Pokefluff and Other Stuff

We haven't been neglecting foodie Saturday; it has simply been awhile since I've found anything new to brag about. Well, chocolate, almond cheesecake was o-so-brag-worthy. And, although any food where the delista asks, "Would you like chocolate drizzled on that?" is pretty brag-worthy, it was really the almond flavoring that won my heart. sigh. Yum.


I had to bring a slice over to my parent's, so that I could share the love.

We were one our way to a cousin birthday party - Lulu's Pokemon party! We didn't let Cozette drive all of the way, but she was thrilled to steer while we were on the ferry.


I admit I ran into the quilt shop and bought some "peas and carrots" (by Moda) before I got on the ferry. I think they'll make an adorable baby boy quilt - should the need arise.


In true Annalia fashion, I finished Lulu's birthday present on the way to the party....and found that I had sewn the binding on incorrectly.


I fixed it as best I could. Not too noticable is it?


Pokemony enough....?



...for a little buneary?


Sof and Auntie Rachel posing as Pokemon trainers.


The Poke-pinata. (It broke on the third whack!)


What a lovely, busy weekend. I think I'm ready for some boring down-time.

Why, yes, I have been sewing...

...I've just been trying not to blog about it. I don't know why. Maybe I'm just trying not to deviate from the original reason I started my blog - to keep in touch with family and friends. ...but occasional sewing posts are ok, right?


I've been making more doll quilts - surprise! Some of them, like this wonky log cabin quilt, are practice quilts to get ready for larger projects, but I have no shortage of little people to give them to (thanks to my siblings for making me a billion nieces). I was anti-wonky things for a long time, but I think, used judiciously, I might be ok with a little "wonk" here and there.


Not too much wonk, right?


This stacked-coin quilt is Lily's birthday present (I'm pretty sure she doesn't read my blog, since she'll be turning 2.) Her birthday isn't until April - what was I thinking?!! It semi-matches Cozy's doll quilt, since they're birthday twins.


The stripey one....well, I just felt like making something blue and green. I thought a bold brown would be nice to show off the quilting, but it shows it off a little too well.


(I have tension issues that need to be resolved by a professional. Right now I'm quilting with my tension on a 9 just to get by.)


Of course all quilts need matching pillow cases (which double as stuffy sleeping bags).


Don't they make sweet bundles?

Medieval Outhouse

The kids have been playing with the "castle cards" again. Apparently the little figures have to cross the rickety bridge to get to the "port-o-castle" on the other side. Talk about Medieval!

A Breakfast Quandry

I'm out of Zoom, and I don't even know where Tony bought it. I tried putting some strawberries and bananas in my oatmeal, but it just wasn't the same.


...besides, Sofia told me it looked like raw, chewed up meat (and turned away to avoid barfing). I just don't think I can eat it now.

OUT-SIDE!

It wasn't raining today, so we found a decent excuse to go run around outside. Our science book said we had to go collect feathers. Well, if the book insists... We drove over to Manchester State Park, hiked around, and played on the beach. I love Manchester. I don't care how far the drive is - when I make my fortune (likely never), I will immediately buy one of these houses. I'll be able to watch the ferry go by as I wash my dishes and hear seals barking through open windows. We had a guest with us, so I missed my big chance to look at people like they're insane when they ask if all of those kids are mine. I was honest and said, "No! ...not that one." The kids aren't exactly quiet bird watchers, but we managed to see a few anyhow. A bald eagle flew right over us and landed at the top of a tall tree. For really reals, Betsy! It wasn't a seagull or anything! If you look very closely, you can find it in this picture. I said REALLY closely. I can't wait for summer. We're all so much happier when we get to be outside. I just hope I get to spend some of it in Washington, the most beautiful place I know.

Jonnicula

This is actually Cozy's bath towel, but Jon thinks it's funny to borrow it occasionally...and pose as a vampire rabbit. ...don't tell him I told you.

Maternal Pride

I admit it. I am excessively proud of my children. I try to tone it down in public - so no one will think I'm terribly crazy (I am.), but I just think they're all so great.

Sofia topped the pride-o-meter last week, when she completed her first quilt. A pokemon quilt - SURPRISE! I think she made it for her babies.


I admit that I had to drag her throught the boring "sewing up the binding" part.
Sofia: I'm bored. Take us to the pool.
Mom:(with an excessively happy, sarcastic smile) I know what you can do that will be even funner - sew on your binding!
Sofia:(looking sullen, but recognizing the humor) fine.


I thought her "lightening bolt" quilting was very creative and thematic. And now, at minimum, she knows every step of putting a quilt together. ...in case she ever feels like doing a full-sized, not for pokemon quilt. Maybe something for the wonderful mother who raised her?

My New Toy

Cozy was in the right place at the right time and got a brand new toy (thanks, Jennifer!) She races around the house with it, but she still needs to improve her turning techniques.



The cute voice in the background is Annika. The annoying noise is me - quilting.

Twilight Tour Continued....

Whose truck is this? Bella's...? Are you sure it isn't...Sofia's?...and her crew, of course. They're no werewolves, but they are pretty wild. The logging museum was closed by the time we got to it, but it had a lovely, woodsy garden behind it. The kids enjoyed having a little more run around time, so we stayed until twilight. Get it? Yes, I know. I'm not funny. James in one end of the giant log. (He wasn't very happy we stuck him there.) Anthony and Coze in the other end of the giant log. Apparently Anthony paid Jon a dollar to crawl through the inside of the giant log and out the other end. Jonny said he found less spiders than he expected. The funny thing is that Jon and Anthony usually pool all of their resources for legos and video games, so it was a pretty good deal for Anthony. Not so much for Jonny. We all loved this foresty house. Wouldn't it be the coolest playhouse ever! It even has a peeky hole.

Petal Picker

Cozette was laying on my pillow the other day. She kept trying to pick up the petals on the sheets. It took her a while to figure out that they were printed on - not sitting on - the pillow.

We're so dazzled...

It was a long, scenic drive to Forks. Did I mention long? ....and there were so many things I wished we could stop and do on the way there. It was just painful to drive past Marymere Falls and Sol Duc Hot Springs, but weather and available daylight were just inadequate. As we drove past Cresent Lake, the beautiful lake was on our right, with lush ferns and waterfalls on our left. I took this picture at great peril to all of our lives.


By the time we got to Forks, the kids were hungry and going crazy. We thought we had better feed them some sandwiches and let them run off a little energy before taking them anywhere more public or confining than a park.



Finally, with diapers changed and kids fed and exercised, we were off to check out some Twilight sights. First we went to "Dazzled by Twilight", the serious fan store right in town. ...a 2 part store...if you didn't already read Bird Girl's spoiler... the first store we went into was nice enough. It had shelves full of Twilight stuff, cardboard cutouts, postcards...Annika purchased some Twilight candy. I got Anthony a "Twilighter". Get it...a Twi-lighter? It was a lighter - in case you're dense.


(Me trying to come between Bella and Edward. Think my husband and 6 kids might be an obstacle?)


Little Victoria posing with big Victoria.


Jonny punching Edward in the nards. (See, Chet, you aren't the only one he targets.)

Then we wandered over to the other half - so amazing - and full of fun stuff. They had a faux-grass floor, with trees full of lights. James kept trying to drink from the waterfalls.


No one donated to the "blood bank".


Jacob and his bike...we should have got a picture on it!


So much fun stuff to buy. I really didn't want that money anyways, so it's just as well that I gave it to Dazzled by Twilight.

The Anti-Diet

I had this grand plan to lose my baby weight while Tony was on deployment for six months. It was somehow motivating to picture him coming home surprised, finding me even cuter and thinner than he remembered. Well, he never left.

Plan B: lose 5lbs while he's on his 3-week business trip. That's just a couple pounds a week. Sounds do-able, right? My strategy involves eating whole grains, more fruits and vegetables, with less fat and sugar. Nothing is off limits.

-but it isn't a diet. I can't actually diet. Dieting makes me crave large quantities of all of the very worst foods. Gallons of ice cream, 5 for $5 cheeseburgers, and the like. This is a slight handicap in the weight loss department, but I think I've found a way around it.

Instead of forbidding any foods, I just say to myself, "I'm choosing to eat healthier things, because I want to be a healthy person." I don't know why this works for me. It's like I have a streak of rebelliousness accompanied by a streak of idiocy. (...so I can trick myself?)

So, my latest "health food kick" is turning our pretty well. I've been having "Zoom" for breakfast. That's a hot, whole-wheat cereal. Ingredients: whole wheat. I add some non-fat milk, cinnamon, and warm peaches for flavor. It's yummy enought that kitty tries to steal bites.



My super-dense, whole-wheat bread. Not as good, but I'm still trying to at least finish it off.



I'll let you know how that works out.

It's all thanks to Zombies

Yes, I have 6 kids AND a guest room. It's the downstairs bedroom that used to belong to my oldest child, and when company would come, he had to give it up. Of course, that meant that the "guest room" was littered with legos and was of questionable cleanliness (I did make him change the linens and vacuum).

All of that changed when Tony brought home World War Z. You know...a documentary retrospective about the world-wide zombie catastrophe. Zombies are Tony's shocky cheese. He fears them. He knows they'll shock him....but when he's wandering through the mouse maze, he cannot resist them.

Well, Anthony was sure he was old enought to handle it too. I warned him. He didn't listen. Pretty soon he was begging me to return World War Z (as if zombies would emerge from its pages at any moment) and spending his nights upstairs with his little brothers. So, we put up the bunk beds, and now all three boys share an upstairs bedroom. Since legos are Anthony's main posession, he fit in nicely.

Why wasn't Sofi begging for a room of her very own? ...she read a few pages too.

Colors

I get tired of the same old colors. Color schemes that I loved last year, grate on my nerves this year. Presently, I'm drawn to all shades of gray and most yellows.
...so my guest room has gray curtains, and someday I'm hoping it will have a yellow and gray quilt on the bed. ..we'll see if I can ever find enough pretty grays and yellows.

What are your favorite colors? (Are you having elementary school flashbacks?)

Kinderlessons

My Dad has told me stories of how his father taught him how to swim. He tossed him into a swimming pool and stepped on his fingers when he tried to get out. Motherhood has boosted my self-esteem in the same sink-or-swim way.

I could be bothered by the changes it has caused in my life. I could take it personally when my tweens, who are struggling to find the balance between humor and rudeness, try out their new ideas.

Anthony's lastest was:
"When I was a toddler and Sofia was a baby, you were a lot thinner."
...and then he looked at me as if he'd said something really clever and I might burst out laughing at any moment.
I say, "Yes, thanks for pointing that out." in a sarcastic enough way that he knew it wasn't funny.

They have to experiment on someone, and I'm hoping these little encounters keep him from saying similar things to his wife (or relative strangers) some day. ..and it doesn't bother me at all. When you've been thrown into the pool, you can either struggle and panic or embrace the cool water around you - let it flow over and past you.

I'm a sucker...

...for everything my husband does. He just went on vacation and left me a note on the kitchen counter. So sweet. The kids have already changed it to kljd annnozuxia, but the love lingers on.



The girls and I went to Target this afternoon, and they had all of their "Just One Year" clothes (in the baby section) half price. Awesome, since Cozette and I are very partial to this color scheme. Anything that mixes brown and girly colors! She couldn't wait to get home and try on her new duds.




I'm off to work on this...


...so, have a lovely night!