Mommy Drama

Mommy Drama can come in many forms: Projectile vomit, projectile everything, announcing loudly to a crowded room that Mommy made a big potty...

Lastnight Mommy Drama was a trip to the emergency room, courtesy of Daddy Roughhousing.
What do Mommies always tell Daddies? (Besides that...)
We screech, "Don't toss her in the air like that!" or "Don't swing her around!"
This time Mommy was right.

Daddy was swinging Munchkin around by the arms, when suddenly she started screaming and holding her left wrist. I cuddled her on the sofa until she calmed down, and then attempted a diagnosis. Basically I poked around on her arm until she screamed again, when my finger jabbed the inside of her wrist. So off to the E.R. we went.

After a 4-hour wait and some trauma-inducing x-rays, Munchkin had an accident. In her pants. With all the rushing around on our way out the door, we completely forgot to bring any spares or a change of clothes.

Thankfully, a kind nurse took pity on us and improvised:

She cut off the bottoms of a pair of adult scrub pants and cinched the waist tightly!

When the doctor finally came close to 11pm, she was already pretty crabby and exhausted. But I was so proud of my little girl for how polite she was while he examined her arm. She was obviously in pain, but all she said was, "pweease don't hewt mah awm!"
I almost cried as much as she did when he popped her elbow back into place.
But then he handed her a peace offering of a grape popsicle, and she was fine. She instantly forgot about her "hewt awm" and hopped down out of the wheelchair.

When we left the hospital room and exited through the waiting room, a symphony of "Awwwww"s followed us. She did look pretty cute in her scrubs!

So it turned out to be just "nursemaid elbow," nothing serious. The nurse told me that it happens to her little girls quite often, and she just pops it back in herself. I can't imagine doing it to my own child, but if it saves her a 5-hour ordeal at the hospital, I'd better toughen up!

Alice Bandwagon

As I watched Alice in Wonderland for the third time today with my little girl, inspiration struck.
I love the part when Alice goes into the White Rabbit's house to look for his gloves. Every little thing is drawn so cute!
Anyone know where I can find pink carrot wallpaper?

Now the truth is that this was one of my least favorite Disney movies as a kid. I mean, it was kind of scary! I remember having an awful sick feeling in my tummy when I was little, as I could totally identify with Alice after being lost in the mall food court for about 10 minutes.

When you watch the same movie over and over, you pick up little things you never noticed before- look at that little carrot wallhanging! I love the way all the furniture and accessories are shaped like bunny ears.

What caught my eye this evening was a framed portrait on the staircase of a rabbit family. This is the best picture I could find:

After Alice eats the cookie and her giant foot catches Mr. Rabbit on the staircase, the picture of the rabbit family with their serious little faces is much clearer.

I was thinking how cute it would be done in embroidery! I love the absurd cuteness of cartoon bunnies posing old-fashioned style for a family portrait. I've been wanting to do some kind of big piece for my shop, and I've been toying with the idea of wallhangings.
Now how to develop an un-trendy spin on it? It seems that ever since the trailer for the new Alice in Wonderland movie came out, it's been all over etsy and possibly out there in the real world. I wouldn't know anything about that though. Of course, embroidery and hoop-framed art seem to be popular right now anyway so I might as well just go with it. On the other hand, I've never tried to embroider anything on canvas or whatever it's called, only on felt. I wonder if this would be too big of a project for my first time?

Crazy for Cath

I'm sorry, but I must veer slightly off the handmade path for just a moment. Since we'll soon be moving to a new apartment, my mind is full of decorating fluff, even though I know we can't afford it. If it makes you feel better, this stuff was inspired by handmade, right? According to Wikipedia, Cath started out in her own tiny shop selling fabric and painted furniture. And look at her now!

I hate to get on any decorating bandwagon, but I absolutely adore Cath Kidston and for the most part would be thrilled to have my home covered in this stuff.
So I was shopping for a 2010 planner (I'm obsessed with planners, and very picky) when amazon suggested hers.

It's soooo pretty. And from there I was browsing her website and, well, I went a little crazy.
Please bear with me.

Ok first off, I want to recover all my upholstered furniture with these fabrics, and make matching pillows and curtains:

And then I'd paint every stick of furniture a bright glossy color! Maybe even decoupage the kitchen cabinets with fabric? Don't think the landlord would appreciate that though.

And of course Cath's prints make beautiful accessories, including TONS of bags from which I'd never be able to choose. A lot of them come in oilcloth too. I love oilcloth!

I think any of those bags would be great for knitting, but Ms Kidston has that covered already:

Knitting bag PVC-covered cotton!

This is actually a Nintendo DSL case, but I think it would be perfect for knitting accessories!

Floral thread tin includes 12 thread spools

House Sewing Basket omigosh have you ever seen anything so cute??

Floral Pin Tin

Wouldn't these mugs be so much fun to use for your morning coffee?

Speaking of kitchen stuff, this is really cute too, although I have no idea why I would want to shake flour:

Tin Flour Shaker

I had this book from the library renewed like three times because I put it on my "coffee" table and pretended it was mine. It looked so pretty!

More books, address books, notebooks, and *swoon* cowboy stationery:

Now I'm not saying every single room would look like this. Well, almost. I have other style plans for the bathroom.
But that will be another post. I'm sure you're all dying to hear about my bathroom, right?

I Heart Betsy McCall

...And you know it to be true.
So why, why, WHY did I not know about the Betsy McCall Paper Doll Website?????


I'm so excited my hands are sweaty.

This was brought to my attention via twitter by a Craftzine.com article, Magnetic Betsy McCall Paper Dolls
The tutorial can be found at the blog One Pearl Button, of which I am now an eternal fan.
I'm getting more and more excited. And sweatier.

Snow, McBeer, and Cellulite

It's snowing!

My poor husband came home sick from work, which is a pretty big deal because he's NEVER sick. And even if he is sick, he won't admit it. So he must be feeling pretty bad.
And what do we crave when it's snowing and we're sick?
Milkshakes!

Since we live in a really small town, we're pretty limited when it comes to dessert. Well, very limited since the two choices are McD's or Subway. And only one of those offers milkshakes.

Now when it comes to ice cream, I'm super picky and refuse to eat mostly anything not labeled Ben & Jerry's. But for whatever reason, I don't discriminate when it comes to milkshakes. Also, we're suckers for seasonal flavors. And McD's just so happened to have an eggnog-flavored shake on the menu.
It was ok.

So then I was looking around online for other interesting milkshake flavors, thinking I could concoct my own. I got sidetracked by a mention of McD's in England making Cadbury Creme McFlurries and Rolo milkshakes. My mouth waters just thinking about it....
And did you know McD's in Germany serves beer? I can't even imagine what that would be like- McBeer!

Oh and I found a blog called Donuts4Dinner (the title hooked me right away!) I'm pretty jealous about the Burger Kings they have that serve cupcake milkshakes complete with frosting and sprinkles!

Well, maybe it's a really good thing I haven't seen them around here yet- This is what I feel like when I button my jeans:

Maximum capacity attained and exceeded

So... anyone know any calorie-free milkshake recipes?

Catching Up

Things around here are about to get verrrry exciting!
But first, a look at last week- we had a dusting of snow here in Ohio. I know, I know, old news to those of you who have been snowed in! Our forecast last week was for 4-6", but we really only got wet flurries that melted by the afternoon. Still, a great reason to bundle up and take a walk!

Munchkin, like most 2-year-olds, gets ridiculously excited about a few flakes. Excited isn't even the word- shrill hysterical shrieking is more like it! She knows she only gets to wear her new princess boots in the snow, so it's extra special.

Watching her discover her own footprints in the snow for the first time, and getting hit with the most pathetic little snowball in the world- Moments like that are so sweet but also a little sad because they only happen once. The next time it snows, footprints will be old news and her snowball-making skills will be honed to a deadly force I'm sure.

BUT I do have a little something to look forward to, a very teensy tinesy little newborn something! No, not mine! Gosh!
My brother's wife is due any moment now with their first baby, a little boy! Eeeeeek! And I have the privilege of keeping him two days a week! Eeeeeeek!

AND it gets better- We'll be moving into a new apartment the first of February!
We're still in the application process currently, but if everything works out we'll only be in this sardine tin a few more weeks! The new place isn't really that much bigger, but it's well-maintained and doesn't seem to be the hive of criminal activity that our current shack is. And the part I'm most excited about is the extra bedroom that will be ALL MINE! Mwahahahahaha! Now I will cut and stitch and craft my way to global domination! Mwahahahahaha!
Ahem.

I will be a little sad though because we're leaving Waynesville.
And this:

Although Springboro, our new little town, has a Taco Bell! I am so giddy about this I can't even describe it.

So this will probably be a pretty unproductive month for my shop, since I'll be spending most of it picking ground-in PlayDo out of the carpet in hopes of getting our deposit back!
Anyway I can't wait to show y'all pictures of our new place and probably all the craft supplies I found packed away from the last time we moved!

My First Giveaway!

Hi everyone, Melissa's blog here. Now that 100 fabulous readers have publicly confessed their affection by becoming followers, it's time to celebrate! And what better way to say thanks for reading me than with a giveaway?
Last week Melissa posted the choices for a prize, and the winner (by a mile) is...
The coffee cup cozy!

Melissa's super excited about this. I know because she checked the votes and comments about every 10 minutes!

Now I know she's going to want you to comment on something about HER, but don't forget about ME! I want to know how to keep you readers happy. What do you want to hear about? Recipes? Tutorials? Etsy interviews?

So here are the entry options:

1. Take a look at Melissa's sold items and comment on which piece(s) you think she should make again.
2. Comment on your favorite kinds of blog posts to read, or even what you don't like to read.
3. Follow or subscribe to me, the blog!
4. Follow Melissa on twitter
5. Become a Facebook fan

Each comment is one entry, so please leave them separately. Also please include your email address so you can be contacted if you are the winner!

Contest ends January 17th!

Love,
Melissa's Blog

Grandparents, Sheesh!

My little girl has a thing for airplanes, helicopters, trains, and trucks. She loves to "fix" things with a screwdriver, be it real or imaginary. She likes little girl things too, like dolls and tea sets. But the masculine toys are, of course, what her Pappy encourages her to play with. I tried to negotiate a compromise by emailing him a link to the new pink Barbie jet. But alas, he showed up for his daily visit yesterday with a pack of Matchbox airplanes and helicopters. Not that I don't appreciate this grandparent-ish spoiling, I just like pink. (Also I secretly want to play with it myself.) And after all, I'm the one who's going to be tripping over them in the middle of the floor, right?

Munchkin was so thrilled, she screeched at the top of her lungs for a good 10 seconds!

"Come play wif me Pappy! On da fwoor! On da fwoor!"


Then they had to call G.G. (Great Grandma) to tell her all about the new toys.


"Let's play wif mah beeeeads Pappy!"

When Pappy spends all this time with Munchkin, I should be using the free time to do something productive. But I just can't stop watching them play- Pappy (and G.G.) can make her laugh like no one else!

I'm baffled by the amount of patience he has with her. I do try to play with her, but the truth is I can only make a plastic beaded necklace so many times. And I spend forever styling the My Little Ponies' hair into perfection for Munchkin to just come along and mess them all up! Also, everytime we color together she draws all over my page!
Dad says it's different being a grandparent, that over the years you learn to slow down and enjoy things more. But my dad has always been like this. When I was little, I tackled him as soon as he walked in the door from work, begging to go to the park or to help me learn to ride my bike. And he always did. Looking back, I'm amazed at the self-sacrificing attitude my dad showed to us, I mean he must have been exhausted!
Fortunately, Munchkin's step-daddy is madly in love with her and doesn't at all mind being a horsey, or a gorilla, or whatever else she dreams up. That leaves me to be the official snuggler. I can definitely handle cuddling in bed with lots of fluffy pillows and a few books! And boy does she look forward to it. Mention the word "snuggle" around her and she lets out that 10-second shriek, then goes running for her books.

But I guess I'd better grow some patience, since we plan to homeschool Munchkin. Really I feel like I should be starting something like that now, at least getting her used to sitting quietly for a period of time every day. As long as it doesn't include plastic beads!!!

Off The Beaten Path

Today I want to show you one of the reasons I started an etsy shop. Well mainly the reason I found out about etsy in the first place!
My talented friend Jess is the beauty behind Off The Beaten Path, and she makes the most adorable tote bags and pins- check 'em out!

Chit Chat Birds Tote Bag

Lil Fawn Pin

Fish To Go- Reusable Lunch Sack

Mustache Mania Canvas Tote Bag

Retro-Spective Trailer Pin

Thanks Jess!