Swap Loot! : Mythological Creatures and Cryptids

What an awesome mail day!  You know those days when there isn't a bill nestled inside your mailbox?  Those days are awesome, but even more awesome is when your mailman has to ring the doorbell because you have a package.  And even better, when you have 2 packages!

Which is what we had today.  It was a massive swap loot day.  I received an amazing package from the Mythological Creatures swap on Ravelry as well as an equally amazing Cryptid package from RantyHippie on Craftster.  

I was so in love with everything that we took about a million pictures.  Since Persephone has seperation anxiety, she had to be in most of the pictures, but she is too cute not to be.  

First, the Cryptid swap on Craftster:  We opened the box to find this: 

An adorable sea serpent, a mermaid dolly, and a GIANT squid.  

The sea serpent was claimed by the kids, the squid has a home on my bed, and there is a funny story behind the mermaid.  Perry is a hair puller and I have been contemplating getting her a dolly to pull it's hair and maybe not mine.  (pipe dream, I know.)  Earlier in the day I was at the store and looking for dollies.  I couldn't find one.  So imagine how awesome it was to find a mermaid dolly in the box!  Perry loves it.

 So many thanks to RantyHippie for the amazing swap loot.

Next I opened the Mythical Creatures package.  Look at these extras!  Gorgeous purple yarn, dragon toys for the kiddos, stickers (that  my older and tomboy daughter declared were for the baby's scrapbook, amigurimi eyes, and delicious smelling tea.  Oh, and Troy has asked to hang the postcard in his room.

 Medusa hair bookmarks.  Such a clever idea!  My daughter has decided that I may have one because I don't get to read as often as she does.

Then we found a present for Steven.  Chthulu.  And he is riding along with Steven at work tonight, although the baby loves him too.

A beautiful mermaid tail scarf that has been confiscated by the girl child...but she looks so cute in it!

And a unicorn lovey for Perry.  I have also been looking at getting her or making her a lovey and instead we have a beautiful homemade lovey...with a unicorn.

And a few bonus pics of the kiddos playing with the dragons.

Persephone's Blanket Finished

This kid has so many handmade blankets.  Her grandmother crochets and mommy has crafty ADD.  But I saw this yarn and knew that Miss Perry needed another blanket.

The yarn is Baby Bernat in Little Petunias (looks like Neapolitan ice cream) and Baby Bernat in white with a size N hook.

I simply started out with a grany square and just kept going.

I did 7 rounds with the Neapolitan yarn, 3 with white, 2 with Neapolitan,  3 white, and finished with a round of Neapolitan. 

It is super soft and Perry loves it. And of course she has taste tested it.

Harry Potter Swap Sent

A very sweet and talented Craftster did not receive her Harry Potter package and I was lucky enough to be able to step in and send her a parcel full of Harry Potter crafty goodness.

Her favorite class at Hogwarts is Divination, so I sent her crystal ball earrings and a set of crystal ball stitch markers.  These never could have been made without the help of my talented boyfriend.

I figured that during class she would need a mug rug to set her tea cup on, so I painted Always (her favorite quote) with a Deathly Hollows symbol for the A and machine quilted it in gold thread.

I wanted her to stay warm on her way to class, so I made her a Slytherin House scarf.  It is super long and cozy and I know have several requests at home for similar house scarves.

I wanted to add a little extra something to the package, so I sent her a HP themed charm bracelet filled with owls and a feather and fun yellow glass beads.  I also made (with help) these owl earrings (with Slytherin colors) to help her speak with Hedwig (or her own pet) whenever she needed.

I had so much fun making this package and have been told that she loves everything.  Swap anxiety gone.  I am such a swap-a-holic.

Instant Crafty Gratification

In a swap on Ravelry, I claimed a young mom in Poland for a onesie with an applique tie.  I made a few for my son years ago, so I headed to the store for some plain Gerber long sleeved onesies and pillaged the scrap bin for the perfect fabric.

I carefully drew a tie shape on my iron-on stabilizer and got it right on the third try.  Cut it out, ironed it to the onesie and then did a short zig-zag stitch all the way around.  It turned out adorable!

But that wasn't enough for my crafty desire.  I wanted more and I had two long sleeve onesies staring at me in their blankeness.

I found this adorable iron on in a box that came out of the craf room and knew it had to be used.  I ironed it and gave it a few securing stitches.

Then I found this iron-on (in the same box, somehow) and ironed it to the other onesie.

Not terribly impressive or skillful, but I love them.  I got some almost instant gratification and it put me in the crafty mood.

Good Morning Blue Eyes!!

I woke up this morning to the sound of cooing.  I rolled over to see the brightest blue eyes staring at me.  She made a gentle and silly raspberry noise to say "Good Morning Mommy!"  I spent around an hour nursing, cuddling, and playing with Persephone.  I didn't look at the clock, think about the bill I need to pay today, the appointment this afternoon, or even glance at the growing pile of laundry (I swear it multiplies while I sleep).  I just stayed in my jammies and enjoyed the time with my youngest child.

I was able to get a few soft giggles from her before she started her pterodactyl yell that has given her the nickname "Perrydactyl."  We played with her taggie ball, sang some songs, read a Sandra Boynton book, and she threw a fit when I wouldn't allow her to have my eyelashes.  It was the most beautiful morning and I realized how amazingly lucky I am to have this morning.

I didn't have to rush off to work (like our hard-working and sexy chef did), or rush to take the older kiddos to school, and I didn't have any other business that needed my immediate attention.  And if there was something, it couldn't be that important if I didn't even think about it.

It is after ten in the morning and I am still in my jammies.  Perry is dressed due to a stinky diaper change and we will go about our day in a little while.  Mornings like this are somewhat rare for me and very much cherished.  I hope that all parents out there get to have this special time with their little ones every once in a while.  And when you do get it, cherish it.  Don't worry about last night's dishes, the 15 e-mails you have, or the blinking light on your phone alerting you of whatever Facebook game you play.

Just enjoy the morning.

Tuesday Coffee Chat: Showing Off My Ponies

Today is the first Coffee Chat over at Time Out for Mom since summer break.  I am happy to have stumbled upon it as this week we are chatting about COLLECTIONS.   Just the other day I was bragging about my collection to a friend.  I told her that her kids HAD to see my obsession  collection.  As silly as it is, these little guys are my collection and they make me terribly happy.
1st Generation My Little Ponies

Unfortunately, these are not from my childhood.  My ponies were probably thrown into a bag for Goodwill or *gasp* a trashcan when I didn't clean up my room and mom did it for me.  I started acquiring my preciouses when I was 21.  I was randomly farting around on Ebay (through a dial up connection...) when I found a listing for ponies.  Lots of ponies.  HUNDREDS of ponies.  I wanted it.  BAD.  
But I didn't have that kind of money.  
So I started searching and was engrossed for days...maybe weeks.  I found a few I liked and started bidding.  Of course my cheap little heart was being outbid on every damn auction.  I upped my game and was diligent.  A week or so later and this beauty showed up on my door step.  

Her name is Cherries Jubilee.  And she was my first.  I was hooked. It didn't take too long for me to amass over 100 ponies including a full collection of Sparkle Ponies.

And a few ponies from international lines such as Seashell from Italy.

Only two ponies sit and I had both.  Unfortunately, some of my ponies were stolen and Bubbles was included.  I have yet to find him again.  But I won't get into that mess.
I stopped my huge spending spree and over the next decade or so, only had a few of these beauties delivered to my door...but I still checked the Ebay auctions and collector's forums frequently. 
A little over a year ago, five years after moving into the new house, I FINALLY put these ponies on display.  I was thrilled to reunite with old friends and grieved again over those who were lost along the way.  And I had a new fire to look at auctions.  
I found one I couldn't turn away from.  FLUTTER PONIES!!  I found an auction that let me finish my flutter pony collection as well as replace one that came to me with a haircut.  I was more overjoyed than a woman in her 30's should be.

But then I saw the icing on the cake.  CHIEF.

Yes.  He is missing his scarf, but this beautiful Clydesdale Big Brother Pony with his fetching hat eluded me for years!!  I saw the auction and laid low for a while.  At the end of the auction I stormed in, placed a bid for higher than I wanted to pay, yet less than what I had been bidding a decade before, and snatched him up.  It was an awesome day when he arrived.  
I've collected a few more since then and also traded out some of the So Soft Ponies for more "display worthy" versions.  The more played with ponies went to a very loving home with Steven's sister.  
They aren't worth much, but they are worth a fortune to me.  I doubt I will be able to pass them down to my girls, but they will have memories and stories to share about their "mother's ponies."  I am 34 years old and collect toys.  BoYAH!

The Luxury of Sleep

The baby didn't sleep very well last night.  She woke up a few times to be fed and a few times to play.  She looks up at me with that big, toothless grin and I have to smile back and say "go back to bed baby."  It made for an interesting day at work...but I realized that sleep is a luxury.  Not just for me and other new parents, but for a LOT of people in this country.  We run ourselves ragged and the first thing we sacrifice for more hours in the day is sleep.

Parents struggle to find time for work, the house, the kids, and the spouse and sometimes that means staying up an hour extra to get the dishes done, lunches packed, or some cuddle time on the couch.  We wake up an hour early to get breakfast ready, find the "lost" shoes, and have a few minutes to fart around on the computer before the kids wake up.  The world just keeps spinning faster everyday.

This morning I woke up after on and off bouts of sleep all night and readied myself for work.  That includes getting myself dressed and presentable, the baby ready for grandma's house, and getting the breast pump and accessories ready for work.  Now, I should have done that last night, but I went to bed early due to exhaustion.  So it needed to be done in the morning.  I also took a few minutes to check my e-mail and Facebook and send a message to my ex-husband regarding my son's homework he was hiding from us.

Tonight I will probably stay up late working on a form for Alexandria, get the pantry re-organized (since all the food is sitting on my kitchen table), and maybe have some cuddle time and a movie with Steven while crocheting Perry's blanket.

I might sacrifice a little bit of sleep before my 5:30 a.m. alarm (if the baby doesn't wake up first) in order to do these things, but when else do I do them?  And I am tired of hearing "sometimes you just have to let some things go and spend time with your family."  Just how far do I let things go?  I let the yard go when the baby was sick and ended up with a fine and court fees for the weeds by my fence.  I let a lot of things go.  I won't even mention how long it has been since I vacuumed...  There are things I can't just let be.

For instance - the pantry.  One of my darling children (or boyfriend...) spilled honey on one of the shelves.  Then someone set a box of cereal on top of it.  I can't let honey and cardboard stick to the shelf and have things keep sticking to it.  Also, we were at a point in our disorganization that it appeared we had tons of food and no room to put new groceries, but in reality, we have nothing to eat.  Please tell me someone else has been there...  It appears that I "let it go" for too long and now I have to spend an hour (when I could be sleeping) to fix it.  

Also- Cloth diapers.  The baby is almost out of diapers.  And we have a 3-5 day stash...whoops.  Those are in the washer as we speak, and fortunately, I can usually fold them while the baby is awake as long as we play peek-a-boo and she gets to play in her bouncer or exersaucer.  But I usually end up folding them (and other laundry) after bed time.

So yes.  Sleep is a luxury that not everyone can afford.  I have things to do that can't be ignored.  Now, I am sure that a little more organization would help me out and I would have more time to do that sleeping that eludes me at times, but I need the time to get organized.  I have been working on organizing key areas of the house (like the pantry, laundry room, and the bedroom closet) but it has been a slow go.  I can't give up too much more sleep or I might fall asleep in the syrup dispenser at work.

What do you give up your sleep for?  Or better yet, what are you "letting go" of to get sleep?

Tim Burton Swap Received

I received an amazing swap package from the owner of Sweet Serendipty 37 Etsy shop.  She was my stalker/spoiler in the Tim Burton Swap on Ravelry.  The Odd Ducks Swap group has been so awesome to be apart off and this is my 2nd swap in that group.  My spoilee will receive soon and I will post all the goodies I made for her.  But for now, on to the pictures!

Here is the box after I opened.  All those goodies waiting for me to peek inside.

The first thing I opened is this incredible Beetlejuice pillow!  It is going to sit on my bed in all of its awesomeness.

Then I opened up some yummy K Cup coffees that Steven is super excited about nd some yummy yarn that I cannot wait to knit with.  A few more packages revealed a pumpkin stamp, a Batman flashlight (but she said I had to give it to the kids) , black and white ribbon, and the book Burton on Burton which Steven and I have been longing to read. 

But wait!  There is so much more!  Oreo truffles.  Those are demolished already.  See the pics of my kiddos for reference.  There is also a pattern for an adorable sand worm scarf like Lydia Deets wears in the cartoon, and a very nice note.

I have wanted a Zero scarf for YEARS!!  And look!  He is mine...although Persephone likes him too.

And a Jack Skellington shirt.  It fits comfotable and is on an awesome jersey fabric that is super soft.  The note said something about being pajamas, but this is one kind of PJ's I'll allow in public.

 Thank you so much for the wonderful package!  It really made my day.  I am  hoping my spoilee enjoys her gifts as much as I love mine.