Our adventures in not sewing

This weekend *Mila* wanted to sew and do some crafts.  So we dove into a pile of give away tshirts to make some fabulous neck scarves.

Here's the pile:

And the designer.  Note the gloves?  She made those yesterday.  Also note the tipped over chair outside which no one dares to go out and pick up.

We began to cut strips of tshirts and stretch them out.

Our first few were ribbed t-shirts and were failures.  Our visiting friend Chewy was able to get a few new chew toys out of the deal.

Hilarity

Then we found an Old Navy stretch shirt.  Awesome!  If I had 3 more I'd make chair decor.

What kept you busy this weekend?


signed, the willow

The next dog will have a tail that hangs down

So, I'm about to tell you a rather embarrassing story.  

Let's begin with a diagram:

The dog was hanging around mooching chips from *Mila* with her big puffy tail in front of me.  I had to get up to squeeze some more food down my gullet, so I attempted to move the dog towards the potato chips and out of my way.  

This is where you can run and grab some anti-bacterial gel.  As I leaned forward on the laptop and reached around with my right hand, my index finger was inserted directly in Suma's chocolate starfish.  Her rusty bullet hole.  The dog's brown eye.  Rusty's rusty sherriff badge.  The on-ramp for the Hershey hi-way.  

Get the picture?

And where was *Steve*? Laughing of course.  Is he the only one in the family that hasn't stuck his finger up the dog's butt?

signed, the willow

We put the tree up

Unfortunately, we copped out of the sea creature theme this year.  And I'm starting to wonder what everyone puts on their tree to "tie it all together". In the 70s we used garlands. In the 80s, we pulled out the ribbons.  In the 90s, feather boas got tossed on our trees.  Somewhere the beads came out again.

We're a full dozen Christmas trees into the 21st century and I still have ribbons on my tree.  Help!

Here's what the internet consensus says.


Reclaimed wood:

Source: flickr.com via Molly on Pinterest

Au naturel:

Source: thatkindofwoman.tumblr.com via Brancoprata on Pinterest

post its:

Source: decorology.blogspot.com via Ashley on Pinterest

What about this?

source:  Etsy * The Doll City Rocker


Outdoorsy:

source: Design Sponge

Love this one!

Source: twoheartstogether.com via Bethany on Pinterest

tulle and burlap?

Source: doityourselfdivas.blogspot.com via Beth on Pinterest

Source: poppytalk.blogspot.com 

So, I'm thinking of starting this now for next year.  Maybe I'll do my baking now for 2012 as well.  Yack.

signed, the willow

A Tree under the Sea

This year I've decided to do an Under the Sea Christmas Tree theme.

*Mila* said she'd make the Dolphin topper.  I'm making some blue whale ornaments from papier mache.  We're thinking of some other things to add to the tree, like:

some coral?

Source: zgallerie.com via Pinner on Pinterest

Instead of Gingerbread men and ladies, starfish sugar cookies

Source: cutestfood.com via The Sugar Tree on Pinterest

Source:  starfish garland  via brassbinnacle

perhaps a paper mache kraken?

Source: anthropologie.com via Teri on Pinterest

how can we take this from a necklace and turn it into a seaweed garland?

Source:  Vynn's Ravelings on etsy

I had trouble choosing on Petit Pan to pick which lamps to hang on the tree (seahorse? whale? sea tortoise? fishies?)

Source:  Seahorse lamp via Petit Pan

Et toi?  What are your theme ideas for your tree this year?  Or are you opting for the traditional choice?

signed, the willow

:)

Freshwater salmon

First of many chickadees

Shortly after this photo was taken, Suma had her back legs fall off the boardwalk and narrowly escape death.

The rather mangy and scruffy, but elusive cardinal

signed, the willow

It's been 23 years

Ok, it's been about 23 years since I have been to, or even considered going to, a concert.  

As *Mila* has the biggest girl crush on Selena Gomez and I find Selena harmless as far as little girl role models go, I figured there was no harm in having a last minute look online for 2 tickets.  

Knowing full well that prices probably sky rocket at the last minute, I decided not to tell her and instead just surfed.  Within about 10 seconds I found a set on the floor and emailed my husband the details. (I emailed him because he was sleeping and considered to be dead to the world.)  So, off *Mila* went to gymnastics while *Steve* made arrangements to buy the tickets (below cost I might add, the reason why he was left to negotiate).  I didn't think much more about it and finished my own workout, laundry, etc. and then *Steve* called to say *Mila* had made plans for an afternoon playdate, so that we could go grab tickets in Hamilton.  The worry then began.  Now I have to actually go to the concert?  Crap!  What did I do that for?  Okay, so I psych myself up for staying up late, get motivated, etc. and what if this? what if that?  Yeah.  I started to worry that we'd get the internet printout of tickets rather than the actual tickets.  Now what?  So, sure enough we get to the mall to meet two very honest looking young girls who have an envelope of internet printed tickets.  *Steve* has faith in the situation and gives the girl cash for the tickets and now I begin to zone out.  We've probably been ripped off and they've photocopied the tickets 50 times and resold them.  Really, what's to stop them from doing that?  

We went to pick up *Mila* from her playdate and we asked her if she wanted to come out tonight.  She considered it, but asked all the right questions: who? when? where? with who? to what?  So I handed her the questionable tickets and asked her to read where and when and then she could decide.  Kids scan things so quickly and know where to find information.  She handed them back and said "seats 35 and 36".  Yeah, but if you read the tickets you can see where and when...."SELENA GOMEZ?"  She had tears in her eyes and quite honestly, I did too because her dad and I had just officially blown her mind.  Something we parents like to do to see if an explosion will occur or what maximum elated expression will be shown to prove our own creation is actually real and not a hologram.

We arrived, only slightly lost, at the concert with some great friends [and one awesome assertive driver ;) ] who were scattered across the Coliseum (a fancy word for Arena in Hamilton).  We lined up to have our tickets scanned and then I got the [beep] [beep] [beep] sound on ours.  GREAT!  My heart pounded.  I've blown her mind and now we're going to get yanked because we've been scammed?  OMG!  I'm dying inside.  I'm clearly the worst mother in the Universe for letting this happen. Buying tickets off an online auction, last minute?  BAD MOTHER.  We are now yanked to the side to stand by an office where a father is yelling at a concert-organizer-looking-manager-type-guy.  He's furious.  His wife has her head in her hands.  His tweenage daughters have their well coiffed locks and perfectly mascara'd eyes leaning their heads up against the cinder block walls.  We too will be them in about 2 minutes.  The very kind supervisor that is now holding my tickets was sympathetic and came out of the office and said "Well, we don't really know why, but your tickets are flagged for some reason.  Go.  Sit down in the seats.  Enjoy the concert.  But, if the original owner shows up with the actual tickets, we'll have to ask you to leave.  Don't worry. Go."

So, off we went and sat in our rather tiny chairs.  Two male foreign exchange students from an Asian country sat behind us.  They were so excited about Selena.  It was the highlight of my night.  

Here's *Mila* unsure of what she's about to witness.

The first act was a you-tube sensation named Christina Grimmie, who's victorious voice will take her wonderful places.  Funny that I chose the word "victorious" as her middle name is Victoria and I just found out on that wikipedia interwebby page.

Next was Shawn Desman.  Great dancers.  Great costumes.  Is this what concert bloggers say?  Concert blogger, I am not.

The music was loud and thumping.  The screaming got to *Mila* more than I thought it would.  Since she's been known to dish it out on more than the odd occasion.


Starry eyed.  Sparkly eyed.  And even a touch of mascara on those lashes for some extra glam.

And then Selena came out.  She sang.  No lip-synching here.  I think I started to enjoy the pop tunes and sweet saccharin of this odd event I have found myself in.  Mostly because it's now 8:30 and these seats are obviously ours.

Don't you hate concert photos from someone's BlackBerry?  no kidding.  Especially when they are not sure if they can use a flash or not and clearly are annoying the tweenagers in front with the laser-wielding blinding light to get rid of red eye!

I'm sorry.  But I have to show off my fun.  I'm a sucker for a chart, graph, measurement gauge, dashboards, stock market like plots, or treble equalizer (whatever!  you get the picture).

Selena did a little Britney Spears tribute as the first concert Selena went to was Britney's in the nosebleed section, no less.  Haven't we all sat in the nosebleeds?   I'm still sitting in the audience and thinking to myself "I wish I could be a dancer for a pop star.  Am I too old?  Maybe Aerosmith will take me on?"   

The highlight of her night....

I had the same highlight, oh 25 years ago....

signed, the willow