Hoping this week to finish one last chunk to meet an official milestone in the Work Albatross. And then I get ponies!!!! Well, a check, which is better than ponies.
W: meant to do a lot on it over the weekend, but no. AW: Brand! New! Fresh! Shiny! Week!
AW: Gorgeous fall day.
Pet Opera note: Senior diva cat Persephone continues to perch obsessively on the very papers I need to see. I de-throne her; she runs off to paw more water from the dish to the floor, meaning to leave the royal damp pawprints on her chosen space. We've moved along now to the part where I invite her to a breath of fresh air on the porch, which leads junior cat Spot to mourn loudly by the door, lest she be eaten by wolves or sea serpents. Meanwhile, junior dog Cora is resting up for the anticipated arrival of the Hideous Mailman, whom she has vowed to destroy via barking through the garage door. If it is a special day, Cora may also have the opportunity to drive fear into the heart of the UPS guy.
What's shaking in your environment?
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57 comments:
High five! I was called a baby killer today! WOOT! Now I know we're getting somewhere!
Doorbelling is brave and a lot of work, but it's also smart. I imagine you expect more comments along those lines than you actually get. Most people are reasonable in person (unlike certain corners of the internet) -- and sometimes they may be swayed from a "default" reaction when they meet someone face to face. Also, if someone has met a candidate as wonderous as our Liz, they'll remember that person come election day. Go, Team!
Passing a nice chunk of fresh sourdough and some camembert.
Yay for ponies! Yay for checks!!
Go Liz!!! When your own people hear you that's great. When the folks who disagree hear you - that's gold.
Our Pet Opera - I feel great shame in saying so, but yesterday I bought the wrong flavour of cat cookies. I picked up the cheddar instead of the salmon that our princess prefers. She made her disapproval known by stomping down the hall while making some vigorous tail flicks. It weren't pretty.
AW: Beautiful fall day today. Sunny, cool, perfect.
W: It snowed yesterday.
I'm sorry, Sue, did you just say, "It snowed yesterday"?
Does not compute.
Yup, it snowed here too, and I don't know what this means for the progress of building The House.
AW: our apartment is nice and we can stay here until The House is finished (even if the dining area is small and carpeted, and E's not entirely over her fear of vacuum cleaners). And it means a few more months until I have to pack and move again!
W: I'm going to miss hanging out on the balcony.
AW: E doesn't remember snow (even though it was her constant companion for the first half of her life), and she thinks it's amazing. She quietly watched the swirling snow out the balcony doors fir a long time yesterday.
W/AW: We have a walking baby!
Yay for walking baby QWP!!! That's a big milestone!
Liz, I hope the snow holds off in your part of the world for a few more weeks. Doorbelling in the snow = not nearly as much fun.
I've done it for special elections in January, and boy howdy, does it ever impress the voters.
Sue. How could you so carelessly forget Her Majesty's wishes?
BABY E IS WALKING!!!! How did that happen so fast?
Congratulations/condolences on the snow. I'm basically as awed as Lil E when I see snow, since I've never lived in places that had it; but hats off to those who can successfully negotiate it all winter!
QWP, construction tends to run longer than hoped anyway, no? Good that the apartment will work until the place is ready!
Isn't it just ridiculously fast? I feel like I'm still reeling from when she learned to crawl. She actually took her first steps (tiny, shuffly penguin steps) over a week ago, but she really started walking while we were up at the farm this weekend. And then last night she walked clear across my parents' living room! So I have to stop pretending that she's only sort of waking.
AW: our trip up north was lovely! E had a blast playing with kids all weekend, and her second cousin A (whose first birthday we were attending) was thrilled to have another kid her size around, since she's the only baby in their farming community. (Lots of kids, but most of them are school-aged.) I need to plan more play dates, because they make my baby so happy and well-behaved.
W: sleep schedule is slightly off, after all that traveling.
Snow! Walking!
Weather here at clergy family retreat: perfect. Clear, sunny, chilly in the mornings, 75 in the afternoons. 16 little ones for Sweet and Mini to play with. Mini the Extravert is in heaven. Sweet the Introvert is currently recharging.
Yay, same age playmates! It must have been exciting for E to see the bigger kids, too.
Esperanza, the weather sounds great, and whee! So many kids!
Help, I'm terminally distracted this week, as demonstrated by messing with blogs and FB instead of Charging Ahead with this nasty chunk of Albatross. A genuine grownup would turn off the internet until a respectable amount is done, and then get a goof-off award.
Reward, is what I meant. Sheesh.
Sounds like a wonderful retreat esperanza! I'm glad you all have a chance to play and regroup after last week. How did the funeral service go?
kathy a - sorry to hear about the distraction. I was in the "Look, shiny!" zone myself yesterday. Just couldn't get anything done. But today's another day, right?!
AW: Good haircut. It was falling in my face during worship, so I was tucking it behind my ear, which dislodged my wireless mike. This happened about a gazillion times on Sunday, so it was haircut time. I like the new look!
W: Denominational battle-royal going on at UCC book of faces page. Why do we do this to one another?
The service was really great. The pastor was everything you could have hoped for and more. I came away grateful for her ministry to our family and admiring her professionally. My brother and I ended up speaking just a couple of minutes each. (She had been willing for us to do nothing, everything, and anything in between).
W: After the Great Halloween Debacle of '12, I swore off costumes and trick-or-treating. So guess who's begging for costumes now?
What kind of costumes do they want? I have many easy mostly non-crafty ideas.
Most of which involve a base of black leotard and tights. Or brown leotard and tights.
Or green leotard and tights.
Yay for a good haircut, Sue!
Hope things settle down in book of faces land, and everybody agrees to love one another. (Clerical fisticuffs! Oh, my...)
Esperanza, so glad the service for Grandma Pete was wonderful and comforting.
What do the girls want to be? I'm a fan of costumes -- used to make tons of them for school events as well as the spooky day. But steer it toward something cheap and easy to pull together, since Mama's busy already!
Free costume tips from the Costume Lady: [1] You just need to create an impression of something, not a masterpiece! [2] Make as much of the costume as possible regular clothes that you have or can use again. Just add accessories. [3] Felt is a wonder-fabric for costumes: colorful, cut or simple seam to adjust, no hemming needed, you can glue stuff on it. (Examples: vest; cat tail and ears; dinosaur spikes and tail basted onto a hoodie; Tinkerbell tunic.) [4] Elastic-waist skirts (leave an opening in the waistband and safety-pin the elastic; then it can be adjusted); [5] Fabric paint for unique designs or embellishment; [6] Capes, ponchos, shawls, sashes, scarves, hats, etc. are all easy ways to create an impression. Ta-da!
Also, what Liz said!
Olivia: Pink leotard and tights. Red something else. Head band with pink construction paper ears.
Madeline: Blue dress. Blue hat (construction paper hats are easy). Black shoes. Red yarn under hat for wig.
Dorothy: Blue dress. Red shoes. White ankle socks. Basket with stuffed dog.
Alice in Wonderland: Blue dress, white apron (can pin on a pillowcase), white tights. Black shoes. Head band.
Here's the trouble:
Odds of wanting a costume: 87%
Odds of wearing the thing: 5%
You could dress them in each others clothes and they can each be their sister :-)
Since my 5 year old put on his baby brother's sweatshirt and pants last week (and then wondered why his pants and sleeves got so short), I'm betting your similarly aged kiddos could also get away with that.
That's one reason why I favor the "we have it in the wardrobe already" style of costuming.
If you don't have a blue dress for dorothy/alice, do you have a blue skirt and a white shirt?
If you don't have leotards/tights, do you have leggings and shirt that are the same colors?
If you focus on accessories, that's also good for future dress-up/make-believe. A cape, a crown, a wand, a hat -- all fun.
I'm all for leggings + shirt as a base outfit.
Also, much can be accomplished with pinking shears and safety pins.
This outfit required no sewing. And he wore the sweat pants and shirt for YEARS. Actually, the sweat pants still fit.
This outfit also required no sewing, and I wear the jacket almost daily.
Boy, am I glad to see that there are costume ideas being discussed here already! We inherited a toddler duck costume, but E only wears it for a short amount of time, and then tries to tear it all off, and gets annoyed with how bulky the body is. I'd like to figure out how easily I could attach spikes and a tail to a green hoodie for a dinosaur costume.
W: my work this afternoon involves translation. It's been a long time since I've had to do heavy-duty translation, and my brain hurts.
AW: my mom had errands nearby (and will have more later this afternoon), and so she did/is doing both pick up and drop off with E. It's nice to not have to deal with driving today.
OMG, I just found the felt dino spikes/tails!
First, you want a base to put the spikes on -- oval at the top [to go near the front of the hoodie] and then a point at the bottom [can extend past the jacket]. My base was about 5-6 inches wide; you can trim it to be more narrow at the neck area.
Then, I used several colors of felt squares to make triangles. Made these with 2 pieces -- sew or glue 2 edges together. You can put a little stuffing in to help them stand up. Then attach the free sides to the base -- pull them out a little to either side, to help the spikes stand up. Voila!
Such great costume ideas!!!
I hear you on the no driving QWP. Some days it's just nice not to have to engage that part of your brain.
W: Beloved has another infection. He's feeling so crummy. Nurse is coming to the house this afternoon, followed by our wonderful doctor who is stopping by on his way home to make sure everything is okay.
I'm at work trying to finish up a few things before heading to the pharmacy then home, where (hopefully) we can camp out for the next few days while hubby recovers.
Fingers crossed that we can get this one under control asap.
W: I've been very task-oriented and focused for weeks. I heard four Brits singing about a "road with lots of twists and turns" on the radio in the car and sobbed. Crap.
((Sue))
((( Sue ))) Oh, noooo! Your poor sweetie. Medals for the nurse and doctor, coming to care for him at home. xoxo
(((Sue))) And what a good doctor and nurse.
The nurse is part of a home-nursing service (one of many in town) and they are really good about keeping the nursing care consistent. Hubby has had the same nurse every visit except for the first one, which was an evening call.
W: The doc just ordered nursing care at least three days a week for the foreseeable future. Great to have the service, not great to need it.
Three days a week of homecare? Both bad, in terms of the need for it, but so very helpful. (Hugs)
W: tired, and a small, inquisitive child is pushing all her Mama's buttons today.
Oh, Sue. So sorry to hear of another infection. I hope it clears up pronto. Take care of yourself, too.
AW: Daughter hasn't heard about the interview last week, but had another excellent interview with an animal shelter today! And she didn't bring any new pets home, even thought she really really wanted to.
AW: Finally heard from the cousin whose house I'm watching, who left almost 3 weeks ago for a hunting trip [his first] in the freaking middle of nowhere, Idaho. The group managed to snag not a single piece of large wildlife, saving me from a gift of same. Did not shoot each other, either!
((((Sue)))))
--Neighbor lady
(((Sue))) so sorry that your sweetie needs the care, so glad the care is available!
XOXOXO
W: Local papers, including the Big One endorsed my opponent, really obviously because of his vote on ONE BILL. And did not mention his atrocious votes on other bills. (Obvious because they endorsed all incumbents who voted for that bill and did not endorse all incumbents who voted against - even when they had identical records otherwise).
AW: This is SO obvious that it is the subject of mocking comments on both papers' websites.
AW: They both said very nice things about me, which they didn't about any of the other people they didn't endorse.
W: but still, I would have preferred that they actually point out that this guy is a far-right douche that they wanted to give a cookie to for that one vote.
W: And, of course, I would have INFINITELY preferred that they endorse ME. So that I could send clippings to my parents and grandma.
Well Liz, I'm glad the papers said nice things about you, but an endorsement would have been great.
At least the papers are feeling it for making such a stoopid call.
AW: hubby's fever is down this morning. Yay!
kathy a - I'm glad your daughter had another great interview! I hope she hears something back soon. The fact that she came home without a furry friend bodes well should future employment come about. I have to mail our annual donation to the local animal shelter for that very reason. If I delivered it in person, we would have an annual kitten adoption.
Thanks NL!
kathy, I'm glad your cousin's trip was uneventful in terms of any creatures being, you know, shot.
Yay for lower fevers! May it go away completely by the end of the day.
Great news the fever's down!
Liz, cluesticks ready. It is cool they said good things about you! But a candidate is, as you said, about more than one vote.
In college, daughter used to go to the pet store or shelter whenever she felt blue -- it is the BEST anti-depressant out there!
AW: officially divorced
W: that place I crammed full of hurt and disappointment over the way my marriage ended shattered when the judge signed the papers. I can barely breathe. I keep crying. I can't think or function right now. It hurts a LOT. :'(
AW: teen daughter, who knows a bit about emotional pain, keeps giving me hugs and telling me to be sad if I feel sad. I've had a very hard day.
((( Miranda ))) It is really, really ok to grieve the losses and feel the pain. These events marking a passage do bring things up.
xoxoxox
(((Miranda)))
Your daughter is very wise. It really is okay to feel sad. It's a hard day.
xoxoxo
((((Miranda)))))
Neighbor Girl was supposed to go on a retreat with our temple today, but when we got there she refused to get on the bus. She was shivering and shaking, and so anxious. They are going to the camp she went to (and loved) this summer, so I am not really totally understanding what is going on.
Currently she is home, but hoping she might decide we can drive her the two hours and she'll try it....
sigh.
Not sure how to make the right call here as a mom. Do I let her give in to the anxiety or force her to face it or .....?
--Neighbor Lady
Oh, poor NG. It sure sounds like she was anxious as heck. Do you think she might talk about why?
A 4 hour round-trip is a long way to go, unless you can be fine whether or not she decides to stay there. She's already pretty anxious. My own choice would be not to force it, but to try to find out what's going on, instead. But you know your girl best.
I've forgotten how old NG is?
It could be that there is something specific -- someone hasn't been nice to her, she feels left out, etc. But I also just wonder if the thought of a jam-packed retreat, and all those kids and energy and activities concentrated in just a short time, feels a bit overwhelming? Just speculating.
Hugs, Miranda. And feel the sad.
Hugs to NG also. And her mama.
Thanks for the hugs. She is 12.
I know there are a couple kids whose behavior she doesn't like from class, and I think in general she just feels like she has one really close friend at temple, and the others are kinda friends but not super close. I think this would have been a great chance to make some bonds, but I get that the social aspect could be overwhelming for sure.
Turned out that after we got back from the bus, a couple hours later one of her truly best friends from school invited her for a movie night and she was just so happy.
Think I did the right thing, but not totally sure. She thanked me for not being the kind of mom who just said, "Well, you're going. " and made her do it. So, I guess that's all to the good for our relationship.
Still....wish I could be sure this was the best thing.
Oh well. It is what it is.
Thanks for the support and for being a place where I can vent the insecurity of mama-ness.
--Neighbor Lady
Oh, those are always such hard decisions. I'm glad that this was good for your relationship, and that the evening turned out to be nice for NG. Sometimes when I don't follow through in something because of anxiety, I get really frustrated with myself, which makes it worse. It sounds like NG isn't doing with that, which is good, and you have a good opening for talking with her about the anxiety and her coping methods.
(((Miranda)))
Sue: I'm so glad to hear that your Beloved's fever is down.
AW: I think we have a costume for E! A friend has a toddler-sized dinosaur jacket with spikes in the hood. I'll try to make a tail, and then I'll just put her in her lime green pants. Minimal is important this year.
So many autocorrect mistakes. "Dealing with", not "doing with"! Tired and using my phone.
NL, what a tough morning you've both had. Poor NG - that kind of total-body anxiety is so awful. A movie night sounds like a great idea!
QWP - I chuckled when I saw that E's costume is a jacket. Welcome to trick or treat Canada-style!! Do you have green mitts?
Every year my sisters and I would have great costumes underneath our snowsuits. Good times...
W: Girls night planned for last night was cancelled. Why? Oy. Hubby still feeling ick (though I would have been okay to go for a few hours), a friend's husband got a cancer diagnosis this week, another friend has the Flu from heck, another is reacting to a mesh implant from recent surgery.
Ok Universe. Enough.
AW: We talked on the phone to each other while drinking wine. Lemons = Lemonade (or chardonnay, whatever)
NL, that worked fine for NG.
QWP -- sounds like you're set! The tail is totally optional.
Oh, Sue -- conference call girls' night! The universe has whomped y'all this week. xoxox
Awards later. Must wrestle albatross.
AW: Feeling much better. My longest BFF came over and cheered me up. Teen Daughter gave me one of her melatonin and I slept a good 10 hours. I'm still exhausted from the week at the Home Office, getting home at 12:30am and court on Friday along with seasonal allergies but I see my closest girlfriends tonight at a Halloween Party. It will be a good time.
I am incredibly fortunate to have so much love in support in my life. I appreciate all the Pixie support too over the last several years. It feels good to start another chapter.
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