Summer Wrap

Whew!  It's been a busy summer, y'all!

It was all-Godspell-all-the-time for awhile there.  Here's a video of my solo.  (That's Nature Boy in the polka dots!)




I can't believe it's already Back to School time for the neighborhood kids.  Why, back in my day, we didn't start school until after Labor Day.

Long live summer!

That said, I'm totally being a follower and starting our homeschool year now too.  Our homeschooling style has shifted a lot over the 7 years we've been doing this.  We started out doing unit studies, switched to a 3Rs, Ruth Beechick-y approach, got all hippie and unschooled for a few years, and now we've settled into plain ol' "relaxed homeschooling".

Which I define as:  not enough formal school work to look or feel like actual school, but enough formal school work so I don't have panic attacks and go prematurely grey.

Finding your groove in homeschooling is like getting past that annoying period in your 20s when you're all, Who am I?  What am I supposed to be doing with my life?  It's a relief, really.  I'm fairly certain that I spent more time agonizing over learning styles, teaching methods, and what other people might think about our choices than I did actually homeschooling for the first 5 years or so.  For real.

Now that that's over (knock on wood), I can confidently say that I am:

Woohoo.

In other news, I'm still fat.

BUT, I've gone to a couple PiYo classes (pilates and yoga combo), and I really enjoyed them.  Even though I sweat like a man and I'm too arthritic for a yoga mat, so I use our gel mat from the kitchen.  (Yeah, all the young skinny girls wanna be like me!)  Usually I work out at home, alone, after everyone else has gone to bed.  Not because I'm ashamed or anything.  It's just, that's my time to Netflix binge, and exercising without being entertained by TV is just weird.

As we wrap up summertime, I'm going to take a minute to review the highlights.

Ren Faire!

We got a pet mouse.  (Read: the snake didn't want him.) 

He's actually a really friendly little guy.  Hand-tame and everthang.

Berry pickin'!

Ripley's Believe It or Not Odditorium!

Did some more crafty stuff.

Nature Boy grew an awesome garden.

And he started a wire wrapped jewelry business!
If you'd like to buy one of his necklaces, send me an email at yeahisaiditblog{at}gmail.com.  You can choose your stone from several options, and the price is $15 shipped. 
(The pendants below have already sold.)
We're considering a family Etsy shop, but for now, we're set up to take Paypal.

That's all I got!  I hope you've enjoyed your summer.  Please leave a comment sharing one of your favorite activities of the summer, or tell me something you're looking forward to this fall.

I Made Deez

In keeping with my long history of slacker-blogging, the following is a post consisting of a bunch of pictures of stuff I made recently.  I was in an artsy mood there for a few weeks.  Crafting, combined with 8 (LONG) weeks of practices for the musical, Godspell, has me creativity-challenged right now.  Soooo, hopefully you enjoy looking at photos of crap I made!

With the Crapper decorating the wall in our main bathroom, we obviously needed something for the master bath.  So I made this.

Then I busted out my new Cricut machine and made this wall art.

The Cricut machine came with some glass etching goo, so I made some etched initial vases with vinyl stencils I made on the Cricut. 

Everyone needs some giant 'staches for tooling around town.

Then I was all inspired to paint cartoonized portraits of my family!
 

Including the dogs!

And Tree Guy (grudgingly) hung them up in a display for me!

Then I made one for my mom.

Then I made some more signs to decorate our walls.

And then I got into doing initial art, a la Pinterest.  I used fancy linen samples that Nature Boy rescued from a dumpster for me (woohoo!), regular acrylic paint and plastic stencils.

And now I am exhausted! ;p


P.S. Whatsay I open an Etsy shop? And make custom cartoonized portraits of people and pets? Folks could send me a picture via email, and I could paint a small portrait for them for $15 shipped. Would you buy one? Do you think there'd be a demand for it?  What about framed initial art?  Custom birthday raps?  (Just kidding on that last one.)  (Kind of.)

P.S.S. Happy summer, y'all!  I can't wait to go swimming.  To show off my curves in my skirted granny swimsuit with the big floral print.  And a wide-brimmed gardening hat.  Hell, yeah!

The Crapper: a Love Story

So I finally bought a potty sign from my friend Erin at Oh Honestly, Erin.  (I know.  I've pimped her blog before.  But the girl is totally pimp-worthy.)  And she also has an Etsy store! 

Potty humor is big in our house, so I knew "the Crapper" would fit right in.  I wanted him to feel at home with his new family, so as soon as he arrived in the mail, I took him on several excursions. 

But first, he had some bonding time with his new dad, Tree Guy.

 

  

Crapper in the sky with diamond.

 

 

The Crapper with a log.



 

 

 The Crapper with my dog.

 

 

 

 

 The Crapper with some cake.

 

 

 

 

The Crapper with a snake.

 

 

 

 

The Crapper with our Tank.

 

 

 

 

The Crapper with some drank.

 

 

 

 

The Crapper with a hat.

 

 

 

 

The Crapper with the cat.

 

 

 

 

So there you have it.  Adopting the Crapper into our family inspired my own creativity.  (Thanks, Erin!)  I've been in a painting/stenciling/Mod Podging frenzy since bringing the Crapper home.  (A crappy crafting post is coming soon!) 

  

Have a great weekend, y'all!

A long overdue update

I haven't been online much lately, y'all.  Still dealing with a sucky autoimmune/fibromyalgia flare, so I'm not as YAHOO! as usual.  More like, meh.

My super-awesome dog, Raven, has been taking it easy with me.  She's still Speedy Gonzales at 11.5 years old, but it seems that her last game of backyard tag with Tank resulted in a torn ACL for her.  Poor girl.  She was also diagnosed with arthritis in both hips, and with cataracts in both eyes.  She'd probably agree with Meemaw's oft-repeated lament:  "It's hell to get old."

Our vet recommended that we try 4-6 weeks of restricted movement and rest for her, with omega-3s and joint supplements and a couple weeks of Rimadyl to see if her leg will heal on its own.  We're 3 weeks in, and she is showing some improvement.  She's a lady o' leisure now, as you can see.

Oh, and Shrinky Dink found my first "official" grey hair.  Wasn't it, er, white of her to point it out?

In other--completely unrelated--news, I am now the mother of a TEENAGER!!!!!!!!

How do you feel about that?, you ask.  Well, a little bit like this:

TIME GOES BY TOO FAST, PEOPLE!  I absolutely can not imagine my kid driving in a few years.  And I definitely can't imagine allowing him to ride around in a car driven by one of my friends' hooligan kids!  He only has 5 more years of homeschooling until he graduates!  And then who will I be?  I "tease" my husband that I plan to deal with Empty Nest Syndrome by relying on pets.  Bring on the pets!!!!!  (He laughs, fearfully.)

I also feel like this:

I'm so happy that my son still hugs me and holds my hand.  That he says I understand him.  That instead of recoiling from my middle-aged momishness, he just explains to his friends, "My mom is crazy."

Whatever works, kid.

Yeah, but how do you feel about the Terrible Teens!?, you persist.

I'm happily in denial.  I figure, since I was a sweet, placid, rule-following teen myself, Nature Boy's teendom will go smoothly.

That's my story, and I'm stickin' to it.

Stay tuned for a birthday-related bruhaha post coming up!

Back to your regularly scheduled programming: 5 Things I Love

I don't know about y'all, but I'm in need of some positivity right now.  Making the decision to leave my homeschool group after 7 years and answering all of the questions about my reasons has me a bit down.

So, I bring you:

#1.  Dogs.  

They're sweet, friendly, and loyal.  They make me feel safer.  I can't imagine not sharing my life with a dog. These two are especially awesome.

#2.  Babies.

They're all adorable.  Big-headed, big-eyed, sweet-smelling, wrinkly, chubby little gnomes.  This one is my all time favorite.

#3.  Beady Earrings.

Some women feel incomplete without mascara or lipstick.  I've gotta have my earrings.  Tree Guy makes almost all of mine!  (Isn't that sweet?)  He's even tolerant(ish) of my OCD need for symmetry!  Here's a sampling of my Tree Guy-made earrings.

#4.  Simple Shoes.

These sneakers are a cushiony, adorable, and eco-friendly alternative to Converse.  (The soles are made of recycled tires!)  And bonus, they are wide enough for my cave girl feet!  I love them!

Urgent Update:  MAN!!!!  I just discovered that this line of shoes has been discontinued!  Dang it!  Sorry Tree Guy, but I need to stock up now....  (Cha-ching!)

P.S.  I love you, honey.

#5.  Books.

Who doesn't love books, right?  I usually have 3 or 4 going, all left open at random places around the house.  I'm currently reading the last book in an awesome fantasy series, The Wheel of Time.

What do you love?

Of boxers and bathtubs

Our boxer, Tank, has a weird bathtub fetish.

He loves his baths, yes.  But it's more than that. 

He is a dedicated bathtub licker, eagerly lapping up our shower leftovers.  He also partakes of my bathwater--while the tub is still occupied.  He has even been known to crash a few showers.

Tank climbs in and out of the bathtub several times a day with a purpose and at a schedule known only to him.  It's as if he needs to reassure himself that our tub is still there. 

He is the Shower Sentinel. 

The Tub Tender.

The Boxer of Bath.

It is his holy mission to be ever vigilant in protecting and defending the bathtubs of mankind.

Or at least, those in his own household.  

Sunday stream of consciousness

* Nature Boy is spending 12 days in Texas with my husband's parents.
* It's only been 4 days, and I miss him already.
* He's also visiting his bald, red-bearded, punk rock-drumming, iron-working Uncle Jake.
* This is Uncle Jake and his life partner, Joaquin.
* Just kidding. I don't know who that other guy is.

* Nature Boy and Uncle Jake made a copper crown this weekend.
* Which will pair nicely with the copper Mother's Day tiara that Nature Boy made for me.

* My mom and her dog-like cat, Morgan, are bunking with us for the summer. 
* I get my tell-it-like-it-is-ness from my mom.  And my eyelashes from my dad.
* My parents divorced when I was one.
* My dad wears kilts and plays the electric guitar.
* He's coming to visit us for the 4th of July.
* I'm betting at least one kilt will be in evidence.
* My dad has not met Tank yet.

* Tank's sensitive boxer belly can't tolerate the richness of high-falutin', grain-free dog food.
* Neither can our nostrils.  (P. U.)

* I have a thing for nostrils.
* It's not a weird fetish thing.  I just notice them.  Good nostrils can "make" an otherwise so-so face.
* I like my left nostril better than my right nostril.
* My left nostril has exotic flare.
* When people take my picture (crazed blog fans, the paparazzi, etc.) I actually tilt my face to the right to highlight my left nostril.

* My best friend, Shrinky Dink, and her girls have tiny little nostrils.  I don't know how they manage the exchange of air.
* There's a guy at our church with freakishly large nostrils.  They are quite distracting, really. 
* Nature Boy calls him "Giant Nostril Guy".
* My mom calls people with big nostrils "Nostrildamus".
* Nostril-gazing is a family trait, apparently.

* Tree Guy does not share my fascination with nostrils.
* He is, however, obsessed with all things war.  War documentaries.  War movies.  Sniper TV shows.  War computer games.  Airsoft war. 
* Tree Guy wanted to join the military after school, but he couldn't because of flat feet and asthma.
* I never even considered joining the military.  I like to be the boss of myself.
* Plus, I'm pretty sure the military has some sort of ass-width maximum.

* I'm having sinus surgery on Wednesday.
* Both of my parents have had the same surgery.
* I have been assured that my nostrils will not be altered during the course of this surgery.
* I did "jokingly" ask the surgeon to shave down the slightly bulbous evidence of my Jewish heritage while he was in there. 
* I think my "joke" made him a little uncomfortable, like I was trying to get him to commit insurance fraud by giving me a nose job and calling it sinus surgery.
* I would never ask anyone to commit insurance fraud! 
* But I'd take the less bulbous schnoz and not ask any questions.

* Shrinky Dink offered to drive me to my sinus surgery so Tree Guy doesn't have to miss work.
* But then she remembered she has a meeting that day, so she flaked out.
* I still don't know how I'm getting to the hospital.
* I'm nervous about the anesthesia since the whole waking-up-paralyzed-thing happened in 2004.

* I'm fairly certain that I overuse hyphens.

* I went to church with Shrinky Dink and her girls today.
* Shrinky Dink's church gives away garden-fresh produce.
* After church, I bought us all drinks at the gas station.
* I paid for the drinks with a cucumber.
* This may or may not be the cucumber I bought the drinks with.

Tank says: It wasn't me.

Our boxer has a wee separation anxiety problem. 

He's a perfect gentleman (albeit a drooly one) when we're home, but when we leave, he either shreds everything in the bathroom trash cans or teethes on Nature Boy's plastic toys.  He has a particular fondness for Bionicles.

And since every boy toy is likely a RARE COLLECTIBLE (in the boy's mind anyway), each episode of mastication results in a dog lecture.  I will chronicle the most recent.

But first, this is how Tank normally looks.

This is how he looks when he's getting his You Ate Another Toy?! lecture.

"I don't have ears!  Everyone knows ears are required for chewing up children's toys."

"I seal my ears to your accusations!"

"I have no ears.  Shouldn't you be securing medical care instead of lecturing?"

Perhaps I can intimidate them into shutting up by looking more like a pitbull.

___________________________________________________

(That black blur behind Tank is Raven getting the hell out of Dodge.  She's cautious like that.)


Tank is staunch in his denial. He's all, "What Bionicle?"

So I produce the evidence.

And still he swears, "It wasn't me."

I don't believe him.