I haven’t taken on any big projects in the last week because I’ve been shopping for baskets, planning the kitchen/house redecoration, crocheting and puking.

But I have made sure the dishes are washed AND put away.  I’ve also kept the bedroom tidy and all laundry washed and [mostly] put away.

That’s progress if you ask me.

In other news… My piles of yarn are getting larger and not smaller despite the amount of time I spend making and undoing stitches. In an effort to use up some of my existing yarn, I’ve been trolling the interwebs looking for great ideas. I found this hat. The problem-solver in me got so excited and spent hours attempting to make it (and this is why my housework doesn’t get done), but I failed every time. It was a blow to my ego since I’m always so damn confident.

*snort*

After a few days I gave in and emailed the young woman who originally made the hat and she graciously rewrote the pattern-with pictures. Internet love! It’s not often someone will help an internet stranger (within a week).  She inspired me to do some random good deed this week, too.

Here it is: 

It’s inspired by Pistil’s Jax hat  . I used a bpdc instead of a dc to give it a lot more texture. I also used a size L hook and Caron’s SS in Autumn Red (I have tons of it lying around).  That’s an earring on the hat. I’m not sure how I want to embellish it. Any suggestions? Pom-Pom? Button? Bow?

The next hat I make (I hope) will be Katie’s Criss-Cross hat. I’ll post pics for your entertainment.

To all of my crafty friends, go visit Katiebeans’ blog. She’s got a lot of fun stuff to look at.

Woot!

Actually, that 90% only applies to the master bedroom portion of the space.

I still have to: redecorate Belle’s room

remodel the bathroom

build a wall

paint

sew some curtains

and a few other odds and ends to make the space look nice. For now, N and I are happy to see the cherry laminate flooring for the first time in 3 years.

Does my house look any different? Hell no.  I’ve got a long way to  go.

Today I organized the pantry area and cleaned off a few shelves in the kitchen. I’m making space to sow my babies for the spring. I’m also slowly mustering up the energy to remodel (on a teeny budget [read: no money]) the kitchen.

Something like this would do:

Open shelving will force me to reduce the clutter and keep the kitchen clean and free of dust. Plus, it’ll make the tiny space look bigger for a potential home sale.

She’s potty trained, walks well on a leash, knows the important commands and hasn’t destroyed anything in the house.(Chew toys, conststant supervision and a kennel, folks. I can’t stress it enough.)

Suvi’s (Summer in Finn) a pro at retrieving balls (knows to sit after returning the balls) and loves, loves, loves to go for long rides on the bike.

I adopted her for my DH who’s in need of a mountain bike/hiking buddy since  Bodie isn’t up to the challenge anymore. I swore I would never have a puppy,  but Suvi’s ears in her profile picture made me melt. The cinnamon freckles (DH calls them roost stains) and black button nose didn’t hurt either. I’m a sucker for a cute face. Plus, she reminded me of a cattle dog mix I fostered a couple of years ago that I never got over.

Suvi is already showing signs of being a lil ripper. We can’t wait for warm weather to take her mountain biking.

Oh yeah, follow through…

Remember last year when I started the Clean365 project and promised to become a real grown up and try to keep my house clean by cleaning one thing every day for the next year? Then remember when I went to the Armpit of the US Arkansas to spend time with my dying grandmother and the project went out the window? The trip really just expedited the inevitable. I would have given up and quit the Clean365 project in February or March anyways ’cause I just suck at resolutions and follow through.

I’m pretty worthless folks. Don’t be fooled by how I look. I’m a mess.

Anyways. I’m sitting here thinking about how much I suck (thanks Chandelle for your recent post on Chicken Tender to remind me how worthless I am) like I do when there’s so much shit to get done and it’s just so effing overwhelming, and whining to myself (and now you) about this neglected blog, my other neglected blog, the piles of shit I have to sell on ebay, and the 11 months of accumulated dust in my basement, and I’ve decided to give the Clean365 another go.

It may seem silly to post my cleaning projects online but I need the support [read: validation] and I’m sure a few of you can use the encouragement, too. If you’re like me and live an *organic lifestyle, chores don’t always take priority over the fun stuff, like running, bike riding, and napping.

So here’s round two of Clean365 (now clean 355) the 2012 edition. The rules are the same: I clean one thing or take on one small project a day but this time dishes count. Some days that’s the best I can.

What about y’all? Did you accomplish your NYRs?

Untitled from Melanie Franti on Vimeo.

It took more time than I could have anticipated but I think (she says in a high pitched apologetic tone) that it turned out OK.

enjoy!

Haiku from Melanie Franti on Vimeo.

My very first haiku comes with a video. Enjoy!

A group of ladies (I think) have joined forces to talk openly about teh Sex (gasp!)

Franny says:

There is a need in the Latter-day Saint community for a frank place to talk about sex. All of our contributors here are women (for now) and we plan on making this a place for honest talk, without euphemisms or coy double-speak, about having happy, healthy sex lives as Latter-day Saints.

She follows-up with:

Ignorance about our own physicality, our bodies, how they work and what they were made to do, is not chastity. It is not virtue. It’s foolish. And it’s time to get over it. Our sexuality (or lack thereof) is not the responsibility of anyone else. Women are not treasure chests waiting passively for a man to find our magical key and open us- that’s the little girl fairytale. That’s the woman-child wanting someone else to take from her what she secretly desires but fearfully will not claim for herself. It’s time to stop.
So let’s get comfortable with sex. Let’s get comfortable and confident in the amazing things our bodies can (and were meant to) do.

Great stuff! But it gets better.

As the mother of a 17-year-old daughter who has, on many occasions had “the Talk” with the kid, this post was perfect for my soon to be HS grad. I read it to Belle the night it was posted.

I did some time as a Laurel adviser and the way I had to dance around sex/sexuality with sexually active young girls killed me. I was working with young women from 16 to 18 years old that didn’t know the first thing about themselves, what they wanted, or their bodies and it was no surprise, and terribly unfortunate,that many of them became mothers too young (IMO, too young is anything under 25 and young is anything under 27).

The Church may not be in the business of giving anatomy lessons but they are in the business of stressing “purity” before marriage and telling the youth and singles “don’t do it before you’re married. Don’t think about it, don’t talk about it, don’t touch yourself, don’t look at yourself or anyone” etc. etc. etc. The youth and singles are getting the message that sex is bad, dirty, sinful and anything that has to do with the spot below their belly buttons is off-limits. But when they get married it’s OK.

Those lessons are damaging people. They’re damaging relationships.

There are ways to stress what The Church/God wants from its/his people and still not give children the message that their bodies and what’s between their legs is dirty and ugly and something we ought not talk about. I’ve managed to do it by being completely honest with my daughter about her body, her emotions and what goes into a sexual partnership. The good, the bad, and the icky.

I applaud these women for the frank manner in which they are trying to inform women (and men) about their bodies, their partners and their sexuality.

Knowledge is power, they say.

I absolutely agree.

http://ourmotherskeeper.com/2011/04/22/welcome-to-our-mothers-keeper-2/

I’ve also been knee-deep in a research project and two long essays.

Dat’s a lotta time in the chair, folks.