Funky Kim

Happy Birthday Mom!

Today is my mom's 64th birthday.  She hasn't been around to celebrate her birthday for the last 16 times.  And, while there are many times I think of her during the year, today's the day I can guarantee thinking about her.

She really disliked her birthday.  Didn't like getting older.  Not one little bit.  She was really chapped that I made her a grandmother.  I mean, nothing says OLD like the title of GRANDMA!  It truly wasn't my fault that she had me the month after she turned 18.  I had planned on sending her black balloons for her 50th birthday.  I did get them and put them at the cemetery on that special day. 

We had an interesting relationship.  I'd call it troubled, but neither of us had trouble with it.  We got along splendidly as long as we lived in different states.  When we crossed paths too closely, it got a bit, um, fiery.   And we both had the red headed temper.  In spades.

Because of that relationship we had I can honestly say that while there are times I miss her a lot, there are also times I'm very grateful that she's not around to drive me insane.  She would lecture me on the amount of times I'd take the girls to fast food for dinner, then return them to me after watching them for a weekend with SIX new happy meal toys.  Things like that.

I am very grateful that a few months before she died we had a very deep, very healing discussion.  I explained to her how she drove me insane, she explained to me how I drove her insane and then we could discuss why we had done whatever it was we did and apologize for those things we truly felt sorry for. 

Not that that healed us and made us best friends forever.  A week before she died I had to slam the phone down on her while she was mid-tirade about my ex-husband.  I mean, he was my EX husband.  Obviously I knew he wasn't worth living.

But the night before she died she called me to report that she had bought a new power suit and it was "to die for!"  I never got to see that power suit because she was wearing it when she died and the paramedics had cut it off her in their vain attempt to save her.  So not only was it a suit to die for, it was a suit to die in.

My mother died from an aortic dissection caused by Marfan Syndrom.  As far as I know, I don't have this genetic issue.  A couple of my brothers have this but have chosen not to worry about it.

I am grateful to my mother for many things.  And I'm taking this moment to wish her a very happy birthday!

The Urge to Purge

Sarah moved out a couple days before Christmas.  I wish her the very, very best.  And I was very, very clear that if she did move out, it would be permanent this time.  And she left anyway. 

So now I have an extra room to start spreading back out into!  Woot!  And the urge to purge has hit me.  Hard.

Starting tomorrow morning, furniture will be rotating through the house with dizzying speed.  The gun safe is going to move out of my bedroom where it has lived in the closet for the past 6 years.  The double bed is leaving my sewing room, to be replaced by the day bed Sarah was using.  Dwaine's man room will begin to take shape in the basement.  It will double as the guest room as Dwaine won't use his man room nearly as much as I use my sewing room.  But what a change it will be to have all that stuff out of my bedroom!

The bedroom closet will get a major overhaul.  I mean, with all the space that's about to open up in there, I might have to go shopping for some new clothes!  Hah!

And I went to my quilt shop's  moonlight madness sale last week.  I bought a shelf for the wall in my sewing room and a bunch of baskets to hold all my fabric and yarn and keep my stacks neat and tidy.  So the sewing room will get a clean out and reorganization in addition to the bed swap.

Then the kitchen, which is still known as scary kitchen, needs some help in the cupboard organization.  Sarah was in charge of the kitchen while she lived here and she was more of the "put it in a cupboard and close the door fast" kind of person.  And I know there's a lot of things in there that we can't find.  And even more things that we don't use and really should get rid of.

Snow is still falling gently outside my window.  What better time to hunker down and figure out all this stuff?  Spring cleaning is overrated.  I do my best work when the urge to purge strikes.  Even if it is in the middle of the holiday season!

Boxing Day!

I hope that everyone had a wonderful Christmas!  I have a few random thoughts about the day I had.

• My brother called me from Iraq.  Major special moment there!  Slowed me down getting out of the house, but I wouldn't have traded that phone call for anything!  Note to self:  he needs more balsamic vinegar.  Get package ready to go.
• Tender moment:  Vincent, after a bunch of present opening and eating and visiting at my parents home, came to my lap, curled up and fell asleep.  I love that he chose my lap for his nap.
• I finished Vincent's play mat and he pronounced it "Cool!"
• Sarah's thrilled with her quilt.  As much of it as she saw.  Must finish that.  But now I can work on it in public and not have to hide it.
• I need to find a copy of the movie White Christmas.  I recorded it on the DVR to watch and apparently there were satellite issues during the time it was recording, so the ending is all screwed up.  And, yes, I've seen the movie enough to know how it ends.  But it's unsatisfying to watch a movie and not see the end.  Note to self:  Check library website to see if they have it on tape or dvd or something.

I feel very blessed this year.  And I'm grateful for all that I have and everyone that I know.

Happy Christmas Adam!

Adam came before Eve!

Much too much to do and I know I won't get it all done.  But it is what it is.

Happy Winter!

Three Days Until Christmas Adam!

I think I'm beginning to feel the annual stress of feeling like I have too much to do to ever get it done on time.  So I decided to take a break, breath, and read some blogs.  I'm good at procrastination!

I did go out to drive the high school madrigals to a concert earlier today.  But they had enough parent drivers there already, so I got to come home.  Several of the parents aren't available to drive tonight, so I'll head back out there at 6 tonight.  And because there's a football game tonight that I'm interested in watching, I'm certain they'll need me to drive.  Murphy's Law and all that.

Sewing is going slowly.  My sewing room looks like the craft fairy threw up in there.  Wrapping paper and ribbon all over the bed along with various scraps of fabric and a bunch of quilt squares in different stages of completion before I decided to do them differently on the quilted hot pads I made.  The bolt of flannel is still on its bolt.  Must cut that out later today.  Seven sets of jammies need to be sewn up before Monday night.  The one thing that must happen in there today is the quilted play mat for Vincent.  It has roads and stuff on it.  We're giving him some cars to drive on those roads.  It will be darn cute.  I'll post pictures of it when I get it done.

I think the first thing I'm gonna do once I get done on the computer is clean the kitchen.  Really clean it well.  It's weighing on my mind and that slows me down.  So I'll wipe down the cupboard doors and scrub the floor and even give the fridge a makeover.  Then I'll move to sewing until its time to drive the kids.  Then I can do the binding while watching the football game on my DVR.

Vincent will be home and jumping on me at 6:30 tomorrow morning!  I love that kid, even though I have completely forgotten how to get anything done while a small child is hanging on me.

4 Days to Christmas Adam!

Baby it's cold outside!

The wind is howling from the south.  Howling, I tell you!  The thermometer says it's 30 degrees right now and that's cold, but not enough to make note of.  But the wind!  Holy cow!  Idaho's really sucking this morning!  Heh.  All this is the precursor to the cold front that is expected around noon and will bring with it howling winds from the north and a bunch of snow.  Rah.

Today at work I will be the only person upstairs in admin.  Many different things added up to darn near everyone being off today.  Which is OK.  I do have the skeleton lab crew around if I need anything, and Dwaine's on that team.  And with the weather being what it is, I probably won't have many people wandering in needing stuff from me.  So I'll probably clean out my personal file drawers in my desk and get rid of a bunch of stuff that needs to be purged and make them all pretty and clutter free.  That's a job to do when no one's around to mess with my piles!

I have officially given up the idea that Sarah's quilt will be done before Christmas.  Trying to keep something that large hidden while trying to work on it has become an official joke.  And the plexiglass do-hickey for my sewing machine to make my work area larger won't be in until after Christmas.  So I won't be able to machine quilt the thing until then, anyway.  Amazing how much pre-holiday stress was lifted from my shoulders just by making that decision.  I must remember to haul home a box from the stash we keep here at work that's large enough for all the quilt's pieces to wrap up for Sarah.

Happy Friday!

Four days until Christmas Adam!

I broke the unwritten Christmas rule

I bought myself a CD.  I couldn't resist!  I heart Mamma Mia!  And I did do research.  I called various people who will be giving me gifts to see if I could safely purchase the CD right now.  And I was told that I could.  Heh.

Granted, Pierce Brosnan can't sing, but I can overlook that.  The music is just fun and I wanted the voices to match the movie.  And I was told I could not, under any circumstances, purchase the DVD.  So I didn't.

Things like this do frustrate me at times.  Because on December 26th, family will be calling me for my birthday wish list.  I do think I'll be able to rise to that occasion and come up with SOMETHING!

Oh!  Here's Dancing Queen!  Off to dance.  Later.

Clever neighbor gift!

I appreciate clever things.  Humor and clever will never fail to satisfy me.  So when I got me one of these from a co-worker, I had to stop everything and share the cleverness!

New Washer & Dryer!!!

Pick out a fun dishcloth and dish towel.  Holiday themed ones are perfect!  Then attach the following poem:

This holiday season
You deserve the best
A gift that is totally
Unlike all the rest

We considered a new car
Or even an exotic cruise...
But decided on something
You could really use

Finally we found you
A gift to admire
We hope you enjoy
Your new washer and dryer!

Merry Christmas!