Not "Like New"--More, "Like Me"

My world buzzes with baby preparation.  Some call this nesting, but it feels more like frantic uncertainty.  I've need to arrange Ramlet's clothes in his dresser, reorganize my desk (which absorbed craft supplies from Ramlet's dresser), wash/dry the cloth diapers at least four times (to maximize absorbency--who knew?), pick up a random baby items, and pack bags for the birthing center--diaper bag, my bag, snack bag.  Husband can pack his own bag.  And the countdown until labor begins ... sometime?

Sherbet making her less than 11 pounds seem much, much larger.

Even with the above list, right now I'm stretched out on the couch with my favorite new thing: a sock full of uncooked rice heated in the microwave for about 30 seconds.  Ah.  A little relief for the "round ligament pain" (pregnancy side effect #1,969,210).  I would be in the glider, but ... (see above photo).

Before: ugly, scary cushions.

Speaking of the glider, I impulsively checked Craiglist one afternoon in the midst of packing boxes hoping for a way to avoid shelling out a few hundred dollars on a new glider.  Rocking soothes me, however Ramlet's preferences are yet to be determined so I'd rather be thrifty.  One advertisement looked promising so I contacted the seller and arranged to a test sitting.  Turns out the seller lived about 10 row-houses down from our old apartment.  Once we verified the glider was a good fit (I'm vertically challenged), Husband carried it home.


The scratchy green cushions begged for replacement.  I'm not fond of used upholstery since there isn't really a way to (1) throughly clean it, (2) de-bug it, or (3) get pet scents out of it.  Enter Mom.  (Do you recall her influence on the sari dress process?)

The off-white and dusty cornflower blue check blends with our touch-of-the-seashore living room theme.  The cushions are soft, but firm.  The dragonflies remind me of summer.  It took two fittings (and countless hours by perfectionist Mom), but this glider is more "me" than the $500 one I lusted after in the big-box store.  Sherbet, too, loves the glider.  She adopted it as her #1 Cat Bed of Choice for Overnight Napping.  Looks like I'm going to have some company for the 3AM feedings.  Hopefully I won't accidentally sit on her!

After: zoom in to see Mom's precision on the corner of the cushion.

Ever found something perfectly "you" second-hand?  Any tweaking involved?

Keeps on Giving

Lately I’m spending a little more time than usual in the big box stores trying to figure my way around the packed aisles of “necessities.”  Since I err on the side of less, I'm bewildered.  And, my book club's recent selection of “Slow Death By Rubber Duck” hasn’t made this any easier….

Does any other store have this courtesy?

I've discovered there are two reasons I dislike shopping for children’s toys and accessories, especially when it comes to giving gifts.  First, plastic.  Sure it’s a cute tea/tools/whatever set, but how long will the set actually keep a child’s interest?  And, is it worth x number of years stewing in a landfill until it eventually decomposes?  Secondly, shipping costs.  In my experience the trip to the USPS almost doubles the cost of a present.

To combat waste, I recently came up with a new semi-homemade present: puzzles.  

Take one: trains.

I found precut cardboard puzzles in my favorite Baltimore art store.  Because of the economical price (and the minimal shipping costs), I bought two for each child.  On one puzzle I drew picture or left a silhouette for the child to color.  The second puzzle was sent blank. 

Take two: sea life.

My hope is each child will see the potential of the second blank puzzle and cover it with scribbles or doodles.  This way the present will get some extra mileage: artistic expression by drawing on the puzzle then cognitive and fine motor challenges by reassembling the puzzle.

Does your gift giving include children?  What do you purchase or make?  Or, does your family celebrate birthdays in a less material oriented way?

Simple, Yet Complex

It's funny how often simple things are covertly complex.  Here are two of my favorite more-than-meets-the-eye things:

1. Easy snacks.  What can beat fresh fruit at peak ripeness?  With a little prep you're munching a quick and easy snack.  With some extra peeling and chopping you're treating yourself to a scrumptious medley of tastes known as a fruit salad.  
2. Reusing things.  Here, specifically, transforming old college dorm sheets into kitchen curtains.  On the one hand it's simple--what else are you going to do with your extra-long twin sheet sets besides donate them to a thrift store?  On the other, I hate sewing.  Enter a ruler, an iron, and some staples (also leftovers from college).   After too much ironing and measuring, I discover by stapling from the back of the curtains the little metal teeth can barely be seen in front.  End result: mostly level curtains and no longer feeling like the entire city block can watch me wash dishes at night!  

What items in your house appear simple, but have a more complicated history or use?

3 Ways to Process Life

My bag-of-the-day always holds at least one of these notebooks.

I scribble creative thoughts, for ongoing projects and from random insights, into one notebook.  In another I methodically organize life into goals, plans, and endless lists.  The last spiral-bound records my memories and listens to whatever feelings tumble out of me.

I used to want to find a way to meld all three notebooks into just one since it would be less to lug around.  Practicality, however, never won.  When I pick up a specific notebook with pen in hand, I give myself permission to focus on a certain type of thinking: creative, organizational, or reflective.

I like choosing each book for the details of the task ahead.  Wide pages for spur-of-the-moment thoughts; narrow lines for compact lists.  A variety of colors and page widths to add nonessential flavor.  I do gravitate toward spiral-bound.  I find it the easiest way to write in any situation, whether you need an improvised writing surface as you curl up on the couch or if you need a shield from the prying eyes of the passenger next to you.

Since I've been tri-notebooking for a while each book's utility and aesthetic embody the quirks of each mode of thinking.  I'm free to use sloppy handwriting when ideas bubble up or primly print my everyday lists.  I can guard the cursive-scrawled memories with care, but recklessly tear each finished list out of the organization notebook until only two covers and some wire remain.  Juggling the notebooks is a little cumbersome and occasionally frustrating, but sometimes life can be that way too.

Do you have a notebook or e-list you use everyday?  Do you see your thought processes as modes or something else?