Who needs Target?

Not me.

I take that back immediately. EVERYONE needs Target. But what I meant to say, is sometimes, when you're poor, but REALLY sick of the baby-doll style shirts that you're STILL wearing from the pregnancy of your first-born, and simply have to have SOMETHING new, you can look at Wal-mart's dollar fabric and find some fun knits, and whip up some shirts for you and said first-born.

That's exactly what I did. It opened a whole new world to me to. And I'm talking a WHOLE new world......a dazzling place I never knew.....
that now I can make myself tee's, and don't have to depend on Target for my future staples.

I had a lot of fun designing these too, I just made up the pattern as I went---snip, snip, snip, and then razzledazzle boom, I had a couple new shirts. I'm excited to make more.

PS> have I mentioned how I've been pretty much sewing without a pattern for a while now? It's so liberating! It's so fun to go to Forever 21 just to shop for ideas. Well, I should clarify. I make my own. MOST of the time I draw out the pattern first on my examination-table paper. It's only been these last few months that I just lay out the fabric and go for the gold. Eirene's always done it that way, and for that I solute her.

Anyway, here they are:
Can you see the neck detail? It's like....a sun.

Here are some other things I've sewed lately--I never know if I'm boring you all with things I sew...?





But, I'm kinda sick of sewing. I'm gonna get back into my quilt. I want to get it done sometime before I'm dead. It's real fresh, isn't it?
Here's some of my fabrics....mmmmm...
So yeah. Hey, I do other stuff too, guys...
I read and stuff....
and you know, other mom stuff...

Lay off me, I'm starving.

Our Amazing Vacation to Oregon

I would do this post in parts like I've seen others do with their vacations, but let's face it--if I don't post it all now, it could be a month and a half before you get the rest. So consequently I'm about to put up a ton of pictures. You WILL scan through them all, and you'll LIKE it.

First of all, I've got to say, this is a funny story: Allan and I took the train from Portland Airport, and our stop was just a few blocks from our rental car place. Or so we thought, I don't know if the blocks in Oregon are just astronomically long, or if our luggage was just astronomically heavy. BUT WE WERE DYING. On our second breather, I was feeling desperate. I couldn't go on like this. Too hard. Too heavy. Too far. My eyes wandered and suddenly, to my utmost surprise and delight, I saw an abandoned shopping cart. Some poor homeless person had left it there just for us, I was sure. We piled up the cart, and happily walked the rest of the way with ease. We looked so homeless. Allan and I were ghetto from our early flight and I was packing Josie in a hiking pack. It turns out that our car place "always pick you up!" I hadn't remembered that, but it doesn't matter. I wouldn't trade our homeless moment for the world.

On the coast:

At the beach:

In the water:

At the Lighthouse:

At the dock:

Hiking around:

Cool tree. It reminds me of a the yoga pose

Collin, Jos, and Luke

At the tide pools:
Luke, my bro Merritt, his wife April, Collin, and us

The "stargy"
Afterward we were TIRED:(and dirty)

Fun. That's what we had. A lot of it, too. Thanks so much Merritt and April for treating us so right, and showing us such a good time. You guys win the hosts of year award. We love you, and Oregon!

Grandma Margaret's Art Work

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Catch up

Man, it's been a while. There's a ton I could talk about, and about a kazillion photos I want to show, but it's all been piling up worse than my dishes. Well actually, I've been really busy. Seriously. So let me just sum up.
We went to Aberdeen Idaho with Allan's family for a family reunion. It really was a lot of fun. I mean, that family knows how to have a reunion. You name it, we did it. BESIDES the tiny little two hour episodes BOTH nights that woke everyone and their dogs and their neighbor's dogs AND their relatives' neigbor's dogs up, it was a rockin' good time.

Allan's bro David

Melissa

the beach really does take it out of you

And also you should know that I just finished sewing my cousin Laura's wedding dress. Yep, that's right--her wedding dress. Didn't know I had it in me? Me neither. Of course I can't show you pictures of it just yet just in case that sneaky fiance of hers might take a peeky. And also it would ruin the general razzle dazzle of the day if everyone (or everyone who reads my blog) has already seen the beautiful bride in her beautiful dress. I will say this: it is gggggorgeous, and Laura looks ssssssssssmokin' in it. (Stuttering for emphasis). So look forward to those photos. For now you'll have to be satisfied with our (prize winning) paper dress that we (Eirene, Shauna, Marseille and I) created at her bridal shower. Marseille was our beautiful model--note her lovely girlish figure! I would show you the lingerie I made Laura too, but unfortunately, I couldn't get her to model it;)
This summer Eirene and I have both been in charge of several reading programs at the library, and I finished my last one this past week. It really was so much fun, but I'm SOOOO glad it's over. I spent WAY too much time making this puppet for a puppet-show we did.


We also had a little baby shower for Eirene on Saturday. Instead of playing games, we had a bit of a crafternoon. We had all the supplies and pre-made templates to make some pretty amazing aplique clothing. Check out these handsome little numbers:



As far as our little family goes, Jos and I have been having a super time. When I say super, I mean, super-fun-and-frustrating. I had that first "I must be doing something really wrong" moment today in Sacrament meeting when she threw a huge, FAT tantrum in the foyer. In my same line-of-view was another baby that was born within a month or so of Josie, and as my child screamed and kicked and writhed about, this little girl just sat there playing with her little cheerios like a perfect angel. I wanted to punch her. Who? The perfect angel, or Josie? Everyone. Ok, ok, not really. But the more personality she gets, and the more capable she gets, the funner it is, but also the more difficult it is to deal with the FLIP side of personality and capability if you know what I mean.

We went to the park last night, and it was a dream. She LOVED it. She's a really into the park scene lately, my Joe. She really digs all those slidy, swingy, tunnely sort of things. And I think having her Poppy there just made it ten times funner. Anyway, as I carried her back to the car, she slowly went in for a long and juicy kiss. And then she leaned over to give Allan one too. And then, she sweetly nuzzled her little head into my shoulder. It was like she was saying thank you in so many words. Touch my heart why don't you. I LIVE for little moments like that.

Can you tell I hi-lighted my hair? Nope, not really in this photo...

Ok, so I had to put in these fellows. They provided a LOT of quality entertainment for us. What a treasure, right?
Well, on that note, see you soon:)

Lopsided and lamenting...

Timmy: "It's history."
Tommy: "It's history."
Timmy: "Kiss it good bye."
Tommy: "Kiss it--"
Timmy: "Shut up, Tommy."
"It's gone, man. Gone."

Ever heard of "phasing out"? My friend Haley, back when she was single and dating a different guy every three weeks, used the term "phasing out" to describe the process of giving someone the boot. She would start picking up their calls a little less the first day, maybe not respond to their texts the next, and from thereafter the broken-up-with would slowly clue in to the status of the fizzled relationship without the drama of "I don't think we should see each other anymore."

Josie's phasing me out, man. At first it was just mild distraction during feedings; we were still cool, right? I didn't suspect any real danger. Eventually distraction just turned into diversion--I knew she wasn't serious when she started giving me fatties instead of sucking. Diversion quickly turned into disinterest, and from there, disgust. It's gotten to the point where I pop it out, and she immediately gives me an emphatic "No!" with a condescending shake of the head. She's like "are you kidding me, Mom? Seriously. I'm so done with that whole scene." I feel like an old shoe tossed aside and forgotten.
This morning I timidly and nonchalantly got ready for her, playing like I didn't remember that she had moved on without me. If I acted like it was still protocol, maybe so would she, right? To my surprise, she humored me. I played it cool, trying not to turn her off with my over-eagerness. It took her about three minutes to realize that not only was this whole nursing business just overrated, but too much work now to make it worth her time. She pushed away, without another look back. I calmly encouraged her to take the other side. Nope. I whined. Nope. I pleaded. Not a chance. She only gave a look that said, "This isn't my problem anymore, Mom." Way to leave me hanging, Jos--well, at least the one side.
Isn't this supposed to happen the other way around?! Don't Moms typically do all the phasing out?? Sure, I know it's time. True, at least we had a good thirteen months. But contrary to everyone I talk to, I'm not ready! I miss her needing me, and I miss our special time together. I know I should be eager to ween her....but I'm just not, okay?
So this morning, I'm feeling a little heartsick. And also unbalanced.