Long Time No Write

The holidays always sneak up on me, attack me, and leave me for dead. By the time I finally peel myself off the floor it’s mid January and all my good intentions are dried up and late. I had dreams of posting all sorts of holiday cookie recipes, but I never actually got the posts written. I did manage to take pictures before the cookies were inhaled by three-year-olds and various other people who were not me since I had a series of colds throughout the holidays.

I’m still suffering from colds as I’ve got one today. I’ve sent my three-year-old to take her nap so I can have a half hour to myself before I embark on Sick Day Yoga. (3YR always wants to do my workouts with me, but she can’t seem to do any of the moves and just sits there and tells me she can’t do them louder than the video I’m trying to hear….ah, the joys of 3YROs.)

Since the start of the new year, I’ve been trying to do a lot more yoga and workouts. Yoga is something I can do and not work up a horrid sweat and feel great afterwards. Days like today where I walked around thinking I was really sick only to realize the reason I was so cold was the heater was broken.

Again.

No one is sure what the problem is, but it sometimes doesn’t kick on properly and you have to jiggle a rubber tube and it magically kicks on fully. Since I was gone all morning, it got down to 64. It’s not back up to 68 and I no longer feel like I’m freezing to death.

I’ve been watching a lot of old movies. I’m not sure what it is about them, but I adore them. Clothes. I think it’s mostly the clothes. Even in the period movies I love seeing what they’re wearing.

So, the point of this update?

I haven’t forgotten it, mostly. I still want to do another skin care update (I’ve changed almost everything I used to use and love all my new stuff except maybe my new day cream, but I’ll deal with that in the skin care update), I’d love to do a daily clothes update — mostly with my daily outfit set out on the floor and not on me as I’m not brave enough to throw my face out there just yet–, and I want to put up more recipes. I’ve got cookies, I’ve got BREAD, and likely other things by the time it rolls around to getting them out. 3YR and I are planning to make finger puppets, since I didn’t want to buy them from Hanna Andersen yesterday for $18.00. I looked at them and had that “I Can Make That” moment. Now, she won’t leave me be. Tragically, I own no fleece, so we’ll have to venture out for that. Till then I’ll scan Pinterest. Fail or not, I’ll let y’all know. It might make a great snow day craft. (Or Your Face Is Going to Freeze Off and Must Stay Inside day craft.)

Alright, Ireland over and out.

Bleeding $$$$$$

*Pulls on compaling trousers*

We’ve finally moved into our new house. We’ve not had a house since June. We’ve lived in other people’s homes, hotels, and a short-term apartment/hotel thing. Throughout this whole time (except when we were living at other people’s homes) we’ve been just bleeding money. And it won’t stop just because we’re finally IN the house we bought. 

Poor Scottish Snow

My dad (Hi Dad!) sends me links. Lots of links sometimes, it depends on what he is doing or what he finds. I get links to news stories, comics, and sometimes just plain weird things he thinks I find interesting (I usually do). For as long as I can remember actually getting emails, my dad has sent me links.

The other night, I got one about the oldest patch of snow in Scotland melting. 

Sometimes, She’s Funny

We bought a tent today at REI. For some insane reason Pilot Boy and the Toddler believe they are going to go camping a lot while we’re here. I have never been camping in my life and do not plan on it in the future. I simply do not see the attraction.

Upon returning to our hotel room (which is the size of a two room rather large apartment), Pilot Boy set up the tent. The Toddler decided she was going to nap in it, so we set up her blow up pallet (which I got for her because she gave away her pack n play because she doesn’t fit in it and needs a bed/air mattress for our various moves), added some pillows and blankets and left her to nap. She was in there for maybe fifteen minutes before she shouted, “I NEED TO POTTY!”

“Okay, come on out,” Pilot Boy called out to her.

She unzipped herself (she’s a pro at tent zippers as she practices each time we go to REI, AKA the Camp Store), ran into the bathroom, and set up the toilet for use. We continued to talk about Ethan Allen and chairs and didn’t bother to notice there was no potty sounds coming from the room till the Toddler walked out, stared at us in a horrified manner for a moment before slapping her forehead and saying, “I forgot to take off my pants.”

We stared at her, then all three of us burst out laughing while Basil Bea looked confused.

She was wearing a pull up luckily, so there was no mess to clean up. As someone who once was so tired I missed the toilet completely and would have peed on the floor had my mother not come to my aid, I can relate to not remembering to pull pants down while tired.

Featured images from here.

Some Boots Are Not For Walking

In the fall of 2004, I got onto a plane and flew across the Atlantic Ocean. I landed in Glasgow, where I remained (mostly) for the next six months. When I packed for this six months of living abroad, I did not actually pack a lot of clothing, shoes, or anything other than maxi pads.*

Thus, upon arriving and unloading my meager belongings, I set out to buy more. I had a list of things I wanted: wooly sweaters, kick-ass boots, a posh looking winter coat, and something tweed because my mother told me to buy a tweed suit.

New State, New Oddities: How I Love Thee

The toddler started preschool. She loves it, of course, and she ought to for the price we’re paying. After paying $74 bucks a month, the price increase was a heart attack, even though I knew in moving to a heavily populated area in New Jersey it’d be pricey. But, Toddler, loves it and cannot stop talking about what she did, who she did it with, and what her teacher taught her, so I guess it’s worth the price.

Love Your Skin

I hate my skin.

I have never liked my skin.

It’s pale. I don’t tan. I’ve never had clear skin, but didn’t get any scars till my adult acne cleared up at some point. (I honestly don’t remember when it cleared up. I remember it showing up, but I do not remember it clearing up till one day I was like, wait a minute. Where are the pimples? Hey, wait a second. What the hell is all over my cheeks?)

Everything is Smelly

When I was pregnant, I couldn’t stand the smell of almost anything. I hated how I smelled, my old stand by perfume made me nauseous, and my husband’s natural scent made me gag. The dishwasher actually made me puke it smelled so horrid to me. Heck, I couldn’t even open the fridge without holding my nose.

The fact everything in our brand new house had a horrible stench should have been the first hint to me I was pregnant. (The second being my record low blood pressure when I went in to get help with my anxiety. Due to always having a panic attack whilst at the doctor’s office, it was always high.) 

A Grandma, a Princess, and a Saint

When I was thirteen, I lost a grandma. The day before we were to go visit her, Uncle Bob called. I knew instantly something was horribly wrong when I saw the caller ID come in with his name, as Uncle Bob only called with bad news. While he is a really fun guy and when I do actually see him (which I haven’t in almost ten years) he’s a fun loving guy who makes sure you’re having a good time, when he phoned his sister, it was usually to tell her someone has died.

I was so terrified he was going to tell me Grandma D was dead, but he asked to speak to Mom. He didn’t want to tell the horrible news to a thirteen-year-old soon to be 8th grader. Mom sat down on the couch arm and proceeded to have a dreary conversation I made a point of not eavesdropping on.

I didn’t want to know.

Quick & Dirty Pillow Covers

Dirty pillow covers? Ewww. Gross.

I don’t mean that dirty. I mean kind of sloppy method to sewing together a pillow cover. However, if you’re willing to look passed some unfinished seams no one will ever see unless they rip the pillow out of the cover, then you’ve found your place for directions for an easy and quick pillow cover.

Back story:

I cannot measure. I know how, but whenever I am sewing (or anything) and I must have exact measurements things go wonky quickly. It’s frustrating, it’s confusing and madding. So, I gave up measuring a long time ago. (And using patterns not made by myself.) All my handbags required no measuring by the time I finalized the designs, hence why they were all different sizes when completed.

When we moved, our walls and ceiling of our new house were a horrid gold shade of yellowish brown. It was terrible. I’d always envisioned white or cream colored walls, light colors, and darker accents. I had gathered lots of dark blue accents.

They looked terrible with the gold paint.

Knowing that the gold paint would likely be the bane of my existence until we left, I bought fabric to make new pillow covers for my poor dark blue pillows. Then, I went about measuring and sewing pillow covers from a tutorial on Pinterest.

The first few were disasters that didn’t fit on the pillows, ones I had to sew fasteners onto to close the gaps. One didn’t even close.

So, I improvised and created the Quicky and Dirty Method. Things went better.

Now, we’re getting ready to move again, and the walls are no longer gold (except in the toilet and the laundry room, but I don’t look at that on a daily basis and who wants to paint around a toilet?), so I decided to revamp the pillows. I managed to do this entire project without buying anything, as I used fabric scraps I had left over from the Ireland Scott Design days.

So, here is my Quick and Dirty Method for making a pillow cover: