New Pictures

My quilting book

So I found this book when I went out to the desert to get my books. It is from 1934 and is full of illustrations of quilts and their proper names from back then, which was how I figured out that the quilt that I want to make is not supposed to be called 'cathedral window.' The quilt I want to make has been re-named now to be the cathedral window, but it wasn't before. I found the pattern tutorial online at a blog called hyena in petticoats which is a cute name for a blog I think. It explains it nicely, and you can check it out if you'd like, but I can't do links apparently.

here's the quilt. 

Here's the actual quilt but it's just a little pillow that is falling apart. The whole quilt is an origami of fabric, which is really cool. Most is hand-sewn, but there isn't any quilting to do after the fact, it's all done as you go, which means you can just make it as big as you want.






The visit with the kids was really nice this last week! No tantrums or outbursts! Here are some pictures: This first one is Abi and Seb coloring while I finish feeding Zoe. I'm going to need to pick up more of that color-wonder paper and markers because Seb is totally hooked now - he can't figure out what the magic is that makes the white-colored markers make colors on the papers! Magic!

Here we have Zoe, happily helping place cookie dough on the cookie sheets. She is such a happy girl! Here, she's saying 'Cheese!' 

This one Seb and Abi are both placing cookie dough, but Abi is telling me that she gets 'one more!' Seb feels large and in charge because he's dishing out the cookie dough to each of the kids. Granted, he made sure he got to place twice as many as the girls. Absolute cookie-dough corrupts absolutely. 

There's a new class coming up called aerial yoga. I plan to start going here pretty soon! Just need a little more money in order to afford the class. These are some wonderful moves, hanging up in these big silk ribbons!

And in other news, so I went out to the desert and picked up my books. That was a very interesting trip. The whole time I was out there, Jason was fishing through and reading the title of every single book, arguing with me about whether or not the book was mine and if I was ever going to read it. He loves books. A lot. So I ended up giving up the fight on the law books and some other text books that I either had duplicates of or better versions of. The whole visit included him gloating about how great his life was now that we're not together anymore. He's getting paid great commissions at work (the 'you should have held out because look how great business is'), he has great luck with cars (my version of a running car is very different from his - he thinks if it starts, moves and stops, it's good. For me, i just have to miss my oil change by 3 miles), he's all better from being insane (that's debatable), and how now he's just doing so much better because I'm the one who made him crazy and abusive. Yup, he said it, it was all my fault. Everything. All of his actions were my fault. It really sank in this last week how untrue that is, and how I just haven't been able to see that people don't have two sides (a good and bad), but rather a facade that they allow others to see. I believe that there's something to everything that can be scientifically proven or historical. I think it would be foolish for us to ignore it, so I've been trying to learn the lessons that are all around us. So the first lesson was that you can't find something where there wasn't anything to begin with. That's how Jason is. He had this facade of Zen peacefulness, but in reality, the real him is an angry abusive uncontrollable person. All people have aspects of themselves that they don't want anyone else to know about. Unfortunately, for me I don't have the filter that can tell  the difference between facade-guy and real-guy, so I'm still going to not date. For a long time. These tools are a big deal and it would be behoove me to acquire those tools before seeking a guy.
That's it for this week because this is getting long. I have a lot more to say, but hey, it's 9:30, and I need to clean a house in the morning.

More Pictures!

My living room. And feet.

Thanks to Kristen, I have these amazing new rocking chairs and super duper plush rug! Ah, I love my living room!

The other side of my living room

I am fairly certain there is too much furniture in there, so I plan to take the white chairs or the red chaise upstairs. Probably the red chaise because that way all the furniture will be white and I can change out the pillows and decor. The other little chairs are there because my toilet flooded the dining room, and the carpet cleaners needed the furniture out of the way so they could clean it up! 

My sewing/craft/office room

This room is pretty fantastic, thanks to Jamie coming and helping me clean. What you see from bottom left and up clockwise: my 'work' desk and chair (printer is the boxy looking thing), sewing desk with machine and serger (under the lamp, which is now in the corner), yarn in the white drawers, filing cabinet with home hardware and tools on top. Behind that is a set of shelves full of canning supplies behind the dress form. The hangers have almost all of my fabric hanging on them, with the rest in bolts donated by Ann. Next to that, the pink rubbermaid and box on top are tie dye supplies. Then the chair I'm reupholstering with my It Works bag on top. 

 Picture of Ethan with Zoe, from 2011. We were in the desert, and very happy as long as Jason wasn't around. 

 Sebastian, also 2011, and also very happy!

 This is Kiley, our blue heeler. She's a runt, so she's about the size of a cocker spaniel. Her head looks like a cartoon head when she barks. It just instantly pops up and back again like it's made of little triangles, and she bites the tires of moving vehicles 'cause she's smart like that. 

Ethan and his amazing lego creation, also 2011. I miss my boy! He's 13 1/2 now! 

 This is a great picture of Seb. I would like very much to frame it (Ann, that's your cue!)

That's all for now! More to come I'm sure!

Pictures

I found some pictures stored in my phone that I had not seen in a while. This is the most recent picture I have of Ethan. I haven't seen him since March of 2012. 

This is Abi in 2011, wearing a sweater that was supposed to be a hat, and a hat that belonged to her big sis, Corinne, 16 years earlier. 

This is Sebastian, in 2011, being dramatic and happy as usual! 

This is Zoe in 2011, she was eating as usual! 

This last week, we took glow-sticks and turned off the lights. I told Seb and Zoe to move around as much as possible, and I took pictures. The long tri-colored strand is Seb, he made a light saber. The red and blue 'wings' are on Zoe's wrists, and the little thing in the middle is the necklace. Abi was throwing a tantrum. 

A better shot of Zoe's necklaces, and Seb's light saber. 

Same day, this last Wednesday, I told each of the kids to give me their most ferocious growl and mean face. This is what we got:

Zoe:

Abi: 

Seb: 

All funny faces included small, super loud and low ferocious growls in order of appearance! It was a lot of fun, but I usually don't have time to pick up my camera when we're in visits so this is pretty spectacular. 

court today

We had court today, my lawyer had another hearing so I got to represent myself. It's a nerve-wracking experience! I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do. Court etiquette is unique by the region. I wasn't sure if I was supposed to sit, stand, say 'your honor, majesty...' It was very confusing for me. There weren't any changes that I needed to make, so I just agreed with whatever he said and added 'your honor' to the end, but I shifted uncomfortably in my seat the whole time, not sure if I would be disrespecting him if I didn't stand up.
We addressed Ethan's custody momentarily. They are doing a home-study on Dan & Kellie in Denver, and once that is finished (hopefully within a month), Ethan can go there as soon as school is out.
Sebastian did not improve after the stay in the mental hospital. They are looking at all kinds of acrobatics to keep him occupied enough to not have problems. He is starting a parkour class this next week, which I'm really glad for! He also likes to do the free gym night where he can do whatever he wants.
Other than that, I'm working a lot some weeks, then not at all other weeks. I'm really sore and tired almost all the time, and I'm making my budget. With the wraps business, I'm getting ready to promote to the third level (without touching the second), and I'm pretty excited about that. It means that I'll be able to pay all my bills every single month! I think God is really letting me know where I'm supposed to be.