MIA

So, I know I've been a little absentee lately, but let me explain...

First, daylight savings hit.  Then, it got warm.  Then, my husband rented a bobcat. And, weeks later, I'm still trying to figure out what the hell happened to our yard.

But, good news, we have the beginnings of grass! In the right places! And a flower garden!  And about a dozen other projects we will finish in the next 5 years or so....

Today, though, is Friday.  A day of rest.  Or of anticipating rest.  Or at least of being done with this long freaking work week.

So, some amusements for you on this Friday.

I have, as I mentioned, gotten back into crocheting recently, and have been having so much fun finding new projects and patterns (also something I've used my time for rather than posting... sorry, attention span of a gnat here.).   One of the new things I want to try is some Amigurumi, which is a japanese word for the little teeny crocheted toys and animals that are too cute for words.  I have been shopping for patterns and found some amazing ones from a lady in Germany, who in her words, has been bitten by the Amigurumi bug:

"The Amigurumi fever does not let go me also after 2 years.  New occurs constantly to me. I move the most great ideas and issue them here in the shop."

Don't get me wrong. I'm not making fun of her. I highly commend anyone who can use multiple languages.  It's a great skill to have, and one I am adament Hayden will learn.

Having studied German myself, Jana's writing (the Amigurumi-fever-clutched woman) is amusing because I can almost see the translation coming from her end.  Our two languages are structured so differently, it's difficult to make an intelligible translation.  So, I'm sure that I sounded to my German friends much like this when I lived over there (describing a kitty cat pattern):

"The sweet small Fianna brings joy and life in every home. Everybody loves her because she looks with her sweet eyes so nicely. Her irresistible charm wraps everybody around the small finger.

And now everybody can crochet to themselves his own small cat itself!"

Or maybe something like this, describing a pattern for two cows:

" For all cow fans and those who still want to become it: the new crochet instructions for the sweet little cows Alma & Berta are finally ready.   Grow your own farm !!!"

Or perhaps I would have described these sheep like this:

"These both sweet sheep conquer every heart in the storm. Whether black or white, with their special charm they are a great small present to Easter…or also to any other occasion !!  This pattern fits very well to the pattern “Little horses” and “Little cows”!!"

Mostly, though, I probably just sounded like this:

"Ich habe viele, viele Hahnchen in meinem Auto!" 
(I have many, many chickens in my car)

Don't ask.

Have a great weekend!

In which my heart skips a beat

It's a good feeling when you pull up to work 15 minutes late (and you've forewarned your boss that you'll be in late because today is picture re-takes for your 1 year old, who (by the way) was NOT in the mood for picture re-takes and has already made your morning a tale of woe and grief), to see said Boss, along with the HR Director and IT Manager standing on the front steps of the office awaiting you.

That one always gets me.

This morning, it just so happened that the HR Director had brought a package over for a project that my boss, IT and I were working on, and they were helping her unload it from her car.  Whew.

Some miscellaneous thoughts from this morning

1. This is my 200th blog post.  I feel like it should be something profound, but honestly, I lack the energy.   Whoot!   There you go.  A wee bit o' celebration to kick it off.
2. I'm out of deodorant.  I started to look for an extra, and then I remembered I only buy extras for Chris.  I swear the man eats the stuff.  I have to buy 2-3 at a time.  Almost every other shopping trip.   I have this nagging little fear that one day, wandering around in the depths of our basement, I'm going to unearth his true life's work - a full-sized, shower-fresh sculpture of Henry Ford.  Or something equally disturbing.  One thing I have to give him credit for - if you EVER, EVER smell something the least bit unpleasant in his vicinity, I can GUARANTEE you that it's not him.  Sometimes he puts more on before he comes to bed at night.  I think he does that just for the repellant effect, though.  I can't stand to cuddle with an armpit full of chemically concocted "Morning Fresh" man. Ugh.  It's his way of making sure he's got plenty of room to sleep on his side of the bed without getting crowded out, is my theory.  Anyway, my point of this story was that I need to get some deodorant next time I got to the store.
3. There's no spell check on this new blog editor.  Unless they have sneakily inserted it where only those smart enough (surely) to spell their words correctly would be able to locate it.  Therefore, I can accept no responsibility for misspelled words at this time.  I love you all, but not enough to get out my dictionary and double-check.  You will all have discovered that I am not the perfect speller you have come to know and love, and I will be forever ruined.  Or not.  Moving on...
4. While, at our house, we love and respect the "Baby Einstein" videos for their toddler-entrancing powers, I do have a beef with the new one we got  - "Baby's First Moves".  I usually put these videos on while Hayden is eating her breakfast and I'm scrambling to get ready - this cuts my interruptions down to only about 20 a minute, and I make a little progress here and there between the need for me to hold her newfound treasures - a sock, my shoe, my other shoe, that teeny piece of dirt that was on the floor, bunny bear, a coat hanger, a dirty diaper, a clean diaper, a soggy cheerio she just coughed up, another soggy cheerio, a dirty tissue, the hairbow I just put in her hair, the other hairbow I just put in her hair, her paci, a book (a book I need to read RIGHT NOW), and so on and so forth.  So this new video is great, and gets her moving along with the video - "where's your nose? Touch your nose!", "clap!", "roll over!", "peek-a-boo!","sit up!", "jump!", "KICK!".... Kick?!?!  What the?  What the crap do you expect my child to kick?  While watching a video?  In the house?  In a room with lots of breakable items?  Why? Why? Why would you... why?   Just why?  I could go along with all the other activities - no props required, no real worries of damage or destruction, to the child or their surroundings, and here you freaking Disney nuts go and insert "Kick!" in your little video, showing this exhuberant (see, thanks to Blogger, I have no idea if I spelled that word right! Point proven!) young boy kicking a huge bouncy ball in an EMPTY studio set.  After you've just convinced my child to clap and roll and sit and jump along with you, you tell her to KICK something.  FYI, Disney.   We weren't prepared.  We didn't have a BALL ready.  We weren't adequately prepped for this part of the video.  So you know what my wonderful 16 month old (brilliant kid by the way) decided to do? Improvise!  Lovely! I am so proud that she put two and two together and figured since she couldn't kick  a ball she'd have to find something else.  I just wish it hadn't been her toy keyboard.  Or anything, for that matter.  We already struggle with the 'dropping/throwing things for fun' game, and now, with your encouragement, we've learned a new variation - the kicking the crap out of things for fun game. :) Joy.
5. Do I need a 5th thought this morning?  I feel as if I've been sufficiently witty, sarcastic and bitter to get me through the whole day.  Maybe I can end on a sweeter note.  Actually, I do have a good thought to end on.  When Hayden and I got to school, I got her out of her seat and was preparing to set her down to walk her in (she walks into school now! On her own two little legs! It kills me a little everytime.  Too FAST, she's growing up too fast!), she decided it was a good moment for a hug.  So she leaned in and wrapped her tiny arms around my shoulders, rested her head on my chest, just right where I could bury my face in her sweet hair and take in her perfect smell. She was in no hurry to dash off my lap and run in, so I just sat, as long as she was willing, and held her close and soaked in the precious moment.  I try to do that - take the time, when she decides it's time - to hold her close and love her and enjoy her, because I know that all too soon, those moments will become fewer and farther between and I'll wish for them in earnest.  So there we sat in the parking lot, hugging one another and resting our heads together, enjoying that tender moment.   And then, before I knew it, we were off again!

Happy Easter

On this, the morning of Our Redeemer's resurrection, I want to share a passage with you that profoundly changed my life,  that gave me a hope beyond the confines of this world, that will see me through the shadow and pain of death.  This morning, His message has swelled in my heart once again to renew the assurances of his love for us all, to remind me of his great sacrifice, and the FAITH that it was not in vain.  Have a Happy Easter.  May you and your family be blessed, today and always, with God's unending love.

"Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."  Hebrews 11:1