Thursday, December 31, 2009

Disappointed?

We brought all of our belongings back from Albuquerque after our annual Christmas visit this year. I am happy to have all of our things here, even if I am discouraged by the sheer volume of items I need to sort through. I am off tomorrow and Friday, so I am taking my time (and yes, I am up at 3:15 in the morning typing this).

So here is where my disappointment lies... I have opened several boxes of things from my childhood (school years). I won Student of the Month several times in elementary school, I got citizenship awards and scholastic awards and was a published author by the fourth grade. I won the school spelling bee with the word "bikini" in fifth grade. I worked on independent studies on grade levels far above my peers. I was a truly gifted and generally well-liked student.


In middle (junior high) school, I won the spelling bee at school level all three years and missed out in the last round at district level in eighth grade to a girl who was later disqualified for cheating. I worked as a junior docent at the NM Museum of Natural History and Science, I was in the gifted program, I took advanced level courses. I had an unsteady life at home, with my mother in school (amongst other things) so I really threw myself at my education with everything I had. I was on newspaper, yearbook, peer counseling, student counsel, drama and every other special interest activity I qualified for (including a very interesting video mural project). I have letters of recommendation from nearly every teacher and adult/mentor in my life. I even found a letter from the state representative for my neighborhood expressing his gratitude that I represented the South Valley (not known for it's education per se). I got into the local Catholic school with a 97% on the entrance exam.


In high school, for once, I was average (well, in the classes I took). It was a relief in some ways, but I wonder if it was just the attention that propelled me forward up to that point. My parents, although supportive, never really praised me the way teachers and peers had. I definitely still maintained my grades (although I got my first B in Mr. Penn's Algebra/Geometry class). I fit in well enough, I never had a problem making friends. I was not able to join many activities until my junior year due to bus schedules and my parents and what-not.


You see, my parents moved to Las Vegas the summer between my Sophomore and Junior years. My mom graduated from Pharmacy School and landed a job in Sin City. They gave me the choice to stay put and live between my grandparents and my mom's best friend, or move. I chose to stay. I was very disciplined and I was, for the most part, very happy. I had a boyfriend within the first few weeks of school. He made me giddy, like the sun shone just for me every day. He was (is) smart and funny and jovial (yes, I said it, jovial). We did math homework on the phone, hung out on the weekends, wrote little love notes in class, the usual high school stuff. I joined Physics club, cooking club, drama (back stage--even though I had a small part in one play) and Speech and Debate. I literally had the perfect teenage life, except that my family was not there. So, what did I do?


I moved to Las Vegas. I did not fit in. I did not join any clubs. I got a job. I made out with lots of bad boys. I drank. I snuck out. I snick in. I skipped school (although I still managed straight A's). I rebelled. I graduated, with honors.


So, here I am at 28. I am married. I have 2 kids. I have an associates degree (or three). I work the same job I had in high school. I never realized all those big dreams everyone had for me.


Some days I am disappointed. Then I remember, I am lucky. I can find something every day that makes me happy. So happy in fact, that the disappointment is reserved for delirious ramblings at three-something in the morning.


Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Ketchup

... or catch up, I suppose. It has been a while, again. Life has been moving at such a quick pace I hardly have time to think. I have been working 7 days a week for the last 3 weeks in addition to the capes and Halloween. I had a panic attack at work a few Fridays ago (thank goodness my doc is literally in walking distance from there). I never really thought it was something that would happen to me. I don't tend to internalize stress.


Anyway, the Halloween costumes for the kids came out phenomenal (and I do say so myself). RJ had to be a storybook character at school, so I made him a scarecrow at the last minute. I sewed patches on and cut the cuffs off an old pair of pants. I made the shirt out of flannel, sans pattern and the hat out of felt I had leftover from Peter Pan last year. His second costume was also made without a pattern. He wanted to be Darth Maul from StarWars (and not the Mad Hatter as I had hoped). So I made him a long black cloak with a hood and painted his face.





Aubrey had a few changes as well, although only one costume. I made her a green tutu a few months back and she wore it with an adorable shirt and tight set from Gymboree to the Halloween carnival. She wore another tutu, made by our friend Joann to the Halloween party at karate. The costume I made (slaved over) was Alice in Wonderland. Let me tell you, with all the pleating and folding and gathering and basting, it took forever!!!! I followed the pattern for the dress and even installed my first zipper. I made the apron without a pattern and did not complete the bib part. I still like the way it turned out once I added the accessories (and the tutu for fullness). It was a little longer than I wanted, even though I shortened it from the pattern consoderably. She may be able to wear it again next year, but most likely I will sell it and list it for a 3/4 year old.







As for the rest of it, I have been creating lots and lotsof capes. I have had the standard Batman, Superman and Spiderman...

... and then I have had people give me a lot of creative freedom. I get a theme, and initial and a color and the rest is left up to me. I created this set for 3 year-old twins:



I still have a few in transit so I will post pictures of them as soon as they are received. I am still looking forward to more girl capes. I have 2 SuperGirl capes ordered, I just have to work out the logistics and colors. I am not sure if I want them to match exactly or if I want them to be opposite. I remember my sister and I always wanted what the other one had if it was even slightly different. I am also making Aubrey a Thanksgiving dress, my first piece of every day clothing in years. I am desperately looking for an owl-print corduroy (so if you see any please let me know and I will pay shipping!!!!)
It is pictured here:

Monday, October 19, 2009

I wish

Powerful, totally ineffective words. Don't just wish, do.

I will make more time for myself to do what I love.

I will spend time with my husband, out of bed (sleeping people, sleeping) and listen to his dreams.

I will try harder to keep promises and focus on my relationships in life. This means friends, co-workers and acquaintances. People are important to me and I don't want to lose track of that.

I will try and focus on my body and my health and not just on those of my dear ones. I am important too.

I will allow myself to be loved, or hated for that matter, for who I am and not what I have.


Sunday, September 20, 2009

Whoooo-wee

I have been a busy, busy bee!! I have made 12 capes and counting in the last 2 weeks. I may have to hire someone or invest in a caffeine IV. I have on deck, 3 batman capes, a party pack of 6 (for a 4 year olds birthday party), a cupcake birthday cape, a watermelon cape (so neat!), a princess cape, little red riding hood, a firefighter AND spiderman (who doesn't have a cape, but what the heck eh?)


Here is a peek of one for a kindergarten friend of RJ's (her mom said pink and green and the rest I just ran with):



So I am also having a little contest (for my whole 6 followers, lol) on facebook... whoever recruits the most fans to my page will win a FREE cape! Yes, FREE! Katies-Capes-and-Crafts

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

New month, new ambitions

So after a fantastic response to my two most recent capes, I have decided to give Etsy a try. You may remember me making my first set here: super-mom-to-rescue . I have since made two more for other wonderful boys.

This one reached Justin to greet him on his first full week of pre-school. You can see his cute little mug and his adorable siblings over at raisingjustinandnathan. It is blue/red reversible with a hand stitched J on the back.

This one is for my wonderful nephew Gavin. I took him to the craft store and let him pick out what he wanted. He decided on Batman, so I created the logo for that side and then Matt (my husband) suggested Super Grover to inspire the other side.



I would really love to make one for another little girl too (Aubrey is not quite old enough to fully enjoy it)! I am offering them at Etsy for $15 plus shipping, This is going to be a limited time offer to try and get out there. I have a feeling these prices will not stay low for long. Please check me out:
If you have any questions at all please contact me!

Monday, August 31, 2009

Another one down

Wow, another month has passed. Sometimes I wish time would just slow down a bit. My nephew turned 4 today (yay Gavin!!). I dropped my poor sister at the airport (love you Tiffy-poo). I had lunch with my Aunt (in-law? lol). I worked...

It was a long day, but it was all so short too.

I welcome September and a new adventure.

Monday, August 24, 2009

Kindergarten

Kindergarten. I think that word can stand as it's own sentence today. We were both ready for him to go. Maybe he was a little more ready than I was. We had his outfit laid out last night and he has been eyeing this shirt since I brought it home a few weekends ago (thank you Traci). He got the shoes from his favorite Aunt, Regina. We can walk to the school, I don't even think it is a mile away. He knows a few of the kids from the neighborhood and from Karate, but none of them are in his class. There are 30 kids, 18 boys and 12 girls. His teacher's name is Mrs. Richman. RJ is the tallest boy in his class (measuring at 46.5 inches this afternoon). There was a little girl I didn't see this morning that has even him by a few inches. He was happy to see me after a few short hours and wished he could stay longer. Aubrey missed him a lot, but I think she and I can find something to do for a little while.




Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Death and the Woo-woo

Some people just seem to be conduits and some times I am one of them. When Matt, the kids and I were out in the desert about a month ago I had this creepy calm float over me. I looked at Matt and told him someone was going to die. He is in tune to me, so he knows when I have feelings like this they are normally accurate. Then two days later the crows started talking to Nana (my maternal grandmother) at the cabin. So now, someone is dying. I don't know if this was what we were feeling or not. I guess I will only know when everything has resolved. I shut out this side of me a lot, but I guess I need to embrace it. My dad just calls it "woo-woo" since it is something he doesn't understand. I married a man who is perhaps more in tune with it than I am. Just thought I would share.

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Uncle Jack

He is my great-uncle, uncle Jack, and a great uncle he is. I say is because he is not gone, yet. To my knowledge his heart still beats so I can not, will not use the past tense. It is so sad in many ways that it takes a great loss to have fond memories come flooding back. I need to try and remember good things daily, not just when I am sad.

A little background about Great Uncle Jack: He is married to my Nana's sister, Carol and Nana is my mom's mama. They have three kids, Amy, Kelly and Mike. I have a stuffed teddy bear named after Mike (from when I was little) and he is the only one I refer to in the familiar form (his sisters I call Aunt). They have 2 grandkids, Tom and Joy.

Aunt Carol and Uncle Jack are like another set of grandparents to me. I remember staying with them for a few days when I was about 4 or 5 when my parents went to Disneyland. I remember very much Uncle Jack playing Santa Claus at the church every Christmas. Sara (my sister) and I always felt so special that we knew Santa! He always made sure to give us a special wink and a candy cane. We looked forward to it all year. This one is certainly a hard one for me. I think I last saw Uncle Jack when RJ was very small. I have a picture somewhere and will have to dig it up. In the meantime I have this one that his son, Mike, took and I love it.




So Uncle Jack, whatever or whoever is calling you home, I hope you find peace. You are loved now, you will always be loved.





Friday, August 14, 2009

Fabulous Find Friday!

I am liking the alliteration titles the past 2 days. I have seen a lot of blogger buzz about Weekend Sewing by Heather Ross . So when I was at Joann's picking up supplies for a secret pal gift I thought I would look for it. As luck would have it, I was sans children. I spent probably 5 solid minutes in the book section. I didn't see it until I was about to leave (the cover is different). So I picked one up, with my 40% off coupon. I am excited about it! There are patterns in the front and back covers. I read the forward and she seems like the perfect person to inspire me to take on small projects when I can. These are projects that I really think I can accomplish on my downtime.
I also picked up a few fall things for the kids today at the Children's Orchard in new condition (as in tags still attached) from Gymboree and Gap, 5 shirts and 2 sweaters for about $25. Then I visited my thrift store here in the BC and found a few books from the 19-teens for my sister at less than $2 a piece along with some McCall's patterns from the 70's at $0.25 a piece.


Aubrey and I also enjoyed lunch together while the boys were out playing in the desert. All in all it was a wonderful Friday (other than Matt not receiving his paycheck from Portland for the second time in a row!!


Thursday, August 13, 2009

Thankful Thursday

I am thankful today for my children. Although they fight and argue and cry and scream; they pout and whine and yell and shout;

but they also love and snuggle and kiss and hug; they wiggle and dance and smile and laugh.


I am thankful that I can sit and read a book while they keep each other occupied.

I am also thankful that girls are so much easier to potty train than boys are.

I am also really thankful for a husband who understands that I have off days, and that I need days off. He doesn't always complain that the dishes aren't done and that the floors aren't swept. He will quietly do all of these things when he senses that I have had enough. Sure, he may not do it with a smile on his face or a whistle on his lips, but he is my partner. He treats me like a queen in so many ways that I often take for granted. I haven't taken the trash out once in 6 years. I don't clean my car, I don't do gross boy things like squashing bugs and cleaning toilets. So I am acknowledging this family I have and am thankful for today.


Wednesday, August 12, 2009

WIWOW

This little crafty blogging adventure is courtesy of cute2carry. Mostly, I have been cooking and baking the past few weeks. I am re-doing one of our rooms into a craft room for me. I am going to try and pursue this hobby of mine with more vigor. I told Matt it would make all the difference if I didn't have to pack everything up each night. I get so tired of pulling things out and putting them back that I just don't bother most days. I finished my bag from this tutorial ,but no pictures before I gave it away (it was on a whim and a patient of mine really, really appreciated it--she is going through her second round of Chemo).

Butter topped white bread

Fat-free blueberry cream cheese muffins (except the butter for Matt!)

Rye Bread Loaf and Round

So there are two projects I am currently working on. I am knitting a blanket for RJ and have completed one panel of 9! Thank goodness it doesn't get cold here too fast. If I get one done per week we will be okay.


The other project I have started is a lap quilt. They are 6.5" squares in a 6x9 pattern that I have not laid out at the moment. I do have everything cut though. This is my second quilt ever but the first since I was a teenager (gasp, more than 10 years now).


Friday, July 31, 2009

Ahhhh, it ends tonight ...

... the month of July that is. I am tired, exhausted, or what have you. My shingles are now nothing more than an itchy patch of dry skin ... but there is much more wounding on my heart. I am facing the unknown and I am scared. I do not know day-to-day what my future holds. I am lost and grasping, all the whilst holding two children and my husband with dear might. We are weighing our options and fretting over every decision. Where to move, what to do, when to jump? I am leaning farther and farther over, reverting to what I knew as a child ... considering returning to the church that brought me joy and support. My faith has wavered here and there, I have not practiced actively since high school. I just know I need the power of something greater to guide me.



Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Less than a MONTH!

More from my newest fun online toy polyvore today! On to back to school ... or in our case, first to school? Haha!

RJ picked these out:

BTS RJ/SM Gymboree
BTS RJ/SM Gymboree by KatieQ89123 featuring Converse shoes


With Converse shoes. He is on a soldier kick right now and is all about the Camo. All of this (except shoes) is from ... you guessed it ... Gymboree

Our second set of options is a mix of Old Navy and Crazy8, most of which we own. I am not typically into character or movie tees, etc. but he loves them right now and these look retro, so I can roll with it.


RJ's requests
RJ's requests by KatieQ89123 featuring DC Shoes
I can not believe that my son is starting kindergarten in less than a month!!! He is ready, mentally, but I am not. I haven't wrapped my head around it yet. It should be exciting times for all of us though.

So what is your vote on the school outfits? I will probably let him pick it out... but input is always appreciated. Yes, it is hot here, but he will be rough and tumbling on concrete and asphalt too so pants may be a good idea.