Monday, February 22, 2010

Score!

 Yesterday was a rough day. Lil' miss decided that she wanted salsa at 7:30 am and brought the jar into our bedroom with salsa cover slippery hands and accidently dropped it. She didn't mean to do it she just wanted a snack or so she said. The look of horror on her face was immediate. The look of horror and then anger on our faces sent her screaming down the hallway; slamming her door with her body and then slumping to the floor with a thud. A salsa bomb was delivered swiftly and effectively as it went EVERYWHERE. In the midst of our angry stomping during clean up we noticed a trail of salsa down the hallway leading straight to Kaiya's door. Upon opening the door and telling her we were coming in, she ran and took cover in her bed. Her dress and hair were casualties of the salsa bomb as were her sheets, quilt and toothbrush rug.

UGH.....


We went ahead and got everything bundled up to immediately put everything in the wash , got her showered and changed telling her in the sweetest voices we could muster ' it's okay honey we all have accidents. We know you're a big girl and sometimes even big girls need help too". Brody and I were both still furious he being much more vocal than I.

Meh... we got breakfast together and everyone dressed and discussed the events of the day.
I checked all my email entered a blog giveaway and replied to a post on my local freecycle group about fabric and craft supplies that were being put in the alley behind a house. We decided that we would stop by this  house before we went on to do the weekly grocery shopping and errands. There was nothing left except some vases and platters by the time we had gotten there as it is first come first serve in most cases, and we were on our way. Brody did score a modem though.

Shopping with my family is always an adventure, good or bad, we eventually get through it, usually leaving Brody and I exhausted. This day was no exception. Things went downhill quick. The store was mobbed leaving Brian little room to maneuver his wheelchair through the crowd without smacking my shins or sweeping the legs of a little girl nearby. He loves to help me shop now as we give him an item off the list and he races off to find said item and race back. He's gotten very good with the chair, not so much with people around his chair. He's seven and tends to forget that there is a great big world filled with people all around him so a few people got their shins hit as well. Thank goodness that  most of them gave sympathetic nods when he apologized, but some people were mad and we had to nix the racing. Brian was upset and started to get mad and curse his "stupid legs and damn chair". I shot him a look that said “um...excuse me"  and gave him a hug telling him things will work out. It's tough for him, and I feel so bad for him at times.

Kaiya decided that she no longer wanted to walk but refused to get into the cart so she hopped a ride on the back of Brian's chair with her feet resting on the stabilizer bars. Brian was fine with it and soon forgot that he wasn’t helping and they made a game out of it. It was nice to see them getting along after a morning of bickering and annoying each other just because they could.  People were enjoying the spectical my children were making of themselves, so all was right with the world at that moment. We finished up and ran the rest of our errands and needed to get them home for lunch and quiet time.  The car ride home was a nightmare.

By the time we got home were all once again cranky and annoyed with each other and just all needed our own space. We had forgotten how wrecked the house was and that there was still so much clean up from the morning salsa bomb , laundry to fold, computers to fix and fabric clean up from my folding and packing project, making all the beds up again and just general clean up that we jumped into gear as soon as we got home. The kids were fed, kissed and sent on their way to quiet time. Brody and I having been together for so long and professionally worked together in the past , that we work very well together when the kids aren't underfoot. In about an hour we had gotten most of it done, save the laundry, which honestly was going to be a two day project. We both took a break and a breath deciding to relax a bit. He immediately went to play a game and I went to check my email and goof a bit on the computer.

It seems that the woman on freecycle still had the fabric and craft supplies; but that the original person didn’t come to pick them up and did I want them? I grabbed my keys kissed Brody goodbye and went off to collect these goodies. I'm so glad I did.









Included in all of this is a sewing machine and all the accesories . This will go to  Brian ( if I can get it working)  as he is desperate to learn to sew. A  box of 30 plus floral ribbon with and equally big box filled with little silk flowers, Beads and hemp rope and instructions for macrame and lover's knot bracelets, all this fabric, spool and bobbin holders and some craft books, and sheets which were immediately cut into strips for toothbrush rugs and a lot more that I couldn't even list.  If you don't freecycle in your community I highly encourage it.  I have helped a few people and have been helped out many times including a nebulizer for the kids that my insurance company wouldn't cover and it is all free- recycling, reusing, reducing.  Thank you Susan  that which  I can't use will in turn be freecycled.   Off to play....




Thursday, February 18, 2010

Storm's a comin'



What-are-those-yellow-looking-things-that-look-like-a-floppy-spinal-cord?


Miss Kaiya Mae and I walked the beach yesterday after dropping off our Ebay packages at the post office  and came acroos a sight we had never before seen.  There were dead crabs all along the shore line.  The seagulls that were soaking up the sun had no interest in them as there were so many the likely got their fill before we happened upon them.  It seemed like they went on as far as our eyes could see. needless to say kaiya was less than thrilled and commented repeatedly how "dross" ( gross in toddlerese) they were and how she didn't " like those "trappies' ( crabbys ). 

We have started to pack and sort through things again as we were told that Brian is going to be casted and have surgery within the year for his Perthes.  His right side will be first ,as it has collapsed, and the left has yet to break down so it's still too soon to say. We are definately moving, but are unsure if we will stay on the island.  We've seen a few houses with full basements and backyards that are within our price range, so... How cool would it be to have a house party and let the kids go crazy and scream like wild banshees  they are while I am comfortably sewing a quiet basement?   So the next few months will be a whirlwind.  For now, I'm enjoying my chai and getting seriousagain about sorting through  my fabric stash. they are all so pretty i wish I could keep them all.

Take care,

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Monday, February 15, 2010

A song By Kaiya

Mommy and daddy and Brian and me are
family
family
family

Sharks live in the sea
 family
family
family

Birds live in the trees
family
family
family.

 Now  imagine this being belted out at the loudest level a three year olds voice can go and you've got it.



Take care,

Friday, February 12, 2010

In other news...

I’ve never been so happy to say that the storm is finally over. I generally love storms, the hustle and bustle as people get ready ; stocking up supplies and battening down the hatches. Living in a Nor’easter prone area for the last 18 years and coming from the southern tier of New York before this, has seasoned me. I knew there was the possibility that we could lose power, but honestly didn’t expect it. Wrong. We lost power and heat (gas heat, electric blower) for about three hours. The other side of the street still had power including the street lights, so we held out hope that it would just be a matter of time before it was restored.



I called and made arrangements to stay at my Aunt’s house for Brody and me and the kids and for Brody’s nana as well, whose power also went out. We were a little more worried about her than ourselves as she has congestive heart failure and is sometimes stubborn about getting help. We insisted she come with us if we left, rather than be evacuated to the high school gym to wait it out. Without hesitation, she decided to come with us.

I had packed bags earlier when the power blipped and I ran around before it went out again getting prepared gathering mittens, hats, snow pants and blankets, just in case. Brody warmed up the car and shoveled a bit but it seemed that no matter how fast he shoveled, it came down and lay thick again. He went down to check on Nana as she stopped answering her phone, while the kids and I sat on the couch with flashlights in hand singing songs and reading a book. It was nerve racking for a while as the kids were afraid of the dark and didn’t want me to leave the room even with their flashlights.


I finally got the bright idea after the songs had run out and the kids decided to wrestle and scream at the top of their lungs and generally just lose their collective minds, that the laptops still had battery power to watch a DVD. I said a little prayer and asked Ganesh to see us through and help me keep my sanity as the kids were just CRAZY and really LOUD! They calmed down long enough to watch a DVD and forget that there was no power, while I called the electric company to find out an ETA for power. 11:00 pm the following night was the earliest that they could say, leaving me to realize how unprepared we were for a possible 32 hour power outage. The heat was leaving the house quickly due to the time and the huge drafts around the “new “windows. So I had the kids start layering clothes as we were unsure how long we were going to stay. Brody really didn’t want to leave and probably wouldn’t have if we didn’t have to worry about kids and elderly grandmothers, ya know. We’d have gotten snuggly under the covers and gotten some sleep. Meh… that’s life right?


I watched as they evacuated the man a few houses down on our side. The fire department came and had to dig a path from the street and up the wheelchair ramp. It was nearly impossible to see them except for the reflective strips on their jackets. While watching the trucks, Brody called to let me know they were heading down our  way and to get ready to leave and as I hung up the phone the power came back on. I raced around and cranked the heat as high as it would go and grabbed the makings of grilled cheese and chicken noodle soup and started making a quick dinner for the kids just in case it all went out again. Brody called back and said he was coming home. Nana decided to stay at her house and she would call if the power went out again.


The rest of the night was uneventful except the kids voicing their disappointment that we weren’t going to Aunt Aimee’s house. They were really hoping to “dump us weirdo parents” and hang with the cool kids. We watched the rest of the DVD that we had started and then read some more bedtimes stories and sent them off, Brian excited that school was closed yet again and Kaiya for the snow forts she and daddy would build.

I’ve been working on a new quilt project trying to use up my Alexander Henry “ baddanna” fabric in red. I had used it for the spider web quilt I gave my dad for Christmas. I said I was going to use just scraps from my stash, but couldn’t find just the right fabric to go with it, so I decided to buy it in black (on sale) when my friend Kate invited me out for the ride to the fabric store. I had a few essentials on my list but couldn’t find just what I needed so I will wait until later to get those items and continue using what I have here in the house.


What do you think so far?



Take care,

Good Trade Farm Friday - Grandkids





Take care,
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