a whole month between the time he first became ill and the time he died. The family did not finally start treating him with Tylenol until a few days after he was first feverish. and then it still took them a while to finally take him to the emergency room, by which time the hospital had determined his case was too far gone for them to adequately care for him and they sent him on to a better equipped hospital to help the boy. And I can't help but wonder if they didn't take him to the ER until so late because they didn't think they could afford the hospital bill.

Let me be clear. I am concerned about this situation and I feel incredibly bad for every family who has lost a loved one. But I do think there is this rush to fear, these scare tactics that inflame and fuel the fire. And it doesn't help when you have our own vice President saying he has advised his family not to travel on airplanes because of the confined space.

This gets into one of the reasons I am frustrated. I was supposed to be on a plane this morning going to Dallas. Yup, that's right. I was willingly going to fly down to Dallas, knowing I was flying into a state that had reported incidents of the Swine flu. You know why? Because I am healthy (I am so thankful for that), because I have access(we as a nation have access) to good health care (ER's take in patients who can't pay) and because people get the flu all the time. Did you know an average of 66,000 people die from flu related illnesses annually in the US?! I didn't know that either. I know the Swine Flu is a different strain, but with the exception of this little boy from Mexico, no one in the US has died from it.

I am just so disappointed because my husband's team was going down to Texas for a meet, but now can't go because the governing body of Texas athletics has canceled all athletic competitions, etc. until May 11th. My husband and his kids have worked so, so hard for this competition and to possibly not compete is really heartbreaking. And I know there are even more people in Texas who are upset by this decision. I know it might seem minuscule when people's lives hang in the balance, but when I feel scare tactics are being used to possibly encourage us all to get some vaccination for this Swine Flu, that will ultimately line the pockets of the pharmaceutical companies, it kind of pisses me off (excuse my language). Do you all know what happened with the last outbreak of Swine Flu back in 1976? People were strongly encouraged to get vaccinated with a vaccine that had not been adequately tested, and many, many people died. Not from the Swine Flu, but from the vaccine.

In any case, I wrote all this out to maybe give some of you who didn't know this stuff a different perspective. I don't like fear mongering. I do appreciate our government doing what it can to protect our citizens. I don't like the idea that the pharmaceutical companies will profit so much from this "outbreak".

The end.

*Please, if you have comments, play nice. I'm not saying you have to agree with me, but be nice.

Finished...

2009-04-29T20:04:00.000-07:00

Sorry the picture is so blurry.

Hey, look at that. I finished Mr. M's Montessori apron and he really liked it. Both kids played in their aprons and ate in them, too. I really love how they turned out and the pattern is really easy to follow and execute. Mr. M's apron is made from some decorator fabric I found at Hancock's for really cheap. He loves all things construction. The lining is a striped cotton fabric to match.

On another note, I am exhausted - something to do with the Swine Flu (no, we don't have it, thankfully), a postponed trip, and rainy weather. I'll tell you more about it tomorrow when it's not after 10 pm. Goodnight.

A Capella and Ben Folds...

2009-04-28T12:30:00.000-07:00

I have always had an affinity for a capella music. I remember being in Jazz Choir in high school and performing several a capella pieces. There is something so breathtaking about the sounds a human voice can make, the melodies it can carry, the intricate design of those melodies and how each individual sound comes together to make the song exist in its beauty (obviously the human voice is a blessing). In addition to that, each person singing really has to have an understanding of what their part plays in the overall sound and has to have a strong voice to be able to carry their own sound amongst all the other sounds.

Listen to the lead singers voice - such a pure sound.

And so, I share that love of a capella by sharing this new album that I think I really need to get. Ben Folds is releasing an album today entitled Ben Folds presents University A Capella. Now, I'll be the first to admit that I only know like one or two songs of Ben Folds/ Ben Folds Five - Brick and Still Fighting It. But this album of his songs performed a capella by University a capella groups who sent in tapes to audition to be on the album, is just too neat. I found it through good old NPR here. If you like a capella music or are interested in a new sound, do check out this link.

Ben Folds first got the idea after hearing this group perform "Brick" on Youtube.

Here's another really good a capella sound of Imogen Heap/Frou Frou - Let Go (on the Garden State soundtrack - such a great movie.)

Did you know aprons can be pretty easy to sew? :0)

2009-04-27T18:50:00.000-07:00

I had an epiphany today. I realized that I really need to just blog a little every day so that I don't have these huge posts develop as a result of not blogging. This is day 1 of that effort. Wish me luck! :0)
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Sometime last year I made an apron for S from my own pattern. It was actually pretty cute; I'll have to take a picture of it. I had always meant to make one for Mr. M, but by the time I got back around to making one for him, the fabric I'd cut out was too small (that's waiting too long, I'm afraid). In addition, one of the vintage buttons on the apron for S popped off somewhere in the kitchen, and it was then that I realized I was through. I didn't want to fix hers and I didn't want to make one for Mr. M.

Until Sew Liberated's tutorial for a Montessori Child's Apron (this is a link to the pdf pattern) came about. Very easy, perfect in every detail and I didn't have to do any thinking. So now, I've made one for S and she really likes it, a lot. The outside fabric is from Joann's that I fell in love with for this project and the inside is a pink multi-colored polka dot from Hobby Lobby. I've cut fabric for Mr. M's and am hoping it doesn't sit in an unfinished state as his Car/front hall organizer currently does.

Can you believe my girl is only 3? Tall for her age. :0)

And for kicks and giggles, check out my bread dough heart! :0)