our dog

This is our dog, Belle. She is a Sheltie (Shetland Sheepdog), and for the most part, she's a super dog. Note I said 'for the most part.'

A few facts about Shelties:

• Even though they look like little Collies, they are no relation to the Collie
• They are herding dogs
• They tend to be barkers
• They are herding dogs

Belle is a very friendly pup. Well, she's not a puppy - she's actually 9 years old. She LOVES people and runs to greet everyone - neighbors, the mail lady, whoever. She loves everyone - she's not picky. She's not really into squirrels/birds/other critters, which is kind of nice because she pretty much sticks around the yard...except, of course, if she sees a person that she just has to go and see. Although, yesterday I let her out and, like most days, forgot about her for a few minutes. When I remembered to go let her back in, she was nowhere in sight. Usually she's laying on the front step, enjoying the fresh air. Not yesterday. I was holding Max so I didn't really go outside with him, but called her several times - no sign of her. I put Max in his bouncy and stepped outside to investigate. I started heading towards the driveway, continuously calling her, and all of the sudden, I see her sprint out from behind the neighbor's house - ACROSS THE STREET. Um, hello?? Belle, don't you get that it's not cool to cross the street? You're a smart dog, you should know to stay on OUR yard. And really, she's very good about sticking around (on bad days, we've secretly hoped she'd disappeared after we'd forgotten about her outside, but nope - she's always on the front step), so I was surprised not to see her. She must have been drawn away by something very interesting.

Have I mentioned these dogs like to herd??? Yeah, well that's the main drawback around here. Her herding nature leads to her barking. She hates when any of us leave a room and strongly dislikes having doors closed on her (i.e., when we leave the house, go the bathroom, you get the idea). Some days, she barks non-stop! It gets to be a little trying when she's barking, Lydia's talking, and Max is crying. Not exactly PEACEFUL!! She's everywhere - always up in everyone's business. Wherever the kids are, she's there. Wherever Steve and I go, she follows. Here's a shot of her making sure Max isn't getting into any trouble on his baby laptop.

I've been missing our other dog lately. He had to be put to sleep last year, only 10 days after we found out he had cancer. Soooooooo sad. We were heartbroken. His name was Boris and Steve got him when we were dating. He had what seemed like a cold, but after it just wasn't getting better, the vet suggested we check things out further. He had to be put to sleep to get x-rays done, and before the vet even did an x-ray, he took a look in his mouth. There he saw a large tumor that had been growing about his soft palette and had grown so large that it was now pushing down into his mouth. He figured that it had grown up into his nasal/sinus cavities as well and that was what caused his breathing to sound congested. Ten days after learning of this, we said goodbye to Boris. Needless to say, we think about him often and miss him terribly. Even Lydia knows Boris is in heaven. We love you, B!!

NOBODY puts Baby in the corner!

Alright, no one - not one person - can dispute that 'Dirty Dancing' was one of the best movies of our time. I mean sure, people will try (like Steve), but they would be wrong. Very, very wrong. I'm sure everyone on earth can agree that 'DD' and 'Ghost' were easily Patrick Swayze's best movies. He was such an amazing dancer...and who knew he could SING?!?! C'mon - SHE'S LIKE THE WIND?!?! I'm feclemped.

Talk amongst yourselves...I'll give you a topic: Patrick Swayze's abs. DISCUSS!

Sorry - 'DD' is on TV right now. Just thought I'd remind the world that this movie ROCKS!

mommy guilt

I’m completely sure that I cannot be the only mom on the planet who experiences mommy guilt. You know, the kind of guilt you get as a mom because you are, let’s say, going to work, when you have to tell your kids ‘no,’ or just that overall bad feeling you get when you can’t please your kids 24/7. I was chatting with my sister-in-law last night on Facebook and we had both had long days. We were conversing about how our days consist mostly of toddler conversations (her youngest is 2.5) and that the ‘outside world’ feels so foreign to us at times. We also discussed how other people in our lives (mainly the men – sorry guys!) do not understand the full-time nature of being a mom. I am not at all discounting the work that our husbands do outside of the home, or how HARD they work (geez, I think Steve is one of the hardest working people I have ever known!). However, the job of a mom is non-stop. A mom is a caretaker, a meeter of needs, a healer, an ombudsman, a scheduler, a cook, and a cleaner (well, only sometimes in my case! LOL). From the time we wake up in the morning until our heads hit the pillow at night (sometimes we even have night duty with the little ones), our minds are constantly going with what needs to happen next within the household.

This topic popped into my head recently because I’ve been realizing that I need to take more time to myself. I should NOT feel guilty about having ‘me’ time – uninterrupted time to shower/craft/walk – whatever!! So many times I’ve ‘asked’ Steve if he’d mind keeping an eye on the kids so I could go shower. He’s pretty much always been completely fine, but at times, I do get an eye-roll or a sense of frustration from him that he has to stop what he’s doing to watch the kids. Then I feel bad because I even asked and I don’t even get to enjoy my shower, darnit!

So here’s to all the moms out there who don’t take enough time for themselves and who feel guilty for not being ‘Super Mom’ ALL of the time. Lighten up, and go take a shower!

what the heck happened yesterday???

Yesterday didn't really turn out how I had originally hoped. Lydia's cough was still too nasty for me to send her to school....Max got more miserable as the day went on...the kids didn't nap at the same time, which meant no downtime whatsoever...and Steve ended up getting home late, which meant no by-myself walk to regroup. *sigh* I'm tired just thinking about it!

But, today is another day! It's a work day for me. I have 4 evals. to do today, and while I don't love doing 4 in one day, it does make the day go by quickly and I feel super productive. The coolest thing about work days??? MAKE-UP! REAL clothes! NICE HAIR!! I actually look like a human on Wednesdays. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love and adore the time I spend with my kids. My schedule is perfect and I love that I get dress up at least one day a week, go out and see the world, and come home to my sweeties. Plus, it's super cool when Lydia says, "Mom, you look so pretty!"

The one bummer about work days is going in and seeing people who tend to have their priorities totally messed up. I don't want to sound like I'm judging the people I see, but rather, I see it as a flawed system that contributes to their funky life choices. Such as, families will come in wearing hip clothes/shoes, toting cell phones and Nintendo DS's, but then the kids complain about not having much to eat or the parents claim they 'don't have the money' for the kids to participate in much-needed summer programs or extracurricular activities. And it breaks my heart to hear the kids say that their favorite foods are cookies, chicken nuggets, hot dogs, and candy. I mean, I totally get the love for cookies and all things sweet (chicken nuggets, not so much), but how about some fruits? Maybe a few veggies? I really don't want to get all political on this blog, but seriously - if the government can demand us to get healthcare, why can't they demand people receiving government assistance to buy healthier food?? And, to NOT buy cigarettes!!! Ugh. I could go on and on, but I won't. Stay positive, Krissy, stay POSITIVE!!! This is your day of beauty!!

On that note, I must go beautify myself.

toddler talk

My daughter, Lydia, loves to talk. I mean, she LOVES. TO. TALK. Her lips are almost always moving while she's awake. In the morning, she sings in her crib. She chatters about what she wants to do each day, what she sees, what she likes to play with, what she's reading. She is just a little chatterbox! I have to say, though, even though it seems like she talks nonstop, it's soooooo much better than the screaming she did right before she started saying words. Steve and I were going BONKERS because she'd holler so loudly for things, and of course, we don't speak 'Holler.' So we're fine with the words. Well, mostly fine.

Anyways, Lydia and I had some pretty fun conversations today. She's 3, so I never know what she's going to say, or where she comes up with some of this stuff! I thought I'd share just a few of the fun ones from today. :)

Lydia: MOM - come quick! I peeped and I need you to tap me!

Me: Hon, I'm rocking Max - I'll be in soon.

Lydia: But mom, I need you to tap me! I went PEEPS! QUICK!

Me: Lydia, I'll be there in a sec! Go ahead and pull up your pants without me tapping you.

Lydia: But MOM...I have DRIPS! I need tapped!

Lydia: Mom, my nose was running while I was in my book nook, so I wiped it off.

Me: What did you wipe it on?

Lydia: Over there. I wiped it over there.

Me: Over WHERE, hon?

Lydia: On the curtains, mom.

Lydia: Mom, LOOK! My socks!!

Me: Yeah, your socks. (clearly seeing she had a pair of socks in her hand, but still had socks on her feet) Where did you find them?

Lydia: They were in this cupboard! (in the kitchen)

Me: Hon, why were your socks in the cupboard??

Lydia: Because they were dirty, mom!

In case you were wondering, I'm NEVER bored! I smile and laugh alot....and I love it. :)

another brilliant idea

I did say BRILLIANT! So, I've got a TON of pictures of the kids. Actually, a 'ton' may be an understatement. I have a bazillion photos of them. Since I make no time to scrapbook anymore, I've decided that each year, I'm going to compile the "Best of the Best" of our photos. Then, I'll have these photos printed in a photo book. Heck, maybe I'll even get adventurous and get two printed for each year, so each of the kids can have one when they grow up. We'll see. Anywho, here are a few of my favorites so far from this year.

WOOT WOOT!!

Who's got two thumbs and is darn proud of herself this morning??? THIS GIRL! I actually got up when I set my alarm and worked. out. GASP! Yup, I did it. I rocked out 45 minutes of Turbo Jam this morning. And, I feel super! Let's hope this day continues in the same manner. It's a Monday, so I'm not going to get overly excited, but I'll stay optimistic for now.

Not too much on the agenda for today. The kids and I will be running out at some point...the bank, the meat market, then home for playing/laundry/naps (and maybe even a little fabric cutting for the next sewing project). I don't have too much writing to do for work this week, so I've got a little extra time to sew........or wade through the clothes-bomb that went off in our bedroom. But seriously, the sewing sounds much more fun.

my non-weekend

This weekend doesn't go on the charts as being one of the most fun, most memorable, most exciting weekends ever, that's for sure. I've got 3 sickos here - two kids and a hubby. Needless to say, I've had my fill of snot, tissues, watery eyes, coughing, whining, and Gatorade for a loooooong time. I got in some nice snuggle time with the kids, so that's a positive.

I also snuck in a little sewing! I finished up a new top for Lydia. It's a pattern by Pink Fig and it's the 'Olivia' top. I ended up not doing the shirring on the bottom because I think it looks super cute the way it is now. And - BONUS - it FITS!!! I'm super paranoid about making things for Lydia and then them not fitting her...particularly making sure stuff is going to go over her head. She loves it, I love it, it's a win-win in my book.

Yes. I'm crafty.

As I'm venturing into this blogging world, I'm finding myself wondering what on earth I'll write about. I'll warn you all now, there will be no rhyme or reason...no clear direction here. The way I see it, this blog is a virtual dumping ground for any and all things "Krissy." Those crazy thoughts about projects I'd like to tackle - they'll be here. The rantings about weird neighbors or bizarre trips to WalMart - I'll be sure to include those. Let's just say, anything's possible in these here parts.

Anyways, I was thinking last night about all of the different crafty things I've tried over the years. My most recent adventure as been sewing! I feel like a baby learning to walk as I broaden my sewing skills, but it's fun and I feel so....sew...Martha Stewart-ish. (minus the jail time, of course) So over the years, here are some of the things I've tried out:

Decoupage

Latchhook rugs (those count, right??)

Friendship bracelets

Decorating clothes

Crocheting

Painting furniture

Painting pottery

Photography

Scrapbooking

Knitting

Low-water Immersion dyeing

And now, Sewing.

Um, can you say - CREATIVE OUTLET?!?! Yeah, I definitely need one. I'll go months without doing anything creative, then I get into something and I obsess. I freak out until I get it just right...until I figure it out. I can remember spending HOURS in those paint-your-own pottery places making things. I had a bucket when I was young that was full of embroidery floss for those friendship bracelets...I had every color you could imagine. When I learned to knit a few years ago, I constantly found myself tangled up in the yarn! And let's face it, when I got into dyeing, barely anything in this house that was white stayed that way. I also really enjoy decorating, cooking, and I'm slowly learning about gardening, which can all be fun and creative too.

So, don't be surprised if you read that I'm tossing out the sewing machine to make room for more crafty goodness! In fact, I'll probably have to make room for that new laptop that I'll be getting at some point in the near future...you know, so I can learn and obsess over Photoshop. I sat with Steve's laptop last night and played for HOURS. I made the banner for this page and had a heckuva fun time doing it. Digital scrapbooking, here I come!!

But first - this kitchen needs some attention.

gettin' started...

I'm finally going to give this blog world a go. It's been a long time coming (at least in my mind it's been a long time), but I'm here. I'm ready!

A quick run-down of today...Lydia's sick. She's got a cold/fever/mucous...let's just say, germs are everywhere. We snuck a walk in this a.m., and at the FURTHEST point from home on the walk, she says, "Mom, I have to go potty!" Um, ok. I looked around and actually thought about picking a random house, knocking on the door, and asking whomever answered the door if we could sneak in for a quick "peep." Well, I rethought that crazy idea and decided to tell her to hold it. I high-tailed it home, while she asked every 3 seconds, "Is that our house? Is THAT our house? How about THAT ONE, MOM?!?!"

I was hoping that while the kids napped, I'd be able to sneak in some crafting time, but I've been obsessing over this blog instead. I have an half-done shirt that I'm hoping to finish up tonight, although there are no guarantees this shirt will even FIT Lydia. It's looking a touch small. I may have to tweak things a bit. Being a beginning sew-er (can't type that without the hyphen - I'm not into waste management as a hobby), I'm learning 'sew' much (HAHAHAHA), but I'm still trying to figure out how to fix mistakes, undo, redo...all while trying not to break the machine itself. It's all girly, of course, with big pink/yellow/turquoise flowers and brown/pink polka dot sleeves. Maybe I'll practice putting up some pics later.

I can't wait to get this blog a bit more set up. I've been reading a bit lately online and have found some great sewing blogs and other creative sites I want to make sure I reference.

Ok, Max is up...I think I need more caffeine.