I tie-dyed my sheets...

...and they're AWESOME! Forgive the less-than-stellar quality of a couple of the pics...they were taken on my phone at night!

~ Pillowcases

~ Fitted sheet...and Jasmine getting flashbanged...

~ Flat sheet

~ Everything put together!

I was going for a moderate shade of purple...darker than lavender but not too dark. I committed a cardinal sin in the dyeing world and didn't test the color before I took the plunge. But hey, I'm not too picky and this set didn't have to match anything, so I didn't really care. I just did random circles in random sizes and used Rit dye in the washing machine. Minimal effort, great results! Oh, and the sheets were on clearance from Wal-Mart for $15, 100% cotton flannel, perfect for the cool weather we're having!

Some pics from the past...

I have several sewing projects to be done.  But one of the ones that I really WANTED to do was sew some Thai fisherman pants for lounging around the house.  So, I found this fabulous linen fabric at Joann, and not only was it 40% off, but I got the end of the bolt, so the second yard was an additional 50% off!  They turned out to cost about $8.  Not too shabby!  I'm also going to be using very similar material for pillows for the sofa, since our new furniture didn't come with any pillows.

I'm also throwing in a couple of other pictures that I've been meaning to post.  The first is Ziggy the Magnificent as a pup, although his is much bigger now.  And he looks kinda' weird in the pic, with his eyes all funky...  

The second is poor ol' Maximus, the Boston that we had for all-too-short of a time, who was stolen from us.
The third and fourth are of LoLo's baby blanket.  I took pics a long time ago, I just forgot to post them.  It was done using the Tiramisu Baby Blanket pattern off of Ravelry.

I am very proud of this blanket.  It really is quite pretty, very simple, albeit time consuming.  I have more pics to come...I've been a bit of a flunky in the photo department these days.  Oh, and I'm in the process of adding some pics to my older posts...like Gavin's birth story.  Check it out!

My love of strawberries...

I could eat them every day.  Seriously.  With them being in season right now, I'm buying them by the flat, eating them almost every day, preparing and freezing them for smoothies, etc.  I just ate about a pound of fresh strawberries with a sprinkle of turbinado sugar (which I love because it gives a nice crunch!).  It's really hot here in Fresno today, with a high of 105 degrees, so I'm sure I'll be having a smoothie later.  I normally just do an O.J., strawberry, and banana smoothie, but here lately I've gotten hooked on a new ingredient to my old standby:  Odwalla's Vanilla Al'Mondo Super Protein drink.  I freeze it in ice cube trays then use 5 or 6 of them in a smoothie.  I also freeze whatever fruit I'm using (bananas, strawberries) so it's nice and frosty.  Vanilla Al'Mondo is made of organic soymilk, organic oatmilk, bananas, ground almonds, and vanilla extract...so yummy!

Comcast is terrible.  I just thought I'd throw that out there.  They are the most crooked cable company in the entire United States.  And their service bites.  They're dishonest and rude.  And that is all.

Oh, and if you have the time, check out the works of Chrissy Butler.  She's a wonderfully talented artist and author, and a VBAC homebirth momma to boot!  Her blog, "The Wonderful Place" is linked in my sidebar, and you can see her site here.  The first pic on my blog is hers, as is this black-and-white that I love!

Ideas...

* An adjustable maternity support belt that is pretty and can hold a hot pack to your back.

* Birth is power with peace, strength with surrender...

* Words that come to mind when I think of labor and birth (things I repeated to myself over and over and over again...):  open...breathe...relax...calm...peace...strength...sway...

I'm getting some thoughts together for some ideas that I've got rambling around in my head, if I ever get to them.  I just wanted to jot these things down so I wouldn't forget.  If anyone has any suggestions for words that you think of when you think of birth, feel free to share!

Newport Beach trip pics...

I'm going to have to do these pics in two parts, since I want to publish more than five pics.  Anyhoo, here's Deklan's shirt from Uncle Scott and Aunt Donna...too cute!

J-Bo and Ambo's wedding annoucement...congrats, you two lovebirds!  These pics were taken during a very long, cold, windy winter walk on Newport Beach.

Deklan learning to "give some dap" from Uncle Scott...

Donna and the up-cycled t-shirt yarn bag that I made for her.  She also announced during the trip that she is preggo with their first babe!!  Congrats, momma!

 A close-up of the bag.  I loved this one so much, if I could have kept it for myself, I would have.  But I think the bag matches Donna's personality really well, so I couldn't justify keeping it.  Maybe I can find another groovy tie-dye shirt and complimenting colors to make a bag for me!

To be continued in the next post...

A day of driving and thinking...

We made our trip to San Francisco today, 2.5 hours one way, 5-6 hours round trip! That leaves a lot of time for me to talk and think and crochet. I finished my red wool tam, and I like it quite well! I would have taken a pic of it actually on my head (I wore it most of the day today), but I'm oiling my hair right this second and don't want olive oil all over my nice new creation. Came out rather nicely, did it not? It's mostly a double crochet, with a little accent close to the headband part, then the headband was decreased and a single crochet, with an eyelet row for a tie so it's more adjustable and doesn't slide around as much. Me likey! I'm going to have to make one in black or some other less bright color now, so I can wear it to work. I hate wearing my hair up all of the time, and this would allow me to wear it "down", but it would still be contained. Trav likes it, and tells me I'm turning into more of a hippie every day. I'm assuming that's a compliment?

After I write this post, I'm going to go back and see if I can paste in some pics of stuff from a couple of posts ago into the original post without totally screwing it up. My camera died and I couldn't find the battery charger while we were in Newport Beach, so I'm bugging my mother-in-law to email me pictures of Donna's t-shirt yarn bag. I love it so much! I totally wanted to keep it!

So, on to the "thinking" part of the trip. I'm so glad that I have a husband who's so supportive of my desires to go back to school! We've both gotten to the point where we can't imagine life any other way than me being a midwife. That's so awesome. Anyhoo, I'm not going to go on and on about midwifery, for once. We were discussing, instead, how we envision our life in the future. We hope to live on a decent plot of land, 5 acres at the minimum, hopefully more like 10+. We would love to have animals...chickens for laying, a milk cow for dairy and to hopefully calve once a year, providing us with meat for the freezer, a couple of goats (also for milk), maybe a few sheep for the wool, and a couple of horses for pleasure. We want a large garden, and fruit trees, and an herb garden. We want a simple life, one filled with family and the service of others. Our hope is that Travis will be in the ministry in some capacity, pastor or assistant pastor perhaps. And of course, I will be a midwife, with a home visit practice and hopefully with a birthing home. For all of our animals, we'd have to have a decent barn. It would be totally awesome to build a bunkhouse in the loft of the barn, like we had at the old 2x4 Ranch. It just had a bathroom, a ktichenette, and 4 "bunk" areas, for sleepovers and guests. Trav wants to be able to hunt, and we want to be able to build an awesome treehouse for the kiddos. We would both be in positions of service, and our living situation would also allow us to serve others. We could offer food to those without, our of our freezer, garden, and pantry (canning...woohoo!). We could offer shelter to someone who needs a hand to get on their feet, giving them privacy and allowing us to help without having people in our actual home (bunkhouses rock...). We would be almost totally self-sustaining, as far as food and basics go. I really hope our lives end up this way.

Trav took long enough from gaming to look at some pics of hennaed hair, and he's O.K. with it! So, I'll be placing an order, then I'm sure will have pictures to follow!

Trav just emptied the trash (being the good man that he is), and made a terrible face. Gavin is crying because he wants to play with the garbage, I guess. Travis told him that he doesn't want to play with it, because if it sat for much longer, it would have grown legs and hurt him! Ick...

I'm working two days, off one day, then working three days, so I don't think I'll be blogging that much for the next week-ish. Well, I'm off to shower the oil out of my hair...ta-ta for now!

Are things totally backwards, or is it just me?

I swear, sometimes it just hits me that our society is just backwards in so many ways. There are many things that led me to this thought path...and I will elaborate on a few. First is the one that peeves me the very most...the issue of our dog, Max. You know, the Boston Terrier that we adopted a few months back? Well, when we were transitioning from Walnut Creek to Fresno, a friend of our watched our cats and dog while we were gone. They sent Max to a friend of theirs (who has a fenced in yard, etc.) and they kept the cats...we had met this friend a couple of times...nice girl. Well, we went back to Walnut Creek to get our stuff and our pets, and we can't get in contact with her. Long story short, all attempts at communication with her have failed. She ignores our calls, and does not return them. We don't know where she lives. The people who watched our cats say they've tried to get ahold of her multiple times on our behalf, but can't get ahold of her. I don't really believe this, but whatever. So, we can't get Max back. She loved him at first sight when she met him, and we think either something happened to him while he was under her care and she's afraid to tell, or she just wants to keep him. In any event, it's been over a month since we've seen Max. We've resigned ourselves to the fact that we're most likely not going to see him again. What kind of a world is this? Why would they keep our dog? It wasn't theirs! In any event, Deklan had been asking about Max, saying he loves him and misses him, etc., and it was just breaking our hearts! So, after much discussion, I posted an ad on craigslist asking about adopting a small pup. So, after a couple of puppy interviews, we chose our new puppy!! This is Ziggy, our little mutt! He's a Pug/Lab-Shepherd mix...his mom is a Pug. He's a pure joy, and really well-behaved (for the most part!) already at 9 weeks old. He's great with the kids, and the cats are teaching him all about cat/dog respect. They still puff their tails every now and again, but are pretty chill for the most part. So anyway, lesson learned. It's amazing how few people in this world one can actually trust.

Another thing that has been making me think about our society is again along the topics of pregnancy and childbirth. Yeah, I guess I'm a little obsessive about those topics. I can't help it, though! From the beginning of my career as a nurse, before I even started nursing school, really, pregnancy and birth fascinated me. Then I made a brief departure as I began my career in the medical field, concentrating so intently on what I had studied...but the pull back to the miracle of new life returned, then became even closer to my heart with the birth of my two sons, getting to experience it all for myself! The contrast between my first and second pregnancies and the subsequent births is sharp...Deklans was a very medical, traditionally-Western birth. Gavins was more relaxed, back to common sense and the roots of our history as a race, looking back past the recent era where birth and womens bodies have been claimed by medicine to the centuries past when a woman depended on a trusted midwife and her own body and baby to guide her through labor and birth. Wow...sorry for the tangent! So this was my thought: what happened to traditions regarding the postpartum period? A woman is expected to give birth, get used to the role of motherhood, then be back to work in six weeks or less. Now, of course I understand that there are women out there who are blessed with family who helps during that time, but I'm just thinking in general. Most women have little to no help after birth...her husband might get to stay home for a week or two, and maybe her mother comes and stays with her for a week or two if she's very lucky. Most women have to attempt to run their homes while still recovering. What happened to the days gone by? I've read stories of traditions where a woman was secluded with her baby and female friends and relatives for the first week following the birth. During this time, her family was cared for by others and she and her baby were pampered and supported during that first important week. She was dressed and her hair brushed and her feet washed, she was fed good food, full of calories and protein to help her body recouperate. She was expected to relax, rest, and bond with her baby. She was waited on, hand and foot. Then, after the first week was over, she spent the next 7 weeks (for a total of two months) in her own home, but only directing her household, while friends and relatives took care of everything. She wasn't expected to lift a finger, just heal, bond with her baby, and be pampered so she could feel pretty again. And that's just an example. Why don't we do things like that anymore? I really wish I could have been there for my best friend, Laura (a.k.a LoLo) a few weeks back when she gave birth to her little girl. I wish she could have counted on me to help her, to cook and clean and wash for her, to take care of her and just let her enjoy her baby. I want to be able to do that for my friends someday. To make my friend or family member feel special after the birth of their baby. To not just keep their house and feed them, but to braid their hair and wash and rub their feet, make them tea and tell them how wonderful and strong and perfect they are. But our society makes this difficult. Not only does it have no room for such traditions, but the fact that many women work outside of the home makes it difficult to take weeks off at a time. Even when I reach my goal of being a midwife, I'll still be working. It would still be difficult to find the time to take off. You know, maybe I could try to incorporate some of these elements into my midwifery. Thinking back, I had many ideas that I would have loved to have done, like doing a belly-cast or having my belly and feet and hands hennaed in my last weeks...I just never had the opportunity to do them. My family members hated the idea of henna...too much like tattoos, they said. Didn't want any part of it. I didn't have the energy to orchestrate something like a belly-casting...getting instructions, supplies, finding someone willing to do it. I wish I could have. Maybe I could have a few things that a momma could choose from...to have one of her latter-week appointments be something special like that if they chose. Have her bring a couple of friends, or have it just be the momma, doula, and midwife if she wishes...but to let her have the chance to do something special like a belly-casting or henna. Something commemorative, even if she doesn't have the support of friends or family. Maybe that's a weird idea, but I think it's pretty darn cool. Midwives have a relationship with their mommas unlike any other healthcare professional. I don't think it would be crossing any lines to have something like that available to a momma if she wanted to do it. I would have loved to have the chance to do something like that with my midwife.

On a less contemplative note, I've finished a few projects that were on the needles for a while. I finished my Dad's hat, MamaG's bag, my sister-in-law Donna's t-shirt yarn bag, and LoLo's baby blanket. I also started a red woolen crochet tam for myself, now that my hair is starting to get long again. If I like it, I'll make another. It's my first truly free-style crochet piece, where it isn't even based on a pattern, I'm just winging it. Kinda' exciting and liberating! Kinda' scary...I'm worried that it'll suck and I'll end up just unravelling it all and starting over from scratch. I love the yarn I've chosen...it's Kashmira, a 100% wool yarn by Sensations. It's got a nice stretch to it, and I think I chose just the right hook for the job. Speaking of hooks, Gavin stuck my very favorite, most-used crochet hook into the fireplace vent, and I can't get to it. Bugger. So I'm looking for a new one today to take its place. And maybe I'll pick up a skein or two to make me feel better about losing Old Faithful! Hehehe...the excuses I find to buy yarn are so silly...

Oh, I guess I should throw in an update about our situation. Well, I parted ways with Agostini after a long, turbulent time with them. I would never recommend them to anyone as an agency. Ever. I ended up being without work for a week. This worked just find since we had the family reunion to go to. The whole time we were in Newport Beach, I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off, trying to get paperwork and whatnot in order for the Fresno job, found for my by Bestaff. So far they've been a really good agency. I started in Fresno on Dec. 15th for a 13-week contract at Community Regional Medical Center's Neuroscience unit. It's very interesting, and I've learned quite a bit. I'd like to extend here for another contract, if they still have the need. The unit is comprised of four seperate units: the Stroke unit, Step-down unit, Med-Surg Neuro unit, and Neurosurgery unit. I float between all four of them. I deal with everything from strokes to head trauma to neck/back surgeries to seizures and alcohol withdraw. I went ahead an completed my ACLS training, which has opened more doors for me travel-wise. The funny thing about all of this is that we're living in Fresno, the very town where we were robbed 5 years ago. We actually live just a few miles from that area. What's funny is that, on that fateful day 5 years ago, we decided for the first time on our trip to stay in a nice hotel instead of a total dive. It's a nice area where we live, in a gated community, two bed/two bath apartment, huge, with a fireplace, washer/dryer, and fully furnished, for free. Oh, the perks of being a travel nurse!! Not only that, but I'm making double what I was making in Walnut Creek!! FINALLY. It feels like we're making progress on our financial situation! When I was offered the position here, I was uncertain about coming here due to past experience. But then I just closed my eyes and dove in and trusted that all would be well, and I'm so glad that I did. The unit where I work is full of hard-working people who work together as a team and help one another. That's rare. Anyhoo, that's what's going on with us. Just chillin' in Fresno. Enjoying the San Joaquin Valley and the dense winter fog. Not really looking forward to the summer, if we're still here. I hear the summers are pretty much terrible...scorching hot, no rain, dusty and dirty...yuck. Well, we'll see...

A few projects...

I've been knocking out a few sewing and crocheting projects here lately. Here are pics of a couple...

This is Deklan's beanie...it's a wool/soy blend. It was actually going to be for my dad, but it was a modified pattern and turned out too small. So, I guess I'll have to make another for Dad!

This is a crochet blanket that I made for my friend Sarah and her newborn babe, Austin. It went along with the sling that I posted pics of a few posts ago.


This is a sling that I made for my BFF, Lolo. I made an identical one for her sis, April (who is due two weeks before Lolo is), and a wrap for Gavin out of the same cut of material. It's a super-light teal gauze with a tiny silver stripe running through it...I love it!
That's it for now...I had more pics that I wanted to post, but blogger is rebelling and won't recognize my attempts to upload. Guess I'll post them another day. Oh well...it's off to work I go!

Whew!!!

I got a lot of crocheting done on the way to Cali! I am working on some Christmas presents, and have actually completed three of them. I also crocheted my first "granny square" this week, believe it or not. I know that's a basic pattern for crochet, but I had just never done it. Now I'm hooked! I am currently working on two baby blankets using the granny square. Here are some pics. The camo is for a little boy (as well as the camo-lined sling...the camo was at the request of his momma). I also picked up knitting again after a long hiatus. I'm currently knitting a pair of w ool legwarmer/babylegs/knee protectors for Gavin in this awesome yarn! I finished the first one and realized it's quite tight, and won't fit him for long. So I'm going to have to get more yarn and modify the pattern to make them a little bigger. I learned how to knit in the round using the "Magic Loop" method, and it's awesome! I need to get some wool off of Etsy so I can make some felted covers for my sons Klean Kanteens. I can't find any wool that I like that will felt in Joann's.

I didn't finish my sewing projects before moving out here, but I brought my sewing stuff with me so I can finish them. I'm also working on a partial stash for my BFF, Lolo. Her babe is due in December. I'm making slings for her and her sister (due 2 weeks before her) out of this beautiful teal gauze with a silver stripe. I had gotten that material for a sling for myself, but I love my batik one so much, it's the only one I use anyway. All of this crocheting and knitting and sewing, all while trying to work and be a mom and wife...so much to do, so little time!
Gavin is has hit a whole bunch of milestones, all within the last week or so. He had been crawling backwards for several weeks now, and taking belly-lunges forward for the last few days. Well, last week finally brought his first real crawl. And already, one day after he figured it out, he's moving FAST, getting into stuff, and terrorizing the cats. Just these last couple of days, he's already started pulling up on things. So far he pulls up on us, the sofa, and the dining room chairs. He clapped for the first time yesterday. And on the last day of August, he cut his first tooth! He's also finally getting some hair on that bald head of his.

Well, we've been busy since my last post! I've got to get back on here more frequently! Well, for the record, I got the position in Walnut Creek, California. I started on July 28th, and I really like it! If nothing comes available in the Redding area any time soon, we'll probably just move up there and I'll sign on as staff. I didn't write for so long because we were so crazy busy, packing and getting things ready to move, moving, travelling out here, and getting settled in. It's been an adventure! We made it to Sacramento from Ellenton in five days! I got my license without any problems, headed to Oakland for paperwork, then settled into our new apartment. We were greeted by a German Shepherd named Charlie, who loved the kids and nearly licked them to death. There are several lovely parks in the area, and we've had great fun exploring them on my days off. We were also given a couple of kittens by a nice lady we met at a pet store...she rescues cats and had two litters born in April and was looking for homes for the kitties. So, we adopted Jasmine and Emma...Jasmine is the gray one and Emma is the black one. The boys have great fun with the cats, although we had to do some pretty intense training with Deklan to teach him to be gentle.

Deklan turned four the weekend we got out to California! My baby is four! Where does the time go? He's such a joy, and I'm so blessed to have been able to spend these last four years with him.

*sigh* This post ended up in sort of backwards order...messed up while uploading the pics. Well, I'll try to update more often than every few months!

Fluffity fluffy fluff...

So, I had this pair of pajamas that I almost never wear...Curious George long-sleeved t-shirt top and fleece pants. So, I decided to do a little recycling and repurposing and make a matching fitted pocket diaper and fleece cover for Gavin. So, here are the results!

This is the fleece cover...
This is the back of the fitted pocket diaper...it looks off-center, but it's just the camera angle...

This is the front of the fitted pocket. It's stuffed with a prefold.

I used the free Rita's Rump Pocket and Cover patterns. The pattern is easily adjustable, so instead of making it so that it fastens with a pin, I used Aplix to fasten..it's more "Daddy-friendly". I just finished them this evening, and I can't wait to put them on Gavin in the morning!

As for a life update, I've been in touch with Agostini, and they're trying to get me into a hospital in Walnut Creek, CA. It's just a bit east of San Francisco, and is a really nice town as far as I can tell. The hospital there is smallish, under 300 beds. We're just waiting for my references to come thru so they can schedule an interview. We've been packing and selling off some of the bigger furniture on Craigslist, and we got our storage unit reserved this week. I'm really hoping that the Walnut Creek assignment works out!

The boys are healthy and growing like weeds. Deklan is hilarious...he's starting to pick up things that he hears in conversation...earlier today he just walked into the living room and said "I give up", then walked away. ???? Silly kiddo. Gavin is trying SO hard to crawl, but he hasn't done it yet! He is teething, though. No teeth have broken the gum yet, but he's miserable, poor guy. Well, I guess that's about it...

It's been a while...

So, it's time to update my blog...it's been a while!! Here are a few recent pics of Gavin...Deklan is his same stinky self... "What?? The Red Wings are in the Stanley Cup Finals?? GO WINGS!"
He could stare at the fishtank for hours and hours... This is what you get when you sneak up on a baby and take a picture...
He's such a happy baby!!

So, things are going well on the homefront. I'm trying to round up some professional references for the agency, and I have to tie up some loose ends when it comes to paperwork. The whole CPR card fiasco is causing an issue yet again, so I'm just going to have to take the darn class again and get a card. I'm starting to get butterflies in my stomach. It's getting more and more real...the fact that we could soon be gone from Florida forever! Wow. I've lived here for so many years of my life!

I'm going to start perusing the local thrift stores looking for wool...sweaters, blankets, etc. Until we settle down and buy a home where I have a craft area in which I can learn to spin, I'll have to buy my yarn. I've been talking about knitting a couple of soakers for Gavin, I just haven't done it yet. I also need to make some fitteds for Trav to use, and a couple of fleece covers. I want to venture into the realm of PUL, but first I want to knock out these first projects.



I learned how to wear Gavin on my back with my ring sling this week! Not the best picture ever, but here's what it looks like. I tried with my wrap (Tibetan high back carry), but it seems that my wraps are too narrow...18 inches in width. I'm thinking I'll need future wraps to be at least 22-24 inches wide to successfully do some back carries. I'd rather use a wrap for back carries...just seems more secure. My sewing projects are piling up!! I really need to get them done so I won't feel like I have a gazillion things on my plate when we head to CA...I'll have enough to do as it is, settling down in a new place, starting a new job, etc.


WWWWaaaaaaiiiiiiiiiitttttttttttttiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnnngggggggggggg for our stimulus check!!! Ack!

Well, I guess that's about it for now. I can't wait till I can post about WHEN and WHERE we're going when it comes to a contract!!

Mother's Day

*sigh* This Mother's Day was a little rough. Well, it was basically just like any other day...cranky kids, tired me, house needs cleaning, etc. Trav was working last night so he was sleeping today, which gave me no relief. Well, that's real life for you! Maybe one of these days I'll actually be treated with the opportunity to sleep in and have breakfast in bed!

Well, the NHL playoffs are on. Detroit has been dominating, and I'm hoping they win the cup this year. I think it'll be Detroit vs. Pittsburgh for the finals. That would be a good final series for sure!

Even though my day hasn't been the best, I'm sitting here looking at my boys...Gavin is laying on the floor "talking", and Deklan is tickling his feet, making him laugh. Every time Gavin laughs, Deklan announces "He laughs!!" Deklan is in his pj's, and they're both looking pretty darn cute right now. We make cute kids.

I've been looking at some spinning wheels today. I can't wait till I can actually start working on my "To Do/Learn" list. These are the contents of my list so far:
1.) Learn how to sew diapers really well.
2.) Get an embroidery machine and learn how to embroider/applique.
3.) Knit some woolies for Gavin.
4.) Learn how to batik.
5.) Learn different ways of dyeing/painting fabrics and raw materials (wool, angora, cotton...)
6.) Apply my newly-acquired batik/dyeing/painting skills to my ring slings.
7.) Set up an Etsy site for some of my stuff.
8.) Make some really groovy clothes with my new groovy skills (hand-batiked/dyed/painted).
9.) Crochet some produce bags.
10.) Learn how to work with paper...specifically, I want to make my own calling cards with Deckled edges.
11.) Learn how to spin wool, angora, and cotton (which would require purchase of a spinning wheel).
12.) Learn how to tie-dye in really cool patterns.
13.) Learn how to watercolor.
14.) Learn how to make pottery. My goal is to make my own dishes.

So, how's that for a master list? Yes, it does seem as if I want to be a jack-of-all-trades. I'm sure I'll be adding more stuff to the list as time goes by. I have so many creative ideas, I just lack the time and the means to make them happen at the moment. Maybe I'll have to wait until after California to do these things. Maybe I'll get into some of it while I'm there as a creative outlet for my stress. In any event, I'd love to do (or learn to do) these things. The ideas are literally overflowing...I write them all down so I won't forget.

What is with my boys and loving to spill things on me? Travis is forever knocking into my elbow and making me spill my coffee, water, etc. Deklan is always spilling and dripping on me. Gavin...well, I can't blame him because he's a baby. But it seems that I can't make it thru a single day with dry clothes.

*sigh* I have some sewing projects to do. I found a pattern for turning prefolds into fitteds, and I think I'm actually going to do it. I also have 4 more slings to make, and a shirt to alter for my sister. I also found a really cool crochet pattern for hacky sacks...I'd like to make some for Deklan. And I'm thinking that I'll make a wool soaker and see how it goes. I found a pretty good free pattern online, so I want to give it a go.

We had a little graduation party for my lil'sis tonight. It was nice to spend a little time with the family and play some cards....

To wool or not to wool? That is the question...

I'm really excited about this coming weekend! Not only is my lil' sis graduating Saturday morning, but Saturday night is the benefit for the Florida Friends of Midwives. It's going to be awesome! I made a bag to go up in the raffle. I hated to part with it, but I made a similar one for myself to ease the pain a little! Here is a pic of it:

So, to the burning question of the day and the REAL topic of this blog entry...wool covers. I've been doing a lot of research on wool diaper covers these days. We're gearing up for another gloriously HOT Florida summer, and I've heard that wool is great for hot climates because it breathes. I'd end up making my own soakers, and would probably only make one longie for sleeping. We'll see what happens. I had a hard enough time talking Travis into cloth in the first place, I'm afraid throwing wool in the mix might spook him a little more. Speaking of other diapers, I claimed victory over the fish funk in the BG's that I bought! Woohoo!! I stripped those puppies 3 times before it made a difference! *sigh*

So we're talking more and more about the future and California. I'm not relishing the thought of being a full-time working mom again, but it'll be temporary. Two years temporary, but temporary nonetheless. We decided against moving our junk to MI first, but will leave it here in a nice climate-controlled storage unit somewhere. Trav is also going to skip Academy, as much as he wanted to do it. So all things considered, we're going to try to get out of here when our lease is up, at the end of July. We're already working on a major home overhaul, getting ready for a yard sale. Eek! I'm just trying to look at the whole thing as the means to an end, to a home and some land and midwifery school. That's where my heart is, I just have two years of work before I can get there!