Odd Dotty Dollymaker

Good Times. Good Times.

Just got this link in an e-mail, thought I'd share. It made me smile and giggle a little.

Want more? Check out Tim Hawkins' site!

It's all about MEme!

As if this blog is about anyone else. But, guess what? Guess what? I was tagged! I am so excited. I was tagged by Hey Lucy to post 7 things about me. So, here they are in no particular order.

1. I crack my knuckles. I know, I know. This makes some people crazy and completely horrified...I have to remember not to do this in front of the husband's boss as she is appalled by the cracking of knuckles, for instance, but it is somewhat of a nervous tick for me I guess. It helps me think. But it's not just my fingers and toes. Every morning when I wake up and after standing up from sitting for a period of time I crack my inner thighs. And recently I have discovered that I can crack the top right part of my right foot. That is my favorite cracking place...so satisfying. Too much? Okay...moving on.

2. I love love LOVE to laugh. No, for reals. Like it's kind of an addiction for me. I love laughing so hard it hurts.  I have always been like this. I hold onto memories that make me laugh for years, and they make me laugh every time I think of them like it was the first time. There was a story that my family would make me tell over and over when I was about nine years old, because I could never get through the telling of it without turning purple from laughter. It's also one of the reasons I married the man that I did. He makes me laugh so hard I feel like I am going to puke. Romantic, eh?

3. Sort of on the same subject, I laugh when people fall. I know I am not alone in this. *coughJessicough*. And there is no maliciousness in it on my part. It is an uncontrollable reflex. I, of course, will try to help the person up...but I will be laughing whilst doing it. However, the older I get, the more sympathy I have for the fallen person. If they are seriously hurt...I no longer laugh...I only giggle...on the inside. I will have it noted, too, that I laugh when I fall too. And I expect everyone around me to do the same. Falling is funny, after all! Right? Right?

4. I am a snob. Or rather, I can be a bit snobby about certain things. Like coffee. I am a major coffee snob. And chocolate. And movies. And theater. I just have very strong opinions about how these things should be. And I know that others can have their own opinions even if they don't match mine. But others are wrong. Plain and simple. Clearly. *note: this should be read with a bit of tongue-in-cheek...because although I may be snobby with particular things, I am not a jerk. And I really don't force my opinions on others...I just state them very clearly and concisely and loudly whenever given the chance. No, just kidding. I am quietly snobby.

5. When I was nine, I went to the Bahamas with my mom and was in a dance recital, a fashion show and a circus there. It was an absolute blast! The circus was my favorite part. I was on the trapeze and I think it was the start of my love of being on the stage.

6. I majored in Theater. I was even accepted to study abroad in London for a semester. I didn't go, though *sigh*. I was so sure that I would be a famous actor some day. But, the Lord had other plans for me. And quite candidly, am I ever glad He did. I shudder to think of where I would be spiritually if I had seriously pursued that road. But. I still love the theater. It's in my blood, I don't think the desire to perform or be on stage or be in the presence of a stage will ever leave me. That is just how I was wired. And, actually, He has/is bringing it back into my life as of late. Just in a way I never thought I would be involved in. So, yay!!

7. I taught myself to sew because I hated my wedding dress. (uh oh, is that more snobbery? What the ham is wrong with me? I promise I am not a snobby person! Promise!) The husband and I had a "Renaissance" style wedding. It was out-of-doors and a lot of fun, but at the time he and I were just getting into going to the Ren Faire in garb. So, I didn't know what I was doing yet when I designed my dress. And we had no money at the time, so I couldn't just go buy one of the ones on line. And, frankly, I don't remember there being as many site as there are now about costuming for that period. But, I was truly a novice, so maybe I just missed them. Anyway, the woman I had "hired" to make my dress never got back to me after our initial meeting, even though she said she was super excited. Suddenly, I had two weeks until our wedding, and no dress! Needless to say, I may have slightly mildly calmly FREAKED OUT!!! The husband took the helm and found someone nearby who was willing to drop her current projects and work on mine. She was so sweet, but she really didn't know any more than I did about historical costuming. She did a great job for the time that she had, but I remember walking down the aisle tucking part of my bodice in and thinking...*wait, I should NOT BE ABLE TO TUCK THIS IN! There is no tucking in with a bodice!!!* My dress was falling apart on me. But only that part. So, I decided it was high time I learn to sew myself so as not to have any of those problems in the future. Incidentally, we were married on September 7th, which we realized several years into our marriage that that is Elizabeth I's birthday! How cool is that?

Wow, so there you are. You are now seven facts smarter about me. The rules say that I have to tag seven others. I apologize if I tag you and you have already done this meme. I know it's been around a while.  So, Tag! You're It!:

Jean

Diana of Vintage Blue Studios

greeting arts

plum pudding

Up late....always

greenbean baby art

Sophie Junction

Okay, so post seven things about yourselves. Tag seven others, and leave a comment on their blog to let them know you tagged them. Have fun! I can't wait to learn more about you guys!

Melt my heart

Do you see this necklace?

To the ordinary untrained eye, this may seem to be just a necklace. In the shape of a heart. Nothing too special. But as of last night this is now officially my favorite necklace. It holds something so incredibly special to me, it holds this conversation:

Boy:*playing with the necklace to make the heart sit straight* Look mommy! I made a heart!

Me: *not understanding because I was trying to listen to a presentation* Yes, it is in the shape of a heart.

Boy: *doing it again* No, look. I made it straight.

Me. Yes. Yes you did.

Boy: I made it straight because you're so beautiful.

Me:*where the ham did that come from?* Thank you, Gabriel.

Boy: No seriously. You are so beautiful. And I will never break your heart.

Invisible Woman

I just received this story via e-mail and it really spoke to me. So, I apologize if you have read this already, but I need to put it here to remind me to be more invisible.

Invisible Woman

It started to happen gradually. One day I was walking my son Jake to school. I was holding his hand and we were about to cross the street when the crossing guard said to him, "Who is that with you, young fella?"

"Nobody," he shrugged. Nobody? The crossing guard and I laughed. My son is only 5, but as we crossed the street I thought, "Oh my goodness, nobody?"

I would walk into a room and no one would notice. I would say something to my family - like "Turn the TV down, please" - and nothing would happen. Nobody would get up, or even make a move for the remote. I would stand there for a minute, and then I would say again, a little louder, "Would someone turn the TV down?" Nothing.

Just the other night my husband and I were out at a party. We'd been there for about three hours and I was ready to leave. I noticed he was talking to a friend from work. So I walked over, and when there was a break in the conversation, I whispered, "I'm ready to go when you are." He just kept right on talking.

I'm invisible.

It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking, "Can't you see I'm on the phone?" Obviously not. No one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all.

I'm invisible.

Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this? Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, "What time is it?" I'm a satellite guide to answer, "What number is the Disney Channel?" I'm a car to order, "Right around 5:30, please."

I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated summa cum laude but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again.

She's going¸ she's going¸ she's gone!

One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England. Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put  together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself as I looked down at my out-of-style dress; it was the only thing I could find that was clean. My unwashed hair was pulled up in a banana clip and I was afraid I could actually smell peanut butter in it. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, "I brought you this."

It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe. I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription: "To Charlotte, with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees."

In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work:

No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their names.

These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished.

They made great sacrifices and expected no credit.

The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.

A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, "Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a  beam that will be covered by the roof? No one will ever see it." And the workman replied, "Because God sees."

I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, "I see you, Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become."

At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride.

I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on. The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.

When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, "My mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table."  That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, "You're gonna love it there."

As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.

~~Excerpt from Nicole Johnson's The Invisible Woman:A Special Story for Mothers

And the Itty Bitty Oddity goes to...

First off...THANK YOU!!! To all of you who left a comment! All the kind words of affirmation really meant the world to me! I was so happy to see that so many people wanted to give this little guy a home. And he was too!

I really had so much fun with this, and I hate that I only had one winner to pick, so I am going to host another give away closer to the grand opening of my shop. So, please if you aren't the one who won, come back again and you may yet be able to win your own Itty Bitty Oddity!

Okay, so on to the moment of truth...

First we printed out the names, cut them up and put them into a bowl. Mixing with abandon to insure a completely fair process. The little guy was very excited to see all the names in the bowl. Such possibilities...who would it be? Where would he be going?

Closing his eyes, he reaches in, grabs a name and slowly opens it to reveal the name of...

paper-and-string!!!

Congratulations! Please send me your shipping address so he can find his way home!

Itty Bitty Oddity Freebie!

This is what I call an Itty Bitty Oddity.

What do you think? I am hoping to have some of these for the grand opening of my etsy shop on April 1st, but I wanted to get some feedback before I made some more.

So, you know what? You know what I am going to do? Something that I have been wanting to do for a while now. I am going to have a give away! So. If you leave me a comment on this post and tell me what you think then you could be the proud owner of an Itty Bitty Oddity. I will draw a winner on Tuesday, February 19th. *

And this will be your Itty Bitty Oddity.

Look, he is wondering where his new home will be.

Don't you want it to be yours?

*You will have until the clocks strikes Midnight on Monday the 18th to be entered into the give away. I will post the winner on Tuesday by 2pm CST! I am so excited to see where this little guy will end up!

Sickly McSickums

As if it is not bad enough that this is one of the coldest, snowiest and sunless Februaries we have had in a long time...our entire family is sick and on antibiotics. This is a very common sight in the house right now.

 

One of the worst things about parenting is seeing your children sick and miserable. Especially when you know there isn't much you can do about it. Except pray. Which is what I found myself doing most of last night. For my children, and for the husband. Remember this post? More specifically the part where I talked briefly about the night I never ever want to repeat again? I was afraid last night that I would have to do just that. And because it was the middle of the night, my mind was all scatter brained and random and I was having an incredibly difficult time praying and not worrying. Songs would pop into my head that I didn't really want to hear, Scripture was getting all muddled and I couldn't remember a verse that had brought me so much comfort months before, and I just felt downright attacked and almost as if I was fighting for my life.

It sounds dramatic, I know. But you know how things are so much more heightened in the wee hours of the night? You wake up sick, and you are sure this is it. This is the end for you. Or there's that awful nightmare that pulls you from your sleep all sweaty and with a pounding heart only to sound laughable when retelling it in the broad light of day. And what was that noise? Surely there is a serial rapist or killer in your house...wait no, that's just the dryer flap flapping because it is so stinkin' windy round these parts. You know, that type of thing.

Anyway, around 4:30am the Lord finally gave me some peace and I was able to get back to sleep. It was actually pretty amazing. As I said, my brain was a mess. I couldn't hold a thought or prayer in my head, just some stupid songs...when finally a Scripture verse broke through. A complete one that wasn't all muddled up. And instantly I had peace. And the very strange thing is, I don't remember which one it was. But I am thankful for it, let me tell you!

So, last night is over and we all survived. Most of us are still pretty miserable. But we are all on the mend. However, the plans for Valentine's Day have been canceled, which makes me a little sad as this was the first one that I had planned to take the husband out on a date. But, it's okay. We are still alive, right? Right?

Actually, it hasn't been all bad around here. The good thing about being forced to slow down and rest is that I have had a chance to do some small craftings, and thinkings and discover some new to me blogs that I love! Like this one, and this one, and this one, oh and this one, and let's not forget this one, or this one!

I love finding new blogs to read! Especially when they teach to make fun little crafts like this knitted bunny, who is looking out at the snow covered ground and wishing for spring just like me.

I first found this project at greetingarts, who linked to the tutorial here. Can you believe that is made from just a knitted square? So easy and so fun! Next time I am going to use a lighter color yarn so I can add some eyes. Also, I didn't have a pom pom to use for the tail, but I kind of like it without too.

I also made some more coasters just because they are a quick project and fun to make.

I am not exactly sure how to segue into this so I will just do it. I totally have Ren Fever at the moment. I am not entirely sure why, but I do. I have it. Pretty bad. The only cure? More cowbell.

That or ask the husband to redesign my Odd Dotty costume. I wanted something with a skirt, because I was mistaken for a courtesan one too many times at Faire last year. Which, for those of you who may not be aware, is a hooker. To be quite blunt. And, frankly, a hooker is not something I want to be mistaken as. So. A new design was needed, and I love the vision that the husband has, and so it seemed only right that I ask him to redesign her. Here is what he came up with.

I LOVE it! The only thing I am not that keen on is the top hat. And I may make the skirt close in the front, because you know...the whole hooker thing. But we will see if I can even pull this garb off. I am excited for the challenge, but nervous as well. I have never made a doublet before, and  I have heard tell that they are a bit on the tricky side. So, I think it is good that I have the fever this early in the year. It gives me time to take this project slow and allows me to make mistakes that can be corrected before the Faire season starts.

In other news? I have decided after reading this post, that it's time for me to get serious about opening my etsy shop. This is something that I have been thinking about for a while now, but have gone back and forth on. I don't know if I am talented enough to supply a shop with items that others would actually buy. I seriously question my ability with this. But, I will never know if I don't try right? So...here goes. I plan on having a grand opening this coming April 1st. It seems a fitting day to open, as it can be an odd day and I am Odd Dotty. This also gives me about five weeks to pull some things together to sell, and it will  make me take it more seriously and treat it as a business not just a hobby.

Whew! I'm glad I got that off my chest! There is something else I need to get off my chest here. This video makes me laugh so hard that I cry. Every time. Does this make me a bad person?

For crayon out loud

Here's how to have fun on a cold afternoon and get Valentine's made at the same time.*

Step 1: Peel and break used up crayons, and put into heart shaped molds.

Step 2: Place pan into pre-heated 250 degree oven, and patiently wait with baited breath for approximately 15 minutes.

Step 3: Get a little crazy.

Step 4: Hand camera to the boy and let him take a couple of pictures.

Step 5: Try not to notice how shiny you are and how white the walls are. Instead focus on having fun with the kids.

Step 6: After crayons have been removed from oven and have thoroughly cooled, or at least cooled enough for the kids to handle, remove them from molds.

Step 7: Marvel at all the cool colors.

Step 8: Attach heart crayons to a piece of card stock or foam and write a witty Valentine's message on them, such as "Happy Valentine's Day for crayon out loud!" But don't post a picture of it because by that time the lighting was terrible and all the pictures came out blurry and dull.

*idea for this craft goes to Family Fun.

Because I "felt" like it...

Let me just start out by saying this is what it looks like outside right at this moment.

It really is that gray, and that blustery, and that blizzard-like outside. And coooooold. It's been like this all day. Kind of hard not to get depressed. So, I turned my focus on some crafting to help me stay up-beat.

First, the girl learned about the Scythians today in school. One of the things we learned was that they would applique felt shapes onto wall-hangings and their clothing. It was suggested that we try this out. So, it being Valentine's season around here, I set her to making a wall hanging. This is her very first applique.

Not bad, eh?

Secondly, I have had this idea mulling around in my head for a while. A couple of months ago, I came into some free 100% wool sweaters and wanted to try my hand at machine felting. One sweater in particular made me think of a carrot cake. So I put it in the hot water cycle and dried it on high heat. It really is fun to watch it shrink.

Originally, I was going to make this for my sister's birthday because her favorite cake is carrot cake. But, her birthday is eight days before Christmas, and this past holiday season was crazy crazy crazy. So, I didn't. Until today! I finally decided to sit down and just do it!

I have always admired other people's felt foods. I don't exactly know why, but I am drawn to it. Maybe it's the little kid in me. This was fun to make, and I loved that it only took me a couple of hours of hand sewing. The girl suggested I make a baker dolly and make some more felt food for her. I think I may just do that!

Now, if you'll excuse me I think I need a nice glass of wine and a bubble bath to ensure that I don't succumb to the SAD.

Cookie Factory

Yesterday the girl and I were a regular cookie factory. We whipped up some felt fortune cookies for our homeschool Valentine's Day party. It was a super easy and super fun craft to do with her. We had some pretty good laughs together, and suddenly our table was covered with these:

Now all we need to do is ask our Chinese food restaurant if we can buy some little take-out containers and fill them with these and some other Valentine's goodies. That, and I need to figure out what the boy is going to give as Valentine's. Any ideas? Does anyone out there have any good boy Valentine's crafts? Leave me a comment if you do!