Girl Loaf

Almost There....

2010-04-13T12:10:00.000-07:00

We have been in our house for a little over a week now and it is both lovely and daunting. We have SO MUCH STUFF!!! Too much stuff, but it's difficult to get rid of all of it. When we lived in So.Cal, we loved throwing parties and since our college friends, work friend and mommy friends were mostly in the same city (or at least county), the parties were big. So we had a lot of entertaining stuff. Now, we have a few friends and family in the same city. We still plan on having parties, but now they will be smaller (especially since our house is small). It's hard to decide what to keep and what to eventually sell at a (hopefully) huge garage sale.... On top of that, we lived with my in-laws for over 2 years and acquired even more stuff to make up for the stuff in storage.....we still need to extricate ourselves from their house - not to mention clean carpets, etc. Still so much to do...

Our plan is to be completely out of their house and completely moved in to ours by June. I'm hoping this is a realistic goal. We'll see..

paint

2010-03-16T12:13:00.000-07:00

It's amazing what a coat of paint will do.

Our new house is old. About 72. There are beautiful 40's details like a cove ceiling and molding around doors and windows. Unfortunately, the previous resident painted everything, molding and all, bright pastels. Now, when we talked to the very sweet and helpful colorist at Benjamin Moore, she said that pastels were actually period appropriate. However, I do not think bright pepto bismol pink and metalic wallpaper was what she was thinking of. Seriously, the colors were headache inducing.

With the help of some amazing friends and family, we now have relaxing taupe walls in the bedroom, grey in the living/dining room, green and white in the girls room and beige in the kitchen. All with bright white molding for contrast. It looks awesome if I do say so myself.

I fall more and more in love with my house every day. I am so excited to move in and make it ours.

A year is a long time

2010-03-11T12:24:00.001-08:00

Wow. It's been almost a whole year. See how I suck...

So - Lena is in Kindergarten and loves it. No surprise there. She has been learning scientific facts such as, did you know worms have 100 hearts? No? Well then you should go to kindergarten. (to paraphrase my tiny know-it-all)

Pilar is in pre-school 3 days a week and also very happy about it. Her BFF Riley is there too, which may be why she loves it so much. According to her, she does not learn anything. She is three years old. Sheesh. (also paraphrased)

Jason is still teaching all over the Pacific Northwest. Still fun. Still wish it were full-time.

I am still crocheting and selling on etsy as well as at Milagros and Spielwerk. Otherwise we have all been busy with our latest news: drumroll please:

We finally bought a house. Yay! It's small, but a good size for us and in a great school district. We are the smallest house in fancy pants land, which is generally a good place to start. We're painting it this weekend and pictures will follow - though I don't know when. If you want to follow recent doings, facebook is the best place to go. I'm usually on at least once a day. Otherwise, I'll try to remember I have a blog. :)

Long time no write

2009-03-16T18:07:00.000-07:00

So yeah...It's been a while. In my defense, it's been sort of boring around here. spring is springing, although not quickly enough, Lena and Pilar are growing by leaps and bounds. They keep me busy finding places to entertain them. We've been to a couple different places in the last weeks. Me Too has been a lifesaver. We've gone about once a week since we discovered it. (thanks to SWPCC fundraiser) We visited Pump it Up this weekend. Lena LOVED it, but Pilar didn't get off my lap the entire time. I'm hoping she warms up to it since it is GREAT for getting some energy out. Jason's quarter just ended (it's finals week) and he has a few spring courses. I'm looking forward to him having a calmer schedule. In April I will be visiting California for the birth of my best friend's first child. I am VERY excited to see family and friends. The girls are also looking forward to seeing people, but are mostly focused on the plane ride. It's the first time for Pilar and the first time Lena will remember. Should be fun. :)
That's about all. I'm working on making some more fruits and veggies for the craft fair season coming up. I'll let you know if I make anything new.

Same 'ol same 'ol

2009-02-02T18:55:00.000-08:00

One of these days I'll get back to the "something That Rhymes with Mondays," but I feel like I'm still recuperating from the bronchitis I got from the terrible, horrible cold. My body attempted to expel my lungs from my chest for about a month until I finally caved and went to the Drs. Yay for meds! Go Codeine! So you just get an update about goings-on here.
The girls are back up and running after a very long winter break. Lena was literally crying the Sunday night before school started because we wouldn't take her back to school RIGHT NOW!. She's better now. Her classroom lost its bus driver in December and we finally have a replacement. I am cautiously optimistic about it, since this is the second replacement so far. The other one got a better job offer. Lena LOVES the bus as only a 4 year old can. Even though we live 3 minutes from the school, we decided that the school bus was an experience she should have. Also, so much easier on her chauffeurs. At least one of her teachers is on the bus in the morning and afternoon and there is much singing and chatting. Very Lena.
Pilar has been less excited to go back to "school." She's in a 2 hour day care 3 days a week. She loves her teacher (and asks for her often) but has had some separation anxiety lately. Not sure where it's coming from.
I'm heading off to Salem this week for a couple days to help lobby the Oregon legislature to continue funding Head Start. I'm excited and nervous, though not necessarily about lobbying (I figure my Head Start program is not going to let me screw that up too badly) but because I've never been away from the girls overnight. I've come home late when they are already in bed, but never until morning.....we'll see how all of us do.
So about mid morning to mid afternoon this Thursday, send me some good mojo. Hopefully I won't need it too badly.

Facebook

2009-01-25T13:14:00.000-08:00

Hi, my name is Lysa and I'm a facebook addict. It's one of those things you think you're only going to check to see if anyone's posted to your wall. Riiiiiight...Then you HAVE to kidnap someone because you just got "Hole through the Earth." And how can you resist finding out which 80s movie defines you (Princess Bride)? And dammit, your cousin beat your Word Challenge score and that cannot stand.....Finally, you absolutely must check out the new photos posted by your high school friend because you just KNOW there will be something familiar and embarrassing there. Oh, and don't get me started on "friends available to chat."
It's been a blast finding and chatting with people from high school and college and keeping up with current friends and family who are far away. I feel like I know what people in my life are up to without having to email or call and ask a ton of questions. It's totally addictive and I love it.

Updates

2009-01-19T20:59:00.000-08:00

Jason's about to put the girls to bed. I thought I'd take the time to update some. Here are a few in short:

-Christmas was wonderful. My parents gave the girls a lovely wooden dollhouse from Plan toys and a bunny family each. The bunny families came with clothes, though some of them have since become nudists. Bunnies are so free-spirited. Grandma Gail and Grandpa Dan gave the girls magna doodles which were VERY HIGH on their list of favorite toys. Lena is spelling on hers, and Pilar is trying. Lena can spell her name and has managed "cat" and "rat." It's been fun watching her figure it out. Santa gave them baby dolls and strollers and we gave them mostly handmade stuff. Beautiful blankets from Quiltish, Tutus from Mama Runs with Scissors, some hair clips from Ladybug Limited and nightgowns made especially for them from Bamdesigns. I had a lot of fun planning and crafting this year.

-We had an incredible amount of snow in December. For about 2 weeks we were (for the most part) snowed in, or at least unable to use our cars. I took a few days around Christmas off and had some snow days off work. Luckily we are pretty close to bus lines and a grocery coop, so it wasn't as bad as it could have been. Especially since the power stayed on. Because Portland has very few snow plows, only the major streets are taken care of, so our street looked like a bunny slope. Lena enjoyed sliding down the street in a plastic bin. Pilar STILL tells us about the time she slide in a box, fell in the snow and cried. If asked, she will say it was not fun. She is SO her mother.

Jason started a new quarter about 2 weeks ago. This schedule is much better than last quarter, though still busy. I still enjoy my work. It's grant season, so I'm getting to do some proofing, which is much more fun than filing. I'm not sure I'm that useful, but I try.

Otherwise, all is much the same. I'll try to think of some better stories to tell soon.

Urgh...

2009-01-18T20:05:00.000-08:00

So I am still here. I've been sick since about Christmas....Not bedridden sick. Just not on my game. I'm going to sit on my butt for a while now and watch the first season of Bones on DVD. Just thought I'd share. I'll update more later....Just wanted to say hi.

Still here and very cold

2008-12-18T18:21:00.000-08:00

Hey. It has been snowing or snowing temperature here since Sunday. We are not exactly snowed in, since Jason and I were able to walk to the store to pick up supplies (and I walked to the bus to get to work), but we haven't been out and about as much as I wanted. Jason finished fall quarter on Monday, and has been mostly relaxing (as much as you can with 2 small housebound children). I did most, if not all, of my Christmas shopping early so no need to bus to the mall or anything. Almost all presents will be hand made or traded for handmade anyway. People in California and Wisconsin (you know who you are) will have to wait for Christmas presents however, since I don't think I'll be able to make the postal deadline. So it's Christmas in January for you. Hurray!

I finished all my special orders, so now I'm working on treats for the girls. I've made one hat (Here it is on Pilar, but this one is Lena's)
The flower was added to cover up the seams from changing color. I'm not that great at the crochet stiches required to make color change seamless. I also attempted a crown:

This one turned out pretty well. It's a bit big, but she loves it. I'm making one for Pilar once I finish here. I will also be making one for their cousin Anna, so they can all be princesses, or fairies, or whatever together.

This post has taken WAY too long. I had planned to include a list of craft fair vendors, but the girls are making that difficult, so I'm going to go break up whatever argument is currently raging. Whoever said little girls are sweet and demure was full of it.

It's Snowing!

2008-12-14T09:22:00.000-08:00

It's snowing! Last year it snowed on Christmas, which was very exciting since Lena had asked for snow for Christmas. Pilar, however, was too young to be much more than confused. So the snow today is pretty exciting to her. I think soon we will be outside playing in it. According to the little weather indicator at the bottom corner of my computer, it will be sunny but cold on Monday. I don't know how much I trust that, however, since it says it is overcast right now and I can look out my window and see it actively snowing.....I'm thinking snow day tomorrow.

Yesterday's Craft fair was a bit disappointing. The vendors were fantastic. They had interesting, quality goods to sell and were great company, but because there were weather warnings all day yesterday and it was COLD and wet almost no one came out. I had a few sales (enough to pay for my table fee and some items I purchased) and most of the tables had at least one sale if not more (I believe) it was still disappointing. I will list the vendors who came on Monday's post (I have to dig them out of my plastic storage bins). On the bright side, the fair accomplished what it set out to do. Make some money for Lena's pre-school. My mother-in-law spent an entire day and most of a night recycling crayons for our sale. The crayons were definitely the best seller: 16 sets. We also made money on the table fees: 12 spaces. So all in all successful for Headstart, though I wish it had been better for our vendors. Stupid weather.

Life is not Whatnot

2008-12-11T13:39:00.000-08:00

So I have noticed, going over some of my current posts, that I haven’t included anything personal for a while. This is mostly because it is easier for me to Etsy shop (though, unfortunately not always buy) for this site, than to compose anything thoughtful. Sure, I could tell you more about the various baked goods I have ruined, or the number of times I have had to explain to the girls why they cannot eat applesauce on the couch, OR how I am so ohmygod CRAZY trying to get a craft fair for this coming Saturday organized and am freaking out because it’s supposed to snow this weekend…..but I won’t . I’ll be good and try not to whine. That’s annoying. So here is an update on the cool stuff that’s been happening:

Jason – is FINALLY finished with the quarter from hell. He has an enormous pile of grading, but then he has some time off. He will be teaching 4 courses again next quarter, though they are more evenly spread out, and not all as grading intensive. He will be teaching a once a week course on scholarship essay writing to children of immigrant laborers this coming winter and is very excited about it.

Helena – still loves school and is making some friends. We have had a couple playdates, but not many. She especially loves teaching us all new songs she’s learned from class. Often they are recognizable (though some are completely new to me too) and she will MELT DOWN if you sing it WRONG. Apparently the words, “YOU’RE DOING IT WRONG!” should be sewn on a pillow or tattooed somewhere on my body so I won’t forget that I don’t know how to sing row, row, row your boat properly. I just want to know who replaced my 4 year old with this tiny teenager. She even has the eye rolling down. (although, to be honest that might be because eye rolling is often my reaction to her father.)

Pilar – is also loving school and has made some friends. The other day I asked her who she wanted to see at school and she named two friends. Both of these kids are very cute and I keep meaning to ask them over to play, but I forget. It would be nice for Pilar to have some friends of her own. Her vocabulary literally grows everyday. She loves to follow Lena around and copy her EXACTLY. It’s pretty funny to watch most of the time.

Me – I am still doing all the same things I have been doing. There’s really nothing new. I’m looking forward to Christmas week, since both Jason and I have it off and hopefully we can plan many fun activites. I’ll let you know if anything fun occurs.

Something That Rhymes with Monday: Projects

2008-12-08T21:45:00.000-08:00

As the Holidays get closer, I must contemplate a whole 2 weeks with Lena out of pre-school. There are many activities in and around Portland, so I'm not all that worried. But since it does tend to rain here, it is also nice to have some at home activities. This Monday's list is a compilation of kid friendly projects.

This particular item is what got me thinking about projects in the first place. I LOVE the idea of a different activity coming in the mail each week. There is also (I believe) the option of having all the projects mailed at once (which might help with the whole 2 weeks off dilemma). Find it at Blynken and Nod.
This next one looks messy, but FUN. Who wouldn't want to make slime?! No one, That's who. Find this kit at Kids Craft Store.

*This post is cut short due to crying child. I'll add more later.....* Okay I'm back.....

I have a soft spot for hook rugs. My grandmother had a GINORMOUS Raggedy Ann rug we worked on when I was little. I loved sitting there with her, chatting and working. If you have older (maybe 5 and up) kids, this is a fun rainy day project. Now, if only my grandmother's rug had been this cool, I might have finished it. Find this one at Crafty Like a Fox.This is a great deal if you have more than one monster running around. The recommended age is 6 and up, but with A LOT of parent supervision, I could see this being fun for slightly younger. I love the wide variety of materials included to let your imagination run! Find this kit at Sockett Shop.
Finally, I love Christmas Crackers. However, since I am from the U.S and not Europe, it is not really a tradition I grew up with, just one I like. I'm considering making some of these for (and maybe with) my girls this year. I like this kit. It looks both fun and easy. I need easy. Find it at Hand Mad[e]ducation.
May you have a crafty good time!

Aaargh!

2008-12-03T00:09:00.000-08:00

I just burned a batch of toffee (candy thermometer was not low enough) and forgot to add almonds to the almond biscotti. Also, the biscotti in the middle burned. Also, I forgot to buy more eggs and now have to go out again tomorrow. Also, I am annoyed. Also, it is late now and I'm going to bed. Grrrr....

Something that Rhymes with Monday: Stocking Stuffers

2008-12-01T17:53:00.000-08:00

My favorite Christmas tradition (other than the ornaments) is the stocking. I love the idea of tiny gifts, candies, etc. I've really tried this year to make gifts, or buy handmade gifts when possible. I've mostly succeeded. So here is my list of fun, beautiful, or just plain weird stocking stuffers. I've tried to include everyone on this list, although men are harder to shop for on Etsy. However, I did manage to keep them all under $20. Enjoy:

This is from my friend Clara's shop, Beadcitos. She makes lovely beaded jewelry. These earrings make me want to pierce my ears (again)...
This sweet little hair clip is from Tutu Monkey. My girls received pretty little fancy barrettes from my Aunt last Christmas and LOVED wearing them around the house for dress up and then when we went out. Very cute.
Here's something I bought for my nephew. I love picturing him and his brother sending secret messages back and forth to each other. I'm sure my sister will love it. :) Find one of your own at Wood Toy Shop

Okay, this one may actually be my favorite. Click on the link to DippyLulu and read the description for yourself. Yes, they are exactly what you think they are.
This is soap from my friend Elizabeth's shop, Gassner Custom Soaps. Some relatives, who shall remain nameless, will be receiving some (or many) of her soaps and sundries for Christmas. This one is my favorite.
Finally, I just think these are really cute. I buy a Holztiger toy for the girls every year for Christmas. I'm thinking I may switch to one of these instead. Find this little guy at Wood Chesters.
That's my list. Happy shopping!

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-11-27T16:11:00.000-08:00

Soon I'm going to make mashed potatoes, but before I do I thought I'd take a minute to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. I hope you are enjoying time with your families, good food, and better booze.

Something that Rhymes with Monday: The Competition

2008-11-24T21:12:00.000-08:00

Okay, this is the second time around, but I am determined. Grrr...

I had a whole thing written about my love for fake food, etc. But I'm now too tired to re-write. So here are my picks.

So once a long time ago before kids, Jason, our friend Jon and I were at a British Pub in Claremont. (yea, I know) J insisted I try a scotch egg. If you don't already know it's a peeled boiled egg, wrapped in sausage and deep fried. It's death on a plate. This one is much less dangerous. Find is at British Cream Tea.
This store, Go Buggy, is down right now due to a brand new baby. However, once it's back up, I highly suggest you peruse. This little bowl of Udon Noodle soup is just a taste.

Unlike the scotch egg above, this particular toy is oh so healthy. This little salad is just asking to be dumped into bowl after bowl after bowl. Then fought over, separated, and finally hidden. Or maybe that's just my house. Find this at Doodle Bug Finery.
This grouping is actually reserved for someone else, but is a good example of what is sold at Smollerup. So CUTE.

Finally, BuggaBugs has some COOL felt food patterns. Here is a "lunch to share" and if I knew how to sew, I would TOTALLY buy all their patterns.
Okay. That's it. Go forth....you know the rest.

I need a Pass

2008-11-20T14:55:00.000-08:00

So this Monday I was sick. Sunday too, but for this purpose, you only need to know about Monday. Believe me, you're happier that way. My awesome in-laws watched the girls so I could rest and it worked! I feel much better now. However, I missed my Monday Etsy list. Then other things happened. I've been crocheting critters for some friends (almost done Elizabeth!) and last night Lena cut Pilar's hair. Yea. I know. Pilar is now sporting a bob and very short bangs. Lena was sent to bed early. Mostly to protect her from me. I'll post pictures once my camera has batteries. Yes, I know this is a right of passages of sorts (I tried to give myself Farrah Fawcett feathers in 2nd grade.....just in time for picture day.) but Lena did not cut her own hair, she just cut her sister's hair....Little evil freakin' genius. Why didn't I think of that.
Anyhoo, I will resume the Etsy list next Monday. Probably some stocking stuffers. I'll have to think about it.

Busy but Happy

2008-11-12T15:37:00.000-08:00

So I've been busy crocheting foods for my upcoming craft fairs. I'll be selling my wares this weekend at the Winter Workshop Bazaar at Fort Vancouver HS, at South West Parent Child Co op next Thursday, and the Winter Bazaar for Head Start on December 13th. I'm also doing some craft trades for stocking stuffers for the girls. Surprisingly, I still enjoy crocheting and seeing what I can come up with, so it's all good.

I've also been on a happy high since last week's election. I was not surprised or worried, as many people I spoke with were. I was looking forward to watching the election results with my family and applauding as state after state went blue. But at 8 pm pst, when CNN announced Barack Obama was the President-elect, I breathed a tremendous sigh of relief. I had not expected to feel so relieved, as if I had been holding my breath for a very long time without realizing it. I've been politically cynical for so long, it's taking some time to adjust to feeling hopeful. I'm not so naive to assume all is now right with the world (the passing of Prop 8 in California is proof enough that we have far to go before we are ALL considered equal under the law), but there is a sea change, and it is a start.

Something that Rhymes with Monday (only just): Art

2008-11-10T23:13:00.000-08:00

So it is late. I've been crocheting like a mad woman and I almost forgot to post today. Today's theme is the reason I decided to do this in the first place. I find so many beautiful prints on Etsy (and purchased many too) that I wanted to share some of my finds. Here are a few....

Here is one I purchased for Pilar. I love the textured look of the Bear family and the gorgeous color. Helen, the artist behind Zuk Zuk has an incredible imagination and talent. I adore her work.

This next print is from New Zealand Artist Bernadette Sipkes. Her Etsy shop Sugarloop is one of my regular stops. I purchased this print for Lena. I love the detail on the little owl and the patient little cat.
I kept with the owl theme for this next one. This reminds me of some of the Cape Dorset prints I love. You can find more from Yellowmonday on Etsy.

Here is one I plan on purchasing soon. It makes me smile everytime I see it because it reminds me of Lena. As she gets older her imagination seems to run away with her and I sometimes wonder if this is the kind of thing she sees. I really hope so. Find more of Adam Record's work at his Etsy site Fall Down Tree and check out his blog for more recent work.

This is last though certainly not least. I love the clever design of this print. John W. Golden has a dizzying array of prints like this including Brush your Teeth, Keep it down, Eat your Vegetables, and Play Nice to name a few. I am giddy with the decorating possibilities. Those are my picks. Now go forth and shop.

Something that Rhymes with Monday: Let's hear it for the Boys!

2008-11-03T19:58:00.000-08:00

I have girls. Therefore, I am often surrounded by pink princess-y stuff. So today's post is all about the boys! To be honest, either of my girls would LOVE any of these toys. I think most kids just like any toys in general - but I have noticed there really is a distinct preference that seems to run along the gender line. Girls and fairies or princesses, boys and trucks or dinos. This statement would have bothered me before I had kids. I assumed toy preferences were more nurture than nature, but once my girls started cuddling their dinosaurs like babies and using their dump trucks as cradles, I decided maybe there is something to gender based preference. So.....

This here is one of the cutest dinosaurs I've seen. You can find him at Carrot Fever. There are also stegosaurus and T-rex. If only there was a pink one, Lena would be in heaven.

I love these crayons. They are so clever and would be a fun thing to take to restaurants to keep the kiddies occupied. Find them at My Kangaroo.
I LOVE this map. I've been thinking about making one Dora style, but now (since both girls love pirates) maybe I'll just let someone else do the work. Unfortunately, this one is sold. I'm hoping a note to the seller will convince her to make another one. I found this at Blynken and Nod.

Okay, so this can technically be put in the "trucks and dinos" category, but it is way cute. So if your boy loves trucks, but you wish you could buy him something not made of plastic or metal, here's your toy! Find it at Elsie Marley.

Finally, a "manly" baby toy! Just what I've been looking for. Find this and a couple other tools at FEDE. The hammer and nail are particularly cute.

Now go forth and shop! Really....go.

VOTE!!!

2008-10-28T14:43:00.000-07:00

I have to say, voting is Portland is awesome!! Instead of driving to a polling place and waiting in line, our ballots are sent by mail. We fill them out, and take them to designated drop offs, or we can mail them back. So much easier. Jason and I sent our ballots in yesterday (anyone who has ever met us can probably figure out who we voted for.....). Because of this system, Oregon has a high voter turn out. Rock on!!

Something that Rhymes with Monday: Halloween

2008-10-27T16:23:00.000-07:00

This week's theme is so obvious, I'm not even going to explain......

Here is a great idea I wish I had thought of. Find this spooky little cephalopod at Happywhosits.

This guy combines both of my favorite holidays: Halloween and Dia de los Muertos. Also, I find bats fascinating and adorable....and creeeeepy. Find this one at Atomic Beasts.

For those of you with smaller ones, here is a fun little toy that will help with the constant screaming from the backseat....or is that just me? Find this I spy bag at Ainsley and Oswald.

This is one of my favorite finds. It's so simple and creative. Find this and other marble towers at Mamaroots.
These are just too fun and beautiful to pass up. Even if your kids don't put on shadow puppet shows, these would make great decorations....find them at Orange Moon Toys.

Finally, these paper dolls are incredibly charming. Not really good toys, but a fun decoration... Find these lovelies at Alissa Studio.
Happy Halloween shopping!!

my dolls

2008-10-21T23:20:00.001-07:00

Once again...tired, but want to share.
Here are my finished for sale zombies:
And just to prove to my mom that I can make dolls that do not eat brains or turn Greeks to stone, here is my coming soon doll. I call her Autumn.....

Something that Rhymes with Monday: Dolls

2008-10-20T15:34:00.000-07:00

Since I finally got around to making the dolls I have been planning, I decided to make today's theme....DOLLS.

I was not a doll girl growing up. My grandmother collected dolls, and I enjoyed helping her search through little antique shops to find some rare toy, or an original outfit. We would take our treasures home and wash and dress them. I loved looking at them, but rarely really played with them. However, the few I did play with were usually the floppy cloth kind. Those are the kind I like for my girls.

Lena and Pilar are TOTAL doll girls. They have approximately 3 million stuffed animals and dolls and they play with every single one. (in fact they are having a tea party as I write) I'd love to buy them dolls, but I'm tired of seeing commercials for dolls that look like tiny prostitutes, so here are a few alternatives I have found and coveted on behalf of my girls....

Here is a custom made doll by Bumblebird. I love the sweet little face and cute hair. The dolls measure approximately 20" tall (can be taller depending on hairstyle). They look so soft and huggable! She also makes a boy doll, who is equally huggable.

Arrrrr! Here is little sister Sprinkles Pirate girl. She is made from 100% wool felt and stands about 13" high. Her patch is removable and she comes with a little parrot softie. Like Bumblebird's creations, I love the sweet faces of these lilsprinkles dolls. There are also big sister sprinkles, which stand 17-18" tall. Lilsprinkles offers custom big and little sister dolls.

How can I resist a Frida Kahlo doll? I can't! She comes complete with hairbraid and unibrow and stands about 10" tall. Oh the doll lust! You can Find little Frida at GirlCalledRic, where there are also, Star Trek, Star Wars, and all around cool character dolls.

These sweet little dolls are custom made just for you and sell fast. They are just over 7" tall, perfect size for little ones to hug to sleep. so chubby! Find them at dmollison.
Last, but not least are Kooky Dolls. This here is super Kooky! She is made from 100% eco-spun felt and stands 13" tall. She is super cute!
Okay. That's my line up. Happy shopping!

Gorgon

2008-10-15T23:12:00.000-07:00

This will be fast, 'cause I'm tired, but I'm excited about my newest addition. Meet......Medusa. Just don't look her directly in the eye.

Zombie!!!

2008-10-14T17:29:00.000-07:00

So here is my latest prototype. This particular one is Lena's. She's been looking forward to this doll scaring the rest of her toys. I suppose since the rest of her toys don't contain brains, they're safe. She needs to be tinkered with (arms should be bigger, hair different, scar lower, etc.) but overall, I'm hoping to add her to the store soon.

Something that Rhymes with Monday

2008-10-13T14:41:00.001-07:00

So I've been meaning to do this for a while, but I just haven't gotten around to it. There are so many great Etsy sellers out there and I wanted to include a weekly listing of my favorites here on girlloaf. I was going to do it on Fridays, and call it "five for Friday", but 1) I can't wait until Friday, and 2) there are often more than five things in a category. So, until I can think of something better, it will be called "Something that Rhymes with Monday." And, if it's not already obvious, I will post it on Mondays. So here is the first installment of (hopefully) many more to come. The theme this week.:"I'm a sneaky ninja!" which is inspired by one of my favorite Halloween photos of Lena.

1. This little guy is from Needle Noodle, who has written one on my current favorite pattern books, Creepy, Cute Crochet, which you can find on her site. I love the simplicity of this pattern, and the size is perfect for little hands and large dollhouses. I may just have to make a few to sneak into some stockings this Christmas.

2. Here is Alphie Ninja. You can find him as Sewsewcrafty. He's a little round ball of stealth!

You should check out this Etsy seller for more of her amazingly cute designs. There are also a batman and robin Alphie, as well as a Yeti Alphie. But I still think Ninja Alphie here is my favorite.

3. A sock monkey ROCKS! But a sock ninja? DOUBLE ROCK!

You can find this guy at Uppity Woman Designs (How can I not include a store with such a great name...) along with his sock bretheren.

4. This is Moriko. He is a glum ninja. I LOVE him and his sneaky ways. Especially that little smirk.You can find Moriko, and many more glum ninjas at Plushplex. From his maker's profile:

"I LIKE TO MAKE THE MONSTERS IN MY MIND REAL."

That makes me disturbingly happy.

5. What could be better than 2 ninjas in love? Nothing comes to mind. Here are two tiny little ninja lovebirds.

I call them tweedliver and Prudence. You can call them whatever you wish. Find them and oh so many awesome things at Smeeta.

So that's my lineup. Go forth and shop!

Cool giveaway

2008-10-11T18:43:00.000-07:00

No, not from me, but from one of my favorite on-line gift sites, Craftsbury kids. Their items are sometimes on the pricey side, so maybe not great for a shoppping spree, but fantastic for finding beautiful and often unique kid and baby items.

Now, they are having a giveaway! Yay! go to this link for Little Ida to enter. For those of you with princessy girls like mine, this is an oportunity to have have your Christmas shopping finished in October! Good luck!

Fall

2008-10-10T14:44:00.001-07:00

Fall has so very arrived here in Portland. While I love the summer here (not too hot, long days, a ridiculous number of berry brambles...)The fall is probably my favorite season. I don't even mind the rain...yet. Even though we're pretty much finished with berry season, apples and pears are here!! Last week Jason and the girls made applesauce.
I"m not overly fond, of applesauce (it's the texture not the taste) and even I liked it. Jason and the girls have eaten at least one bowl every day, so they're probably ready to move on. Next up, something with pears I think. Any ideas?

Pilar's Birthday

2008-10-09T21:58:00.000-07:00

Today Pilar turned 2. We plan to have a family dinner with her aunt and uncles soon, so today was pretty low key. First, we made cupcakes.
Here the girls prepare to mix the batter.Then the decorating......
And of course, the best part. Eating the cupcakes.
Lena is too old for messy eating, but not too old to make fish lips for the camera.

I am strong for that!!!

2008-10-04T18:37:00.000-07:00

So we are now on day three of Cinderellathon. Lena finally allowed us to take The Little Mermaid back and exchange it for another movie. That movie is Cinderella, which she keeps seeing advertised on TV. We've told her that we will not buy her anything that is on a commercial. Unfortunately, this does not stop her from asking 20 times in 30 seconds. She has, however, figured out when something is a movie and not a toy (not alway an obvious distinction) and so knows that she can ask to trade her current movie in for a different movie.... thus, Cinderella. My parents bought her some pink and purple plastic heels for her birthday and they have magically morphed into a lost glass slipper and/or princess shoes. She has seen the movie once already today and finally let us put Spirited Away in instead, so maybe the worst is over.

Lena has entered an interesting stage (at least I hope it's a stage). She can go from cuddly, to cranky, to all out tantrum in 2 minutes. It's fairly amazing and totally confusing. I'm hoping it's just a 4 year old thing. Today, she had a complete meltdown at about noon. Finally, we put her down for a nap with a "childproof" door lock on the inside. She yelled, screamed and clawed at the door for about half an hour. When Jason went to check, her door was open, though she was in her bed. As he put the "door lock" back on she yelled and yelled for him to stop. Finally, she did her best Rosie the Riveter pose and screamed, "I got that off!! I am strong for that!!" Then she fell asleep.

I am in toddler hell.

Some projects finished, still more to go

2008-10-01T21:58:00.000-07:00

So I finished the pancakes for my customer, I think they came out pretty well.
I also got to see how the soap my friend and I made this weekend came out. 2 of them came out very well (I think), one...not so good. They are only 3 days old, so I suppose they can change and/or improve... We'll see. I'll keep you posted...

above is the calendula soap. it is kumquat scented from brambleberry, which is a beautiful fragrance. However, this soap is also VERY soft. It did not trace properly so I am not surprised. I'm holding out hope.
This is our oatmeal soap. It is scented with lavender and rosemary essential oil. I wanted to see the difference between essential oil and fragrance oil. So far they both smell good and strong.
This last one is my favorite. We went for a ghosty, halloweeny look. I think it came out very close to what we wanted. we used spellbound woods, also from Brambleberry. It smelled great in the bottle, but I'm not so fond of it now. I'm hoping it improves because I LOVE this soap.

This post has taken hours, through 2 baths, 6 books and one cup of juice. I have to go to bed now...

pancakes are delicious

2008-09-24T20:04:00.000-07:00

Here is the pancake I have made for a special request. Hopefully, she'll like it. I particularly like the tiny strawberries. Now I have to hide it from the girls.

New Toys

2008-09-22T22:09:00.000-07:00

I added some new items to my Etsy site. I'm trying to pace the additions over the next week.

First the sweet:
Ice Cream Cones.Ice cream sundaes.

And the savory:
Mushrooms.
I'm also adding some fuzzy critters. I added this little guy tonight:
Hedgehog!
I'll be adding a ladybug, suffolk sheep and chicken later.

The critters have been fun to make. The girls especially like the lady bug. I plan on adding dolls in the next month or so. Just in time for Christmas.

SNL

2008-09-21T10:19:00.000-07:00

ONCE in awhile SNL is still funny. I know I'm late to this particular party, but if you haven't seen Tina Fey's portrayal of Sarah Palin go here. It's freakin' HILARIOUS..... and spot on.

Trish Soap

2008-09-21T08:51:00.000-07:00

So a week ago I went to Trish's house to make soap. It was a blast! (except for the part where she blended her finger) I learned many, many things about the soap making process and was especially happy to see the gel phase, since had I not been told it was normal, I would have thought the soap was botched.

Trish makes absolutely lovely soaps, which I am still using. Here are a few:
I probably should have taken pictures BEFORE I started using them. The one without the wrapper is kumquat, which smells DELICIOUS. Although my hands down favorite is chai spice, which is a nice smelling lump in my shower right now.

In the 80s, before they were ironic, Hello Kitty accessories were a necessity in every little girl's pencil case. The best item was the Hello Kitty eraser because it smelled like heaven. My best friend, Kimmy, had a friend who would break off pieces and shove them up her nose so she could smell that eraser all day. I'm telling you this story because, if I could, I would break off pieces of the chai spice soap and shove them up my nose since it is what the air should smell like.

Camping pictures

2008-09-21T08:29:00.000-07:00

As promised, here are some pictures of our Star Party Camping Trip:
Here are our lovely tents. Notice me changing Pilar's diaper. This tent was an anniversary gift from my parents-in-law (along with some sleeping bags).
Here we are in the "play tent." Jared and Emily brought it along to keep the kids in and to have a bug-free place to eat. these are the little folding chairs my parents bought the girls when they visited.
Here is a rare picture of Lena actually wearing the hat I brought for her.

And, of course the shot you were all expecting. Dirt was probably the most fun toy at the party.

Those pants will never be the same......

Scheduling Sleep

2008-09-17T13:14:00.000-07:00

So on the job front, when it rains it pours. For one, I am still loving my job. It's part-time so I still have the afternoon with the girls, and it's just enough time away for me to miss them. :)
Jason will start teaching next week at 3 different community colleges: one in Hillsboro, one in Gresham and one in Vancouver, WA. For those of you not in Portland, that's a lot of travel travel. He will also be doing some tutoring and teaching for the SAT. At the moment his schedule is PACKED. He is literally writing in "sleep" on the calendar. Even though it will be a lot of work, I think he's really looking forward to teaching again. It is so much a part of who he is and I know he's missed it. I just wish he didn't have to travel so much.

Speaking of school. Lena will start her new pre-school next week. We got her into a local Headstart program and we are all pretty excited. Last week we had a home visit from her new teacher. Lena IMMEDIATELY grabbed her hand and showed her around. (never shy my girl) She'll get to take the bus in the morning and afternoon and I think that's almost as exciting to her as school.

Pilar will be attending a local community center playtime twice a week. She started that last week and really seems to like it. I was concerned at first because she's always gone to those sorts of things with Lena and I was afraid she wouldn't want to stay without her. But she really seems to like it and I think it will be good for her to get out from under her sister's shadow for a little while. Her 2nd birthday is coming up soon and I can't believe how fast it's gone. (cliche, I know, but oh so true). She' s not a baby anymore which makes me both happy and sad.

I'm hoping all this activity means the girls will be a little less crazy in the afternoons, but I know deep down that is a foolish hope......But a mother can dream. :)

Happy Campers

2008-09-16T20:00:00.000-07:00

So I've been waiting to blog about this because I wanted to add pictures, but I haven't had time to edit the picture, so this will be a less interesting post than I wanted. Once I get all the pictures edited I'll post them.

So the most exciting thing we've done lately is camp. At the end of August we went on a 3 day trip with uncle Jared, aunt Emily and cousin Anna to the Ochoco National Forest for the Oregon Star Party. Lena was really excited to sleep in a tent and even more excited when she found out she got to pee on the ground. Yes, there were port-a-potties, but she has enough trouble with regular potties....We brought a little portable potty just for her. The potty included a bag just in case the ground was not an appropriate place for pottying... (we were fine with peeing on the ground, but pooping was another story.) After she'd gone in the bag she kept yelling "I pooped in a bag!" She's so easily excited. I'm sure our neighbors were impressed. We went on a few walks, and Jason and Jared took Lena butterfly hunting. She actually caught one on her own, and was VERY proud of herself. Emily, who is always creative, helped the girls make little forts for the plastic bugs we brought along, and I mostly just hung around. In the evening, the sky was the brightest I've ever seen. Jason brought both his telescopes and Jared brought his. We had a nice time the second night, sitting out, talking and looking through the scopes. The girls stayed up just long enough to take a few peeks, but were pretty wiped out from playing all day. I think this will likely become a yearly tradition.

Long Time no Blog

2008-09-04T22:14:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I posted so I thought I'd send off a quick one. It's been crazy busy (and sometimes just crazy) here. I have many things to share. Here are a few items I will blog about later, when I have pictures to add:

-We camped. Lena peed on the ground and pooped in a bag. Excitement abounds!!
-My soap turned out much better than I expected.
-Trish's soap ROCKS!! I think it's what the air should smell like.
-Jason will be teaching 4 courses at 3 different schools this fall.....

Come back later for these stories and likely more.
Hope you all had a great Labor Day Weekend!

Crafts, crafts and more crafts

2008-08-24T18:07:00.000-07:00

SO I have many more updates. The first one: I finally have my Etsy store up!!!
Monita Bonita
Jason spent the better part of Saturday setting it up while I was at the Crafty Mamas Bazaar. There are only veggies up right now. I'm going to add fruits and sweets soon. One of the very sweet crafty mamas at the bazaar suggested adding something every few days instead of all at once. Something about staying at the front of the search.

Speaking of the Crafty Mamas Bazaar.... I did it again this Saturday. I was not as successful this time around, but it was still a lot of fun. As before it was at Milagros Boutique (where I am now a consignor and had a picture of my foods featured on their front page. Scroll down a bit) I really like Milagros. The owners and people who work there are so sweet, down-to-earth and helpful. When I was there tagging my stuff, Carrie (Milagros employee extraordinaire) spent a good 15-20 minutes helping a customer find exactly the right baby sling for her. It's a nice community-minded shop and I'm happy to be consigning with them. At the Bazaar I again met many super crafty mamas. Here are a few.

Roopal from 1st Comes Love was there again. I highly recommend working with her if you need any sort of invitation, announcement or say a logo with a monkey on it.

Catherine Hostetler from Killer Beads brought some of her GORGEOUS jewelry. Her site does not do her large inventory justice. I think she said she would be adding stuff soon, so check it out again in a few weeks (or so). She carries a lovely magnifying locket that I covet.

Rachel Mueller from Baby Bumble Boutique was very sweet and had some great sparkley t-shirts that would have blown Lena's mind. Unfortunately, I don't see any on her site. Maybe she'll add some soon.

A mom whose name I forgot (sorry) from Charlie Tex Originals makes adorable and soft t-shirts and onesies for tiny Portland and Oregon lovers everywhere. I may have to get one for Lena soon.

Speaking of things I have to get for Lena. Jennifer Greensted from Mama Runs with Scissors (the most AWESOME name for a shop EVER) had some badass baby clothes. Particularly a pink, black and white pirate tutu. So very cool.

On the other end of the badass spectrum, but just as cool is Lori Wahl from Mister Judy. I love her dresses and tops made with vintage fabric. They're so old fashion they're new again! One of the things I really like about this line of clothes is there are almost as many things for boys as girls. Not that I personally need little boy clothes. I'm just saying.....

Kathryn Brant from Spider Sewing had some of the most enticing merchandise there. adorable cloaks, not just for little ones, but for their dolls and stuffed toys!! I could have spent my earnings all at her tent. But I behaved. damn behaving....

Last, but certainly not least, is Allisa Jacobs from Quiltish. I enjoyed talking her (and Roopal's) ear off for about 5 hours. She makes the most beautiful, soft and clever blankets, bibs, softies and burp clothes. Not to mention purses and bags. Quite a few of her bibs and burp clothes have terry cloth on one side. VERY useful for cleaning faces, etc once burping or eating (or burping AND eating) are through. Check out her flickr feed. I'm seriously considering having her make quilts for Lena and Pilar for xmas. Her blankets are SOOO soft and my girls really like blankets, though doesn't everyone.....

Updates

2008-08-18T19:00:00.000-07:00

I keep thinking..."I Have to remember to blog about this" and then I log on and forget what I wanted to say. This happens to me A LOT. So I'm blogging now so you know I haven't forgotten I even have a blog. I've been working for the last two weeks and LOVE IT. It's only part-time so I'm generally home by 12:30. This means, by the time I come home I'm more ready to deal with a fight over, say, who should hold the button one of them found under the couch. Work is it's own reward.

Lena is potty trained! Finally!

Pilar is speeding toward terrible two. Her vocabulary is growing every day. J and I have to watch what we say more often now since, 1. Lena understands and copies us and 2. Pilar copies Lena.

I'm sure there is much more to say, but now I have to figure out why the girls are screaming at the top of their lungs.

Shout Outs

2008-08-08T20:30:00.000-07:00

So this post will be quick* because the girls are both crazy right now. But I've been meaning to do this for two weeks....Among the many things I like about Portland is the vast array of small local businesses and craftspeople. That being said, here are a few I've recently met:

First is the balloon guy, Joe Mishkin. He made the wonderful balloon sculptures at Sand in the Square. He made Lena pink and purple butterfly wings that she played with for days. We finally had to hide them when the balloons started deflating. He was VERY high energy, funny, and sweet with the kids. He even made an extra thick balloon for Pilar.

At the Crafty Mamas Bazaar I met some amazing women who made amazing things.

Amy McMullen is a local photographer who takes portraits in natural settings and light. Her photographs really capture the beauty, emotion, and raw energy of childhood.

Mary Brandy from Chirp and Tweet, makes very cute, very soft organic t-shirts and onesies with either "Grown in Washington" or "Made in Oregon" designs on them.

Andrea Frost from Baby Wit was also there selling some AWESOME t-shirts. I particularily loved "What Would Obama Do", and pretty much any Dana Dekuyper design. I've loved her site for years. I bought several shirts from this site when Lena was born. Pilar is now wearing many of them. Andrea was very nice, gave me some good business advice, and even bought some of my stuff for the site. Check it out!

Finally, Roopal Shah of 1st Comes Love Design is an extremely talented graphic designer who was there selling handmade invitations and correspondence cards. I bought a set for Anthony and ended up hiring her to design a logo for my Etsy store (and business) , Monita Bonita.
At some point I might even list stuff to sell. :) I really enjoyed working with Roopal. She was fast and worked really hard to design just the right logo. I think it turned out great.

Most of these lovely women I met at Milagros, which hosted the Bazaar. Carrie, who was manning the store that day suggested I might sell my veggies, etc. in the store, so I'm off to peddle my wares tomorrow. Wish me luck!

*Obviously I lied about the quickness of this post. It just took me an extra long time to do it.

I'd Like to Thank The Academy.....

2008-07-31T22:59:00.000-07:00

Looky. I gots me an award!
Trish over at Suds to Love gave this to me. It is a pass along sort of award....an "I am entertained by you" sort of thing (I'm guessing). So I am passing it along to:

Clara at The 5C Family
Elizabeth at Gassner Custom Soaps
Jen and Matt at We Will Want Sausage
Anne-Marie at Soap Queen

These are all 5 (including Trish) blogs I check daily, comment on occasionally, and am greatly entertained by. I'm glad you to know you all.

*update: apparently I had the wrong link to Clara's website. It should be fixed now. Oops...sorry about that.

Green Acres

2008-07-31T17:32:00.000-07:00

So as I promised, here are some pictures and a short video of our Sunday trip to the Great Oregon Steam Up.
There were many many antiquated tractors driving around:

I have no idea how old these are, what they are called, or what their original purpose is. I'm sure Jason or Gail or Dan know, but unfortunately for you, I am what you might call citified. I pretty much just thought they looked cool.... and tetanus -y.
There was also a thresher, which Lena really liked. She spent much time collecting straw:

Pilar pretty much just slept.Lena and I also rode a very cool model train. Jason took many pictures but I look like a fat, grumpy FBI agent ( I brilliantly wore all black with black sunglasses) and even usually photogenic Lena looked weird, so no pictures for you. While Lena and I trained, the rest of the family watched a tractor pull. A tractor pull is such a strange idea. It's as if a bunch of bored farmers got together one day and said," Bet my tractor can pick you up..." and thus was born an event.

Lena's official birthday was Tuesday and we had saved some family presents for the occasion. Gail made delicious brownies with icing, and Lena opened her gifts. Grandma and grandpa Stiffler gave her some pink clothes, a notebook for her artwork and a box of stickers (most of which she and Pilar have already used). She got many books, a puzzle, snacks and a lunch bag from Uncle John, Aunt Ruth and Cousin Cynthia. I have now read the Magic School Bus about 2 dozen times. They also gave her 4 one dollar bills, which excited her to no end. Finally, her best friend Aidan and his mommies, Kate and Melissa, sent her the GIRLIEST thing on the planet:
The official Sleeping Beauty princess dress. She is wearing it as we speak. Now there's some birthday love for ya.

6 Things About Me

2008-07-30T12:29:00.000-07:00

Okay, so thanks to Trish at Suds to Love I've been tagged. Here are the rules:

1) Link to the person who tagged you
2) Post the rules on your blog (this is what you are now reading)
3) Write 6 random things about yourself (see below)
4) Tag 6 people at the end of your post and link to them (This is only a game so I assume there are no hard feelings if you don't reciprocate. Also, I'm only tagging 3. so there.)
5) Let each person know they have been tagged and leave a comment on their blog.
6) Let the tagger know when your entry is up.

6 Things About Me:

1.) I CANNOT Dance. Much like Elaine from Seinfeld, my dancing consists of twitches and jerks which are likely disconcerting to most observers.

2.) I will not eat any food that contains tomatoes or beans. Ironically, this includes most Mexican foods, or as Jason likes to call it, "the food of my people."

3.) I love Christmas ornaments. I did not realize this until I started dating my husband and his family included me in their tradition of giving each family member an ornament for Christmas. I'm very picky though. I only like glass ones, like the ones offered by Old World Christmas.
If given the means, I would collect ornaments like normal women collect shoes.

4.) I will watch almost any movie about vampires. This also explains my devotion to the show Buffy the Vampire Slayer, even though the last couple of seasons bit. (bad pun intended.)

5.) I have an unreasonable fear of cockroaches and crane flies. Cockroaches, because...EWWWW. They're just creepy. They scuttle along way too fast. And crane flies have no respect for personal space. I cannot abide a bug that will land on your face. I know neither of these creatures will actually hurt a person, but still. They give me the willies.

6.) I am lactose intolerant. Enough said.

And the 3 lucky people I am tagging are:

Clara at The5CFamily
Jen and Matt at WeWillWantSausage
Anne-Marie at SoapQueen

Any other blog I both read and comment on has already been tagged (or has tagged me). So...There you go. Now you know.

I'm Back

2008-07-27T18:48:00.000-07:00

It's been a busy couple of weeks here. Many good thing have been happening. Jason got at least one and possibly 2 courses at local community colleges, He's taking a second GIS course, which means just 4 more until his certification, and I got the job I wanted. YAY! We've also been out and about, enjoying the weather and events around Portland. Last weekend we went to the annual Sand in the Square downtown. There were many sand sculptures, and a sand pile for the kids to play in. Guess where we spent the most time. Unfortunately, we forgot the camera, so we only have after-the-event pictures. There was free face painting and balloon creations, which we took full advantage of....Lena loved walking around dressed up (although she was wearing a different, less colorful tutu). She garnered many waves, giggles, and hellos from passersby. She was in attention heaven.
She napped when we got home, but Pilar, since she slept through much of our outing, had some pudding. She must have decided she was under-decorated.....
Later in the week we took the girls to see and hear a woman sing about bugs. I inadvertently confused it with a bug show (as opposed to a bug song and puppet show) so it was not really what either she or Jason expected. Oops. Lena had a hard time sitting still. This was the best she managed......Finally, yesterday I participated in a craft fair with my yarn foods. I did better than I expected and may be selling them in at least one local store and on-line. I'll post more about that when I have more info. I thought the display turned out nice...and the face painter who had a table there was excellent.....Today we went to the Great Oregon Steam Up. We saw many tractors and other scary, dangerous farm machinery. Lena loved picking up the straw on the ground and we came home with a piece of rope Lena made and a tiny bale of hay. We also rode on a model train and watched a tractor pull. She is now napping (finally). I will have pictures or our "farm day" up on flickr soon.

I love the Bluegrass

2008-07-18T09:40:00.000-07:00

One of the best things about living in Portland is the incredible number of things to do in the summer. It seems like after all the rain in winter and spring, Portlanders feel the need to take full advantage of the wonderful summer weather. Jason and I made a list of all the free (or cheap) things to do this summer and my calendar is FULL.

There are concerts in the park (any park, just pick a park and there will at some point be a concert), Regal theaters has free G and PG movies at 10am on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, Tryon Creek has "stories and a walk" on Friday mornings, There are noon concerts and free movies at Pioneer Square, and any number of story and song times at the county libraries. One of the best resources for stuff to do with kids is a website called Urban Mamas. I check it pretty much daily.

The calendar creation was instigated by a trip to Mt Tabor park to see a Bluegrass (Yes, Bluegrass...what!? I can like Bluegrass) band called Jackstraw. They were awesome and we wanted to find out where else they are playing. Many places it turns out.

So that you understand why the desire to see them again, check out my girl boogying down:

So Busy

2008-07-15T08:42:00.001-07:00

I am trying to do this while nursing so forgive the inevitable typos. (YES...she is STILL nursing...)

My parents left for California on Sunday. I was sad to see them go mostly because it will be so long until I see them again. The girls had a great time with them. I'm not sure Lena Really remembered them at first, but she is now asking for them to come back. so I guess it really made no difference anyway. Pilar definitely did not remember, but she warmed up pretty quickly. We mostly hung around the house, but did have a couple park days.The big event was Lena's 4th birthday party. We held it at Irving Park, which is a great walking park but has no parking. The theme was pirates and princesses to appeal to both Lena's adventure prone spirit and her new girly fascination. She was also finally old enough for a pinata!Pilar...not so much, But she still got to play. Yay for big sisters!She got some really wonderful gifts. Uncle Jared and Aunt Emily gave her some fun dress up stuff.....
and caterpillars! One metamorphosed in the jar and flew out when Lena opened it!All in all Lena (and the rest of us) had a wonderful time with friends and family.

Portland and Beyond

2008-07-06T11:05:00.000-07:00

My parents are visiting from California. They've been here since the 25th and are staying until the 13th so they can be here for Lena's birthday party on the 12th. They are currently in Heppner, Oregon visiting my great aunt and uncle. We've had a good time just relaxing and checking out Portland with them. Lena was a little wary and confused at first, but now she climbs all over them and asks where they are when they're gone. I've tried to keep them in her memory by showing her pictures of them from my flickr account, etc. However, in all the pictures my dad had long hair and he cut it all off the week before they left. (good timing Dad!) After the first day with them Lena and I had this exchange:

Lena: Grandpa's hair is funny

Me: funny how?

Lena: It's a circle.

Me: What do you mean?

Lena: It's little...

Me: You mean short?

Lena: Yes. It's too short.

I figure since both her father and grandfather (the Oregon Grandpa) have long hair she expects it.

So far we've mostly eaten our way through the city. Although, last Wednesday we did go berry picking. The Meeker raspberries from Albeke Farm and hood strawberries from another farm I can't remember were very good, although the hood strawberries have a VERY short shelf life. I think it might have been too much like work for my parents, but I enjoyed it. I made several pints of jam. (Just let me know if you want any.)

For the fourth of July we went to a Beavers game. The girls did very well considering how long they had to sit still. There are carnival like games that Lena enjoyed and a baby/toddler suite that Pilar enjoyed. The game was pretty average until the 8th inning when the Beavers (I can't remember which player) made a grand slam. They won the game 8 to 3. It was pretty exciting and Lena really got into it once the crowd started doing the wave. The fireworks afterward were not as spectacular as I wanted, but I'd go back just for a regular game.

This next week we will probably be visiting the zoo for the free Wednesday concert, and likely doing some more city walking. We'll see what we're in the mood for as the week progresses.

Moo Juice

2008-07-01T10:22:00.000-07:00

My parents are visiting, so I hadn't planned to post until later, but I had to share this before I forget.
Lena watches Dora, Diego and the Wonder Pets in the morning, over breakfast. This morning the Wonder Pets saved a baby cow. If you're familiar with this particular show, then you know the wonder pets all share some celery at the end of their successful rescue. For the baby cow, they had milk from mama cow with their celery. When mama cow gave the milk, Lena yelled, "milk comes from a cow's BUTT!?!?" To which I replied, "no, it comes from her udder." Her answer: "milk is COW PEE!!!"

Message for Brent

2008-06-25T12:46:00.000-07:00

Hey Brent!!
I've tried to send you an email but it bounced. Jackie is trying to email you too. Send us both an email so we can talk to you not through a blog.

Kung Fu Lena

2008-06-19T20:38:00.000-07:00

There are 2 new videos on vimeo. I'm also posting one here to see if it works. Let me know if there are any problems.( Like automatically playing when the page uploads. I hate that.)
Lena watched a cartoon where furry forest creatures used kung fu and fans to battle evil ninja monkeys on stilts. This is her interpretation. Her Kung Fu is strong.

Shhh...Daddy's napping

2008-06-18T13:54:00.000-07:00

Here is what my children do when they are inside with limited adult supervision....

Father's Day

2008-06-18T00:26:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone had a happy father's day. We spent a beautiful day at Cooper Mountain Winery. The good weather is finally here and we've been enjoying it as much as possible. Jason's youngest brother, Peter, is visiting for a few days, so we've been hanging out. He lives in Eugene, so the girls don't get to see him as often as they would like. They (Jason, Peter, Lena and Pilar) spent yesterday trying to find some wind to fly a kite. They were somewhat successful, though I think they spent most of the time playing and picking flowers at the park. Today we visited the zoo, where the girls watched penguins swim, polar bears sleep, and orangutans watch back. They ran around on the large grassy area for almost an hour. Lena, of course made friends with another little girl and they spent the hour running hand in hand, cooing over Pilar, and just being all around cute. If summer weather is anything like the last few days.....Wooo Hooo! I'm gonna love Portland in the summer. I'm so used to dreading July, what with the heat and the no air conditioning. Right now is perfect. Now, if I could only get a job.....

Horton and the Whos

2008-06-10T20:07:00.000-07:00

Gail and I took Lena and Pilar to the movies on Monday to see Horton Hears a Who. It was hilarious! The best line in any movie I've seen all year:
"In my world everyone is a pony, and they all eat rainbows, and poop butterflies."
That's all I have to say.

kid's books

2008-06-07T22:25:00.000-07:00

Still looking for a good genealogy book for Lena. I checked on Amazon and found these offerings. I'm thinking about picking up the first one, Me and my Family Tree. Even though the reviews weren't great, the complaints seem to be about what I don't want in a book, which is genealogy projects. Lena's just not there yet. I mostly want something to explain relationships.

Speaking of books. There is a great blog for those of you who, like me, love children's literature. Book Buds is run by a mommy friend from Claremont, Anne Boles Levy, who belonged to my awesome mommy play group until she moved to Chicago. Another friend from that group, Deborah Haar Clark, is a contributor. The reviews are succinct, honest, and often very funny. Even if you aren't in the market for yet more kid's books, her blog is a good read, if just for the commentary.

My Talented Friends

2008-06-04T14:48:00.000-07:00

I have incredibly talented friends. I received these yesterday from my friend Clara. You can find more of her lovely work at Beadcitos Jewelry Creations. I have an interview in two weeks and plan on wearing one of these for good luck. I've had two successful (at least on my part) craft trades recently. I really need to hurry up and open my etsy store soon. I just need to take some pictures in good lighting.

My talented daughter

2008-06-03T18:09:00.000-07:00

Pilar fit an entire soy bean up her nose. AN ENTIRE SOY BEAN!! It was bigger than her nostril. It took me an hour and a half to get it out.

Who's Your Daddy?

2008-06-01T16:46:00.000-07:00

Lena is currently trying to figure out her family tree. For the last 2 weeks we've been getting a lot of questions about who is whose mommy, which of the many children she loves are her cousins, and most importantly, how is it that I am both her mommy and Pilar's mommy. I think part of the reason for the questions is her California grandparents will be visiting in June and I am VERY excited and she's heard me talking about it to Jason. Oddly, she seems to understand the concept of two sets of grandparents (she often calls my parents her great grandma and great grandpa), but the whole 'your mommy is also Pilar's mommy' is totally blowing her mind. She had a tiny freak out yesterday about it. She kept yelling, "you are not Pilar's mommy you're MY mommy!" I'm letting it ride for now, since sooner or later she'll figure it out. The funniest part of all this is her theories of who begat whom. She has informed me several times that when she grows up she will be my mommy, grandma's mommy, and/or Pilar's mommy. Jason has been explaining that to be a mommy she has to create a whole new person, but that explanation has been rejected. I'm thinking there should be a children's book about this somewhere (there are children's books about pretty much everything) so I'm on a search. Any suggestions?

Memorial Day

2008-05-29T15:34:00.000-07:00

So we did many, many things this memorial day weekend. To describe it in a post would be long and boring. Instead, here it is in pictures:

This is Pilar at the Tillamook factory as she enjoys her first ice cream cone. Pure Joy!

We also visited the Blue Heron Cheese factory. They had a petting zoo, which the girls liked in theory. Having goats actually lick your hands was not as pleasant as it sounds.

We also went to the beach. (Lena's request) It was MUCH colder than the beaches in California, but they girls had a great time. Lena made a sand castle, which she decorated with shells. Pilar dug around in the sand and made a few small piles.

The next day we visited a light house. Lena slept in the car most of the time, but Pilar enjoyed running around.Once Lena woke up she visited the Octopus tree with her dad. Here she is acting like a monkey.

Finally, we visited another beach (while Pilar slept this time) and Lena collected a few rocks. The views were spectacular.

On Tuesday, we visited Peter in Eugene. My allergies went crazy, so we did not spend a lot of time outside. Although we did visit a local park where I made the girls "flower hats".
There is one day missing because I forgot to pack the camera. Unfortunately, it was also the day we saw waterfalls, which elicited "WoW!"s from both girls. They also got to see some wind surfers on Hood River. All in all, a memorable weekend.

Soap!

2008-05-23T14:13:00.000-07:00

I just got a package from my friend Elizabeth. She is the very creative mom behind Gassner Custom Soaps. The soaps smell awesome and Lena INSISTED on taking a bath with the pirate ducky soap IMMEDIATELY. (Which is why it is not pictured.)
I'm very excited to use the body polish and whipped soap. (black cherry scent, yum!) Lena is also excited to try the bath paint. I'm thinking that might be an outside activity since their bath is actually an oversized bucket. I'm sure I'll have pictures soon.

So Many Parks, So Much Time

2008-05-21T21:43:00.000-07:00

We are finally back to the Oregon weather I have come to love. Last week we had a couple of over 100 degrees days and I was flashing back to the sweltering summers I thought I had left behind. Lena and Pilar loved it since they were finally allowed to play in the backyard. I've been trying to upload a video I took of them playing in their ladybug pool, but no luck yet.

We are near the end of co-op for Lena and I'm trying to figure out some things to keep us all busy and sane without spending much or any money. There are MANY parks in Portland so I'm thinking of visiting them. We went to OMSI a few weeks ago and Lena LOVED it and has been asking to go back. We may have to spend some money on a pass. Washington County library offers passes to check out for the Children's Museum near the zoo (where we already have a pass. Thanks Dan and Gail!). Anyone who can think of more (free if possible) things to do around Portland, let me know.

All Things Beige and Tasteless

2008-05-13T19:08:00.000-07:00

Once upon a Time Lena would eat almost anything. Now adays, she will eat ramen (chicken flavor please), chicken dinos, mac and cheese, and more recently pb and J English muffins. Now, really, I can't complain too much because she will still eat broccoli and corn, but feeding her used to be so much easier. I know it could be much worse. For example, Lena loves fruit and will eat most kinds. The parents of one of Lena's school friends told me they did a little happy dance when their daughter voluntarily ate a bite of apple the other day. Still, I wish she were a bit more adventurous. Pilar, on the other hand could do with being a little less so. Most food is still destined for her nose. I forgot this and gave her corn yesterday. Needless to say, we are still benefitting from that particular adventure. Still, I hold out hope. Berry season is almost upon us here and I can't wait to take the girls berry picking. Lena remembers from last year and is already asking about it.

My mother's day was great. Nice and relaxing. We sat around, ate quiche, talked. Jason and I watched Juno in the evening. I HIGHLY recommend this film. It was the perfect combination of sweetness, drama and hilarity.

Lena and Jason just came back from the backyard where Lena picked some flowers for Tristen. Here they are for you all to enjoy:

Happy Mother's Day!

2008-05-11T14:03:00.000-07:00

I hope you all have a great day.

And for your mother's day enjoyment, here are some pictures of the socks Lena tye dyed for me at school. I love me some hippies.

There is also a new video up on vimeo.

Happy Mother's Day Mom!

Got your nose

2008-05-08T18:44:00.000-07:00

So I found out yesterday that I did not get the job I really wanted. I'll still do some adjunct work, but it won't be tenure-track. I'm still hopeful something will work out.

I put another video of the girls up on vimeo here. It's long (a little over 4 minutes) but if you like watching toddlers act like toddlers, then this is the video for you.

Pilar is now able to identify most of her body parts: eyes, ears, nose, mouth, chin, hands and feet, though she especially likes to point out her head...and then yours. Her language is really coming along, mostly due to Lena's influence. She loves to follow her sister around copying what she's doing. This is sometimes good, and sometimes not. Lena is still enough of a daredevil to make me slightly nervous, though she at least has some level of caution. Pilar, on the other hand, not so much with the caution, but A LOT with the daredeviling. Pilar has also taken to shoving things up her nose. Currently, she is blowing pieces of biodegradable napkin out of her nose. This is gross, as you may have guessed, but Lena has taken it upon herself to check Pilar periodically. She saw me use a flashlight to look up Pilar's nose one day and now every once in a while lifts Pilar's head up and looks for herself. Most of the time this makes Pilar angry, but once in a while she'll play along. That is of course the moment I can't find the camera, so you'll just have to imagine it yourselves.

No Word Yet

2008-05-06T14:50:00.000-07:00

I haven't heard back about the interview and my head is about to explode. I'm hoping it's not a bad sign.

In other news, we are finally getting close to having the girls on the same schedule. Both are napping right now and went down within one half hour of each other. Now if I could only get that to happen at night.

Lena had a playdate with a friend from school yesterday, which was very exciting. For the occasion, her parents actually cleaned the basement. I'm sure everyone is grateful for that. Pilar seemed to enjoy the playdate as well, but took a while to warm up. She is much more of a snuggler than Lena was, which I love. Once she gets comfortable, though, she is just as crazy. I brought their pink pop-up house back for the playdate and they have been good about not dragging it around (or trapping little sisters in it) so I'm letting it stay....for now.

I recently got back in touch with a friend from high school (Hi Clara!) which brought back many old memories. It's funny because overall, I DID NOT enjoy high school. But individual memories are mostly good. There's just an overall feeling of awkwardness that washes over me when I reminisce. Maybe it's because I was SO VERY AWKWARD. You know, 'cause I'm so cool now.

Garden

2008-05-03T00:15:00.000-07:00

Two more videos up. See them here.
We spent some of today at a lilac garden in Woodland, Washington. It was the first actually warm day in a long time and the girls loved running around outside. They also got to try out their new sunglasses. I was shocked they kept them on as long as they did. All in all a good day.

Big Night Out

2008-04-29T11:50:00.000-07:00

I think the interview went well. I didn't do anything too embarrassing I think. I now have to wait for a week to find anything out.

In other news, I did not get to participate in the craft fair for which I have been preparing. (how's that for not ending a sentence in a preposition) There was some miscommunication about whether I was donating my goods, or selling them. Suffice it to say, I am disappointed and Jason is pissed, but my always clever mother-in-law came up with a few local craft fairs I can sign up for, so I'm gonna. In fact, I've even added to the offerings. I was inspired by Lena's near constant tea party. She especially likes to bring us cake, so I made her a couple little cakes and it sort of grew from there. See for yourself. Jason has pointed out that my "cakes" seem to be a bit divorced from reality, but who wouldn't want a cake with flowers on it? So that's what I've been up too mostly. I'm also working on Elizabeth's project and I think it might even work. (yay!) So hopefully I'll have all my stuff done soon and can start making more unrealistic yarn tea cakes. I plan on opening an Etsy store in the next month or so. I just need to take some better pictures and think of a good name for my store . Any suggestions?

I teach the English

2008-04-25T00:24:00.000-07:00

I have an interview today. I am nervous.I hope they like me. I can't stop writing simple sentences. I teach the English. AHHHHHHH!!!!!

Most Likely to Hear a Who

2008-04-22T13:50:00.000-07:00

So Lena found the "How Babies are Made" book somewhere in her room. Don't ask me where it was (or why) but she found it. We've "read" it in that we've used the words mommy, daddy, egg, and sperm. Not much more detail, just enough to create embarrassing possibilities. I can't wait.

Anywho.... Lena is now understandably interested in eggs: what's in them, where mine are, where hers are...etc. So, last Friday at school when she found a plastic easter egg she promptly put it in a stump, made a little nest (with some help), and attempted to hatch it. She dutifully sat on it for about 20 minutes, letting anyone in hearing range know what she was doing and warning them not to touch. NOTHING is more enticing to a three year old than the words "don't touch" so she spent another 20 minutes reclaiming her egg from her friends.

I guess my point here is that children are VERY literal and mine are demonstrably so. However, watching her be so careful and loving with that plastic egg made me happy. It might even be worth the inevitable embarrassment of her asking strangers to point out their eggs.

Would you Like some hot tea?

2008-04-14T15:27:00.000-07:00

The closer to 4 Lena gets, the sweeter she becomes. This is good because Pilar has 4 teeth coming in and is a royal pain right now. However, she did FINALLY sleep through the night without nursing. She woke up a couple times whining, but Jason was able to take care of it. YAY!!! Now if Lena would just consistently poop in the potty, I'd be a happy girl.

This weekend was the first nice weather we've had this spring. We spent the weekend out and about with the rest of Portland. We visited three parks altogether and Lena attempted to play tag, catch, or badminton with random families. On Sunday, she scored some cake at at 2 year old's birthday party. She is a child after my sister's own heart. (Gina routinely scored pizza and happy meals at other people's picnics when we were kids.)

Otherwise, I've been busy preparing crocheted foods for the upcoming fundraiser, although I have not forgotten other projects. (I'm working on your stuff Elizabeth :)

Lena is now up from her nap and in a good mood, so we're going to have a tea party. I love that hot tea.

Easter Egg Hunts

2008-04-01T18:43:00.000-07:00

So Anyone who knows me knows I like to tell on myself. It's a defense mechanism really. I assume you'll find out anyway so I may as well control the information. That being said, I have to share, and since it's me, it will be shared with as many words as possible. You'll have to work for my embarrassment people.

The day before Easter (and the Easter flu) I took Lena, along with her grandparents, to the Alpen Rose Dairy for their annual Egg Hunt. Holy bejezus there were a lot of people there! There were age groups ranging from 3 to 11 with about 1,000 kids (I'm so not exaggerating!) per age group. Volunteers came out and spread about a ton of little chocolate eggs across the field. Since Lena was in the 3 year old group, I was allowed to "hunt" with her. Some of the eggs had little orange tags that could be turned in for prizes afterward. I sort of knew this, but paid no mind since it's about Lena having fun and she really doesn't need anymore crap anyway. Once they blew the whistle we all ran out to pick up eggs. Supposedly the best strategy is to run to the middle since everyone stops to pick up the eggs nearest the start. This would have been a great idea, except we couldn't get through the throng of children and parents on the ground, so like the people in front of us, we hunted where we stood. I think Lena had fun. She picked up a little slowly at first, but did alright. She was done before most of the others and stood in the field eating the eggs she happened to find. I picked up a couple more for her and we headed back. She got 2 orange tags, so we headed over to turn them in. In line, most of the parents had a big handful of tag eggs, with pretty cool prizes for a free egg hunt. I learned, as I stood there, that many of the parents had left their child who was slowly hunting eggs, to run ahead and pick up all the orange tags they could find, thereby making sure their kids had the most toys and the kids who came after had none. Generally, I'm not that competitive, and I know Lena enjoyed herself, but I was so angry at those parents! My daughter, who hunted like a 3 year old, got only a yellow plastic egg full of jellybeans and a coupon for Sharis, because selfish parents cheated and picked up their kid's prizes. Even though she certainly doesn't need it, it would have been nice if she got to go home with a stuffed bunny or a princess wand, especially since other kids went home with six.I don't know, maybe I'm wrong to even care about it, and I doubt Lena cared at all, but still...

So on the the embarrassing part.....Along with the egg hunt for kids, there is one for moms. Not parents, just moms. Like the kids hunt there are also orange tagged eggs with prizes like haircuts, massages and two sets of diamond earrings. I had not planned on hunting and I kept dithering about it. In the end I figured "what the hell" and participated. This was a stupid idea. I'm pretty sure the moms who took all the orange tagged eggs for their kids were the only ones on the field. It took less than 30 seconds once the whistle blew and only half that time for me to realize a few things: 1) I cannot run fast, 2) I hate trying to run fast, 3)If you think you see an egg in the grass DO NOT bend over to pick it up, you will be knocked down, 4) diamond earrings are not worth this crap. So in the end, I learned that "egg hunts" designed to make you humiliate yourself, will make you humiliate yourself. I did get a chocolate egg though. At least there's that.

new pics, etc.

2008-04-01T00:03:00.000-07:00

So it's the middle of the night, Pilar just went to sleep, and I'm TIRED. But I wanted to let you know there is new, very short video up on vimeo.
http://www.vimeo.com/847743
Lena at the Alpen Rose Dairy Easter egg hunt. Due to faulty batteries, we got very few Easter pics this year. I'm hoping my bro-in-laws got a few....The few we did manage are up on flickr.

Easter

2008-03-24T12:22:00.001-07:00

I have the flu. This sucks on many levels. One, I missed Easter lunch and visiting with family. Two, All my planning the previous week did not come to pass. Three, I have the flu people, what more can I say.... I did, however, get to see Lena wake up to her easter basket and hunt for eggs. Unfortunately, she did this at a quarter to seven in the morning. I am NOT a morning person on the best of days. Still it was cute. She explained to me that the Easter bunny is white, has long ears, and a sister named wiggly. Also, the Easter bunny likes her cause he gave her eggs with candy in them. Pilar (unfortunately for both of us) was up all night Easter Eve crying and nursing. I assumed she too had the flu so she missed out on Easter. Luckily, she is not sick, just cranky. I will have pictures and possibly video up soon. Just waiting for my brain to stop trying to burst out of my head. Stupid brain.

Yarn!!

2008-03-17T18:03:00.000-07:00

So, I've been crocheting like a maniac. My mom has requested some photos, so here they are:

This is the bigger-than-expected Totoro I made for Lena. I found the pattern on-line. She LOVED it for about 2 days. Now it's just another member of the ever-present stuffed animal picnic.

Speaking of picnics...here are some more food additions:

The bacon is my own interpretation, the fried egg is a smaller version of a pattern I found on-line.

These cookies are my own creation. yummy.

Finally, my favorite. Except for the radish, these are all my own . My favorite is the eggplant. (Lena calls it her plum). I'm hoping to sell some of these at a fundraiser in April and I may open an Etsy store in the near future. We'll see how well they do. If nothing, Lena and Pilar have a lot of soft food to throw at each other.

YAY part deux

2008-03-08T23:02:00.001-08:00

So Lena has finally done it. I never thought I'd be so excited by poop. Her grandma and I took her to Target today to buy panties. She picked out Tinkerbell (who she calls jingle bell). Once she got them on (after a nap, bless her) she had a confused look on her face. She told us, "something's wrong!" Jason explained that panties are thinner than diapers so she had to make sure to go in the potty. She looked at him with big, big eyes and said, "so if I poop it will go everywhere?" "Yes" said Jason. " I need diapers!!!" said Lena.

So.... one step forward and one back . She still wants to poop in the potty, but needs some insurance.

Pilar, meanwhile, has thoroughly enjoyed wearing Lena's new panties on her head. Always a comedian that one.

YAY!!!!!

2008-02-24T22:41:00.000-08:00

Let the angels sing...Lena is this close to being potty trained! For the last 2 days she's been mostly dry and peeing in the potty. She's still not pooping in the toilet, but I'll take what I can get. Hooray!!!

I've been busy crocheting my hands off. I made veggies for family kids for Christmas and I plan to sell some at a craft sale at Lena's co-op. I'm also moving from veggies to sweets. I made a dozen cupcakes last week. I'm working on a sushi pattern, but it is not yet perfect. Right now it's too big, but I have the general pattern down. I also made a monkey, though I can't sell any since it's a copyrighted pattern (the others are either not copyrighted, my own, or heavily adapted) I'm thinking about opening an etsy store with the crochet stuff soon. I just need to make enough stuff to fill it.

I'm also planning on starting to make soap again. I attended a soapers luncheon yesterday at Beesaws. It was so much fun connecting with other crafty people and talking about soap. Since all my soap stuff is in a storage shed in Tigard, it may take a while, but I'm inspired.

New pictures

2008-02-05T12:23:00.000-08:00

Hey
new pictures are up on Flickr. I finally got around to adding Christmas. Many things have been happening here so I haven't had much time to blog. Sorry. There will be new video on vimeo soon too. I just have to edit. Unless of course you WANT to see 9 minutes of Christmas present unwrapping. Though, if I can't make the editor work you just might have to.

Stickers

2008-01-15T14:21:00.000-08:00

I'm starting a new thing with Lena. First of all, I have to explain: she does not respond to almost any sort of discipline. You can't make her feel bad by telling her you're disappointed in her behavior since frankly, she doesn't give a damn. Time outs are simply opportunities to sing louder while sitting in one place. I'm not willing to beat her as much or as often as I'd need to for that to work. (and I don't believe that works anyway.) so.....we have begun an incentive program: she begins the day with 4 stickers she's picked out. As the day progresses she looses or gains stickers based on her behavior. I bought foam door hangers at Michaels for her to add stickers to before bed (or when she does something exceptionally good during the day). We're on day 2 and she seems to understand. She was very upset earlier when she lost a lady bug sticker for throwing a toy at me. I really hope this works, because I am officially out of ideas after this. Anyone want to share advice?

video

2008-01-11T17:43:00.000-08:00

Hey, so I just created a page on Vimeo ( a free video hosting site). There are a few videos of the girls and family. Feel free to visit. http://www.vimeo.com/user340209/videos

When I remember how, I plan to add a link on this page.

She's just happy to see you

2008-01-06T19:45:00.000-08:00

So Lena is obsessed with her nipples. Well, boobs in general, but especially her own "baby boobs" as she likes to call them. She has explained to me (and most anyone else who will listen) that although mom's boobs have milk, hers do not, nor do dad's, grandma's, or grandpa's. This is apparently VERY important information, which must not be forgotten and therefore repeated as often as possible. Lena enjoys being (mostly) naked. It doesn't matter what clothes you put on her, she will take them off, I assume for better access to her nipples. So this evening, as she was once again playing with them, I told her, "your nipples are going to fall off soon, Lena." She was quiet for a moment, looked around, patted her tummy, then looked at me and said, "no they didn't."

From Portland with Love

2008-01-04T20:13:00.000-08:00

We've been in Portland for about 4 months now. I have been looking forward to living here for so many years now, and even though we're living in my parents-in-law's basement, it's just what I wanted. Except the house, of course. Right now I feel like goldilocks looking for a comfortable bed...this one's too small, this one has no kitchen...that sort of thing. I know we'll eventually find something, but it's frustrating.

Jason likes his new job. They threw a family friendly Christmas party that was truly family friendly. Lena decorated a gingerbread cookie, made a necklace, and sat on Santa's lap. She asked to see Santa, get a candy cane, and have snow. She got all three. For the first time since 1990 it snowed on Christmas in Portland. It was fantastic, although we profoundly missed our family and friends in California. This was the first year since 1996 that we didn't have a Christmas party on the 23rd.

I'm still at home with the girls, but Lena's in a co-op preschool 3 days a week, which means I work at her school one of those days. Currently that day is Friday. I've really enjoyed hanging out with Lena at school and it's a good way to meet other parents (mostly stay-at-home). We've had a few playdates with mommies and kids from the school, but we still don't get out as much as we did in Cali. I desperately miss my mommy group. I'm sure I'll meet more people soon, it will just take some time, I know.

Pilar has been walking (and running) since mid-October. Most of her day is spent following Lena around and playing with/imitating her. I love watching them together. They adore each other (most of the time). Lena is still her crazy, active self. Pilar is mellow and sweet. I got a cuddler. She has grown pretty close to Grandpa Dan. She will sit on his lap and snuggle for quite a while. It's very sweet. Once we move, I think the girls will both really miss seeing their grandparents every day.

Those are pretty much all the boring details. I will certainly let you all know when we find a house. Until then, I hope you are all well and happy.

I've missed you guys!

2008-01-02T23:18:00.000-08:00

Hey. So It's been quite a while....6 months or so? I'm going to assume that if you read this blog at all you know that we finally moved to Portland in September. YAY!

it's been wonderful. I'll have more stories later. Right now, I'm just blogging because I added many new pictures to my flickr site. Check them out....

New Pics

2007-06-13T22:54:00.001-07:00

Hey
New pics are up. More will follow later.

Vacation. all I ever wanted

2007-06-03T19:40:00.000-07:00

We got back from vacation on Thursday evening. After 10 days in a very small car with two shrieking children, it was good to be home. Not that vacation wasn't great, it was. Including California, we hit 6 states: Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Nevada (in that order). We saw 4 national parks (The grand Canyon, Arches, Bryce and Zion.) Jason took many MANY pictures, which will be up on flickr shortly. [speaking of Flickr, I'm too cheap to update the free account so only the most recent 200 pics are up] The reason for the vacation was to attend George and Jeannine's wedding in Colorado. I have to say it was one of the most beautiful weddings I have ever been to. It was held at Lyonscrest manor in Lyons, CO. GORGEOUS, breathtaking views and perfect weather helped. We also got to see my Uncle Ronnie and two of my cousins, Emily and Nolan. Nolan has grown incredibly since the last time I saw him (about 3 years ago) and Jason had fun interrogating Emily, who is home from her first year at Princeton. We missed Rachel, who was herself at a wedding, and Annie, who was sleeping off a night shift. We're hoping they come out here and visit (hint hint Ronnie) sometime soon. However, we really loved Colorado and hope to go back and visit soon. Maybe we'll convince my parents or sister to come along.

Anyway, we're back and finally rested. I'll try to blog a little more later.

Pictures

2007-05-08T11:11:00.000-07:00

There are approximately 115 new pictures up on flickr. Check them out when you have a chance.

No Pants, Please

2007-05-07T13:28:00.000-07:00

Lena is now officially girly. For the last few weeks she has refused to wear pants, only dresses. Some mornings we have managed to wrestle her into pants and take her to school, but by the time I picked her up, she was either pantsless or in one of the school's extra dresses.

I don't mind this as much as Jason. I remember being in kindergarten and only wearing dresses (fancy ones if possible) but once I turned 6 I never wanted to wear a dress again. EVER. I don't even like to wear them now. I figure once she realizes that dresses make running around more difficult she'll be back in pants.

Now if I could only figure out how to get her to stop referring to herself as Princess.....

Mean Girls

2007-05-03T15:39:00.000-07:00

Lena had her first run in with "popular" kids today. I took her to the park to run out some of her wiggles ( I do this most days). Usually she runs ahead of me so she can have just that much more time on the slide. Today, however, she clung to my side and sat with me while we ate apples and chocolate milk (her new favorite). There were about 4 kids, 3 girls and 1 boy, already running around on the giant pirate ship that Lena usually flies to. She sat next to me, watching them, sometimes laughing at their antics, but mostly watching. Finally, she decided to join them. She ran up to the ship yelling, "hey, hey!" and some version of "I'm Lena." The girls (who were a little bit older) looked at her and immediately told her she couldn't play with them. Now, Lena's a tough kid and can stand up for herself so I don't like getting too involved with playground politics, but I have never wanted to smack a kid so badly. This little girl, lets call her Tiffany, had a smug, self important demeanor that will serve her well in high school so long as she stays skinny. Lena, for her part, didn't skip a beat. She played along side them for a while. They ignored her or shot her dirty looks. Finally, Tiffany told her to go away. Lena looked at her, stepped back a little, leaned forward, and ROARED! Tiffany, clearly confused by this reaction, walked off with her gaggle of blondes to play on the swings. Lena remained on the pirate ship and seemed happy to spin the wheel and go down the slide on her own. I couldn't have been prouder of her if she'd won a Nobel prize. I realize she will have many more run-ins with many different Tiffany's, and not all of them will go as well, but I hope she always feels confident enough to roar, no matter the Tiffany.

The 8 Gene and Giant Babies

2007-04-25T21:43:00.000-07:00

Lena is learning many new things at school: the alphabet, counting, the many and varied uses of glue. But today I'll write about counting. Lena can count to ten. I realize she has absolutely no idea what numbers mean, but still it's pretty cool . However...she skips eight. many times she has sung 5, 6 7...9! in her cute little voice. J and I try to yell 8! in between the 7 and the 9, but to no avail. There is no 8 in Lena world. The funniest part of this is that her cousin, Anthony, did exactly the same thing. No 8, no 18, no 28, you get the idea. So apparently, like Anthony, she is missing the 8 gene. And damn, it's on the Garcia side. (I guess that's really no surprise though)

Pilar, on the other hand, is not yet counting, though she LOVES to watch her sister count and sing and dance. Right now, she thinks Lena hung the moon. Her eyes light up whenever she sees her and the feeling is mutual. Many times I have convinced Lena she wants to go home from school by telling her she will get to see Pilar (still pronounce Pi-yar). I know this won't last so I'm savoring the happy sisterliness now. Once Pilar can successfully grab toys, it's all over.

However, Lena will have to watch out. Pilar is growing at an awesome rate. I took her to the doctors last week for a same day appointment. (I thought she had ringworm, but it's only excema -how is that word spelled?) She weighed 14lb and 8oz. This is only about 3 weeks after a check-up where she weighed 13lb and 7oz! She is mighty! I'm so proud.

Monkey says ribbit

2007-03-27T15:30:00.000-07:00

Well it's about time I write. Where have I been!? What could keep me away for so long?

I'm glad you asked. You know, this whole having more than one child thing is a lot harder than they make it sound in the brochure. For one thing, when are you supposed to bathe? And how come no one told me this one would get every illness know to mankind? How can such a small head hold so much snot? Well, at least she poops a lot. (yes, that's what passes for sarcasm to me these days. )

Actually, it's not all that bad. I'm just being dramatic. Speaking of drama queens, Lena is growing like crazy, both physically and emotionally. A few weeks ago, Lena told her first joke. While Jason was changing her diaper, Lena was watching the fisher price baby soother which features a singing monkey and frog (two of her favorite animals). She suddenly turns to Jason and says, "monkey says ribbit!" and laughs her head off. I cracked up for a week afterward. I have the feeling there will be many knock knock jokes in my future.

Pilar is also growing. It's so strange to have a baby who grows at the normal rate. She'll be 6 months on April 9th and she's wearing 3-6 months clothes. This would not sound so amazing except that 3-6 months is the size Lena was wearing at 10 months. More amazing than her size, is Pilar's personality grows day by day. She is very happy most of the time and smiles easily. She looks like a combination between my dad and Jason. She has J's eyes and cheeks, but my dad's chin and face shape. Her eyes are still blue (and will probably remain so), but her left eye is half brown on top. It's kind of cool.

Lena and Pilar ADORE each other. Lena's favorite game is putting Pilar in bed with her and talking to her. Pilar, for her part, coos and smiles and laughs at her sister. It's great right now, but I know things will change once Pilar can touch Lena's toys.

Oh, for the days of drunken parenting

2006-12-13T15:59:00.000-08:00

Public tantrums are just a part of parenthood. I know this. Entire chapters of parenting books are devoted to this phenomenon. Theories are thrown about like so many pearls before swine.... "Let them tire themselves out", "ignore them","walk away" etc. etc......Yesterday, Lena proved herself to be the exception to the rule. I'll explain (you knew I would):

There is a playground next to Lena's preschool room. Everyday when I pick her up we walk by it without incident. Yesterday, she decided she MUST slide down the very tall slide. I had Pilar in a snuglie (I foolishly thought it would be easier to collect Lena if I had both hands free...HA!) and she was starting to wake up and root so I wanted to get home to feed her before she lost it and we had to listen to her cry all the way home. I told Lena we would play on it another day, but not right now....not the answer she was looking for.... She immediately threw herself on the ground screaming "slide, slide." When I went to pick her up she grabbed the side of the slide and would not let go. I finally pried her little hands away and held her by the arm attempting to pull her from the slide and toward the car. She went completely limp and yelled "owwie! owwie! hurts! hurts! stop it!" at the top of her lungs. This gained the attention of nearby teachers, parents and my friend Karen. Karen came by to commiserate, which helped, but this was apparently the cue for other parents to come by and offer advice. Usually I wouldn't mind; other parents are often full of good information. HOWEVER, I was nowhere near in the mood to listen to any unsolicited advice and besides they were giving me "that look." You know the one. If the look were a sound it would be "tsk, tsk." The way some of the parents were looking at me I expected them to throw me change and tell me not to spend it on booze. To be honest, some booze would have been nice at that moment. Anyhow, I managed to drag her to the car, buckle her in, put the now crying Pilar into her carseat and drive home without crashing.

Pilar is crying now and I have to go. There is really no point to this post other than: Aaargh!!

A Few Pictures

2006-12-10T09:42:00.000-08:00

Jason remembered he too has a blog and has posted some new pictures of Lena and Pilar to Fishmonger's Daugter. You can get to it through the link on the right.

crying and crying and crying...

2006-12-08T19:07:00.000-08:00

It's amazing how much I have forgotten in the last 2 years. Burping the baby after she eats, for example, is very important. Clothes that look too small are usually, in reality, too big. Breastfeeding makes you really, REALLY hungry, which causes you to consider things like lucky charms and kraft cheez n' crackers food. But mostly, mostly it's the constant, CONSTANT crying that I managed to wipe clean from my memories of early parenthood. Pilar cannot be more than, at most, 1 foot from a warm body without losing it completely. beginning this morning, while I rushed to finish making 25 holiday gifts for Jason's tutors, I finally just let her cry. While regular person logic tells me that a baby cannot die from too much crying, my mom logic understands no such thing. Everytime she stopped crying I'd start to worry that something was wrong and go check on her. For example, while writing this, I once again let her cry, but after about 10 minutes I couldn't stand it anymore and am now typing with one hand. I am a sucker.

Meanwhile, Lena has actually been really cute and pretty good (for Lena) lately. After staying at my parents, and using their highchair, I have become a highchair convert. This may actually be the best invention of the 20th century (when WAS it invented?). Lena loves it. She sits in it to eat and watch movies. It's been very useful to know where she is so I can make sure it's far from the baby, whose eyes she must have for her very own. She actually likes Pilar, though maybe too much. She really wants to play with her and doesn't undertand why she can't. After watching too much Curious George, Lena does not seem to differentiate between a monkey and a baby, which may explain some of her behavior toward her sister. Half of the time when George comes on the screen she yells "baby!!". Although, she is talking a lot more now, and "monkey" is a frequently used word. In fact right now, as she sits in her highchair, watching George she is alternately screaming "monkey!" and "out!!" So I'm going to let her out. Wish me luck.

I'm Back!

2006-12-05T13:15:00.000-08:00

So, long time no write. I have many excuses (Jason diverted my log-in and since I'm technologically retarded I couldn't figure out how to log back in as me...) and explanations (I was very pregnant and very tired) but now I'm back. So here is approximately 6 months of catch up:

[Special note from the programmer: Lysa is smoking crack. I checked - this purported login problem is clearly a figure of her disjoint imagination. You have to understand: pregnancy does things to people's minds.....]

July, as I previously posted, was very hot. I spent a lot of time either at the mall, taking advantage of the rubberized playground and free air conditioning, or hanging out with Kate and Aidan at their well-cooled home. About one week before Lena turned 2 I found out I had gestational diabetes, which sucked since all I wanted to eat was candy and hamburgers. At the end of July (just in time for Lena's birthday party) Jared, Emily, and Anna came to visit. Anna is as beautiful as I expected, and a very good baby. SHE, unlike some babies I know, will stay in a sling for more than 2 minutes....

August began with us caravanning to Portland with Jared, Emily and Anna. Two children and a pregnant woman make for many pit stops. We stopped in San Jose to see family, John, Ruth, Cynthia and Cynthia's boyfriend Shawn (and their very nice roommate whose name escapes me for the moment) and had a lovely dinner. Ruth gave Emily and I cool blue bags filled with goodies (cookies!!). I still use the bag to tote Lena's car toys and spare diapers. Portland was fun, as always. We enjoyed spending time with Gail and Dan. Lena got some good grandparent time in, which allowed us to go out to eat like real adults. No yelling, no crayon eating, no one ordered chicken nuggets..... We stayed in Portland for about a week, then poked our way back home, with a detour to Placerville to visit Matt and jen, and buy delicious cheese at Dedricks Cheese shop. The rest of August was mostly uneventful and just as hot as July.

In September, Lena started pre-school Monday thru Friday from 9-12 (can I get an amen). She LOVES it. Some days I have to chase her down to get her to go home. If her clothes and hair are any indication, she spends most of the day painting and gluing things to paper and herself.

October is when things really got busy. Monday, October 9th at about 3am I went into labor. This was quite unexpected since I was not due until around November 3rd (I had a planned c-section for October 29th). So, like her sister, Pilar arrived prematurly and by c-section. However, she weighed almost 2 pounds more than Lena, ate immediately, and went home when I did. In fact, she's 8 weeks old today and weighs, I would guess, almost 9 pounds. It took Lena several months to weigh as much. We spent 6 to 7 weeks after her birth at my parent's house. Jason will not be on paternity leave until spring semester, so it was great to have help with Lena and Pilar. My dad spent every morning hanging out with Lena until she went to school. She still asks for him when she wakes up.

So that's about it. I'm sure there were some good stories I could have shared during that time, but I'm positive there will be more. Lena is talking a lot now and is a constant source of entertainment. Pilar mostly sleeps, eats, and cries, but I'll keep you posted if anything changes. I have many, many pictures and hope to post some to flickr soon. Keep checking in.

So. Hot. Here

2006-07-01T10:58:00.000-07:00

So yeah, I know, I missed most of June. Sorry about that. We've all been good here, just busy.

Lena's been her usual active self. She has recently discovered the joys of playing in water, wherever she may find it: bathtub, swimming pool, wading pool, puddle, toilet..... It's VERY VERY HOT HERE so playing in water is fine by me (though I could do without the toilet exploration). After extenive searching, I finally found a maternity bathing suit I like, so now I can play too . While I am glad maternity fashion no longer resembles oversized children's clothes, I will never understand why designers think pregnant women want to wear tube tops and lowrise jeans....(really I don't understand why non-pregnant women would either.)

We're still doing mommy and me classes once a week. The summer schedule is fun because it's mostly field trips. We went to the Long Beach Aquarium on Monday. Lena was completely mesmerized by all the fish. She partucularily liked the jelly fish, but also seemed to have a soft spot for the tiny octopus. The previous week we were in Anaheim for a retreat with Jason's work. We had planned to take Lena to Disneyland (We stayed at the Grand Californian, one of the park's hotels) until we realized it would cost $120 for Jason and I to take Lena for the few hours she'd be in a good mood. So we had to settle for hanging around the hotel and walking through the consumer hell that is Downtown Disney. Luckily, Lena does not yet care for all the Disney princess stuff, but I was having panic attacks watching the little girls jump and dance for joy as their parents dropped hundreds of dollars on pointy princess hats and sparkly shoes. If Lena keeps developing the way she is now, she'll be doing her dance of joy for soccer balls and cleats. One can only hope.

My pregnancy has been going well. I have much more energy, though Lena often saps it pretty quickly. And did I mention. IT"S HOT HERE. which does not help my mood (or Lena's for that matter.) The baby, who I will heretofore refer to as Pilar, has been kicking up a storm. She especially loves my bladder. She's much more active than Lena was at 22 weeks. I'm hoping this is not a sign of my future. The nice thing is Jason can feel her kick. He only felt Lena once and not very well.

Otherwise, we're all doing well here. Lena is currently attemptint to climb over the baby jail so I must go stop her....

It's a....Pronoun!!

2006-06-07T09:48:00.000-07:00

So I had my 18 week ultrasound yesterday morning and after an extra 1/2 hour of checking, we learned the gender. It' a girl! The technician seemed very sure. In her words, "there's no weiner here." She also said the baby looks healthy, which makes me a lot less stressed. We are also glad to finally have a pronoun to use to refer to the baby. "It" has never really worked for me. My due date is early November, though I'm still likely to deliver in October. Her name will be Pilar Xochitl Stiffler y Garcia. Pilar was the other girl name we considered for Lena, but decided Helena went better with her middle name, Jason. Xochitl was my grandmother's middle name. When she found out I was pregnant the first time, she suggested it as a good girl's name. While I really like the name, I just couldn't find it in myself to inflict it upon her as a first name since she would forever be explaining how to pronounce it.

Anyway, we're all doing well here. Lena's still her crazy self. She figured out how to climb her changing table last week, so until I can move it, she's not allowed to play in there without me. Jason's on summer schedule, which is lovely. Lena and I get to accompany him on a work retreat to the Disneyland Hotel (I think) in a couple of weeks. Should be fun.

New cousins and stuff

2006-05-30T18:23:00.000-07:00

So many things have been happening and I've been too lazy to write them down. So I'm making up for it now:

First and most important: We have a neice!!! her name is Anna Laura and from the pictures I've seen she's beautiful. Her mom and dad are doing fine. Since, until Sunday, J and I had only nephews, we are excited about being uncle and aunt to a neice. I adore the boys, don't get me wrong, but it will be nice I think for Lena to have a female family member close to her age.

This last weekend we hosted some out of town friends. Matt and Jenn came to visit from Placerville. We had a wonderful weekend! For one thing, Matt and Jenn are a blast (Matt rendered a Santa Monica busker speechless, which takes some real talent) and for another, we lined up babysitting for Lena, so we got to be real adults for two whole days!

The weekend before, we went to the bug faire at the Museum of Natural History with my parents and Anthony. Anthony, Jason and my dad had fun looking at butterflies and learning about good places around us to catch them. Lena, my mom and I hung out in the discovery area for kids. Lena loved being allowed to touch all the shells and fossils. She had her picture taken by a museum photographer and may be in a brochure.

That's really about all. I have my ultrasound next week and find out the babys' gender. If it's a boy, I see many many baby girl clothes in Anna's future.

MMM.....pickles

2006-05-11T23:06:00.000-07:00

Ah pregnancy: the perfect excuse for eating pickles and chicken fingers in the middle of the night.