Crafting again

January 16, 2012 03:03:05 pm

This morning I woke up and the dog was not in his usual spot (right where my feet drop). I looked around and a form emerged from the other side of the room. This is odd because he normally likes to sleep with some part of his torso against our bed. Then I noticed the pile of Christmas stockings that still haven't been boxed up.

Our tree is still up. Yesterday Ali plugged in our exterior lights. We are just going to be those people this year.

And I decided that was just so so sad that today would be the day that I make him a bed for our room. I had talked about it and thought about it but never really in a concrete way.

As I was brushing my teeth it occurred to me that if I just sew together two king size pillows that I hate and just keep in the closet because I don't throw anything away and then sew two pillow cases together over it, that this would be easy enough and he would have a bed.

It sounds nice.

I realized about three inches into step one that the pillow that was sewing machine side had gone as far as it would.

So I flipped it around and figured a few stitches is better than none.

I looked at my pillow cases and decided I really wanted to stay in the same color theme as the room and thus navy blue would have to be reserved for the underside. So I had to find the material I used to make a coordinating bedskirt.

After finding suitable material I carefully measured (HA!) and started sewing. It was during the second turn that it occurred to me that I wasn't filling this with stuffing, I was shoving two pillow in to it. And that means closure takes on a new twist.

Now, had I allowed for slack, it probably would have been as easy as "place pillows in pouch. Turn top fabric over bottom layer and affix with pins. Sew closed."

But not only was I short two inches I couldn't find any pins.

So I called in Ali to hold the pillows up while I used one hand to hold the top closed, one to hold the bottom together AND feed it into the machine.

Sounds like less drama than it really was five minutes ago.

Because after about 3 minutes of this Ali looked up with her little inquisitive face and said "Mom can I just go play?" And walked away. It was then that I noticed that she had taped princess plates to her feet.

After several more minutes and a now broken bobbin case I was able to finish affixing the case to the pillows. I fluffed the product, called the dog to follow me upstairs and he very obligingly crawled onto the bed, curled up and smacked my arm with his paw.

I took that to be a thank you.

And that made it all worth while.

But the next time I wake up and think, really how hard can it be to make a dog bed? I'm going to go back to sleep for a little while. Because clearly my sleep deprivation is making me delusional.

January 12, 2012 06:20:24 pm

Every year it snows in the midwest and every year a quarter to half of the drivers slow down and drive more cautiously. Some drivers actually speed up in a show of how awesome their SUV is, but typically they don't make it to the finish line. And the rest of the drivers spend at least 3 to 4 minutes per interaction with everyone they see the day of a snow fall complaining about the slow drivers.

What amazes me is that these people stand here complaining about how "it's Chicago it's always snows. Get over it."

Like, it didn't happen last year? Or the year before?

Not the snow, the slow drivers. Quit complaining.

Is it too early to flip the bird at 2012?

January 09, 2012 10:07:47 pm

I knew walking into this year that it was going to be a climb. Possibly the steep hill kind where just have to strengthen a shorter step, possibly the hanging on the side of a cliff kind. But a memorable year it will be.

I typically don't make New Years resolutions prior to the new year. Some people like to be surprised with their kid's gender at birth, name it when they meet it. I like to meet the new year. Get a few breaths in. Feel out the change on the wind.

This year I not only developed a few ideas for some change around here and around me, I wrote up a slogan. It's on the chalkboard in the kitchen. Its the header of my list of things that we are going to change around here.

The first thing I vowed to do is to let people in. Chances are if we know each other, you are as close of a friend as I have. Yeah, even you.

I like to keep my relationships shallow and plentiful. That way it's less painful when you move away or I say something stupid and you stop calling me back. I'm done analyzing why I'm doing this. I'm moving on to not doing this. I haven't figured out how to do this but I'm going to work on it. And by this I don't mean saying stupid things. That's just me. I mean keeping everyone just out of arm's reach.

Second I decided that we're going to get some structure around here. My oldest daughter found my floor plan for my new bathroom (I need a project) and started drawing the details of my bedroom, the room we are going to carve the space from, and what I saw was disturbing. And since she has normalized this type of chaos, I decided that we must change. As a family.

So we are going to get organized. We Are Going To Get Some Structure Around Here.

Not our sentences. Just our shelves cabinets drawers and floor plans.

So tonight I'm juggling four things. A ball drops. I scramble and get it picked up. Things are going 15 minutes behind. But it will be okay. It will be a short superficial dinner date but it will still happen. Quickly I race down the road, the major artery on which my subdivision is positioned.

And then I notice a police car.

And I slam on my brakes.

But alas...I was going way too fast. And in my chaotic clutter of the day, remembered everything, extra car seat, dinner fruit and dessert, leotard, except for my wallet.

And an irate police officer, who was appalled that I would be going THAT fast with THREE kids in the car (hi, what do you think I do on 88?) was absolutely beside himself that I. Could be so Stupid. To drive. With No License. It's just really hard to verbalize "well I was in a hurry on the way out the door." When I was pulled over for speeding.

It's been my experience that the people who are going the fastest are the most in tune to their surroundings. I'm not saying I should get a pass. I'm just saying if I were texting or changing the music I wouldn't have been speeding. But I have kids in the car. Which means I want to safely arrive to my destination. QUICKLY.

Anywho.

This required a game change because that 15 minutes behind became 45. Luckily my dinner date turns out to be one of the coolest people I've met in a long time. She didn't mind the wait, thought the story was hysterical and was okay with the general chaos that I bring to a night. I found this out? By scraping the rest of the nights plans, and dropping all four kids on her floor while we chatted and snuggled her new baby for three hours. The anti-chaos moment.

Structure might not happen. But my stellar improv skills have always made up for my lack of organization. And this friendship thing might be worth it, if the two can't coincide.

A Visit From Aunt Steph

December 21, 2011 12:39:50 pm

Yesterday I was laying on my belly on the couch, on my left cheek, drool beginning to form in the corner of my mouth, eyes glazed over as I considered the work ahead of me.

I had spent the majority of Monday, and then that actual morning picking up, putting away, scrubbing and moving laundry. It was like Thing One and Thing Two had been released in my house but the Cat didn't come back after catching and containing them.

And my eyes glazed over as I realized that I am hosting Christmas Eve.

People. Will come here. And see the tapestry of dog fur, frosting bits and playdoh that scatter about in every corner. The block bins which where turned over, mingled, bins throw undetermined places and blocks swept...everywhere.

Dolls and cars as far as the eye could see. And paper scraps. Oh how merry the crafting must have been.

I had cleared the music room and dining room. The kitchen was well under way to clean. Except for the floor. Oh how I loathe the tile.

The laundry bins had exploded and were left for dead as all manner of pajamas and wake up alike were strewn through the halls.

Oh the fun the wee children must have had as chaos reigned and fun was all there was to be had. Except for meal time which appears to largely have been cookies.

But this mess. This mess is so big and so tall I do not think we can fix it at all.

My husband and I spent about a half an hour on it last night (okay I might have just drank wine in the kitchen while "cleaning" in there).

I'm sure my children will cherish these memories forever.

"I just don't think you are taking this very seriously"

December 19, 2011 02:08:42 pm

We hugged and kissed our children good bye and ran out to the car. My husband threw open the back door, tossed in the suitcase and paused.

"Did you pack my dress shoes?"

"NO! Grab my Sketchers while you are in there."

He ran into the house to retrieve our shoes, which he tossed into the back seat and gleefully threw open the door to the front, hopped in and asked

"My hair stuff and deodorant?"

"OHHH! Can you grab my straightener while you are in the bathroom?"

His eyes narrowed a little while he pulled his keys away from the dashboard to flip out the house key.

While he was inside I remembered that Chicago water smells like Chicago sewage and I should probably bring my own. As I was running out of the garage with a case of water to throw in the trunk Jay was walking to the car with another bag and said "I just don't think you are taking this seriously."

Of course I'm not.

That's not what I do. That's what other people do. I got married over Christmas break my junior year in college. I had no real direction or plan for my life at commencement.

At our ten year anniversary I'm still not taking anything very seriously. This running theme is what makes life so enjoyable and interesting.

This phrase was the theme phrase of our trip. We used it as often as we could. From start times of performances to my exuberance to see the South Pacific exhibit at the Field Museum, which Jay simply was not moving fast enough to the elevator for my liking.

And as I stood there, listening to Jay discuss "defrizzing" Lainey's hair (Lainey is a doll) with a stylist at the American Girl store I thought maybe he was taking this way too seriously. Because for five minutes they discussed the how's and whys of the every day care AND styling tips.

Right before we went to a hockey game.

Go Wolves!