Where does the time go?

One year ago, I was sitting in this same spot on this same couch, though not in these same pants, looking at my kankles and wondering if my child was ever going to come out.

He did, just a few days later.

I cannot believe how fast time goes, nor can I believe how much faster it goes once you have kids. It goes without saying that I haven't updated this blog in quite a while, but that's ok because my only reader is also a good friend of mine & my husband, and he catches up with us the way good friends should. But...for anyone else who might be trying to catch up with us, I do apologize for my lack of commitment to this endeavor and I beg your forgiveness.

So, to hasten the forgiveness, allow me to share with you what has been taking up the majority of my time, energy, and attention.

Brace yourselves. He's a cutie.

A mouse in my house!

I went into the basement just now to put a knitting project in the wash in order to felt it...and I saw a mouse run past me, behind my washer and dryer. I am not happy.

Glue traps will be laid out.


This is war.

Nothin' in particular

Well, it's been a month since I've posted. Here's what's been happening:

• We found out on September 13 that we're having a boy...and we finally agreed on a name!
• The largest piece of furniture in my sewing room now has a new home so that we could make more room for Tater Tot (as in, we needed that wall to place a dresser as well as glider).
• I substituted for the first time EVER today. It is way different than being a "real" teacher.
• My husband starts at a new location for work on October 22--no more job site reporting!

That's pretty much it. Not real exciting, I know...especially since I am aware I have only one reader (thanks, Bear!)...but still. Blogging makes me feel a little more important than I really am...

Just a little rant...

Does anyone else get irritated when people whom you considered "friends" wind up only speaking to you when they need something to benefit themselves? Because I do. I can't stand that! If you can't talk to me any other time, don't bother talking to me when you need something, either!

That is all.

We have now come upon my favorite time of year: fall.

I used to look forward to it because it meant a new school year, either as a student or as a teacher, and it meant new clothes, new school supplies, and a fresh start. Now, however, I get to enjoy it for what it really is...crisp, cool mornings where you can almost smell the beginnings of winter in the air; an appreciation for a different kind of nature's beauty--that of living things going dormant, or fattening up for a hard winter; hot apple cider and warm pumpkin bread; a time to focus on others as I prepare for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

For my husband, fall means hunting season...and for me, because of that, it also means major cooking season.

So...let the steel fly and the stewpot fill up!

Small Bus{y}ness

Most would assume that after six years of teaching and having to get ready for yet another school  year, that I would be having a very stress-free, very un-busy season as a housewife and expectant mother. This, my friends, is not so.

A few weeks ago, I ran a booth at a local festival called Canal Days, in Williamsport MD. I made thousands of dollars' worth of crafts to display and sell...and made only $53 the first day. Mind you, the festival is only 2 days long. The second day, I was all ready to give it another go until Mother Nature unleashed her fury on us with torrential downpours before the vendors even opened for the day.

I went home, wet merchandise in tow.

My house is still a bit of a wreck from all my manufacturing over the last 8 weeks, and it will probably stay that way for a little while longer.

Why? Oh...because. Growing a baby is a lot tougher than I thought it would be.

This past weekend, Wade and I went to a friend's house in order to help remove and rebuild a deck, and so that I could cook for everyone there that was helping out. After a week of alarm clocks going off at 3:30 am, we were tired. After a weekend of hard manual labor and/or sweating my rear off in the kitchen as I worked over a hot stove/oven, we are even more exhausted than when we arrived at our friend's house a week ago.

Not to mention, I've been pouring lots of energy and concentration into preparing for an open house I'm planning to have in October or November. In the last 10 days, I've completed 14 dishcloths and packaged them into bundles of 2 per pack to sell on Etsy. I have also been plotting my next project which I will be selling--linen napkins.

There's more than just those two things, though. I'll be making Christmas stockings; pillowcase lace edging; more dishcloths; linen napkins; socks...the list goes on.

I'm getting another headache just thinking about it...

But I will pass the time with these little tasks until next Thursday, when Wade and I get to find out the sex of the baby.

This will be the second most exciting appointment yet!

The difference between here and there

Someone close to me recently visited Africa, mainly to see the sights and take it all in. She knew she was in for a visual treat, but she had no idea she'd also fall in love with the people. In the last couple days, she has placed an order for 54 dresses to be made and shipped by October 31 and very possibly 200 tote bags (to be filled with school supplies) by January 31.

I have never been able to be part of something this big. Dresses and tote bags may not sound like much, and many people would just dismiss this project as "a nice thing to do," and then move on to talking about themselves. But I am excited about this! And here's why.

All of the children that will be blessed with new dresses and new book totes will know the value of those things. I'm not talking monetary value--I'm talking literal value. How well would you handle it if you only had 2, maybe 3 outfits to wear and had to wash those outfits in a washtub, by hand, then hang them and wait for them to dry outside your teeny, tiny home? How well would you handle only being able to use a tattered nylon bag in which to carry your belongings from point A to point B? Would your children like to do anything mentioned above? Probably not.

They would probably say something along the lines of, "You expect me to wear THAT? And wash it by HAND? And not use a DRYER?!"
And then they would look at the bag and say, "Is that Coach? If it's not, then I don't want it. I won't use that."

Just the other day, I was thinking about letting my old coworkers know that I'd be available to make homecoming dresses and to please let the kids at school know. Then this came up, and I am so excited to help these people that are in NEED rather than help to spoil some entitled teenagers that don't need it.

Talk about a shift in focus and being reminded of what's really important in life...

I know that when my kids are old enough, this is the type of thing I'd like them to be involved in--not worrying about what they can get for themselves to improve their social standing.

Having a designer outfit vs. having an outfit to wear, period. I'd rather just have something to wear.