The End of an Emoticon Era

I've noticed over the past few months that I have been having trouble seeing the emoticons on the "currently feeling" tagline at the end of each entry. I figure if I'm having trouble, others are, too. And so, beginning in 2016, I will no longer be using the tagline or the emoticons. At least, I'm going to try. (I might miss them too much, we'll see.) I hate for my huge collection to sit unused, but I also hate for them not to make any sense because they are too small to see. Wishing you a fond farewell, emoticons. I really enjoyed you!
Currently feeling: already missing my friends

Joy to the World, and All the Crazy People

Just received this text and photo from my husband. "Joy to the World! Crazy lady at gas station threw rock at my car when I refused to give her a ride. Policeman was more than happy to give her one."

Of all the things threatening the demise of this car (seatbelt, window, headlight), I can't believe "crazy lady throws rock at windshield" is what will be the final straw. But I have to get a job before we can get a new car.
Currently feeling: not a happy camper

Titania is Finished!

Titania, by Mirabilia

She's done, she's done, she's done!!! This is "Titania" by Mirabilia, stitched on 28 ct Lambswool linen by Wichelt. I started her sometime in July 2013, and she was completed November 14, 2015. She took approximately 190 hours to stitch. For a sense of scale, she measures 19 inches (48 cm) from the top of her wing to the bottom of the ribbon under her dress, and 11 inches (28 cm) across. Two fairies down, only one more to go before I can have the set framed. Here are some other close up pictures.

Her beautiful face.

Wingtip.

More glorious wings.

Currently feeling: accomplished

Chainmaille - Shaggy Loops

So what was one do while one is unemployed? Try one of those hobbies you've always wanted to try, of course! This is my first ever chainmaille work. It's a pattern called Shaggy Loops. I made it from a Blue Buddha Boutique kit that was given to me as a gift by my friend Annette over a year ago. It was so fun! Including watching the instructional video, I went from opening the kit to a finished bracelet in under two hours. Annette also gave me a second kit that I hope to try in the near future.
Currently feeling: loving my beautiful decorative "armor"

Happy Halloween 2015

Ant-Man, his new favorite

 Happy Halloween for 2015!

Aren't you a little tall for a shrinking superhero?

Sadly, this might be our last one with him in costume (we'll have to see what middle school (EEK!!!) brings next year.

He looks so grown up!

He just wasn't interested in going out to play with the other kids or doing the annual parade this year. I'm trying not to be sad.
Currently feeling: the end of an era

Wordless Wednesday - October 28, 2015

Currently feeling: his response when I said "you need to use your thinking cap"

Wordless Wednesday - October 21, 2015

Currently feeling: happiness is... new music from Pentatonix!

Act Your Shoe Size, Not Your Age

It was a beautiful autumn day!

You know the old saying, "act your age, not your shoe size"? It won't help us much at the moment. My newly minted 11 year old son is now sporting size 10 shoes! (He actually measured right at a size 9, but unless we want to be back buying new ones in a few weeks (quite literally), we buy a size up.)

Not Luke's Feet

My husband only wears a 9.5, so for fun, he tried on Luke's shoes while Luke was down the hall. (Sorry for the horrid picture.) "Roomy," he said. He decided to keep them on and see how long it would take Luke to notice. Surprisingly, not long.

Silly Daddy!

Currently feeling: like I'm raising a Sasquatch

Wordless Wednesday - October 14, 2015

Currently feeling: Mommy, this *thing* is in my spot

Lifelong Dream: 5th Grade Safety Patrol

Achievement Unlocked: Fifth Grade Safety Patrol

I still remember Luke coming home from school after his first day at Kindergarten telling me all about how the fifth graders got to stand outside and help kids get on and off the bus. He was completely enraptured with the Fifth Grade Safety Patrol from the very first day! And every year, he has talked about how he wanted to be one when he got to 5th grade.

It wasn't necessarily guaranteed. You had to be recommended by your teachers (which I knew wouldn't be an issue), but you also had to maintain a certain grade point average, which I think was all A's and B's, but he was close to having a C more than once near the end of fourth grade, so we had to discuss the fact that he might not get it and that he needed to work harder. But he did pull up his C, and we received the notification at the beginning of this year that he would be a patrol. However, they rotate 9 weeks on and 9 weeks off, so he didn't start (or get his spiffy sash and badge) until today.

Congratulations, Luke, on fulfilling a lifelong dream! Wishing you many more successes such as this.

Currently feeling: so proud

Luke's 11-Year-Old Statistics

Image by: amasterpics123 / 123RF Stock Photo

Luke's Official 11 Year Old Stats

• Height: 4 feet 11.4 inches (1.51 m), 85th percentile, + 2.5 in (6.3 cm) from last year
• Weight: 102.4 lbs (46.2 kg), 87th percentile, + 20 lbs (9 kg) from last year

My personal "goal" was to still be taller than him when he finished elementary school in May. That only gives me 2+ inches. I might not make it!!

He also deserved an ice cream after getting 4 shots today, including tetanus and flu shots. There were a few tears, but he handled it like a champ!

Currently feeling: like I'm getting shorter

Wordless Wednesday - October 7, 2015

Currently feeling: Happy 11th Birthday to Luke!!

Wordless Wednesday - September 30, 2015

Currently feeling: he's here so much, people probably think he's ours! (he's not)

Reverse Psychology, The Kitten Edition

She was exhausted after her ordeal.

Me: Star, you need to come out of the office.
Star: Nope, I love it in here.
Me: You don't need to be in here with this stuff.
Star: I got in here fair and square. I'm staying!
Me: I'm going to grab you and take you out.
Star: I'm hiding behind the furniture where you can't reach me. Hahahaha!!
Me: Fine, I'm going to leave and close the door.
(less than 2 minutes later)
Star: OMG, LET ME OUT RIGHT THIS MINUTE!!!!!
Currently feeling: we love her anyway

Wordless Wednesday - September 23, 2015

Currently feeling: not quite sure how she fit in there

A Goal Against Former Friends

Luke hasn't scored many goals in the last 2-3 years of playing soccer. Other kids are more aggressive and want/take the ball, and generally speaking, Luke prefers to play defender anyway. I know he didn't score at all last year, and he may not have scored the year before either. (Remember, we only play one season now in the fall.)

So, we were *very* proud when he scored a goal at today's game. (Not a great shot, but this is one of his team mates congratulating him on his goal.)

Not only that, but it was the first goal of the game and against our former teammates. You don't usually see the other team's coach congratulating your team members, but our former Coach A knows that he doesn't score often, and he was so proud of Luke! This is Luke and his friend D "fighting" for the ball, with our former coach A on the right in the back.

And our coach honored him with the Player of the Game card, something he also rarely receives. Way to go!! So, Luke scored, his friend D scored for the other team, and we ended the game tied 2-2. That was the perfect way to end the game against our friends.

Wordless Wednesday - September 16, 2015

Currently feeling: you let your mind wander for a split second....

New Soccer Team for 2015

I suppose it was bound to happen eventually. After 5 years with the same soccer team, our former coach could no longer volunteer his time as head coach. Luke, the coach's son D, and J have been playing together since their first Kindergarten U-6 season, and we added C after the first year. Four boys together for 4-5 years.

We started U-6 under a different coach, but when Coach A took over the team 3 years ago, he kept as many of the original boys as he could. He will remain an assistant coach, combining with another team (who we used to scrimmage against for practice once a week), but there isn't room for all of the boys on both teams, and I'm sure the new coach's own team came first.

We miss our friends. It's going to be hard when we have to play them; D will obviously be on the team, and I think J is also on the combined team. I think we play them for either the second or third game. It will be wonderful to see our friends, but bittersweet as well.

We like our new coach (who actually lives in our neighborhood!) and our new team, but most of the boys are 6th graders. In fact, in the picture above, Luke is the only 5th grader visible (there is another one behind the officials on the right). Therefore, all of the other boys except for Luke and his classmate will move up a league next year, and we will once again be "teamless." (Also, notice his height compared to the others! LOL He's standing a bit closer to the camera, but only a couple of feet. He's in the top third in height for our team.)

In other news, we've moved up to the U-12 league, which also means moving up a field size. I think we're at half the size of a regulation field now. The problem is that we still practice on the previous size field, so they aren't really getting to practice running the full length of the field. They were dying today at our first game!
Currently feeling: bittersweet