Halloween Clue #3

I wear a six-pence piece on a string around my neck, to remember by. I managed to bore a hole through it, so I could put it on some old string and tuck it into my dress.

Halloween Give Away Clue #1 and 2

I'll be sending a prize to the person who can guess who I'll be on Halloween! I'll do two clues today to kick it off.

First clue, I'm a classic literary character.

Second, I'll be wearing a fancy black dress ( too small, too short), black stockings, and old black leather boots. They're pretty worn out now, though.

Where I've Been

Sometimes.... You just don't feel like writing! This was one of those weeks. I can't wait till this election is over and all the meanness can get off my radar. There are some doozies on our ballot this year, including pot, charter schools, and gay marriage. Nasty, nasty, nasty words being said up here in Washington state! Combine those things with the regular mud-slinging for the governor and land commissioner and treasurer and what have you... I am sick of it all. Tell me your stance, don't lie, and then leave me alone to make my decision!! And, concerned citizens.... You seriously don't need to knock on my door to ask me how I'll vote and then try and guilt me into voting your way. Dinner is burning on the stove, my toddler is trying to escape out this open door, and... I don't even know you!

We had a wonderful week with Grandpa here, the kids adore that man! He was a sweetheart his last night here , he agreed to put the kids to bed for J and I so we could see Tony Lucca downtown. We had an amazing night- I drowned myself in a vat of tonkatsu ramen, we went window shopping on Capitol Hill, and we nabbed some VIP tickets that got us in the door early to meet Tony! And, we got zero pictures. What kind of geeks are we!?

I have to laugh about our music choices over here. I currently have REALLY REALLY sore hands from playing too much TSO on the piano (You know Trans-Siberian Orchestra....right?). On the way to Seattle I had the classical station cranked on either a really terrible alto or a pretty decent countertenor, and was giggling whenever a really witty chord came along.

Today we ran errands. Well, I ran errands and I dragged Ernie along with me. (Disclaimer: She's my little shadow. If I am going anywhere at all, she wants in!). We picked up our produce basket, toured Target, talked with the really helpful man at the tire store (that was sarcastic, but I'm a bit grumpy) , dropped off our library books, stopped for breakfast at a sandwich shop, trekked across the floating bridges to Seattle to pick up my dad's moto gear from a consignment sale at a dealership, and finally came back and cleaned out Costco. (Have you tried the peppermint barked pretzels??? Ugh, so good.)

Cocoa fell asleep on the ottoman (ornament, says Mimi.). Ernie called and invited her cousin over to play. Wonder Daddy and I are chatting about Christmas presents. I have Messiah rehearsal (the first with choir AND orchestra) tonight. Life's just seeming really good right now.

Wire Pumpkin Necklace

It took a couple tries to get to this point. You know, the point it looked like a pumpkin. For the first time, Google and Etsy failed me in an inspiration search. I knew what I wanted, and no one else is making them! Ah well, I can take the road less travelled sometimes I guess :)

Just my favorite copper wire, looped and bent and twirled into something from the u-pick farm. I kind of love it, even knowing that the first time Cocoa grabs it, it will look like a spider (and not the live kind.). Beauty is fleeting!

Co-op and our own school work is done for the day.  My house is tidied, so that when our (blessed) cleaning lady comes, she can actually see the counters and floors.  Most of them.  We had a huge purge in the spring to get rid of everything we didn't need, and I'm doing another (slower) one right now.  I think the kids should have just as many clothes and toys as I am willing to take care of.  Am I right?  They're still learning to do tasks on their own, and when we work together cleaning...well, I'm a lot more efficient.  I don't have to play Cinderella every time, like some girls I know.  They take turns being Cinderella (the one doing all the work) and the sisters (the one sitting on the couch and being bossy.) 

 In a little bit I'm headed up to my sister's house to pick up 22 pounds of fish I ordered from a dock sale. (We averaged about $2/lb for coho, crab cakes, and cooked mussels.  Not bad at all!)  After that, my husband's dad is in town, so if you need us, we'll be hanging out with Grandpa :)  

Candy Necklace (And contest results)

Doesn't this look like candy? Yum! It must be Halloween season.

I think I am on a stash-busting kick- I've marked down the prices on everything in my shop, and I'm working on new designs to move through my piles of beads! Beads like this are too pretty to be left in a box, yeah?

I made a necklace. You like? I like very much! I think I have just enough materials left to make another. Or I could make two bracelets, or some matching earrings?   I can't decide.  The big beads are glass, shot through with rods of colored glass.  The little green beads are stone.  The whole necklace is made up of 20 individually strung pieces of wire, linked together.  It's longer than I normally do necklaces, but for this kind of chunky weightiness, it works!

My little "Guess what Mimi is saying" contest is over...and no one won :(  Aw sad!  Even sadder, only two people had guesses!  But cheer up, I'll have more contests.  The next one is easier.  You don't have to be a sleepy mom, who has stewed in baby babble for 7 1/2 years.  (I swear, I used to have a REALLY high IQ.  Straight A's in high school, honors classes.  Started college when I was 16.  Now, I can't remember why I opened the fridge door.)  

Want this answer to what Mimi was saying?  OK, watch this.

"Mom, you've got to get a new friendship!  Because people are going to SPY in the 'quarium!"

(You should know, when I asked her to clarify, she held her hands up to her eyes in the most adorable "binoculars" you've ever seen.  Just to make sure I understood what she was saying.)  

Ready?  OK, what could I have at an aquarium that I'd need a new one?  My MEMBERSHIP.  I need a new membership to the aquarium.  Why?  What do memberships do?  They EXPIRE. 

See what she did there?  Because she didn't know either word, and just subbed in words...she....no?  Watch for the next contest!  

Filigree Flower Earrings

I have found a place I can work, while the kids are awake! My bed is so tall, and so wide. none of those short little arms and legs could ever reach me. Mwahaha.

Ahem.

I have some resin flowers and filigree settings left over from my recent bridal project. I can't decide if the dangles are too much or not. I showed them to my husband, his only response was a placating "They're very large, honey." But then... Sometimes you have to go big or go home!  The filigree portion is about an inch across, so these are about 2 inches long without taking into account the earrings.

I am going to make up a few more colors of these and put them in the shop- I'll let you know when. So much fun!

Guess what Mimi is saying, win a necklace!

"Mom, you've got to get a new friendship!  Because people are going to SPY in the 'quarium!"

Seriously.  What did she hear me say on the phone?  Can you translate the whole thing?  E-mail your answers to madebymyrnie@gmail.com, I'll choose someone on Wednesday to get a pretty little necklace in the mail!

I Took My Shower Alone Today

Perhaps Cocoa is not ready to be unsupervised? So long as Ernie leaves her dry erase marker on the table?

The Salmon Have Returned

Our little town hosts a fish hatchery- every year the salmon return home to spawn.  The eggs and sperm are harvested the mixed, the fish are sent to either the food bank or the cat food plant.  Once the eggs hatch, the fish are kept in large tanks, and then they're released into the stream that runs next to the hatchery.  The fish travel through streams, lakes, and two rivers to finally make it to the Pacific Ocean.  When it's time for them to die, then travel the long journey UPSTREAM to where they were hatched to repeat the process.  (These are the same fellows that run through Alaska, that fishermen and fish-eaters love so much.)

My nephew was pretty impressed looking at the tank full of hundreds of 8-inch rainbow trout (another fish that the hatchery keeps.  The rainbow trout are put directly into ponds and lakes, to stock them for fishing season.)



Looking into the creek, with all the salmon that have returned.  A small dam was built here to stop the fish from going any further upstream, and a gate to the right opens periodically to allow them enter the fish ladder.









Here's the fish ladder- they allow a few fish in at a time, and they continue to fight their way upstream, jumping each level to the next.




A little daunted at taking five children out, ON MY OWN (my sister was busy,) everyone chose hand-holding buddies, to prevent any sprinters.  Then, I assigned everyone numbers.  When I yelled "Count off!" you better believe they ran together and bellowed their assigned numbers, IN ORDER.  Military precision, that's how we take kids out in public.


This was the third part of our Adventure Day.  After this, we all piled back to Aunt LoLo's house for dinner. Wonder Daddy, and two of my very good friends, joined us.  Us big girls stayed to chat a bit and drink steamed milks, while Wonder Daddy took our kids home for bed.  Can I brag and say that my (unmarried) friends had stars in their eyes when Wonder Daddy kissed me goodbye, and took all three kids out to the car to take them home and put them to bed?  They didn't know such men existed outside of fairy tales.)

Adventure Days

One day a week we have Adventure Day.  I don't tell the kids much about where we're going, and they get to practice the very important skills of being happy with what they get, and allowing things to be OUTSIDE OF THEIR CONTROL.  So far, it's working wonders.

We have a new mantra for Adventure Days, too.  "We'll see what we see, and do what we do, and take care of four people."  I chant it at them (and they join in) whenever someone pipes up and asks for something extra.  You know, things like we're on our way to the park, and they ask if we're stopping for ice cream along the way.  We can't POSSIBLY fit every good thing into our schedule, and we can't POSSIBLY do every single thing available at wherever we go, and we can't POSSIBLY make each individual perfectly happy every single moment.  So, we'll see what we see.  We'll do what we do.  And, we'll take care of four people.  And everyone enjoys it!

For an adventure day this week, the kids and I took off to a local park.  It was absolutely empty, except for old people walking dogs.  Ernie was confused- where were all the kids?  Well honey, they're in school.

After tramping around the park, we picked up my niece and nephew.  We hit the library first, I helped my niece and nephew pick out books to read.  My nephew got titles like Motorcycles, Tow Trucks, Submarines, TOOLS (yeah, it was all caps,) Race Cars, etc.  My niece chose ones like Too Purpley, and Max and Ruby Try on Clothes.  (Not really, but that's the gist.)  Haha- I think it's been at least 8 months since they set foot in a library, their Mom has been sick (and neither of them read.)  They were completely floored.  We can pick out any books we like?  And we can find books to suit....anything we like?  OH WOW!  I LOVE THE LIBWAWY, AUNT MYNIE!

(You didn't think I made up the name Myrnie, did you?  No, no.  It's what children call me, starting with my youngest sister.  My real name is just too hard to say.  Of course, my next youngest brother said it just fine...he simply never meant it.  He'd fall and hurt himself, and cry out for me....when I appeared, he'd sob out "No!  I meant the OTHER Myrnie!"  The trials of twins :)

Sunny Afternoon at the Park

"I wonder why the park is so empty, Mom?"

"Well, honey.  All the other kids are in school."

Happy to get a few last days of afternoon sunshine!

(And...who told Ernie she could get so big?  Suddenly my dumpling baby has turned into Betty Spaghetti.)

Beaded Name Necklaces now in the shop!

A little something new in the shop- my daughters, especially Mimi, LOVE anything with their name on it.  Oh, and necklaces.  They love necklaces.  (I sometimes have to peel upwards of 10 necklaces off Mimi before she gets in bed.  That's our rule, no necklaces in bed.)  I'll be making these, custom-made.  This sweet little necklace is already spoken for!

Wouldn't these be fun with a favorite word?  I've been searching for mantra this year.  I think when I find it, I'll be wearing it around my neck.

You can find the listing here in my shop!

Cocoa's Face

I honestly don't remember taking these pictures, but Enjoy.  I sure did.

(All done, Mom!  That's his all-done sign.)















(Mimi enjoying...whatever that was....)

















Not tired.  Nope.  

Remlinger Farm

There's a local farm that puts on seasonal carnivals- our home school co-op organized a group event (that got us in for half price!)  It was amazing- it gets pretty crowded later in the month, with about 600 kids on average during a week day.  We had barely 100 kids running around the park.  There was one bus load of kids, plus a handful of moms.  At 12:30 everyone but us went to lunch, literally....the girls had a hey-dey running from ride to ride!  The woman running the carousel was a darling, and let the girls ride for 20 minutes straight while we chatted.  Even with the other kids there, there was never a line for any of the rides.  Along with the carnival rides there was a hay maze, a real steam engine (the engineer showed the girls the wickedly roaring fire behind the iron door in the engine- they were stunned!), a puppet show/sing-along, lots of animals to see, and we all got to pick out a pumpkin to take home.

I know there are so many wildfires going on in our state right now, on the dry side of the mountains, but I'm loving with warm and dry Fall.