Back to the Sewing Machine, well, at least ONE of them...

Hi. Did you miss me? I've been missing myself lately. We just got back from our yearly jount to FLA. This year we opted to stay at Grandma Hunnybunny's and just go to the beach. We were going to go more than one day, but alas, the dreaded yellow flag was up on the second day. Things have changed with Grandma Hunnybunny; her cast of characters has changed from Aunt Hunnybunny (Hunnybunny's sister) to Mother Hunnybunny, (Hunnybunny's mother). Aunt Hunnybunny has a new little Hunnybunny of her own named Tyler. He is so sweet, and he snuggled me!            

We picked up Hollywood for a few weeks this summer. He made the trip to Florida without being too bored.




And he turned sweet 16! His party of sorts was a couple of friends, along with She who must be Obeyed  and Jerricho! I had fun with her as She is now almost 11! What did we do for kicks? We sorted fabric! That kid was always organizing so I gave her the opportunity to help me cut down my fabric hoard of scraps.  She thought it was great! My kind of kid! 

This week, I've been fairly selfish. While I have been working on The Legal Adult's quilt, I took out a little time to cut myself out a dress. Here's the pattern:

I don't even own a dress besides my wedding dress and if I ever had a special occasion, I'd be in trouble. My friend Robin told me long ago and far away to find a simple pattern and start with that, so that's what I did. I also got my little orphan machine fixed.

 

It was in storage as I used it to make those stitches you see, but then it didn't work at all. I took it back to the Nameless Fix-It shop here in town, and he wanted me to throw more money at it.  I took it to a place where I usually just get fabric, but they had fixed my Pfaff Hobby so wonderfully that I decided to see if they could make this little machine stitch again. It's called the Quilter's Square and they totally rock!

Back to the ordinary

  I've been out of sorts lately, trying to figure myself out. The whole student, mother, employee, thing has been something I've struggled with and I always forget that this is where I work most of it out.:) Aren't you so glad you can eaves drop on my brain?
Undoubtedly, the whole school thing has taken up most of my time this year, and I hate that it has. I have friends that I miss, and blogging friends across the country that have been nice enough to not drop me for my inconsistent postings. It's not that I'm trying to do too much, it's that I'm not a very good time manager. That's a terrible admission for someone who is looking to be in a health field, but true nonetheless. Lately I've looked at that quilt on the wall and wish it were done. Maybe it's not done because I don't know if or when I could possibly start the next project. I've done some pretty lame things during spring break from my school like: watch House, Horders, and pretend I'm watching Being Human with Hunnybunny. (I just don't get that show!) I've also been on Facebook more than I'd care to admit and mostly because it's quick and easy. I've never managed to do the quick and easy for very long without consequences.  And I do like Facebook, heck- if it weren't for that I may have no clue what's going on with my family. It's handy when I want to "talk" to Hollywood down in Tennessee as you know that teenagers stay on it. They'll sit for hours instant messaging you, but fall short when it comes to real conversation. I miss him very much so I'll keep on with it.
The Legal Adult has had his share of growing pains this year, and between work, school, and my crew at home, I've been carving out more time to see him. In fact, he and Sweet Thing took me out for a nice dinner last week. Miracles never cease.

And then there's the Dyl Pickle, who's growing faster and faster, and with all that I'm doing, I don't want to miss it. His birthday falls just as school starts, so we bought him an early birthday present..a new bike! He is riding now without training wheels and it's so cute to see. I think I've mentioned before that The Legal Adult doesn't drive? He actually owns 5 bikes and was generous enough to give me one last week so I could "ride with Pickle".

I wonder what I was thinking when I accepted it...sigh. I haven't been on a REAl bike in 25 years! So, it's kind of like we're both learning how to ride.   

I'm having trouble figuring out the gears. And I don't have a helmet. Do you HAVE to wear a helmet these days?

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Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

That smile you see is a smile of happiness. He's going to his first dance and Mom let him get his 80's tie. I watched the kids file out of the gym after the dance, and they were all wearing similar things.
Cyndi Lauper's 80's style has come back, but I'm not real sure why. That's what I saw all the young ladies wearing.






Here he is in his true element: playing the guitar. And not to brag, he's really good! He does practice allot and on this particular day was quite the front man. Interestingly enough, it wasn't his band. But he had a blast.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers

Yes, my kid, who now wants me to refer to him by his name, Sam,is missing in action. Oh, I remember him. A sweet, compliant, honor student who said, "Yes, ma'am" when I called his name is gone from our house. In our version of "Invasion of the Body Snatchers", we find this wonderful child replaced by this venomous creature, who mopes in a millisecond. It appears that there is not enough space in this house to accommodate our family and all his hair care products. While at the pool last week, he kept asking me, "What's up?" all in an effort to get my MIRRORED glasses facing his direction so he could check his reflection.Never having to deal with this before (mother of all boys), I am ill-equipped with this sudden stage of vanity. Last year, we couldn't get him to take a daily shower. This year, he's showering twice a day. And the diets...well, not a real diet, per se, but he went from eating everything in sight, to one helping of the main course and complaining about his abs. Sheesh....

I have been told by my friend Martha to pray diligently and hang on tight. At 13, it's just the beginning. And experience tells me she's right.

Beautiful Boy

The Dyl Pickle graduated today from preschool. I thought I'd be the only mother in the room NOT crying as I've been to this rodeo 2 other times. My past experience didn't help me one iota. And still, many hours later, I can't hardly talk about it. Let's let a picture say a thousand words...I'm tired of boo-hooing.

Queen for a "Mother's" Day..

Most mother's are happy to get appreciated on Mother's day, and as a rule, we don't really expect much. Oh, someone is bound to be little enough for making Mom some type of craft. And breakfast in bed is a favorite amongst us moms. This year was tre' cool for me. Hunnybunny bought me some Lauren Blue, Pickle got me my favorite Healing Garden stuff, lavender; Rock Star bought me a card, (didn't sign it, but it's truly the thought that counts.) and a single red rose and baby's breath. Hunnybunny grilled me a steak and made dinner. Mother's Day is the holiday I hate going out.

The Legal Adult went to church with us, and spent the rest of the day with me. I nearly fell over.

Oh, yeah, the best present was to get to have all my boys under one roof for one day! And they let me take pictures!

A Double Date with Ironman

From the time Ironman was announced, Diva's dad and I talked about getting our families together to go see it. He is the consumate movie geek. The man has virtually any movie you have EVER heard of. I am an old comic book collector. I taught my then 6 year old (The Legal Adult) to read X-Men. Dick and Jane just wasn't cutting it, folks.

I hired a sitter who I knew could handle the Pickle and the Diva together. The Rock Star did ask if he could keep them and make the money, but ...Plllluuuzzzzeeee.... I can't walk out of a room without the screaming and hitting. He went to his friend's house for the night. I was also thinking that he might ENJOY the company of this young woman way to much, if you know what I mean.

My biggest worry was that they would go into their Honeymooners routine and scare the poor girl off. I promise, they act like old married people. Diva's mom and I kid about them getting married someday.

We got pizza, we gave Brit the Sitter the specifics on what they could and couldn't get away with, and we left. The movie was great! I think I liked the dialogue better than anything. Robert Downey, Jr. was really believable. And likable. But mostly, funny. Afterwards, we went to Olive Garden and had a really nice dinner. Adult conversation is something that I'm completely lacking in these days. The only time the sitter called is when the "Batman and Robin" movie couldn't be found. (I had to hide it in my unmentionables drawer or he would play it everyday.) So, I sent Brit to find it there. How embarrassing....Diva's mama thought it was funny.


My opinion? Go see it...and take a date!

WIP Wednesday: The Boy Scout Quilt....Delivered!

Two years is way too long for someone special to receive a quilt! But when you have more ambition than ability at the time, it's totally understandable.

I started this quilt as a thank you to a special scout leader named Chip. He had a great influence on the boys in our pack and now in the troop. What I admired about him was his willingness to give of himself, a trait that is lacking for allot of us in this day and time. And he made time for my kid, the Rock Star. The Rock Star got interested in guitar because of this man.


He's like that with other kids as well, and makes time for his family, too. For those of you who have read about my adventures with Jane, he's her other half.

Here's the label that Debra made. Isn't it grand? Go and see her for your label needs, too!


He looks happy and he was over the moon about it. Chip even took it to his special music room to see where he'd like to hang it.

Words really can't express everything I learned while doing this quilt. Just a few things, machine applique, machine quilting, using a quilt pounce, binding, measuring, and figuring out my creative style. I think I was more blessed by doing this quilt than any so far. I'm just tickled it's going to such a special man!

Spring Break.....By the Numbers

We took spring break down to the Emerald Coast. It was chilly the first day, but better the second. More pics in my flickr.com box to your right.





Spring Break .....by the numbers.





1. Rode 625 miles from here to the Panhandle with two kids in the back seat.



2. Ate off the value menu at McD's at least 5 times on the road.



3. Drove no more than 200 miles on a 1,700 mile trip.


4. Was waited on by my Sister-in-law at least 50 times. I think I'd really like to have a wife....





5. Broke up at least 20 squabbles by the siblings in the back seat.









6. Reunited one family. Meet The Hunnybunnies!

7. Went to ONE quilt store on the coast. Bought 3 fat quarters



8. Lost 6 pounds on this trip, McD's and home cooking, too!





9. Outran one tornado.







10. Made 3 quilt blocks.


11. Made one Great Grandma Hunnybunny happy....priceless!

Happy Sadie Hawkins Day!

You recall our friends from Dogpatch, don't you? I'm only using this panel as it depicts the origin of Sadie Hawkins Day. Once every four years, on Leap Day, it's said that a woman can propose to a man. Most just go to a dance in honor of this swift spinster, and invite the dude to go.

I actually went to an ice skating party that had a "Sadie Hawkins" theme. I got to ask the college class President, Mark, if he'd like to ice skate with me, and he said yes. I remember how I felt after that....like I had hit the lottery.

We decided to go out to eat this evening, which I always feel is a bad idea with two boys and the Friday night restaurant crowd. "Bark at the Moon" came on the radio, to which I heard my 4 year old attempt to sing along.

"I don't know how he even knows the tune!" Pipes up the Rock Star when we turn to look at him.

"He watches you," reminds Hunnybunny, "and whatever music you listen to, he's going to think is cool."



R.S. turns to Pickle and says, "I really like the Bratz CD, Pickle."

Since it's Valentine's.....

here's some love for Grandma Hunnybunny from your favorite little man!


This is kind of a new face....


This is making valentine cards with the Amazing Jo-Jo.




And what Dyl Pickle post would be complete without the appearance of Spiderman? Pickle is wearing The Rock Star's ("Bubbie's") shirt.

An unexpected day off...sort of

Too much ice and snow to keep kids today, so I have a day off....well, sort of. I have to keep my own, and one other. But that's because her folks work in TV and stations don't close.

Here are some pictures that I took on my recent trip to the roller rink with the Rock Star and Pickle. I did TRY to skate, but was so afraid of falling, I took them off. Thankfully, they allow parents to WALK beside the learners.


Here's The Pickle with his skates. After a couple of hours, Mommy wasn't holding his hand, and he was doing great! His BFF, "Skywalker", met him at the rink.










Sorry the pictures are so blurry. But he was skating fast and it is a digital camera. It reminded me of his dad when we were dating....always showing off.












He looks as if to say..."Uh, Mom...I sorta spilled my drink."
















It's nice to have a friend to have fun with!

Across the Universe

No, we didn't watch the Grammy's, but we watched Across the Universe. And to say it was...trippy..was understated. The music was covered well. How can you go wrong with Joe Cocker or Bono from U2? Bono certainly doesn't sound like an "Irish rock star", as he puts it in the blooper reel. But like a New Yorker. Joe Cocker actually had three roles in "Come Together" and I had to ask Hunnybunny if that was him. He looked old when he was young. But he still has the pipes.
The story had more to do with the Vietnam War and it's impact. But they tried to cover too many story lines. They covered Martin Luther King's assignation, too. And while that was important for the time period, they just had too many loose ends to tie up.





I think they were trying to actually tell a story. While the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts club band was definitely fantasy. The Rock Star asked for this for Christmas last year, and I think I've watched it a lot more than he has! I was around 11 when it was in the theatre, and a huge Bee Gee fan. Peter Frampton, who was just a kid back then, had gone triple platiunm with Frampton Comes Alive!. They did a great job covering the songs, but the story was just too out there. It was great eye candy for the rest of us, though.
The bottom line: if you don't mind the abstract, you'll enjoy it. Visually, it's a beautiful flick. But if you're looking for story content, don't bother.







I guess the boys from Liverpool will never be topped but their music will most likely outlive us all. Currently, The Legal Adult has been sporting a John Lennon look and he's so pleased when someone notices. Of course, the people that notice actually were at Woodstock. He constantly asks me, "What was it like for you to grow up listening to that music?" First of all, I was just a little tyke. I was the only 4 year old who could sing all the words to Strawberry Fields. It didn't impact my life. It was my brother (who was 10 years older) who owned the albums and the posters.
Do you think if John had lived he'd have piercings? I'm just sayin'....

If Rome wasn't built in a day.....

...how about the Parthenon? This was The Rock Star's social studies project on Greece. My idea was that he could do a newscast from ancient Greece, highlighting the top stories of the day. But, he didn't want to. This project was put together the night of the Superbowl. Between commentators and Tom Petty, you could hear hammers in my kitchen. I had offered to help, but they (Hunnybunny and R.S.) claimed they were "fine". You might notice the roof is red as R.S. wanted it to be, and Hunnybunny said it had to be "terracotta". Whatever.....you'd think they were picky old women haggling about the color to paint the house!
I tried to help them figure out how to put it together, but of course, they didn't need a woman's help. They found out the hard way that someone who puts quilt blocks together might know a little about construction. Live and learn, I guess.
The columns are dowels that were cut in half and nailed to a fancy board. Materials cost around $25 bucks! That just hurts..ah, well. The price of an education.
The other part of the report was a presentation. He kind of botched that. While the project was outstanding, the presentation ....not so much. He got a "B". But, on the upside, his project was put into the school trophy case. I'll be taking a picture to bore you with later.

Yet another New Year's

Okay, so I'm a little late with the New Year's subject. Everyone else has most likely posted their resolutions. And I'll most likely get to that. But I thought it prudent to go back over 2007 and find the good, and the bad
It's easy to start with the good:

1. Actually finished two quilt tops for charity.

2. Finished a quilt top for The Quilt of Valor Foundation.

3. Bought a Singer 201 at Goodwill for $9.75!

4. Bought a Singer 15-91 at the same Goodwill a week later for $25.75.

5. Bought a Singer 99K on eBay for $30.

6. The Rock Star got his Tenderfoot in Boy Scouts.

7. The Dyl Pickle turned 4 as Spiderman.

8. The Hunnybunny family came to visit from North Florida.

9. I have walked 106 miles since last May.

10. The Diva, Geronimo, She-who-must-be-obeyed, and Idgy joined my inhome daycare crew this year.

11. We visited our old stompin' grounds,Chattanooga, Tennessee.

12. And we celebrated our fifth aniversary.

13. I did teach someone to quilt this summer.

The bad:

1. The Legal Adult moved away, moved closer to his dad, then moved back to Kentucky.

2. Got a nasty heel spur which curtailed my workouts at the gym.

3. My husband's '93 Honda blew up, but I did get a new 2007 Kia Optima.

4. Laurel Burch passed away.

5. I accidently deleted my old blog.

6. Played a year long game of "Come here, no, go away" with the Legal Adult. He's back in Kentucky and apparently I'm at the top of his "Do Not Call" list. Hey, join the club. We've got T-shirts.

7. Inadequately dealt with middle school drama from the Rock Star.

And I think that's all ....now I feel cleansed having dumped the year on all of you. Thanks for your patience!

Boy, do I feel sheepish.....

to tell you that the "game" did not have it's intended effect. The game meaning what we did to The Rock Star at Christmas.(See previous post.) I was all for drawing it all out...but Hunnybunny didn't make him wait at all hardly.

The presents were opened, and all he (The Rock Star) asked was, "Is this all of them?" I let the question slide. Hunnybunny did, too. And then, a little later, he asked again. Hunnybunny told him to check the closet and the rest, they say, is history. I'll give him this much, he should have won the Oscar for acting surprised when he opened it. I did ask him straight out if he peeked. He said 'no', but the top of his ear turned pink. That's his indicator that he's not telling the truth. But I'll be alot more careful next year.

And to answer a reader who raised a valid question, no, he doesn't even know where to find my blog. Hunnybunny does, however, so I can tell you now what I got him. The picture to the left is the Serenity movie poster, but these characters are from the Firefly series that was short-lived on FOX. It's shown every now and again on The Sci-Fi channel, but I wanted to get the whole Firefly series for him for Christmas. It's sort of a sci-fi western, but it's really good. We've stayed up the last three nights watching until 1:00 AM. Nothing keeps me awake that long, so you know it's good.

As for me, I had a good Christmas, but did miss the Legal Adult alot. Guess it's time to let you all know he left Arizona. The former girlfriend was just that, FORMER, and she didn't bother to tell him before that she had a current boyfriend. So, his dad flew him to his place outside of Nashville. I'm just glad he's with family.

Here's hoping you all had a blessed Christmas!

Spy vs. Spy.....The Christmas Edition

Now, you all remember our friends here from Mad Magazine? I must have spent hours reading it in junior high. Apparently, I have my own scenario going on at my house. My wonderful, completely trust-worthy 12 year old presented his dad and I with a Christmas list. That's not really surprising, is it? The surprising part was that it was only a couple of days ago. Kinda suspicious...most kids get you that info long before the 14th of December. And included on this list of things he wanted were things he DIDN'T want. Things that were already purchased and in hiding at my house. The number one item was, of course, Guitar Hero III, which I was smart enough to get at the onset of the month. Incredibly, he said that was his number 2 item. His number 1 was something we hadn't purchased, (and have no intentions of doing so) The Sims 2. Now, he has gone on and on about Guitar Hero III being the main big present that he gets for Christmas. Why would our sweet, adorable, completely without sneakiness, 12 year old change his mind? Because he probably has been snooping around while we've been out of the house.

I say, let's play the game. My goal is to get him to tell on himself. Said Guitar Hero III has been put away and will not be found immediately under the tree. Let's see if he owns up. We'll do the whole A Christmas Story thing, and not bring it out until later.

I know, I know...cruel and unusual punishment.

Trick or Treating for 20 Years

You look at the title of this post and laugh...but I'm telling you, it's true! I'm sure there are plenty of others who could beat me on this. And I'm not really complaining as just not wanting to get out there with a heel spur. Don't believe me? Let's do the math:

1. Beth goes Trick or Treating at age 3 until age 12. 9 years
2. Beth has first son, The (now) Legal Adult in 1985. He goes Trick or treating (with Mom taking him) for approximately the same amount of time. Age 3 to age 12. 9 years.
3. Beth has second son (The Rock Star) in 1995. He actually started at 6 months! 11.6 years.
The Rock Star as the Grim Reaper for the second year in a row. He went out with his buds, they were ALL grim reapers!









4. Beth has third (and final!) son in 2003. He started three years ago.
3 years.
Here's the black spiderman and the island princess. Her first trick or treat, his third. He just didn't want to leave the mask on.

I was totally off the hook this year as the Rock Star went elsewhere with his buds, and Hunnybunny took the cutest little couple here.

Why Animals Eat Their Young

Dateline: Friday night.

With Hunnybunny attending a going away party, the boys and I headed out for dinner. After sticker-shock from Ryan's, we settled on the cheap for Cici's Pizza. As usual, the Legal Adult was checking out the ladies, especially a girl sitting just in front of him with her date.

" There's only two reasons why that hot lookin' chick is with THAT guy!" He surmised.

I, of course, am always intrigued with his logic. "I'll bite...why?"

"She's either on a blind date or was hurt by a really hot guy so she's settling for second best."

Exhibit B (A.K.A. The Rock Star) pipes up,

"Oh, you mean like Dad did?"

Swish......

Dateline: Saturday Evening. Hunnybunny grills out steak for supper. The Legal Adult is in attendance with his ten loads of laundry that he's doing. We are about to say the blessing when the Rock Star makes his random comment:

"So, Mom, have you called Jenny yet?"
The actual funny part? I took his family to task when they were telling him he had gained weight....and I've had a weight problem most of my adult life. But I guess now he's getting embarrassed by it. It hurt, but did inspire me to continue losing.

Parenting three generations

I know, I know....I brought it on myself. Having kids every ten years or so was probably not the smartest thing I've ever done, that is, NERVE-WISE. All I can say is that God Almighty has a great sense of humor. Let's take Exhibit A, the Legal Adult. I never have to take pictures of him now that he's grown. All I have to do is download the ones he took of himself with my digital camera. There's always 3 or 4. And he does such a good job, maybe photography should've been his thing. Lately, it's been hard being on the sidelines. While most guys his age are becoming more independent, it's not the case here. So many things I wanted to teach him, and now he's a grown man. I want be close to him without appearing to be the nagging mother. So, needless to say, I'm looking for new ways to communicate that validate him. He's a smart guy, just made some bone-head choices, like we all did at that age. I wish he knew how proud I am of the things he has accomplished in spite of setbacks. Telling him doesn't seem to work, so I guess after all these years I don't know my son's love language. Looks like I'll be heading to the library.
Exhibit B- The Rock Star. Puberty, girls, growing pains, acne, "You-hate-me" conversations...this pretty much sums up middleschoolers, so I guess I'm on track with all that. Fortunately for me he has an outlet in his art and music so the angst hasn't gotten the better of him....or me. He's a good student, just trying to figure out girls, and what makes the world go 'round.




And last but not least, Exhibit C....the Dyl Pickle.

I don't know if I have any words for this except, "Lord, give me strength!" Rambunctious, tenacious, hard-headed, determined, fun-loving, and mind-boggling. He will argue about the fact the letter you showed him was "A 'K', Mommy, not an "R"!" but can read words like 'ordinary' on the computer. Pickle can slip a disc in a drive and prompt the right program to make it work. He knows how to work the dvd player to a fault. And yes, that's an X-Box (with the Spiderman game playing) that he's doing in the picture. I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.
All of them wonderful, and I feel like I am so inadequate to parent them sometimes. It's getting harder and harder to switch to the right generation gear at the right time. But God will get me through this.