i've got chills

I've been sick off and on since last week. A weird kind of ick that has me feeling almost fluish. There are chills and fever that come and go and intense sleepiness, the kind where I sleep for fourteen hours and then feel swell for a day or two before I'm walloped all over again. Yeesh. One of the things I tend to do (more of) when I'm sick is babble...out loud...to myself. It doesn't matter if I'm home alone or out in public, I babble. Babble, babble, babble. When I catch myself in public, I crack myself up.

Yesterday was one of those ick days. I woke up fine and went to work and watched the kiddos. By the end of my shift, I was ravenous. I hit up Target to pick up my inhaler and some milk. As I waited for my prescription, I felt my energy level plummet. My body grew so very tired and I began to ache, ache, ache. by the time I made it back to the car, all I wanted to do was eat something. By the time I got home, all I wanted to do was sleep. I heated up a horrific microwavable lunch and managed two bites before I grew completely disgusted. If I wasn't menopausal and you know...infertile, I would swear I was pregnant. I tried watching a netflix dvd but kept dozing off so I admitted defeat and crawled into bed.

The mister came home from work and made me a smoothie. I fell asleep again and slept until this morning. No more fever, no more chills and I'm not at all sleepy. I'm tired but not sleepy. My body seems to be really attractive to viruses. I hope this one goes away.

hello morning

it wasn't my parched throat or stuffier than stuffed up nose that woke me up this morning. it wasn't the too loud duet of jogging girls that ran past my window or the growing grumble of cars zipping by on the highway or the stompy stompiness that is our upstairs neighbor as he jumps up to shower for the third time that night. no, what stirred me from dreams of skinny three-story-tall shops, painted pieces of wood and plastic gloves covered in hair dye, was the tiny sound of singing birds that sounded just like fairy-sized horses. i couldn't even begin to replicate the sound that woke me but it was tiny and happy and pretty magical until the staccato tick-tick-tick of whatever it was that haunted me throughout the night jumped in. i still don't know what the ticking sound is (was?). it was so pervasive that i even dreamed of it driving me crazy. that dream became black and white and all angles a la a german expressionist film. all night long that tick-tick-tick invaded the noggin causing me to stir and bolt upright. in my dream it turned out to be a bent blind on the window fixture but in real a-go-go time it remains a mystery. it is heard most clearly through one ear as i slept on either side. tick-tick-tick. i would sit upright and the sound would disappear. it was and is positively kooky.

i also dreamt of a necklace found in that skinny three-story tall shop. a necklace so spiffy i had to draw a picture and write down a description of it to see if i could make it. i do hope it actually came from my dream and not from some blog or pinterest pin, i hate when i think i thought of something only to find it came from someone else's crafty brilliance that was so cool it collected in the noggin making me think i thought of it.

i spent most of yesterday huddled on our borrowed and beat up sofa (someday we'll get to recovering it) under thrifted blankets and quilts battling the chilliest of chills and feverish of fevers. i made the mistake of going into work and then got sent home. i felt lame and misunderstood and not at all like the 41 year old i am supposed to behave like. i watched bad crime television and read two books and nibbled on saltines as i sippy sipped up the sweet and sticky nectar that is called coca-cola.

so now i am up and the fever has broken. the chills are the chilly kind as i really should put on a sweater and my cabin fever has me anxious and cranky and clueless as to what to do. there is some school prep i need to take care of at least and hopefully a photo walk or something. maybe some food other than crackers will be in order as well. i have no idea. all i know is that the plans i had made for march are already kerfungled as the month is moving too quickly and i have been knocked down again...each month i say it and i hope it to be true but i really do hope april is different.

the march bed

I got walloped with a flu floating around town and have been sleeping more than not. Good thing I got the bed ll prettied up before the big wallop. Happy March!

 

 

make a little rainbow

 Last month I whipped up a happy garland for one of the classrooms I work in. I utilized a large arty piece we had the kiddos paint up with oodles of glue, paint and glitter. It was such a happy garland it inspired me to create a bit of rainbow happy and now you can as well. Your kiddos can even get in on the fun.

Materials

*1 large sheet of paper (8"X17")

*ruler & pen

*acrylic paint

*white glue or mod podge

*glitter

*paintbrush

*scissors

 

 

 Garb a large sheet of paper, I used white paper but newspaper would be pretty happy as well, and mark out six portions at two inches each. Fold paper using the marks as guides. The folds will act as guidelines for each color and if yer doing this project with kiddos, they can use their happy motor skills to fold and crease.

 

Set up paint. I love a rainbow. Instead of your classic rainbow, I went with its punchy-poppy cousin and used brighter lighters versions. Magenta, dark orange, yellow orange, lime and pale blue. Paint each fold one color and set aside to dry.

 

Once dry, pop out the mod podge and paint on a layer of sticky along the bottom of each color. Sprinkle with glitter and set aside to dry.

 

Once dry, use your scissors to cut out each row of color and then use your hands to tear each row into smaller pieces.

Now it is time to assemble the garland. I stitched mine up on the sewing machine but you can fold and staple or tape each piece to your yarn or string.

 Hang in a happy place!

a thrifting i will go...

I miss the days when thrift shopping meant I came home with an enormous black trash bag fuller than full of vintage dresses, slips  and sweater sets that cost me no more than $2 apiece. Still, I guess I cannot argue the value of a huge pile of goodness for under $70. Let's just chock it all up to inflation shall we?

A few days after my brother's return home from the hospital we hit up a pair of pretty fantastic thrifts (and then I checked out for a quick spin through one other). I was on the hunt for vintage linens, as always, the mister was looking for a cast iron skillet, and the brother was looking for a specific bike. It goes without saying that I needed a little bit more time than they did so I felt a wee bit rushed and thus probably spent more than I should have.

The first thrift turned up some awesome crocheted throws, a tablecloth and spiffy brand basics I have been hunting for to put towards my "new" wardrobe vision (think linen, pantaloons and petticoats). The next thrift scored me some pretty linens, pajama bottoms to turn into pantaloons, a pretty linen jacket from J. Jill and more. My final solo spin (I claimed I was heading out for a coke due to crazy asthma and sugar craving and I did pick up said coke, I did. I also nipped up to the thrift. Sniff) scored me a bag full of vintage bias tapes and trim, some funky teal shorts from Thailand and a few other things I probably tucked away for safe keeping and now will probably never find.

I do have a thing for the thrift. Blame my mother, she started it all what with us being um...poor and all that. She had such a way of turning a necessity into something fun and I will forever be grateful that she passed it on to me. The thrifting up here in happy town isn't as vintagey as I would prefer but I suppose at this point I am up to my elbows in vintage and well, the mister is over his limit, methinks. It's also probably a good thing as we are officially broker than broke (but with new wheels) and I really don't need anything other than a smaller cast iron skillet, some more closet staples and vintage queen sized linens. I really need some queen sized linens. We tried making the bed yesterday and not one of the five (FIVE) pretty floral fitted beauties cut the mustard. Drats! The good thing about that is now I can cut up those pretty linens without feeling like I am sacrificing any future pretty bed making supplies. It's time to get to crafting...until I run out of supplies and need to dash off to the thrift...just to see...

and suddenly there were new wheels...

the last shot

farewell, Rodney

finding myself weepy

chunkier keys

meet Dr. Eleanor Teeth

It took two and a half hours from final test drive to key exchange to add Eleanor to the family. It took less than twenty minutes to say farewell to Rodney. It was bittersweet indeed. Rodney my friend, for thirteen years you did me proud and took me and the mister all over this fine country. Thank you. Here's to new adventures!