Miscellany Monday

Well, it's Monday again and I've some random thoughts,
so here we go:

1. I love my children. Really, I do, but my boy is going through a phase where he shrieks when I'm not holding him. It's REALLY unpleasant. I hope it ends soon. Crying was so much cuter.

2. We need a dog door. I have three beagles and a lab. One of the beagles is, I think, growing incontinent. So he asks to be let out eight to ten times PER HOUR. I'm not kidding. He just runs right out, pees, and runs right in again. Even Stinkerbaby no longer thinks it's fun to let him out. Anyone have any recommendations of good, sturdy dog doors? Maybe a trip to our beloved vet is in order.

3. I really need to get out and take some pictures. I want to, but just haven't. Maybe this week.

4. Election day is tomorrow! Go vote for any and all candidates you can find who aren't crooks or career politicians.
(Sorry, I suppose that is redundant.)

5. My birthday is this month. I'm looking forward to some spending money for me!
And maybe a nice meal out with just Hubby. Ahhhh.

6. I'm so thankful for my folks living next door. Even a five minute sanity break is appreciated!

7. Okay babywearing folks, what do I do with a baby who stands up as soon as I sit down with him in a carrier? He's worst in a ring sling, but even does this in wraps, too. Same story with the MT.

8. Cooler weather really makes me want to sew. I'm looking forward to getting to do some sewing soon.

That's it for me! Have a great Monday and a great week!

Don't forget to check out
Carissa's Miscellany Monday .

-Susan

Thankful for summer cold

I had planned on posting on Monday, but instead, I awoke to a sick kid. Stinkerbaby had a cold. Bonus was been sneezing some, too.

As I was feeling sorry for my babies and myself (hey, just being honest), it dawned on me that I literally don't remember the last time the kids were sick. I do remember that Bonus has been sick once, but he's nine months old!

Stinkerbaby was fussier than usual and congested. Bonus was unhappy if set down at all, instead of being happy just playing in the floor. There has been much babywearing.

I really am very blessed. And it took an annoying, summer cold to point that out to me.

Why I am thankful for this summer cold:
Batman can take time off to help, if needed.
Nana's next door for assistance whenever we need it.
Cold's aren't serious, just unpleasant.
None of us have asthma or other health problems that make colds more serious.
The grownups didn't get sick.
And it's summer so there's plenty of sun to recharge our vitamin d stores which were depleted from illness.

I'm still sorry I had to see my sweet girl so uncomfortable, but all in all, we've been shown our blessings by a summer cold.

Adventures in Walmart

So, our local Walmart is getting rid of their fabric department. This is happening all over the country as I understand it. I'm no huge fan of Walmart, but I do shop there occasionally. And if I am in need of fabric for a project, I always wind up there. We are fortunate enough to have a small quilting store in town. They have very nice things, but I'm usually making diapers or baby carriers, so I need things quilting stores have no reason to carry. I always check the quilting store first if they are open, but usually I have to go to Walmart to get what I need.

Yesterday, Walmart's fabric was marked down 50%. I have never seen anything like the crowd there. Nana, the kids, and I arrived a little after nine, and the place was swamped! There were fifty or more people in line with only two women cutting. Nana got in line with the first of our fabric choices, and I shopped for more. We took turns until we were both confident the rest of the fabrics we were both hoping to find were gone.

The amazing part was how nice everyone was! All of us were strangers, but we chatted, shared sewing tips, and even shared fabrics. If someone saw a fabric they liked in someone else's cart, one just asked if they were intending to get the entire bolt and if not, could they have it next. The amount of patience and cooperation I have never seen in a "crowd." We waited calmly as folks in front got literally 20-50 bolts of fabric measured and cut for about three hours. As we neared the front of the line, the nice woman in line behind us said she needed to go pick up her granddaughter from school. We offered to let her go in front of us, but we still had too long to wait. So, she asked Nana to buy her fabric and bring it to her at our convenience since we all live in the same small town. Nana took her money and her fabric. All was well.

Until someone cut into the line. We had all been waiting for a long time and suddenly there was an unfamiliar customer at the cutting table. A Walmart employee wearing a name tag cut into the front of the line! I only saw her from the back but several customers verified that she was an employee. I tried not to get too irritated about the situation, there was nothing I could do, after all. A man waiting in line a few people behind me, was not so willing. He found a manager and told him what happened. The manager apologized for our lengthy wait time and said he would review the security tape.

Just when we were nearly done, we encountered yet another bump in the road. My fabric was being cut and I was about to hand them the other lady's since Nana had to sit down and rest a bit. The woman at the cut table asked me if that was all of mine and I told her it was. Then she left! So the line I had been waiting patiently (more or less) in was now no more. With the permission of those in the next line over, I got in line second from the front. I thought I would never get out of there.
Finally, we did get out of there. It was almost 1:00!

All this time, Stinkerbaby was really good. She didn't whine once! A stranger gave her a Happy Meal toy. Bonus slept in my homemade mei tai carrier almost the entire time. Everyone was really kind except for one Walmart employee. It really could have been a mob, but it wasn't.

I won't go back to Walmart anytime soon if I can avoid it, but the next time when I need just a bit of this or that fabric to finish something, I will surely miss the fabric department at Walmart.

So, when your local Walmart loses its fabric department, if it hasn't already, go early and wear comfortable shoes!

Introduction

Well, I suppose I have gotten the cart before the horse, so to speak.

So, let me introduce myself. I'm Susan, a stay-at-home mother of two wonderful, exhausting children, Stinkerbaby and Bonus. I have an awesome husband who is my tech support guy.

My interests are many:
family activities

cooking, especially baking
real food and traditional eating
natural, attachment parenting
babywearing
cloth diapering
breastfeeding
vintage sewing machines
repurposing, primarily clothing
sewing in general
taking pictures of kids and things in the natural world
being outdoors
gardening
thrift shopping
music

That is a partial list, of course. It's difficult to describe myself. If I've missed something, ask. I'll probably even answer!

-Susan