2nd Grader

Wow, who could imagine having a second grader. She looks so grown up. She's wearing her new uniform, which is basically khaki bottoms and several different colored shirts for the tops. We were not proponents of going to uniforms for many reasons that I won't go into because, well, it doesn't matter at this point.

This is Peace Montessori's 3rd year and as expected each new year brings changes and hopefully improvements. They've hired 3 new teachers who already seem to be working well as a team and making some positive additions. I'm most excited about the Peace curriculum, which will include conflict resolution, community building, and non-violent communication. Imagine that, teaching Peace. I love it. I have to admit I pretty much wanted to sign up for the school when I heard it was going to be called Peace Montessori, but of course there's more to it than a name and these teachers seem to be committed to providing an education befitting a school called Peace.

In a strange scheduling mismatch, Maia doesn't start school until the 9th of September, which means she will be missing her sister and looking for things to do. Chris is going to take her camping for a night, a promise he made to her last winter when he took Sofia skiing. Right now though, she isn't feeling well. She's had a nasty cough for over a week and last night she started to have some stomach issues (i.e. no one got enough sleep). Could be a virus I guess, but I can't help worry a little. Some. Ok, a lot. Is her medicine making her stomach upset? Is her cough related to scleroderma? I know it's unlikely from what I've read, but still. Then there's all the talk about H1N1. Now we have to get another vaccine? Of course, right? What if she gets swine flu? Turns out I have a lot on my mind regarding Maia. The pokes aren't going so well lately either. Four weeks in a row, she has protested quite dramatically, which makes things difficult. Chris has to restrain her and she's so tense. I suppose these phases are to be expected but it's not fun. Edited to say: Ok, so I talked to the ped rheumy fellow today and he didn't seem too concerned about the cough. Amazing what I can conjure up in my mind. Probably should have kept it to myself.

Work? What work? I'm trying to stay positive, but geez, this is ridiculous. So, I have been working on this (from Heather Ross' Weekend Sewing):I meant to have two slippers ready for Sofia's first day of school (they are allowed to bring slippers to school to wear in the classroom). But I had to fiddle with the pattern, which is sized for adults, and unfortunately, I didn't fiddle enough. I finished one and it is too big. Argh. But, the good news is, I have plenty of fabric and now that I've done the pattern once, doing it again won't be hard. Famous. Last. Words.

14

August 12, 1995 was a really hot day in Napa Valley, hence the shine.
We've only changed a bit.

Summer's Winding Down for Us

After our last visit to the ped rheumy (pediatric rheumatologist), we decided to try decreasing PT (physical therapy) to once a week. When we started all this back in January, it didn't occur to me that driving 15 miles to Agoura twice a week would start to get really old, really fast. The condition was that we would do some type of PT activities at home. So the first week I was rather unorganized which led to Maia not cooperating, me getting frustrated and giving up and doing a yoga video, which wasn't exactly what I had in mind. Then last week I got more organized and purchased a couple of really useful props and we ended up with a 20 minute session that is really all I could hope for...

We did a little competition where we picked up little metal balls with our toes and then there was walking around with a big elastic strap around our feet so that we had to try hard to press our legs apart. Finally, I made a little obstacle course where there was plenty of balancing, bending, and turning. Sofia joined in the fun. Hopefully it will be enough to keep the progress we've made and maybe even make some more.

Here we are at the Getty Center yesterday. We were a little surprised that they've increased the parking fee to $15 but all in all still a very affordable and fun-for-all afternoon. We like to walk up the hill (forgoing the tram) and I'm happy to report that Maia walked the whole way up - something she couldn't have done last summer. We tried to recreate this picture from couple years ago... my, my, my how we've grown. Sofia's going to be taller than me any minute now.
We have a friend turning 5 this week, so I whipped up a peasant skirt and a little head scarf for her. The scarf pattern is from Heather Ross' Weekend Sewing. I made the top a little less wide and shortened the elastic to fit a child's head. Sofia is modeling for me and it seems to fit her fine. She and Maia have put in several orders for their own scarves and I have a few to make for myself, too.

And last, this bird has been coming around lately. I've seen them before but rarely. Any guesses you birders out there?

Hello Blog

I have written so many posts in my mind since my last post but somehow they haven't managed to show up here. Summer time kind of kicks my butt.

There's the one about my sister, Erin - pregnant - yay!! And all the stuff I want to make for that new baby coming to us in late December. I mean, it is OUR baby, too. Can't wait, really, I'm very excited.

There's the one about this sweater I started. And the wonderful linen-wool yarn I found at the LYS in Encinitas while we were visiting last month. I could go on and on about this project, mostly because I seem to be having some trouble reading instructions... or paying attention or something. I have started this project over twice and fixed several major mistakes involving going back several rows. But, I guess the bottom line is that I must really like knitting because I don't really mind. I mean, I hope to get a wearable sweater out of this eventually, and hopefully sooner rather than later, not that I need it now - hello July heat - but it's the process, man.

Then there's the one about some sewing I did back in June. My niece and nephew turned 3, so I made a "Kai's Shirt" and a "Smocked Sundress" from Weekend Sewing by Heather Ross. There are so many projects I want to try in that book but so far I haven't made it back to sewing. And since I didn't want to leave out big sister Shealyn, she got a peasant skirt. Shelley sent this picture of them in their outfits, so cute!!


Then there's the one about how much I hate the poking. And I'm the poker. Not the pokee. Enough said of that.

And the one about our 4th annual 4th of July party with friends, neighbors, and family. There was a pack of wild animals here, too. Actually it was the crowd of 6 and 7 year old girls. They had so much fun but they sure are loud! I put together a little craft project that was a bit too ambitious but it all worked out. Next year, I'll make something ahead of time so I can socialize a little more. The project was in a nutshell, a half of a toilet paper roll wrapped around a LED tealight, with a piece of white German kite paper wrapped around and taped to the other end of the tp roll, which was decorated with stars of various colors (this part was done by the kids). It made a fun light saber sort of thing for the kids to take on the walk over to our fireworks viewing spot. Pictures? No, darn. But it was a hit from the 2 year olds on up to the almost 13 year old boy.

Well, that's going to have to do it for this evening. I'm off to make some chamomile tea, and hit the sack. Tomorrow we've got a blood draw for Maia in the morning (didn't we just do one of those??), maybe a trip to Pandora's Paintbox as a treat, and swimming in the afternoon.

Summer!

We're in the thick of our first week of summer. Still scrambling a bit to figure out the new routine - like how to squeeze in swimming lessons, physical therapy, work, summer camp, and some lazy summer days. I made a new housework schedule about three weeks ago and recommited to sticking with it. So far so good. It feels much better, and hey, my house is clean(er)!

We were treated to a wonderful show at Peace Montessori on Friday for the last day of school. (I can't believe the school year is already over) They did yoga for us - it was so fun to watch. Then there was a play in Spanish, which I didn't understand but it was cute, too. And finally, a they played several songs on their recorders. I was very impressed. There are a few photos here.I'm a little late with these gifts, but the recipients probably won't notice. Twins, Connor and Sienna, turned 3 last weekend and so I whipped up some summer garb for them. I'm working on a peasant skirt made with the leftover fabric for their older sister, but it's not finished yet. They are "Kai's Shirt" and "Smocked Sundress", both from Weekend Sewing by Heather Ross. The dress was especially simple - I wish I'd known how to do this a few years ago. I'm eyeing so many projects in that book - I can hardly stand it!

I got my hair cut - ahhhh, no more ponytails for a while. I like it - still very low maintenance, and just a little more hip. Now Sofia wants hers short too - we'll see. Well, we're off to the Hillman folks this week, before summer camp starts. Just the girls - maybe a walk or two to the park, a trip to the beach, and some visiting with Grandma and GrandDad.

Name This Bird

A new bird came flitting through the back yard and was in and out in 30 seconds. So, as usual my pictures are poor, through the window, fully zoomed and cropped. But this is definitely a bird I haven't seen before. I have a general idea, but I haven't pinpointed it. Any guesses?

It has a slight crest that's hard to see in the photo and there is a small branch crossing its face in the photo (not a white streak). Tail feathers spread and showed more rust when he flew off.

Homemade

I have a little obsession. Making stuff. It's partly a "green" thing. You know, less packaging and transportation. Part health reasons, like fewer added ingredients, more organic ingredients. Part economics - it costs less to make things (at least it should!!). And partly it's the little rebel in me that likes to say, ha! I don't have to buy your stinkin' overpriced green-natural-organic product at the store, I can make it myself. I do believe strongly that we should be willing to pay for good quality healthy organic green products, but sometimes it's hard when you compare bargain basement made-in-a-far-off-country Target prices to those at Whole Foods. I'm no trail blazer though, all my projects have been researched on the good ol' internet.

So I've been working on yogurt. My first attempt was only partly successful. I learned that my oven doesn't stay warm very long and can't be set to under 170 degrees. Chris thinks it's a food safety concern, as in, mind-your-own-business-you-lawsuit-fearing-oven-makers-who-think-I'm-going-to-poison-my-family-with-food-heated-to-less-than-170-degrees (in my humble opinion). But I digress. The temperature fluctuations were probably to wide and the yogurt separated. It tasted fine though and I was able to use it for frozen smoothie drinks.

The basic process I've learned is to heat milk to 180 degrees, let it cool, add the starter (I used a package starter), and place in canning jars. Once in the jars, the key is to keep it at about 110 degrees for 4-6 hours. This time I used a large pot to place the glass jars in and then immersed them in hot water (110 degrees). I started it at about 6 pm when we were also cooking dinner and had the oven on. The pot stayed on the stove while we were cooking and then once the oven cooled down I put it in the oven. I checked on it a few times, changing the water once and turning on the oven for a couple minutes once. At 11:30 pm, we were going to bed and I heated the oven slightly and then turned it off and left it for the night. The water was still about 110 degrees at that point. In the morning, I put the jars in the refrigerator and let them chill for a couple hours.

The texture was great, but the flavor was um... different. I forgot to mention that I put dry milk powder in the milk heating phase. I have read that it makes thicker yogurt, but I think it also changed the flavor a bit. For the ultimate test, I served up a couple bowls, drizzled a little honey and put a couple drops of vanilla on top. Maia and Sofia loved it. So there you go.

Man, this is turning out to be a long post. I'm pleased with the yogurt making though. I can see how it there might be a bit more trial and error and how it might turn out differently each time. And that's probably ok. A couple times, I've come very close to going over to the mall and buying the darn $50 yogurt maker at Williams Sonoma (it gets very good reviews), but then the little rebel, and the little spend thrift voice their disapproval and I'm back to researching on the internet.

Next homemade project: shampoo. Yes, there have been some bad hair days going on around here, but I haven't given up yet.

Little Artists

Just popping in to share the latest bulletin board offerings from Sofia and Maia. We try to keep their artwork limited to this space (believe me though it is hard). They are very prolific artists, knocking out at least several offerings per day. Their abilities seem to change daily. Maia especially has taken some great leaps lately, and has been drawing lots of people, hearts, and flowers. Her people are really starting to come to life. Sofia draws lots of family portraits, horses, and princesses. I just looked over there this morning and thought a picture was in order. Please go to flickr to get the full effect with notes and everything.

I am working on another skirt (the curtain skirt) I was almost finished when I pulled a couple dingbat maneuvers. The zipper I bought was a little too long so I trimmed it from the top (first mistake). No big deal, right? I hand sewed it into place (hand sewed!!) because I don't have the right presser foot for an invisible zipper. Well, I failed to sew stops at the top of the zipper and while fiddling with the waistband, I accidentally pulled the slider off the top of the zipper. Ack. Couldn't get it back on. So I'm off to Joanne's for a new zipper, which I will trim properly from the bottom, SEW A STOPPER, and re-handsew back into the skirt, which is turning out very cute and I can't wait to wear it. :)

Gardening

I spent quite a bit of time in the yard this week. Seems like an endless amount of work this time of year. But hopefully it will pay off with some edibles. I planted a couple avocado trees down on our back slope. It was slightly treacherous but should be a good place for them, and once they grow they should keep some weeds down with the leaf fall. One tree (seen below) was started from seed last year and one was store bought. I've read mixed reviews on starting avocados from seed - everything from they won't fruit, the fruit tastes bad, and they take longer to fruit (like 8-20 years). Since I can't wait that long, I bought another tree and I'm hoping if anything they'll help each other with pollination.
Then we've got some strawberries going, a couple tomatoes, and some cucumbers. The cucumbers are starting to sprout. I wasn't sure they were going to make it due to that super hot weekend where I was gone and someone forgot to water... but anyway, at least three have sprouted so there may be some homegrown cucumbers in our future after all. I also planted a lemon verbena - mmmm, such a sweet smell, and basil. I still need to decide on a place for a wild California rose, and have quite a bit of repotting and moving succulents around to clean them up and make space. So I'll be busy again this weekend. Happy gardening!

Unfinished Business

But first...

It Ain't Easy Being Green
I spent Saturday at our local Arbor Day/Earth Day fair. I was helping out a friend whose craft studio had a booth for kids to decorate a canvas snack sack. Green enough, right? There was the usual mix of businesses and groups marketing their "greenness", local gardening groups and such giving stuff away like plant cuttings or seedlings, local government giving away oil pans for when you change your oil, vendors selling various wares (green and not so), fair food (no, not fair trade food, crappy fair food) and jolly jumpers powered by gasoline generators. Wha? I'm kidding right? No, sadly no. I suppose the argument could be made that in order to attract people and their children to the event, one needs such entertainment. And all these trinkets and reusable bags being given away? Made in China. So, in my humble opinion, we, in the land of many oaks, have a long way to go before we can truly call ourselves green.

Some might say I'm being too picky. It reminds me of an article I read recently (wish I could remember where...) about how the "green" movement is and always has been hampered by all the guilt-laden, end-of-the-world, people-are-so-evil rhetoric. Maybe so, but I guess I like to think of it as my religion.

On Sunday, I spent some time finishing up some long overdue projects. I had started a set of napkins for Erin and Tom but got busy and ended up giving them the first half in December (ahem). So those are done and on the way. Then, I finally got around to making some throw pillows for the girls' bed, you know that one we got way back in August of last year. The fabric was some left over Ikea curtain fabric and an Ikea duvet cover we weren't using. I still have a bunch of that groovy curtain fabric - and I'm eying it for another skirt. I'm either becoming very creatively frugal or I'm losing my mind.

Behold!

Here it is: the finished pillowcase skirt. I was too impatient to let someone take good pictures, so I set up the camera myself with the timer. We're actually back to some cool weather, too cool to wear it, but earlier in the week, I was wishing I had it finished. We had some blazing hot weather that managed to kill off all the beautiful spring green hills and turn them to brown. Took a strawberry plant, too. *sniff* I should probably be used to these random heat waves that come at nearly any time of the year, but I am not.

Coming along... going away

My skirt is almost finished and I think I might actually be able to wear it! Just needs some buttons and a hook but it'll have to wait. I decided at the last minute to take the girls up north for the rest of the week to visit some family since we're on spring break.

Don't Count Your Chickens

I finished the girls' Easter skirts in record time (record time for me anyway) and I was feeling so smug having completed the skirts with few mistakes or redos, and I decided to start another project right away. I'd been eyeing these pillowcases in our linen closet for years. Maybe I could make a quick skirt for myself in time for Easter too... (why Easter skirts? No reason, just something to do).
Such cute fabric - Chris says they were his sheets as a kid, at least that's how he remembers it. I brought them out and convinced him that since we hadn't used them in the last 14 years of living together, that we probably should use them for something else. He agreed somewhat reluctantly. I started by searching for a tutorial on pillowcase skirts and found plenty but then realized that this fabric has a direction and all the tutorials use the fabric in the vertical orientation - of course, it's supposed to be a simple skirt.

So I had to think of plan B - no problem. I cut the top off the pillow case and would use it for the waist, then I cut the pillow case open along the bottom, sewed the side, hemmed it, and attached it to the top using the same gathering method from the girls' peasant skirts, put in some elastic at the top. Finished!

Where's the picture? Well, I put it on and Chris said, "how about if you...?" and "what if you...?" and "will it stop poofing out like that?" Hahahahahahahaha. It's not his fault, because even if he hadn't said anything, I probably still wouldn't have worn it. So, I'm back to the drawing board. Coming soon, a cute skirt made out of cute fabric, or not.

Spring Project

What started out as a "free" project has blossomed into a little more than free. I was just going to use up some cotton yarn that I had in my stash and make a cute little shirt for Maia (pattern at Soulful Hues Hobbies & Random Thoughts). And if it worked out, tweak the pattern to make a bigger one for Sofia. My mistake was asking the opinion of the intended recipient of the project... which led to a new yarn purchase. Oh and then I decided to make skirts to go with the knit tops... I went to the local big box fabric store with 40% coupon in hand and left thoroughly disgusted with their selection. I ended up at the local quilting shop, which has oh so much more to offer in the way of pretty fabric. So much for free.
Don't laugh, but I had to tack on the green because I had miscalculated how much of the blue yarn I had. It looks a bit like green grass under a blue sky, so I added the flower to increase the chance that Maia might actually choose to wear it without some sort of bribery involved. She is quite selective these days about her clothing. If it's not a pink dress, it's got a snowball's chance in, well, you know.Hopefully my pattern adjustments will work out for Sofia's version. She may need a camisole underneath if the arm holes ended up too big. I'm thinking about a simple wrap around pattern for the skirt found here. Or a may do an even simpler 3-tier peasant skirt.

I did it

Yep, you got it. You can call me Nurse Alexis now. Phewwww! I think I'm still on an adrenaline rush and it's been several hours since I gave Maia her first shot at home. It went great. In fact, best shot she's had since all this stuff started - and by that I mean there was just a little tiny bit of crying and she had basically forgotten about it within a few minutes. I don't expect that every time, but I know this is the best way for Maia and for all of us. Thanks to my nurse friends and family for their advice, my mom for her encouragement, and Maia's nurse at her ped office for all her help. I did my first shot last week at the doctor's office, and it went well, but I knew today's shot would be a big mental hurdle too - having to do it here at home without the nurse. Chris was the holder, I was the poker, Sofia provided singing entertainment. Lots of hugs all around afterward.
I started a little shirt for Maia on Saturday. It's going really fast, which is nice after that year-long sweater. I saw it first at JC Handmade, but the pattern is here.
I added a little ribbing on the sleeve to keep it from rolling and will probably do the same at the bottom. Next issue is that I will probably run out of yarn. Oops. I was trying to use something in my stash but miscalculated how much I had. Unfortunately, this yarn came from a shop in LA. So, we'll see what I decide to do about all that...

Move it along, move it along

nothing to see here. Been busy.

Doing art? Well, a little. I'm enjoying using some watercolor pencils in a little hand-bound watercolor paper book my mom picked up on one of her travels. Nothing to share yet though.

Knitting? A smidge. Finishing up some fingerless gloves just in time for our transition from winter to summer. Some people call it spring.

We're mostly recovered from last week's treatment at UCLA for Maia - it's a hard week - no two ways about it. I'm so glad to have family that is willing to help out. Three weeks to mentally prepare for the next one.

Trying to stay on top of the seemingly millions of "Processed Claim Reports" that we're getting from the insurance company. Got one yesterday which show a $920 lab charge that was not covered. Something so unsettling about seeing "You owe provider: $920" I knew there must be a mistake. Right? It must be a mistake. Please let it be a mistake. So 3 phone calls and half and hour later, I think we have that one cleared up - maybe. Until next month when the same exact charge comes through...

I've been practicing giving shots to lemons. I hope to start giving Maia her shots myself maybe next week. Next week. Maybe.

Oh yeah. And the job search. That's still going on too. I feel like I was in a game of musical chairs, and the music stopped and here I am still standing. Crap.

Package of Cheer

My birds of change came today - and it couldn't have been better timing. Just what I needed, really. They are each so cool in their own way. I photographed them hanging on a picture mobile, but I think they will eventually find their own special place around the house. Thanks mostly to Regina for creating and organizing this exchange and to everyone who participated.

This painted wood bird is from Amy Lyons at aplcreations.com.

These are paper clay sitting on a cast pewter branch, from Schlovonne (I'm sorry I don't have a link!)

Regina's painted and embellished fabric.

Cotton and felt from Arte da Luluzinha.

Embroidered felt from Affectioknits.

What One Does...

when one is supposed to be putting together a resume.

One knits fingerless gloves.

One draws a ladybug with watercolor pencils.

The resume writing is incredibly s-l-o-w, but necessary. I haven't had to do one since 2000 so I'm having to dig deep.

We Survived

Other possible titles for this post: Not My Favorite Week, "You're in the Right Place" - Really?, and How to Traumatize a 4-Year Old.

But first, the fun stuff! Maia's birthday party was great. We had a big crowd of family - all the grandparents! - an aunt and cousin, a couple of our best friends, and our neighbors. Sofia led the scavenger hunt for the fairy pieces of clothing, and the little fairy guests were just precious.

We brought the fairy clothes, wings, and hats inside to complete our fairy clothespin dolls, and here is how they turned out...

Then we had cream cheese and jam bagels, strawberries, and of course woodland fairy mushroom cupcakes.

Then came Monday. Luckily Grandma (my mom) had offered to stay and help out with the whole treatment thing and we gladly accepted, not knowing what to expect. I suppose Monday was the hardest. They tried putting the IV in Maia's right arm (she's a leftie) and got it in, but while they were wrapping, taping, etc. it slipped out of the vein. Meanwhile Maia had completely lost it and was trying to crawl up my face to get away from the nurses. So we did it again on the other side. This time, Grandma held her and I put my head against Maia's and sang Twinkle Twinkle Little Star in her ear, over and over, until they were done. I couldn't think of anything else. After that, she was pretty calm. She had expended most of her energy. We held her, watched a video, and finally got to go home.

Thankfully, we managed to keep the IV in and functional for the three days so Tuesday and Wednesday were mainly mellow. At this stage Maia is traumatized by any sort of poke and she needed one more on Wednesday. This will be a weekly shot and they suggested that we give it to her at home. Um, really? Because that wasn't on my list of things to do before I turn 38.

When we first met the rheumatologist a few weeks ago, she spent a lot of time with us, listening to our whole story of how Maia's condition had progressed over the last year, including some of my commentary about all the missteps (in my opinion) by our former doctors. She said to me, "You're in the right place now." At the time it was comforting because I knew that she felt confident that they would be able to help Maia. But this week, I couldn't help but feel like, "What the hell am I doing here?" All the sick kids, all the supporting family, the toy cabinet for the kids when their treatment was done, the nurses coming in to check blood pressure, temperature, etc. - these things were not part of my life. But they are now.

I have a good friend from work who's daughter has an ongoing medical condition that has required similar drugs and various treatments and hospital stays since she was 7 months old. She knew exactly what I meant, which made me feel better. All those people who seem so comfortable there, or seem like they are supposed to be there, feel just like me, they don't feel like they should be there either. And they are going along, just like us, fumbling through, feeling sad and sometimes crappy that their kid has to go through this. I'm sure I'll eventually get over this, and Maia will hopefully get better at all the pokes, but for now we are going to whine and complain about it, just a little.

Here's the little trooper after the first day. Thank goodness for Hello Kitty bandaids.

When It Rains It...

is pouring... I'm up to my eyeballs in life going on. The good news is that it is raining. Finally.

I've got Maia's birthday party mostly under control, but I did have to scale back a little. I'm fine with it. We're still going to make fairy clothespin dolls, and they are coming along nicely. Here's a preview:

More bad news from work. Ugh. Less work will be coming my way due to v-e-r-y slow economy. I guess it's the risk you take being a casual part time employee.

Maia's treatment starts Monday. She'll get IV steroids for two hours, 3 days in a row. I really don't know what to expect. She's already resisting physical therapy a bit - it's just not fun. Sitting with an IV stuck in your arm, three days in a row - not fun either. But I'm working on a doctor/appointment bag that will contain special fun things she can do while at our not-so-fun appointments.