Today's Tuesday's Tribute is to Brooklyn in Bloom. Nothing lifts my spirit much more than the trees finally turning green. Bye bye winter!

This beauty of a tree is in my backyard. Gorgeous, isn't it?

Its been warm enough to enjoy the playground.

My block is showing signs of green.



Hubby's mini pot garden is starting to grow.



The green, the pinks, the extra light at night, and some warmth have improved my mood so much. Yay Spring!

Keeping it Light

Thanks for the support guys. My mom is being as light-hearted as she can be and wants us to do the same. So I'm going to make an effort to be as normal as possible until we learn more. So...onto my weekend update.

There is a local church that has a small, schoolyard carnival every year. This one has been around long enough that I remember my dad taking me when I was little. The only difference is that there was no Ferris wheel this year.



Pi is a little daredevil. I mean, the kid is totally nuts! She'll go on any ride, no matter how crazy it looks.



Umm, yeah, that's my kid in that upside down swingy ride. Hubby took a video of it and all you can hear in the background is me screaming Oh my! and My Piper!



On the crafty front, I decided to try a smock top for Pi. Its really just a large rectangle and straps. I had a lot of trouble with the band and decided to scrap it. Lazy, I guess. :) I made the bottom long enough that the missing band didn't make much of a difference.



I top stitched with a decorative stitch just to try something new. At least I hope that's meant to be a decorative stitch.

No outfit is complete without a matching headband.

My sewing skills are getting a little better, though I'm still very much a newbie. I'm really enjoying it.

I realized that I have a baby shower to go to next week for my cousin Steven and his g/f and, slacker that I am, haven't made a thing yet. Time to break out some fleece and make a crochet edging on it. Here's hoping I can get it done.

Prayers Please

I found out today that my mom was diagnosed with a large tumor on her uterus. Her doctor says its so large that it is like she's 4-5 months pregnant. She'll be undergoing tests and then will schedule surgery to remove it. We're praying that the tumor is benign.

She's telling us not to worry, but that's nearly impossible. Please keep her in your prayers....her name is Lydia.

Making Closet Space

A few weeks ago, Pi had ordered 2 fleece jackets for her American Girls from a seller on Etsy with her allowance money. She's only 8 and already buying handmade. *sniff*

I digress. The seller was nice enough to send general instructions on how to make a closet for your doll clothing along with 2 wire hangers (I soooo want to make a Mommy Dearest joke here, haha). We needed an empty copy paper box, a washer, screws, and a wooden dowel.


The guy who is in charge of recycling boxes at work was nice enough to let me have one the day before I went on vacation. One less box for him to recycle. We headed off to Lowes for the rest. While walking around Lowes, Hubby thought that using furniture gliders would be a safer choice than the screws and washer, so we went with that. It was cheaper too, which is also a plus.




Rather than using paint, we figured spray paint would be faster and cover the design on the box better. We sliced up a recycling bag to protect the concrete in the backyard and we're all ready to go.



Giving the kid a can of spray paint induced some panic in me. Hubby supervised her though, and she was fine. If you start to see random tags of
"Da Pi" start to pop up, I apologize in advance for giving her her first can of spray paint ever.



We let the box dry overnight, then made holes in the sides, popped the dowel in and hubby hammered in the furniture gliders. I think they look better than the screws and washers.



I told Pi she could cover the bottom of the box with some scrap fabric to make it look more like a closet. She tackled it herself with craft glue.




Tada! For less than 10 bucks, she's got herself a closet that she loves. Half of that 10 bucks was for the spray paint, so if you already have craft paint at home, you can do this for about 5 bucks.




Now I've just got to figure out how to make more wire hangers.

Tuesday's Tribute

Today's Tuesday's Tribute is generally to all parents that have lost a child. I can't imagine the pain and incredible loss they must feel.

Today's tribute is specifically to my cousin, who gave birth prematurely to a baby boy last week. His name was Matthew and he lived 3 hours before going home to be with God. We attended the funeral yesterday and my cousin was an amazing example of strength and faith, even with this heartache. She doesn't blame God and though she is devastated, she trusts in His plan. I only hope I can show the same faith and strength in trying times.

Hug your kids a little extra tight tonight.

Was that smoke?

Friday, our little family headed down to Philly to celebrate Hubby's birthday. My MIL is there and she was excited that we were driving down. I borrowed my mom's little Hyundai to get there.

MIL bought a black forest cake, but we still haven't opened it. The night before I made caramel brownies and banana bread and everyone devoured those instead. I'm sure I'll get around to the cake.



We went to a diner type place called Nifty Fifties. They've got great cheese fries.



Pi was given a cook's hat, which she immediately decorated to say that she was a cook. Hello Captain Obvious! :)



The milkshakes there are pretty awesome too. There are at least 30 flavors to choose from.

Before leaving, we stopped at a store across from Nifty Fifties that was having a sale on fabric. Pi was really into grabbing bolts to show them to me. So much so that she swung one around and nearly hit a woman in the head. Oops.

I bought some cotton for $2 a yard and some other fabric with no label on it. Its shiny, so I'm guessing a ploy blend? It was dirt cheap, so I figure I can experiment with it. That pink bundle on the top was called a short bundle. I have no idea what that means but it was 50c, so I got one anyway.

On our way to the Tacony bridge, Hubby noticed some smoke coming from the hood and I smelled something burning. We pulled over to check under the hood, but everything seemed to be ok. I was a bit panicked because my mom LOVES her car. I mean, loves it like a 5th child. Its name is Adam and she's crazy protective over it. So if something went wrong, oh man, would I be in trouble. We decided to try going home..what else could we do? We drove carefully (if you know the Jersey Turnpike, you can give a big HA here) and thankfully we made it back. Whew! I told mom about the problem, but she didn't seem too concerned. Disaster averted.

Anyway, back to the fun stuff.

If you're paying close attention, you'll see I'm wearing a white and red paisley purse in the picture of us in the fabric shop. After the too small blue Buttercup purse I made last week, I tried again on Wednesday. This fabric was leftover lining I had from last year. It was a remnant at the fabric store and the woman had given it to me for insanely cheap because she wanted it out of the way.

A double pocket for my cell phone and metrocard. There are mistakes in this one too, but a lot less than the first one. I'm really please with the way it turned out.



I made a matching travel tissue holder to go with it. Hubby and Pi say that this is IT, the last straw, the sign that signals that I have become an old lady.

Well, if I'm old, then Pi is right there with me. She asked me to make her a matching purse, since there is a lot of this fabric left over.

Vacation is exhausting

The last few days have been so busy, that I'm soooo tired. On Monday, we took the kid to the dentist and bribed her with a matinee movie afterwards if there were no tears or whining. Tuesday, we finished our spring cleaning.

On Wednesday, we were supposed to go to the Brooklyn Children's Museum, but we were running too late and decided to scrap it. Instead, we sang Happy Birthday to Inky Binky.



Then went to the a batting cage that is close to my parents house. Balls being thrown at my face isn't my idea of fun, so we stuck to the arcade.



There was a full basketball court too.



Pi kicked my butt at ice hockey over and over and over. She's tough.



I did a little better with this motorcycle racing thing.



On Thursday, we went to the Statute of Liberty. I'm a bad mom and hadn't taken Pi to see it yet. I was shocked to see how long the line to get tickets was. It took us an hour and a half to buy tickets and board the ferry.


This is my "are we there yet?" face.

Pi LOVED the ferry!


We weren't able to climb into her feet. All the passes for that day had already been given out. We're going to try again in the summer after the crown is re-opened.



Click to read why the Statue is green.



Cheese faces!



Bye Statue of Liberty! See you in the summer!

On an unrelated note, a small giveaway! Pi and I found all these earrings when we were spring cleaning. They were given to her as gifts, but unfortunately, she's allergic to costume earrings. If you've got a little girl that would like them, just leave me a comment and I'll mail them to you next week. The first person to ask for them will get them.

Today's is Hubby's birthday and we are off to Philadelphia for the day to celebrate. Happy Friday peeps!

Happy Birthday Inky Binky!

I just want to wish a very Happy 21st Birthday to my little sister!

Inky Binky and I in 1993.

Now that you're 21, I really feel old! Love ya kiddo!

Tuesday's Tribute

Yet Another Jay and Deb Production.

Today's Tuesdays Tribute topic came just at the perfect time. If you're pissed off at someone, today is the day to get it off your chest. Now that I can complain again (heehee). its on!

I want to tribute my slum---err landlords.

If anyone has been reading my blog for awhile, they'll remember that I was enrolled in the Mickey of the Mouse club against my will. Basically, since we've moved into this crappy apartment, we've caught approximately one mouse a month. Gross and nasty.

We mentioned the problem to the landlord who calmly explained how "a few" mice were normal in winter and not to get too bent out of shape. That was fine and dandy until spring and summer when our Monthly membership was upgraded for free. We started catching 2 mice a month, then 3, then it got to the point where we've been averaging 3 mice a week. Oh yeah, I said a WEEK. *insert gagging here*

We complained with no response. After more of the same, we complained again. This time, the landlord came and supposedly plugged up holes that he "found." We were hoping that the problem would be better, but no. This week alone has seen the death of 3 more mice. Its only Tuesday.

I called again and was not nice. Lucky landlord is in Puerto Rico on vacation and can't get here until next week. He had the nerve to say that he doesn't know what more he can do. Ummm, you haven't done ANYTHING, so what are you talking about? Ass.

Well, if he can't figure out what "more" he can do, then I won't be able to do anything either, when May's rent check suddenly disappears.

Hate this place. We're saving to move, but its going to awhile before we have enough. I should submit a bill for all the bleach wipes I've been buying to disinfect everything.

A Buttercup Easter

Hope you all had a nice Easter! Or Passover, if you happen to roll like Piper's paternal family.

Since I'm off, we decided to hit spring cleaning hard. We cleaned out and donated Pi's outgrown clothes and toys. Her playroom is so sparkly clean, I'm tempted to ban her from ever playing in there again to keep it that way. That one room took HOURS. It was painful.

I cleaned out my closets and hubby worked magic in the kitchen and bathroom. The only room we still need to finish is Pi's bedroom, but that shouldn't take very long since the majority of her toys are in her playroom.

We took a break to dye Easter eggs. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get a pic of them all together before they were dropped, cracked, and/or eaten.



Pi taught me a neat trick that I'd never learned. If you write on a clean egg with crayon and then dip it in dye, the design stays on the egg because the wax from the crayon prevents the dye from sticking to that spot.


She wasn't really this surly.

The Easter Bunny paid a visit and left a giant chocolate bunny that I'm sure my little sweet Pi will share with her mother.



We dressed up for early afternoon Mass.



Then, after a huge Easter dinner, hubby distracted Pi by playing the Wii with her, so I could get some crafting time in. I tried the Buttercup Bag, which has been all the rage over at Craftster.

Not too shabby for my first try. Its got a ton of mistakes, but I was able to follow the pattern and actually understand it. I used a fat quarter I'd bought over a year ago, thinking it would be a good lining for a crochet purse.



I learned some new skills, like working with fusible interfacing (don't tell hubby about the glue on the iron, oops), sewing in magnetic snaps, and pleats. This bag is on the small side...just the right size for keys, a cell phone, and a wallet. I'm a big purse kinda girl, so I'm going to increase the size to 125% as suggested on Craftster and try again.

Pi fell in love with this one and begged for it. Since its small and so is she, I let her have it. :)



Last week, after biggest loser was over, Kristina asked for a before and after picture. I wouldn't exactly call this an after picture. Its more of an in=progress picture. On the left is a picture from last spring and I weighed about 205 pounds. The picture on the right is from this morning, weighing 184 pounds. The biggest difference is in my face, I think. I still have a lot to go, but I feel better overall.



After last night's dinner, I'm headed back to the left picture. But it was SO worth it.

Happy Monday peeps!

Happy Easter

He is Risen! Alleluia!



Happy Easter friends!