Sewing update

A picture Mark caught of me at the workstation the other night while I was cutting out a pair of pants for Esme. I was cold and wearing his big fluffy terrycloth robe. I really need to organize everything over there. The purse hanging has knitting I haven't worked on in ages, and I have bits and scraps stuffed in closet organizers to the right and left of the machine.

I went last night to the table to start on something new and found the blue pinafore dress I had been making for Esme in the pattern box, still stuck on one step that was giving me a lot of trouble. I struggled with it - got over it (not perfect but it'll work) and moved on to nearly finish it. The skirt is now pinned on, needs sewing on and then a hem and buttonholes. Then I'll start something new... at least I'll get the hem done before I start something new ;) Buttonholes can be done at work.

She'll Grow into it (note)

Heh - the shirt I made back here in August and said it was too big for Esme? At the time I was sure she'd grow into it, sooner or later -- as it looked like a tent on her then. She wore it up to Grandma's once. Now it fits her pretty good with only a little bit of 'is that a nightgown?' thought because the front billows out a little. Since that one was 'exactly to pattern' I can pull out the old pattern and try to make another one with some new fabric a friend gave me at work. She found a large stack of different floral fabrics, yards and yards each at a yard sale. She said it 'wasn't much' but wouldn't say what it was - but that it reminded her of the clothes I was making for Esme on my lunch breaks and she had to get it and bring it to me. I don't think she has the internet or I'd thank her again! So neat and I'll put it to use!

Right now Esme is running around the room with a tube from some glow sticks this Halloween. The tube is empty but it makes an interesting 'water jug' musical noise when she blows across it and she is getting a great kick out of the small toy.

Prolonged tantrums

We take a walk down to the lake, Esme nearly falls in - I catch her as she gets water in her bangs! She wasn't scared at all and was happy until we said we wanted to go back home -- and then she cried all the way back up to the house. Then she cried all the way down the stairs.. and in the kitchen. Wow what a memory this kid has... and I asked her if she wanted to go upstairs and go to bed if she was just going to keep crying.. and she grabs her milk cup and goes upstairs! We change clothes.. all the while whining.. and then she picks up her cup again and goes to her bed and puts her arms up. I say 'We need to take off our shoes again if we are really going to bed.' She takes off her shoes. Still whining. Still putting the arms up. I put her in bed. She screams at the tops of her lungs. I go back downstairs to ask Mark if he has everything he needs for dinner and by the time I'm back she is sound asleep.. not a peep. Wow.

What Big Shoes I have!

Binder Clips + Big Slippers = 'Just Right'

Esme has been having a WONDERFUL time with her tea set and we have been invited to come 'chair sit TEA' often ever since she got home with it. She was up to visit Grandma and Grandpa today while I was at work.

Birthday at Grandma's house

We went to Grandma's with a few treats for a happy birthday visit :) I made a brownie 'cake' and Esme's favorite pudding this morning. Esme got to watch me make the brownies and pudding and also licked the spoon. We brought a few little things I was saving wrapped up in newspaper. We lit some birthday candles on the brownie and tried to get her to blow them out. Grandma had some gifts for her too (you didn't need to but she loves them all), a puzzle we'll take home another day, a flute/recorder, big teaset and a little purple snap-shut purse. Thank you Grandma and Grandpa!


What's in there Daddy?
I saw Mom put goodies in there!


Light this one too!

She had such a hard time blowing out the candles - never really did get one. She kept trying to blow with her nose instead of her mouth (giggle).


family picture, even has a dog ;)


Grandma and Esme open presents


Grandpa shows Esme how to use her new flute


I made a noise!


Unwrapping black boots from Mom and Dad


Teapot from a teaset Grandma gave her


Playing with the teaset at home

Then and Now : 2 years

Happy 2nd birthday Esmerelda! Mommy and Daddy and Grandma and Grandpa all love you! You have changed so much in such a short time. Small birthday celebration today and we'll take pictures :)

Nearly two

two in two days

Halloween and Daylight Savings times ends

Set all the clocks back *check*. Have to get up even earlier for work anyway *check* growl.

We didn't go anywhere for Halloween since I worked until late. Mark took the pumpkin out on the porch and Esme helped him light it. It was burning out there when I got home and we all had supper. Shortly after a round of Starfall and some running around with the kitten and balloons I put Esme to bed where she quickly fell asleep.

I also let her play with a digital thermometer for a few minutes yesterday. Mark and Esme both registered two degrees warmer than I am... which is always below 'normal' body temperature (right around 96 instead of 98.6, even adding the 'one' to our axillary thermometer) So, I'm officially an alien being? haha some days I feel like it. Lately I have been extremely cold to the touch 'you're like thirty degrees, is that a Northern Eskimo thing?' Mark said, although I usually don't notice it myself unless I'm on the concrete floor downstairs. I think I just keep most of my heat in my stomach and it only gets out to the extremities in necessary quantities or if I'm doing heavy work. He tends to be the same temperature all over... Esme is kind of in between. I hope she will inherit his capacity for withstanding heat AND mine for withstanding cold... that would set her up nicely here in the MidSouth where they do get some freezing winter and some hot summer.

Happy Halloween!

Mark carved this pumpkin tonight that Esme was given last week when we were out in town. I drew a kitty face on it :)

update from the trenches... ha

Here we are less than a week from Esme's birthday - she'll be two, and that boggles me. Not because I don't think she should be two already... in fact it's the opposite. I can't believe she hasn't BEEN two for a good while already, with the terrible twos already so highly in play ;) And she is becoming so much more like a big kid it's hard to believe she was still 1+ and not two or three all this time. We bought some really cheap birthday candles and will probably make cupcakes or a banana bread to bring to Grandma's. Cheesy maybe.. but I don't want it to be a big birthday party just a few little symbols - blowing out the candles, unwrapping a gift (her boots already planned) and being sung happy birthday. She is just starting to remember and I want to make a 'birthday' memory without all the rest of the usual hubbub.

Other than that - I am just trying to keep sane as my hours feel like they are increasing at work even though the time clock says they're not. I feel like most of my waking time is spent there and when I get home I am very tired. I even wake up in the middle of the night sometimes wondering if I set the alarm - why am I not hearing it - did I do something wrong? Am I going to be late today? etc etc... Today is my day off and I still woke up the first time at like 5 am thinking I messed up and didn't set my alarm. I am so behind on everything I'd really like to do - laundry and cleaning and organizing and making things... and in the quiet times at work I beat my brain sometimes about what else I could do to earn more money or spend less money etc etc...

I am finishing a book, mostly reading it at work, for the first time in a long time again. A new book, not something I read before and skip over large parts in the re-reading. 'The Dragon and the Unicorn' by Attanasio. Attanasio uses all these huge words and flowery concepts and historical mythology in his books - it has led to a lot of deep thinking as well. His 'Last Legends of Earth' I've re-read about five times over the years and it also has a 'big picture' universe/time/destiny/'everything is because everything is interconnected' theme in it which speaks to some part of my soul.

Go now and attempt to see what I want to do with my day off. I've already been called twice on the phone over an order I made yesterday - but I did tell them if there were questions like that to call me. I have two other things to wrap up on the weekend with customer problems which the phone call brought back into the forefront of my mind, going to shove them into the back again and look at my worktable. Esme will probably want to see Grandma today as well -- but I might give her a bath first, her hair is wild and uncontrollable!

Esme tells Mom how to make dinner

I put her down for a nap after she barely ate any lunch and she slept until 8 pm. She was really happy when I mentioned a bath and ran downstairs. During her bath tonight Esme stood up and said 'MMMMMM' loudly. She was hungry, and right now! She put all her toys away with hardly any prompting, climbed out of the bathtub and as soon as I got her dressed she was directing me how to make dinner and urging me to make it like yesterday -- she was so hungry! I cooked her a little chicken in the microwave because she couldn't even stand waiting for the fish I put in the oven! She was pointing where the plate holders were and where the paper plates were and then pointing at the plate and the oven and the table etc... and after the microwaved chicken was gone she cried when I took the plate over to the oven to put fish on it - until she saw the fish. Then she was happy and pointing at the table and saying 'mmmmmmm' again and again. She ate so much!

Now we are watching a movie and Esme is yelling at the bad bugs not to attack the people and saying RAR at them and 'oh no' etc etc...

Small amounts of time

It seems lately I only have small amounts of time between anything -- and it goes by so fast. Mark mentioned the other day that Esme will be bringing home a boyfriend before we even blink again ... time is going by that fast. But I am focused more towards the 'now' which quickly becomes the 'then.' I was going to ask for my remaining vacation days off at work (found out I have two more to use) on October 1st and wow wouldn't you know it is already October 22nd... too late for the November dates I was thinking of and now I'm trying to find a few days in December. Wow. And at home I just try to get a few things done besides the laundry and Esme baths and etc etc that fill up so much of my actual 'off' time. And I still spend time at the computer that could be doing other things - but it is easier to get up from the computer and grab Esme than it is from the sewing machine on the other side of the room... and Esme loves her StarFall and to watch Mark play games so she is often in our laps.

and even now my small amounts of time are fleeting... I need to get to work in about twenty minutes so it is time to go put up my hair and do all those little things that I save until the last few minutes...