Keeping Up with Millie

Last August, we adopted a cat.  After not having cats for several years I wasn't sure if we were ready.  Things have been going pretty well, and I am happy to report that she fits in just fine.  She loves cardboard boxes, keyboards and watching youtube with me when no one else is home and the house is quiet.  She also like to play with crafting supplies which around here is plentiful. 

I have to admit that she is pretty spoiled!

I'm Still Around...

I am still here and kickin.  Just an update...the dishwasher is still broked and so is the husband's back.  So needless to say, I haven't had a whole lot of time to update my poor little abandoned bloggy blog.  But I wanted to let anyone who still reads this know that regardless of what is going on, I am still pushing through and making the best of it. 

Little Tech Support

Quick story time!

I was in Clover's class this morning for a little bit helping out.  The teacher was saying how her computer was broken and she couldn't see anything on the screen.  I offered to take a look at it and Clover came out of nowhere and asked

"When was the last time you rebooted it?  That means turning it on and off again.  Sometimes you have to do that and it will work just fine!"

I had a good chuckle.  She is her father's daughter.  It also reminded me of the IT Crowd.

She is a little more enthusiastic than that but the hair is pretty spot on! 

Oh, Monday

I thought we were pals?

Today you handed me an injured husband and a broken dishwasher. 

I spent two and a half hours at the doctors, another forty five at the pharmacy.  I was late picking up my kid and still had to make a Target run.  I fixed the dishwasher, made a hot home cooked healthy meal for dinner, took out the trash, got the kiddo in the bath, got hubby and kid in bed and managed to get a load in the wash. 

All while wearing lip gloss. 

See you next week Monday. 

I Made Another Thing

This time it's a Customized Framed Magnet Board! 

It can hold all sorts of stuff including pretty little pots full of sparkly eye shadow.  I brainstormed for a few days about the best way to tackle this.  I wanted a magnet board but I wanted a pretty one.  I didn't want to over think it because I wanted to be able to find materials here in town and not custom order something online.

 

The frame is from Wal-Mart and has been in the cabinet forever.  The magnet board is from the teenybopper/locker part of the back to school section at Target.

 

Step one, disassemble the magnet board.  

I took the cardboard off of the back of it.  I just had to pry the corners over and it slipped right off.  I was worried I was going to have to saw through this but as soon as the cardboard came off the metal was flexible enough to cut with scissors.  

 

Cut to fit the 5x7 frame.

 

 

I took some scrap fabric and covered the magnet board with some overlap on the back and hot glued the ends down.  Then put the back of the frame on.

 

I found these magnets at Orchard and had them left over from another craft project so I took those and hot glued them to the back of my pots.  

 

Ta-da!

Overall the project was about five dollars out of pocket since I had most of the components laying around.  It took about ten minutes AFTER I figured out that the backing comes off the magnet board.  I did spend about twenty minutes looking for the saw and glue gun before I started. 

 

My finished set up. 

It looks nothing like that now.  I found some spooky books when I was picking up something from Orchard so I subbed those out for the gray books. 

 

So Scary! 

Nature of the Giver

We were talking the other day and I asked one of those not so simple questions.

What do you want to be remembered for?

I don't give this question much thought.  When the question was turned back on me I answered it pretty quickly.  I just want to make someone happy.  I know there are people out there with huge goals of changing the world.  I'm not looking to take on the stress of all that.  I just want to make the people around me happy and spread some love.  I don't aim for big things.  I like to be helpful wherever I can.  If I can make someone's day a little bit easier I am all in.  Sometimes it's bringing cookies or cracking a lame joke to distract someone from their stress for a minute or two.  As a matter of fact I think it's the smaller things that matter.  Let's just revisit my favorite quote, shall we? 

"I found it is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay. Small acts of kindness and love."  - Gandalf     

Such is the nature of the giver, I suppose.  You never know how that small act of kindness can help.  Sometimes those acts go unnoticed as the person is so wrapped up in themselves that they are too distracted to notice.  Then there are the ones that take so frequently that they come to expect it.  Both of those thoughts are discouraging.  As my favorite six year old in the whole wide world told me today...

"That's just life Mom!  Sometimes it's just like that"

Sometimes we just have to shrug it off and continue on because you know I am going to wake up and do it all again tomorrow.               

But, What If I'm Not Ready

The other night Clover was getting snuggled in bed.  Everything was in order.  Her book was picked out and her crocheted rainbow blanket on the bed.  She popped out of under the leaf that hangs over her bed to tell me "Mom, I'm six now.  I'm a little old to be sleeping with stuffed animals in my bed.  Dontcha think?"

The voices started in my head.  What?!?  No?!?  You're still a baby!  You can sleep with whatever stuffed animal you want to sleep with!  But I heard myself calmly say "If you feel like that is what you want to do than that is fine"

She thought about it for a minute.  "Yeah, Olivia can sleep on the side of my bed.  She doesn't actually have to sleep WITH me."

Yes she does!  She has slept with you since forever.  Her neck is all wobbly from where you put her in a headlock every night! 

We read her story and snuggled before I turned on her lullabies and kissed her goodnight.  Olivia was still tucked into the side of her bed.

I'm not too sure I can handle my baby deciding that she is over this stage in her life.  Yes, I know realistically that she is going to grow up, but why does it have to be so fast?

When I peeked on her later in the night she had pulled Olivia out and had her in a headlock.  I sighed a heartfelt sigh of relief.  As I walked down the hall all I could think was that I'm still not ready.