Wordless Wednesday

So I'm a big talker...

I know I said that I would have this rug done by the weekend, but then I got cleaning the basement. I was trying to find the mystery smell. I worked on that room for 2 whole days - like real work days - 8:30 to 3:30 with a half hour lunch break. I'm still not sure that I found the smell, but I got rid of A LOT of crap and organized the rest! We can now walk around the rec room area without stepping on little bits and bobs.

My sewing room is also clean (it's in the basement). I really want to get down there and create, sew, quilt... I have 4 bow staff cases that I need to make tomorrow so I guess I will be down there for a bit. But that's not what I mean when I say I want to go down there and create.

Today after lunch, the boys painted airplanes and a boat. I think they had fun.


Simon sneaking some cookie batter from the empty bowl. I made a new recipe. It was a semi-homemade kind of thing with a cake mix, eggs, and flour. They were just meh. Ok, but meh. I probably won't make them again.

We baked a cake

And it wasn't any one's birthday. Simon, my little baker, bakes some sort of sweet treat once a week - more often if I'm willing to be the assistant baker. Last week, we made chocolate chip cookies and gingerbread planes. We didn't get to each many of the planes because the dog got them. That was a sad moment.



This is the UFO of the week. It will be complete by Saturday... I have a goal this summer to finish up or move them on to someone who might want to finish them. I have sent some to goodwill. I have actually finished a few. BUT this one...I'm going to finish and put by the back door or by the kitchen sink. THEN I'm starting a new quilting project!

This little guy is growing his legs. No frog hunting today - it's raining again.

flowers and frogs

I just got back from the park. The boys are still there and I'm learning to let go a bit. They do have walkie-talkies to connect with home because I am not getting the oldest a cell phone until middle school. As I walked away I got a bit nervous, but I have to trust them to do what is right, Right??

I let them go down to the park without me. I walked to the end of the street and down the trail to the park.

There are berry bushes galore on the trail. In a few weeks, I'm going back with a pail to get black berries. I wonder how many other people have spotted these beauties?

When I finally got to the park, they had caught a couple of frogs and some tadpoles.



Ok so the walkie-talkie is good in theory. I just had to walk back to the park (because I didn't think to take the car) the "help" Simon come home. He was not listening to Ian.

hmmm, I wonder how the rest of the evening will go.

Saturday fun

A chilly morning made way to a better afternoon. What afternoon wouldn't be better with burning the Christmas tree and eating smores??

Well, for one, a boy could dress as a cowboy and try to lasso his brother!

Then, create a zipline from the lasso and give stuffed animals a ride.

Show off a missing tooth. It's a good look for a bandit!

Oh and those smores. We bought those "monster" marshmallows. The boys liked them. They also like to each the black charred sugar on the outside. My vote, go with the smaller marshmallows - they warm all the way through and melt the chocolate. Those big ones don't do that. They just get black. Really, really fast.

I'm stopping while I'm ahead (somewhat)

I have am having brain power problems today. I have been wanting to make a square cloth box for a while. I've had the instructions and materials, so today I started. I cut out everything the way the instructions said to and when I went to sew them together, the pieces didn't fit. See that piece of black spotted material. That was the first try. It was my luck that the pattern really uses the amount of fabric it calls for NO overage. SO try #2 involved the cool dancing people, there were several attempts at that until I finally got it right.

I just stopped though because I sewed two parts together that don't belong together. I think I need to do something brainless today. I'm not firing on all cylinders and I can feel it. The problem is I don't have any brainless projects to do. All of them are at that point where brain power is needed.

This pattern is not that hard. I think it WILL be fun when I can get my brain to function properly.

During my crafting endeavor this morning, the boys have been downstairs watching a movie. They are covered in quilts. It's cold down there today. And before you ask, Simon does not have a black eye. When I was removing his "red eye", it became blue.

I'm off to search behind the couch for something to do that is already started. Hopefully I missed an easy one back there.

Wordless Wednesday

Exercise

Soooo, I've decided that running is not for me. I've done 2 5k's and for someone who isn't in the best of shape, I think I did ok. My big problem right now is finding motivation to do it ok - do ANYTHING and stick with it. The other night at karate, I felt like I was trying to move elephant legs around. Seriously, I do karate at least 3 times a week and I felt like crap.

I've dabbled in lots of exercise - biking, yoga, snowshoeing, hiking, karate, running.....but I tend to get sidetracked by other things. I used to go to the gym on a regular basis (daily - for at least an hour). But then I bought a house, got married, had kids.... After not going for 3 years (and paying the monthly fees), I cancelled my membership.

How do you get and stay motivated? I am jealous of my parents. They get up and walk every morning right now. Stephanie has been exercising, walking, and watching what she is eating and loosing lots of weight. Denise has also been working out.

I know I should exercise and watch what I am eating for my health, family, and me. I make time to read, craft, bake, BUT I don't seem to make consistent time to care for my body.

I'm open to suggestions...

Something new for me

I have been working on my sayoran shawl again (no pics of course). It is over half way complete. AND yesterday I did something that I haven't done in ages. I tinked back 8 rows. I had made a mistake and thought I could live with it - you know - design element. The more I thought about it the more I thought that I would never wear it OR to be perfectly honest finish it IF I left that mistake in there. It was visible to me and anyone else who looked at it. After I got that part fixed I was sitting here inspecting my work and noticed ANOTHER mistake I made while doing the fix-it! That was an easier fix and I did it right away.

Maybe I need to go back to my locker-hooked rug I'm making.

Of course I am blaming all of this mistake making on the music that was playing - it was enough to incite the natives into craziness (and knitting mistakes too)!