Languishing's Annual Holiday Gift Post

I know I can't include photos right now, but I can't bear to let you all face the holidays without Languishing's wisdom. I stand by most of my suggestions from years past, and in fact they offer many good ideas if you're stumped. Seriously. Who doesn't love pudding? (Oh, lactose intolerant people, I'm sorry). But perhaps you want STILL MORE Languid goodness. If so, here you go. Some bigger ticket items for the bigger ticket folk on your list.

1. A Hoover Windtunnel T-Series. I am not a brand-specific girl when it comes to most things. I take what I can get for free, and I use it until it falls apart. But last year for Christmas, Myra bought both Jess' house and my house new Hoover Windtunnels, because Consumer Reports rated it as high as a Dyson. That's right. A Dyson. And this model costs less than $100.

Our house only has one room with carpet, but it's the room in which we spend most of waking hours. Our old Dirt Devil did what I asked of it, on the rare occasions I asked it to, or so I thought. But once I opened the Windtunnel, I knew I'd never go back. It glides like an angel, is remarkably quiet, and picks up dirt that's been there, I assume, since before we moved in. I'm embarrassed to tell you how many times I had to empty the canister the first time I used it. But with such joy! What's not to love about a quiet, easy to use appliance that makes your house cleaner than you ever thought possible? I've totally drunk the good vacuum kool-aid, and it inspires me to clean other things. Really. I just love it so.

2. A Costco membership. Now, this doesn't make sense if there's no Costco in, say, a 75 mile radius of your home. But if there is, and if your recipient doesn't live alone or as a simply as a monk, consider a gift membership to this particular wholesale club. One just opened in West Fargo, and I love it very much. I also love the Costco business model, which pays employees a fairer wage than Sam's Club, offers much better health benefits, and their CEO makes what strikes me as a reasonable (but not obscene) amount of money. Costco offers great savings on electronics, fair savings on gas, milk, and bread, and things like an entire case of dried seaweed. You know, in case you're into that. Also, you can order your own casket, if'n you want. (Let me be clear: I am not advocating purchasing a casket for a holiday gift. That's even beyond Languishing's Code of Appropriateness).

3. An X-Box. My sister as a Wii, and I suppose she'd disagree with this, but I tell you, our X-Box is one of the most powerful electronics in our home. The one I've linked to is the Star Wars model (which we don't have, but V and I covet. A lot), but you could go simpler. You can run Netflix through it, play video games, listen to Pandora or Rhapsody, and we have a Kinect, which opens up the possibility of actually getting off our duffs and moving around.

4. V says I need to include a toy on this list. "All toys are good," she says. But she especially likes this Baby Alive, the brunette, "because she's brown and has brown hair." She's also a fan of the Lalaloopsy cult, er dolls. Just lots of love for toys in general here, I guess, is what we're getting at.

Well my loves, that's what I have for you. What's your favorite gift you've ever received? Or given?  How do you feel about your vacuum cleaner? Or about Baby Alive?

Drinking the kool-aid.

Our trusty old Verizon Vortex cell phone had finally worn out its battery: it couldn't stay charged long enough for me talk to anyone for more than ten minutes. Luckily, we were almost 3 months past our renewal date, so I wandered in to our neighborhood Verizon store to see what they would give me for free.

snuggled up with sky

 I know nothing's ever free, really, but we don't have much to invest in our cell phone package right now. I had been really happy with the Vortex, but Shaun said it had irritated him (we share one cell phone. I know. We're such Luddites). The two phones that were free at Ye Olde Verizon Shoppe the day I ambled in were the big brother to the Vortex, now with Lightning Fast 4G! Or an iPhone 4.

in the backseat of the Scion xb

We were, for many years, a Apple family. My first desktop was a Mac (before the iMac), and I loved it long past its prime. When my work started issuing laptops, I came to speak Microsoft, grudgingly. Now that we rely on the work laptop for all of our computing needs, I guess we no longer qualify as an Apple family.

Dewey's slides, labeled in his handwriting. 

But my sister, she's got an iPad and an iPod and probably some other lowercase i's I'm forgetting. V and I both enjoy the Karstens' family electronics. Besides, free iPhone! I've never had an iPhone, but I'm hep. I know what the kids are into these days.

Yes, it's an iPhone 4, which is already outdated twice over, I hear. But man, I like it a lot. It's no slower than the Vortex (though it doesn't have Lightning Fast 4G!), and the app possibilities are fascinating, and I only allow myself to look at the free ones. Aaah! So many choices! It's intuitive and beautiful and I'm preaching to the choir, I know, because the whole world is aware of this. But it feels like home. Is that strange, that a certain technology should feel like home? Well it does. I'm so excited.

The photos above are from the iPhone's camera, through the Instagram program, which is a cool little social media thing that lets you apply a variety of finishes to the pictures you've just taken. You should follow me there, if you're on it. I'm jenlanguishes. I'll follow you too, once I figure out how.

How do you feel about your cell phone, folks? Do you have iTechnology? Do you not? Wherefore art thou, gentle readers?

I'm baaaaack.....

So a Viking, Frida Kahlo, and Merpunzel walk into a bar.....

or at least into Robby's photography studio. We had such a lovely time at Sarah & Robby's annual Halloween bash. And it was their Cousin Ben, I believe who coined "Merpunzel:" V is both Rapunzel and a mermaid. Of course. 

On Wednesday, she chose to just be Rapunzel ('cause it's hard to walk in a  mermaid tail), and we again trick or treated in my hometown with V's cousins. Luckily, Hendrum is still generous with the candy.

All three Johnson cousins wore sweatshirts I'd embellished for them. They can spell WEV, or EWV, or VEW, but I love them any which way.

So much fun for our wacky little Mer/Rapunzel, Iron Man, and Supergirl.

Hope your Halloween was happy, gentle readers. As you can see, I found my camera, so let's see what happens next, shall we?

Apologies. And have you seen my camera anywhere?

I'm up to my eyeballs in student papers right now, and I can't find my camera, so posting is extra difficult for me. But I promise I'm thinking about a new post or two even as I mark comma splices and verb tense shifts over and over and over and over.

In unrelated news, we're getting to the end of emptying Myra's house, and so we've reached the few toys from my childhood that she had tucked away. V is playing with the beloved Sesame Street Clubhouse that occupied Jess and I for hours upon hours. And she's loving our View-Master, too, which warms my old-school heart.

So that's what we're up to. How's your Sunday?

First Day of First Grade

 I'm a bit late, though this photo did make it to the Facebook on the day itself:

A few notes: the pose and the outfit were her idea. She has never cared much about the clothes I buy for her, or how they are paired, but I had set out a totally different shirt and she switched it out for this trio of owls. And the knee socks? All her. Seriously.

She was not thrilled to go back to school. When a girl has sensory integration issues, public school presents all sorts of excitement and challenges: loads of kids packed into a small space, teachers with booming voices, and fire alarms. It turns out, though, that her teacher was her kindergarten teacher last year, just moved on up a year, and about half of her class last year has come along for the ride. This means year-old friendships get to continue, and so do some year-old heartaches (it's hard for mama. "What do you mean, you won't let my amazing hilarious daughter be in your girls club? Jerky jerk 1st grader mean girls." Only I don't say that. Yet). So far, she's hanging in there. Often literally: she looooves the monkey bars, and before last spring had blisters. She's working back up to them now. As soon as they make the monkey bars an Olympic sport, we are so all over that.

I remember my first grade, and I hope hers is at least as good. With socks like that, though, how can it not be?

Just keep swimming.

She knows no greater joy than swimming.

Running the length of the dock, she doesn't even pause before leaping, now.

 The loons and ducks know the sound of her just as she knows the sound of them.

I know no greater joy than her, on days like this.

I'm BAAAAAAAACK.

Oh, internets. I know I've been gone a long time. Not a single post in August? How is this possible? Ah. Well, I've been busy. Let's sum up, shall we? 

First, Jess and I have been working on helping Myra empty out her house. Mostly what's left is the bits and pieces of spending 38 years in one place: dust bunnies, her massive jigsaw puzzle collection, some canned goods that are too old to recognize, much less eat. 

And then there's this. A mason jar full of ammunition. This is the kind of thing the basement used to be full of, in various ways, but most of that got cleaned out after the flood of '97. So here we are, ten years since Dad died, 26 years since he used any sort of gun, with a mason jar full of bullets & shells. You can't just throw this stuff away, you know.

So we brought it to Mike, Hendrum's lone police officer. The thing I love about Hendrum is it's pretty simple. Got a jar full of live ammo? I know just the guy to give it to. When we showed up on his doorstep, offering him this odd, potentially dangerous gift, he just grinned at us and said he'd take care of it. "Some of these are still good, I think," he told us. "Have fun," we told him.

 V and I have spent as much time as we can out at the lake. Here we are playing Bingo in Nevis, wearing our "What Happens in Nevis Stays in Nevis" shirts. It was a good day.

 And we've enjoyed the company of V's cousins. Pictured below is Jake, who has decided that as a superhero, he wants to be ToiletMan. You don't want to know ToiletMan's weapon of choice. (And I can't explain why he's holding a stuffed fish, either, so don't ask). Jake is just 6 months younger than V, and hilarious and strong-willed. That may run in one or all of our families.

 In unrelated news, Shaun got a new job several weeks ago, so he's no longer working nights! It's good to have him back in the land of the living, and it's really the best job he's had in over a decade, in terms of the work & hours. Perhaps that's why he looks so dang happy.

I have other posts in mind, and though it was an unscheduled and prolonged break, I hope you'll forgive me, gentle readers. It's good to be back.

All's Fair...

We're pretty boring. Just like last year, we did the Fun Slide...

 And the Ferris Wheel....

 This year, V did a few more rides on her own....

 Because she is almost 52" tall.

She rode this Ferris Wheel all by herself....

 And Shaun pointed and waved. I smiled tightly and held my breath a little. A lot. (hello to the random family walking past in this photo)...

It was a really good day.

The Mean Reds

I know it's been a long, long time, gentle readers. I'm sorry. I think everyday about blogging, but each idea seems to have already been done, or seems to require more energy than I have to offer. Today I decided I've had a bad case of the Mean Reds, and now that I've diagnosed myself, I can hopefully figure out where to go to calm myself down.

V likes to hang on bars in a dress her grandmother brought her from Mexico. She's quite the little gymnast lately, and has conquered monkey bars from here to Duluth.

V also likes to be pulled behind a kayak, preferably one paddled by her other grandmother. Lake Belle Taine has been a source of much joy for us this summer, even more than usual.

There's no real reason for this latest funk (aside from it being how I'm wired and all): we are all relatively healthy and Shaun starts a new (non-gas station, hopefully not only overnights; not that there's anything wrong with either of those things...) job on Monday. My summer class is the kind teachers dream of: 13 very diverse students, each one committed to learning and engaged in the work we're doing together. V is loving every second of summer and even Seven seems to be having a good time. It just is.

I'll work on untangling myself, and keep taking V swimming (above, at Great Aunt Linda and Great Uncle Ken's hotel in Fargo this week), and keep thinking about blogging. May your own mean reds stay far away, or come take mine on a vacation of some sort.

Summer excitement

Oh, bloggie. I know I've been away so long. V was done with school on May 31, and since then we've had so, so, so much quality time together. Like, so much. On Wednesday, my mom took V to Hendrum for a few hours and I almost ran away to be a Vegas showgirl. I had forgotten what it was like to not have a six-year-old with me every. single. moment.

I think about blogging every day, though! So you'd think I'd have some great ideas lined up for you! But you'd be wrong about that too!

Instead, just some photos from Friday's swimming excursion with the girl, the niece, and the nephew. And the grandma. And the dog.

Unplanned, all three kids brought the towels our friend Kathy made for them. Aren't they pretty, all lined up? Each with their name. I love them.

 V, having completed her first round of swimming lessons on Thursday, offered to teach her cousins how to swim.

 They looked on in appropriate awe.

 Seven got off leash at one point, and V and I followed him for 8 blocks before we caught him. So he was the same.

Trying to get a Christmas card photo is hard with a Grandma and three kids, because at least one of them is almost guaranteed to be crabby. But we had fun trying!

Lessons at 39.

I've learned two important things this week.

1. Do not take the dog along for a car wash.

 2. Even if it's only 59 degrees out, and you need to wear a sweatshirt to be comfortable,

let the girl run through the sprinkler if she wants to. She'll stop if she's cold, and she'll probably have a really, really lovely time.

First swim

The new yellow swimsuit, in action yesterday at Lake Belle Taine. It was windy and cool but she was sure she'd have fun. 

 She was right. 

 It was lovely weather for ducks, too. 

Seven looked on with concern. 

About ten minutes after she got out of the lake, the thunderstorms began, and stayed the rest of the weekend. I hope it wasn't because we offended Mother Nature by swimming before Memorial Day.

Thrift Score: V edition

Oh, summertime! So lush and green and hot and full of bugs. I finally signed V up for swimming lessons: they start in June. So the girl needs a swimsuit. Since she continues to grow at remarkable speeds (she looks like a 3rd grader, and the people at the Snap Dragon, where kids 6 and under eat free on Sundays, think I'm a terrible liar of a mother), last year's swimsuits will only carry her so far. Target has adorable swimsuits, I know, but they are at least $10 each. There's so little fabric, and for just one summer's wearing, I can't stomach it! (I did buy her a cute orange and turquoise one last year, so the girl knows that new Target smell of clothes. I swear I'm not depriving her). I buy almost all my own clothes at thrift stores, so I figured it was worth a try. At the same time, swimsuits, esp. for kids, often get worn hard, so that when I have found them, at Saver's, for example, the seats are usually too pilled or threadbare to be really worth buying. Knowing all this, I went to our local Boy's Ranch, hoping against the odds for something good.

And I was not disappointed! A brand new cotton dress, two new swimsuits, an Amelia Bedelia book, a music game for the DSi, and sneakers a half size bigger than her current shoes, all for under $20. I win!

A brief note about thrift store clothes: I know some people find it kind of icky to buy previously worn clothes, especially those that go right next to the skin, like under things or swimsuits. I respect and understand that reaction, but I don't share it. Well, I do for panties: panties should be a one-owner product. But brand new clothes are often covered in all kinds of germs and pesticides, and if you buy them in stores they were likely tried on before you got to them. Swimsuits, bras, and socks all strike me as worth saving money on if they're in good shape, and after a good washing don't bother me at all. Bake a pie, eat a pie, as it were. 

All thrift stores sometimes get new items donated, though, and if the hang tags are still on an article of clothing, I have no qualms about paying thrift store prices for a brand new item. The pink swimsuit in the photo, bottom right, still had the store tags on it, and it was a $24 suit, marked down to $3.99. The yellow one piece, above, still has the protective panty liner in it, and was donated by Target (which I can tell by the Target brand tag, marked through with a permanent marker), and was $2.99. The girl gets 2 brand new suits for less than the price of one! 

The shoes and dress were likewise Target donations, as was the video game. I don't normally buy V shoes when she's not with me to try on, because she wears braces in her shoes that can be tricky to fit. But she tried on some size 2 Converses just the other day, and though she didn't like the look of those (a boring pink pair), the braces fit just fine, and I'm pretty sure the addition of sequins and hearts will win her over to these. And if not, my little niece, a fashionista at only three, will love them in a few years. 

Whew. It was a big triumphant thrift store day for me, so I thought I'd share it with you. The book is already in the library, the video game in the gift closet (sh!), and the clothes are in the washer. Good luck in your shopping today, gentle readers! And happy, happy summertime.

Summertime!

Grades went in on Monday, so today is my second official day of summer. I thought you'd like to share in the joy that is my to-do list.

Walk the girl to school: done.
Morning nap: done.
Clean the kitchen: contemplated.
Selfish thrift-store shopping: done. Sweet $3 red mary janes scored. Photos to follow.
Mow the backyard: done. I had to restart that poor mower four times, but I got it done.
Pick the girl up from school, walking the dog to and fro: done.
Clean the dining room: considered.
Make a tasty supper that somehow includes broccoli: done. Unanimously voted as tasty.
Sew myself a cute summer purse: done. Photos to follow.

It was a pretty great way to start my summer. Hope your day was full of things you like, too.

Why yes, her name is V

When Shaun and I first talked about having a baby, we agreed immediately on a name for a boy: Dewey David. In that one name, we honor both of our fathers, and there's really no argument to be had. But a girl's name? Without an obvious choice (Myra Mary or Mary Myra just didn't sing for us, and besides, they're both still alive, which makes it complicated), oh, we could not agree. 

I love fancy/old fashioned names. Sylvia, Olivia, Sophia, Zuzu...Shaun liked none of them. Old lady names, he called them, or just too strange. Isabella, Carpathia, Ruth, Eliza, Beverly....no, no, no, no, no....Finally I asked what names he liked. Something simple, he said, like Jill. Or Ann. 

Now, I have nothing against any Jills or Anns, but as a Jennifer, I know how it is to have a name that is completely unmemorable. No way was I going to name my daughter Jill or Ann. 

These exhausting discussions all happened well into our marriage. Years earlier, on our second date, he had shot down the one girl's name I have loved the most. I had wanted, for many years, to name my firstborn daughter Ruby. Somehow Tenessa was there, and told him I wanted a girl named Ruby. He immediately responded, "Ruby's the name of my toilet." 

This raised several questions for me, as you might imagine: "what kind of man names his toilet?" for starters. 

Anyway, it turns out that his toilet really was named Ruby, but that's for some other post.  My point is, Ruby was clearly not an option, though it's a lovely name.

One day, not long before we got pregnant, Shaun came home from work and said "What about a letter?" After my initial confusion, I saw he meant as a name. "You know, S. Epatha Merkerson is an actress on Law and Order. We could name our potential daughter a letter, couldn't we?" (I know now that his logic there was flawed, since her S. stands for Sharon. Harry S Truman, on the other hand, his S was just an S). So I said, "How about V? You've always loved that mini-series, right?"  And so it was decided.

I mean, that part, anyway, for us. There was some weeping and gnashing of teeth by the grandparents-to-be, and we had to chose a middle name, but this, gentle readers, is how we decided to name our daughter V. We love her so.

Kids' Clothes Week Challenge: Day 1!

To take a little break from the A to Z stuff, it's also Kids' Clothes week over at elsie marley. And since I said I'd play along, here I am, playing along. I completely avoided took a break from grading this weekend to sew up a little Simplicity 1903: Toddler and Child's Romper for V. I was a little nervous, as it only goes to a size 8, and V's more in size 10 range these days, so I added the pink stripe on the side. I think it would've been fine without it (romper's aren't exactly form fitting, you know), but I do like the contrast of that pink. 

 It's a very easy pattern, with only 3 different pattern pieces: the ties, the ruffle, and the romper itself, which you cut out in four identical pieces. I'm not sure what move she's doing, below, but it's probably ninja related.

 I was going to make this is a pink linen (the child loves pink these days), but found the Best Fabric Ever at Mill End on Friday. It's an upholstery fabric, actually, from Timeless Treasures. But it feels quite like a heavier linen: it's got a nice hand to it, not too close to denim, but substantial and awesome. It has robots! Orange and pink freaking robots!!! I only bought two yards (and this only took one yard of it) and I may need to go back and buy all the rest. I love it so. Lookit! (I should've matched the print better on the center seam. I hate matching prints, though. Besides, she promptly stained it, so I'm going to put in a pocket, anyway).

Here's V, rockin' the romper to the grocery store. It was chilly out so she needed the jacket,but the thing is roomy enough to wear with a shirt underneath, too. She loves it very much, and so do I. 

I think, no matter what happens the rest of this week, we can call the week a success, just based on this one little romper. What say you?

And another thing...

(Sunday is the day off from the alphabet blogging challenge. Settle down).

Because I'm crazy, I've signed up for another challenge.  Kids' Clothes Week Challenge, organized by Elsie Marley, is something I've done once before. Of course, it's terrible timing, because my last day of class is April 27, but I want to sew for the girl child before summer, and if I don't do it now, I won't do it until August.

What were your favorite clothes as a child? I loved our Hee-Haw overalls, my blue satin jacket, and my baby blue velour shorts with the horse applique. So much inspiration!

Mmmm

Mints: You know those cream cheese mints you get at Minnesota weddings and graduation? The kind in the shape of hearts, or bells, or doves, or mortarboard caps, or whatever? I love them. They are cream cheese, powdered sugar, and a little granulated sugar, and if given the opportunity, I will eat them until the roof of my mouth is raw from the sugar. I'm not advocating this behavior, but I thought you should know. If you want to be my friend forever, bring me some cream cheese mints, and I'm yours.

Meteorology: Holy crapbarf, batman. 76 tornadoes across the Great Plains today? I know that there have been other crazy weather days, historically, but today, in the midst of this weirdly warm spring, it seems freakier still. I hope everyone will be safe tonight, and mind the sirens, and put down their cell phone cameras long enough to find safety.

Mama: I'm gonna try to not get too sappy, but once in a while, when V tells me I'm the prettiest mama in the world, I get a little overwhelmed. I think of my own mama, and how I think she, too, is the prettiest mama in the world, and how whenever I feel sick, even as a grown woman, I want my mama to take care of me, and I hope that V, too, will feel so well-cared for by me that when she's grown up, she'll still think of me as a beautiful comfort. I'm not going to say things like motherhood made me whole, because it didn't. But it certainly made me different. I like it.

Gee. (by V)

I was stumped for today, so V agreed to help me out and tell you a story entirely of her own invention. We hope you like it.

Goose and Grapes
by V

This is a cartoon, but I'm gonna tell the story anyway.

A goose ate some grapes, and the grapes came alive! But after awhile, he became friends with the goose. They got pizza, got ice cream, and they watched tv together with their parents.

THE END!

B-B-B!

B, for our A-to-Z challenge purposes, will be for bags here at Languishing. I have been a life-long lover of bags: since my first Jordache purse bought at the West Acres Claire's with Christine Forseth (it was teal!), I've been searching for the perfect purse, tote, BAG or bags to carry my stuff. I blog about it so much, it should have its own damn category.

Since falling in love with the quilted totes I told you about recently, I've been thinking about how bags come together, how I could use what I already have, and what all I really want/need in a bag. Should it be for work? I'm still using this lovely one, and it's close to perfect. But then I saw this bag, inspired by a movie, apparently, and I needed one that was round. Needed, understand?  And ..well...let's just get to the photos, shall we?

 I adored the star applique on the inspiration bag, but that was not my design, and I've never even seen whatever pop culture reference it makes, so I didn't want to suggest otherwise. I like sparrows for about two million reasons, and found the template through a basic Google search. I enlarged it 200%, then cut two out of an orangish, sparkly-ish vinyl I bought at S.R. Harris on an unattended visit this December (don't let me go to S.R. Harris without supervision, please).

The main bag is made from some heavy burgundy pleather my sister gave me, and I still have 6 yards of it left, so you should probably get used to seeing it, gentle readers.

 For scale, the bag with V. To be fair, she's a large 6 year old, so it might not be as big of a bag as you think. The diameter of the circle was originally 16", and I used over 1/4 inch seam allowance. The strap is a bit too wide and too short, but then again, so am I. It fits over my shoulder with a little finagling.

Here she's showing how fun it is to be jaunty and dancy with my new bag! What's not to like?

It holds up to 30 papers comfortably, and it's lined with a fantastic array of pockets and some pretty fine fabric (but I'm thinking I'll save photos of that for the letter "L." Or the letter "I," for innards.We'll see). It also has 2 large zippers, one on the top, and one across the back. It's kind of making me giddy with a feeling of accomplishment, really. It's certainly the most complicated thing I've ever made without a pattern.

Of course, it's totally an autumn-y bag, not a springy one, and I'm not ready to give up my current work bag just yet. But I feel triumphant, and it will make a good travel bag, when I need something that will hold a journal and a book as well as my camera and wallet.