Is this why I can't get any crafty things done?

This is my kitchen this morning



That is also what it looked like yesterday morning. Now imagine the opposite and that is what it looked like just before I cleaned it and what it will look like by dinner time.

Please tell me it gets better when the kids are older and can clean up after themselves.

When what to my wondering eyes should appear

but a gift basket from Hyland's!

I sent them an email last week to let them know how much we appreciate their products as the teething tablets have been wonderful for our kids. We also have had excellent luck with the Calmes Forte for Kids when Amara had night terrors as a toddler.

The basket couldn't have come at a better time as both my girls woke up with sniffly noses and the basket contains Sniffles 'n Sneezes 4 Kids. It also contains Cold Relief with Zinc, Cold 'n Cough, Complete Flu Care, and Calmes Forte.

It was a delightful surprise.

Good mornin' to you

If you've ever wondered what Chez Megan looks like at breakfast time then here is your sneak peek.



As you can see its rather dark and blurry.

That would be a coffee in my gorgeous mug on the left (cream and no sugar), a sock for Shawn in the back, my phone in case anyone texts me (unlimited texts, ya'll), and some sausage with banana pecan muffins (also note the unfolded laundry peeking out from behind the laptop).

I'm trying to make breakfast more of a priority and to make it something somewhat decent. Yesterday I failed. I woke with the worst headache that made me sensitive to all noise and movement. I became a snarling she wolf and generally made it a bad day for everyone. I did an exercise while waiting in the car to pick up Shawn. I picked up a falling apart journal that I use for random thoughts, doodles, and shopping lists but this time I took a page per child and wrote some things about them that I appreciate. I won't type it all out here but I will say that this changed my perceptions a lot. Eating seemed to help too. Today I'm making a better effort to keep myself hydrated and fed. I can let the laundry go but I can't let my health go. I tend to think of health as some far of consequence for the things I do now but its clear that it affects me here and now as well.

Handmade giftiness

I'm doing my very best to make as many homemade gifts as possible this year. That means I'm starting *now* for Christmas gifts. I'm hoping to create a nice stash of giftables to pick from as birthdays and other gifty occasions come around.

To kick this off right I'm doing a giveaway. It has a few rules:

1. The first 3 people to post to this blog will get a gift from me.
2. It will be homemade and hopefully something you will like, no guarantees.
3. You must in turn make something for me :)
4. And you must post this to your blog.

Kitchen disasters

B and Jacob often post their delightful culinary delights. I, too, on occasion have shared some of mine (though less delightful than theirs mine might be). Lately though, I'm having nothing but bad luck in the kitchen. I used to be able to make it all up and have it taste delicious. Like knitting patterns, I made it up as I went along and it turned out alright and often tasty enough to be an addition to the regular rotation.

As of late I've made yummy smelling chicken soup in the crock pot that were ruined by the early addition of rice noodles (turns out that they can't withstand long cooking times like wheat noodles), as well as a whole roast chicken that turned out dry and salty even though it was cooked like every other roast chicken I've ever made, and today soap. Yes, soap. I ruined some soap but hopefully didn't ruin any kitchen implements.

My crafty and thoughtful sister-in-law has a birthday coming up very soon. Last night I knit her a beautiful flower shaped face cloth from some heavenly hand dyed, fair trade, Chilean cotton. I thought that the addition of a piece of soap would be quite nice. I *thought* I remembered reading about shredding a bar of soap and then pouring it in a mold to recreate it. So I pulled out a bar of plain soap and got to shredding (it and my fingertips as usual). I put it in a glass jar and added in some expensive vanilla, tangerine, and lavendar essential oils along with a bit of olive oil, dried flowers, and oatmeal. I put it in a pot of boiling water to create a double boiler. After waiting for 5 minutes the soap was still quite solid. So after burning myself quite badly on steam I thought the microwave might work better. This is where it gets bad. I put it in for two minutes and then checked on it after the first minute elapsed. There is a reason why they say that essential oils are caustic when heated. Its because they are.

I now have a microwave covered in shredded soap, oils, and little dried flowers as well as burning eyes and an overtaxed nose. I admit that I just shut the door and walked away to nurse my burned fingers and hurt self esteem. It might just be time for some dinner I can't screw up (Hello, quesadillas) and some more knitting.

I like

paintings of trees



Books bound creatively



Coffee mugs with texture



Things in tiny glass jars



This tiny snail



Embossed leather



The four seasons



Vintage flatwear



Old keys



And spending lots of time on etsy apparently.

5 months

5 months has brought us:

teething with a vengeance
a new cry that is as funny as it is sad
trying out new sounds including a scary growl, high squeaks, and lots of babbling
scooting along the floor
a visit from Uncle Cam