Fading Coupes and Future Tooks

Today I was reading in the back yard while Took parked and re-parked his 4 wheeler and his tricycle and his Cozy Coupe, taking time to get each one just so.  He is careful, and attentive. 

He seems to take joy in his work.

=)

And I find myself noticing that the once-bright, primary red on his Coupe has started to fade.  It has spent so much time out in the sun that it is getting bleached, and the primary red plastic is already turning a more relaxed, muted pink.

I look at each of the other wheeled vehicles in turn (his beloved "tars," his precious), and can't help but notice that each one is showing signs of wear. . . 

The green 4 wheeler, which had originally belonged to The Tiny Terrorist, is scuffed all over, and the black seat and green body are fading.  The tricycle seems the most resistant, but is showing the first signs of age.

I sit there and look at them. 

He has had SO MUCH FUN with these things!!  In this back yard, has had many, MANY adventures already.  He tells me about them all the time.  I can usually make out as many as 10 to 12 words per conversation. 

It is enlightening.  =)

As I sit there and watch him play, I briefly consider instituting a new "We Must Put Our Outside Toys In The Garage Every Night" policy.

. . . but then I think that maybe I won't do that at all.


Maybe the toys should stay out.

Putting them away is really only delaying the inevitable. 

Toys fade.

And the toys that fade fastest are the ones that are well-used, and worn from play. 

Took is only going to be able to play with most of these tars for the next couple of years or so, TOPS.

So why put them away every night?

They are waiting for him there every morning, as soon as he comes outside.  . . .Which is usually a demand made QUITE early every morning.  Strangely enough, he seems to EXPECT that we are to go outside every morning, directly after breakfast.  And when horrible things happen like "it's raining", or "Mama said no", it is clear that I am simply choosing to be difficult.  Or, as I like to call it, The Path of Most Vocal, Fit-Pitching Resistance.

So unless it is raining, we've decided to keep the toys out, for now.

The back yard is a very important part of Took's life.

I've witnessed many fantastic things happen there. . . and I know that toys sometimes help those fantastic things happen.

So they stay. 

=)

They will fade, and they will get scuffed, and stickers will eventually peel off. . . and by then it will probably be time for bigger and newer bikes anyway.  So let them be enjoyed.  As much as possible.

. . .because when the day comes that it is time for "bigger and newer bikes". . . it is going to be a dark, DARK DAY for yours truly.  Physical evidence.  Staring me in the face.  Evidence of the passage of time in Took's childhood. 

Bloody hell.  I'll probably still be trying to shove Took into the Cozy Coupe when he's 12 years old. . .

 

"Get in!!  I know you can do it!!  Just bend your legs more!!  . . . . MAMA NEEDS HER BABY BACK!!!!!"

 

 

 

(Artist rendering:  Future Took) 

 

 

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


Also. . . . it is Halloween. 

Our neighborhood is CRAYZEEE at Halloween.  And it is supposed to rain/possibly storm.  Who knows?  Also, I have no idea if I will be able to successfully wrangle a willfull toddler into facepaint and a raccoon hoodie. 

 

This is going to be an interesting night.

We are one of the handful of houses in our neighborhood that has NOTHING in their front yard.  No decorations, no lights, no spiderwebs, no PUMPKIN.  And our neighborhood goes ALL OUT!!!  It is a fantastical spectacle to be seen!!  But a wee bit exhausting.  We shall see.

So all that needs to be done is:

*  Go through the halloween candy bowl, saving a few of the best pieces for home use.

*  Wait for Took to get home, then start applying our facepaint.
(We want him to see the process.  Don't want to freak him out.)

*  TRICK OR TREAT!!!!

*  HOOOOOORAY!!!!

 

Favorite Things This Week. Important. (Srsly.)

So I was just sitting here, thinking about Oprah Winfrey.

. . . .


(As, I am sure, we are all wont to do at one time or another.)

And I was thinking about how she does her 'favorite things' shows, and she lists all of her favorite things for the week, or the month, or until the wind changes, or whatever.

. . . or I am thinking about Martha Stewart? . . .

AM I THINKING ABOUT MARTHA STEWART??!!
 

 

AM I????

Well.  ONE of them. . .

(I could easily google the answer to this perplexing little riddle. . . but I choose not to.  Because I believe that some things should remain mysterious.  It's fun.)

Anyway.  Long story short:  a list of favorite things.  That's a great idea, and doesn't involve a great deal of effort.  So here are some of my favorite things this week:

SOME OF MY FAVORITE THINGS THIS WEEK!!!!


1.)  Lizards that sneak inside via houseplants.
 

 

It got pretty cold one night last week, so we grabbed the portable plants from the back yard and brought them inside for the night  (Sleepover, Houseplant Edition).  And this little guy had a hell of a day.  Probably woke up in the plant, completely amazed to find himself indoors.  Made an heroic break for freedom. . . which turned out to be foolhardy, as he was directly in front of a kitty cat and a toddler at the time.  He (or she. . . IF she, then: 'Esmerelda') was eventually apprehended and released to the safety of the Mexican Heather.  . . . the locals still talk about it in hushed voices.

2.)  When Took asks me to fix his hair.

 

He has gotten just old enough to want to do everything (and I mean everything) that we do.  This includes everything from carrying around a "phone" and a set of keys to lock (and unlock. . . repeatedly) the house and car, to mowing the lawn, to bossing the kitty cats (I was amazed to find that we apparently do a lot of that), to fixing our hair.  

. . . it is probably a sign that I am severely broken and evil that I find this so funny. . . but to that I say: 

"Pssssh!  Whatever." 
He looks like a little Who from Whoville, and I am unapologetic.

 

 

3.)  Suprise!  New book!

 



 

We were in Target the other day and I was thrilled to find this book!!  It is the third in the Divergent trilogy, which I have greatly enjoyed.  I thought it wasn't coming out until Christmas. . . so I am very, VERY happy.  =D 

 

 

 

 4.)  Plastic Halloween Pumpkins for a Dollar



Candy goes HERE.

LET.  IT.  BEGINNNN!!!

 

 

 

5.)  This artwork of Devin's.



Found this on Devin's notepad when I went to clean his room.  =)

Scientists have been studying the markings all week.  Best guesses indicate that it is meant to represent some sort of sports game.  We are hesitant to call it "soccer", as it appears that it is being played with a bowling ball.

We are always happy when we are able to introduce a bit more culture into our lives.

Fascinating work.


6.)  The Thanksgiving issue of Southern Living that is waiting for me in the den.

 

 

 

Maybe this year is the year that I learn how to cook each and every dish that is a vital component in a traditional Thanksgiving meal.

. . . or maybe I just look at the pretty pictures.

 

And show up at Thanksgiving with what is becoming my official offering to the feast:  seven layer salad and mashed potatoes.  (You do not need an abundance of skill to render either one delicious, and who doesn't like mashed potatoes?  WHO?  . . . point them out to me, and I will END THEM.)

 

 

 

7.)  Surprise crackers. 

 

 

 

It would appear that my son has the soul of a depression-era hoarder.  He is continuously squirreling away crackers and snacks in random areas of the house.  I can only assume that he is shoring up snack provisions in anticipation of "leaner times."

I appreciate this habit of his ("Waste not, want not!" and all), but it makes the house perpetually tricky.  I do a minimum of 5 full-house sweeps every day.  This is when I gather the majority of my information regarding his activites. 

 

You can learn a lot by watching a kid.

You can learn even more by paying attention to what they hide away from everyone.  So far, Took's secret treasure troves mostly just contain saltines, goldfish crackers, his Captain Hook compass, and the occasional jelly bean.

 

 

 

 

 

8.)  These lavendar-scented air wicks.

 

 

 

We've jammed these babies in just about every room in our house.

The result?  Two words:

 

FRAGRANT.

 

MEADOW.

 

 

 



 9.)  $1 Halloween socks.

 

 

Seriously. 

 

We're smack in the middle of my favorite time of year:  The time when you can get adorable little bat socks, and ghost socks, and skull socks for about a dollar.  Dollar Tree, Target, Wal-Mart. . . they're everywhere, and I love it.

Also, you can usually find great deals on plastic cups with bats and ghosts and skulls.

So STOCK.  UP.

 

 

10.)  Took's cotton candy, left over from his second trip to the Pumpkin Patch.

 

 

. . . I might be a horrible mother. . .   ='(

 

Also:  I turned 37 this week.  My back is killing me, but spirits have been pretty high. 

I have spent this week shuffling around in an afghan, wearing snuggy cookie monster pants.

 

And . . . I ate a dozen petit fors.

 

No punchline.  No lie.

I ate a dozen petit fors.

And I regret nothing.

NOTHING!!!!!



 

 

 

 



 





 

 

 

 





ACA Editorial -- U Mad Bro??

I do not want to talk about the government shutdown.

I just don't.

The fact is that, aside from weekly viewings of The Daily Show and The Colbert Report, I try to stay as far away from the realm of politics as I possibly can. 

It is unpleasant.

 

It is polarizing.

It is REALLY difficult to discuss, and adamantly disagree with someone about, while keeping a relationship with that person intact.

So I have a personal policy of just keeping my nose out of it.

. . .

Unfortunately. . . there are times when that becomes impossible.  Throughout history, I'm sure there have been people who just wanted to stay out of it.  People who felt that they didn't have a dog in the fight.  But there comes a point where silence becomes equal to cowardice.  There comes a point when silence does damage.

I don't know if we're there yet, but I'm not willing to risk it.

So with that thought in mind. . . I have a couple things to say about:

The government shutdown/Obamacare.

First off, I'm just going to admit that I find this all very baffling.  I don't know a great deal about politics, and (like many people) I haven't read every scrap of information about Obamacare.

But that does not seem to hold true for everyone I know.  Everyone has an opinion about it, and that's fine.  That's how the world is supposed to work.

But there are just a couple of things that I don't understand. . . and unfortunately, they mostly have to do with religion, and partisan politics.

Our country has drawn a line in the sand straight down party lines, and nobody is happy.  Lots of people are terrified.  Lots of people are mad.  And, as I have mentioned, I do not know all the ins and outs of the ACA, I'm no political analyst, and I don't spend my days debating politics online (I'm looking at you, Michael).


What I DO know is that there are people in our country without health care.  We can all agree on THAT, right?

There are people that work hard, are law-abiding citizens and have families that they are trying to support, and they CANNOT AFFORD HEALTH CARE.

I have been there, and I know what it feels like, so I'll tell you firsthand:  It feels really shitty.
It feels terrifying.  (And this was before I had a child.  I'm sure that ups the ante quite a bit.)

Constantly being aware that you are one car accident, or one illness, away from being financially ruined. . . FOREVER . . . it's a lot of pressure, and it's terrifying.We are the United States of America.

We are a major world power.  We are proud, we are strong, we are capable, and we are pretty proud about referring to ourselves as a "Christian" nation.  AND THE FACT THAT ANY OF OUR CITIZENS ARE GOING WITHOUT HEALTH CARE IS SHAMEFUL. 

IT IS DISGUSTING.
It is a CRIME.

THESE ARE OUR PEOPLE, AND THEY ARE GOING WITHOUT, AND IF YOU ARE NOT PISSED OFF AND UPSET ABOUT IT THEN SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH YOU.
I'm not saying that the ACA is perfect.  As a matter of fact, I'm QUITE sure that it's not. 

BUT WE HAVE TO DO SOMETHING.

I DON'T GIVE A RAT'S ASS WHERE YOU STAND POLITICALLY.  I just don't.

I DON'T GIVE A RAT'S ASS WHAT YOUR RELIGIOUS BELIEFS ARE, EITHER.  Because as far as I can tell, they aren't helping any body right now. 

The other day as I was looking for a Halloween costume, I actually HEARD SOMEONE SAY something to the affect of "People should just get a better job and they'd GET health care.  I don't care where they find it, but I'M NOT PAYING FOR IT."
I've seen the same sorts of comments online, and I'm just stating facts when I say that they are mostly from people that I would call "very religious."

So I starting really looking at people on social media sites, and I became more confused.  Felt more baffled.

Because everywhere I looked, it seemed to be the conservative Christians making the biggest stink about this.  They seemed to be the group that appeared to be the MOST upset.

. . .WHY IS THAT?

 

 

(Seriously.  Someone needs to explain this to me.  Because I DO NOT UNDERSTAND.)

. . . Are you afraid that you're going to have to pay too much?  I guess that would be a reasonable fear.  Are you afraid that your family is going to suffer as a result?  (Because being afraid of THAT, maybe, I could understand.) 

Have you forgotten that you've been COMMANDED to care for the poor and the needy? 

IT WOULD APPEAR TO BE NON-NEGOTIABLE.
Oh, do you work hard for you family?  You think everyone else should, too?

So do I.
But some folks can't.  Some folks are too old, some are too young, and some are too sick. 

THOSE ARE THE FOLKS THAT WE TAKE CARE OF.  BECAUSE THEY ARE OUR PEOPLE, AND BECAUSE THEY DESERVE IT, AND BECAUSE WE ARE GOOD PEOPLE, AND THAT'S WHAT GOOD PEOPLE DO.
We have needed health care reform in this country for a LONG time.

Don't like the system that's being put in place?  Fine. 

Change it.  Amend it.  FIX IT.BUT FOR THE LOVE OF GOD DON'T JUST SIT THERE AND TAKE THIS ATTITUDE OF "I'M NOT PAYING FOR IT/ I DIDN'T VOTE FOR IT."

You want to take a side on this issue?  Then how about we forget what the red folks are saying, and forget what the blue folks are saying, and just REFUSE TO LET ANYONE SCARE THE SHIT OUT OF US TO THE POINT THAT WE LOSE OUR CAPACITY FOR REASON, AND MAYBE TAKE THE SIDE OF THE PEOPLE WHO ARE SICK AND NEED SOME FREAKING HELP.
So I've probably lost some friends with these opinions. . . and I don't even care.  I'm not calling anyone stupid, and I'm not berating anyone for what they think. 

But there seems to be a disconnect regarding this issue, and my attitude is this: 

I'm ashamed.

People find out that they are sick, and instead of their first thought being "Am I going to survive this?  Am I going to see my child grow up?", their first thought is "How am I going to pay for this?"
I'm disgusted.

We're acting like we're on teams, and if "our" team lost then we're pissed off and pitching a fit.

GROW THE EFF UP. 

If this helps ONE FAMILY keep a loved one, or eases the burden on someone in times of life and death, if it offers care for someone who would not have had it. . . honestly, I fail to see what the problem is.

So let's iron out the details.  I'm all for it.

In the meantime, there are people that are sick and dying.

. . . if we're not here to HELP those people, the people that NEED IT. . . then exactly WHAT THE HELL ARE WE HERE FOR??



 

Milkmaids, Epiphanies, and Spock

The news in my world this morning is brief: 

"TOOTHACHE!!!!!"

(That is both the headline, and the story.)

So, as this post is mainly just an exercise in distracting myself from the ache in my jaw, you can expect it to be disjointed, incomprehensible, and only mildly entertaining. 

Go on.

Expect it.

. . .

Good.

(Now anything better than that will just be a pleasant surprise.)

=)

As for the toothache. . . it hurts.  Woke me up at 2 a.m., kept me tossing and turning.  As a matter of fact, the only thing I can imagine that would be WORSE than this tooth pain would be actually going to the dentist to have it seen to.

I am not even a little bit ashamed to say that I am TERRIFIED of dentists.

I break out in a cold sweat if I even start thinking about them.

Aaaaand. . . yep.  There it is.  Feeling clammy.

Ew.

. . . At this point, I would like to state for the record that I am NOT quite such an enormous whiny baby about everything in my life.

I have broken many bones in my life. 

Did not whine.

I broke my wrist a few years ago and had to have it "set". 

Did not whine.

A couple of years back, I even tried for several hours to push a baby out of a certain extremity (to no avail), and eventually had to have said baby forcibly removed.  Did not whine.  (Nurses even commented on it.  I felt proud of how much of a baby I wasn't.  Then I cried because my midsection had never looked quite so lumpily-hideous before.)

What I'm saying here is that I would much rather make an appointment to have a broken bone set, get stitches, or have pins surgically inserted in my wrist than have to go see a dentist.

I am aware that, if you do NOT have a dentist phobia, this probably sounds RATHER foolish.

But you do not HAVE a dentist phobia, and so I imagine that life is pretty easy for you up there in your ivory tower where the sky is blue, life is sweet, and your jaw doesn't ache.

. . . This conversation is over.

. . . . . . . .

Anyway. . . I was taking my mind off of my troubles. . .

Oh yeah.

We went to see some music on Monday night.

=D

But first, we went (as we often do) to eat Indian food.

Our favorite place, Silver Coin, was closed that day.  So we went to . . . ANOTHER establishment.  (Our experience was not ideal.  So I have decided not to name names.  They know who they are.)

We sat down at our table at 6:07.

At 6:50, Michael looked at his watch AGAIN, and we both kind of griped to each other about how long it was taking our food to get there. . .

And that's about the time Michael realized that he had left the tickets to the concert in the truck.  At home.

=(

Also. . . I do NOT think what they gave me was Chicken Tikka.

It came on a fajita pan, and there was no sauce.

And when we ASKED about it, our waitress assured us that it WAS Chicken Tikka.

. . . but I have decided that she made a mistake, and then lied about it because maybe she could tell that I am not Indian, and assumed that I would not know the difference.

Well, joke's on HER.

Because I am ALMOST SURE that that was NOT Chicken Tikka, and I will probably never say anything else about it, but I was VERY DISSATISFIED.

=(

And then we drove home for the tickets.

(Also, I grabbed a few Rolos.  Indian food is awesome, but it plays havoc with your breath.)

Then we drove back to Iron City to see Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros.

It was a good show.

=D

Very energetic, nice lights, nice stage.  Also very nice was the fact that Michael had just informed me a few hours earlier that their keyboard player is actually the girl who played Dwight's milk maid girlfriend in the last season of The Office.

I couldn't stop staring.

It was TOTALLY HER.

. . . she's just so LOVELY!!

 

 

 Anyway.

 

We had a great time, and even got to hang out with some friends that we hadn't seen in far too long.  Nice.  =)

 

The only thing I really noticed after that was that OH MY GOD I'VE BEEN STANDING AND DANCE-WIGGLING ON A CONCRETE FLOOR FOR THREE HOURS STRAIGHT AND SWEET DEITIES I MUST BE OLD BECAUSE EVERYTHING HURTS ALL THESE KIDS LOOK SO FREAKING YOUNG ARE THEY EVEN ALLOWED TO BE OUT THIS LATE GOOD LORD WHAT IS WRONG WITH MY BACK AND WHY IS EVERYTHING SUDDENLY HURTING I HAD NO IDEA CONCRETE FLOORING WOULD POSE SUCH AN ISSUE!!

 

(More or less.)

 

Then I decided to squat down and try to stretch/pop my back. . . and ended up stretch/popping the strap to my dress.

 

So.

 

Even though it doesn't SOUND like it. . . it was actually a really good night.  =)

 

And then I had my epiphany:  OOH!!  Maybe. . . maybe old people don't stop going out and having fun because they're FUDDY DUDDIES. . . MAYBE FUN JUST HURTS TOO MUCH.

 

Thank God the evening was over before I could have any more disturbing revelations. . .

 

I can only take so much at a time.

 

 

By virtue of my mom keeping my boy, we were able to sleep late the next day.  It was nice.  =)

 

Then we hung around in our underwear, just me and the Mister, and ate summer sausage (NOT a metaphor) and cheese and wheat crackers, and finally got to watch Star Trek:  Into Darkness.

 

 

 

 

 

 It was good times.

 

Even the non-scifi loving portion of my relationship (aka "Michael") seemed to enjoy it.  (As I had assured him he would.)

 

One portion of the film in particular struck a chord with me.

 

There's a scene where Spock and Uhura are arguing.  (I couldn't find it on youtube, but feel free to look.)  Uhura thinks that because Spock "chooses not to feel" things, it means that he doesn't care about her.  Then he explains to her that when his planet was destroyed, he felt EVERYTHING.  And it was too much.  And his choice not to feel is not because he cares too little. . . but because he CARES TOO MUCH.

 

Wow,

 

Just wow.

 

. . . of all the people in history, real and fictional, I'm just a little amazed that it is SPOCK that perfectly understands why I cannot (will not) watch Bambi, Dumbo, touching videos about mommies and daddies coming back from war, and that damned Sarah McLaughlin commercial about the hungry/sad doggies and kitties that have boogers in their eyes and no one to love them.

 

SPOCK 4EVER.

 

 

 

SAVE FERRIS!!! And Other Newly-Awesome Shirts

We went to lot of galas last weekend.  =)

Friday was my 5th anniversay with my Mister, and we celebrated by taking Took to Railroad Park in Downtown Birmingham to play for a while.  The thunder and threatening rain took us home sooner than I would've liked, but all in all I was REALLY happy we went, because the Small Boy LOVED IT.

I mean:  LOVED.  AND.  WAS.  ALL.  ABOUT.  IT!!!!

This was the moment he discovered the slide, please see below:

 

 

 

 

So that was Friday.  =)

 

Saturday night we attended a surprise birthday party for a dear friend of ours (HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANGIE!!!!), and I giggled and drank two simply FRIVOLOUSLY touristy-looking Pina Coladas, and ate chimichanga until I was pretty sure I was going to regret it.  Then we all went to Lou's Pub, sat around and talked and giggled some more, and I drank one drink (and no more) so that I was SURE I would not regret it.

 

=)

 

Then we attended the FIRST BIRTHDAY PARTY of two dear friends' daughter, drank more punch, ate FABULOUS cake, and protected Took from the two perfectly docile puppies roaming the grounds.

 

A great time was had by all.  =D

 

BUT.

 

During all this "Great-Timey-ness". . . I came upon a rather startling and horrifyingly disturbing truth:

 

I have nothing to wear.

 

For.  REALS.

 

In the winter, it is different and less stressful, because all you have to have are a couple of drawers full of jeans and sweaters and such, and YOU ARE SET!!!

 

But it is NOT winter yet, and thus I have simply nothing to wear.

 

(Nothing "acceptable" to wear, that is . . . oh, I have PLENTY to wear if we were in, say, a "Let's stay at home and play with finger paints" kind of place today, or if there was a gala coming up, and the dress code called for "Back Yard Play-Doh Chic with Two Lifesavers Stuck to the Hem".  I also have SEVERAL different items that would look perfectly suitable for going out to, say. . . fill the car up with gas.  Or to pick the cat up from the vet, or to wear to Hobby Lobby on a watercolors-run.  I think you can see where I am going with this. . . it is NOT a subtle point that I am attempting to make.)

 

So. . . directly before one or another of the Dress Like A Relevant Human events of last weekend, as I was throwing item after useless, frilly, too-tight, too-hot, uncomfortable, ridiculous item out of my closet. . . I happened to find a few tshirts that I LOVE, but have never worn.

 

So, even given my past history with scissors, and the bleakness and tales of woe to be found therein (***at several points in my life, and for no logical reason whatsoever, I have decided to give myself BANGS.  It has yet to turn out well.  . . .and yet I always believe that THIS TIME!!!  THIS will be the time it will look AMAZING!!!  Never.  Happens.***), I pulled out the closet pair of scissors and went to cutting.

 

I don't even think I have to tell you:  For a few moments there. . .

I WAS EDWARD SCISSORHANDS!!!

 

 

And so, without further ado. . . HERE are my projects from last night!!!!  =)

 

(Maybe took 8 minutes total to do all three.)

 

 

HERE is what the SAVE FERRIS shirt looked like before:

 

 

 

 

(Obviously a really cute shirt, but the cut looked stupid on me.)

 

 

AND HERE IS WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE NOW!!

 

 

 

 



And from the side. . . check out the sleeve bow.  =)

 

 

 

 

 



The LOW BOW!!!!

 

 

 

 

 



 

So, after all this UNBRIDLED success with the Ferris tshirt, the only reasonable take-away was that I WAS A SECRET TSHIRT RESTYLING GENIUS.

 

So, being a woman of action, and NOT one to squander this great gift/responsibility that I had been given, I quickly scavenged through every dresser drawer I have and came away with two more tshirt treasures.

 

The first:  A Jack Skellington.

 

An awesome shirt, to be sure.  But the sleeves are just a tad tight for me, and so I always end up sweating right through them.

 

A snip here, a snip there. . . . the visual in my head:

 

 

 

 

 

 

. . . .aaaaaand voila!!

 

 

 

 





 

 

Finally, the last top to undergo surgery was a Beatles shirt that I got a few months ago from Plato's Closet, and have only worn once.  And I LOVE the shirt!!!  . . . but the sleeves were all weird for my body type, and it ended up just looking strange and slovenly and . . . did I say slovenly already?    (Just checking.  Because it TOTALLY did.)

 

So I cut the arms off entirely, widened the neck (because I LOVE off-the-shoulder tops), and THIS is how it turned out:

 

 

 

 

I.  AM.  PLEASED.

 

(Pleased as PUNCH!!!  For REALS.)

 

NEW SHIRTS!!!  I had three shirts that I admired from afar but never wore, and NOW I have THREE SHIRTS THAT I CAN'T WAIT TO WEAR!!!!

 

I MUST be a genius.

 

Or a sorceress. . .

 

There really is no other logical explanation. . .

 

====================================

 

 

I made that little line up there to signify that THAT topic, the one found ABOVE. . . has ended.

 

(I did not want you to feel that perhaps I had gotten bored, and was simply wasting your time with drawings of really long earthworms in love.  This is not the case.  I am simply introducing a new topic of conversation. 

 

Consider this my way of easing you into it.)

 

(**You're welcome.**)

 

 

In lieu of a better title for this section, I have decided to call it:

 

 

**So I Decided To Take Pictures of My House Today**

 

(But I am going to try to top it.)

 

 

So today while the baby was napping, I did some round-the-house repurposing.  I hesitate to call it "redecorating," because it was nothing near that grand. 

 

Besides, everybody knows that "redecorating" costs money.

Basically, this was just moving SOME of my stuff around with some OTHER of my stuff.  It was fun.  More importantly, it was FREE.

=)

 

 



 



 

 

 

This is our kitchen table/breakfast nook/ place for me to stack my paints and brushes and easels when I feel the urge to paint. 
(We also use the table to play with crayons on, and Play Doh, as they are allowed nowhere else in the house.  =)

 



 

 

 

 

 

Our bar table, where I like to stow (prettily, I like to think) art supplies and  fairies I've made.  =) 

 

 

Paints and brushes and stuff.

My Mouse I Still Need To Finish, and my Bert and Ernie I Still Need To Finish, behind the awesome Japanese-looking teapot I found on a thrift store hunt.  And smell-goodly candles.  =)
                                               



                                         


Only one of many.  Our bookcases are precious.




                               



Repurposed candle holder with rice for the window ledge in the bathroom.  I am in LOVE with this right now.

 

 

 

And I don't even care that Took has arranged the bed pillows on the couch, or that he's brought down about 4 of his stuffed animals from upstairs. 

 

 

Took's Nook.  Complete with Caillou's Treehouse, and MY Fisher Price garage that I used to LOVE PLAYING WITH as a kid!!!  Underneath the Bench We Used To Use For Sitting are storage bins:  one holds all his musical toys, and the other holds nothing but cars.  They ARE a favorite.  =)

 

 

This looks like the coat rack of a home inhabited solely by Circus performers. . .

 

Big Bird chair.  From MY childhood.  SERIOUS.  OLD.  SCHOOL. 

I AM STREET FROM WAY BACK.

 

. . . I do not even care that this is my den, even though I SWORE I would NEVER be one of "those types of people" that had a child and suddenly they were letting that child CONTROL THE HOUSE. 

I always just KNEW that *I* would let a child play with a few things at a time, put them away, and then play with more.  No muss, no fuss.

And yet THAT is my living room.  It could pass for any play room at any day care center ANYWHERE.  . . . and that kind of makes me happy. . . to think that a kid might feel at home here.  =)

The Books.  In the Winnie the Pooh hat box. 

 

And finally, we went to the Dollar Tree today, and THIS GREEN BUCKET turned out to be the PURCHASE OF THE DAY!!

I originally bought it to be used as a waste basket in the upstairs bath. 

But then I realized that there was really no use for one up there, and so it became. . . .

TOOK'S CLEANING SUPPLIES BUCKET!!!!

. . . .

And so this has been a glimpse into our lives.

Ta-DAAAAAAAA.