Just My Picnic and Me

There's a big orange grove behind the church where I work. I'm sure that I've said it before, but it bears repeating. Since the trees are blooming and it's one of my favorite smells in the world, I have been promising myself a picnic out there. I finally got around to it today. Only, there was a little be-hatted man driving a tractor through the trees, so I had to settle myself within the fences of the church grounds, but as close as I could get to the trees.

I brought a china plate and a hand-painted, stemmed glass and a lap quit. Also a new magazine and some knitting. All of it must be lovely and none of it may match. Them's the rules.
What do I like to eat on a picnic, you ask? Why, fresh goats' milk cheese, some pears and honey and whole-grain flatbread and a little salami, of course. And tonic water.

So, all was quiet, cool and breezy, even in the sun. Then a couple of girls from the GED class that meets on-campus came wandering my way during their lunch break. They probably thought I was really weird. But, you know, that's never mattered much to me - other people thinking I'm weird, I mean. I'm pretty much used to it.
The rest of my day? Eh. Let's just think about the picnic.

DAILY BLISS: red lipstick

Doo Doo Doo

This has been quite a week so far! I've had a couple of hectic mornings...you know how all that goes. But this morning, we were running late for Safety Patrol (which was only remembered 5 minutes before we would have had to leave for our regular schedule) and in the car, the dog puked on Emma's chapel uniform. It's her only one. So, it was quite a trip getting everybody clean and where they needed to go and slipping into my chair at work just in time.
But, having missed an opportunity to tell you about my Monday, I thought I'd reach back into my week so far and pull out the highlights. Starting with Monday. Cause it was the best.

My afternoon me-time was once again spent at my little spot on the lake. It was pretty crowded this time, so I was glad I had my trusty iPod. There are times when it's nice to shut out the public. And other people's children. My favorite little duck couple paddled around in front of me. I think they were hoping for treats. Maybe I should bring them something next time.....there aren't many ducks at this lake, so it's easy to pick out who's who.
I've started on a new knitting project. I thought I'd wait until the cardigan was finished and I got so intent on finishing that by Sunday afternoon, I was down to the end. I had my skein of yarn in my knitting bag and was knitting so fast and I proudly announced to Chris that the next row was the shoulder bind-off and then the end of the yarn came up out of my bag. Before I got to the bind-off row. I ran out of yarn. Grrrr. Since I haven't found this particular yarn anywhere by JoAnn's and that's on the other side of town, I gave up. I heaved a great sigh and decided to cheer myself up by playing with the new yarn I'd bought on Saturday. Also, I'm out of elastic and waiting for pay day. Otherwise, I might have made another shirt or something.
Here's a couple of my happy knitty things:


Of course, they are only close-ups, since some of them are going out to some of you. Or all of them. Or whatever. We shall try to maintain a facade of mystery. What shall we call them? Oatmeal and Rain? That's what they make me think of when I knit them....and those are some of my very favorite things. So, they are bringing me bliss after bliss.
Here's Emma in a skirt and shirt I made. I hadn't intended for them to be an outfit, exactly, thinking that it might be calico overload, but since the shirt fabric was also in the skirt, she put them together on her own and felt fabulous. The skirt will get a little lace trim around the main ruffle's seam. I sewed it in white thread, which was all I had at the moment, and I just wanted to makesomethingnow, so we made do. I usually make do and cover the consequences later. Hm. That could be some deep insight there.....but let's pretend it isn't.





Anyway, the weather has been so lovely and I heard an old CCR song on my way home that summed it up:
"Bother me tomorrow. Today I'll buy no sorrow. Doo Doo Doo Lookin' out my back door."

DAILY BLISS: helping Emma pick out her first music purchases and pancakes for supper

A Little Venom

DISCLAIMER: I try to keep my fingers out of controversy here on the ol' blog for the most part. This is a place for me to just jot down what I'm thinking about and share my life and pursuit of happiness with you. But an event this weekend has prompted me to blow off some steam. If hot-button topics and religion make you queasy, just skip down to the part of the page that says, "DAILY BLISS." I will not be offended and I don't really want to offend you either. Please bear in mind that I will be spewing some venom. And what I have to say is probably offensive. That happens to me all the time. And after I have said it, I will probably feel much better and say much softer things about it.
Hokay. So, a little background information: my mom has made the decision to return to the denomination in which she was raised. She and dad knew it was time to move on from their worship community some months ago, and while they have been in fellowship with other believers, they have not found a church that feels like home. My grandparents, my mom's parents, live here and attend said church, and this seemed like the right time for her to please their hearts and worship with her parents, which has not happened in, oh....decades (aside from an Easter service or Christmas Eve here or there).
There are doctrinal points that my parents disagree with in this denomination, and that is the reason my dad will attend with my mom, but will not "sign up" as it were. These are some hot-button, widely-debated-within-the-church issues. And these are issues that are seldom discussed in a traditional denomination such as this one. Nonetheless, these are carefully and prayerfully considered stands that my folks have taken.
At any rate, mom was approached in the lobby by, shall we say, a junior member of the pastoral staff of this very large church. "How long have you been attending?" She answered and he noted that he had been preaching that day. On this very specific hot-button point of doctrinal disagreement, by the way. He offered a conversation opener about needing to bring the church up to speed with true and right teaching regarding this topic. Mom stated that she actually did not agree with the church's stance on this. At this point, Overzealous Recent Seminary Grad launched into a verbal attack. One might call it an argument if one were being extra-polite, but I'm not feeling so inclined. Of course, mom backed off, not exactly thrilled to engage in an argumentative conversation in such a public arena. Foolish New Pastor actually followed her across the lobby (narthex if we want to be traditional about it) to where she stood with her parents, foisting upon her the literature he had grabbed and continuing to argue.
My point is that, this man, the face of the church, attacked a new attender over a hot-button, controversial issue in the middle of the church lobby on a Sunday morning right before church started. But beyond that, this man was very friendly and welcoming and warm when he thought he was about to indoctrinate a neophyte with the Truth. The Silly Zealot picked the wrong new member. Not only is she familiar with the doctrine he was pushing, but she hails from a family that has produced more pastors per capita in that denomination than just about any other. Uncles, Brothers, Great-Uncles, Second Cousins - all of them seminary grads and prominent members of this denomination. Making the decision to leave that denomination was not taken lightly and she and my dad had to have pretty good reasons to do so and not be excommunicated. Families do not normally excommunicate, but considering the ratio of pastors to laity in this one, I think that's a fair use of the word.
She can Stand Her Ground, is all I'm saying.
I don't have a problem with debate within the church. Scripture can be like a Rorschach inkblot. Two people can be looking at the exact same thing and see two completely different things. There are a few basic tenets that define someone as a Christian. They are pretty much wrapped up into the Apostles' Creed. Beyond that, I don't see how a section of the church can claim to have cornered the market on absolute truth and have the audacity to claim that these things constitute provisos and conditions to salvation. If you want to argue for a 100% literal interpretation of Scripture, you've pretty much got to throw out Jesus' parables. He spoke in allegory. I'd venture that the Father probably does too.
But before I end up with a new topic like that, let me state that what I do have a problem with is believers, particularly pastors, mowing people down over perfectly debatable viewpoints. This pastor had never spoken with my mom before. He had no idea where her relationship was with the Lord. What if she was a new believer? What if she had just come out of an unhealthy church community with a controlling pastor? I'm certainly glad that wasn't the case. But situations like this happen all the time. I haven't met an ardent non-believer yet who doesn't have a horror story of their own interaction with a Christian. These are the things that make me hesitant to talk about my faith. If someone asks me whether I'm religious, I will usually squeak out, "Yes. I'm a Christian. But please don't judge me." Hopefully, they've been around me long enough by then that they know better.
If you have bothered to read this all the way through, thanks for listening. And please don't take me too seriously. Heaven knows that I don't.

DAILY BLISS: a new magazine in the mail, fresh strawberries and pigtails

Happy Saturday

I am happy to report that the Curse of the Unfished Objects has lifted and things are now back to (relative) normal. I am still a little bit obsessed with the sewing stuff. I have now made another shirt, a skirt and a dress for Emma. With each one, I've learned a little something that makes the next thing better. With any luck and a little more practice, her summer wardrobe will pass from the homemade category into the handmade category. Until then, she feels beautiful because of cute fabrics and ruffles....and she doesn't know about crooked seams and wonky ruffles. So, that's good.
I found another victim of my curse, though. I picked up the cardigan to knit sometime on Thursday and noticed that the new skein I had joined in was not, in fact, the same red yarn. It was just different enough that I only noticed it in the daylight, after I had knit a good inch and a half (which is a lot, when we're talking about 136 stitches per row) in the wrong red. Ugh. But, I rip-rip-ripped it back to the join and picked up the stitches without incident. I am now on the very last bit of sleeve. Four and a half more inches to go, people! The end is in sight! Of course, we will ignore the fact that finishing up will need to be done to the tune of ends being woven in, an i-cord loop made for the giant button at the top, the pockets sewn in and an edge picked up and knitted around the neckline. And a couple of those are things I don't know how to do yet. But the curse is lifted, I should be fine.....
Oh. And the bubble bath as a complete bust. Not even foamy.
I got my hair done today. That's always just the thing. I had lost a lot of hair with all the weird health and diet changes I've been through over the last year and all the medicine I've taken and stopped taking. When I got my last haircut at Christmas, my hair guy said it wasn't very noticeable, but this time he noticed it. The good news there? It's stopped coming out and it's now growing back. But, I had him chop a lot of length off so that the bottom wasn't so thin and so that all the fuzzy new hairs sticking out of the top of my head would be less noticeable. So....

(nervously) Do you like it?

The other fun thing about hair day? It's also yarn day. Because the closest real yarn store is just a few blocks from the salon! Yay! What was going to be a yarn run for Mary's pay-if-forward object turned into one for Allison's object, due to an unforseen and wildly distracting clearance yarn bin. They had carefully baited the trap with precisely the yarn I had in mind. So...I can be flexible. And I can't wait to start on a new project!
Rounding out the day nicely was the blustery, chilly weather. This is so unexpected at this time of year and quite delightful. I am always happy to have a cardigan-worthy day, especially since I found a cute, hoodie cardigan on clearance for $6!! Woo Hoo!

DAILY BLISS: long, husband-y hugs and jasmine tea

Crazy

So, um, hi.
I'm going a little crazy.
Things have been a little hectic.
I found myself laying on my painted concrete floor, stitch ripper in hand, bleeding where I'd already stuck myself, and crying just a little bit. That was right after I shoved a spoonful of Nesquick powder in my mouth, for lack of any real chocolate in the house. Then I wondered if I might be actually losing it.
The dress I was making should have been yet another quick, painless stress reliever for me. Something I could conquer. Something I could say I'd finished that day - a day when nothing else had been finished, properly or otherwise. Well, it was the second or third or something day in a row like that.
Instead, the cosmic state of calamity that is following me around overtook my stress relief project and made things even worse.
Things seem to be quieter today, which is good. I'm sitting at my desk and having a deep breath.
So, no trip to the looney bin for me. Not today, anyway.
In nicer news, Drew was in a musical on Tuesday. He had so wanted a speaking part, but got placed in the choir. This brilliant casting move revealed to me that his natural sense of pitch was needed more than his untested, but fabulous-I'm-sure, acting chops. My boy! His chess and logic skills definitely come from his dad, but it's nice to know that my genes are indeed part of the final product that is this fine young man. Here he is passing out programs:


All is not lost. I will conquer that little dress. I will make more progress on the cardigan. I will enjoy some "me" time with the bubble bath I made. It may not all happen today, but it will happen soon. And if all else fails, I'm getting my hair done on Saturday. Maybe a trip to the yarn store.....it is on the way there after all....

DAILY BLISS: Orange blossoms!

Instant Craftification (or: I can stop whenever I want)

Just one more. I already had the fabric. It was a super-easy one.
Somehow, between 5:00 and now, I managed to supervise homework, get dinner on the table, clean out Emma's shirt drawer, and make this:

I'll make it a little longer next time and give a little bit more room in the armpits, but all in all, it's not bad for a first shot. And I love it, and the recipient is very happy.

I still think I might add some pockets. I do love pockets, and little girls need places to put things. The pockets would be in that peachy polka-dot pattern.
On another note, though not entirely different, today is Monday and that means I got my all-to-myself hour again. And I went to my favorite spot by Lake Mirror. Here's my lap with the cardigan-in-progress and my gorgeous-o knitting bag, and also the view across the lake of my favorite mystery zone (I've always wanted to go exploring behind those gates):



And while all of this crafting has been going on, some wee little birds have been busy creating a nest in my laundry room. My laundry room is basically part of the carport with walls built around it. The walls don't go all the way to the ceiling in some places. So, the little birds fly in through the rafters (if they qualify as such, which I doubt) sometimes. This particular pair seems to have found a cozy spot between our utility box and some old jewel cases.


DAILY BLISS: coq au vin in the crock pot - genius! and the square of 85% cocoa chocolate I'm about to eat....can it qualify if it hasn't happened yet? I guess I make the rules here. So it does.

Falling off the Wagon

I have been so good about my priorities. I'm sure that is evidenced by the lack of substantive posts here. I have been focused on the kids' homework and housekeeping (to a point - let's not get crazy here) and responsibility. Those are very difficult things for me to focus on.
But I fell off the wagon this weekend. I ran across the Portabello Pixie blog. Her children's clothes are fabulous! But you know what's even better? She has a tutorial on her page. About shirring. And about how you can toss together adorable children's clothing, on a whim, completely patternless. That's how I like things. Don't bother me with instructions and preparations. Just tell me how it works and let me jump in!
So, I made a trip to Hancock's (because it's closer than JoAnn's) and grabbed a couple yards of cute cotton and some fat quarters, too, for good measure. And when I got home, I thought that maybe I should do a practice run with something before I cut into fabric I actually bought. Hmm.....a sheet will do just fine. It's cotton, right? And what's one more mate-less fitted sheet?
So, here's my practice shirt. Bear in mind that I am SO not a seamstress. I can barely sew a straight line. You will notice, I'm sure, that the shirring is shorter on one side of the seam than the other. However, the shirt was declared "fabulous" and worn all day long.

So, on to my first attempt at the real deal. I learned a few things with the practice shirt. My shirring was much more even this time. But the ruffles took forever. I read somewhere that ruffles should start out at 2.5 times the length of the skirt. In retrospect, that was way too much. But I wanted this to be a quick and simple deal (ha!), so I'll change that for next time. And the dress was longer than I anticipated. And the pocket that I completely made up is pretty sloppy. But the dress was declared "magnificent" as it was when I suggested shortening it a bit. So it will stay as-is. And it was worn the rest of the evening.
















I have to say, I love this glamour pose, complete with Fruit Punch Lips:

I also made an attempt at a bubble bath recipe I found. I don't think I like it. I'm trying to find something new for the whole Kiki's Suds thing.
And, much knitting was done on the Mom Cardigan. I'm up to the under-arm increases on the last front panel. Almost there! She tried it on last weekend, in all of its one-armed glory, and it actually fits. So, that has given me reason to go on as far as the sweater is concerned. However, it will be a long time before I do another sweater. I'm much more into instant gratification with crafts. Could we call that instant craftification?
I suppose I will have to get back to life now that it's Monday. But it started off all wrong. Emma lost a shoe. But it's possible that Daddy or I threw it away when we cleaned up her room this weekend. You can't send kids to school in just any kind of shoe, though. They have to wear sneakers of a certain type, due to P.E. regulations. Very strict. So I had to run to Target and pick up some new sneaks for her this morning. We were all just late, late, late and that throws everything off. It does not help that I now have a new crafty trick on my mind. And I can't stop designing dresses and shirts and skirts for Emma. It's like when you first learn how to play Tetris. Remember? Once you understand how the puzzle works, all you can see when you close your eyes are little pieces falling into their correspondingly-shaped holes.
I. Must. Focus.
Get. Back. In. the Saddle.