Time Flies...

Well, I thought I was going to have loads of free time once we got settled in our new home. Clearly I was wrong! The kids are both finally back in school and our new normal has begun to emerge. Said husband has started his new job and it has really changed our daily lives. He is home so much more often than he used to be which is great except for one thing: he NEEDS a HOBBY! More specifically, he needs a hobby that is NOT ME. I love him, don't get me wrong but I also like having some alone time to do other stuff. Girly stuff. Stuff that inherently drives him crazy. Stuff that takes time and focus. Crafty stuff.
   Really, I just want to sew in peace. Without him asking when I'll be done or coming into my sewing space and hyperventilating over the sheer volume of fabric (I'll admit, I have a bit of an addiction). Luckily I have found a few spare hours here and there to get some things done. A few WIPs have been finished, a handful of custom orders have been done, and I've been able to use up some of my ample stash. 
   When we moved I actually put myself on a fabric diet. My sewing space here is smaller than in our last house and I NEED to use up some of the fabric and scraps I already have before I get more. Easier said than done. I have been really, really good so far but I can feel myself weakening in the face of Nordika, Koi, Waterfront Park, and all those other amazing lines that are hitting the shelves. But I know once I put one bundle in my cart it will just open the flood gates. So, for now it's just window shopping...
   Between Cub Scouts, soccer practice and all the other daily chore type stuff that we moms do, here are the projects I've finished:

 

 

Some of these are the custom requests I mentioned, others are in my etsy shop: Quarks and Widgets

http://www.quarksandwidgets.etsy.com

Old, new house to New, old house

Wow, that sounds almost like a Dr. Seuss title. Instead it's a simple description of our piecemeal move. If you ever thought to yourself "I'd like to be completely stressed out while pretending to be totally in control of every situation and manage to smile even though my children have asked me no less than a zillion times when we'll be there and when will our stuff be there" I suggest you commit this post to memory!
  Our journey starts in the Spring of 2013 when we realized we would be renting a house in TN that is smaller than the one we were currently residing in. In my sheer excitement at the prospect of living in a town that boasts more than just a Wal-Mart, I agreed that the kids and I (and our less than stable dog, Ollie) would move 2 weeks ahead of my husband. The plan was simple: the packers and movers would come to our FL house, I would load up my van with boys and pet and get to TN to await the moving truck all while said husband stayed in our empty (and peacefully quiet) FL house and continue to work. Easy, peasy lemon squeezie...
  Well, when I told the kids not to ask me "are we there yet?" I had no idea how many variations they would come up with-"what time is it? how far have we gone? how much farther do we have? how many more miles until we get there? how many minutes has it been? will we be there before or after lunch? are there ninjas in Tennessee?"
  Once we got to our new, old house it was game on or so I thought! It took the movers 5 days to get there!!!!! Imagine being stuck in an empty house with 2 wild spider monkeys with very few snacks and no toys and still attempting to get something done. NOT. A. CHANCE. They were used to our old, new house.

Notice the huge yard and fence designed to keep them contained?

I Like to Move It, Move It...

   That's right, we're moving! Such a big deal for a mere second blog post. But, we knew this day was coming and still somehow lost all track of time and sanity. We are going from a small city in north Florida to a growing city just south of Nashville, TN. Not only are we trekking all of our earthly possessions several hundreds of miles away but we are also have to DOWNSIZE. For those of you with kids you know that this concept is just over the tipping point of hysterical.
   We are going from a 2,200 square foot home to a 1,700 square foot home with.no.garage. This means getting rid of approximately 2 rooms worth of stuff. So we did what any self-respecting small town American would do: we had a yard sale. It went really well, probably too well since we are now eating our meals on the couch or the floor. There is something mildly depressing about an empty house, don't ya think?

But on the upside my floors have never been cleaner! Thank you, Clorox, for picking up the slack. I'm sure the new tenants would like to thank you, too.
  Another thing I am trying to downsize is my sewing/crafting stuff. This should actually read: said husband is threatening to "misplace" some of my sewing/crafting supplies and items if they don't find new homes soon. For this I have a magical solution. It is sale time in my etsy shop which can be found here http://quarksandwidgets.etsy.com. There are many finished items and some fabric destashing as well. My shop has a coupon listed but an even better one is MOVING30 which will get you 30% off your entire purchase. This coupon expires June 10th.

These are just a few of the things that I have in my shop. Even if you aren't in the market to buy anything I would love to know what you think! Feel free to leave me a comment. Gotta go make some dinner and put some stuff in boxes but I hope to have more time to blog soon.

An Introduction

As I've gotten older, and infinitely busier with kids and life, I've realized that I'm losing memories. Memories of my kids, funny things that have happened to our family, and even just the plain everyday stuff that one day will make my kids laugh at "the things we used to do". So, I thought this blog might help capture this stuff and some of my crafty meanderings!
   First off, my name is Melanie. I am a trained clinical microbiologist. I LOVE(D) my job, but gave it up when my fantabulous husband moved us to a rural area in northwest FL and we had a second kid. With this move I also became a full-time housewife. I had never been solely responsible for all of the day to day chores and childcare before and it turns out, I'm a crappy housewife!
   Cleaning isn't a problem, the motivation to clean is where things get sticky. (Notice I am blogging and not folding the laundry or doing the breakfast dishes.) It all gets done, it's just a matter of time and hopefully some of it is kid free. Didn't somebody once say "cleaning your house when kids are home is like brushing your teeth while eating oreos." Seriously, I am not going to clean if my husband isn't even going to notice. Besides, if my husband really wanted the house cleaned all he would have to do is invite someone over. That'll get me moving.
   Cooking is another issue entirely. I don't like to cook. I won't go so far as hate, but it's a fine line. I'm no good at it and freakishly impatient. Baking I can handle, probably because it's more of an exact science. But according to said husband, you can't just eat that crap all the time. Clearly he's right but the occasional cake for breakfast can't hurt, right? Thankfully, the hubs doesn't mind cooking and he's not too shabby. I do have a few specialty items that I rotate in for good measure and constantly resolve to cook more.
   Childcare is my main focus. You know, keeping them alive. It's harder than you think with 2 young boys that consistently attempt things beyond their reach. Thank the good Lord for daily minor miracles and Neosporin. We should buy stock in band-aids and thank all that is holy for the advent of ice. Plus, these little minions are busy-school, sports, friends, arguing over whose turn it is to clean the lint trap on the dryer. People say there is never a dull moment with kids, but I disagree. The whole first year is mostly dull and sleep-deprived with few moment of amazement worked in (think first steps, first words, and how did something so small manage to make something that big and smelly). After that, it gets more interesting as their personalities and voices (read volume) really begin to grow. We are in the throes of these fun years which are now simply speckled with tedium. For instance, we have the nightly arguments discussions about showers and brushing teeth but Saturday mornings have turned me into "that Mom." Saturdays are soccer game days for both kids. I am hoarse by the end of the games but my kids surely know that I am watching! This is the happy part of the happy, crappy housewife. How could you not like watching little kid soccer and knowing that your kids are amazing? Not just because they scored a goal, but because they congratulated their friend on the other team for his game-winning goal!
   The other happy part of staying at home is that I have some time to sew. I started sewing as a way to distract myself from the fact that my husband was deployed in a war zone and to de-stress after putting the kids to bed. Turns out, I love to quilt and am quite the fabric addict! Although said husband would prefer that I be cooking or cleaning something a-la-1955, he graciously relents and gives me some freedom of budget and time to sew. Love that man!!!
   So, that is my life in a very condensed nutshell. A reluctant housewife that is glad for the opportunity to stay home with her kids but looking forward to a day when she can get back to work. But, that day can wait for now. Now, it's time to get to the laundry and dishes then rush over to watch kindergarten field day!