Owl Stretching Time

I love Monty Python. I know, I know, that’s an easy thing to say. I’m guessing most of the general public knows at least one skit or one punchline, even if they don’t know from whence it came. My problem is, I’m a bit of an obsessive fan. I can’t just watch one skit or one disc. Oh no, if I start I have to watch every. single. episode, plus Live at the Hollywood Bowl, their German episode and Graham Chapman’s “Looks Like a Brown Trouser Job” (hysterical!).

Then I have to watch every single movie. And not just the “official” Python movies, but movies like Jabberwocky, or A Fish Called Wanda, Yellowbeard, Time Bandits and did-you-hear-that-Gilliam-is-breathing-new-life-into-Don-Quixote?! I forced myself to watch Valiant, Shrek 2 and Shrek 3 just for Cleese’s voice. My mind goes all “explodey” when he shows up on Doctor Who!

Still. I’m not done. I have to watch all the extras, all the interviews, all the random things that are placed on the discs. After that I change things up and watch “At Last It’s the 1948 Show”, “The Frost Report” and Cleese’s films he made for … the word and phrase are escaping me now… for businesses, like training videos.

Then I mix it up and watch Fawlty Towers, Palin’s travel shows. Jones, among other things, has a really fun documentary about numbers on youtube.

Michael Palin’s book, “The Michael Palin Diaries” is about a month overdue at the library, but it is so good!

I also really enjoyed watching the backstory of Life of Brian…
(Which I can’t seem to embed but here’s the link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDCAJTrF1gg)
which leads me to the original reason I got on this topic…

I had no idea there was a new Python documentary out!! I can’t believe I missed that one. Also seems like I missed a fun water fight. With luck I will be able to watch the documentary tonight and I am very excited. From the sound of the title, “Monty Python: Almost the Truth About the BBC Lawyers”, Palin wrote a bit about it in his diaries, but I cannot wait to learn more.

I know I’m frighteningly obsessive, but I also know I’m not alone in my obsessiveness and amazingly enough, thanks to wacko fans like me, some of the early episodes of MPFC would have been lost.

Why post when…

… this is all that’s been happening?

E has been watching this clip constantly for the last week. When we aren’t watching Blue’s Clues or more Sesame Street that is. Everyone is so sick here! I hear that’s the status quo everywhere though, so I can’t complain.

(I have to say, I dunno who Feist is and it’s not really my cup of tea, but I really enjoy her singing voice in that clip.)

Hopefully in a few days we will be up and around and sewing again, will get to comments then, sorry.

E’s Fall Fashion Tips

I’m a big fan of giving kids choices and letting them learn from poor choices while they are young and the consequences for said choices are relatively small.

I always make sure that the choices I offer are something I’m OK with, for example, clothing. I’d never give them the choice of a garment I don’t approve of. And the younger they are, the less choices they get; E gets choices of two outfits, Z gets choices from his entire wardrobe.

All this to say: even though E is barely two she has her very own interesting “personal style”, as Tim Gunn would say. So I imagine that if she had her own fashion blog, it would look something like this:

Wardrobe

Wearing jammies outside the house is usually a no-no, but pair it with a tutu and some colorful boots and you’re ready for any grocery store “runway”.

A nice pair of silky jammies are great for lounging around the house.

Make each garment your own! Is the back of the collar more exciting than the front? Turn the shirt around and refuse to let your mother button you up the correct way, she obviously has no idea about fashion.

Why wait till Halloween to wear your costumes? Any day is dress up day!

Don’t be afraid of color. I had fun putting this outfit together. Mommy didn’t think I needed the shrug too but little did she know it made the outfit!

A good coat is also critical, even if you live in California like I do. Grandpa picked this one out for me so it’s a little big, but it’s kinda like a coat dress so I wear it anyways.

And just in case you think I am immune to fashion no-no’s, if your diaper is showing, your dress is too short!

Hair

Hair this fall is long, flowing and curly. Unless your mother insists on putting it in pigtails.

Accessories

Boots are a must have for any fall wardrobe. Make sure you have one sensible pair and one crazy colored pair for more fun looks.

A girl can never have too many shoes. My poor unfashionable mother only has 2 pairs! Too bad she doesn’t get hand-me-downs like I do!

Really, you can never have enough shoes.

I’ve had these earrings since I was 3 months old, some classics never go out of style.

Don’t forget, a lightsaber makes any outfit complete.

That’s all from E, I hope you enjoyed my fall fashion tips.

The Days are Just Packed

I love this photo. S is drawing a maze on a breakfast in bed type tray free-hand. He is so amazing at that. I wish I had had a chance to take a photo of the finished product, but I never even saw it before it went off as a belated birthday gift. A and E saw S “coloring” and wanted to join in.

Yard sale treasures

How great is this! I had been wanting a small “plastic” or whatever it is Xmas tree for a decade. My timing was perfect as I grabbed it before she finished putting the “free” sign on it (nicely though, of course. I didn’t yank it out of her hands or anything). With a toddler, two boys and two cats, this is going to be perfect for an out of the way tree. And it was free!

$1.50 for 4 yards of this beautiful creamy flowery fabric. I think I found my purse fabric! While I was distracted with piles and piles of amazing fabric, Z was up to his usual yard sale magic. I turned around and he has this 5 inches from my face…

“It’s a lemon shark mouth”, he tells me matter of factly. He’s a smart guy and usually right, plus he had this mouth of shark teeth pointed at me, so who was I to argue?

“He caught it himself!” Z continued, “he wanted $5 for it but I talked him down to $3.”

Sewing

I did it, I made them all matching pj pants. At one point I didn’t think I was going to be able to figure out Z’s but hurrah! I got a twin sheet set at Target for $10 (not a thrifty find to be sure, but I liked the car pattern) and used one sheet, so 3 pants came out to $5.

Mini Golf

This is how we spent part of Saturday. I think A won.

I have no idea what was so funny, but I love candid shots such as these.

Sneak Peek
I hesitate to post without knowing how it’s going to turn out but here’s your sneak peek.

Firefly/Serenity Kaylee Inspired Toddler outfit

Please note the word “inspired” in the title. I tried very hard to make something more similar but man did I have problems. So I am a huge browncoat, and it’s exciting to say I saw the very first episode they showed on FOX the night it premiered and have been hooked ever since. That never happens, I usually catch on a season or two later. Like, I’m going to watch Fast Forward, really, I just haven’t had time! I won’t be too behind.

Back to Firefly:

Photo courtesy FOX and fan site Can't Take the Sky

I love the Kaylee character and I really wanted to make a few outfits for E inspired by Kaylee’s look.

I ran into a few problems right off the bat. There was this beautiful fabric I’d seen at Joann’s several times but on the day I had some extra money it was nowhere to be seen! And there was no way I was going to be able to explain the fabric I was searching for to anyone that worked there.

So sadly, off the top of my head I grabbed two fabrics I thought would work. And I think they did!

The shirt didn’t give me any problems except one – I used white thread. I didn’t realize it would show up so easily. Oops. It did give me the opportunity to see how messy my stitches were, in case I started to get cocky and think I actually knew how to sew!

The next problem was that I didn’t want to make a jumpsuit. That seems a little beyond me and who wants to put a kinda-sorta potty training toddler in a jumpsuit? So I had the brilliant idea to make a vest instead! You’ll notice you haven’t seen the vest, and you won’t. I made three different versions and none of them worked or fit right. It was getting to the point that I was so frustrated I wanted to quit, and I knew she wouldn’t wear a vest anyway. So what was I stressing over? I’m learning to let go of the things that aren’t going to be improved with my panic attacks/stress and that was one of them.

But I do want to find or make a heart and teddy bear patch, it really won’t be complete till I can do that.

It really need something, especially since the vest wasn’t happening, so with what I believe is Kaylee’s approval, E got some ruffles. S helped me set the ruffles properly, he’s so handy to have around. When I did it they were way way off! I will next time, however, put them higher up. I also used clear elastic for the ruffles on the pant leg and the gathering on the ruffles themselves.

Total cost: $6ish.

I’ve really enjoyed being inspired by Kaylee and I would love to make her “pretty” from the episode, “Shindig”, but that’s biting off a lot for a complete novice. Unless I make a sort of twirl skirt. We’ll see.

Next up: Z wants to learn how to make dolls or juggling balls or something small he can sell, which means I have to learn how to make something easy for him to learn how to make. Any suggestions?

Happy Windsday!

Here I am, typing away in my make-your-eyes-roll-into-the-back-of-your-head-it’s-that-soft robe feeling perfectly content with life. Everyone is still sleeping, the cats are fed so they aren’t meowing at me – I’m not in pain and I have a lovely cup of caffeine. This is so rare I really felt I needed to jot it down!

We’ve been so lucky the weather has turned cold lately, and suddenly at that. Last weekend was over 100 degrees. As I write this it’s 52. A decrease of 50%! Um, unless I did my math wrong, which is entirely possible. I hadn’t realized we’re officially in Autumn until this dramatic weather change made me check the calendar (like, 5 seconds ago). And that makes me a bit sad because I love Autumn more than any other season.

This day truly is calling for some sort of celebration. It’s going to have to be a close to home celebration though, as I think my car is completely devoid of gas.

Something else that makes me happy…

Have you seen these pumpkin spice Hershey’s kisses? If you like pumpkin pie go get some straight away. These things are like someone created a wonderful machine that took a piece of your mum’s pumpkin pie and smushed it into a tiny bite-sized piece of chocolate that’s only 23 calories each. Of course, it doesn’t help if you eat the entire bag, but who counts calories anyways? S put one in his coffee this morning to excellent results.

We ended up taking two walks to the same place today because G-ma needed something after we got back. Good exercise in good weather but now I need a nap! And after the nap, to finish the last garment in the three piece outfit I’m making E. Oh, who am I kidding, I won’t be lucky enough to get a nap!

A Sneak Peek

My latest finished project

Ta-da! My first peasant blouse I’m alright with sharing with the world. I used another of Vegbee’s fabulous tutorials. (On a side note: I wish blogspot would let me log in so I could tell her how great I think her tutorials are and how much they’ve helped me. Trust me, go read them! On top of her tutes, she just has the most fantastic outlook on life.)

At any rate, I used a pretty little purple flowered remnant from Walmart and what is probably-supposed-to-be-used-under-a-skirt white material that was also a remnant. That’s why E isn’t wearing it. She has worn it a few times, but there is already a tear in the white (and that wasn’t even her fault – bad mommy!) so there’s no point in her wearing it until I can salvage it.

Total cost of this practice garment: $1.50 … ouch. I shouldn’t have used the purple on a practice shirt, it’s cute. I try to shoot for less than $1 per outfit. Oh well, rack this up to another learning experience. I’m even happy with my failures, what is going on?! :p

I like to make a “practice” garment with material that is cheap before I start my “real” project. Usually I use sheets. But all this has been leading up to an outfit for E I’m pretty excited about. I really hope it turns out! I’ll even give you a sneak peek and a hint.

Just a little sneak peek

And here’s the hint: Firefly/Serenity.

Upcoming Projects

Because my list is getting huge and I need to get my act together, this should keep me on task. I have quite a few presents and costumes to get together before the end of the year!

September

finish swing skirt
E’s Halloween skirt Finished 9/29/09

October

My own circle skirt from S’s shirts, using Vegbee’s tute
B’s birthday tutu Or even better, some sort of criss-cross tutu, these are gorgeous!
hoodie for S
pjs pants for at least 4 for xmas 10/3/09 Finished
S wants me to make him a “Gumby” costume a la Monty Python. I’m not sure much sewing is involved, but I better put it here.

November

Dishtowel aprons for Xmas
Something pretty for my cousin who is having another girl, a blanket? This itty bitty baby dress? Maybe a baby tutu? Suggestions welcome!
This incredibly cute bag for ME! Or maybe I’ll give it to my mother who loves purses the way I love geek stuff. Very special thanks to Jessi Linn for drawing my attention to it.

I’m sure I’m going to end up adding more, maybe a scarf for my mother in law. Maybe something my brother in law can use in basic training. Maybe I can find some inexpensive Betty Boop fabric and make something for my sister.

Happy Birthday, Jim Henson.

If you’re my age, Jim Henson is likely your own personal god. He probably shaped the way you learned, how you looked at the world, what you laughed at. He created some of your best friends.

I’m celebrating his life’s work today with the kids, watching The Muppet Show. I’ll leave you with this fun article, In Honor of Jim Henson’s Birthday, Five Things Mindblowing Muppet Revelations.

A’s special day

I try to give each child some “special time” alone with mommy whenever I can swing it. It takes some intense planning at times but it is so worth it. Especially for A. He was the baby of the family for 6 years and then all of a sudden he had a baby sister. It was a surprise for all of us (most of all me!) but it set him back a bit.

Since Z had a church event and S didn’t have to work, I asked him to have some time with E. Then A and I were off to the park!

There is always at least one person flying a kite or two at this park but we’ve personally never had the opportunity. It was a windy Sunday, a little too windy for lightweight kites, but we took a chance.

A was so excited, he had been wanting to fly his kite for ages. I really feel bad that it took us this long. I packed a blanket, which never got sat on, two kites, water and my camera.

The mighty kite man surveys his handiwork

At one point, I noticed a 3 year old boy watching A intently. Since A had the kite up in the air so well, we let the little boy fly it for a while. His dad said we made his day; the boy had always wanted to fly a kite!

We spent an hour or so flying two different kites. One, a cheapie Yoda kite, couldn’t stand the wind, so we gave up on it. We hit a yard sale on the way home but didn’t find anything special.

What better way to end a special day than with a game of Star Wars Trivial Pursuit?

Tennis, World Music and terrible sewing

Tennis

Z has just a few more tennis lessons left and it’s been amazing to see how much he has improved from just a few weeks ago. He loves it. I’m so happy, I really felt that he needed a sport to participate in since he quit Kung Fu. I love that he’s excited about it and looks forward to it. I am sad that it’s almost over, but he still has piano.

Yard Sales

The boys cannot wait to go yard sale shopping on weekends. I didn’t find much for me this weekend (a few pieces of cheap yet cute jewelery) but the boys did well. They spent about $4 total.

But they definitely have different approaches: A buys things he finds exciting or different or fun. He “backwards bargains”. It goes something like this:
A: How much is this?
Seller: X.
A: *sad tone* ohhhh… I don’t have that much.
S: Oh? Well… how much do you have?
A: half of X.
S: OK, you can have it for that. And while you’re at it, why don’t you pick out a free rug for your room?

(Yeah, the boys both got free – and super cool – rugs for their rooms but I didn’t get photos of them)

Z is more cautious, he thinks through his purchases. He weighs his options. He decides if he can do without. And then he bargains. And can he ever bargain! He talks people down so well I have him do it for my purchases as well.

Yard sales are a great opportunity for kids to learn so many things. They get to learn the value of a dollar, how to take something old and reuse it, how to bargain, how to check merchandise before you buy and how to shrug it off if it’s broken, how to count out money, how to navigate streets and maps, how to deal with people and best of all, how to decide it it’s really worth it. If you don’t already, I really encourage you to take your (appropriately aged) children to yard sales.

World Music Festial

On Saturday we were lucky enough to attend the yearly world music festival. We’d missed the last few years so I was excited to go this year. S’s mom gave us some money to try different foods.

When we arrived the band that was on stage was playing heavy metal. Don’t get me wrong, I love heavy metal, but it wasn’t what I was expecting at a “world music” festival. S teased me that heavy metal is played in the world!

Beside that one “sour note” (ouch!), the festival was quite fun. Lots of booths selling African art and drums, flowy “hippie-ish” clothes, amazing handmade jewelery, purses, all sorts of crafty type booths.

E was instantly drawn to the purses. What a girly girl. I am not kidding when I say she already has more purses than I do.

One booth featured a woman doing henna. I so wanted to have some done but A) There was a huge huge line, B) The kids were restless and wanted to eat and C) I didn’t have the money to waste on it.

We had a delicious Indian sampler (the kids got to pick and they chose Indian over burgers, so proud!) with curries and coconut sauce and lentils and … yum!

We had a blast, I love when we are able to get to events like this. My health doesn’t always allow for family adventures and it was so nice sitting on the lawn, eating curry, listening to drummers and watching a spontaneous display of hula-hooping.

Sewing
As for sewing, I’ve been doing a lot with very little to show for it. I finished a prototype hoodie for E that I’m fairly pleased with. I need to figure out an enclosure and shorten the length, otherwise it’s pretty alright for a first try.

I made myself a t-shirt based on one I love, but the fabric is terrible, all ravely, and I tried to do an interesting shoulder tie so it turned into a mess.

I decided to create some bloomers with ruffles. The ruffles didn’t make it on the bloomers and they were too small for E anyway.

Even through all this I feel undaunted – a strange sensation. Usually I would be filled with loathing and self doubt. But I know I can only improve from here!

Look for another post soon, I only had time and/or room to post about half the weekend.