Friday, October 2, 2009

New Addition.

No, not the band, you hopeless 80s geeks, it's a......

puuuuupppy!

I'm interrupting your previously scheduled programing for a brief introduction to our new bundle of fur.
Meet Luka Bella Nelson:

We now have two dogs- and soon-to-be two very large dogs. Craziness has always been a fun hobby of ours.
Ripley, our lab/shar-pei, had some doggy friends come stay with him a little while ago. While they were perhaps the WORST dogs ever...

...Ripley enjoyed the heck out of their company. He was a different doggy, and was so sad when they left him... Because we tend to spoil those little ones we love, we decided to adopt a friend for him. We've been looking around- we wanted a small dog (one I could hold) around a year old, already potty trained. We went to the shelter one day and on our way back from meeting one (small, 1 y/o) dog...... we passed the puppy pen. We were just going to peek inside "for MacKenzie." The next day, said puppy came home with us.


We named her Luka, and she is a lab/siberian husky mix. She is three months old, will be around 70 lbs, and is NOT potty-trained. The best laid plans, and all that.
But, we adore her.

(Niles didn't want her to be a couch dog. That lasted...)

The puppy loves Kenz. Kenz loves the puppy. Kenz doesn't so much love the puppy trying to eat her, but we're working on that.

Ripley enjoys his new friend very much. Luka has much more stamina for play than Ripley, however, and she just keeps going and going. He's going to be a very fit dog soon.

So, that's our big news. She'll be twice this size in a matter of weeks...we'll keep you posted.


Ps- And, for those of you who just read this whole thing to end in disappointment that, yes, this was a full post about a DOG...here ya go:

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

back..from outer space...

I just walked in to find you here with that sad look upon your face....

Miss me??? Ugh, I stink. Not literally (wait..*checking* ...no, not literally) but yes, I'm aware of my stinkage. And I'm sorry.
On to better things? I suppose I should use this post as a big-giant-conglomerated-hodge-podge of catch-up. Try to keep up ;)
So, our two and a half year old is now wearing big girl panties, sleeping in a big girl bed, and going to big-girl school. Waaaah! Sigh, but really. I'm so proud of this munchkin. Potty training is going well (isn't it interesting how mothers of toddlers assume that EVERYONE is just as interested in their child's bathroom habits as they are??? And I'm no exception.) She still has occasional accidents, but we're doing pretty good. As long as we don't go to her friend Julia's house, which seems to be an accident trigger...hmm, or Leif's....or the beach...sigh. But really, she's doing very well! We use a book each time we go pee-pee, and Kenz has learned to "read" it along with me. A video:



Pretty cute, huh?
A few nights ago, she began informing us that her toddler bed was too small- "I too big for this bed. I need big-girl bed!" I'm not sure where she got this from, but she succeeded in coercing convincing us to make the new-bed purchase. We actually got her a bunk bed, but we've only put together the bottom bunk for now. She really likes it, and we think she just looks so cute and little when laying on it. The quilt is her big-girl quilt that I started back when I had free-time. It's VERY undone, but you won't tell, right? ;) (And really, a finished quilt? How Un-doMESStic..)
Storytime... Daddy does the best voices....
Btw, yes, she's half nekkid. We do live in Hawaii, afterall...
Her new preschool meets once a week and is a co-op, meaning all the parents take turns being there/teaching. For us, it's a bit of a prep for the real deal when she's 4. Preschool here in Hi is UNGODLY expensive, and we are sooo thankful to have found a group of ladies with similar mindsets and drive to make this happen. Kenz is retaining information from class, too, which is so exciting for us. For instance, when she sees letters, she'll say, "that the letter O" or "that Q Mama!!". Buuut, when she sees "B" she states, "I learned B in school! Julia's mama told me..."
She also keeps mentioning that she fell in school and hurt herself...not sure what that's all about, but she seems to have survived it??? Anyway, here is the obligatory "first day of" pic....

BTW, no, I did not cry, because I was in fact teaching that first day. Kinda anti-climatic, actually. Sadly, she doesn't remember much of what we learned when I was in charge....

And now it's time for the cute and random Mackenzie "story"...drum roll please....
Kenzi is a bit of a whiner. When I say a bit, I really mean she's got more wine than Robert Mondavi, but we're attempting this new "power of positivity" BS mindset, so we'll stick with "a bit." We try many many things to try to get her to speak without crying/whining, and Hubby's new thing is to tell her a bee will sting her if she's got her whiney-voice on. (Yaya, we're evil, abusive parents. We know. Moving on.) When she starts up, we bzzzzzzzz and it's actually quite funny and remarkably effective. So, just the two of us were in the car the other day, and Kenz starting whining, but caught herself.
She said, "Oh, I not crying. No bee, you no get me!"
Me: "That's right, honey. 'Cuz you don't want a bee to sting you."
She: "No Mommy. That's what Daddy says. You can't say a bee will get me, only Daddy says that." (This admonishment actually went on much longer, but I'll spare you the full transcript.)
Well.
Poll on what my anti-whining tactic should now be, as I'm NOT ALLOWED to use my husband's?

Speaking of my husband, he's also well. He has yet another position with his work, and with it another schedule change. But, it works out fairly well, and if I keep the girl up a little late "accidentally" then I can continue to weasel my way out of bedtime-responsibilities. Go me! I think he may be getting a bit bored with his current lifestyle though- he keeps picking up these new hobbies that don't seem too "long-and-injury-free-life" conducive. Nothing too dangerous, but stuff that makes me briefly envision full-body casts. Be careful stud-muffin!

Ps- I love all the girls in the left side of this photo. They have these expressions on their faces, like "OMG, I TOTALLY can't believe he just did that!"

We haven't been surfing as much, and I think it's bringing him down. But for my birthday, we were able to go out together, as a friend watched Mackenzie for a few hours for us. (Thanks Dawn!!)
And, so, on to me. I've been quite busy with sewing lately. Or, maybe I mean, even busier. There's a craft fair (really a mini-craft fair) coming up soon that I've, in a moment of insanity, agreed to be part of. I've been making tutus and obi belts and gift bags and headbands and appliqued shirts and ribbon wands, and and and and..... It's been 'fun', but it's hard to put so much work into something to sell. A gift- you know who it's going to, and you know it will be appreciated. But "goods"- you're always worried about whether it will sell and price-points and streamlining the process in order to make that two-dollars-an-hour hopefully turn into three or four ;) Ha, sorry for the tangent... I have "created" an etsy site to help find a home for anything that doesn't sell. Vitruvian.etsy.com Right now, it's just a banner, but hey, I made that myself and it's kinda pretty, no? But check back in a few days and I'll have some stuff up. Hopefully.
Just kinda hoping to find a way to support this growing habit of mine.
No, not that, I kicked that yeaaaars ago ;) Fabric-retail-therapy, duh!
My next post will likely be a show-and-tell of new projects. And from there we should be back in business with no more excessive boring catch-up posts. Hip hip and all that...
Oh, yea, for those of you that don't get the email, or aren't on my facebook (do such people exist??) I've also updated flickr. Now's your chance to over-indulge in MacKenzie cuteness... Kenzie's flickr page
See ya! (or write atcha, I suppose....)

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Pleeeeegh...There, I did it.

See, honey. I posted. So there. Get off my tookas.



Ps.- Mwah.

Monday, May 11, 2009

wascally wabbit

Why won't my daughter sleep?!!?!?! And how many times is too many to put her back in bed? Little stinker.... And her silly little face is just Too Cute when she gets caught- I have to really train myself not to giggle.

Sunday, May 10, 2009

Happy Mother's Day!

Hello all you mommies out there- happy You day! Today is definitely a "me" day, and it has been delightful. I slept in until 11:30- yup, no typo- 11:30!!! The plan was to have a beach day but it was a bit murky out this morning, and I was feeling lazy. I really have benefited from the sleep, too, I feel like a whole new person. During my rest, my main man took DD out to pick up mimosa supplies, so I had booze with my coffee and breakfast sandwiches- lol, it was just very nice. And right now, I'm sitting here, wearing my mommy crown (thanks mom!) listening to The Decemberists- my ALL TIME fave music (that DH downloaded onto HIS ipod so I could listen to it- remember, my computer is no longer with us.) I'm lovin' life. To all you hubbys out there- this is What To Do for her on special days. A nice drink, a nice breakfast, and a free slot of time to do whatever and listen to her favorite music. Siiiiiggghhhhh.
So this post is really not about me, however, but my own mama. My mother is a remarkable woman- warm and funny, and super creative with little things that bring a smile to your face. She's been an excellent role model for me in my own parenting- everytime I cast societies' disapproval aside to dance and sing like a crazy person in the middle of the Target checkout, I know I am channeling my Mom. That's who she is. A crazy person who could give a darn- if it makes her kids happy. Thanks for my childhood, mom. I was/am very lucky.
This is a show-and-tell for her benefit. I've been working on a quilted wall-hanging for her for Mother's day for awhile now, and it's been almost done for awhile now, as well. Except somehow, probably in our move, I've lost the walking foot to my machine, so I haven't been able to quilt it. I had ordered a new one weeks ago, which still hasn't arrived. Boo. So, here it is mom- mostly done, just waiting for the silly part to come:
I've been really excited about this. I designed it myself- which is nothing special as it's just squares- but it's a crossword puzzle (my mom loves puzzles) to which there are real answers- all "mother" related. I'll send the clues along with the quilt. The purple/dark square fabric is all my grandmother's fabric- my mom's mom, and the light fabric is all mine. And the word "mother" is hand-sewn. That's right kids- like, with a needle and thread! I'm proud of this quilt, and of the collection of special components to it, and I hope she'll love it. 'Cuz I love her. Sniffle.

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Busy Busy Bee...

I have so many things to write about- but there is an imaginary ticking clock VERY LOUDLY counting down the seconds left in my sweet daughter's naptime- and well, I have a lot to do in this precious window. I wanted to take a moment to share some new projects with you guys, though, because, well, I'm super excited at how they turned out. It's nice to put out a little self-love every now and then, eh?
As many of you may know, I couldn't sew before Kenz was born. I had a machine- a very basic Brother- and I attempted a few projects. (I recall a pair of pajama pants in which the recipient couldn't fit his hand into the pocket). But it wasn't really my thing. And then I inherited the mother-of-all fabric collections from my grandmother, and I thought, well, now I HAVE to learn how. Luckily (?), Hubby was going to be on a rather extended trip, so I packed up the new baby (awwww) and we went down to Miami, where my MIL taught me to sew a quilt. And it's been all downhill from there ;) But until recently (very recently) I've stuck to quilts- I love the process of picking out fabrics, and the end result, but mostly I love that it is two peices of fabric sewn together in a straight line. Over and over and over again. Very much in my comfort zone.
Well, I have officially broken out of my comfort zone! I saw this tutorial: Spring Sewing ~ Spring Ruffle Top Tutorial and I had to have this top. I also had this perfect fabric. I had made a quilt with it, and had some left over to do something with, but never knew quite what, until I saw this. Kismet. Anywho, I know it's very- uh, different- but it's soo me, and it is my new favorite top that I own. Yay!!! Also, it was fun to make, so if anyone wants one (very roomy in the belly area too...) let me know and we'll chat.

Additionally, I tailored my first piece of clothing, and it turned out beautifully. I wish I had a before picture of this, but, well, I don't. I found this at the thrift store, and originally got it just for the fabric- I thought I'd cut it up and make it into- dunno, something. But then I tried it on, and the fabric felt like- well, how I imagine Edward My Dear Hubby would touch me when he was singing me to sleep. ;) It's so tissue thin and soft and divine. However, it hung like a sack. It was originally sleeveless, with the line from the shoulder going straight down to the waist- no curve- and the arm holes were about three times wider than they needed to me. So I simply pinned it where I thought it looked nice, added a cap sleeve, and cut! I wasn't too nervous, because it wasn't ever meant to be intact anyway. But somehow, it worked, and now it may be my second-favorite shirt.
Oooh, I love new clothes!!

And, finally, something for my niece Hayden. Her first birthday is coming up, so I wanted to make her something hip but girly to wear. This is based off a Hawaiian skirt called a Pa'u, used for Hula.
I made it longer than what would be right for a one-year old, because I wanted her to be able to wear it for a longer time. There are detachable straps for wearing it as a dress, but I don't have any of the snaps to put it on yet- but it's the same polka-dot fabric as the trim. As for the girly-glittery skull print- well, that's all Hayden's mama. She's punk-rock like that. I hope she likes it- I know Kenz loves modeling it- I'll have to make her one now.

Now I'm off to do some comfort-zone sewing. I have all the pieces for my BIG DEAL quilt project cut. AHHHH!!!


Sunday, May 3, 2009

Late May Day, Forgetfulness, and Aprons.

Sheesh. I think the planets are aligned against me being a frequent and timely blogger. I swear, I start these things every day, but there's always something 'conspiring' against me, pulling me away to do more important work (reading..sewing...taking care of my pack of wild monkeys child). I will say, though, that my one (quite distracting) vice is now no more, as I've finished the Twilight series. Although I hate to end a good series, I have to say I'm a bit thankful- as I wasn't getting anything done. Now I can focus again.
We are now into the lovely (and scorching hot) month of May. I hope everyone on the Mainland is having fun with the weather, and appreciating the blooms popping up around you. we don't have many new blooms- as everything is in pretty much constant bloom here, but I did notice that some of the herbs have gotten flowers. Typically you should pinch the flowers off herbs, and I did... after snapping a few pics. It's a shame to pull them off, as they are so delicate and sweet, but if it's between flowers and food- well, I think you guys know where I stand on food.
Our May Day was spent at Home Depot, picking out new flowers for our window boxes. I'm so thankful that Hubby loves going garden-shopping as much as (if not more than!) I do- we could spend hours in the flower aisles. We came away with some happy garden mums- I'm not sure why, but I always disliked the mums back home- they came out in force around Thanksgiving- in burnt orange hues- maybe just because they graced every single Maryland front porch, I was snobby about them. But these yellow and purple ones spoke to me, and I'm loving what they add to our front porch. I also think these would make lovely wedding centerpieces....hint hint to someone getting married soon. Always looking out for you.
In addition to replanting my boxes, Hubby did all of the grass-related yard work. I haven't been feeling fabulous lately (have you ever sucked on a mouthful of pennies? yea..uh....neither have I. But, HAD I experienced something as totally weird and gross as that, I could imagine the flavor being similar to the taste in my mouth almost constantly. Ugh.) Usually yard work is my 'chore', which I actually like, as it gets me outside and in the sun. But, what with my icky tummy, it's been- well, neglected. So DH went out and did it all- edging, weeding, planting, and brick laying included. Woohoo, I'm lucky. ;)
I went to make him a Thank-You treat. We had gone to Costco and were woo-ed by the some ungodly pounds of strawberries. I thought, hmm, strawberry muffins? I had some bran, so planned on an oat-bran muffin, assembled all my ingredients, and got to work. Except...uh, no eggs. Sigh. I looked online for an egg-less muffin, found one, and got to work. Except...uh, no actual flour. Jeez. So I just looked in the pantry to see what I DID have. EEEK, not much. I had some silken-tofu, so I thought- strawberry cheesecake, but alas, no ingredients for crust. Turns out the ONLY THING I could make was a smoothie. Poor DH. This is sooo un Mary Jane. However, I do, at least, make a darn good smoothie:
about half a cup of peanut butter
roughly half a box of silken tofu
a few handfuls of sliced strawberries
a pour of soy milk
a pour of juice- I used apple
a scoop or two of flax meal
a dollop of honey

As you can tell, this is a very precise recipe. It sure is yummy, though. (As just an aside, I did run out to get eggs that evening- so he has muffins waiting for him when he came home. Stud-muffins. Har har.)

To compliment my mad kitchen skizzeels, I've been sewing/planning to sew some aprons lately. These two were made as gifts:
I didn't have a pattern to use, and just kinda winged it, but I think they turned out pretty well. I quilted one:
...and added ruffles to the other.
It was my first time doing ruffles, and well, I've practiced a lot since I finished this one. Oh well. Now I know.

And I found these beauties (cloth napkins) while thrift shopping: I went looking for pillowcases, which is just never really a fruitful hunt here. But these are fun, and about fifty cents each- I think they'll make adorable little aprons.
I especially like this one: It's so hideously 80's. I'm not going to keep it, so if anyone loves it as much as me, lemme know and it's yours.


We've also begun a Very Big Project here in our house. I wanna keep it secret until completed for the WOW factor...but here's a hint:
The person who guesses the room involved correctly first gets a homemade change/makeup/small-loose-items bag. I believe the blog is now set up so that anyone can comment (no account required) so don't be shy people!


Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Ain't too proud to beg.

Ok, guys, just a quickie. I was hoping for a favor?! I've been really interested/slightly obsessed with pillowcase dresses/tunics (typically for little girls) lately. They are super easy to make, and really fun to customize. Thing is, they are supposed to be made out of old pillowcases- the more vintage in feel, the better. We live on a little island in the middle of nowhere and commodities such as neato vintage pillowcases are a tad scarce. In fact, they don't even need to be authentically 'old', just something different than the standard unadorned white case. So, if anyone was cleaning out the linen closet or making a trip over to goodwill (and happened to come across the bedding aisle) and found a neato pillowcase that they wanted to, ahem, donate, ahem, to...uh...,me, that would be soooo cooool. Any fabric design would be awesome, and I'd even send it back to you if you wanted- I just have fun making them. These also make really cute maternity tops...hint hint hint.
So I'll post something real a bit later- I just wanted to beg while the courage was fresh. Email me if interested in helpin' a sister out. ;) Love you guys!

Monday, April 27, 2009

A day in our life.

Let me begin by asking everyone to take a moment of silence, and to send warm, healing thoughts to Percy. Percy (whom I have just now named) was burning up with a fever, and I feel he just gave up on this life. But we, I hope, caught this disease in time, as he is now lying in the hospital, where he will remain for two weeks getting treatment and transplants. Percy has been with me for a long time, and he is my very good friend, and without him, this blog wouldn't be possible. Yes, folks, Percy is my dear, dear Macbook Pro. His fan died, and he's been very sick, and I had no choice but to give him over to those who could take care of him better than myself. Did I mention he'd be away for two weeks?! Sigh.
So, I had some posts planned, but all my pics are held captive in the Mac store currently. I have a few current ones still stored on my camera though, so I thought I'd use them to give a pictorial of what an average day in the DoMESStic household is like (lately). Enjoy.

::Administrators note: please do not look too closely at the pictures. I edit almost every picture I ever post. These haven't been touched. They look like dookie, and I'm too lazy to do anything about it. Thank you for your understanding. ::


7am: Kenzi wakes up. She says/screams, "Mommy! Mommy! Moooooommmmmmyyyy!" Oh god. DH and I rock, paper, scissors it to see who'll be getting up. We take so long fighting over it that she falls back asleep. Phew- close one.
8:30am: Kenzi wakes up. Again. She says, "Mommmmmmyyyyy!" (I've really got to get her trained to ask/scream for her daddy). Hubby usually gets up- he keeps expecting me to, but ha. (He's got a lot to learn). I roll over to fall back asleep. I hear little footsteps. "Mommy, what doing?" "Sleeping." "Oh, I sleeping too!" "Great." "Mommy, what doing?" "...Sleeping." "Oh. .... But mommy- what doing?" Sigh. Now I'm awake. We all go downstairs.
8:30-around 10- Breakfast stuff. Hubby plops my coffee in front of me. It's like instinct. Nothing gets done in our house until Mommy gets her cup of coffee. Which is funny, 'cuz after I get it, I wait about an hour for it to 'cool off' before I drink it. Guess it's just psychological. Kenz feeds Ripley, the dog. There is a 50/50 chance she will dump the cup of food on the carpet. On purpose. If this happens, it will be a bad day. If mommy is making breakfast, it means some combination of waffles, pancakes, omelet, yogurt, and fruit. If daddy is making breakfast it means sharing a bowl of cereal. Daddy made breakfast this morning. The cereal had pumpkin seeds in it. I told Kenz she would grow pumpkins out of her belly. She grasped her belly in shock...
and began to scream....
I chuckled and grabbed my camera. World's Worst Mother {takes a bow}. You know, my dad tormented me relentlessly growing up, so A.) it's only fair that I get to dole it out some myself, and B.) it made me a much more cautious, empirical (right word?) person, and that's never a bad thing, eh? Haha, she hates the "I got your nose " game, too. No, really, you've got to try it!
10-1- We try to tire her out. This often involves a playdate- these days are lifesavers- or a trip to the beach with daddy, also a good time.
(This would be a good time to get some surfing in. But daddy took mommy's surf board out to play, and forgot to strap it on the roof as he drove to come home. Can you believe it made it alll the way across a four lane highway without hitting another car? Crazy. I'd post a picture of the damage on here, but that would involve me getting off my chair, finding my camera, walking to the garage, and taking the board down off the wall, and then making the return trip. Use your imagination on the damage.)

1-4- Hubby leaves for work. I then plead, coerce, threaten, cry, pray, bribe, etc etc etc MacKenzie to take a nap. Didn't I mention somewhere on here that we (the parents) always lose? Sometimes she will lay in bed for two hours singing songs and talking to herself, not crying, but definitely not sleeping. Soooometimes she'll sing herself to sleep and sleep an additional hour or so. Lately, that's just not been happening. This means I spend an afternoon/evening alone with a cranky, overtired little girl. Sometimes we'll go for a ride during this time. I'll often remember I need *insert random item as excuse to go to target here* so we go to Target. But when we pull into the parking lot, I find this: Great.

4-6:30- We come up with things to do. A new fave is making Cheerio jewelry. I have to say, this was a stroke of genius on my part. This gets us, like, a whole half hour of activity time!
We also put our peepee in the potty. This usually works better if little bit has some privacy. But if it gets quiet for more than three minutes or so, this is what you'll find:"I wipe my booty!!" uh...Yay..??

6:30-8- We eat dinner. Dinner could be something super fancy like a fake turkey sandwhich- ...or boxed pasta and corn on the cob. Seriously- I get so down sitting down to a nice dinner that I've made when it's just me and the little one.
me:"Kenzi, how's the citrus infused fish?"
her:"Yucky."
me:"Oh. Well, I think the coconut rice turned out really well tonight. Thoughts?"
her:"Yucky."
me: "I see. Do you have any suggestions for next time?"
her: "Make boxed pasta and throw in some string cheese."
Sometimes in this time slot we watch a movie. We like the Blue Planet/Planet Earth dvds, or March of the Penguins. By "we" I mean "me." Kenz likes Elmo Goes to Grouchland. Didn't take me long to decide that we'd never be watching that one ever again. Ugh. I swear, Elmo is brainwashing America's children. Why?! He's a furry little red dude that has an obnoxious laugh. What's The Big Deal? Sorry for the tangent...
Anyway, March of the Penguins is at least educational. See, it teaches young children how babies are born:

8-8:30- We take a bath. (Kenz gently reminds me to wash her "arm-pitty-bits"..and her "toe-sy bits". Uh, and her "ear-sy bits". And her..."hair." Sometimes she forgets to remind me to rinse her hair, though...) We read stories. We 'wrestle' our way into pjs...it's so much fun. Really. We feed her fish- whom she named- OgeeOgee. (Not, BTW, Ogee for short. It's gotta be OgeeOgee.) I put her in bed.
She makes sure she has her wubby, her pookie bear, her pookie bear's wubby, her mao-mao, her mao-mao's wubby, her monkey bear, her dukey dog, her medium-sized bear, and her blanket. And her another blanket. And her another another blanket. Uh, oh, now she's gotta pee. Ok, now kisses. And noseys. And cheeksies... But she needs milk! And it's too dark. Is the fan on? Both fans? .....GO TO SLEEP MACKENZIE!!!
8:30-10:30- She sings. I try to tune her out and pay attention to Edward.