Sugar and Snails

i'm baaaaaaack!

2009-08-12T09:39:00.000-07:00

After a long hiatus, I'm back and I'm bloggier than ever before! Miss me? I know you did. I missed you too. Upon reentering the blogosphere I decided that I was in need of a fresh start, a blank canvas, if you will. So follow me to my brand spankin' new blog, Alternamommy!

no vacancy

2009-03-12T18:03:00.000-07:00

Adam's 14-year-old nephew, Daniel, has moved in with us. His parents are going through a difficult divorce and we've all decided that this is the best place for him to be right now. So with the three of us plus Adam's mom, Daniel, a dog and two rats, this place is getting pretty full.

I'm glad we can help both Michele and Daniel out, but I have to say I really miss when it was just the three of us. We all have a lot less privacy and personal space than we were used to, and it's been stressful to say the least. I had to sort of step back and take a break from everything (including blogging, obviously) for a while to take some time to adjust. I wish I could say I wasn't having such a hard time with this, but that's the truth.

Things are getting easier as time goes on, though. I try to just keep myself busy and stay out of the way. I just hope that one day I'll be able to feel comfortable in my own home again.

art therapy

2009-01-11T12:17:00.000-08:00

You voted...

here it is!
Life gives you lemons, 12 1/2" x 10" x 2 1/2"

i've been working on my evil laugh.

2009-01-11T06:33:00.000-08:00

Autumn (sitting in the living room with a pen and paper): Mom, how do you spell "mwah"?

Me: Moi? Are you trying to write in French?

Autumn: No, I'm trying to spell "MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAA!"

Sometimes we worry that if she ever gets superpowers she'll be a villain.

seriously?

2008-12-26T20:52:00.000-08:00

I am not a bitter or petty person. I am not one to call people out on the Internet for things they've done. I don't even like to post negative things on my blog. I don't like to air dirty laundry in public. With that being said, bear with me here, and feel free to skim. This is gonna be a long one.

About a month ago I joined the Nightmare Before Christmas X-mas Swap on Craftster, a swap in which we were supposed to make a package of Nightmare Before Christmas themed gifts and holiday decorations for our partners, which we would all open on Christmas day. Cute, no? I thought so and signed up. For those of you who don't know how Craftster swaps work, each swap has at least one swap organizer. Any Craftster member meeting the organizer requirements can organize a swap. After the signup period for the swap ends, it is the organizer's job to assign partners. This particular swap was organized by Craftster member pinupmommy, and she chose me as her partner. We fill out a questionnaire about ourselves and what sort of things we'd like to recieve in the swap, and those questionnaires are sent to our partners to give them a general idea of what to make. Then we have a predetermined amount of time to complete our swap packages and mail them out. In this case it was about 3 weeks. Sendouts were due on December 15th.
Each swap also has a minimum requirement for the items we send, to make sure everyone gets an equal amount of stuff. For this swap we were required to make one large, two medium, two small, and one tiny item. Craftster has guidelines set up for determining what crafts meet what size requirement. Most people measure it by hours of work. According to Craftster's rules...

large=3 or more hours
medium=2 or more hours
small=2 or less hours

We'll assume that "tiny" is less than an hour.

If you do the math this swap adds up to a minimum of about 10-11 hours' worth of work.

I set to work not long after signups were finished, and worked on and off during that time period whenever I had the chance. I made sure that everything I made met or exceeded the requirements. I labored over every piece until it was just right, sometimes tweaking and reworking things over and over until I was happy with the result. I worked for at least 10 hours, but probably more.
Then life got in the way. Between moving into the new house and juggling family stuff, I messed up. I missed the sendout date and ended up having to send the package a few days late. On the 18th I sent a message to my partner apologizing profusely for my mistake and assuring her that her package would still arrive in time for Christmas. I felt terribly guilty about sending late, as I'm usually pretty good about being on time for these things. In the same message I asked her for the delivery confirmation number (which we were required to have) for the package she sent me. I assumed that she had sent mine by the 15th and had just forgotten to let me know. Other than a couple of mass emails regarding swap updates, she had not contacted me personally since the swap had begun. To be fair, I hadn't contacted her either, which I should have done. What I got back was a short message thanking me for letting her know I was going to be late, and saying that if I had waited one more day to contact her she would have left me negative feedback (all participants receive feedback which is visible on their public profile after a swap ends). I then put the finishing touches on her swap stuff and spent a whopping $30 on shipping to make sure it arrived in Alaska by Monday, the 22nd. All was well.

The next morning I had another message from her.
"Due to the lack of communiction before hand and now i am going to leave you feedback. Craftster Rules state If someone failed to fulfill their swap obligation and refused to communicate or that they just need to have the deadline extended, then they get Negative Feedback.

I do believe I have given enough time slack for you to communicate you were going to be late but you were supposed to do that before the swap date arrived."

Huh?

I wrote her back saying that I didn't understand, and that I thought the issue had been resolved. I assured her that her package was in the mail and would be there by Christmas, and I gave her the DC number. I apologized again for being late. I also asked again for the delivery confirmation number on my package.

She replied mostly repeating that I had taken too long to send, and her reason for not giving me my confirmation number.
"And no i havent sent the dc for your package beacuse i have not heard from you until your first message after you were already 4 days late I didnt think you were going to continue to be in the swap but there are no rules as to as long as someone has to wait for a response from thier partner and participants this is the first swap i have conducted and it has been pretty sucky to be honest. I have sent i have to get the recipt/dc number from my shipping account so i can prove to you i have sent...But anyway if you are still wanting to...continue to be in this swap let me know and ill just get over all this crappyness and hopefully be happy in the end let me know"

Ah. So it was my fault that she hadn't given me my DC number when she sent the package on the 15th, because she had already predicted that I would flake out on her even though at that point she hadn't known I was sending late. I see.

Wait...what?

I was pretty upset. I wrote back as calmly and politely as I was able to, which is to say, not very calmly or politely.
"Yes, I sent the package late. No, I wasn't able to contact you in a timely manner, and I apologized several times for that. I made it very clear in all of my messages that I went out of my way to make sure that this package arrives in time. I spent a lot of extra money on shipping to do that. I put hours and hours of work into making a beautiful package for you and your daughter, and you have been nothing but cold and ungrateful. I understand and appreciate the fact that this is the first swap you have organized and it is probably a stressful job, but do you think you could practice a bit of patience and understanding? It may do you some good to remember that there is a human being on the other end of this. I'm not asking for you to feel sorry for me, just to understand, and maybe try to appreciate everything I've done to correct my error. I apologize if it is my fault that your first swap has been "pretty sucky," as you put it. That was never my intention. All I ever want to do in a swap is to bring a smile to my partner's face, and you have no idea how guilty I feel about this situation. I have reviewed the negative feedback rules and as far as I can tell, negative feedback can be corrected by sending to one's partner, which is what I have done. If you still feel the need to leave it I won't argue with you, but I will take it up with the swap moderators."

(Craftster's negative feedback rules say, "We have methods in place to help people redeem their feedback if they have had trouble completing a swap . If you have past negatives and wish to begin swapping again, the swap moderators are more than happy to help you accomplish this, either by having you send to your original partner, or becoming a swap angel*.")

In return I got a message with the delivery confirmation number the next day. I immediately checked the number on the USPS website and found that there was no information posted, so two days later I checked again and found the real reason why she hadn't given me a number on the 15th.

"Your item was processed and left our (partner's home town) facility on December 21, 2008. Information, if available, is updated every evening. Please check again later."

She sent my package 2 days after I sent hers.

Two days. After. I sent hers.

I couldn't do anything but laugh hysterically, either because the hypocrisy of it all was just too much or because I had to do something to keep from crying.

On the 23rd I got a cheerful message from her saying that my package had arrived, and thanking me for everything. I'm sure those of you who have read this far (all two of you) are wondering what I made, so here it is. I apologize for the crappy picture quality.
Large: A throw pillow. I found an image of Jack Skellington online, printed it onto printable fabric in black and white, then painted and embroidered over every detail. The black stripes on the background were not part of the fabric. I painted them on myself. The back is also painted stripes.
Medium: A tote bag featuring one of her favorite characters. I spent 20 minutes staring at a picture of him I found online and trying to sketch it onto paper, and when I was confident about the result I sketched him again onto fabric with a fine point Sharpie. I cut him out and arranged him with more hand painted striped fabric, ribbon and distressed (by me, not store bought) white fabric to make an applique. That was then sewn onto a tote bag I made from beautiful black cotton with a swirly grey print. The handles are more painted stripes. Unfortunately the photos don't really do it justice. I was so pleased with it that I was tempted to keep it for myself.

Medium: A Jack and Sally painting. I don't have a good picture of this on its own, but here's a cropped one from the group shot. It's hard to see, but at the bottom it says "Simply meant to be" in silver. All hand painted with acrylics on wood, with a ribbon hanger on the back.
Small: Jack head stuffie pillow for her young daughter. This was one of the things she requested in her swap questionnaire. Admittedly not my best work. I had wanted to embroider the mouth and nostrils on, but I ran out of black floss and didn't have time to get more, so they are painted on. The eyes are felt.
Small: A movie inspired stocking. My own pattern, made with white quilter's cotton and the same swirly black fabric used for the tote bag. The cuff and hanging loop are grey felt.
Tiny: Printed fabric ornament. I found another picture I liked online, printed it onto fabric, then added a felt background and ribbon for hanging.I also sent a handmade Christmas card (not pictured). Inside was a popup monster wreath like the one in the movie. It said, "Wishing you a scary Christmas!"
Everything was wrapped in my favorite red and white houndstooth paper and carefully packed into a big cardboard box.

Christmas came and went. It was lovely. My grandmother came to visit and I found some great gifts for Autumn on Etsy. Remind me to post more about that another day.

Last night this arrived in the mail.
These were the contents.I won't bother with an item-by-item description as I think they pretty much speak for themselves, but I will point out a few things. The plastic pumpkin hot glued to a barrette fell off as soon as I touched it. What's that in the bottom right corner of the dirty used CD case? The Pacific Institute? Oh, silly me, I forgot about the part in the movie where Jack visits The Pacific Institute to deliver vampire teddy bears to all the good girls and boys. What a clever subtle reference. The tin, also used, is dented and rusty. Everything but the barrette and the marble magnet is done in puff paint.

Seriously? This is ten hours of work? I would be shocked if this took her ten minutes. And no, I don't think that the time it takes for puff paint to dry counts as hours of work.

This is some bullshit right here. If I received a few low quality items in a swap but I could tell that my partner had tried her best, I would at least appreciate the time and effort they put into it. But this? She didn't even try. I know there are two sides to every story, but here is the conclusion I've come to.
She chose me as a partner because she has seen my past work and knew she'd be getting something good, which is fine. I'm flattered, really.
She then got upset when she found out I was late because she wanted her loot and she wanted it now.
As soon as I sent her the DC number and she knew for sure that she would be getting a package, she hastily grabbed some puff paint and random junk lying around her house and slapped together the hot mess pictured above.
I received the aforementioned hot mess and died a little inside.

Might I remind the one person still reading this (hi Mom!) that these are meant to be Christmas gifts. You know, gifts. For Christmas.

I am not pleased.
Oh no, I am not pleased at all.

I don't regret the way I handled the situation. I'm proud of the work I've done. I'm just sad that it was wasted on such a selfish and ungrateful human being. I was really hoping to get some cool stuff for myself and especially Autumn, who is a Nightmare fanatic.

So what do I do now? There is no Craftster rule against being a jerk, but at the very least she did not meet her own swap requirements. Would it be worth contacting the swap moderators and seeing if anything can be done about it? Lord knows she'll be leaving herself positive feedback and possibly doing this to someone else in the future if nothing is done. I think I already know the answer to my own question. I'm just dreading the possible outcome.

More importantly, what should I do with all the junk I received? I've set up a poll on the sidebar over yonder ----------------------------------------------->
so you all can help me decide.

The best part of this whole thing was the Christmas card she sent with the package which contained the sentiment, "Wishing you a holiday that's full of surprises!"
This was a surprise indeed. Thanks pinupmommy.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*Sometimes people really do flake out in swaps. A request for a swap angel is then posted by that swap's organizer, and any qualified Craftster member can volunteer to make a package for the flakee in exchange for nothing but good craft karma.

DISCLAIMER: I have posted my partner's Craftster username solely because I want to warn other members who may swap with her in the future. Please do not flame or harass her in any way.

merry christmas!

2008-12-26T08:58:00.000-08:00

We're (almost) all settled into the new house. Hopefully I'll be blogging regularly again soon. Happy holidays everyone!

year of the rats

2008-11-17T07:56:00.001-08:00

Introducing the two newest members of our little family...

Penelope (left) and Victoria (right)!

We adopted these two precious furbabies after their previous owner could no longer care for them, and they've already made themselves at home. They're about a year old and incredibly smart and friendly. They like to eat fresh veggies out of my hand and ride on my shoulders while I putz around the craft room.
They normally sleep during the day but today they were awake for a while so I took them out of their cage for an impromptu photo shoot. Do you know how hard it is to photograph two very curious, wiggly rodents? They kept trying to climb onto my head and stick their little snuffly snoots into the camera lens.

I've never had such tiny furbabies before. I had a cat when I was a kid but that's about it, other than the occasional fish. These ladies are so itty bitty that I'm always terrified of hurting or losing them. They seem content, though. Their previous owner must have treated them very well because every time I open their cage they dash to the top level to be held and petted and snuggled. They're such sweet little girls and I really hope that they'll be happy with us.

a nice village, a not-so-nice dog

2008-11-16T06:05:00.000-08:00

Okay, I disappeared again, but this time I have a better excuse.
We're moving!

Yes, we're saying goodbye to Ugly Suburban Townhouse and moving to a lovely detached house in a quaint little town we now refer to as the Nice Village. Why? It was what Autumn called it the first time we went to look at the house. "Wow you guys,"--do other kids call their parents "you guys"?--"this is a really nice village!"

We thought so too, and decided to rent the house as soon as we finished the walk-through. It's a clean, sunny two-story with a finished basement, a fireplace and a gigantic yard in a sweet, quiet neighborhood. Yesterday we picked up the keys. Our lease here isn't up until the end of the year so for a while we'll have two places, but that just gives us plenty of time to pack, move, organize and clean. Stress free moving. I dig that.

And as if a new house wasn't enough of a change, Adam's mom will be coming with us! For various reasons we decided that it would be best if she moved in with us, at least for a few years, to make life a little easier for everybody. It's going to be a big adjustment (and probably not an easy one) but I'm hoping we can make it work. Don't get me wrong--Michele is great and I love her. We're just very different people. It will take some adapting on everyone's part. But I really don't mind his mother moving in with us as much as I mind this...
Seamus, a.k.a. Satan's Lap Dog, a.k.a. the bane of my existence. I love animals, I really do, so when I say I hate a dog you know it's bad. This dog is pure EVIL. If he hasn't chewed up everything I own by this time next year it will be a miracle. He eats EVERYTHING, and I mean everything. Nothing is safe from his deceptively mighty jaws.

One thing he loves to nibble on is feet. Everyone thinks it's cute. He'll playfully lick everyone else's feet, but if I am in the room he comes straight to me and CHOMPS DOWN on my toes like they're kibble. He especially loves to do this when I'm sitting at the table and trying to enjoy my dinner. Michele seems to think it's because he likes me, but I think it's because he has a personal vendetta against me and he's hoping if he gnaws hard enough I'll slowly bleed to death. Can dogs sense when you don't like them? That must be it. I don't fawn over his sickening cuteness like the rest of the family, and therefore I must bow down or be eliminated.

Dealing with him when we visited Adam's mom was bad enough, but now we'll be sharing a home. Hopefully I'll at least find relief by hiding in my no-demon-possessed-dogs-allowed craft room. I may have to wear my boots at all times to keep my toes from being turned into hamburger meat. Wish me luck.

thank you.

2008-11-05T09:54:00.000-08:00

Thank you for standing up for change.

Thank you for sharing the vision of a better, stronger, more united nation.

Thank you for realizing that our country needs to be healed, and for doing something about it.

Thank you for finally making me proud to call myself a citizen of the United States of America.

I voted for the first time yesterday, and when I walked out of that elementary school gym, beaming from ear to ear with tears in my eyes, I felt restored. I felt a sense of peace, a calm that whispered in my ear and I knew everything was going to be alright.
But when I woke up this morning, and it really hit me, that's when I cried. This is the beginning of something big, something better. The beginning of a brighter future for ourselves and our children and our children's children. For my daughter. For my sister. For the whole world. This is history in the making.

Thank you, America.

Thank you for not screwing this up.

Thank you.

Thank you.

i voted.

2008-11-04T07:56:00.000-08:00

Today I feel like an American.

happy halloween!

2008-11-01T06:39:00.001-07:00

Autumn changed her mind about her Halloween costume several times this year (pirate, Spiderman, Hannah Montana...) but finally settled on her favorite insect, a honey bee. I showed her an example of a cute bee dress, but she insisted on looking like a real bee with six legs, a thorax and abdomen, and a ball of pollen on her leg. I found the perfect fabric on sale and a styrofoam ball for the pollen, and everything else came from my stash. Making it was a lot easier than I thought it would be, though of course in my signature style I was putting on the finishing touches at the last minute.

Autumn decided to get crafty herself, and made this paper bee costume for Rosie. She rode along in Autumn's pumpkin pail and kept watch over all the candy.We met up with Adam's sister and her four kiddos (a ninja, a football player, and two princesses) and collected several blocks' worth of candy, then headed back home to watch The Nightmare Before Christmas and sort through all that loot. She set most of it aside for the Halloween Fairy, who came in the night and left her just what she had asked for, a sparkly witch hat.I think that surly expression is supposed to be her "witch face." She's running around the house right now with a wand and a toy broom, turning things into koalas.

at the patch

2008-10-27T15:32:00.001-07:00

We got to the farm late this year so the pickings were slim, but we managed to come home with a few decent pumpkins. I was just looking at pictures from our trip here last year, and I couldn't believe how small Autumn looked! She has grown so much.
She really needs to cut that out.
Look at that. Who does she think she is, getting all huge and stuff? Does she think she can just keep growing until she's not my baby anymore? The nerve of that kid, I swear.

Who am I kidding? She'll always be my baby girl.

etsy obsession: little red riding hood

2008-10-25T07:10:00.000-07:00

1. Tall Trees Shoes by enamor

2. little red riding hood card by VINTAGEhaberdashery

3. Doll House no 192 (with Little Red Riding Hood) - Original Mixed Media Assemblage by sushipot

4. Red Riding Hood Coat by YoumeusByDesign

5. LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD and the BIG BAD WOLF Girls Skirt Outfit by liliputiansNYC

6. fairytale forest skirt by madewithlovebyhannah

7. Little Red Riding Hood by ASboutique

8. Little Red Riding Hoodie Hat by Lindercella

9. 6 Little Red Riding Hood Storybook illustration Blocks by LiliaRose

10. Li'l Red Hand Carved Rubber Stamp by Corrabelle

11. My what big heart you have by HidenSeek

12. reusable Reversible Coffee Sleeve - Little Red Riding and the Big Bad Wolf 4 by TheDoeAndTheMouse

time out

2008-10-24T11:35:00.000-07:00

I kinda fell of the face of the earth for a while there, huh? I haven't blogged in almost three weeks, haven't updated my Etsy shop in about a zillion years, and just forget about my self portraits. I'm all kinds of behind on those. Maybe I'll start taking more than one a day now until I'm caught up. Cheating? Totally. But hey, I really want to have 365 portraits when the year is up. Screw rules. And don't even ask me when I last checked my personal email.

I could say that I've been busy, but I haven't, at least not more than usual.
I could say I needed more time for my family and personal commitments, but I already have plenty of time.

Really, I just wanted to take a break, spend a little time

h ooping...reading...
eating...
listening...

making...
and breathing. I feel better now.

staring at the sun

2008-10-06T13:21:00.001-07:00

I can't stop listening to this song.

does this fluffy bunny-eared capelet make me look like a dork?

2008-10-04T07:39:00.000-07:00

My baby sister Emanhi requested a white fleece bunny-eared capelet for her 14th birthday. I didn't want to make it in white because I thought it would look too much like an Easter bunny costume, but it's what she wanted. It is probably the dorkiest thing I've ever made, but it's cute and I think she'll like it. I'm not sure it's totally done yet. I think I want to add some sort of closure, maybe ribbon ties or an oversized button.

Despite the silliness, I kind of want one. Definitely not in white, though. Maybe black. And maybe not a capelet. A bunny eared scoodie would be cute for the incoming cool weather, don't you think?

why i love my boyfriend (or, how we found jesus at goodwill)

2008-10-03T10:45:00.000-07:00

Anyone who knows me well knows that while I am not religious, I love religious art, especially a certain kind of art I like to call Jesus Kitsch. If a religious figure is printed on a coffee mug, a hand towel, or a lampshade, I want it. If it's airbrushed onto a vehicle or a cheap t-shirt, I covet it. I also have an incurable addiction to thrift store art. So when I found this

on a recent trip to Goodwill, I nearly lost my dang mind. It was leaning against the back wall, tucked safely between a framed mirror and a black and white photograph of confused looking children wearing straw hats.

I held my breath.

I stared at it.

I ran to find the Nerd.

He was at the far end of the store looking at golf clubs. Golf clubs are all Adam ever buys at thrift stores. He takes the clubs apart and uses the handles to make fake swords for some nerdy LARP thing he does. Anyway. Back to the velvet Jesus.

"Omg you are not going to believe what I found!"

"Fabric?"

"Better."

"What did you find?"

"I found. A velvet. Jesus."

"Omg."

I yanked him away from the clubs and back to the art corner. There was a lady standing in front of Velvet Jesus and looking at the other stuff on the wall, so I waited anxiously for her to finish. I turned to inspect a shelf stocked with broken appliances and crusty plastic plates. I thought out loud about possibly buying a $3 bubble machine. I turned around again, and my heart sank.

The lady had my Jesus.

I turned to Adam and started whispering frantically.

"Omg. Omg that lady is taking Jesus."

"That's Jesus?"

"Yeah she's taking it! Omg!"

"Well why didn't you pick it up when you found it?"

Okay, I get it. Finders keepers is the unspoken rule of thrifting. Leaving the painting there was a rookie move. But come on, it's a velvet Jesus! How could I have known that at that very moment there would be another person in that Goodwill store who would see a velvet painting of Jesus Christ and think to herself, "Hmm, this would make a lovely addition to my home decor!"?

I was so naive.

She pulled Him out of the stack and turned Him around. She stared at Him for what seemed like an eternity. She inspected the back of the frame, and set Him down again.

Okay, I thought. She's going to put it back now.

She started dragging Jesus to the front of the store.

That was my velvet Jesus, and some mean lady was stealing it. This was some sort of mistake. Surely she could not possibly appreciate such a masterpiece as well as I could. Maybe she was just going to show it to someone and put it back. Maybe she was going to take it to the cashier and point out the fact that the staples sticking out of the broken frame were a safety hazard and it should be kept away from small children. Panic set in as I pictured Velvet Jesus hanging in her poorly lit living room above a hideous pastel 80s sofa.

We followed her.

We stalked her through the furniture section, where she paused to set the painting down and stare at it again. I hid behind a rusty filing cabinet and watched as she ran her hand over the broken frame. She looked unsure of her decision, and I became hopeful. She dragged it a few more feet and set it down again, this time beckoning a friend over and muttering something to her. I briefly considered just asking her for it, but she was a sour-faced, grumpy looking woman, and didn't strike me as the sort of person who would give it to us out of the kindness of her heart once she saw how much I wanted it. Adam, sensing my distress, decided to take action.

"Let's bribe her."

"What!?"

"Is Velvet Jesus worth $20?"

"Yeah, but--"

"I'll get that painting for you."

With that he walked off, leaving me to wander into the clothing section, bewildered. Two minutes later he finds me and tells me that he offered the lady $20 to let us have it, and she said she would think about it. She'd think about it? What was there to think about? There was no way this was going to work.

After rummaging through the golf clubs for a few more minutes, he approached the lady again. I stayed behind and pretended I didn't know him. Despite my unusual appearance I am painfully shy, and I was not about to bribe a total stranger for a velvet painting. Adam, however, is much more outgoing and can talk to anyone. I watched in amazement as he came striding back to the linens section where I was hiding, Velvet Jesus in hand.
Apparently my initial impression of her had been correct. While I like to think that most people would just give it up once they realized someone else wanted it more--especially after admitting that they didn't even like it very much anyway!--the only way to get that painting out of her hand was to appeal to her greed. In total I ended up paying $35 for that painting, plus another $18 worth of golf clubs to thank Adam for his awesomeness. It was so worth it.

I'm going to marry that nerd one day.

level 5

2008-09-28T16:03:00.000-07:00

Happy 5th birthday, sweet girl! We love you so much!

where we're at (the post in which i get all vulnerable on your asses)

2008-09-27T06:07:00.000-07:00

So, we've got a lot of crap going on over here. Crap that I've been a little hesitant to talk about on the blog because it's just been too stressful and heavy for me lately. I thought about just not mentioning it at all, but then, I started this blog to share what's going on in my everyday life, and my life is not all rainbows and sunshine and zombies. I want to be honest about what's going on, so here goes.

Autumn isn't going to kindergarten this year. I'm not sure I want to get into all the awful details of why, but basically we had to pull her out of her school. There is nothing wrong with the school. It's a lovely place and I would have loved to continue sending her there, but sadly the situation was beyond our control. It was a heartbreaking decision to make. Autumn took it well and doesn't seem to be too upset about it, but I was devastated. Just thinking about it now makes me want to cry.
We then wanted to put her in a public school, but found out that we couldn't because of her age. Her birthday is a few weeks after the cutoff date for public school kindergarten, September 1st (at her old school they technically had the same cutoff date, but made exceptions for kids who were ready to move on, which was the case with Autumn). In order to get her into kindergarten "early" she would have had to take a test before the start of the school year, which wouldn't have been a problem, except that we only figured this all out after it was too late.

So what now? Well, I don't really know. I think that's the most difficult part of this whole thing for me; admitting that I don't have all the answers. I don't know where to go from here, and it's making me question my abilities as a mother. Aren't parents supposed to know these things? Am I a bad mom for feeling stuck and not being able to take control of the situation? Does everyone go through this? Is it because I'm so young? Maybe all those people who doubted me when I was 15 and pregnant were right. Maybe I can't be a good mother at such a young age.

I don't know what a good parent is supposed to do now. At this point it looks like we are going to continue to work with her here at home, and next school year she can go to kindergarten or take the early admission test for first grade, depending on what we feel she's ready for. Are we making the right decision? Only time will tell.

Deep down I know that Autumn is very bright and she will be just fine no matter what. I just hope that I will be too.

i like bugs

2008-09-25T16:52:00.000-07:00

arr, it be thinkin' friday

2008-09-19T13:17:00.000-07:00

"So Heave her up and away we'll go,

Heave aweigh (Heave aweigh!) Santy Ano.
Heave her up and away we'll go,
We're bound for Californi-o"

--19th century sea shanty

Happy Talk Like a Pirate Day, ye scurvy dogs!

20

2008-09-12T16:07:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was my 20th birthday! We celebrated at home with good friends and good food. There were party favors...
a sparkly purple cake covered in plastic zombies...
decoupaged paper hats...
and lots of general silliness.
It was so much fun to just hang out with our friends laughing and eating an ungodly amount of cake. I don't think I'll ever be too old for birthday parties, especially the kind involving balloons, crepe paper streamers and fake mustaches.

Feeling inspired by a few other Flickr members, I've decided to take on a little project over the next year of my life and take a self portrait every day until my 21st birthday. I thought it would be a fun challenge for me, because I've realized that I have very few pictures of myself. I'm almost always the one behind the camera. I think it will be interesting to put myself in front of it for a change.

for the birds

2008-09-03T09:40:00.000-07:00

salvaged chandelier + thrift store teacups + spray paint =

when orphans attack

2008-08-31T09:38:00.000-07:00

"Okay so like, hi! My name is Annie, and I'm, like, a birthday present for Adam's niece. My hobbies include baking cupcakes, riding unicorns, and--"

"Um, Annie? What's that behind you?"

"Behind me? Don't be silly, there's nothing behind me! Anyway, back to me. My favorite foods are gumdrops, sugar cookies, and pancakes with--"

"Annie I really think we need to go now."

"Like, I'm not done yet! Just keep filming!"

"Braaaiiinnssss..."

"Did you like hear something?"

"WHAT THE POPSICLES!?!?"

"NOOOOOOOO!!!"

*NOM NOM NOM*

The End!

my hero (or, why my daughter threw forks at a boy in church)

2008-08-26T13:36:00.000-07:00

Autumn disappeared into my craft room yesterday afternoon and insisted that I stay out until she finished her super secret project. 20 minutes later she came downstairs wearing this.
A Spiderman mask. She made it all on her own, complete with an elastic band to secure it to her heroic little head.

Thanks in no small part to Adam (remind me to post photos of his comic collection one day), Autumn has a profound love for comic book superheroes. She has seen just about every Marvel and DC hero movie that has come out in the last year or so (The Dark Knight being the exception, as it's not as child friendly as the others). Just about every day you'll find her fighting crime, rescuing civilians, or sometimes just flying around the house and showing off her "moves."

She has a very strong belief in doing the right thing, sticking up for those who can't stick up for themselves. She has no interest in doing what is expected of a little girl, and instead always follows her gut instinct to do what she feels is right. I think this is something that children naturally know how to do, and it only goes away when we teach it out of them.

Once a month or so we take Autumn up to Pennsylvania to spend the weekend with my grandmother, also known as Grandma Honey. On those Sundays she takes Autumn to church with her, where she attends the Sunday school program. One such Sunday resulted in that other "proudest moment" I alluded to in a previous post.

Grandma Honey: Well, we had a little incident at church today.

Me: What happened?

Grandma Honey: I'm not really sure exactly what happened but Autumn had a fight with one of the kids.

I sigh, a little embarrassed that Autumn was misbehaving in church, and turn to my child.

Me: Hey Autumn, did something happen at church today?

Autumn: Yeah I throwed some forks at a boy.

Me: You...threw forks? At a boy?

Autumn: Yep, I throwed them. They were just plastic ones!

Me: And why did you do that?

Autumn: He was a mean boy and he was hitting the kids and yelling at them.

Me: Did you tell an adult that he was being mean?

Autumn: Yeah I telled them but they just didn't do anything and he just kept being mean so I got some forks and throwed them at him and he stopped.

We still swell with pride every time we tell that story. How can a mom be mad at that? The kid stood up for herself and protected the innocent. When the authorities wouldn't intervene, she took the law into her own hands, and she kicked ass.

Truth, justice, and the American way. That's my girl.

we're back!

2008-08-23T12:54:00.000-07:00

Well, San Diego was great. We had lots of fun while we were there, but I am so happy to be home. Nothing like being away for a month to make you appreciate your everyday life. I missed our cozy house, our soft comfy bed, my craft room, and of course Adam, my dear sweet nerdmuffin, was missed the most. I've even gained a new appreciation for Baltimore. Sure, the public schools are abysmal and the inner harbor has a faint odor of garbage. Sure I don't feel safe going into the city alone or riding public transportation here. Sure the murder rate is sky high and the DEA has dubbed it the heroin capital of the United States.

But Charm City is my home, and I wouldn't have it any other way. It's good to be back.

P.S. I'm finally able to upload pictures again, so I posted some of the best ones from our trip on my Flickr photostream.

it's my party and i'll play VJ if i want to

2008-08-07T09:00:00.000-07:00

Today is my first blogiversary! w00t! I'd love to have a little giveaway but since my craftiness is limited while on vacation I think I'll have to have a belated blogiversary giveaway when we get back home. Until then, I'll celebrate with a little musical self indulgence. These are just a few of my favorite songs by some of my favorite artists, in no particular order. Feel free to dance and wave your lighters in the air.
(edit: i can't seem to get rid of the weird spacing between the text and the videos. sorry about that)
1. Hold On by Tom Waits
I didn't even know who Tom Waits was up until about two months ago, but something about this man just drew me in instantly. His lyrical storytelling coupled with that voice made me a fan for life.

2. Miss Take by Horrorpops
Rockabilly is one of my favorite music genres, and this band just embodies it perfectly. Fun, upbeat, but with a bit of a dark side. Plus Patricia Day gives me major ink envy.

3. It's Raining Again by Moby
I think my undying love for Moby started when I was 13. I listened to Play over and over and over again on my glittery blue portable CD player, memorizing every note, for an entire summer.

4. Smells Like Teen Spirit by Tori Amos
No, that's not a typo. I love cover songs when they're done well, and this is one of my favorites. Yes, I'll even dare to say that I like it better than the original.

5. The Hanging Garden by The Cure
If I had to pick an all-time favorite band, a band I would choose if I could only listen to one for the rest of my life, it would be The Cure. So what if I'm not old enough to remember the 80s? They rock most hardcore. That is, if you can look past the mushroom cloud hair.

6. Hurt by Johnny Cash
Another excellent cover, this time by the late great Man in Black. I'm a fan of both Cash and Nine Inch Nails but even if you're not, you can't watch this video without getting goosebumps.

7. Disarm by Smashing Pumpkins
Something about Billy Corgan's voice is simply intoxicating. And weirdly enough, he looks sort of like my 7th grade language arts teacher.

8. Hard Headed Woman by Elvis Presley
My love for The King started at a very young age when my grandmother would play his records while I helped her clean the house on Saturdays. His music stuck with me and I am still a huge fan. This is my favorite Presley song, and it has become something of an anthem for me.

9. Evil by Interpol
My ex boyfriend got me into this band years ago and I've liked them ever since. They have such a great sound.

10. Hyperballad by Bjork
Ah, Bjork, how I heart you in your genius and insanity. All of her work is amazing, but this one is especially close to my heart.

11. Guns and Dolls by The Bastard Fairies
This song is so catchy and almost as adorable as lead singer Yellow Thunder Woman in her stripey tights! Ya'll know I love me some stripey tights. Their album, Memento Mori, is available as a free download on their site. How cool is that?

12. End of the World by The Cure
Last but not least, another one by The Cure, because they're just so dang awesome. Great song, great video, and the curtains match our dishes. Sweet.

Well, there you have it. A song for every month I've spent in my little corner of the blogosphere. Its been a great year and I'm looking forward to many more. Happy blogiversary to me!

omg

2008-07-30T12:42:00.001-07:00

yesssssssss.

We're still here

2008-07-27T08:46:00.000-07:00

My mom's computer has decided it no longer wants to play with my camera's memory card, so I'm having trouble uploading photos. Hopefully I'll get it fixed soon! I really want to post pictures of the beautiful children's museum we visited yesterday, and today we're going to Balboa Park, one of the most photo-worthy spots in the city. Crossing my fingers!

San Diego::Day 5

2008-07-24T18:04:00.001-07:00

We finally made it to the beach. Prepare for photo overload!

This is La Jolla, my favorite place in the whole wide world. The clear blue water, the cliffs, the sand, everything was just as I remembered it. It was absolutely beautiful.

Go mermaid go!

Mermaid tail made by mommy, natch. I decided to make it for our trip after seeing something similar on Etsy. She had a ball running through the waves with it.
On the way home we passed a chocolate shop that sold HELLO KITTY APPLES! Omg. Are they not just the cutest dang apples you've ever seen? Two of those now belong to me. I wish I could preserve them forever.
I can't wait to go back again. I wish we never had to leave.

San Diego::Day 4

2008-07-24T09:07:00.000-07:00

Sea World, part one. Next week we'll be going back to have dinner with Shamu!

San Diego::Day 3

2008-07-22T07:55:00.000-07:00

San Diego::Day 2

2008-07-21T08:42:00.000-07:00

Lunch at Roberto's Very Mexican Food...

and Family Fun Day at the Del Mar racetrack.

San Diego::Day 1

2008-07-20T07:04:00.001-07:00

Not yet...
not yet...
finally. Oh yeah.

Leavin' on a jet plane

2008-07-18T06:12:00.000-07:00

This afternoon Autumn and I will be flying out to California to visit my mom and sister for a whole month! A month of sun and sand and decent Mexican food! Goodbye humidity, goodbye supersized insects, goodbye garbage filled harbor! Hello crystal clear Pacific!

The only bad part about this vacation is that my dear sweet Adam won't be joining us. See, he has this silly job thing that's keeping him here. Who needs those, anyhow? Rubbish.

We leave at 2:42, then we have an absurdly long layover in Georgia (luckily I've been told the airport there is huge so we shouldn't be too bored) and then finally, finally we'll be in sunny San Diego! Okay it won't be sunny when we get there, but still. Palm trees! In-N-Out Burger!
Can you tell I'm excited? I miss California so much. When I left there I felt like I left a bit of my heart behind, buried in the sands of La Jolla cove. It's my paradise, my answer to "if you could go anywhere in the world...".
It's not every day that we get the opportunity to spend a month in the most beautiful place in the world, so I fully intend to dig my toes into the sand, soak up every ray of sunlight I can find, and gorge myself on the aforementioned Mexican food without caring about how many calories I'm consuming or what I look like in a bikini. While we're gone I'll continue to blog about our trip with mostly photos and maybe a few words, because one really can't keep this kind of joy to oneself.

Au revoir, Maryland! I'm off to paradise.

two years

2008-07-16T06:25:00.000-07:00

I don't write about Adam on this blog as much as he deserves to be written about. Maybe it's because it's so hard to put into words how incredibly happy he makes me.

When we met I was a single mom, very young, but wanting someone I could settle down with. Barely out of high school, I felt too old for the guys I met. My life was going in a different direction than most of my peers. They wanted to party, I wanted a family. They wanted college dorms, I wanted a house in the suburbs. Then I met Adam.

It scared me, how quickly I fell for him. In a matter of weeks I was in love. It was different from the infatuation I had felt with others before him. Real, complete, beautiful, imperfect love. Being with him was, and still is, like putting on a favorite pair of shoes. Like curling up under a well-loved blanket. It's comfortable and warm and it just feels right.

Adam brings me ice cream and brownies when I've had a bad day, and celebrates with me when I've had a good one.

He believes in me when I don't.

He takes me to the fabric store and when I come out an hour later, greets me with smiles and hugs instead of complaints.

He tells me I'm beautiful when I'm wearing an oversized t shirt, pajama pants and bird's nest hair. And even better, he really means it.

He treats Autumn like she has always been his. She absolutely adores him. He's introduced her to his nerdy hobbies like comic books and LARP and D&D.

He is the Uber Nerd, assembled from the parts of lesser nerds. And yet he is incredibly charming and fun and not at all what you might expect someone like him to be. He can talk to anyone, anywhere. We go to Bed Bath & Beyond to buy towels and the next thing I know he's having a 15 minute conversation with someone he's never met before.

He's forever loyal to his friends and family, even when they don't seem to appreciate it.

At night after Autumn goes to bed we watch crappy reality TV or a bad horror movie and make fun of it together.

His wit is razor sharp. He has a comeback for almost anything you can throw at him, the kind of responses most people only think of ten minutes later. And yet every so often he'll tell the corniest joke or the most groan-worthy pun that only makes him even more adorable.

He supports me in everything I do. When I decided to close my old Etsy shop and start making zombies, he was right there with me. When I told him I want to give our back deck a super tacky makeover, complete with astro turf and plastic flamingos, he told me to go for it.

I could go on and on about how awesomely awesome this man is, about how he knows just how to make me laugh when I'm crying, about all our stupid coupley things we do, like slow-motion fistfights and throwing grade school insults at each other for no particular reason. I could spend at least ten minutes just writing about his magnificent hair and sleepy puppy eyes.

But instead I'll just say happy second anniversary, babe! I love you.

the swap gods have smiled upon me

2008-07-15T05:59:00.000-07:00

By swap gods I mean my awesome partner Emily and by smiled I mean sent me a totally amazing package of handmade zombie goodness.

Prepare yourselves for awesomeness.

First, a gorgeous hand painted tin. Recognize that cute little rotting face? It's Xanbie!
Inside were ten magnets printed with memorable zombie movie quotes. Click to embiggen.
Next, an AMAZINGLY AMAZING tile bracelet with zombie movie posters! Eeek! Yeah, it's awesome. I'm wearing it as I type this and I never want to take it off (seriously Emily, get an Etsy shop! You'd sell zillions of these!). But if you thought that was as impressive as it gets, get a load of this...
Why, it's a shadowbox diorama! And who, pray tell, is that charming zombie girl inside? Pink hair, stripey tights...
OMG IT'S ME!!! This is seriously the rockinest, most badass thing I've ever seen in my dang life. Sadly the glass front made it difficult to photograph, so the pictures really don't do it justice. It's so incredible in real life. I took the back out to show you all the detail in the background...
That sign says Baltimore County! And I thought it was hilarious that she crossed out and rewrote the population a bunch of times. Only five left, huh? Guess I didn't make it. Oh, and just to show you how detail oriented she is, the background is painted on a page from the Zombie Survival Guide! It doesn't show in the pictures but up close you can see some of the words.
I wish you all could see it in person. It really is just a magnificent work of art.She even made tiny barbed wire! Oh, and did I mention this was her first time working with clay? Yeah. No, I'm not kidding. Kindly pick your jaws up off the floor.
Hold on a sec, I just want to marvel at this thing.

Okay, done. For now. When I found out she was my partner I knew I'd be in for some good stuff, because she is incredibly talented. But I had no idea I'd be this fortunate. I sort of feel bad because I think I got the better end of the deal here. The stuff I sent her wasn't nearly as awesome! When I grow up I want to be Emily.

Emily, for outstanding craftiness and general badassery, I award you the Rock Fist of Approval.

Caught the bug

2008-07-12T12:11:00.000-07:00

I'm blogging today to talk about a very serious condition affecting millions of people around the world. This illness has been spreading relentlessly since 2006 and is especially contagious among young girls. It is almost unavoidable, as it can be contracted from things that we come into contact with every day. Malls, televisions, radios, and even schools are common sources of this terrible disease. It could even be lurking in your own home.

Autumn started exhibiting the symptoms a few months ago, and I'm afraid I'm starting to now as well. We fear she may have caught it from Adam's nieces.

You may have guessed by now, but I'm talking about Hannah Montana Fever.

Symptoms of HMF include but are not limited to:

asking for a blonde wig

singing infectious tweeny pop songs over and over again

speaking in an inexplicable subtle southern accent

screaming hysterically at the sight of Miley Cyrus's image

If a young girl in your life has displayed any of these symptoms, promptly take preventative action by exposing her to artists such as Tom Waits or Tori Amos.

Parents, talk to your daughters about Hannah Montana.
Before it's too late.

Crafts of the Dead

2008-07-08T12:18:00.000-07:00

My partner for the Craftster Zombie Swap received her package yesterday, so I can finally post pictures of what I made her. This swap was obviously right up my alley, and I had so much fun working on it.

Of course I had to make her a doll! After a little online stalking I found pictures of an awesome undead nurse costume she had made last year and decided to make her a mini zombie nurse inspired by it. I cracked myself up with that little knife and hat. I had so much fun making a doll with accessories that I think I'll start making them for the Etsy shop.
Next, an embroidered fabric collage wall hanging. I found a random cool picture I liked on Google, traced it onto muslin, embroidered over it and added the "blood" with permanent marker and paint. Coincidentally, she told me it looks a bit like her boyfriend. Sweet.
This next one is my favorite. A big zombie themed tote bag. I love both zombies and huge tote bags, so I have to admit I was very tempted to keep this one. I still have some of that fantastic stripey fabric left so I think I'll have to make one for myself. The brain applique is hand embroidered flannel with a felt backing to make it a little three dimensional.
And the best part? It's reversible! This side was done with freezer paper stencils, paint, and some cheap alphabet stencils from the craft store.
And last but not least, a blood splatter pillow, as demonstrated by the little nurse. As much as I wish I could, I can't take credit for this idea. I saw something similar in a past zombie swap and thought it was too awesome to pass up. Adam has asked me to make him one too.
I'm really pleased with how everything turned out, but what I'm most proud of is that other than the shipping costs I didn't spend any money on this swap. Everything was made with stuff I already had in my stash. That's a big accomplishment for me. Yay for stash busting!

My partner loved everything, and I should be getting my zombie loot sometime next week, so I'll be posting more undead goodness then. I can't wait!

Orange Summer

2008-07-07T10:31:00.001-07:00

First stitches

2008-07-06T15:34:00.000-07:00

I'm not the sort of mother who gets all teary eyed and gushes to everyone she meets every time her child accomplishes something. I don't call everyone in my address book when she learns to spell a new word or gets a good progress report from school. Of course I am proud of her and I tell her that, but it's not often that I feel the need to brag to others. I'm just not that mom.

But this? This I'm going to brag about.

Autumn is embroidering. Embroidering! The craft nerd in me is rejoicing. We owe this in part to Amanda Soule, who gives some excellent tips for teaching children embroidery in her book, The Creative Family (highly recommended book, by the way). She suggests using burlap and a blunt needle, which worked out perfectly. All I did was thread the needle and hand her the hoop and she took to it like a natural. I figured she would just make a few practice stitches to get the hang of the process, but instead she decided to make a picture.
It's a car! Oh, I'm sorry, not just any car, but a Jeep, according to Autumn. Aside from asking me to change the thread and tie knots, she did this all on her own. I plan on framing it and hanging it in my craft room.

In more than four years of being a parent, I can honestly say this is one of my proudest moments. The other proudest moment involved vigilante justice and plastic flatware, but that's a story for another post. My kid is so awesome.

Happy Fourth!

2008-07-04T11:54:00.001-07:00

You know it's a small town when the biggest float in the parade is some dude on a boat.

Happy Fourth of July everyone!

Summertime simplicity

2008-07-01T17:39:00.000-07:00

Today I found myself amazed at how much fun Autumn can have with the simplest of toys. A painted stick, some strips of cloth and ribbon kept her giggling and running in circles this afternoon.

I've been finding tons of inspiration from crafty blogs around the 'net for simple, creative activities for us to try this summer. We've found that some of the easiest, quickest projects seem to be the most fun. Lately I've been particularly inspired by the Fun for Nothin' Flickr Group from Meg of Sew Liberated. It's brimming with wonderful ideas and photos of kids doing what kids do best; having fun without fancy expensive toys or electronics.
I think that as parents we sometimes forget that children know how to have fun. Kids don't actually require the latest singing, talking, light-up, voice activated whatever to be happy. Ever watch a toddler play with an empty cardboard box? Sometimes the simplest things are the best tools to ignite a child's imagination and creativity. So this summer I am unplugging my kid. We'll be spending more time creating, playing, and exploring, and less time in front of the TV or computer. I think it'll be a welcome change for our family, and hopefully a long term one.

Thoughtful Saturday ('cuz I'm a rebel)

2008-06-28T13:43:00.000-07:00

I know everything. Well I don't know everything. But I know some things that are a lot.

--Autumn

RIP George Carlin

2008-06-23T06:46:00.001-07:00

Thanks for saying what the rest of us were afraid to say. You will be missed.

warning: hideously coarse language not suitable for work (unless you work in a swear factory), children (unless they know all of these words anyway) or the faint of heart.

Thoughtful Friday

2008-06-20T15:07:00.000-07:00

Summer afternoon-Summer afternoon...the two most beautiful words in the English language.
--Henry James

Happy Father's Day!

2008-06-15T14:35:00.000-07:00

I couldn't have asked for a better dad for my little girl. Adam, you're the best dad in the world and you rock most hardcore. We love you.

a little shameless self promotion

2008-06-11T05:54:00.001-07:00

Customized zombies are now available at the Orphanage! Design a zombified version of yourself, your significant other, your mother in law, or give one as a gift to your social deviant friend.

A day with the Fae

2008-06-07T12:05:00.000-07:00

Today Autumn and I went to the Maryland Faerie Festival for a day of magic, fantasy, and frickin' cute costumes. Of course I made said frickin' cute costumes, and of course I waited until the day before the festival to finish them.
Just call me Procrastinatia, faerie of the Eleventh Hour.
Can I just say those wings were a real pain in the tush? It took several failed attempts before I finally got them right, but I'm super happy with the results. Autumn requested "a shirt and pants with blue on the top and orange on the bottom" so rather than buying more fabric, I whipped up a pillowcase top and bloomers with some cream colored cotton from my stash and dyed the outfit to her specifications. She was thrilled. As for my outfit, I repurposed an old dryad costume I made for Adam's LARP 2 years ago and paired it with a cheap tank top from H&M. If it hadn't been so dang hot I would have worn my stripey tights, a la Amy Brown, but I think I would have melted. It was easily 90 degrees there, if not hotter.
Despite the heat the festival was loads of fun. There were beautiful bellydancers...
a wishing forest where we wrote our wishes on strips of cloth and tied them to the trees...a magic show in which Autumn participated...
even a unicorn (or a horse in a party hat, if you ask Autumn)
We spent a good 4 hours there before the heat really started getting to us, but that was plenty of time to walk around and take everything in. Autumn brought home a balloon animal and a handmade bubble wand shaped like a butterfly. As for my souvenir? Well, I brought home this.Yeah. It burns. I even have polka dots where I had glued rhinestones onto my skin. Snazzy. But hey, it was worth it.

Crafts for my Kid

2008-06-02T16:29:00.000-07:00

As the name implies, Craftster's Craft for my Kid Swap is a swap in which partners send handmade cuteness to each other's children based on their interests. I was partnered with a lovely mama in the UK and her two kiddos, 5-year-old Luke and 3-year-old Abby.

As I was running out the door to take their package to the post office today, I saw that our package had already been delivered! Of course Autumn had to tear into it as soon as we got home, but first here's what I made for our partners.

Drawstring backpacks-pink hearts for Abby and Transformers for Luke.

Abby's was filled with star shaped crayons, an apron and matching potholders for kitchen play. I absolutely love that apron fabric, especially paired with the aqua blue trim. Luckily I bought extra so I can make something for myself with it later on.

For Luke I sent a mixed media painting to hang in his bedroom, a "Super Luke" cape (which was photographed before ironing), and my favorite, a Power Rangers tee. Can you tell I used this swap to experiment with applique?

Autumn also drew pictures for each of them, which I forgot to photograph. She drew a family of pink and green fairies and Optimus Prime. And now what Autumn received:

A Transformers purse (how funny that we both made things with felt Transformers appliques) filled with chocolate coins, jewelry, fun erasers and a tiny pirate photo holder

A Spiderman tee (Autumn's favorite)

A picture frame, Transformers magnet puzzle, and a piratey door hanger

An adorable rainbow sock monkey

A sweet polka dotted dress, an inflatable shoulder parrot (awesome) and a little sewing kit

Needless to say, this swap was a lot of fun and I had an AMAZING partner. Everyone says Craftster swaps are addictive, and I'm beginning to see what they mean. I'm already signed up for another one for next month, and I'm thinking about joining another (or two or three).

Thoughtful Friday

2008-05-30T07:22:00.001-07:00

"Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family. Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one."

--Jane Howard

Thanks to Cassi at Bella Dia for starting Thoughtful Fridays. Glad to join in.

Portrait of an imaginary friend

2008-05-28T05:49:00.000-07:00

Autumn's friend Cera is five years old and she lives in our pantry. She has pink hair (wonder where she got that from) and a blue mustache, and she loves to surf. Cera is invisible (or, to be politically correct, visibility impaired) and can only be seen if you become invisible yourself. Since most people don't know how to become invisible, Cera asked me to paint her portrait so everyone can see what she looks like.

Who knew a girl with a mustache could look so cute?

Painting has become my newest accidental hobby. I bought a few 11"x 14" canvas panels on a shopping trip with Faye, thinking I might try out a variation of a cute craft project I saw on Martha's show. Instead, one of the panels turned into a painting for a swap I'm working on (more on that later), and it ended up being a lot more fun than I thought it would be. I had always wanted to experiment with painting, but thought to myself, I'm not an artist. I'm not talented in that way. As it turns out, I'm not too shabby. Cera's painting isn't quite finished yet. That top left bit of empty sky is begging for something pretty. I'm just not sure what it is.

What I love most about painting is the evolution that takes place, from the first sketch to the final product. You start with a basic idea (or in this case, Autumn provides one), a simple line drawing, and the artwork tells you where it wants to go from there. It may start out one way and go in a completely different direction by the time you're halfway through. It may change and evolve over hours or days. You add a new color here, some shading there, walk away for a little while, and when you come back you add more until it's absolutely finished.

At least, that's how it works for me. I'm no professional. My art will never be hung in galleries or museums. My art is just simple and whimsical and silly, and it makes for a unique addition to our home decor. But it's satisfying in a way that's different from sewing or any of the crafty things I do, really. It's more personal.

So to those of you who have always thought you have no artistic ability, to those who gave up on creating art or never even tried because you don't feel like you're good enough, shut up and paint! Whether you make stick figures or an award winning masterpiece, it's art because it's you, and you are amazing. As Suzi Blu says, you are an artist. You are. You just have to recognize it.

Feeling Springish

2008-05-14T06:16:00.000-07:00

"Springy" sounds like more of a commitment to spring than what I'm feeling at the moment, so let's go with springish.

I had big plans for our back yard this spring. I was going to clean the whole thing up, yank out all the weeds, plant some planty things, and make it all clean and shiny and lovely. Then The Incident happened. I went outside to clear some toys and debris from the yard, and just as I was lifting up a plastic tarp out popped A FREAKING GIGANTIC TARANTULA THING. Okay maybe it wasn't a tarantula but it was the biggest dang spider I've ever seen in my life. When a spider makes a thunking sound as it falls it's way too freaking big.
Luckily Adam's friend who doesn't mind spiders was here at the time and found the creature, picked it up and threw it out of our yard. We named it Aragog.

Now, I know most people aren't fond of spiders but I really think my fear goes beyond the norm, to a genuine case of arachnophobia. I cried, people. Sobbed. That night I couldn't sleep because all I could think about was The Incident, and when I did sleep I had spidery nightmares. And I'm so sad now because I don't think I can go back into the yard again, at least not for a while. Our garden will have to wait. In the meantime I'll stick to my usual method of gardening.

Other than being scarred for life, spring in Maryland has been very pleasant so far. The sun is sunning, the birds are birding, the flowers are flowering, and so on and so forth. It appears that since last spring Autumn has done that growing thing that children tend to do, and most of her warm weather clothes no longer fit. We'll be doing some shopping (and maybe some sewing) to remedy that soon.

I wish I was still growing so I had an excuse to get new clothes every season. Not that the lack of an excuse stops me from doing it anyway. I love getting new clothes, especially springish clothes. Crabmommy's post about shorts reminded me of the endless joy of spring skirts and dresses. There are few simple pleasures more enjoyable than a crisp cotton a-line skirt or a flouncy sleeveless dress on a hot sunny day.
Up until this time last year I wore jeans and t-shirts almost exclusively, until I had to buy new clothes for our Florida vacation. I left store after store empty handed, unable to find a single pair of shorts that fit me properly. Apparently women of my proportions are thought to be extinct because if you have a small waist and a big butt you're pretty much SOL when it comes to shorts. If it fit my hips, it was too big around the waist. If it fit my waist it squished me everywhere else. If it fit my waist and hips, it was way too short. After emerging from the tenth fitting room I threw my hands in the air and said, "Screw it, I'm wearing dresses this summer!" and never looked back.
Best style decision I've ever made. Not only do dresses and skirts actually fit, but they're way more fun. Why would you want to wear boring old shorts when you can wear polka dotted confections like this every day?

I know you're all jealous of my awesome modeling skills. By awesome I mean terrible and by skills I mean complete lack thereof. Anyway, that dress is freakin cute.

Happy Mother's Day!

2008-05-11T19:47:00.000-07:00

Word of the week: blue

2008-05-03T19:34:00.000-07:00

1. My new 'do. It reminds me of the ocean.
2. Autumn finger painting
3. Autumn in San Diego, age 2
4. & 5. Fountain at the inner harbor
6. Autumn's Crocs

Shake your butter

2008-04-29T13:13:00.000-07:00

What to do when kiddo is on the verge of a boredom induced mutiny and you're stuck in the house? Why, let's make some butter! Butter is fun, right?

As it turns out, yes it is.

Step 1: Pour heavy whipping cream into a clean empty jar, seal the lid tight, aaaaaannnnd
2. shake shake shake!
3. shake shake shake!4. shake your butter!Until it makes a *thunk* sound and you've got yourself a big ol' ball o' butter.

4. Try to say that three times fast.

5. Use cheesecloth to separate the butter from the buttermilk, and voila! Buttery goodness. Save the buttermilk for baking or give it to your cat or something. I think cats like buttermilk.Mmmm, toast. At this point you can add salt, herbs, garlic, or any other flavoring to your butter, or just leave it plain. Unless you own a cow making your own butter isn't exactly cost effective, but it's pretty cool and it'll keep a kid occupied for a good half hour or so. Plus if you use organic cream you won't have all the funky preservatives and crap that's usually in butter.

My hands still smell buttery. Not sure if that's a good thing.

Happy Earth Day!

2008-04-22T16:25:00.001-07:00

Let's celebrate with a few of my favorite green Etsy finds.

From top left:

1. T-shirt dish scrubbies from RightBrainThinker

2. Glass bottle serving dish from Biolum

3. Plantable greeting cards by Retrowhale

4. Bamboo flatware set from Ponyup

5. Snack bag coin purses by MoJoTrashion

6. Perrier bottle glasses by Bottlebottoms

7. Shopping totes from AndyEatsOnlyCandy

8. Recycled skateboard pendant from 2ReVert

9. Recycled balloon necklace from NormalIsBoring

Stay green!

Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Pink and Orange and Yellow Polka Dot....Backpack....with a cat....

2008-04-21T16:03:00.000-07:00

This little backpack is a gift for Adam's niece Sunny, who will be turning four next month. Autumn drew the picture on the pocket for her because "Sunny just loves cats and pink."
I'm afraid I may have made the straps a bit too long, but other than that I'm happy with it. I'm planning on filling it up with art supplies, including a coloring book and some homemade crayons. Would it be silly to buy a new box of crayons just so I can melt them down into cuter ones? I think not.
The funniest thing was that one of our friends saw the backpack and thought I drew the picture on the pocket. Oh yes, I did it all by myself! See how I've been practicing my "y"s?

Autumn's favorite joke

2008-04-03T18:29:00.000-07:00

Dawn of the Dollies

2008-04-02T15:35:00.000-07:00

I have a confession to make, dear readers. I have been keeping a secret from you. No, this isn't the thing that's been stressing me out lately (that problem is, for the most part, over with). This is a much happier secret.

Lately I've been thinking about my Etsy shop and the direction in which it was going, and I was feeling stuck. I realized that I was focused more on making things that I thought other people would like instead of making things that I enjoy. I was bored with the cutesy pastel stuff. It just isn't me. That's not to say that I don't like the precious, pastelly things--I do like them, and I use them quite a bit. But I don't love them. Making them doesn't necessarily bring me any joy. I have pink hair and I listen to the Sex Pistols, for pete's sake. After much thought I've decided that it's time for a change. Yes, Sugar and Snails will be closing its virtual doors this year. It's a bittersweet end, but it's for the best, because I think my next project will bring me a lot of happiness. So with great excitement I'd like to introduce you to my newest crafty business venture...
Zombie dolls! Oh, come on, you saw it coming. I know they're not everyone's cup of tea, but I love these little girls, and I know there's a niche market out there for them. I've always liked combining the cute and cuddly with the dark and macabre, and I think these are the perfect mix. Gross and snuggly at the same time! So you can now find me and my bloody little orphans at the Zombunny Orphanage for the Undead.

Each doll I make will be one-of-a-kind, with their own unique names and personalities. Most of them will be inspired by real people. Friends, family, acquaintances, strangers, people who picked on me in high school, no one is safe from being zombified. In fact, there's already a little me available for adoption. Can you guess which one it is?

Since listing my first three dolls the response has been overwhelmingly positive--in fact, Tara has already been adopted! To me, that's a definite sign that I'm doing the right thing. Thanks so much to Adam for helping me through the anxiety about my Etsy move, to Adam's sister-in-law for encouraging me to sell my zombies in the first place, to PixelbyPixel for helping me design my awesome logo and to Autumn for telling me my zombies are cute. Now I'm off to the fabric store to buy more felt!

Turn that frown upside down

2008-03-28T08:29:00.000-07:00

Life hasn't been too happy for me lately. I'm not sure I want to talk about it here just yet, but suffice it to say that Adam and I have been under a lot of stress recently, and probably will be for the next few weeks. I could use some cheering up, so how 'bout a list (in no particular order) of things that have been making me smile? Here we go.

1. Autumn in her Easter dress. The kid may be a tomboy, but I can't help but squeal when I see her in something so deliciously girly. More Easter pictures here.

2. This very funny and very informative bias tape tutorial over at Angry Chicken.

3. This conversation I had with Autumn today.

Her: Why do kids have parents?
Me: Kids have parents because they need adults to love them and take care of them.
Her: But I didn't always have parents.
Me: What do you mean? I've always been your mom.
Her: No, not when I was a baby and I was at the baby doctor.
Me: You mean the hospital?
Her: Yeah that.
Me: I was your mommy then too!
Her: No I mean when all the babies are in a room next to each other, and you picked me out and you buyed me.

Of course even though her thoughts on the origin of babies were completely adorable, I went on to explain to her that babies start out in their mommies' tummies and then come out when they're big enough. She thought this was hilarious, but didn't feel the need to ask any further questions. This was our first "Where do babies come from?" conversation. As she's gotten older and more inquisitive I'd been wondering when the inevitable questions would start, and now here it is. This was the easy one. The more detailed (and less comfortable) conversations will occur as she gets older, I'm sure.

4. Frank's video of Oliver rolling over. So sweet! I watched it three times in a row. Wait, I have to go watch it again. Okay, four times.

5. The pincushion belt I made for The Beast. I officially lost my old pincushion along with all of my pins, so when I came home with a fresh supply I decided to make myself a cushion I can't lose. I used some scrap felt and my favorite Alexander Henry fabric (Skull-finity). I must say he looks quite stylish in it. And yes, those are devil horns on my sewing machine.

6. The weekend. Today the three of us are driving up to Pennsylvania to visit my grandmother. I think all of us could use a little mini vacation. Hopefully the quiet and the fresh air will do us some good.
7. My newest zombie doll, Sarah. She's the cutest zombie ever (well, second cutest) if I do say so myself. I think I'll make a whole army of these. Spattering her with fake blood was a little too much fun.

Well. Seven things! That was easy. Maybe this won't be so bad after all.

Hello Spring!

2008-03-22T19:19:00.000-07:00

So good to see you!

Crap I've learned recently

2008-03-06T14:42:00.000-08:00

1. I'm not a fan of While You Were Out, but good lord does Mark Montano know how to get his craft on. I thought Dollar Store Decor was a fun book, but then I picked up The Big-Ass Book of Crafts during an impromptu weekend shopping trip. Oh. Holy. Craft. I want to make every single project in this book. Like, now. I decided to start with something I already had the materials for, so I made the Rolled Magazine Basket on page 281. Countless hours and hundreds of little paper circles later I've got an awesome trash can for our first floor bathroom.A garbage can made from garbage. How poetic.Oh, and the unfinished project makes a spiffy hat. Thanks, Autumn.

2. Our kitchen gets the most sunlight in the house and is therefore the best place to take pictures.

3. I will never, ever get tired of this song. Or this one. Or this one (check out the dresses on those dancers. Love.)

4. Making handmade paper is highly addictive.
5. When you're a young mama with laser beam red hair and (frickin' sweet) calf-length combat boots visiting a particularly stuffy craft fair full of older snooty art collectors, people tend to stare. And point. And whisper.
6. Autumn has, to my dismay, learned how to lie. Not well, but still. While she was taking a bath yesterday I told her it was time to wash her hair, and she shooed me from the room because she wanted to do it herself. I stepped out into the hallway until she called me back in.

Her: Mommy I'm DONE!
Me (walking in): Okay, great job--uh, Autumn, your hair is dry.
Her: No I washed it.
Me: No, you didn't even get it wet.
Her: I dried it.
Me: You washed your hair and then completely dried it by yourself even though there's no towel in here?
Her: Rosie helped me.
Me: You're telling me that your teddy bear helped you wash and dry your hair? Rosie's not even in here.
Her: Well she came in here and helped me and then she left.
Me: Autumn, I think you're telling a lie.
Her: No I'm not!

This went on for another minute or so before the child's pants burst into flames.

Autumn Blogs: When I was at the doctor

2008-02-28T18:53:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I went to the doctor. The doctors were so nice. They got some of my blood out from my arm with a tiny needle that hurt a little bit. I holded still on Mommy's lap and they poked me with the needle. My blood got sucked into a little pipe and they gave me a cool band aid. It had little black ducks on it, I think.And then they gave me a sticker! After that we left and got ice cream at the mall. It was chocolate with chocolate sprinkles. I bought a movie at the mall. It was Barbie Mariposa. My blood thing is feeling better now.

Valentiney Goodness

2008-02-15T17:11:00.000-08:00

Adam and I had plans to go to dinner last night, but my love has come down with yet another bad cold, not a week after recovering from the first one. He's what we call an overachiever. Nevertheless, we had a very nice family Valentine's Day.
There were pretty pink pillowcase dressesHandmade candy heart barrettes
A new hair color for Mommy
Sugar cookies Sparkling ciderAnd lots of hugs and kisses all around.
One odd thing Adam and I have in common is our love for zombies. Zombie movies, games, art, books, you name it. If it's undead, we think it's cool. My gift to him this year was this doll, a zombified version of myself, tearing out her heart out and offering it to him.Gory? Yes. Weird? Probably. Romantic? Absolutely, if you're us. He loved her and she sits in his office now, alongside Autumn's gift, a decorated frame holding her school picture.Hope you all had a lovely holiday, full of chocolate and flowers and those little heart-shaped paper doily things!

Cough. Sniffle. Ugh.

2008-02-09T04:44:00.000-08:00

Don't worry, I'm not dead (yet). January was pretty much a wasted month, 3 weeks of which was spent hacking up a lung (Adam), sweating out a fever (me) and spreading germs (Autumn). So I haven't had much to blog about, unless you'd all like to read about just how much snot a single preschooler can produce in a day, or how poor sweet Adam actually volunteered to sleep on the couch so he wouldn't keep me awake with his coughing. We've been a pretty miserable bunch, to say the least, but we're (mostly) fine now.
I was finally feeling well enough to sew something, so I whipped up a new nightgown for Miss Little in a flannel she picked out herself. She said she wanted jammies with "a Dinosaurus Rex" on them.
Doesn't she look thrilled? I guess the grumpiness hasn't completely worn off yet. The pattern is McCall's M4497, altered to lengthen the top into a dress. It was a quick, easy sew, finished while the prehistoric princess napped.
Dinosaurs are her latest passion. It all started when we took her to the Science Center to see the "Dinosaurs Alive! 3-D" IMAX film. Now every weekend she begs us to take her back to see the huge skeletons and dig for fossils for the millionth time. She has officially proclaimed dinosaurs to be as cool as dragons, "because they growl and stomp their feet."
I love all her various interests, and the unwavering excitement she shows for each one. Whether it's dinosaurs, pirates, fairies or baking, she greets every new opportunity to learn about and interact with our world with such wonderful enthusiasm.

Thank you to everyone who left comments on Autumn's guest blog entry. She was so thrilled to see that people were reading her story. I'd like to make her presence on my blog a regular occurrence, maybe a monthly guest blog entry. She had so much fun creating a story to share and acting it out (all her idea, by the way). I can't wait to see what she comes up with next.

I'm off to down some Dayquil, but before I go, great big HUGE congratulations to Frank and his partner on their freaking adorable little ball of cuteness. He is precious.

Guest Blogger: Autumn

2008-01-29T13:17:00.000-08:00

"The Cowboy Had a Horse"

by Autumn (as dictated to Mom)

Once upon a time there was a cowboy, and he was riding his horse. He just stopped and got off of his horse for a minute and fed some pigs.
Then he found a shell on the ground. The shell came from the ocean. It was blue. He put it in his pocket for safe keeping.
Then he found a bottle when he was going to the beach and there was paper in it. It was a letter!
It said

Dear Cowboy,
I know you have this bottle and you opened it and I know you're reading it.
Love, Mommy

Then the shell just moved! It had legs and very sharp claws that snapped up and down. It had brown eyes. And when the cowboy was looking at the shell he thought it was a crab from the beach! He took it back to the beach and put it in the water.
Some fishies were swimming in the water when he was putting the crab in there. Then he saw a splash coming right at him! And when he saw it again it was a fish! When it got more close to him it smacked him with his tail! He put it back in the water. Then more fishies came and they just knocked him down! And do you know what they were? Sharks! They were fighting.
The cowboy ran away back to his horse and he rode it again.

The End!

Girl at Work (or, musings of a feminist mom in a personality-smothering world)

2008-01-14T03:26:00.000-08:00

For a while now Autumn has been begging us for her very own tool kit, so when I found this on sale for $20 after Christmas--at Joann Fabrics, of all places--I had to pick it up for her. It came with tons of realistic looking tools, nuts, bolts, a vest, hard hat and tool belt, and even a length of caution tape. One thing she asked for that wasn't in the kit were pieces of wood to work on, so I covered some scrap cardboard with wood grain contact paper. Autumn was thrilled and she is now hard at work in the kitchen, hammering and sawing away.

CAUTION: This is the part of the blog post where I go off on a tangent that has little to do with the original topic.If you haven't figured it out, Autumn isn't exactly a typical 4-year-old girl. She'd much rather build something or visit the science museum than play with Barbie dolls or wear a princess costume. She likes superheroes, dragons, pirates and sharks, while her female cousins prefer Cinderella, jewelry and tea parties. We try hard not to push gender roles and stereotypes on her, and let her decide on her own what she is interested in. She often chooses, with no prompting from us, what most would consider "boy" things, and to the dismay of some family members we have done nothing to discourage her.

She does like some "girly" things. She doesn't own any Barbies (instead she plays with her mommy-approved Groovy Girl) but loves Barbie movies, in which Barbie always plays a strong, confident role and saves the day. The one Disney princess she seems interested in is Ariel from The Little Mermaid. On last summer's Florida vacation Adam's mother signed all of the girls (Autumn and three cousins) up for the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, a beauty parlor where they would receive Disney princess makeovers complete with hair, makeup, a costume and photo shoot, without my knowledge. By the time I found out it had already been paid for, so I didn't have a whole lot of choice in the matter. My little tomboy was going to be slathered with shimmer and lip gloss. I had to grit my teeth and remind myself that if I want to be a truly open minded parent I needed to let Autumn give it a try and decide for herself. When the makeover day came each girl got to choose which princess they'd like to look like, and Autumn chose the Ariel makeover. She was whisked away by her "fairy godmothers" and primped, polished, glittered and fluffed for the next hour or so. About halfway through I actually had to step outside and cry, but in front of her I tried my best to be enthusiastic. By the time the godmothers were done with her my little girl had been transformed from thisto this.Oh. My. God. Can you say pageant queen? I think someone hid my kid in a broom closet somewhere and replaced her with this Bedazzled tiny person. Well, she had a lot of fun being Ariel for the day and still likes to wear the costume (sans makeup and body glitter), but despite my fears she is still the same old Autumn. I will admit that she did look cute, in a slightly horrifying way. If she chose eyeshadow and tiaras over foam swords and pirate hats I certainly wouldn't love her any less, but I am glad that she's the way she is.

We are feminist parents. Unfortunately, for most people this is a dirty word that conjures up images of angry, bra-burning, man-hating, hairy women who want to take over the world. But I can guarantee that this is definitely not the case. I shave my legs and wear skirts. I love and respect the men in my life. I have never once used the word "womyn." I believe in true equality. I believe in respect for both sexes. I believe in equal treatment in schools. I am against forcing children into gender roles and snuffing out their true identities. I am against the objectification and dumbing down of women in our society. I want my girl to grow up knowing that it's okay to be true to herself and ignore the status quo. I want her to feel confident and empowered and respected as an individual. Sadly I know that this will get harder as she grows older. All we can do is try our best and send her out into the world with our values instilled in her and hope that it sticks.

Brown paper packages tied up with strings

2007-12-27T10:54:00.000-08:00

Due to the gift of the Christmas flu I'm blogging about our holiday a little later than I would have liked to. Santa took some time out of his very busy schedule to stop by Adam's sister Terri's annual Christmas Eve party. Autumn is the one in the red hat without the beard. Luckily last year's Christmas dress still fit her. The shoes didn't, though, so she wore pink high tops to the party.Unfortunately I didn't have the time to make fabric gift wrap for all of my gifts this year, so I went with the next best thing and used recycled brown kraft paper, baker's twine and these adorable handmade tags. These pretty packages contained the aprons and play food for Adam's nieces (packed in mini cake boxes, how Martha of me) and the scarves and a video game (not handmade, I know. Bad Xan) for the nephews.The kids seemed really happy with their gifts, especially the girls. All three of them immediately wanted to put their aprons on and start baking. I was very pleased, and their parents were impressed.

On Christmas I wore my new favorite hat, a handmade gift from Faye. It matched my spankin' new stripes perfectly.Faye also made me this freaking awesome Jack Skellington hat and matching scarf, for my love of all things Tim Burton. I can't help but smile every time I wear them. Crafty friends are the best.In exchange I made her a crochet hook clutch so she can crochet on the go. Well, she already crochets on the go, but now she can do it in style. It holds 8 hooks, including this one I bought her from Etsy. When I made it I didn't have the actual crochet hook on hand so I had to guess at the sizing for the pockets. Luckily it fit perfectly when it arrived in the mail, and Faye seemed very happy with it.Now, on to Christmas morning. Autumn woke us up at a fairly reasonable hour (though Adam was still exhausted because we had stayed up very late the night before) and we all (including my grandmother, who came down from PA to celebrate with us) gathered 'round the tree to watch Autumn open gift upon gift upon gift. There were only a handful of gifts from us. The other ten million or so were from my mom and grandmother and the queen of overgifting, Adam's mom. You know how kids just tear through everything in all the excitement that comes with opening gifts? Yeah, Autumn's not a normal child. She opens everything very carefully and very, very slowly. It took her nearly two hours to finish. But it was plenty of fun to watch and she loved every single thing she got. Her stocking was stuffed with a tube of bubbles, a new pirate t-shirt and a beautiful hand bound book. From Adam and me there were also the puppets and treasure hunt bag, Underdog and Barbie as the Island Princess on DVD, and that final gift I almost wasn't able to make, a sink for her playroom kitchen. It was one of the few things that she requested, and I'm so glad I was able to pull it off. She was thrilled.The grandmothers showered her with lots of wonderful books, new winter clothes, and toys that will surely nurture her creativity and desire to learn. My personal favorite (and hers too, I think) was the Super Fort from Adam's mother, which is currently being used as a pirate ship in the kitchen. I think I'll have almost as much fun playing with it as she will. In fact, I'm off on a high seas adventure right now. I hope your Christmas was filled with warmth and laughter and family.

All is calm, all is bright.

2007-12-14T12:50:00.000-08:00

Phew. Wednesday all our ornaments were finished and our tree is set up, decorated and filling the room with that wonderful piney smell. I must admit I didn't think I'd get everything done in time, but I think I was pretty successful. There are a couple of things I haven't checked off of my to-do list yet, though. I didn't get around to making a tree topper, and I ran out of my red and green prints so the soft trees have been put on hold. Plus I don't have the materials I need for Autumn's last gift yet. But other than that I think I've accomplished most of what I wanted to. So without further ado, a tour of our tree.
Scrappy balls...Salt dough shapes, made with the small one...Hand embroidered muslin...Glittered felt...Button wreaths...And a cranberry and popcorn garland.Ah. Now I feel Christmasey.

On the Eleventh Day of Crafting: Why am I doing this to myself?

2007-12-11T21:48:00.001-08:00

Ha. Well. The past few days have been unpredictably busy, leaving very little time for crafting, so of course I fell way, way behind. BUT before you lose all faith in me I am getting back on track now, and only have a few more things to complete tomorrow on the last day of my Christmas crafting marathon.

I've finished two scarves for nephews Luke and Evan, in the colors of their favorite football teams...Three stockings are hung from the DVD shelf with care...Pirates for Autumn, Superman for my geeky boy love, and stripes as my homage to stripey tights. Why is mine facing the wrong way? Good question. Anyway, I also completed a few more goodies for our tree and a special gift for my good friend Faye, which I won't post pictures of yet because she reads this blog (no peeking Faye!), but I'm sure she will love it. Speaking of Faye, she made me something awesomely awesome for the tree this year, which I'll show you all tomorrow. Hopefully!

On the Sixth Day of Crafting: Gifts for Nieces

2007-12-07T15:05:00.000-08:00

Okay, I may not have posted yesterday due to a rather stressful and busy evening, but that doesn't mean I wasn't sewing up a storm! Yesterday I made aprons and play food for Adam's three nieces, Sunny, Grace and Annie. Each girl gets an apron, a pizza, and cookies. If I can find some at the dollar store I might throw in some small wooden spoons or rolling pins as well.The pizza crust is actually perfectly round, but it looks quite lumpy in the picture because it's filled with rice, so the kids can mold it and roll it flat to make their pizzas. I made a similar pizza for Autumn with loose "cheese," but this time I glued it onto the sauce because I learned that, while it's cute to let her sprinkle it on the pizza herself, all those little pieces end up everywhere and make a big mess. I think I may add a few loose pepperonis though. Today's project is still in progress, so I'll post on that later this evening.

On the Fifth Day of Crafting: A Lumpy Wreath

2007-12-05T21:17:00.000-08:00

I woke up this morning to see a few flurries dancing outside our window. The flurries called their friends down from the clouds and within the hour everything was dusted with a soft sprinkling of powdered sugar snow. They say the first snow of the season is a magic snow, so I made a wish that I would get all of my holiday crafting done on time. That magic snow has been coming down hard ever since, making everything clean and white.

The snowy backdrop inspired me to make something to decorate the outside of our house; a wreath. I covered a Styrofoam hoop with thick batting, then alternated red and green pieces all the way around, with a few white muslin bits here and there. It's a little lumpy and uneven, but quite pretty all the same. We've already gotten compliments on it from family and neighbors.

Speaking of lumpy and uneven, I cut my hair again today. This time I was sitting on the sofa, watching Dr. Phil and feeling a little bored, so I decided to give myself bangs. Does anyone else change their hair when they're bored? No? Ah well. I like them. And ignore Adam's messy office in the background. I am in no way responsible for that foolishness. However, our living room does currently look like a Joann Fabrics exploded, so I really can't talk.

Note the adult language on the mirror behind me. That was a birthday gift I made for Adam last year.
I've also been working almost nonstop on ornaments, which I haven't taken pictures of yet. I think I'm going to wait until we decorate our tree and then make an ornament post showing all of my many, many, many creations.

On the Fourth Day of Crafting: A Tree Skirt

2007-12-04T18:25:00.000-08:00

Today I made a skirt for our yet-to-be purchased Christmas tree. Red, felt, white rickrack, and more of my favorite holiday prints. I only bought half a yard of each of those prints and I'm determined to stretch them as far as they'll go.I think this is my favorite crafted decoration so far. The jumbo rickrack and fabric ornament appliqués are just so festive and fun. As I write this Autumn is sitting on the couch in quiet concentration, making a paper chain garland all by herself. I can't tell you how thrilled I am that she enjoys making things as much as I do. I love giving her small, simple projects she can do on her own, and being able to sit and chat with my girl while we work.
I hope she never loses her desire to create.

On the Third Day of Crafting: Gifts for Mini Me

2007-12-03T15:49:00.000-08:00

Can you believe it? I'm done crafting and the sun is still up! Today I made gifts for my sweet Autumn Rose. First was a set of hand puppets for her doorway puppet theater; a cat, a frog, and a bear. The googly eyes were a cop out because I think I'm really bad at drawing eyes and didn't want to ruin them. But she is fascinated with googly eyes anyway so I'm sure she'll appreciate them. Is that bear rolling it's eyes at me? Bear, I brought you into this world and I can take you--what was I saying? Oh yeah.My second gift is a treasure hunt bag, also known as an I Spy or Peekaboo bag. You may have seen toys like this on Etsy before. It's a bag usually filled with plastic pellets and small trinkets, and children have to shake, squeeze and manipulate the bag to find all of the objects hidden inside through the clear vinyl window. I came close to buying one, but decided to try making it myself first. It was a lot easier than I expected. I collected small objects and toys from around our house (mostly my craft room--great way to use up the little random things I had lying around) and used some vinyl, ribbon and treasure map fabric I had in my stash (yay for using up my stash!). Instead of plastic pellets I filled the bag with white rice because I always like to use natural materials in place of synthetic ones when possible. Plus it's cheaper.There's still one more gift in the works for Miss Autumn, but it will have to wait until I can obtain all the materials I need. Until then I'll be working my way down my to-do list like a good little elf.

P.S. Speaking of elves, this is cracking me up right now.

On the Second Day of Crafting: The Living Room

2007-12-02T17:10:00.000-08:00

Today I decided to focus on the room we use the most. Our coffee table isn't exactly a table; it's actually four ottomans with storage compartments and tops that flip over to make little square trays. I made a set of square placemats to line and protect the trays with some of my favorite Elvis prints, but today they've been replaced with patchwork placemats in some of the same beautiful Christmas prints I used for the advent calendar. Add some pinked-edged coasters for our hot cocoa and a festive throw pillow and our living room is beginning to look a lot like Christmas.Can you tell it was dark outside again when I took these pictures? I really need to start my crafting in the morning.It's finally starting to feel like Christmastime in the Sugar and Snails household. Believe it or not, I'm actually looking forward to seeing some snow soon. Tomorrow I'll be making gifts for the Small One while she is at school. Hopefully I'll be able to finish at least most of them in 4 hours.

By the way, did you know that Swiss Miss now makes a dark chocolate hot cocoa mix? Yum yum yum.

On the First Day of Crafting: An Advent Calendar

2007-12-01T17:23:00.000-08:00

Today I finished our advent calendar and filled the pockets with red and white polymer clay beads for Autumn to make herself a Christmas necklace. On the 25th she'll get a Christmas tree pendant to complete it. I also started the dozen scrappy ball ornaments I want to make for our tree. These are fun to make and a great way to use up the pretty scraps I don't want to throw away. Unfortunately by the time I was finished crafting it was starting to get dark outside and the lighting in our house isn't the greatest for taking pictures, so I may replace these shots tomorrow with some better ones. But for now, here is the evidence of my progress.

The calendar was really fun to make. It's natural linen with holiday print and felt pockets, numbered in gold glitter. I'm not entirely happy with the lettering at the top because it's a bit crooked, but oh well. It's charming, right? Tomorrow I'll try to get an earlier start on my projects so that they're done in time to take some good photos.

Twelve Days of Crafting

2007-11-30T13:31:00.000-08:00

I have a plan. A challenge for myself that involves some hard work and commitment on my part, but with enough effort I think it will be very gratifying. Adam and I moved in together in January, and this is my first year living away from home (i.e. not under the roof of my mother or grandparents, i.e. being a real live grown up). The thing about having your own place is, you have to start from scratch because the things you always took for granted aren't there from the start. Things like furniture, dishes, appliances, towels, and of course, holiday decorations. I know, shocking, right? You mean my new townhouse doesn't come fully stocked with this crap? Well we pretty much covered the furniture, dishes, appliances and towels in the first couple of weeks, but what we don't have are Christmas things. You know, the things that are supposed to magically appear from a cardboard box in my grandparents' basement? We have no ornaments, garlands, knickknacks, stockings, baubles, tchotkes, or thingamajigs. No doodads! No whatchamacallits! So what's a holiday cheer deprived homemaker to do? Run to K-Mart and fill a cart or two with the entire Martha Stewart holiday collection? I think not my dear friends! It's time to get crafty! So here is my decoration crafting to-do list.

50 ornaments and a tree topper
3 stockings
1 wreath
4 placemats & coasters
2 throw pillows
1 advent calendar + 24 thingamajigs and/or doodads to go in it
an undecided number of soft trees
1 tree skirt

And probably a couple of other odds and ends that I forgot. And I didn't forget about my Handmade Pledge this year, so along with buying a few things from Etsy I am making something for everyone on my list, adding up to about 15-20 individual items, give or take. Doesn't sound too daunting when I have almost a month to get it done, but that's where the challenge comes in. I'm going to do this in 12 days.

Why 12, you ask? Well I don't have any logical explanation other than the fact that I was listening to The Twelve Days of Christmas when I thought of this, and it seemed like a good number that would be challenging but doable. Oh and I'm a masochist.

So starting tomorrow, for the next 12 days I'll be sharing my progress on my blog and probably venting many frustrations and "Why am I doing this to myself?!"s along the way. I'm glad I have this blog because posting about it will help keep me on track. There's a certain accountability that comes with challenging yourself publicly. It's one thing to just set a personal goal for yourself and forget about it, but when you make it public you're more driven to follow through. I think this will be a lot of fun in a frequently stressful, oh-lord-what-was-I-thinking sort of way, so I'll be checking in tomorrow as soon as I finish my first project.

P.S. Before I forget (well, I did forget, and came back to edit this in) I wanted to share this idea I found on Craftster with you all because I think it's so adorable and easy to do if you don't have a lot of time (or crafty skills) this holiday season. It's a photo advent calendar with family pictures behind each numbered window. You can just print out the PDF and add your photos and presto! Instant cuteness.

Holiday Shop Update

2007-11-27T11:25:00.000-08:00

Giving handmade gifts this holiday season? The shop has been stocked with some great holiday goodies and stocking stuffers, including scarves, hats, Crayprons, and even a stocking craft kit for the kiddos (click the pictures above to go directly to Etsy listing--I just figured out how to do that and I'm all proud of myself). I'm adding new things this week so keep checking back!

< / shameless self advertising>

Giving Thanks, and a Turkey Debacle

2007-11-23T20:22:00.000-08:00

No, not the sort of turkey you're thinking of, thank goodness. I offered to help Adam's mom with Thanksgiving dinner yesterday and she put me on dessert duty, making cupcakes for the kids that were supposed to look like this. She bought these hilarious silicone cupcake molds and couldn't find any candy corn, so we got jelly beans in fall colors instead. "No problem," I told her. "This will be so easy," I said. "They'll look even better than the picture."
Now before I show you the result of my overconfidence and lack of competence I must make one thing clear. Despite my craftiness, I am severely domestically challenged. Severely. I really shouldn't be allowed in the kitchen if what I'm making involves much more than boiling water, and even that goes wrong sometimes. Baking, especially, is not my forte. I had no idea that in order for the frosting to stay nice and stiff on top of the cupcakes to make that cute little turkey head it needed to be refrigerated first. So I just plopped room temperature icing on top of them and hoped for the best. They looked really adorable. For about five minutes. Then Tom Turkey began to droop. And slide. And flatten...Until I ended up with a flock of sorry looking turkey cupcakes, half of which looked like they had been beaten about the head with a shovel and the other half with melting faces. Yeah. Lesson learned. At least they tasted good, and everyone had a good laugh. These, on the other hand, turned out pretty cute. Probably because they didn't involve any feats of engineering with icing.
Now for a few things I am thankful for this year:

Adam. Not only is he a wonderful partner and father, but he works so hard to provide for our family and afford me the opportunity to stay at home with Autumn. He is gentle and patient and sometimes understands me more than I understand myself. I can't imagine sharing my life with anyone else.

My sewing machine, "The Beast." The Beast (please tell me I'm not the only one who names her sewing machines) is the best sewing machine I've ever used. He's a Singer Quantum Futura and he is more user friendly and chock full of features than any other machine I've owned. He was given to me by Adam's mother Michelle, which brings me to...

Grandmothers. Oh what would I do without grandmothers? They know just how to make a cranky preschooler smile when her mother is too flustered and worn out to think straight. They always put their grandchildren first and always have a helping hand to lend and advice to give. Michelle, my mom and my grandma are all wonderful grandmothers and I am so thankful for all of them.

Autumn. My sweet little Mini Me. She has brought so much joy to my life since the day she was born, and though I know it's a parent's job to educate her children, I think I've learned even more about life from her.

The fact that I can eat all the pumpkin pie, stuffing, and mashed potatoes I want without feeling guilty. I've finally realized that all the time I've wasted fussing over my imaginary body issues can be spent actually enjoying life and the time I have with my family.

Last but not least, I am thankful for you, my blog readers. I smile every time I read your comments and know that someone out there, be it a close friend or a stranger, can relate to what I'm saying and has stories of their own to share. Thank you so much for being a part of my blog.
By the way, dinner itself was great. I managed not to screw up reheating the vegetables in the microwave and pouring drinks. My grandmother came down from PA to visit for the weekend, and today we went to the Festival of Trees at the Maryland State Fairgrounds. More about that tomorrow, because now Adam and I are off on a rare outing to see an R-rated movie (another reason I'm thankful for grandmothers). Happy belated Thanksgiving everyone!

Picture That

2007-11-20T08:13:00.000-08:00

A fun little idea blatantly stolen from robot jumping rope.

1. Type your answers into Google image search.
2. Post a picture from the first results page.

The age you will be on your next birthday
A place you'd like to visit
One of your favorite places
Your favorite object
Your favorite food
Your favorite animal
Your favorite color
Name of a past pet
Where you live
First grade teacher's last name
Your middle name
A bad habit of yours
Your favorite holiday
I know many of you readers have blogs of your own, so let's see your answers!

Bee Movie. And costume. And snacks.

2007-11-18T14:15:00.000-08:00

Ever since we saw Bee Movie a few days ago Autumn has been obsessed with bees and their honey. As soon as we got home from the movie theater she rummaged through her dress up box to find a suitable bee costume. The closest thing she could find were some fuzzy pink antennae, fairy wings and a too-small black and yellow sock hop dress, but it was good enough for her. Now we've been asked to address her as "Autumn Bee Princess" whenever she wears this creative getup.
She tried honey for the first time and now wants to eat it every day. Whether that's because she actually likes it or because she just wants to be more like a bee I'm not sure, but at least she's trying new things. She eats honey and peanut butter sandwiches, apple slices dipped in honey, honey on bagels and, once, just a spoonful of the stuff. I had to draw the line at letting her drink it straight from the bottle though. While searching the 'net for honey related recipes I found a simple sweet treat over in the archives of Kids Craft Weekly. They're called Honey Joys, but Autumn likes to call them Crunchy Munchy Honey Cakes, after the catchy Wiggles song.I'll admit I was a little skeptical about how good these would be, as I usually am when trying a new recipe. But they tasted fantastic and were so easy to make. I'm posting the recipe here along with a warning: they are VERY addictive.

Crunchy Munchy Honey Joys
4 cups corn flakes
1/3 cup sugar
6 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon honey
Melt butter, sugar and honey in a saucepan over medium high heat until the mixture starts to bubble. Pour over corn flakes and have your little Bee Princess or Prince help stir until completely coated. Spoon into paper cupcake liners and bake at 150 degrees for 10 minutes. If your oven is like mine and only goes down to 170 (what's up with that?), bake for 10 minutes anyway. It really doesn't matter. Allow honey joys to cool and let the addiction begin!Happy munching!

Director of Photography: Autumn Rose

2007-11-11T14:29:00.000-08:00

Okay Mommy. Stand still.

Now walk that way.Turn around. Smile.

Now how about you put this dollar in your hat.

Lay down on the grass Mommy. No not there. Right here.

Okay now I want to lay down with you and you take the picture and I'll close my eyes because of the sun.

You did a good job Mommy.

Two Scarves and Swap Goodies

2007-11-05T16:49:00.000-08:00

I've had this red polka dotted fabric sitting on my shelf for a while now and I've really been itching to do something with it, but couldn't figure out exactly what. Last night I decided to try making a kiddo-sized patchwork scarf. It was super easy, and I loved it so much that I decided to make an adult-sized one today while Autumn was napping. For a while I was torn between keeping the scarves and selling them on Etsy, but in the end I was too attached to them to give them up. So now we have matching scarves for fall.
And yeah, we're wearing short sleeves. It's not quite cold enough for scarves yet, but when it is we'll be prepared! Hers has a little felt loop on one end to hold the scarf in place. I might make a few more similar scarves for the shop, but these are definitely ours.

My last three packages from the Sweat Shoppe Swap have arrived, and I love everything! Swapping has been so much fun, and I'm looking forward to doing it again. First, just in time for Halloween, Roxanne sent me this gorgeous beaded black widow pendant:
Hmm, that picture is kinda Myspacey, no? Oh well. Next came a Boo Boo Bunny from Cara, which Autumn fell madly in love with. She pretends she has boo boos all the time now so she can use it.
And last but not least, PJ pants from Kate, which fit Autumn perfectly and look adorable on her. Ignore Adam's messy office in the background.
All of my swap partners did a fabulous job and I am so grateful for the amazing work they did for me and my kiddo. Thanks everyone!

Remembering

2007-11-02T10:52:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we made an altar for Dia de los Muertos. I framed some of my favorite photos of Grandpa and surrounded them with candles, tools, and wooden fish. I made a banner out of scrapbooking paper and ribbon, and we didn't have any fresh marigolds so I made a bunch from felt and pipecleaners.Autumn made the one with the pink stem. She also added a plastic Ninja Turtle and Grandpa's stuffed fish, Reef, who was given to him while he was in the hospital and passed on to Autumn after he died.For those of you not familiar with it, Dia de los Muertos (or Day of the Dead) is a holiday to honor the dead. The tradition is that once a year the spirits of the dead come to visit their living loved ones, and families create altars with candles and fragrant flowers (since our flowers weren't so fragrant I lit a scented candle) to guide them home and include photographs and a few of their favorite things to make them feel welcome. They eat their favorite foods, play their favorite music, tell stories about them, and just spend the day remembering. It's not a time for mourning or feeling sad. It's a happy holiday for celebrating life and being grateful for the time we spent together. We aren't Mexican, but you don't have to be to celebrate this beautiful occasion. I think it's a wonderful tradition to start with your family if you've lost a loved one, and it's especially good for children as it helps them understand and cope with death. You can research the holiday more with the link I provided above, but I think we should all feel free to celebrate it in our own way, whether that's super traditional or not so traditional.

We also lit candles for Adam's grandfather, who died when he was 12. Both of them are missed and loved, and today we celebrate their lives.

Trick or Treat! (prepare for picture overload)

2007-11-01T12:43:00.001-07:00

Well as you can see, the costume was finished on time. She wore it to her school's Halloween party and brought home a bag full of candy before we even started trick-or-treating. Sadly since October has been an unusually stressful and busy month for me I didn't have the time or energy to make a costume for myself this year. But I still managed to be festive in my Halloween t-shirt, poofy handmade skirt and stripey tights. Oh how I love my stripey tights.
After school we took our pumpkins into the basement for carving. I don't know how, but Autumn managed to pick the thickest, hardest-skinned pumpkin in the entire pumpkin patch. This thing was a real brute. My arm was aching after spending 10 MINUTES cutting the top off, and after I cleaned it out I passed the carving duty onto Adam because I didn't think my hand could take it anymore. Autumn drew not one, not two or even three, but four faces on her pumpkin for him to carve out, and he did a great job on it.I, however, decided to paint my pumpkin after seeing how tough Autumn's was. Carving isn't really where my talent lies anyhow. Autumn painted a little one for Rosie, her favorite teddy bear, who also dressed up for the occasion.
That evening we went out with Adam's sister and her four children as well as his mom, who wore a fantastic witch costume. When I walked downstairs and saw her standing in the hallway I didn't recognize her at first and she scared the crap out of me!We went to maybe 15 houses or so. It was Autumn's first time trick-or-treating in a residential neighborhood. She had a blast with all the other kids, running from house to house in their colorful costumes. Luckily the weather was nice enough that we didn't freeze to death, so a good time was had by all.After a pizza dinner at a neighbor's house we headed home and Autumn set out most of her candy for the Halloween Fairy, who came in the night and left her a little purse with a kitty-shaped pocket in the candy's place.Despite not being able to do everything I had originally planned on, Halloween was great fun for us this year.

Happy Halloween!

2007-10-31T17:57:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween everyone!

Pumpkins, pumpkins, pumpkins

2007-10-30T17:49:00.001-07:00

Today we took a trip to Valley View Farms to buy our Halloween pumpkins. I like to carve pumpkins either the day before or the day of Halloween so that by the time the holiday comes around our front steps aren't decorated with orange mush.After wandering around the patch for a bit and checking out the straw "zoo" and gigantic prize-winning pumpkins we loaded up a whole wagon full of our own big orange carving pumpkins, acorn, gooseneck and butternut squashes for cooking (is the plural of "squash" supposed to be "squashes"? That sounds funny), and even a few teeny tiny pumpkins to decorate the kitchen table.Would you believe I've never eaten squash before? Never! So this year I made sure to pick up a few to experiment with. I doubt anyone in the house will want to experiment with me, but I'm okay with being the adventurous one. I think.After pumpkin shopping we had lunch and went to Cold Stone for--what else--pumpkin ice cream! Oh yes. I am a sucker for anything pumpkin flavored or scented, and this time of year I crave it constantly. From the first day of fall through December our refrigerator will never be empty of pumpkin pie. There will also be an avalanche of pumpkin bread, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin french toast, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin milkshakes, and after all that, probably pumpkin Pepto (if only).

Fall really is the best season. The food, the cool weather, the beautiful show nature puts on for us makes it such a happy time of year for me. I wish it could last all year.Oh and don't let that forced looking pageant smile fool you. She really did have a good time.

A Quiet Fall Day

2007-10-28T13:31:00.000-07:00

Wearing my favorite thrifted boots.Walking to the park to photograph a new scarf for the shop.Collecting leaves for a craft project.Loving my freshly dyed hair.

Breathing the crisp fall air and watching the trees change.

Teaching Autumn how to preserve leaves in beeswax.Wishing every day could be like this.

More Happiness in the Mail

2007-10-26T12:23:00.000-07:00

Today another rain-speckled package arrived at my door, this time a gorgeous digital art print I ordered from Madelaine on Etsy. Madelaine is a spectacularly talented young artist who creates amazingly haunting and ethereal digital art and photography. When I stumbled across her Etsy shop I was simply spellbound, and I'm so happy to finally have her beautiful art hanging in my craft room. She even included a handwritten thank you note in my package, which I thought was just such a nice personal touch.

I can't wait to collect more of her work, and I think a 12x18 print of The Fall will be listed in my letter to Santa this year (hint, hint Adam). Thank you, Madelaine, for your exquisite art and kindness.

Happy and Handmade News

2007-10-24T12:44:00.000-07:00

Hoo boy. It's about time we got some around here, eh? Well as of today my mother's house is NOT on the city's official list of destroyed properties. She can't go home yet, but at least we know that so far her house is safe.

Another little thing that brought me happiness this week was receiving my first two packages from the Sweat Shoppe Swap. First, a Frog Prince Bean Bag from Brill. Isn't he cute? I named him Pinkus.

He didn't turn into a prince but that's okay.

Later the same day I came home to a package on my doorstep with this beautiful Kool-Aid dyed yarn from Colleen. The photo really doesn't do the color justice. It's much pinker in real life. I haven't decided what to do with it yet. I don't even knit or crochet, but I requested this yarn anyway because the colors were just too yummy to resist. Maybe I'll enslave--I mean ask--my lovely crocheting friend to make something with it (hi Faye!).

Other than getting goodies in the mail and filling several new Etsy orders, there's not much going on here in the world of Sugar and Snails. I still have a Halloween costume to make (5 1/2 days is enough time, right?) and housework to do (the kitchen hasn't been mopped in HOW long?) but before I go I wanted to mention a great website I found called BuyHandmade.org. I took the pledge to give handmade gifts this holiday season, and I want to urge my wonderful readers to do the same. Consumerism has gotten so out of hand, especially during the winter holiday season, and buying or making handmade gifts is a way to break away from the commerical and give something special and unique that's truly from the heart. Follow the link below to make your pledge.

Wildfire

2007-10-22T14:42:00.000-07:00

I'm sure by now many of you have heard about the massive fire devastating southern California. My mom just called to ask me to search online for a pet-friendly hotel for her to stay in, because she and my little sister Emanhi have been evacuated. She lives next to a freeway, and the flames are right on the other side. She told me they can see other houses burning. My mom bought her condo just two years ago, and it's the first home she's ever owned. She worked so hard and saved up for years so she could stop renting tiny apartments and have a place of her own, and now she might lose the beautiful home she loves so much.
This fire is completely out of control, and thanks to stubborn people who refuse to evacuate, the fire department is wasting more time rescuing people from their homes than actually fighting the fire. I know this is a stretch, but if anyone in San Diego who's been asked to evacuate is reading this, PLEASE leave your houses immediately so that more time can be spent on fighting the fire. By staying at home you are draining valuable resources and risking the homes of people like my mom and little sister. This is not the time to be selfish.

Photos courtesy of Yahoo News.

Back to Normal. And Turtles.

2007-10-16T10:16:00.000-07:00

Thank you so much to you lovely readers who sent such kind words--both in comments and email--on the loss of my grandfather. It really is therapeutic to be able to reach out to others in such a difficult time. His funeral was yesterday morning, and I had the opportunity to give a eulogy at the service. I think it gave me the closure I needed, and we've begun to get back into our normal routine. And boy, do I have a lot of normaling to do.

First up on my to-do list is to collect addresses and send out five pairs of clay horns for round 11 of the Craftster Sweat Shoppe Swap. This is my first craft swap, and I'm both excited and nervous. I hope all 5 of my partners like their horns. I'm already sure I'll love all the things I'm receiving. I've been partnered with some really talented crafty ladies and I can't wait until my first package shows up.

Next up, Halloween costume! This year Autumn wants to be a Ninja Turtle. Of course the kid with the crafty mom who insists on making her costume had to pick something difficult. Our trip to the fabric store for costume supplies was pretty entertaining, as Adam and I couldn't agree on what color the Ninja Turtles' shells were. He said they were yellow on the front and green on the back, and I said they were light brown on the front and dark brown on the back. I bought the brown fabric and crossed my fingers until we could get home and do a Google image search. What's that you say? I should have taken a picture with me to the store? Nonsense! That would require things like planning ahead!
So who was right? Well, we both were. In the original cartoon, the turtles' shells were yellow and green. In the live action movies and this year's TMNT movie they were brown. I suppose Autumn and her friends are more familiar with the newer Turtles than the 80's Turtles, so I think the brown will do. Now if only I could actually figure out how to make a turtle shell out of fabric. That would be helpful.

What ever happened to cutting a couple of eye holes in a bed sheet? Ghosts are cool, right? No? Hmph.
There are also decorations to be made, pumpkins to be carved, and a kid-friendly Halloween craft to plan for our first monthly Craft Day tradition we've decided to start with Adam's nieces and nephews.

After the Halloween crafting frenzy I'd like to add a lot more to the shop, including more aprons and art totes as well as some holiday themed goodies.
Wish me luck, because with only two weeks until Halloween and my tendency to procrastinate, I'm going to need it.

Saying Goodbye

2007-10-11T19:40:00.000-07:00

I want to tell you about my grandpa. He's the wisest, gentlest, most peaceful man I've ever known. He's got a fantastic sense of humor and a youthful spirit. He's the only truly positive male role model I knew growing up. He taught me about fishing and tools and dogs and insects and knock-knock jokes. He taught me how to ride a bike with training wheels and how to roller skate. He taught me all the things my parents didn't have the time or desire to teach me.
My grandpa has been married to my grandmother for 38 years. He served in the United States Marine Corps. during the Vietnam war. He goes fishing every Sunday as long as the weather permits, and when it doesn't he likes to sit in his favorite armchair and watch cartoons or science fiction movies. His favorite foods are creme filled donuts, pizza, Twin Kiss cheeseburgers and my grandma's homemade chicken pot pie. He loves Autumn dearly, and she absolutely adores him. She likes to go fishing with him in his little green boat. They don't catch anything but I don't think it makes any difference.

Earlier this year Grandpa was diagnosed with melanoma. At first it seemed like nothing to worry about. He had surgery, the doctors performed a skin graft on the side of his face and they said he was in remission. But then they found more cancer. It spread to his lungs and his liver. From the first diagnosis he had the most incredible positive outlook. He was sure that everything would be just fine, and told us not to worry about him. After he went into the hospital I spoke to him on the phone and he sounded just as happy and healthy as he ever was. I felt comforted by his optimism, and tried not to cry too much when I thought about it.

That was about two months ago. Yesterday afternoon we drove up to Lancaster to visit him in the hospital. My grandmother had called the day before to tell us he didn't have much time left. My mom flew in from California, and I decided that Autumn and I would stay at my grandparents' house for a few days to help out and be there for Grandpa (Adam had to work and couldn't stay). Before we left, I sat down with Autumn in her room and had to tell her that Great Grandpa was going to die soon. I told her he would go to a place called Heaven where he wouldn't be sick anymore. He would be very happy there and he could go fishing every day if he wanted to. We wouldn't be able to see or hear him, but he would see and hear us and we could still talk to him. She cried, and she made him a card that said "I love you Grandpa."

When we arrived at the hospital I said hello to my grandmother and my great aunt Darlene, and stepped further into the room to see him. There was a man lying on a bed who looked to be twice as old as my Grandpa. He was bald and emaciated with swollen feet and a bloated stomach. He slept with his eyes half open and his mouth agape, the sounds of his labored breathing cutting through the quiet beeping and dripping of the hospital room. I looked from this man to the other side of the room, searching for Grandpa's bed, but all I saw was a tan faux leather sofa and a window. There was no one else in the room. No other bed. I stood there for about three more seconds before I had to run out of the room and sob into Adam's shirt.

No. No. I whimpered like a child. No. That isn't him. That can't be him. He was fine. He was just fine last time. How could that be him? No, there's been a mistake. No. He looks like he's dead already. I can't do this. No no no no no.

Ten minutes later we were both able to pull ourselves together enough to enter the room again. Autumn was sitting on my grandmother's lap, talking to Grandpa. He was awake now and, though he didn't have much control over his facial muscles anymore, he was smiling at her. Grandma would later tell me it was the first time she'd seen him smile in weeks. She showed him the card she made, and her Superman temporary tattoo, and played with the fish Beanie Baby sitting on his side table. I talked to him a bit, but for the most part I just didn't know what to say. But when he talked I listened, and when he said he was hot I fanned him with a piece of paper until the nurse brought an electric fan. I felt angry and helpless. How could this happen to MY Grandpa? He was supposed to live forever. He didn't deserve this. It wasn't fair. But I just sat by his side and tried not to cry much, and when it was time to leave I kissed him on the forehead and told him I love him.
That evening after saying goodbye to Adam, Autumn and I went back to my grandparents' house, made a few phone calls and went to bed on the air mattress in my old bedroom. Around 3:00 this morning my mom called to tell me he had died. The first thing I did was smile. I found so much comfort in knowing that he isn't suffering anymore. He's finally free of his ill and broken body. If Heaven is a place where we can do what makes us happy, he's up there catching the biggest fish he's ever laid eyes on. I know that in whatever life there is after this one, he is better off. And I am so glad that he spent his last day smiling.

I try not to think about the broken man on that hospital bed now. That's not the way I want to remember him. This is how he should be remembered.

Loving.Kind.Patient.Full of life.Free.

I love you Grandpa.

In Loving Memory of
Bruce W. Farst
1949-2007