Five Dollar Art

Yay! Today I bought a little frame and some ribbon out of the dollar section at Target and whipped up this little gem. I tried to choose colors that more or less matched our bedroom colors. I really like how it turned out. Before you begin with how much you admire my artistic brilliance, let me tell you that I've liberally copied from this lovely idea. I've always liked leaves as motifs; the official start of autumn just makes that interest burn a little hotter. Pretty, huh?

She's Getting So Big!

I know that she's still very much a little squirt of a person, but Natalie, or Nad-O as Leah calls her, is getting farther and farther away from being that tiny, limp, squidgy baby, and closer to a giggling, sturdy, interactive infant. I see it in this picture; can you? Happy Friday Eve!

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and Rent?

The public library in my hometown used to lend reproductions of famous paintings. (I know! How cool is that?!) So, my mom, being the crafty, eye-for-home-decor lady she is, would check out a half-dozen different pieces of art every few months. The check out sleeve and ticket were on the back. We had some favorites as well as some that I remember being a bit spooky. Eventually, due to the fact that we may have been the only family in town to actually use this service, the library put the paintings up for sale. Mom snagged a few good ones and, with some hard-earned babysitting cash, I was even able to buy my favorite (a George Stubbs "mini-masterpiece" -- I was a wee bit obsessed with horses. My hand is in the pic to show you just how "mini" it is). My brother got one with a little tiger cub staring at a bumblebee, his ears pricked, his paddy paw raised. Mom would say, "One of these days, that little tiger's gonna catch that bee, just watch!"

Do libraries still do this? And that got me thinking about other sorts of rental /lending services. What I would like is a local toy lending library. Pittsburgh seems to have just what I'm looking for, except that it's... well, it's in Pittsburgh. I've got a variation of it in my own house, storing two thirds of Leah's toys in the closet to be on rotation, but how neat would it be to borrow a couple of toys every week, swap them out for different ones after that, and ballroom dance in all the free space left over in our house!

A smartie-pants on www.whynot.net put forth the idea in terms of a Netflix-style, fee-based system, but I love my library, and I love free stuff. Donated toys and toys purchased with donated or granted dollars could get the lending library up and running. And everything else would run essentially the same as any library loan.

Madison seems to be having success with its Community Car program, and may be well known for its red and yellow bikes project. Then there's programs like Madison Stuff Exchange, Freecycle and the freebies on Craigslist. I wonder what else you can rent/borrow?

Thanks for "lending" me your ear. ;)

The Thrill of Fame

I've never been all that afraid to be in the spotlight. Sure, I get nervous about it, but I don't suffer from the phobia that seems to afflict most "poor players." Chalk it up to my "Gemini-ness," or my long history of public speaking and stage time, or even the fact that I'm an attention-hungry middle child. Any way you slice it, I kinda like it when people notice me when I'm doing something cool.

My recent fame addiction is Craftster. This is a whole little world in which dweebs like me, and some genuinely talented artists and tradesfolk churn out projects of every size, shape, medium, and purpose, all for the sake of inspiring other crafters to unglue their eyeballs from the monitor and create. New projects get a little automatic limelight on the home page but they are speedily replaced as new projects are posted. If a thread gets a little buzz, its picture gets moved to the "Hot New Projects" section of the home page. If a ton of craftsters think a project rocks, the forum honchos place it in the "Featured Projects" section, and later they archive the post to keep it active for up to 6 months. This is Craftster's equivalent to celebrityhood. And I want it.

I lurked on the sight for about a year before finally posting my own masterpiece. This past week, I posted pictures and a description of the little star books I've been making for about 15 years. [Link] Thanks in part to my not-too-shabby photography, a ready stock of books, and the fact that they are just "soooo cute," my thread became a hit, and my little picture appeared in the "Hot New Projects" list. I just about peed.

Ooooh, and then the good people of Craftster also liked the post I submitted about my decoupaged "In" box. TWO projects in the "Hot New" box!

And Lo! When I submitted my lengthy star book tutorial, check it! I had THREE "Hot New" projects to my name. Modesty failed to keep a smile from stretching, Chesire Cat style, across my face. I had the crafting world eating out of the crafty palms of my crafty little hands. Damn it felt good.

It felt good for a full 24 hours. And then life moved on, other totally wicked projects pushed my posts off the list, and cyber-dust began to accumulate on my threads. Two people-- only two people, sniff-- have responded to any of my threads since Saturday morning. My heartbeat has slowed to a resting rate. My ego has deflated to a less conspicuous size. My wonderland adventure has ended. Ah, it was fun while it lasted.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some cards to craft and photograph.

Out and About

Just a couple of pics from today and yesterday. Yesterday, Leah found a nice play house in the mall and spent a few minutes pretending it was hers. Freaked me out a little bit when I heard her work the lock on the door, not knowing if she could rework it open, and not knowing how in the world I would help her get out if she couldn't. Her impressive dexterity got the door open and her attitude was like, "Mom, quit freaking out already."

This morning we got to explore a real, live fire truck. The whole way there, Leah was busting at the seams to see this thing, talking at auctioneer pace about wanting to sit in it, and maybe even getting to wear a hat. In true toddler style, however, her excitement turned to shyness and we had to coax her on board. The firefighter talking through his scary-looking mask didn't help much, but you can't blame him for trying. Before we left, I was able to get one cute one of her royal shyness and her daddy.

Gender Difference? Who Knows?

You’ve heard it all before: the stereotypical little boy is aggressive while the stereotypical little girl is nurturing. If you’ve known any little boys or girls, you probably know as many exceptions to these stereotypes as you do children who fit them. Before we had kids, Matthew and I talked about trying to raise our kids as gender-neutral as we could. Much to the chagrin of our moms and grandmas we even tried to limit the number of pink outfits Leah garnered at baby showers.

These days, Leah likes playing with cars and dinosaurs, she loves to run and wrestle with her dad, and she doesn’t mind getting dirty. Still, when it comes down it, her favorite play time is that spent with her “babies.” She swaddles them, rocks them, feeds them, dresses and undresses them, medicates them, disciplines them, and gives them a special place in her bed when she’s not there herself. Did we push this? Nope. At least I don’t think so.

Just when I start to think there’s nothing to that gender difference hogwash, something like what happened yesterday happens. The girls and I were at the library, playing in the kids’ area after story time. Along with big foam letters, coloring pages, and puzzles, there were a few of these big plastic dinosaurs on the tables. A couple of Leah-age boys came over to the table, each grabbed a dinosaur, and commenced an epic battle between good and evil.

“I’m biting you!” said one little guy in his deepest, meanest voice.
“No, I’m biting you,” said the other boy. “ I have bigger teeth, so I’m winning!”
“Arrrrrrrr,” relented the first one tilting his warrior on its side, day-glow plastic legs already showing sign of rigor mortis.
“Ha-ha!” shouted the victor. “I killed you!”

The carnage over, the boys left and Leah stepped in. She righted the fallen stegosaurus and placed it next to its murderer.

“This one’s the mama one and this one’s the daddy one,” she said grinning with maternal pride.

I just smiled back and said, “okay.” Gender aside, I guess I’m grateful for a child who favors kindness to bloodshed. Who wouldn’t?

Twins!

O.K. So they're not really twins. They are cousins, only 16 days apart, and both about two months old here. The last time we photographed Ellie and Natalie, Ellie was just a few days old and looked tiny compared to our chug-a-lug girl. Now? Can you tell which baby is older? Didn't think so!

Sarah bought the double outfits at the Mothers of Multiples sale last spring for just such an occasion, and it's a good thing she brought them over when she did -- these adorable onesies won't fit either of these beauties next week! We wanted to try to pose the girls to up the cuteness factor even more, but they seemed to sleep only when the other was awake, so this is the best we could do with what we were given. sigh. Supermodels. They think they run the world. :)

A Leah Line

Just in case any of you are wondering what Leah does to occupy herself while I'm nursing, here is just one of her amusements. It's a little something I like to call a "Leah line."

How Much Does Your Dissertation Weigh?

Phew! Matthew spent some quality time at a copy shop last night, printing and copying his 250-page dissertation and carefully bringing the copies home in these cardboard boxes. Today, he delivered them to his advisor who will, in turn, deliver them to the members of his defense board. While this is a huge step toward being "done" with his PhD, there is still the ominous defense itself with just about two months in between to "study" as much as possible. And then we can bust out the big bottles of the bubbly and toast to the end of an era.

Way to go, hon. I'm so proud of you!

French Breakfast

With temps in the mid-eighties and hazy blue skies, it's far from snowy, but these mornings home from school have often felt like "snow days" and there's an itch to seize the day. When the overabundance of Wisconsin winter white stuff did cancel school, I liked to celebrate by making something a little "fancy" for breakfast: muffins, pancakes, omelets, anything other than a bowl of instant oatmeal. Today, I whipped up a batch of crepes and threw in a handful of fresh raspberries before rolling them up, squeezing a bit of lemon juice over the top and then sprinkling some Splenda as a finishing touch. Paired with a mug of pressed coffee, the radio playing "Here Comes the Sun" in the background, Natalie quietly napping and Leah creating a scene in her doll house, it was a gourmet morning.

Say it with me: Mmmmmmmmmmm...

(and, yes, I did take that photo -- boo ya!)

A Bit from the Archives

I dug up a bit of writing from probably 6 years ago. This is something I wrote during class for an assignment I call "dada writing." The prompt involves the students writing a single word apiece on the whiteboard and then spending five or six minutes writing "anything" as long as they use at least one of the volunteered words on the board. The words that stuck with me were: obituaries, tortoise, and twirl. Et Voila!

I spotted my old Toyota in the obituaries. It had been a happy tortoise of a car, slow and steady always got to where we needed to go.
I learned how to drive in that car and impressed people because it was a stick shift.
I was happy that no one else had a car like it in town. Quirky as all first cars must be, the steering wheel shuddered at any speed over fifty. I could put the pedal to the metal and, with a encouraging cheer muttered under my breath, hope to make it up a steep hill without annoying people behind me. The flat dash was home to several Beanie Babies whose fur turned rust-colored from the sun. For whatever reason, the two front seats were always covered in fake sheepskin.
I sold it for a car six years younger and with a speedometer that went up to 140. But the Toyota had taken a tumble a week ago, lost brake fluid and twirled into a ditch just outside of Cass Lake. The hood flipped off and the roof caved in, nearly killing its passengers. Sweet revenge, I thought, after all the abuse it’s taken in its life. It is survived by photos after a nice wash, and by memories of late night trips home from work with no radio.

I still think of that car every now and then, mostly of any work I put into it, the two times some jerk broke into it and stole something of pawn value, and my driving lessons with Dad. I trembled at the end of each session in the industrial park, breathing a sigh of relief as I handed the keys back to Dad. And once we were outside the safety of the empty concrete jungle, how fast anything over 30 seemed! These days, I seldom feel "the need for speed," and I always keep in mind one of Dad's famous cheesy lines: you can always afford to pay attention. Thanks, Papa!

Ahh, a wedding!

My good friend and former colleague married his long time sweetheart this weekend on a beautiful day in a beautiful setting. I attended the ceremony solo, then Matthew brought the girls up just in time for the reception. The food was tasty, rich, and artfully served on odd-shaped dishes. The cake, yellow with raspberry and almond layers and covered with a mocha frosting, is in the picture here.

I had forgotten how fun a wedding and/or the reception can be. The musicians, a guitarist and a violinist, were super good and had us snapping our fingers, singing along , and clapping at the end of every sweet song they played. The entree, a man-sized portion of gnocchi, brussel sprouts, mushrooms, and sun-dried tomatoes all drenched in a creamy butter sauce went down too easily, and they even brought Leah her own plate of breaded chicken bits that McNuggets could only dream to be. Very classy, very yummy, and very nice.

The ceremony was simple, short and sweet. Many of the sentiments shared were similar to what Matthew and I vowed at our own wedding. Thoughts such as a wedding is just a blip on the radar screen of amazing and awesome and beautiful and miraculous things in a relationship. And it takes a lot more than furtive glances and pet names to keep a marriage strong. And like the Clint Black song goes, "love isn't something that we have, it's something that we do."

Congratulations B & J! Rock on.

Find the Babies!

Fall Cleaning

Perhaps it's because I am often chair-bound (nursing) and have the time to assess the current state of our house and create mile-long to do lists, or maybe it's the chill in the air that has me planning clean-up tasks. For whatever reason, I've finally conquered the kids' room, namely the monstrous pile of toys and books and artwork that until recently ruled most of the floor space there.
Taking a tip from Super Nanny and others, I boxed up all of Leah's toys into four plastic totes. One, a smaller one, is for very special toys that Leah can play keep in her room all the time. She picked them out, with some recommendations from Mom. The other three totes will be on rotation with one tote at the foot of the bed and the other two stacked in the attic. Hopefully this will keep her room more tidy, her toys more "fresh," and our clean-up time abbreviated. She's only asked for stored toys a couple of times so far...

Leah also helped me wash dishes today. She's done this before, but this time, I whipped out the camera and snapped a cute one of my cute one.

The Return of the "Neglect-O-Matic!"

After being fished from the clutches of the attic, given a thorough cleaning to remove all the dust and debris after the re-shingling job, and found a small bit of vacant real estate in the living room, the "Neglect-O-Matic," or baby swing as it's better known, is back in business. Leah quality tested it with the courageous Henry acting as test pilot, and Mom gave it the green light for a live load.

And what does Natalie think of the sea-like ride? Izzall Good. :)

p.s. I had to go through Photobucket to rotate these puppies. Hmmm... perhaps a more "open" blog builder is in my future.

What Makes a Good Book Good

I'm right in the middle of Scott Lynch's newest installment in the Gentlemen Bastard sequence, Red Seas Under Red Skies. So far, it's a lot of fun. I know it's premature to review a novel before I've finished it, but there's enough in this so far (and including all the merits of the first book), for me to begin recommending it to others.

I consider myself a picky reader. I can't keep chewing through a book that has errors in logic or continuity, or one in which the characters are either too perfect or simply too poorly created to root for. I won't tout that I could write any better, but I do seem to know what can hold me to a book and take me for a 5-800 page ride.

Based on aspects of Lynch's book, here are some adhesive bits that keep my nose in a book:

1. A kick-ass character- Locke Lamora has charm, talent, wit, stamina, and as many weaknesses. He is balanced by Jean Tannen, and deepened by secrets that the narrator hides from us but hints to just enough to string us along.
2. A sense of time and timing. Fantasy novels, a genre this book fits into only for setting's sake in my opinion, can die from over-description in an attempt to bring the reader into the strange world with every detail at their fingertips. Lynch paints a vivid landscape, but in consumable quantities and with a plan for every detail to be used at another point in the story -- right around the time you've forgotten about it. He also moves the plot along in such a way that I can imagine (as I do throughout the novel) the book as film with clever camera work and transitions.
   
3. A fit sense of humor. I like to laugh. My favorite movies have funny/clever bits in them. Lynch's use of slang and insult within the banter of his characters reminds me of Stephen King's dialog. Matthew even looks up from his computer every once in a while when I laugh out loud at something in this book.
4. Complexity. There are so many twists in this book, baited with chapters of "reminiscence," and compounded with the knowledge that Locke always comes out on top somehow, that I feel that wonderful magic that happens with good books: I have a hard time putting it down. (I am disposed of it now, only to be writing about it.)
5. Engaging language. Lynch writes well, and not just in the aspects I've covered here, but at the chapter, paragraph and sentence level as well. When I'm by myself or just with Natalie on my lap, I sometimes read the pages out loud to hear how the words play out and how the sentence lengths wax and wane. It's not poetry on every line, and thank goodness for that, but there are some parts where I like to reread just because it was worded so cool or so effectively. Inspiring stuff.
   
6. A satisfying ending. I know I haven't finished this one yet, but I hope to have my cheeks drawn back in a smile as I absorb the last few words. Evaluating thousands of stories written by high schoolers, I am all too well versed in endings that attempt to wrap up every creative detail with a rude alarm clock in the morning, or worse, that peter off into nonsense or the ridiculous. The ending of one novel when a sequel is planned is a tricky stunt -- it's like one massive chapter end. It must make sense yet tease the reader into turning another page, staying up another hour, and grabbing another handful of something naughty to eat.

I've read that there may be a film made of The Lies of Locke Lamora. I would agree that it could make a very good film, IF done with as similar a spirit as Lynch may have had while writing it. I don't know who I'd cast as Locke; he's so dynamic in a time when so many actors play the same role. I don't know what I'd cut to make it fit into a watchable length; there's soo many good and essential parts! I don't know what theme the movie would take; the book can be defined by at least half a dozen genres. One thing I do know is that all of these elements and more make for an entertaining way to spend a few hours. Who the heck knew I would be so engrossed in a book with the Library of Congress keyword, "swindling?"

Thanks, Scott! And thanks, Mom, for recommending the first book. :)

Sights as gifts

A rarely advertised gift of having a new baby is that I get so many little moments or "sights" that few others get to experience. For instance, I took the picture here after Natalie had finished nursing and was "out for the night." Her little body is curved around mine, her chest rises and falls against my tummy, her hands, finally unclenched, twitch in REM sleep, and the side of her chubby face is squished against the pillow. Sure, anyone could have taken that photo, but she was on my lap, after nursing from me, and here she is -- content. [snapshot]

When Natalie would wake in the night for a change and some food, I would feel the usual heavy bed-magnetism that comes when forced to get out of bed at, say 4:30 in the morning. It would take a heavy sigh, a disgruntled toss of the comforter, unfolding and donning my glasses and then, finally, setting my feet to the floor and getting up. Once I picked up Natalie from the bassinet, my mood instantly changed. Now I had this warm little creature in my arms who released a big sigh when upright over my shoulder. Her cold little fist would brush my neck as her downy hair brushed against my cheek, and I instinctively kissed the crown of her head. [snapshot]

After changing her diaper in minimal light, I sat down in the glider, positioned the Boppy on my legs, and laid Natalie on her side. Before continuing our nursing protocol, Natalie and I shared a moment. Her eyes, somehow bigger and more sparkely at night, were wide open, staring at me, and there was a calmness about her that brought calm to me to too. This is a natural thing, I thought. My daughter's look and behavior calms me, and I feel less tensed, less belabored, and quite ready to nurse her. I stroke her head, cradling it entirely with my palm. [snapshot]

And when she slept very well, but still awoke at 5 in the morning, we sat in the rocker, and I nursed her. As she rhythmically suckled and swallowed, I rocked slowly and watched out the big picture window for the first perceptible light that signaled dawn. "Perceptible light," I like that. The silhouette of the neighbor's walnut tree would emerge as black over a very dark blue, then black over a lighter blue. Soon, a cardinal or robin would make the morning "official." [snapshot]

Other parents know these moments well and could share similar "snapshots" were they actual photos. I don't know how expansive my "memory card" is or how long my "batteries" will last, but these sights are more than preserved memories. They are gifts that open at every recall.

My New Job

As most of you know, I'm on a full-year maternity leave from teaching. While I usually try to make my summers feel like the break they should be, this past summer has felt especially "free" (that is, if you don't count being pregnant during one of the hottest Wisconsin summers, and giving birth to an 8 and a half pound baby).
It may be way too soon to tell, but so far, my new job, the one where I play mommy, teacher, food source, guardian, storyteller, chauffeur, etc. to my two young audience members, is going very well. Ever since we started planning for this stage, I've been nervous about what it would like, and if my days would resemble the old Calgon commercials right off the bat. In reality, an overwhelming sense of joy came over me during my very first day with the girls by myself. I had just put Leah down for her nap, and Natalie was soon to follow. I was nursing her while I was propped up in bed with the new Scott Lynch novel, and I got goosebumps thinking about how "good" and "right" it felt at that moment, and about how freaking lucky I was to be able to have that reality. I didn't get teary, but rather let a great smile stretch across my face, and, without disrupting Natalie much, I raised my arms into the air and whispered, "Yes! This Rocks!"
Special thanks to the sole breadwinner in our family right now for working his tokhes off to bring home the bacon. Thanks, hon.

A little progress in Sisterhood

We've been struggling to teach/ train/ persuade/ charm Leah into treating Natalie like the small, fragile infant she is while also trying to forge something of a bond between the sisters. It's been a bit tricky -- Leah has drawn on Natalie's head with a marker, leaned on her limbs, and conked her on the head, *mostly* unintentionally. Some of her "mothering" tendencies have also been cause for us to cringe and intervene. We pull blankets off of Natalie's face, readjust the sunscreen on the car seat, and prevent any number of things from entering poor Natalie's mouth. Still, there are signs that Leah might be learning.
This morning, for instance, Leah "read" to Natalie in the recliner. Even as she tried to readjust Natalie's head so that she was looking at the pages, Leah used a more gentle touch. It was too cute to describe, so check out the photo.

I've been crafty!

Perhaps the more exciting news is that I've actually had some time to craft -- thanks in large part to my dear hubby and my charming, semi-patient kids. Along with a couple little odds and ends, the two major projects have been creating a new medium-sized diaper bag and a little cut paper bit of "art" to hang on the wall in our bedroom.

The bag was crafted out of necessity. We're savvy enough parents not to need the gigantic bag we bought for Leah from Land's End, yet I couldn't quite squeeze all I wanted into what we called the "diaper bag mini." With six pockets and the middle, it holds wipes, diapers, two clean onesies, my wallet, phone, a pen, a little notebook, pads, something small to amuse Leah in an emergency, a burp cloth, and my nursing apron. Oh, and I even sewed in a little key ring -- I'm ever so proud of that little detail.

The cut paper project was totally inspired by Patrica Zapata's recent work. I'm not nearly as talented with a subject or an exact-o, but I like what I made. It's quite subtle against the light blue wall of our bedroom, but it sticks up from the wall just enough to get the idea when you're closer.

I know that I have some household projects that NEED to get done, so I can't let my craftiness loose entirely, but it's been a fun and productive few weeks so far! Thanks for looking.