umm yeah so it's FRIDAY!!!!!

about friggin time....

add in that it is a holiday weekend - no work on Monday - yeahhhhh

I will begin my weekend by going through 2 levels of hell...I told the girls I would take them to the fabric store with me...both of them.

Now going someplace with PWG isn't that big of a deal - she is pretty sedate and I can engage her in a conversation. If I ask her to sit and wait - she will sit and wait.

TW on the other hand, usually acts like she just ate a giant bag of poprocks washed down by 4 Red Bulls....here there and everywhere....all the while her mouth going a mile a minute.

Apart they are OK...together is a whole other ball game...it could work out that they are polite and actually listen to me...or it could go a totally opposite way of them "playing" WWE Smack-down in the middle of the Fleece isle.

Lord grant me the strength...

In other news I made myself a new purse



and I was awarded my 10 year award at work...my "gift" - an umbrella - I had about 5 things to choose from...I choose the one that might actually be useful at some point in my life...at least I get an extra hour of vacation a pay period now...

In case you are looking for time wasters this Friday here are some Blogs I love to peruse

Death Wore a Feathered Mullet (R - Mature audiences)
Toddlers and Bananas (G - General Audiences) - Gretchen is my Darth Vader
Mom-o-Matic (G - General Audiences) - Lotta just tells it like it is
My Pumpkin Pie (G-General Audiences) - Just about the cutest newborn you will ever see
Trees in OK (G- General Audiences) - if you are into running check out Tree's blog...myself - I think being eaten by a lion would be far less painful than running anywhere

Really...I blame it all on Gretchen

if Gretchen hadn't posted her oooo SEW crafty sewing projects on her blog I wouldn't be in this mess...

I am obsessed...with sewing now...in addition to the 101 million other crafty things I already have my hand in...

I can't wait for this weekend...why

because it is a holiday weekend? NOPE
because it is suppose to be in the 80's and BEAUTIFUL? NOPE

well then why then...

because the fabric stores are having BIG SALES....

and I must go...and buy more fabric...pretty fabric...precious fabric

Currently our sitting room has been turned into Jenni's sewing haven - with a 6ft fold out table and lots of scraps...

I told TC that I would clean everything up once I got the teachers year end gift of handbags finished...

I see now that I have probably infact lied to my husband....

The only consolation I have is my daughters are slowly loving my creations...they both want a bag to carry their Webkinz in...maybe I can turn it around...if they bat thier big eyes at TC and tell them mommy needs to make them a bag...then he can't possibly be mad my stuff is still all over long after I have finished the teachers bag.

right?

MULTI-TASKING MOMMA

I am a “do to mucher” – I always have been and always will be…I have over the years stifled my little “mucher” and have slowly backed away from always raising my hand when someone asks for a volunteer.

Does that mean I have any less to do?

Nope….I NEED something to do – it keeps me on track…gives me a purpose…

Last night – I got home from work – got dinner for the girls – went over their homework - took them to their make-up swim lesson – got home – made two loaves of strawberry bread and another batch of chocolate starfish (you’ll understand as you read below) - picked up the house a bit and made TC "HAPPY" :)

To that avail I am always juggling a bunch of projects and being the procrastinator that I am – means I always have something that needs to be done RIGHT NOW (or at least I think I do)

Add into the fact that I suffer from CADD…that would be Craft Attention Deficit Disorder. Yes, I readily start one project only to be swayed by another project I MUST DO RIGHT AWAY….so that leaves me with half finished projects.

The only way to get me to finish things is to give me a deadline…but even then sometimes the power is to strong…I see a pretty object and start scheming about the stuff I need to make said project.

Currently in production I have

• 5 crocheted scarves…a craft store was having a sale on yummy yarn for $2 a skein (normally $7/skein) so I had to buy a ton and a half - all the scarves are pretty much done – they just need the fringe added…something that would take all of 15 minutes per scarf…have I done it yet - nope…I envision that I will be using the scarves as holiday gifts this year so it gets pushed back
• 1 crocheted blanket…status ½ done – see I went to the Dollar Store about 6 months ago and they had gotten a shipment in of really cool and bright multicolored yarn and at $1/skein I bought a bunch and crocheted a blanket…a blanket that both PWG and TW fell in love with and take turns sleeping with at night…2 months ago I walked into another Dollar store and found more yarn…bought it so each of my girls could have their own blanket and I don’t spend 8 minutes every night hearing screetching “BUT YOU had it last night”…”No I didn’t you did”
• 25 3-D papercrafting swaps – yes 25 – I finally figured out what I am going to do – paper is cut – now I just have to assemble…oh yeah this HAS a due date…I have 2 weeks to get this done
• 25 cards – Well I don’t have to put these together I just have to design said card and cut all the materials for the card…card is designed – now to cut and cut and cut…like the 3-d items…I have two weeks
• 9 Girl Scout journals – see my girls Brownie leader is an Uber-leader and I think she might be slightly off her rocker because she is taking NINE 7-10 year olds camping for 2 nights…2 nights people!!!! And I don’t have to go with them. I volunteered to make each girl going a small journal – so she can write in it during the camp out. Project status – haven’t even begun…no wait – I have the chipboard and the Girl Scout paper…I have a deadline of 3 weeks for this project.
• 160 chocolate starfish lollypops – 160 people….if my sister ever gets married again I am not volunteering to make the favors…I swear…I did get the molds and I was smart and bought 4 molds of 4 each…so far I have made 2 batches – with a third sitting in my fridge as we speak…only 7 more batches to go…oh and her wedding is in a month…and then I still have to package each one in a cello wrap – tied it with the perfect pewter ribbon and attach a delightful little tag…
• A Few WHOO-HOO Chocolate Pops - Said Sister is having a Bachalorette party in two weeks and I am sending a care package with one of her bridesmaids since I can't attend (Girls weekend in the mountains of NC - it would take me 7 hours one way to drive) - I am making a WHOO-HOO pop for everyone...these are getting made along with the Starfish batches...so there are Orange and Dark Chocolate Whoo-Hoo's - I should be done with the Whoo-Hoo making tonight and be able to get the package in the mail Saturday morning...now lets hope they don't melt...nothing is sadder than a droopy Whoo-Hoo. Plus the fact they are sitting in my fridge and the girls keep asking if they could have one...ummm no...no 7 year old needs to be munching down on a Whoo-Hoo...so the sooner the Whoo-Hoos are out of my house the better :)

Now add in the fact that I just got a sewing machine and I am now addicted to all things sewing…I saw a picture of pretty little Key Fobs and now I feel the urge to make some myself…only I need to make them longer so I can use it as a Lanyard at work…cause right now I am using some god-awful yellow cast-off lanyard from a co-worker.

So I still need to add into the projects…

• a lanyard
• at least 3 cute tote bags with packs of cards for the end of the year teacher gifts
• plus PWG asked if I could make her a totebag to carry her Webkinz in

I keep this up I might one day be as cool as Gretchen

Shameless self promotion...

I just added some more cards to my ETSY shop...

CHECK IT OUT

Craftypleasures

Strawberry Fields Forever...

TW and PWG picking over fields and fields of strawberries...

Now what to do with the TON of fresh strawberries we have picked...already made my semi-famous strawberry-rhubarb pie and have a recipe for Strawberry bread...

Starting slow....

So I signed up for a Beginners sewing class...

biggest mistake of my life...I am such a pushover - I made this yummy, yummy bag

It's it A-FREAKIN-DORABLE - and so easy - basically you iron on the fabic to a piece of interfacing that has all the cut and sew lines...so easy a monkey can do it...

I dropped another $50 in the store after the class on more fusable patterns and luscious fabrics

I got home and worked on getting that brand new sewing machine out of the box and set up - easier than I thought - then I whipped up two more

the green and brown bag is simply delicious - I forgot to take a picture of the other one before I gave it as a gift...beautiful dusty teals and brown and cream stripes....ohhh ohhhh... and then there is more fabric I bought...aren't they just screaming out

SEW ME - oh baby SEW ME

Another chapter in the book of MOM

So the other day TC and I took the girls to Kohls to exchange some dresses they received from my MIL…the dresses were nice buuuuuuuut they had polo collars and my girls welll…they just don’t dig polo collars.

So anyway we started looking in the 7-14 section – I was AMAZED at the prices of the dresses…$40+ - now granted we were at Kohls so you knock off 30-40% - but still and forget trying to look for a simple cotton sundress – those apparently don’t come in sizes 7 and above.

As I started looking at the dresses a thought came to me.

Maybe I could make the girls some dresses myself (nevermind I JUST got a new sewing machine that is still sitting in the box because after reading the manual I am scared of it)

DING DING DING DING…

What the hell are those bells – why every time a woman turns a little more into her mother her mother gets an “I told you so” notch on her mothering belt

The moment I had that thought I was instantly whisked back to 1980 something…

Anyone remember JAMS shorts…

You know the butt ugly print shorts that EVERYONE had to have?

I wanted a pair…my mom took one look and said “Nope, to expensive but I will make you a pair”

And so she did…and when I complained there was no “JAMS” tag on the back…you know what she did…oh yes she sewed up a little tag that said “MOMS”…

After that incident I knew better than to ask for a Jimmy Z skirt…

Drunken Lemurs

Drunken Lemurs

Sort of sums up the place I go to almost every day for about 8.5 hours {wink, wink}

Did you know...

That it takes half a bag of chocolate wafers to make 4 chocolate Penis pops?

well now you do...

Childrearing in 2008

Scene: Driving TW to get her hair cut - stop at a red light - to our left is a cemetary

TW: Is that where Uncle John is?
ME: Now he is somewhere else.
TW: In our hearts right?
ME: Yes...

later on...

TW: How do people know how to get to Heaven when they die
ME: They just know somehow
TW: Do they use GPS?