that's what he said

L.  Why are you wearing one blue sock and one white sock?
D.  I don't know.
L. Why do you have one blue sock on?
D. Because Sara [teacher] put the blue sock on me.
L. Why did she do that?
D. I don't know.  She just put the blue sock on me.
L.  What happened to your other white sock?
D.  I don't know!
L. Why did you take off your other white sock?
D. Because it was wet.

Aha! 

The answer was in there somewhere, I just had to figure out exactly how to ask for it...  [insert life metaphor here.]

41 years

Every year, I marvel that my parents are two people that have been happily married for so long.  It is such a reason to celebrate!

Thanks, Mom and Dad, for setting the bar so high for a healthy, happy, and long-lasting marriage.  Happy anniversary.

May Album

This month, we were visited by Matthew’s parents, who provided some fun Oma-and-Papa time at the park and the zoo.  They also jump-started the evolution that is taking place in our backyard.  Hooray for Oma and Papa!  

View Full Album

smith & bybee

Here are some photos from our adventures today at the Smith and Bybee Wetlands Natural Area.  The forecast finally called for a few dry hours today, so we hit the road for a small hike near the confluence of the Columbia and Willamette Rivers – still within the City limits.  We scoped out two very cool observation areas, a few rock sculptures to climb in, and we still managed not to scare away these two blue herons with all of our exuberance.  Can’t beat the free amusement and much needed fresh air!

 

        

cotton

Feeling like my head is full of cotton... my sinus infection took a turn for the worst when my ear drum ruptured last night.  Should take a few weeks to repair, according to the doctor.  Ugh!  and also, What?  I am having trouble hearing.

To top it off, the end of May seems more like March!  It won't stop raining here!  I want to post some photos of our backyard and all of the work we put into it, but we're not exactly outside enjoying it.  So onto more sewing. and blogging. and hopefully checking things off of lists.

post-op

I recently had some surgery (four days ago).  It was fairly minor, as far as surgeries go.  But anyway, coming from off my cloud of Vicodin, I'm realizing two things:

1. Family members don't think that any surgery is minor.  All procedural dates and times must be shared repeatedly.  Enough said.
2. If you're ever in the hospital for one thing, like having a biopsy or delivering a child, tough luck if you're suffering from a separate ailment...  

This last point deserves some explanation.  When I delivered Dean, the following day he scratched the cornea of my eye with his little baby fingernails.  My eye was in so much pain, and all the nurses in the maternity ward could do is give me some cream and an eye patch.  They had no idea what to do with me, because I needed care that had nothing to do with opstetrics or breastfeeding.  They didn't even know it was a scratched cornea.  Matthew and I joked that for Halloween (Dean was an October baby), I'd go as a pirate and he'd be my baby parrot.  It wasn't until a full 24-hours later when the pediatrician came to check on the baby, that I begged him to look at my eye and tell me what was wrong.  He recommended not using cream, which would make it worse, but just some saline drops.  Why in the world the maternity ward nurses couldn't figure that out, I am not sure.  We had even suggested early on that they ask people in the ER for help.  But I digress...


Fast forward to four days ago.  I went in for a biopsy, but unfortunately I was suffering from a simultaneous sinus infection.  I complained, because I'd had nothing to eat or drink, and combined with the sinus infection I was suffering a massive headache.  I have a bad history of migraines, and this one was coming on super strong.  And what did they give me for the pain?  Morphine.  Not what I normally take for headaches.  Is this a commentary on the total compartmentalization of the medical profession or the tendency to treat the symptom, not the cause? 

I recently attended a quick seminar on the "Three Pillars of Optimal Health", given by a doctor who practices naturopathic medicine.  He focuses mainly on elimination, reintroduction and stress reduction, and he also talked about a few basic principles:

• Find and treat causes of symptoms (not symptoms)
• Symptoms are the clues and not the problems to cover up.
• Avoid suppression
• Bodies are good at being healthy, if we stay out of their way.

I am thinking of diving into this a little further soon, as my sinus infection does not seem to want to go away - the morphine didn't exactly cure me.  Arrrrrr.....

it's curtains!

[updated with photos]

I finally got around to finishing my curtain!  Just in time to meet my self-imposed deadline.  I've come to realize two things while finishing this project: 

1.  Misunderestimation.  Yeah, I know that's not a real word.  I haven't been really honest with myself on how much I'm taking on in my life.   Besides my blog lists that I keep adding to, Matt and I are also trying to finish constructing our upstairs closet while re-designing and re-building one-third of our backyard.  My own lists never seem to take all of these other things into account.  We just ordered a new fence (he and his dad just ripped out the old), and we've dug out and built a new sand box, plus some fun climbing and play areas for the kids a la pea gravel.  This yard has been such a challenge for me, but I think it's finally come along for such a small and shady space.  It's miles away from what it was four years ago.  Not to mention our nearly-complete closet!

*****
our room with new curtains and matching pillow shams

2.  Blog bog.  Reading blogs about sewing isn't as gratifying as sewing, and it doesn't get me very far in my sewing projects.  I know, that kind of sounds rocket-science, but I thought I'd throw it out there.  I picked up a handful of good sewing blogs, which I love to look at!  But as soon as I stopped looking at them for a week, I finished my curtains.  Plus I started and finished these adorable pajama bottoms for Dean, featuring a sock-monkey print, and I started and finished a lovely curtain for Fiona's room.  Yippee!

*****
 Fiona's new curtains