Poo Poo Kitty

This is for my family back at home. I thought you might enjoy Brooklyn's rendition of Manhattan Transfers' "Boy from New York City" or, in our house, the ooo-aaa oo-aaa poo poo kitty song.

Update and an unexplainable complex

My awesome parents gave me a GPS for my birthday. It has been invaluable while we are here. I use it every day multiple times. My ability to get lost has shrunk considerably. And that was a pretty stong point in my personality.

I have noticed, however, that I have issues. Whenever I miss a turn, or choose to go a different way, the nice female compter voice say, "recalc-u-lating." At first it makes me laugh but after a while, I start to feel guilty. It dosen't make any sense. My heart rate goes up and I want to apologize and everything. Somehow I think it's genetic, though. The other day when it had to "recalc-u-late" several times, Erika said, with a nervous twinge, "Mom, I think you better turn, it's gonna get mad." Aaaa, nature vs. nurture. ie...how much of this can I blame on my mom?

In other news, everyone is doing great. Casey has a cough and is home from school. So he feels great, Josh is having a party at school and yesterday won a free skating party that the school was giving away. He feels great. Christmas is coming. We're feeling it.

Here is a picture of our apartment when we firts got here. All that junk in the corner was in our van. How did it all fit? Rhyan played the kids Leapsters. He got up to Jedi Master on Jedi math!
And this is where I found the boys on the morning of the first day of school. Hanging out under the sink in the bathroom. (it was still empty at the time) They liked this new hideout!

It Starts Young

Here we are in Alabama. Everyone is doing great except Joshua. He's been sick all week. First a fever and now an upset stomach. I hope he gets better soon. Mostly because I want him to be well and comfortable but also because he and Brooklyn fight all the time. And my whine meter is at capacity currently. Brooklyn is enjoying her MP-3 Player from Grandpa Lindsay.

Erika has made many new friends here already. She has transitioned really well. She is enjoying school, too. Erika says, "This school ROCKS" One of her favorite things about it is that they have snack time every day! She also likes doing group projects. She doesn't like PE because they are apparently very militant in there.

Casey agrees. He is doing better in class now. He didn't like the first couple of days. It was harder with so many new things going on at once and his teacher yelled a bit. (I'm not sure if this means he really yelled or if he just talks loud) In any case, it was hard for him. He's doing better now, though.

Josh is loving all day kindergarten. Though he's only been in school for 3 1/2 days now with all his sick days. Geez. He's doing the best at the "yes, ma'am/sir" thing. It is expected here and kids who don't say it sound rude. We're getting there, though.

I'm getting unpacked and feeling pretty good. Rhyan is doing well at his job. They should get him a computer and a phone any day now. It's good to be back on the computer, though. The world is a much smaller place with blogs and FB.

On the Road

Here we are in Amarillo, TX. I'm typing at the business center in our hotel. Brooklyn cried through most of Arizona but other than that, no mishaps. More to follow. Eventually. I miss my blog world very much.

.........

Packing. Packing. Sadly packing. Numbly packing. Eternally packing.

Time to start Christmas, the real way!

My good friend, Sue from Navel Gazing at its finest, (good friend as in, I'm sure we would be good friends if we had ever met, but I've posted comments on her blog before :) is collecting coats and warm winter wear for refugees here in SLC. They are in desperate need. Many moved here from warm areas and have no cold weather clothing. One family had 4 kids and 1 coat and they took turns with the coat! Sad! Since we're moving to a warmer climate, we're getting rid of some of our nice, gently used coats, hats and gloves and this is the perfect opportunity to do a huge amount of good with them.

SO.....

You can help, too. Buy new coats/warm outfits or send your gently used ones to this address:
(you can drop them off, too)

Gayane Manukyan
Attn: 100 coats for kids project
Refugee Center at AAU
1588 S Major Street
SLC, UT 84115

When you're done, go to this blogsite and tell Sue how many you gave because our goal is 100 coats and we want to keep track!

I'm headed to Salt Lake on Thursday of next week so if you have some that you'd like to send with me, please have them to me by Wednesday and I'll take them down for you! See? Easy.

Think Back.....Aaa, yes. The Giveaway!

Close your eyes and think back.....way back....farther.....remember last February? Yes? Good. Then you may well recall when I held this give-away. It's the one where I'm supposed to craft gifts for three lucky commenters. Just as a reminder here were the stipulations:


1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!
2. What I create will be just for you.
3. It'll be done this year (It will probably be after May when I'm in my new house.)
4. You will have no clue what it is going to be.
5. I reserve the right to do something extremely strange.


As you can see, I have completed it this year! No small feat whilst trying to complete a Biology class and moving my family for the third time in a year. (did you notice how craftily I excused myself for taking so long?) But that's not the only reason. It's taken me so long because, darn it, the three ladies that won the giveaway happen to be amazing crafters themselves and it's frankly intimidating to be sending them my own handiwork when my inner critic keeps me up at night, saying "They could have done it better themselves." But the great thing about this giveaway is that they didn't have to do it themselves! So ladies, scroll down to see what you've won! ( I sound like a game-show host)




My good friend, Valerie was the first winner. Now let me tell you why Val was so hard to craft for. First of all, she makes amazing cakes. These are not just nice, easy, little-frosting-on-top cakes. These are works of art in frosting and fondant. Wonderful. Second, she does amazing things with paper. She's a stamp-it-up person with a flair for design. And an amazing, contagious laughter that I miss hearing. (wish we lived closer)


For Valerie, I made a set of fall-leaf place mats. The appliqued leaves were traced from the real thing and they reminded me of something that could be stamped. And she can use them when she serves one of her amazing creations to her friends or family.


The next lucky winner was another good friend, Caroline. I spend way too much time devouring her crafty blog. ie...another intimidation. She sews the way I eat Reeses Pieces Peanut Butter Cups. mmmm. Reeses. (actually, she sews way more often than I eat those, but not more often than I wish I was eating those.)


For Caroline, I knew sewing stuff was out so I whipped out the paint and scrounged up some mouse-shaped rocks from my inexhaustible supply in the yard and....Voila! A Mama mouse and her family. The babies are about the size of the tip of my thumb. Now I made these before I knew that her children had mouse fetishes. They are going to LOVE these! So, if you want them for yourself, you will have to be Very, Very sneaky with them. I know because Brooklyn loves these very mice SO much that she's absconded with them more than once. (I think there's Christmas potential there) Needless to say, they are a 3+ kind of toy, too small for babies, perfect for a church bag, though. I chose these because they have amazing imagination potential, something I've admired in Caroline all the years I've known her. Plus, I think we may share a love of all things little.



And......another good friend (and my cousin), Angela was the final winner! Yet another crafty lady. Angela does everything. Wedding cakes, cards, sewing, baby bows, writing books. She's also an experienced connoisseur of fine insta-cares. (haha, just kidding, Angela!)


For Angela, I made a circus reading tent for her to read to her children in. (and let them play in themselves, of course) I found the mesh bed tent online a couple of years ago. I got a couple and they have been sitting in my craft box since then. I added circus props on top and there you go! Like all my winners, Angela has always impressed me with her parenting skills. I chose this project for her to reflect that and to continue to encourage her kiddos to love reading. (The other day she posted that she woke up to find them "reading" to each other. Cute!) I've seen these tent things set over an adult chair so that you can snuggle and read together. I've also seen it with a cushion underneath so kids can feel like they are in a real tent, as modeled here by the Beautiful, Miss Erika.


This project has been so much fun and I've had a blast thinking about some of the many strengths of these amazing women and trying to find somthing fun that might reflect some of that back to them. I'm glad I know each one of them! Now, you three can start watching the mail.