Delimmas

Andrew is leaving again.
I know this because...
...we have a mouse in the house. Marley saw it run in and chased it into the bathroom. Andrew couldn't find it... (We did catch one in the garage. Maybe it was the same one?)
...the car started making strange noises and not turning over cleanly. It has been made safe again, but we didn't fix everything as that was more money than the car is worth.
...I updated the operating system on my iPad only to have it go haywire and become unusable for days. After 4 or 5 phone calls, reinstalling the entire software package multiple times, and a 2 hour trip to the apple store, we finally updated the modem and got it to work.
...the boys are selling popcorn. (Let me know if you want to support their Scout troop and buy some!)

The good news is I have not panicked, Andrew got to be home a couple extra days, and we solved a number of problems this weekend.

Here is my bigger delimma.
I don't like to cook. Except for when I want to play and experiment, and the more I have to do regular meals the less I want to play and experiment. And then there are the restrictions. Gavin cannot have any dairy. Seth has a problem with eggs. Cooked in something, ok. Egg dishes like omlettes or egg salad sandwiches are a no go. The boys hate mayo. No chicken salad or egg salad. I want to eat simple healthy real foods, not processed. But trying to figure out how too cook easy dairy, egg, and sugar free meals stresses me out. So I eat some chocolate to make myself feel better. My kitchen and food preparation is too high maintenence and I don't know how to fix the problem. Sigh. I feel like this shouldn't be so hard. But it is. I feel like going on a cooking strike again...

Quotes and questions

One of my favorite moments this week was when Gavin came running to the top of the stairs. "Mommy!!! Guess what Daddy gets to do....VOTE FOR OUR PRESIDENT!!!!!". What a great reminder! What a gift to have a government that we get to participate in! I hope I keep remembering this. :o)

A blog I read and that has inspired the craziness that making myself a sweater has turned out to be has a fill in the blank about creative stuff. I have a lot of creative ventures underway at the moment. Probably too many. Hopefully they will keep me busy and productive during A's deployment.

I am longing to make "clothes that acutally fit and flatter me" right now.

I want to try "dyeing and printing my own fabrics" with "a variety of techniques and methods".

I wish I could sew with Lotta Jansdotter's fabric.

I dream of making a home that is energy efficient, simple, beautiful, and could go with us every time we have to move. Nothing big. ;o)

I keep track of ideas by starting them and leaving them in piles to be completed later... Sigh! Trying to fix this problem for sure!

I am inspired by goodness, beauty, clever and useful ideas, pictures...

My favorite fiber is "cotton" (because it is so versitile!)

I like to sew with "my sewing machine because my hand work is atrocious!"

My favorite color is "all of them!"

I would like to learn how to make "everything in my wardrobe".

I like to listen to "Seth and Gavin playing together" while I "am busy in the next room"

My crafting space is "a gift!". (I am blessed to have carved out a space for my own use on our home!)

I sew with a "Bernina".

I like to "make things. Creating things just makes me happy."

I can never get enough "chocolate, ice cream, or yummy dessert."

I adore "people who are intentional about seeing and appreciating the good things around them."

I also enjoy "visits with good friends" and "making memories with my family."

I like to fill my shelves with "books. Good books. Fiction. Mysteries. Biographies. History Books. Art Books. Knitting and sewing books. Creativity books. Books that stretch me. Books that are old friends. And Ai like to share my books, too!"

I create the best when "I can immerse myself in the project till I complete it.

When I don't have to worry about sleeping, feeding my children, or lots of appointments I can accomplish some pretty amazing stuff."

I am currently excited for "my Mom to come and being able to share my projects with her."

Right now I am working on...
"learning to sew with knit fabric...Craftsy class with a great blogger (Sew Liberated)"
"learning how to adjust sweater patterns so I can tear out and fix my owls sweater (pattern by Kate Davies)...another craftsy class"
"quilting. I tried free motion quilting for the first time last week, and I have 4 other quilts ready to be sandwiched and quilted. Stacks of fabric for about 5 or 6 other quilts waiting in the wings, including a block of the month I am doing with my mom."
"homeschooling my boys"
"coordinating youth stuff at church"
(I think that is the big stuff.)

I love to watch "netflix, well mostly listen to something on there, usually a historical documentary" while creating. A. Is going to turn off our cable for me while he is gone this time, so I should be a lot more productive. :o)

My guilty pleasure when it comes to creating is "that I decided I will make what I like instead of pressuring myself to do shoulds. I find I am getting a lot more done. Yay!"

My current favorite music crush to listen to while creating is "Josh Garrell's Love & War & the Sea in Between. It really resonates with me right now with A's deployments.

Star Wars

This week the boys had their Wolf Badge (Seth) and Bobcat Badge (Gavin) awarded this week. They had some Star Wars characters there to present the awards. Daddy was innundated with questions afterwards. They boys decided they wanted to watch, even though it might be a little bit scary...so guess what we have been doing this weekend?!?! it is fun getting to do this as a family, and they don't seem to be too scared. We did decide they would only be watching the middle episodes, though. We will wait till they are bigger to see the newer ones.

Christmas.

We have always celebra

Projects

I have too many in the works. I am working on learning how to knit and sew clothes that actually fit my body. Quilting projects. I attempted free motion quilting on an actual quilt flr the first time this week. Schooling the boys. Conquering chore time. And we are getting ready for another family separation. I think we are ready. So here is a little snippet of what I have been hard at work on...



BUT, I have to pause and take a class about fitting knits. I need to learn how to make bust darts and do short rows before I can finish. Sigh. i have been working on this for a quilt-a-long and I don't think it will be fnoshed by the deadline. I have sure learned a lot, though! I got some cheap yarn and am taking a crafsty.com class on fitting my knits. Yay!

You are going to have to wait to see pictures of my sewing projects...
:o)