Het Gaat Lijk Lukken Bakken

Yeppers, bored again....

1. White Chocolate Peppermint steamers - which is to say, peppermint white hot cocoa, from the little coffee shop in downtown Wayland. Where the barrista does not look at me funny for ordering something without coffee in it.

2. Jelly rolls and Layer cakes. Not the food kind. The fabric kind:
Like these, or these. And if'n I want bling, charm packs are good, too. Wouldn't this make a darling baby quilt?

3. Vintage buttons. Better than candy.

4. Ribbon. Yes, I am a Human Magpie. Bright colors, shiny surfaces, anything that sparkles....

5. Yarn. Especially sock yarn. Yes, I know you can buy socks. Don't be so silly.

6. Silk. In any format.

7. Books. Cookbooks, needlework books, history books, fiction. It really doesn't matter. My house is really a library with a bedroom or two.

8. Big people toys. From Williams-Sonoma, or Pfaff, or any one of a dozen other fun places.

9. My big pipe dream: A house big enough not to be constantly stepping on something or someone (one in which my husband and I can actually pass each other in the hall), and a membership in the Disney Vacation Club. Plus lots of time to spend with the girls both at home and on vacation.

Well, since the ol' slide off has sort of post-poned my Christmas shopping until at least I get paid on Wednesday, I'm just makin' lists. (I was sort of hoping for a Christmas bonus at the party today at lunch. No such luck :-( Maybe on payday? Or p'rhaps not at all. *sigh*)

I found some of the BIG zip bags at Lowe's on clearance, so I intend to start organizing my projects into one-to-a-bag projects. I'm trying to work out how it would work best. One total outfit to a bag? Or one garment to a bag? In other words, should I put ALL the makins for chemise, gown, kirtle, partlet, and apron in one bag? Or chemise in one bag, gown in another, kirtle in another, other accessories in another? I think I'll start with:

Northern Dutch outfit
1530's outfit
Dutch outfit for John

Thoughts?

I also need to go visit ablackram in the hopes of getting some Christmas sewing done - a few things for John, Rori's ring stacker, etc.


Hopefully tonight's ride home will be uneventful. The weather has been foul as only Lakeshore weather can be. When I got up at 4:30 to feed the baby, it was 53 F, and raining (I know, as my roof was still leaking). By 8 AM it was 17 F. Can you say "flash freeze?" I took the van, as the trucklet isn't really worthy of fighting those conditions just yet. I was afraid it's brakes were going, until I realized that the traction control system was engaged. THAT takes some getting used to.

Off to pretend to work some more. Or rather, to see some clients who pretend they're going to pay us - later. *eye roll*

I'm a bit more mellow today. So I shall share the contents of my goofy brain this afternoon:

If the "controversial" meme demonstrates anything at all, it's that the "issues" used by both parties and the media to try to draw "we-they" lines in the sand are ludicrous. Take a deep breath, and stop with the knee-jerk reactions to these things. Make your decisions on what your elected officials actually DO, not what their party affiliation is, or how they feel about issues that don't really pertain to governance. Folks, this is how we got into this mess. There is so much acrimony, nothing gets done. We've allowed ourselves to be divided on false pretenses - to the sole advantage of those who make their livings by politics and the PR machine that runs it.

Which brings us to the bail-out. Now, we're in a nice, stable, 30-year fixed VA loan. But we're not where I would like us to be financially. One good shove and all the dominoes could fall. Scary enough to think that not so long ago WaMu held our mortgage. Granted, somebody would have bought the loan. But still. *sigh* Dare I hope that Congress can pull it together and stop with the idiotic infighting long enough to do something? They're all so bloody self-centered, none of them are taking the long view. I'd kick mine in the seat of the pants via E-mail if I thought it would do the slightest good. They're becoming the modern equivalent of the French Aristocracy - and are likely to see their careers face the guillotine if they don't get their act together post-haste.

Yesterday was Anneliese's birthday - hence All About Boo. More on that later. With pictures. And giraffes. Still need to make a cake this weekend, since we haven't covered THAT yet. At least I bought the Wall-E pan and necessary food colorings

And I managed to get a pretty good deal on an exersaucer for Rori. I don't tihnk she's quite up to it as yet, but John can talk to the pediatrician about it on Monday.

There is apparently some hope of getting an aide for Anneliese via SSI and Community Mental Health. I'd resisted SSI for a lot of reasons. Many having to do with my pride. But I'm willing to revisit the subject in the interest of getting her what she needs. Hindsight, and all that. We might not get her into class this month - but I'll see if they start beginners in January, as well. I'll likely end up giving up Tuesday's at Alaina's for Irish Dance Class - but well worth it. I'm sure Alaina and I can find other opportunities to socialize and do some sewing.

John has an interview with Pepsi Corp next week. Apparently there has been enough shift in the marketplace for them to look at him. If nothing else, it's benefits. Still, pursuit of the MBA still looms. Though I anticipate it will be a 4-5 year process. He disagrees, but I don't think he's sat down and mapped it out yet. I'm kind of hoping this other job might come through, but they don't seem in any great hurry to fill the position. Nor do I have any idea how you motivate a company to do so, if you can.

I have Angie's baby hat done, but for 3 more peas. ;-) Still have some burp cloths to do. Debating about a diaper bag. Have to look for some vintage baby print fabric for a lining.

On the SCA front, a post from Griet has me pondering persona competitions, and how to design one for maximum participation and "wow" factor. Thoughts, anybody?

Truly a bizarre week or so, it has been

First off, we took Anneliese to the new dance studio. Her old one burnt down, and moved about 15 miles away. Another studio in town folded. So this is the only game in town. She assured us last year that she works with Autistic kids "all the time." Only last year there were no openings. We got the same assurance this year, but, just to be sure, we took her in to meet Miss Karla beforehand so she could see what she was getting. During the meeting, Boo ran around the studio in typical Boo fashion, playing with hula hoops and mirrors and anything handy. Mis Karla was Confident, though unsure about placing Anneliese into the only class left as there were already 14 little girls in it, and her assistant was new. So it was agreed that Anneliese would try it out for two weeks before we plunked down money - just to be sure everybody was satisfied.

Fast forward two weeks to the first class. Class begins, Miss Karla runs them all around the room playing "stop and go" - which Anneliese seemed to be more or less participating in. Then she takes them all to the barre for ballet exercises. Boo behaves as she usually does, circling the room in excitement and playing in the mirrors. They made it 5 minutes before they asked us to take her out. The studio owner sat and explained to me how much she wished they could take her and on, and on, and on. Boo, when it was explained to her that there would be no dance classes, cried silently in OSCAR-worthy fashion. Said studio owner also insisted they saw the need for a Special Needs dance class in the area and they were considering starting one. She took down my name, address, and phone number.

I'm not holding my breath. I believe the problem was one of expectations. I'm not sure WHAT they expected of her, but it was clearly not what they got. I suspect those "autistic" children they've dealt with in the past have been very mild. And likely of the variety who, when overstimulated, shut down in the corner and resist being touched. Anneliese, when overstimulated, is a bit like Speedy Gonzalez on a caffeine high. I still think there might be a dance class around for her. I'm very sure it's not at that studio.

So we took her off the the Irish Music Festival on Sat. Though (thanks to Tropical Storm Lowell and hurricane Ike, it's very, very soggy) it was much too wet to do the outdoor festival, we did go to the dance competition. Anneliese watched raptly for better than an hour, clapping after each dancer and saying "Good job! Good job!" Oh, and "danced" up and down the aisles herself. It was adorable - and a little heart-wrenching, given that we can't find an instructor to take her on. One of the vendors was so touched, she made an effort to try to find John Heinzman, who owns one of the larger Irish dancing schools. She was convinced he'd be willing to take her on. And he might be, but they operate out of Detroit. Their Grand Rapids studio is likely staffed with assistants, who might or might not be as willing to deal with her.

Which is the real rub, I suppose. I don't know if I do her a disservice by it, but I can't bring myself to force other people to put up with her on a regular basis. We tend to not go to a lot of things that I think she might not handle well. I haven't left her with anybody but my mother for more than an hour or so in - well, years. I just can't ask anybody else to deal with her. I probably should get the list of Grand Valley students willing to provide respite care again. *sigh*

It's off onto the Parade of Homes today. More about that afterward. As well as a small update on the extreme screwiness that was my former place of employment. Oi.

I promise, back to costuming stuff next week. I'll update on the new chemise, and maybe attempt the drop-front kirtle. And maunder more about petticoats and the bodice/jacket.

( In the meantime... )

Or at least, good things that have happened lately:

Baby slept through the night AGAIN. ;-) And since she'd done it once before, I didn't feel the need to get up 6 times to check on her. Time to try to transition to the crib, I think.

John managed to do a reasonably good job at selling himself to his potential new boss. She was intrigued enough to tell him she'd talk to HER boss about it, and get back to him in a day or two. So he may even hear something on Monday.

Talking on the phone with Mistress Sarafina. Discussing the ins and outs of Politics in the A&S sphere. The best thing: Being told "Put your stuff out there. I've got your back." It's easier to crawl out on a limb if there's somebody there to grab you by the scruff of the neck.

Tomorrow - either Silver Leaf Renn Faire, or Rivertown mall so Boo can see Wall-E again with Daddy while the baby and I window shop. Weather dependent.

I'm dizzy....

Recent progress on the learning curve:

Coffee Cup's free version of it HTML editor does NOT include the Visual Editor portion. *sigh*

HTML is horribly tedious. Especially when Coffee Cup is resisting importing templates.

Using CSS to create my own template will probably save me a lot of time an maintenance long term.

Learning CSS is going to be a royal pain in the keister. Luckily, I've forgotten most of the HTML I knew anyway - so it's a wash either way.


On another note, Alaina has raised the possibility of a mutual membership in a dairy co-op. Off to surf for milk pasteurizers.

Now I know compared to some places, it's not THAT hot here. However, at around 88 degrees, and 90% humidity, well, bad things happen. I'd intended to make pink and chocolate fortune cookies and put them in itty bitty take out boxes for the shower. Um, yeah. Apparently, tulles do not like this weather. I have no A/C, so the first 6 came out OK. Then things went bad. Excessive heat doesn't get along with butter-based cookie batters.

I learned 2 things. First, there's a reason I haven't made these in 10 years. Second, next time, use a silpat, and a piece of template plastic. Why? parchment paper begins to acquire little wrinkles that leave thick-and-thin spots in the cookie - which leads to breakage. And the template plus a spatula would allow better consistency in cookie thickness. Hey, I never claimed to be a pastry chef. So I went out and bough regular and strawberry Whoppers instead, to fit the pink and brown color scheme.

*sigh*

Ah well, knitting almost done. Sewing almost done. I still need to make the cheesecake pops tomorrow, finish the gifts, assemble the centerpiece, and see if I can get some greens for the 'bouquet'. Maybe Alaina has asparagus that we can snag the ferns from.

In other news, Project Runway has begun it's new season. I was a bit disappointed with them all choosing tablecloths or variations thereon. I'd have thought they'd have worked out the nature of the challenge. So far, I'm most taken with the gal who described her style as "Holly Golightly goes to a Salvador Dali exhibition." Knowing my luck, she'll get eliminated next week. :-P

Baby was up every two hours last night. She got up at 11:30 tonight and has yet to convincingly go back to bed. I'm still up, as I'd rather STAY up then be woken again after 15 minutes.

Off to knit....

John is to hear about whether or not he gets this job by 2 PM tomorrow. To clarify - what hinges is this: If he gets it, I quit my job, and pick up some part-time/relief work. If he doesn't, I go back to Crazy Lady. At least till I find something else. Things are slightly edgy around here.

In other news, baby Rori is beginning to sleep better in her bassinet. So we're all getting a bit more sleep. And a few things getting done. This weekend - some laundry, a little cleaning here and there, and a batch of strawberry jam. Plus acquisition of a toy for Rori's stroller bar. Meanwhile, Anneliese is adjusting and actually touched the baby of her own accord today. Which is good, since most of the day Anneliese was in a mood - weeping for no reason every time we turned around. At least till we went to Auntie Lisa dn Uncle Paul's - who introduced her to the Wii. I was very surprised at how quickly she grasped the functions of it and had a ball.

Since knitting is easier to put down and pick up every few minutes, I've taught myself the continental method. It speeds things along. Baby knitting commences. Many cute projects. Insufficient time.

Baby shower planning also commences. Mom went WAY overboard on the door prizes, but what else would one expect from her? ;-) Two Yankee jar candles with shades and plate, and two tart warmers with tarts and tealights. *facepalm* Plus two more small jar candles to be combined with Bath and Bodyworks goodies. Luckily, I saved a bunch of baby-themed gift bags. Just need to get plates, silverware and cups, do up the centerpieces, and make sure I have everything for the favors. Those must wait until closer to gametime.

I'm also plotting a new kirtle based on the picture rectangularcat found. To appear on the website when able. Must get all Mona's info for proper crediting. John needs a new cotehardie. Plus that doublet, that perhaps will require a trip to see or meeting up with Mistress Sarafina at an event.

Off to feed the baby. And then, with luck, put the baby to bed.

(2 extra points if you get the reference)

I am slowly clearing the Cold from Hell (TM), but the weekend was very low key, due to my attempting to hack up a lung from time to time. Then curling up on the couch and waiting for the resulting contractions to go away. At least it's down to a dull roar now, though I'm still fairly dependent on the Dextromethorphan. If you need entertainment, ask me sometime about the clueless pharmacy tech who got between me and said drug this weekend. Oi.

We made a trip to Target Saturday to stock up on various snacks and tidbits for the small one, as it's Spring Break, so she'll be home all week. Should have put another bag of pretzels on the list, as that's still a prime Boo Snack.

On the way home, I made Darling stop off at Jo Anns, where I happened across an issue of Australian Smocking and Embroidery that had a christening gown in it that I liked. It wasn't the issue I'd seen previously at B&N, so I was a little confused as to whether this was a NEW issue, or the last one still hanging around - and they're not dated, only numbered. Since I had a 40% off coupon, I opted to take it home. Looking it up online, I find that it's about 2 1/2 years old. ?!?!?!?!? I have no idea how it wandered out into the back magazine rack from whatever limbo it had been living in, but at least it's mine now. I like the cut, not so fond of the embroidery plate that goes with it, but I'm going to substitute another I have that I like better (by Wendy Schoen, natch). Now I just need to go find a couple skeins of floss. I'm thinking a pale-pink overdyed would work nicely. However, as Needle Necessities has gone out of business, I'm going to have to hunt around a bit.

So, having found my pattern (or having it pop up under my nose, anyway), I decided to dig through my storage area for the 2 yds of Swiss Nelona cotton that Mom gave me Many Moons Ago. I was a bit concerned that I might have put it in a "safe place" that was now rather opaque in its reasoning. But I turned that up, and the Signet's favor to pass on to Hannah. Then kept digging. I had nothing better to do, and was vaguely curious. I turned up a box that had my Baby Bjornn carrier in it, as well as some maternity clothes from the last time 'round - including a few bits that still had tags on, as I'd never gotten a chance to wear them. This was particularly welcome, given that I did NOT win my E-bay auction (newbies are dumb - the lot in question ended up selling for $102 - about $20 over the "Buy it Now" price. Umm, Auction fever, I guess?). I shared news of this little windfall with Dad, who - being a natural-born imp, asked "And they still fit?" Urrrrr. You theenk you are funny, clown?

So now I have to cut out the gown, transfer designs, and find floss and lace. I did put the new clothes through the washer, and I'm thinking I'm pretty well set for now. I hope. I hate clothes shopping.