I can see the grass!

March is the month for mud and mold. but I can see the grass outside my window. Its brown but there. That means spring will soon be here and with it every spring thing.
My beloved got me involved in a Live Action Role-Playing game ("Realms") in 2005. I have never been as completely submerged as some people but I like making the characters and the garb and the weapons for the game.
My first character was Jaq. The back story was one I knew very well, but never came into game play, except 2 years ago when the fact that Jaq can not read English and can only read runes was thoroughly helpful to the night quest. ( Yeah, my geek is definitely showing there, as I can actually read moon runes.) She was accepted into Thorne Valley, the nation that our tight knit group of friends are in and when that happened I felt I too was accepted into them. But her style and demeanor is something I no longer want to portray in the Realms, she is quiet and the mercenary type, fighter and all around not the most on the level type people. So I have decided I want a new character.
Laliana is going to be a caster, specifically a seer. warm and kind She will be friendly and open. She also poses a bit of a garbing challenge. She is not human. and though I am excited to see it all come to be, I am reluctant to say much more. I have a good portion of what I need for her, though, I am looking forward to going to my local thrift shops for the rest of what I need.
So that is what projects sewing-wise I currently have going on in my head.
In the kitchen, I am looking forward to making a french onion soup at some point, and a couple other things. I know the warmer weather is coming because my focus is moving away from the warmth of the kitchen.
So lately we have been staying in. Didn't go anywhere all weekend which honestly, is not like us, I have not been in the mood to make the effort and so I tucked my family snugly beneath me and I hid for a few days. Sunday, Mordred went without a diaper the whole day. and he did not have 1 accident. He went pee pee on the potty and was rewarded with the chance to wash his hands for a few minutes. and Then as it was getting later, E and I both knew there had yet to be a poopy. Mordred's dance changed and he went poopy on the potty for the first time. I am glad in a home setting he is basically potty trained, I am nervous to bring him out of the house without the security of a diaper on his butt but I am thinking the day is fast approaching. I am thinking, come April, when he will be 2 1/2 and the diaper bag will be less bulky because the necessity of thicker clothes won't be there we will be ready. in the mean time we will be working on getting him comfortable using the potty with underpants on instead of a diaper. Really going out will be the graduation step, there is far to go until then.
Balthazar is my tiny parrot, he is getting good at mimicking peoples words and actions, he knows yes and no and will nod and shake his head with uh-huh and uh-uh. "More" is currently the word of choice, though sometimes I think he is talking about Mordred more than asking for more. It is fun to compare the 2 personalities, they are so very different.
So that is all for now.
Remember to believe in something, it grounds you and gives you a foundation
~a

Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!

It seems I am a few days early this week, but I might just have this be an extra one. My vocabulary is awful tonight so you have to forgive me. I worked last night. Didn't like the jobs I did but it was work. This afternoon when my husband woke me up, my temp agency had called, I've been laid off. I've never been laid off before. I don't know how to collect unemployment, I feel a tad rejected even though there is talk that the lay off is only temporary, I was liking what we were able to do financially with the extra paycheck. I didn't want that to go away. Logically, I know I hated my job, I am ill-suited for 3rd shift and the work I did required a set of fine motor skills that after 5 hours of being there (let alone 8) I swore I did not possess. My boys will love having me home again and I can get the house situated with spring right around the corner , the way I need to so we can enjoy the seasons that will open our doors and windows. 
Yes I am in complete and utter denial that winter is still here. I do my passive aggressive best to let it know it is no longer welcome, wear a sweater instead of a coat, wear my hair pinned up instead of covering my neck. It hasn't gotten the message, and I have started sniffling, stupid winter. 

Mordred

Tonights Mordred story comes with a point blank morale. Buy a refridgerator lock. Better yet, buy 5.
My 3 ft monster is a tough little brute and strong to boot. He has been able to open the fridge for at least 6 months and remove anything he can reach. (in those days he went for the juice, the gallon of it, often full, carrying it like a sack of potatoes to the nearest adults.) We bought a lock. it was fabulous. the door wasn't opened, the juice wasn't gotten, he learned to say "juice" instead of fetching it, everyone was happy. I have no idea how the damn thing broke, but it did. and suddenly my persistent little wretch (oh how I love him) was back in the fridge and now is newly-mobile minion (his little brother) applauded his genius and was just as enthusiastic to get in there. We replaced it. 

Balthazar

Yeeeeaaahhh, today it broke again. and my son carefully removed jars of jelly and ketchup and lemon juice and stood them up around the kitchen like some strange obstacle course, then he saw the magical container that would get him a cup to quench his thirst and show me his awesome project. In walked Mordred. "Juice" carrying the gallon. ( I had not realized the lock had broken again, I may have been told but I think I am working with about 60% of my brain function today) But where was Balthazar. Yeah, he was still in the fridge, going after something on the bottom shelf, I am so glad that egg cartons aren't left open. For his punishment, Mordred had to hand me each bottle he brought out to be put away. Honestly he wasn't alone very long, but the boy works fast as any parent knows. For his ingenuity, he got his juice. 
So I have to tell you that like 99.99% of the parents out there that are telling the truth, I have no idea what I am doing, yes I try to keep my kids happy healthy and clean (sometimes 2 out of 3 ain't bad on that one). but when it comes to getting them to do things my management style and parenting style take a page from General S. Patton. "Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity." 

So back to Seuss. So the title makes sense or at least has some foundation, or the topic does. Whatever. That's a vicious cycle of thought, what's the sound of one hand clapping.? Anyway! Today is his birthday. Mordred and I made purple lemon cupcakes while B napped and tomorrow I am going to top them with red and/or yellow pineapple frosting, coconut flakes and a cherry. Dr.Seuss is one of my favorite authors of all time, beyond that of childhood nostalgia and asking my older sister to read Fox In Socks again and again, faster and faster. I respect him as a writer. Did you know that he was originally a political cartoonist and Horton and he were well acquainted before he ever heard a Who? So if Horton heard a Who and the Grinch sole from Who-Ville, that is one teeny tiny Grinch, yes. I tip my hat to Chuck Jones and even Mike Myers and most recently PBS and Martin Short, for seeing his genius and trying to swell it. I do not think they were trying to diminish the pure magic of Theodore Geisel's genius I think instead they were trying to make it their own, show the world how they saw it, artistic interpretation, yep I try to see the positive possibility. Or they are blood-sucking bastards looking to make a quick buck on the shoulders of a giant. 
So that is it for tonight. Remember to believe, in something, it grounds you and gives you a foundation. 
~a