Beer Boxes, Gorgeous Models, and Jake the Pirate

Conversation overheard yesterday:
Carolena examines a full case of beer on our kitchen table and exclaims, "Whaatt?! Nils, this rocket ship space helmet is full of coke bottles!" to which Nils stares in disbelief and replies, "whaaattt?!"

Does that mean our children have never seen a full beer box before?

huh?
wwwhhhhaaattt??


****

In other news... remember how Carolena has spent her entire life referring to me as
such glamorous people as Ursula and Miss Hannigan? As in... pretty much since as soon as she could talk. Her roles for me are pretty consistent and when she calls out, "Mommy! There's you!" I know not to get my hopes up. I am fully aware of how she sees me.

This morning Nils and I were sitting at the kitchen table together reading a magazine while I drank coffee and he had breakfast. We were discussing things like the Golden Gate Bridge and Colorado (both places that he wants to go) and I flipped a page. Nils cried out "That YOU!" and pointed to this photo:

Oh Nils, sweet Nils. What do you want? A pony? I will get you a pony. A real firetruck? Yours. A trip to the Golden Gate Bridge? Colorado? The moon? All yours. I have spent the last years with a small child yelling "that you!" at the most hideous of photos. Nils, you have no idea how much this means to me. Name what you want. It's yours my Nils.

Hey, guess what else! When we went to Joanns last week Carolena actually requested that I sew her a dress and picked out the fabric. This was amazing in that she has never been very keen on any dress I have made for her. She has always been very appreciative and very gracious but then calmly not worn the dresses. So, when we walked around Joanns and she carefully selected Jake and the Neverland Pirates fabric and pink flamingos I was totally on board.

We came home and looked at my patterns and she chose a cute one with little cap sleeves, we talked through what the finished product might look like, and I got to work. This dress was Carolena's design and I was merely the (semi-skilled) laborer. I am sure that she will refer to it as her "Jake dress" and in my mind I will continue to call it what I dubbed it during construction "Murphy's dress" as in "anything that can go wrong..."

After more than my fair share of seam ripping, and a total overhaul of the back of the dress when it didn't fit, and more ripping when I accidentally sewed the pocket to part of the back of the dress (silent cussing ensued at that point)... I finally arrived at this:

That is pre-last ironing because, well, because that's when I took the photos. As you can see, the solution to "ah! the top is too tight!" was to reconstruct the back to be an open back with a ribbon tie on top. I actually prefer this new back to the original pattern. It seems much more summer-y to go with the style of the flamingo/Jake/summertime dress. Carolena and I make a really good team. As we looked at the almost-finished product and did a little brainstorming we together arrived at the idea of cutting out some small Captain Hooks and Jakes from the left over fabric and made small pillow-like guys to put in the pocket. C did all of the stuffing while I did the stitching and now the dress is complete with two of each so that C and N can play with them in church. Yes, really, that's the plan.

I love this dress. It is sooo Carolena. A little funky. A little girly. Very happy and colorful. Something trendy (Jake) but the trendy thing isn't girly. Oh, it's just so C. A big blue jean pocket from an old pair of jeans (I've had that in my sewing box for like 15+ years). Rickrack, piping, flamingos, pirates, mismatched sleeves. Here's hoping she actually wears this one!

Scenes of Summer

It feels like it's been summer around here for quite some time. Is it not the middle of July? Huh... weird. I could have sworn it was. I'm thrilled that it isn't as we are having a great time. Going to Disney World and then the beach twice really threw us into summer mode around here, and things are going swimmingly. It seems everywhere I turn there are things that make me smile. Sure, the house is a mess (which I'm swimming upstream trying to clean it), but at least the mess is largely due to people having fun and using their creativity. We've watched little to no tv as we have all been have been too busy reading and playing and painting and creating and imagining. Ah, bliss.

I love when the tv is off. I'm convinced my children are far better behaved when they are getting out energy and creativity rather than zoning out in front of a screen. So, behavior around here has been pretty great lately too.

I can't remember the last time we ate dinner in the kitchen. Why would we when we can eat outside on our deck? A tablecloth, a "summer time" meal, dessert most nights, and candles that get promptly blown out by the wind, yes, we love eating on the deck. The lizards scamper around and we dream about what our deck dweller rabbit might be up to. And then we walk back inside carrying all of our plates and utensils, toss them into the sink, and clean up is nearly finished!



Bathing suits have been constantly drying in showers and laundry room. Watermelon is staining our clothing. A pile of "to be tie-dyed" has started in the kitchen.

Summer is in full swing around here and it's pretty darn swell.

How to Win Friends and Influence People: The Wacky Wednesday Edition

Because every day is wacky around here.

I watched a friend's kid this morning so that the friend could go to a doctor's appt sans child. Said friend brought me magazines and brownies. She's awesome.

Does it go without saying that the kids and I ate the entire plate of brownies?

*smile*

When my friend came back I handed her the empty plate and she told me to keep it to which I replied, "Oh no! Do it again!" by which I meant for someone else. So... now she's planning on bringing me brownies again.

Hey, I'll take it.

She is a person cool enough to bring me interesting magazines and brownies. I fed her child lemonade and a ton of brownies and then told her to bring me more. I also told her I think I should start whittling. Whittling tiki gods in fact.

Why is this person friends with me?!

In other news C brought home some drift wood to paint as tiki totem poles. She painted them all pink and then (lost interest? got overwhelmed? who knows?) asked me to finish them. So I did... what fun! Backyard tiki totems galore!

And speaking of turning into my mother (painting driftwood) yesterday I yelled to Carolena, "Kelly!!! Pick up your shoes!!!"
Wow.
Just... wow.

Crafty Like Ice is Cold

You would think a blogger showing a recent craft would take an artsy photo.
Or at least get some good lighting going.
I mean really, just some decent lighting and a clean kitchen floor would be nice.

I think we all know I'm not that kind of blogger.

So. Hey, guess what! I got this gem for $10 at Goodwill:

In case you can't tell from that very well taken photograph, it's a piano bench.

Yesterday the kids and I ran amok at Joanns and came home with a bag full of paint, some projects for the kids, fabric C picked for a yet to be made dress (ooohh now the suspense is killing you! what did she pick? what did she pick?! to be continued...), AND new fabric for my piano bench. I was lucky enough to find a nice sturdy thick piece of fabric in the remnant bin. With some staple gunning (can I make that a verb?) and paint found in our garage... voila!

A cute hinged lidded bench? Yes, please! I wonder if my ukulele would fit in there...

Fun Things

One of the fun things about seldom checking my email means when I do in fact check it I find interesting things like urgent reminders to renew my cars inspection tag (or whatever it is) right now!!! and to get my (unfortunately still over goal) rear end back into Weight Watchers before my online access expires and they start charging me again! Oh the horror! Why aren't the urgent emails waiting in my inbox things like Free latte right now!!? If THAT were the case I'd probably be better about paying attention to my email.

Chris rolls his eyes at me in open annoyance that I never know what's going on at church. "It was IN the EMAIL!" he says in exasperation. Yep. I'm sure that it was. But, as I like to remind him, I am taking the clergy family perks where they come. If I have to put up with him working smack dab in the middle of long weekends then I think it is my prerogative to ignore the email and instead roll over in bed and say, "hey, is there Sunday school tomorrow?" unless of course I'm teaching it...

We went to the beach again this weekend. It's the start to a great summer when we spend the first three days of it at the beach. I found three shark teeth, we saw a bazillion dolphin jumping out of the water, and we fed the seagulls from the ferry. We went to the strand and had lunch at Fisherman's Wharf aka the restaurant where Chris and I went on our first date. We had ice cream at La King's. I told the kids they could each have five dollars to pick out something on the Strand. C looked at necklaces and mermaids and all kinds of things and then settled on a squeaking rubber shark toy. Nils followed suit. Other highlights of the trip include (but are not limited to): Nils' constant quoting of the Country Bears "As soon as I find a ladder I'll be riiight up! mmm hmmm!," ukulele playing, C staying up late to play Ticket to Ride, and this gem...
As C and I went into separate stalls in a somewhat crowded bathroom at the Fisherman's Wharf she called out to me in a loud voice, "wow! I am SO going to clog this toilet!" What?! Of course the entire bathroom starting cracking up. I replied "TMI!" which got more laughter. Geeze.

A Letter to My Future Whiney Self

Dear Future Casey,
Someday in the next few months you will once again whine about the side-effects of your new/old migraine preventative medication. Future Casey, shut your whiney mouth.
Love,
Casey

I took a break from my preventative medicine the last few months to chart my headaches. It has resulted in the re-revelation that I feel crummy everyday. Yesterday I told Carolena I was going to the "neurologist, the doctor who helps me with my headaches" and her response was "wow - you probably need to see him everyday!"

So, I'm going back on the preventative daily meds. The side-effects are a bummer (it leaches potassium making my skin insanely sensitive) and I have to once again stop drinking alcohol.

Yes, I see some whining in my future.

And yet, here, on this side of things... I can say that I have lived with those side-effects and I've lived with daily headaches, and I'm going to choose the side-effects. I would rather feel good and be back to drinking Gatorade. I am a very healthy person. I eat well. I exercise. I get as much sleep as can be expected with two small kiddos. I want to be someone who doesn't take any meds at all. That isn't the hand I've been dealt so I'm going to do the best I can with what I've got: migraines. Which in my particular case means daily meds. Suck it up Future Casey. It's better on that end of things.

Yesterday my neurologist was pushing on two points of my head (forehead and base of my skull where my pain originates and resides daily) and I almost fell asleep it felt so great. He was checking to see if there was any tenderness and had to laugh at me when I was like "wait! keep doing that!" Ha. I love that guy. If you need a recommendation for a good neurologist in Katy/West Houston I've got your guy.

So, as of last night, I'm back on track to start feeling great again... so don't offer me any juleps, I'll have to decline.

Bees Will Buzz, Kids Will Blow Dandelion Fuzz

Yesterday was Carolena's first day of preschool.

September 2013

Oh. Wait. That can't be right.

Yesterday was Nils' first day.

September 2015

September 2015

September 2015

Errr... wasn't that yesterday?

Wait. Today was the last day.
Wow... so just like that C is done with preschool. What a gal. Those kids are so awesome. I'm so happy that they are growing and thriving and moving onward and upward.

May 2016

May 2016

May 2016

May 2016

May 2016

May 2016

First Day in the Fish Class, Last Day in the Fish Class

First Day Panda Class, First Day Puppy, First Day Ladybug, Last Day of Preschool

SUMMMERRR!

Home Again Home Again Jiggity Jig

Well, I guess we're home. For now.

After a whirlwind ten day trip to Disney we had only a few days home until Chris smiled mid-bite at the dinner table and announced, "Let's go to the beach! Right now!" And then we did.

So the laundry pile, coffee drinking, and tiredness are great. And by great, I mean large not "Great!"

In other news we discovered that the creature making various holes around our backyard to access the mysterious land that lies under the deck is not in fact a rat. It's a cute bunny! A little magical looking rabbit who steals fruit rinds from the compost and eats them under the play house. I might name it Kelly... as in... "guys, Kelly pooped under the playhouse again!" Bwah ha ha ha! Middle children of the world: unite!

One child awoke sickly Saturday night and thus we missed the great church Pentecost celebration. It was a bummer as we missed Easter this year too (weird!) and the Pentecost celebration sounded awesome. *sigh* Too bad Chris couldn't stay home with the sick nugget.

I've been playing my uke everyday. Yeah. I love it. So long blog, I have a ukulele now. See ya in St. Louey suckers.

Back to the neurologist on Wednesday. The migraine sagas continue.

And... what else... uh... kids' last day of school is Wednesday. Watch out summer vacation, here we come!

I Lava You

Yeah, we went to Disney World last week.
Yeah, it was awesome.
I'll tell you about it sometime.

But for now... well, you see... I received a ukulele for Mother's Day... sooo...

Back off. I'm busy.

Maybe I'll play you a little ditty this summer and tell you about our trip.

For now, I've got to practice!