Saturday, October 11, 2008
Tuesday, October 07, 2008
Boo Bags
Boo bags have been completed and distributed to the neighbors (number 8 on The List!)
Last night after I put dinner in the oven I grabbed the kitchen timer, we loaded up Dash's wagon with the bags and did a tour of the neighborhood.
For bag decoration I used Martha's Halloween Lethal Libations labels as a starting point, but I swapped out the boozy language for something more appropriate for cookies.
Each Boo bag contained some Halloween-shaped sugar cookies, double truffle brownies & devils food cookies with sprinkles (all baked by moi.)
Last night after I put dinner in the oven I grabbed the kitchen timer, we loaded up Dash's wagon with the bags and did a tour of the neighborhood.
For bag decoration I used Martha's Halloween Lethal Libations labels as a starting point, but I swapped out the boozy language for something more appropriate for cookies.
I printed the poems onto sticker paper and adhered them to craft labels.
Each Boo bag contained some Halloween-shaped sugar cookies, double truffle brownies & devils food cookies with sprinkles (all baked by moi.) We got caught by three neighbors and even had a chance to chat a little (while dinner burned in the oven).
I have such an incredibly hard time reaching out to new people. I never know what to say, and whatever I do manage haunts me usually for weeks afterward. Did she know I was making a joke? Did he know I wasn't hitting on him? Did I say her name wrong? It's an endless source of anxiety for me, so more often than not I opt to wave and smile but keep walking.
But we're planning to make our new neighborhood our permanent home. We want to create a community for ourselves and, more importantly, for Dash. And that requires me to challenge myself by actually meeting people. And then talking to them. And maybe even socializing (eek!).
For some people the path to growth is to climb a mountain when they're scared of heights. To give a speech when they're phobic about public speaking. To run a marathon when they don't like exercise. This is my path to growth. To bake cookies and then deliver them to people. And then maybe come over for a drink when invited. I guess I can keep trying to manage it.
I have such an incredibly hard time reaching out to new people. I never know what to say, and whatever I do manage haunts me usually for weeks afterward. Did she know I was making a joke? Did he know I wasn't hitting on him? Did I say her name wrong? It's an endless source of anxiety for me, so more often than not I opt to wave and smile but keep walking.
But we're planning to make our new neighborhood our permanent home. We want to create a community for ourselves and, more importantly, for Dash. And that requires me to challenge myself by actually meeting people. And then talking to them. And maybe even socializing (eek!).
For some people the path to growth is to climb a mountain when they're scared of heights. To give a speech when they're phobic about public speaking. To run a marathon when they don't like exercise. This is my path to growth. To bake cookies and then deliver them to people. And then maybe come over for a drink when invited. I guess I can keep trying to manage it.
Sunday, October 05, 2008
It's a Good Life
Things have been, shall we say, challenging, here in the Engel residence the last couple of weeks. Dash has been unpredictable and tenacious with his insane tantrums.
Just yesterday we were playing a game in the car that involved my inability to grasp the concept of milk (me: "is it like an elephant? with a trunk?" him: "nooo, mama, you can't drink an elephant!"). It was all pretty hilarious until it wasn't. Laughter turned, without warning, into his repeated, ceaseless attempts to literally kick my head off my shoulders. (I am certain that we have about two months before we have to move his car seat further away from the driver side if we want to rest assured that he won't be able to knock me out with a swift kick.)
There is no telling what will set him off. The only certainty is that it will be something. And it will be loud. And it will be long. And it will be painful to endure. He is, to put it mildly, going through a difficult phase.
Which sucks, because he's also going through this gorgeous, delicious explosion of personality that his evilness is eclipsing:
He has just moved, three months early, into the "big boy room" (official preschool, yo).
He has just grasped the concept of Halloween (he will be some permutation of Batman, but there's also a mysterious a "bad guy" angle that he's incorporating.)
He's totes potty trained, but he has refused to put on underwear or pants since 3 pm today. He says he wants to feel his "junk flapping around."
He chases me all over the house and hides behind the curtains trying to scare me.
He made rice and breaded chicken tonight.
He wants to go on scooter, big wheel, bike and wagon rides all over the neighborhood so he can wave at the gardeners and watch the bigger kids playing hoops.
He is like spicy food. Appealing and repellent. Irresistible but painful. These are hard times, but also, mainly, the times of our lives.
Just yesterday we were playing a game in the car that involved my inability to grasp the concept of milk (me: "is it like an elephant? with a trunk?" him: "nooo, mama, you can't drink an elephant!"). It was all pretty hilarious until it wasn't. Laughter turned, without warning, into his repeated, ceaseless attempts to literally kick my head off my shoulders. (I am certain that we have about two months before we have to move his car seat further away from the driver side if we want to rest assured that he won't be able to knock me out with a swift kick.)
There is no telling what will set him off. The only certainty is that it will be something. And it will be loud. And it will be long. And it will be painful to endure. He is, to put it mildly, going through a difficult phase.
Which sucks, because he's also going through this gorgeous, delicious explosion of personality that his evilness is eclipsing:
He has just moved, three months early, into the "big boy room" (official preschool, yo).
He has just grasped the concept of Halloween (he will be some permutation of Batman, but there's also a mysterious a "bad guy" angle that he's incorporating.)
He's totes potty trained, but he has refused to put on underwear or pants since 3 pm today. He says he wants to feel his "junk flapping around."
He chases me all over the house and hides behind the curtains trying to scare me.
He made rice and breaded chicken tonight.
He wants to go on scooter, big wheel, bike and wagon rides all over the neighborhood so he can wave at the gardeners and watch the bigger kids playing hoops.
He is like spicy food. Appealing and repellent. Irresistible but painful. These are hard times, but also, mainly, the times of our lives.
Thursday, October 02, 2008
Boo!
I bought these last year in a fit of tiny house obsession.
I had no idea what I was going to do with them, but I knew it was going to be AWESOME! Cut to 10 months later and they're still in their plastic wrapper.
Until this weekend, that is. Welcome to the world's least-safe neighborhood for trick or treating.
They're painted gloss black. I broke some red Popsicle sticks and glued them over the windows and doors. The roofs are covered in weird craft moss. The insides are lined with red paper and each has a little faux votive inside.
There's some dude's leg sticking out of the trunk of the car. (It--and the trick-or-treaters--are from Michael's)
I had no idea what I was going to do with them, but I knew it was going to be AWESOME! Cut to 10 months later and they're still in their plastic wrapper.
Until this weekend, that is. Welcome to the world's least-safe neighborhood for trick or treating.
They're painted gloss black. I broke some red Popsicle sticks and glued them over the windows and doors. The roofs are covered in weird craft moss. The insides are lined with red paper and each has a little faux votive inside.
There's some dude's leg sticking out of the trunk of the car. (It--and the trick-or-treaters--are from Michael's)
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Quilty
Boo ya! I should make my to-do lists public more often. I'd like to present item number 2 on my list. I made a quilt! Well, actually I mainly assembled the quilt after purchasing the quilt top. But I made the backing and I filled it with organic cotton batting. And after Josh spent 20 minutes trying to explain to my mentally-challenged ass how to sew three layers so that the middle stays in the middle, I made this!
Here's the back. I actually did make that part. From scratch.
Dash hates it. Whatevs, I love it enough for both of us.
Here's the back. I actually did make that part. From scratch.
Dash hates it. Whatevs, I love it enough for both of us.
Fanny and Tilly
Josh's parents recently got a pair of new puppies and we brought Dash over for a visit. We told him a few days earlier that we were going to see some puppies and he was So. Effing. Excited! But then we got there and he started to shriek like a little girl every time they came near him. It was actually a little embarrassing.
This is who he was so terrified of:
Afterwards he took us for a ride in Grandpa's MG.
Which is pretty surprising, considering later when he tried to put his shoes on this happened:
When I pointed his error out to him he refused to switch them, so that's how we went to the grocery store.
This is who he was so terrified of:
Afterwards he took us for a ride in Grandpa's MG.
Which is pretty surprising, considering later when he tried to put his shoes on this happened:
When I pointed his error out to him he refused to switch them, so that's how we went to the grocery store.
Friday, September 26, 2008
A List
The smart & always-inspiring Amy at doobleh-vey (along with new-to-me but also inspiring Joslyn of Simple Lovely) has issued a challenge that I find enchanting. It's to make a list of small, meaningful things that we hope to achieve in whatever time period we want. Here's my list for the next 12 months.
1. Finish Keri Smith's 100 things
2. Make a quilt for Dash
3. Make Mark Bittman's No Knead Bread
4. Shop local next summer
5. Celebrate Winter Solstice in a meaningful way this year
6. Walk more
7. Take myself to the movies in the middle of the day
8. Reach out to my neighbors (I have a plan for this that involves "no pressure boo bags")
9. Walk away from a mess
10. Take Dash to the snow
11. Grow tomatoes. And squash. And peas.
12. Go camping
13. Stop at every lemonade stand I see. This will require keeping cash in the car. If you knew me you would know this is a challenge.
14. Go to the park more often
15. Get a real basketball hoop for Dash & Josh
16. Attend the local production of the Nutcracker
17. Watch Lance Armstrong ride through the streets of my neighborhood
18. Find a really, really great bra and buy 20 of them
19. Finish having my tattoo removed
20. Count my blessings every day
21. Elect a new president (I guess that's not small, but my part in it will be)
1. Finish Keri Smith's 100 things
2. Make a quilt for Dash
3. Make Mark Bittman's No Knead Bread
4. Shop local next summer
5. Celebrate Winter Solstice in a meaningful way this year
6. Walk more
7. Take myself to the movies in the middle of the day
8. Reach out to my neighbors (I have a plan for this that involves "no pressure boo bags")
9. Walk away from a mess
10. Take Dash to the snow
11. Grow tomatoes. And squash. And peas.
12. Go camping
13. Stop at every lemonade stand I see. This will require keeping cash in the car. If you knew me you would know this is a challenge.
14. Go to the park more often
15. Get a real basketball hoop for Dash & Josh
16. Attend the local production of the Nutcracker
17. Watch Lance Armstrong ride through the streets of my neighborhood
18. Find a really, really great bra and buy 20 of them
19. Finish having my tattoo removed
20. Count my blessings every day
21. Elect a new president (I guess that's not small, but my part in it will be)
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