Archive for November, 2004

Time’s up

Well, the auctions ended. 5 of the 6 things I had up for sale sold. I say that’s pretty good. I will be listing more in a day or so.

My friend Terrah sent me this article. It’s about a new spinning shop in Logan. Oh, Logan. Beautiful place. I love that town. When I grow up I want to live there forever. Anyway, I think I will stop by this new shop and try to peddle my wares. I mean, don’t you think the fact I graduated from Utah State University right there in town could be a selling point? I don’t know. I think it would be cool.

On another note, I have had a crazy week so far. I have been fully initiated into Relief Society President-hood. And though I could write all about it and make it sound pretty funny, that would be totally inappropriate. What I feel like I can say is this: Heavenly Father is in control. I have been guided and strengthened and able to do more in a day than I ever thought I could. He loves each of us perfectly and infinitely–and in this position it is my blessing to feel that and try to share it as I care for others. What a blessing!

Rabbit Condo and Toe Grabbing

I have many things to be thankful for this Thanksgiving weekend. Barry was tired of having my rabbits in the garage, so he built them a two story condo with a built in fort. They are now winterized, even though Lizzie still wasn’t smart enough to take shelter in the rain.

Here’s what else is new in no particular order:

  • Logan was 18 lbs. and 27 inches at his 4 month check-up last week
  • Logan figured out how to grab his toes. He has to roll on his side to do it, and then they have a conversation complete with slobbery raspberries.
  • Jonah was a super roller skater at the ward skating party tonight. He went around the rink with Dad the whole time.
  • Brenna–well, not so good. She was pretty upset that other kids were better than her.
  • Thanksgiving dinner was good. We had it here with our friends the Cromwell’s and some new neighbors that are kidless. Barry did the slimy stuff this year. I liked that.
  • I made a pumpkin pie sweetened with fruit juice concentrate that was actually really good.
  • Um…I sold another spindle kit.
  • So, not super exciting, but good for me. It is really cold and rainy. It’s winter in Ohio. The sun will come out…

    in May.

    I’ve sold some things!!

    One niddy-noddy and one spindle kit have sold since Monday. That’s pretty fun :)

    On another note…After my excursion into teddy bear making I’ve been dreaming about making more toys. Wouldn’t a little bunny knit out of my hand spun angora yarn be fabulous? Well, as I’ve been sitting here nursing my fussy baby I came across this inspiration. I’ve been dreaming of bunnies and bears and handmade dolls.

    Hmmmm…..

    Do I need something else to do?

    Here’s what I did today

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    I sold spindles and niddy-noddies at the Handspun-Handwoven show in Yellow Springs put on by the Miami Valley Weaver’s Guild. I had fun. Barry kept the kids all day and Logan even took a bottle.

    What’s a niddy-noddy you say? This is a niddy-noddy:

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    It’s a tool a spinner uses to measure yarn (on this niddy-noddy one full wrap equals 1 yard of yarn) and turn it into a nice neat skein.

    You could also use one of my niddy-noddies as a nostepinne–a Norwegian tool for winding a center-pull ball:

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    I just had a little card table booth. My spindles looked so pretty in their stand with their wool and books and packaging:

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    On Monday I’ll start putting what I have left up for sale on eBay.

    Stay tuned…

    WELCOME SPINNERS!!

    I think there will be a few people visiting here that I met at the Handspun-Handwoven show in Yellow Springs today. I will be posting pictures of spindles and niddy-noddy-nostepinnes shortly and I’ll link to their auctions on eBay. That’ll probably be on Monday the 22nd.

    In the mean time, I realized there is no way to contact me up here, so here’s an e-mail address:

    jessica (at) seedpodbooksandart (dot) com

    (You can figure that out–I’m avoiding the evil spam-bots.)

    I had a fun time. Those of you who bought spindles, e-mail me with updates on your spinning adventures!!

    So, this Relief Society President thing

    is, well, um…HUGE. My phone has not stopped ringing for 3 days. Well, I guess it’s not ringing now. It just rings while I’m nursing a baby and my other 2 kids are sledding down the stairs in a laundry basket. Either that or trying to do back flips off the couch–and my kids definitely aren’t good at back flips. All the phone ringing must coincide with a crisis, screaming, and nursing a baby. I don’t answer it then, but I do eventually have to return the calls. That’s when the fighting comes into play. My children have never fought so much until I had to make lots of phone calls, so I just ignore them and try to pay attention to what the person is saying at the other end of the line as the bigger kids climb into Logan’s crib and jump up and down and demolish his mobile while screaming at each other at the top of their lungs.

    So, who’s idea was this?

    I feel strangely peaceful about all of it. I’m just learning the ropes. I can do this. (positive thinking there)

    Today was just crazy. Barry’s alarm didn’t go off. Who knows why. He probably just forgot to turn it on–or it had to do with the fact that we had each of our 3 children in bed with us for at least part of the night and his clock got knocked down somehow. Anyway, he woke up late. Pre-Presidency that would have been no big deal, but see, we only have one car. Barry missed the bus and it was raining, so he couldn’t make his usual bike ride. He had to take the car, but I had to be at the church at 11 to meet a truck with $500 worth of humanitarian aid for a local charity, and after that deliver groceries to a sister who just had surgery. He also had a lot of work to get done… Well, he came home early so that I could have the car. $500 worth of food is A LOT of food–a lot of really heavey food. And the woman who I delivered groceries to lived WAY out in the boonies. And I left my lights on while I was putting away her groceries, so I could not leave her house when I was done. Another sister who also lives way out in the boonies rescued me and jumped my car (because I had no jumper cables in it–just 3000 lbs of food).

    Then it was Enrichment night. It was wonderful. We helped clean a clinic that helps migrant workers in the area. We stocked their pantry with food, we scrubbed the floors, wrapped Christmas presents and talked with each other.

    It was also very humbling. I looked around and realized that if anyone from the outside looked at our group they would have no idea I’m the one in charge. I’m to akward and quiet around people I don’t know. I can never think of cute things to say or good questions to ask to keep a conversation going. I big groups of people I can not get my mind to focus–I never remember to take roll or…anything I should. I end up just watching a lot of the time… And I also realized that I am the youngest woman in the ward.

    So, who’s idea was this again?

    I did more today than I normally get done in a week. (Did I mention there is a fiber-arts show I am making new spindles for this Saturday? Yeah, that’s a lot of work too.) I’m hoping by next week I’ll figure this out so that week can remain sane and my children won’t be completely starved for my attention.

    Heavenly Father is in charge here.

    Good thing.

    I had to MAKE something

    My niece’s 1st birthday is next week. The easy, rational thing to do would be to go to a toy store and buy something for her…but I can’t do anything the easy way. I found a teddy bear pattern on the internet, spent hours cutting little pieces and sewing them together. But I must say I love the results!

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    I was so excited when I figured out how to shape the head and make eye sockets! It looks like a real teddy bear, not just a glorified pillow!

    Now, to wrap it up and send it away. I’ll probably never see it again.

    I’ll have to make one for myself.

    UPDATE:
    Jonah had him for 30 seconds and the head popped off.
    I bought puzzles.

    who me?

    I was sustained as Relief Society president on Sunday. Crazy. Really crazy. I’m not old enough. I have too many little kids. This is going to be really hard, but I know it’s what I’m supposed to do…

    on politics

    I feel the urge to get a little political–you know, with the election and all.

    I just got done reading this. Her November 3rd entry and all of the comments on it make it seem like it is the end of the world. The thing is–if Kerry had won the election the other half of the country would feel the exact same way. We would be lamenting about who would be appointed to the supreme court, what side of the Israeli- Palestinian conflict we would be on, and how exactly he would train Iraqi troops faster. There would be abject fear all over this land if Kerry had been elected–as there is fear that Bush has been re-elected.

    There is such a polarization between those who believe in God and those who don’t. Is that it? Yeah–those who believe in a God with a set of expectations, in moral absolutes and those who believe in relativism. Where are the young voters? I’ve heard it over and over today and I want to stand up and shout, “I’M RIGHT HERE!” I’m 26 and I voted for BUSH *gasp*. I’m married with three children! But, I’m young and I voted for Bush along with a majority of the country.

    I find it heartening that the ammendments about gay marriage passed everywhere. The vast majority of the country does believe in the sanctity of family and that children deserve a mom and a dad. I feel better about that than I do about the President.

    But now we continue. Are we on the right path? I don’t know. Are record debts okay? Are more government controls over our children in school okay? Do we need to finance every fancy drug for everyone that wants it simply because it exists?

    What I know is that there is war raging in the Middle East. There are people all over who want to destroy us and our freedom. We have to stand against evil–because there ARE moral absolutes.

    the aftermath

    CAN I HAVE ANOTHER PIECE OF CANDY?!? I don’t know how to adequately translate the yelling-screaming earsplitting hysteria that is my house the day after Halloween.

    I think Halloween is fun. I love thinking of ways to turn my kids into their favorite animal or a robot from outer space. Barry really had fun this year and turned the bike trailer into a spaceship, and we had hopes of making a cool space movie in our costumes, but our video camera is broken. Trick-or-Treating was a blast. It was so cute to hear Jonah talk like a robot to everyone he could—but now there’s the candy.

    It is the bane of my existence. I have transformed from fun mom to Candy Police.

    I had a friend in Albuquerque who let her six kids eat ALL of their Halloween candy in one day. They were sick for a day or two, and then she didn’t have to worry about it anymore.

    But my kids are so little. I’m afraid of what might happen if they really ate all the sugar they want.

    So…I’m enduring my earsplitting headache for now…

    and the candy may end up in the garbage.