Do What Makes You Happy

Please note that the title is not "Follow your heart", which is, in my opinion, one of the worst pieces of advice of all time.  If I had followed my heart, I'd be married to my 7th grade crush (who turned out to be not a very nice guy), I'd be a kindergarten teacher, I'd be eating cheesecake for breakfast each & every day... in short, I'd be making a lot of not-so-smart decisions.

Putting my little Helga in her Viking hat?
That makes me happy.
Shamelessly putting unrelated pictures of my uber-cute daughter on my posts?
Makes me happy as well.

When I asked my darling husband what I was even supposed to be doing with my days (You hear me, mommas?  You asked this question too, didn't you?) he gave me some practical ideas, like housework and dissertation work and going for walks.  Then he added that I need to make time to do something that makes me happy, too.

It took me a minute to figure out what that even would be.  I've been spending my days totally wrapped up in feeding and clothing and rocking and swaddling, with some napping and chores thrown into the in-betweens. I've been fortunate enough to be able to shower pretty much every day, but that's about the extent of what I do "for me".  And I'm pretty sure that's normal.  

Making Things

I love making things.  It seems that I always have to be producing something.  In truth, I feel downright awful about myself if I don't do anything productive.  Remember when I wasn't baking??  I did a lot of sewing then.  Now that I'm preparing to close up my sewing room (baby's taking over!), my interests are once again moving on to the next thing.

Note:  I do have a whole bunch of fabric in the sewing room that I am trying to find a home for.  As such, I've opened a Store Envy shop, TFW on Store Envy.  There's only a few fabrics there right now, but more will be added when I find the energy/attention to do so :)  Feel free to snoop around!

So now, instead of my favorite making thing - purses (which used to be quilts, which used to be cakes, which used to be velvet embossing, which used to be Indian Bead Loom Weaving... ) I find myself wanting to make: furniture.

Yep.  Furniture.

I told Handsome and he replied (with a fair amount of skepticism in his voice) "Because you're a carpenter...????"  Yep.  I think I might become a carpenter.  We've got the space for furniture to fill, such as the awkward front room that I still don't know what to do with, the space beside our bed where nightstands should go but none can be found that are tall enough, and even the kitchen where more storage space is always welcome.

Once again, I turn to my trusty friend Ana White (who doesn't know I exist, nor does she know the horse I rode in on).  This gal has got it going on!  She does all of this sweet DIY business, and she actually is a carpenter.  Go figure!  So now I want to be Ana, pretty much.  My plans include the following:

Food Storage Rack for the kitchen.
Except I'm going to fill mine with Honey Crisp apples, come fall.
My goodness, how I miss those!

The Sound that Made The Camel Cry

I called a friend tonight.

I told her "I'm having a disproportionate reaction to an event."

Because I was.

And because that's how I talk.

Apparently, it takes some degree of effort for me to sound more like a normal person and less like someone who has multiple math degrees.  And at the time I placed that phone call, I didn't have any extra effort in me to give.

The "event" that I was having a disproportionate reaction to was my smoke alarms going off.  Every single one of them, at the same time.  I wasn't cooking, or baking, and nothing was burning.  At least, I was pretty sure that nothing in the house was on fire.  So that's weird.  And annoying.  And I didn't know how to make it stop.  My "disproprotionate reaction" as that I just wanted to sit down on my front stoop and sob.  We're talking the ugly cry, here people.  That's all I wanted to do.

Handsome is currently in a burn building conducting training, so I was left to rely upon the kindness of strangers and my own ingenuity.  It's sort of impressive, really, that it has taken nearly 3 years for this to happen; me to need him and him be unreachable due to the fire/medic service.  This was the first time, as long as we're not counting the time he left me at the grocery store.  Let's not count that.  

I didn't really take time to change into "going out in public" clothes.
I wore these snazzy platform Teva's, a tank top, and pajama shorts.
For some reason, it made sense to me to leave my house to go to the grocery store,
but I couldn't take time to change, in case it really was on fire.
Like I said, I had no extra effort left.

I loaded Duke up in the Jeep, so that in case the house really was on fire, I wouldn't have a char-broiled pup on my hands, and went to the grocery store.  A mere $18 later, I had 4 new batteries all in place.

It still happened again.  So now I'm playing the process of elimination where we methodically unhook each detector from the electric, and see what happens.  And I'm not baking.  Just in case.

So begins another adventure as the wife of a firefighter.  Paramedic school also starts tomorrow (likely the cause of my disproportionate reaction), and so I'm also entering a new phase in life.  I like to call it "The Wedded Bachelorette".  I hear that a person can survive most anything, if they have a finish line.  So here's to the next 11 months.  May they be as painless as possible.  And may I still be able to recognize my husband at the end of it.

Oh, and may my house not burn down.  Amen.

Glamorous as always,

TFW

I have a Dream: Lawncare Edition

I have dream, that one day, this pile of dirt will rise above its circumstances and become something more than just a pile in the middle of my yard.  I dream that it may become a doctor or a lawyer or, most hopefully, a nice place where potatoes live and grow.

I have a dream.  Similar to the way that if you mow over poison ivy, you get it everywhere, I dream that mowing over honeysuckle will make you smell like honeysuckle, instead of just like mulch and grass.

I have a dream that the contents of my yard will not be judged by my neighbors and found wanting.  That someday, my yard will be filled-in to such an extent that I will be able to see where I have already mowed and not mowed, while the mower is still running, and not just after I've put it away.

Most importantly, I have a dream for my children, and my children's children.  I dream that one day, they will be accepted even if they are wearing an outfit similar to this one.  I dream that a painting of this picture will hang in a fine arts gallery.  I dream that this pose will become a symbol of hope for peoples everywhere, regardless if they are wearing pajamas in public or not.

A girl can dream,

TFW

Can You Imagine?

If I'm on here now, showing you pictures like this

I'm sure its just the "panoramic" setting on my camera that makes this bed not look square.
I'm sure of it.
It has nothing to do with the fact that this was the 8th bed we put in the ground.
Nope, not a bit.

and this

Yukon Gold, baby!
It's going to be like digging for buried treasure when its time to harvest these!

Can you just imagine how bad I'm going to be as a parent someday?  You just shuddered, didn't you?

ASIDE:  I can't count on one hand the number of people who have mentioned to me that they're not going to let their someday-children play with my someday-children.  Something about an overwhelming amount of dirt and access to weapons... and extreme butter intake, I think.  Should this concern me?

I planted my spring plants last Sunday.  We've got potatoes in the ground, in red, yellow, and BLUE varieties!  Do you know what that means?  That means I can have mashed potatoes in any of the primary or secondary colors!  BOOYAH!  There's also garlic (which I apparently planted wrong... again), onions from sets, scallions from seed, lettuce, and these colorful cuties!

Can you tell I'm in love with color this year?
Not by means of flowers, though.
Colorful vegetables are better than flowers.
You can't eat most flowers.
You can put flowers in a stew.
Flowers don't keep you warm at night.

Now that you've caused me to think about it, in answer to your unasked question,
Yes, I would be perfectly happy if Handsome brought me home a bouquet of
carrots in assorted colors.

Great Garden Games

Okay, that's a misnomer.  There are no games here.  No games except Who's The Best Tool User.  I totally win at that game, all the time.  Totally did today, fo sho, 100 per-cent.  Of course, I was the only one playing, but still, it counts.

See that tool?  That's a Miter Saw.  I love that tool.  Seriously, LOVE.  If I could get a t-shirt with that tool on it, I would.  I might even frame that picture up there and hang it in my dining room.  Call it fine art.  Love me a miter saw.  Its just so... so... versatile.  Powerful.  AWESOME.  

Also, please don't ask how I was able to cut such small pieces.  Apparently, I did it incorrectly, and the judges docked me accordingly.  If it happens again, I'm going to have to pay a fine.  I know, I've been warned.

ASIDE: The mention of "fines" made me think about The Steelers and how their players get fined all the time for playing real-man-football, instead of whiney-wussie-football.  Which made me remember that they released Hines Ward, which makes me sad.  Which then made me remember that the Colts released Peyton, which is just mind bottling, and very sad as well.  The NFL is going nuts, that's all I know.  Can we just agree on that? FW out.

So anyhow, today, while I was totally kicking some tail in the WTBTU game, here's what happened.  

I started with this...

Monday Morning Tree Video

Because every morning should start off with something inspiring, invigorating, and exciting.  Be warned, the video is loud, as, well, it's of a chainsaw and a falling tree.  And, if a tree's death (however timely - it was rotted on bottom) makes you sad, you should just skip down to the Fun Fact and don't watch the video.  It's all about starting the week off right.

On a related note, do any of you out there like the way your voice sounds?  I've heard (in a class or something) that the reason we don't hear ourselves the same when speaking as when recorded is because when we speak, we hear our voice, and also the vibrations that go along with speaking, which makes our voice sound lower to us.  When recorded, no vibrations = higher pitched voice.  (article here)  So in case you didn't find the video above to be inspiring or invigorating, now you have a fun fact to share with coworkers, and I've provided you with something informational.

You're welcome.  For the video, and the titillating (which always seems like a bad word to me) tidbit.  Go & live your Monday like a boss!

Empowering others,

Boss

(A.K.A. - TFW)

Up a Creek Tree

Handsome was home this weekend.  I'm talking Friday, Saturday, and most of today.  And it. was. wonderful.  I almost got used to him being around!  It was sort of like a vacation, but with a lot more work being done.  I don't mind, though, as long as I get to hang out with that guy I married.

He's fabulous.
His sweet skillz with a chainsaw and a rope don't hurt any, either.
More to come on this.

Feeling Fully Rested,

TFW

Things That Are Not: Heirlooms

There are heirlooms, and then there are not heirlooms.

Its late, and I'm feeling chatty.  Let's have an object lesson here.

Exhibit A: Walnut cedar chest handmade by my Grandpa

Heirloom.

Exhibit B: Disposable water bottles

Not heirlooms.

Exhibit C: A bible given on the event of "another awesome beef dinner!"

Heirloom.

And now, the point of this post:

Exhibit D: Curtains

Not, (let me be clear here) NOT heirlooms.  

This may have been clear to you, but this was a revelation to me.   I was hemming and pinning, seaming and measuring, like my life depended on it.  Like these were priceless heirlooms that I would one day pass onto my children's children.

They're not.

So, after that epiphany, it really freed me up and got me moving on the whole "window dressings" front.

Fabric Informatique

In case the title didn't tip you off, this here is riveting stuff.  Definitely worth your time today.  

Definitely.

So last week, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, blah blah blah.  I didn't really do the shopping thing.  Handsome was only off work on Friday, so we did our Thanksgiving that day.  My parents were in town all weekend, and while my Madre and I did pick up some new furniture (see the chair in below pictures), we did it casually and as we would on any day.  I perused some online ads, but nothing caught my fancy... until...

Joann.  She's evil.  We used to be friends, but then she kept offering me things that ended up costing me dearly... For example, this weekend, she's offering 50% off all Home Decor Fabrics.  And me, being the naive little thing that I am, thought that all home decor fabrics are created equal.  It went a little like this:

"I need some curtains.  Curtains are 'Home Decor'.  Any of this fabric must be suitable for curtains.  Done!"

Two brief days later, Mr. FedEx shows up, Duke barks, and I'm given this package:

And now, $$ poorer and not a whole lot wiser, I do have one bit of information to share with you.  All home decor fabrics are not created equal.  The fact that they're not all priced the same should have been a red flag for me, but I figured the difference in price was due to the design or something.  You know, Mourning Dove Herringbone must just be a really popular color, right?  Right??  Nope.

31 Days: Homeowners

Mighty Conqueror Moment of the Day: When I found my camera cord.

Woot!

I haven't found the cord to the camera that is actually nice, and doesn't switch between modes on a whim (Sony has got to fix that little wheel problem), but I do have a camera that sometimes takes pictures and I can usually download them to the computer.  And so my muse has returned.

Handsome did carry me over the threshold.
Because he's sweet and humors me like that ;)

Handsome and I have been homeowners for... well, probably about 19 days now.  If I recall correctly, we moved in and spent the first night on October first.  Easy to remember.  When we moved in, it didn't really feel like home though.  As the boxes were unloaded and rooms were filled up, it began to feel like a place we were going to live, but it didn't feel any different from any of our old apartments.  

Yes, we had to sign more papers, and yes, there were some different feelings (like debt), but it didn't feel much different.  Even my excitement almost seemed forced.  There was so much work to be done, and I didn't know where to put anything... it was a crazy couple of days.

I kept looking around the place and taking stock - Nope, doesn't feel like ours yet.  Unload a couple of boxes, put the dishes in a cupboard - Nope, still not ours.  Walked around in the back yard, put in a mailbox - Nothing different.  I kept looking for that one moment when things would turn, and suddenly it would be ours.  I began to suspect that it wasn't going to happen, when suddenly...

31 Days: Home Improvement

What?

You thought this was going to be a post about improving the home?  Puh-leaze.  I'm talking about the 1991-1999 hit starring Jonathan Taylor Thomas (although since he left the show in 1998, it may as well have ended there).  Oh, and you thought that Tim Allen was the star of that show?  Again, child, PUH-LEAZE.  Also, for you ZTB fans out there, he was just part of the support cast.  Little TNS didn't even make the radar.

JTT was the closest I ever came to having a "celebrity crush".  I mean, yes, I thought he was dreamy, but even when I was young, I saw right through Hollywood's smoke & mirrors and wondered, "But what if he's not a nice person?  What would we even talk about?"  Clearly, I was not made for the movie star life, which is just as well.

In other news, I just googled Wilson's face, which was never shown in the actual sitcom.  There was a reason for that; it's not pretty (sorry Wilson!).