Friday, December 31, 2010

goodbye 2010....hello opportunistic 2011

2010
wow, it's finally done!
this being the final few hours of a VERY bizarre year, i feel i must reflect on it.
using my rear-view mirror super powers, i can see that this past year was one of growth, surprises, and utter chaos.
what, with all the job crazy, the beast's allergy nonsense, neighbor crazy, and friendships gone awry, one might think that 2010 was a complete mess!
but i have grown (well, not in the literal sense, i actually am beginning my very long journey of shrinkage due to the fact that polish people seem to get shorter and plumper with age.  i still can't quite figure out the plumper part, but give me time...it's comin').
yes, i have grown in strength with regards to my personal beliefs.  i have grown in my abilities to speak out.  and i have grown in my creativity.
as to surprises, well, everyday in utopia seems to bring them out of the woodwork.  
who knew the moose would be allergic to air?
who knew that the sole purpose for moving to the bible belt was to find work that paid only to return to the frozen tundra because the work dried up? (thank the gods it was only for 4 weeks)
and who knew little man, little lady and sweetie pie would grow so much? little man is kind enough to squat down a bit when giving out hugs so he doesn't hurt my feelings.
and who knew that some friendships thought to have been genuine turned out to be superficial?  that was a real hard part of my year, but i grew.
i won't go into vast detail about the utter chaos, let's just suffice it to say that there was CHAOS.
work, dog, family, friends, house.
yup, chaos.
but we grew.
and here is where 2011 steps in to save the day.
if i were to assign a theme to last year, it would have been transformation.
with this new year's theme being "BREATHE", i am completely confident that it can only get better.
yes, there will always be chaos.
unavoidable.
and from that chaos, there will always be growth.
inevitable.
but the one thing 2011's got that 2010 doesn't:
opportunity.
this is going to be one fantastic year!
here's to wishing you and yours the same...
xxx theresa

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

no resolutions here...

as 2010 draws to a close, most of you dearies are thinking about
RESOLUTIONS.
hmmm, i'm not big into making promises that i can't keep, especially for myself.
lose weight (not a good option for my skinny butt), get organized (are you serious? have you met my brood?  have you seen the horse?), stop spending money frivolously (with money tight like it is here, groceries are frivolous...not gonna happen either), cut back on chocolate intake (does anyone REALLY have this on their list?  ridiculous), etc....
all very lovely resolutions, all very predictable in their demise.
so this time, i'm going to assign 2011 a theme.
a friend of mine suggested it.
i really liked the idea of having a theme to live by throughout the year.
no promises to break, just an idea to guide you throughout the next 12 months.
i chose BREATHE.
it encompasses quite a bit:
try to be calmer, more laid back (the kids will appreciate it.),
take time for the things I want to do for myself (like a relaxing trip to the hair stylist...this mop is one unruly mess!),
accept failures and just move on.
and quite literally...breathe.
i held my breath trying to knit 20 stitches successfully.  
i need to learn how to just take a deep breath and relax.
to breathe in some fresh air more often by taking the kids and beast to a park or just sit outside with them and read a good book.
i need to learn how to pause, breathe, and accept the fact that life is imperfect.
what are your plans for the new year?
resolutions or themes?

Saturday, December 25, 2010

Happy Christmas...

even though my little brood has already celebrated
the magick of the season, 
i still wanted to send out my wishes to you for a very
happy christmas.
may you have a day filled with love, laughter, and warmth.
 

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Santa comes early for pagan kids...

the letters went out.
Santa understood...Yule would be pretty hard to 
take off for a new employee.
so, Santa came early for little man, little lady and sweetie pie.

little man is now equipped to handle almost anything
that requires precise measuring...
 little lady has a thing for monkeys...


 sweetie pie couldn't believe her eyes, teddy bears!


 my lusty woodsman knitted a beautiful produce bag for me...


 which makes him #1 in everything...


yes, Santa did a bang up job this year, and everyone used their 
creative powers to make this Yule special...
even in these money-tight times.
i love my little brood!
HAPPY YULE TO ALL, 
AND TO ALL...
A GOOD NIGHT!!!

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

and, they're off...

the lovelies are on their way to the midwest.
i had such fun creating them!
almost kept them all to myself.
but, it's not about me.....it's about my gorgeous sisters who deserve to have some lovelies.
one request from them...
PICTURES!!!!
until then, one last hint:





can't wait, can't wait, can't wait!

Monday, December 13, 2010

a little peek

just a peek now, nothing more...


i'm pretty sure they're curious.
i would be.
 

Saturday, December 4, 2010

i guess i'll share...

there is a memory of childhood that i would like to share with you all.  it's actually a blend of memories, but all related, i assure you.
i grew up in the holly hobbie world of the 70's.  


i had the holly hobbie bedroom of all bedrooms, complete with the fancy mirrored dresser, the tiny fancy nightstand, and the most beautiful canopy bed adorned with holly hobbie bedding.
i love holly hobbie.
i am not really quite sure when i acquired THE sheets, but i'm positive it was around the holly hobbie craze.  these sheets were the most luxurious sheets a child could ever hope to sleep in.  and pretty, very pretty.
aren't they pretty?

my sisters and i fought for these sheets...seeing them on either one of their beds would make my blood boil.  as far as i was concerned, i was the oldest...therefore, i had first dibs.
they were mine.
now that we're older, and wiser (we should hope), and far more generous than when we shared a room, i thought i would give each of them their share of the sheets (yes, i did steal store them in my linen closet all these years.).
think they'll mind?


oh, there's a master plan, fear not.  more to come as the holiday grows near.


my new toy...

i found a new toy.
i have always wanted to have one.
and now it's mine.
 

you're jealous, i know, but let it go.
little man did his history homework on it yesterday afternoon...
little lady and sweetie pie typed out their Santa letters, too.
i was thinking of typing out my own letter,  but then i remembered this was my gift...
to myself.


i had visions of working for the new york times after graduating from college.
still working on that college portion of the vision.
but for now, let me dream...
isn't she fabulous?


 

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

confessions...

i have a confession to make:
i love jars.
(and boxes, but we'll save that one for later.)
my kitchen counters are riddled with them, mostly full of pastas.







(another fetish for a different day.)
my cupboards are overflowing with mason jars, full of cooking spices and medicinal herbs and teas.



I have a vintage set of 3 from my Busia that I treasure.


and BOWLS....i love bowls.


don't seem to have enough of them.
i use them everyday.
recently, a dear friend gave me this bowl:


it's my newest treasure; i may just use it for holding lemons.
little lemons.
my dream kitchen has plenty of space for all my bowls and jars.
my present day kitchen is not my dream kitchen, but it will do.
did i mention i love pasta?
 

Monday, November 29, 2010

the thread portions of my gypsiness...

it has come to my attention that my talents need face time.
after all, this IS "threads of a gypsy," isn't it?
my previous posts gave you a peek into my crazy, now i would like to give you a peek into my therapy.
my little niece was the angel wearing this.  it was her First Communion, and since i couldn't be there, i just HAD to be a part of her celebration somehow.
viola.
my other gorgeous niece is the owner of this vintage inspired gem.  i couldn't be there for her prom, so this was my contribution.
1952 Butterick pattern fashioned out of lipstick red silk dupioni.
the fittings were fun, we were on video chat.

 i have this fetish for imported Japanese print fabric, too.
considering my kids are no longer of the age where they would even CONSIDER wearing such lovely smocks, i'm stuck with them.
but aren't they cute???

 and so much more...
much, much more fills my baskets.
i gave up my stash of fabrics moving to this god-forsaken new state, but i have since grown a new one.
anyone else out there have an uncontrollable urge to collect fabrics just to look at?  or any other crafty item?

Monday, November 8, 2010

tick tock...

...tick tock...
time has certainly passed me by, 
and my goddess!  how things have been progressing here in 
my little home.
with the hallway 97% complete, it is time to think about what we're 
going to do with the boys' room.  
it's also time to start thinking about holiday...
i LOVE holiday...
i love to decorate, 
 
last year, we had a mishap with the Yule tree and ended up losing a lot of 
family ornaments.  in an attempt to still have a decorated, yet safe
Yule tree, we used paper and candy canes.  the result
was almost magickal, if not nostalgic.
this year,
we may just do something similar...
we'll decide soon enough.
for now, it's time to think about dinner...

Sunday, August 22, 2010

Today's the day....

Today is the last day of vacationing around here.  The kids will start their schooling tomorrow, and I have my good intentions of starting my new daily schedule tomorrow.  Here's a peek:
  • Wake up at 6:30am with lusty woodsman
  • 7am Yoga
  • 7:30am shower
  • 8am Les Bonnes Idees blogging and such
  • 8:30am teach the trolls  kiddos until 2pm
  • 2:30pm more Les Bonnes Idees work until 4pm-ish
  • Dinner
Sounds lovely, doesn't it?  It is a work in progress and my intentions have been publicly made known.  The real test is to see if I can stick to this lovely schedule or if that dreaded "life" will get in the way and ruin it all.  But I have hopes.

I have also decided that I most definitely will finish my dress that I've been working on (for at least the past 3 months...hey, it's freakin' HOT out!) and move on to this dress with this fabulous fabric that I found at Fabric.com for a STEAL!!!! With the summer coming to a close, I'm sure to have it ready by next summer....I'll try to share the progress with you as I work on it.

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

It always ends with a chicken of some sort...

Alright, so it didn't end with this chicken EXACTLY,

but it will most certainly end with this rooster:


Of all the things that bug me most about this house, and trust me, there are many:

  • roof is growing moss,
  • you can't flush a toilet and expect there to be water pressure anywhere else in the house after for at LEAST 10 mins.before the well pump can catch its breath to offer you more,
  • the gorgeous kitchen wallpaper (seriously, they should shoot the designer of that print...and the people who actually stocked the print, and the person who took the order..the list goes on here.)
  • water stains the carpets,
  • red clay,
  • the cupboards in the kitchen are so old that the glue is starting to smell like urine (fantastic...),
  • did i mention the lack of water pressure?


But of all these things (and I am certain I could think of more, but will spare you the details), the most irritating would have to be the morons who live next door.  All we ask is that you keep your farm on your property.  That's it...keep your animals on your property.  One day, their chickens decided to take a hike over here to feed on our sweet red clay.  The beast would be too tempted to chase said chickens, so....I called animal control.  Long story short, I saved their lazy asses $225 worth of fines for two days!!  But by the third day, I had had enough.  I made one last call.  The following day, the chickens were gone.  So now, they have this bizarre need to enlist neighborhood children to befriend my kids to spy on us.  I KID YOU NOT!
Makes me wonder what's in the water over there.
So, here's to whacked out neighbors who have nothing better to do with their time than spy on us!
Cheers.

Monday, August 16, 2010

On your mark, get set...........

GO!!!

Time for another school year to start and I'm already wishing it were Spring.  Not because I despise schooling, but because I didn't accomplish a fraction of what I wanted to this Summer.


The temps were so ridiculously rude this summer that I didn't get a chance to paint the trim, paint the attic pull down stair,  rip the carpet up, paint the boy's room, install the ceiling fans, weed the front beds, and a multitude of other projects.  All I needed was for the temps to hover in the lower 80's....instead, I got a nasty bucketful of perspiring 90's and 100's.  Who moved the freakin' equator????

I'm going to enjoy the day when I can open all my windows and doors, feel the autumn breeze, and savor the smells of fall.

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

trying desperately to cool down...

I am telling you true, dear reader, I would rather be living back in Red Wing MN in the middle of winter than being this freakin' hot!
As if it's not bad enough that the temps here are hovering in the upper 90's with heat  indices of over 105, I have had the pleasure of experiencing hot flashes at precisely 430am....like frickin' clockwork!  What the hell?  I now understand why my mother insists on keeping her indoor temps hovering around freezing (dad complains he pulls out the parka most nights) just to sleep.  This is INSANE!  Shall we do a walk through of a typical night?  Why the hell not....
It takes over 1/2 an hour to slow my mind down enough to get tired.  Then, after a few more minutes convincing myself that the ringing in my ears is "white noise," I might just fall asleep.  (Clock reads around 1140pm)  This is where it starts to get interesting...my dreams are whacked.  Seriously insane.  Some nights I'm in a jungle escaping certain doom, other nights I'm living in some house with a bunch of people I don't know, married to an old flame, yet having an affair with my hubby.  It's hard to explain, but these dreams are so far out there, I contemplate committing myself for psychiatric evaluation.  Just when the dreams start to get REALLY interesting, wham!  It's 430am, I have to pee.  The minute I get up, my entire body catches fire.  I get a drink, strip down to my Hanes', and sit there on the edge of my bed dying from heat stroke.  After 5 to 10 mins of  feeling like I've just been thrown into a microwave on the popcorn setting, I start to cool down enough to lay back down in my HOT sheets, stick my feet out of the covers and hope to the gods above that I'll fall back asleep before the alarm goes off. (Clock now reads 530am)
Enough with the perimenopause already!  I'm too young for this shit!
Here's to hoping tomorrow's cooler than my hot flashing....

Saturday, July 24, 2010

A Dream Within a Dream...


I am quite certain that Edgar A. Poe was on to something when he wrote:
"Everything that we see or seem
is but a dream within a dream."
There are a great many days when it seems as though it's all just a dream, I'll wake up, and have to actually face the day. Unfortunately, I know it to be a fact that I've already faced the day, and it's been one hell of one at that! It's been one hell of a week, to be more precise.
You see, I've been off my happy psychotropics for about 5 months now...maybe longer, i forget. I decided to banish western medications from my "medicine cabinet" and replace them with a more natural approach in the forms of teas and tinctures. Most days are successful, despite the utter chaos that surrounds me damn near every day. However, this past month has been the biggest struggle for me! Not only is the heat unbearable, my kids, dog(of whom we shall now refer to as the beast), and the lusty woodsman have all contributed to my insanity. Which is why I have come to the conclusion that there is no such thing as NORMAL. It doesn't exist.
Ed was right.....
I'm going to add physical activity to my schedule of happiness, along with the teas and tinctures. Poppins assured me that a bit of exercise would do me some good. I shall comply.
To give you a better understanding of why my daily schedule needs a bit of an addition to keep my sanity in check, I shall expound:


1. Heat: today is 98 with a heat index of 105... 'nuf said.

2. Kids: because of our glorious heat wave (of which I am certain we will all shrivel up and die), my kids are forced to remain indoors, which inevitably means.........near me. The bickering, complaining, and downright ugliness is explanation enough as to why mothers drown their children (just watched "Shutter Island" last night...odd). I am moving.......far away.......to Utopia. Now, if I could just find that map.....................

3: Beast: He is a big, black, 140 pound puppy. The neighbors chickens are free. Because the said neighbors aren't that bright, really. Because having animal control take away their feral declawed kitty in 17 degree weather this past winter, along with receiving citations for said feral declawed kitty, wasn't enough to have them keep their animals from running free. As I was saying, the chickens are running free. In my yard. Beastie wants him some dinner!!! I swear I'm going to bury him in the back yard if he continues barking "CHICKEN! I SEE ANOTHER CHICKEN! OOO, OOO, THERE'S ANOTHER ONE!"

and

4. Lusty woodsman: fried chicken. Long story short: he wanted fried chicken for dinner. Took it upon himself to make said fried chicken. 3 grease fires, 1/2 pound of baking soda, and a smoky house later, I saved fried chicken dinner. The first 2 pieces were thrown by my lusty woodsman into the yard...grease, pan and all. Something about the smoking pan, the black chicken and my concern that he wear a shirt just didn't click.

Ed was most definitely right.

Monday, July 19, 2010

Winken, Blinken and Nod...

I thought I would have the opportunity to explain the whole fried chicken fail from this weekend, however, it seems as if time decided to pull a fast one on me again and....would you look at the time! After assembling many tiny laminated cotton aprons, 3 loads of laundry, grilled ham and swiss (with a side order of fries that were baked on account of the fried chicken fail), "Captain Horatio Hornblower" starring Gregory Peck, and a small cup of "Moose Tracks," it has come to my attention that the day is most certainly done.
Tomorrows agenda? A four year old at the crack of dawn should give you reason enough to believe that a 47 pound rooster is on the list.

Friday, July 16, 2010

Housework really IS dangerous...

Who knew that vacuuming could be harmful?
I woke up yesterday with this nagging ache under my right rib cage...didn't think anything of it really until this pain started to progressively become a worry. I was questioning myself as to whether or not my appendix blew, my gallbladder exploded, or the lack of alcoholic beverages (which from here on out will be referred to as "rooster" i.e. the 47lb Rooster) for a 20 day period had a negative effect on my liver. As the answers to these questions were a unanimous "ridiculous!", I thought it best to seek "professional" advice.
Fast forward to present time...after much deliberation, one pee sample, and plenty of pressing on said spot asking me..."does this hurt?" (if it didn't, lady, I wouldn't be here), the answer became clear....I must have done something while vacuuming. I have been prescribed 4 days without physical activity and plenty of Aleve. I'm sure I will ignore the Aleve portion of the prescription, as it would only mask the pain and I might foolishly ignore the other portion of the prescription. But I'm all about the banned physical activity. Looks like my minions will have to do the vacuuming for me. After all, they are young, strong and spry. Adding a few more chores to the menu should only build character.

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Poppins made me do it...

I'm not one for following the crowd. I make my own choices, I decide my own agenda. I'm also not one for sitting back and watching the world go by without my little bit of influence and little suggestions thrown into the mix. But when my sister told me "you should really do it!", I caved. Almost all of my thoughts about not going with the flow, about not doing whatever else the rest of the world is doing, about sticking to my guns, almost all decided to go into hiding. And here we have it...........the blog is born. Be afraid, very afraid. For within these walls of mine you will experience my life: hobbies, kids, marriage, mental angst, teen drama (soon to arrive in duplicate), hell, my own drama! I will most likely hold nothing back. I have been told that I cuss like an iron worker, I have been told I'm nice (that comment is being reexamined), I have even been told I have the gift of needle and thread.
Welcome to the magickal world of a pagan gypsy stuck in the Bible belt until further notice. (Bet the pagan part raised a brow...)