found him

last week, i unveiled a thrift store find that had been packed away in the closet for the past 18 months or so: a simple little raggedy ann get-up with a pinafore-type top and white bloomers. prior to this, anna had never heard of raggedy ann and andy. within minutes, she WAS raggedy ann and wore this costume to prove it for the next 3 days. i pulled out a few old books and over the course of a week or so, we read story by story. i told her about the old raggedy andy doll i used to play with and asked my mom to look for him. she looked but said he wasn't there. so today we went for a visit and i retraced her steps and did my own looking. i was sure i'd seen him in the past 5 years. i went out to The Barn, which isn't really a proper barn, just a building which used to house my grandfather's gem shop but now is the holding area for cast-offs from about 8 various individuals. there are so many treasures out there that often my favorite birthday and christmas presents come from The Barn. i often spend lots of time out there during my visits home, sorting through our old toys, picking out things of mine that are now ready to be passed on, and wondering why in the world my parents have saved So Much Stuff. (and then realizing from where that habit of mine comes.) the thing that gets me is their stuff is orderly. they take care when they save their junk. a beat up old beach raft that is sure to be disentegrating is stored in its original box. a cheap, dirty fish acquarium still has some accessories stored inside and just a little bit of fish food that we didn't use up before Big Eyes jumped out and landed behind the buffet in the dining room. broken space heaters have their cords neatly wound up and old mattresses are stacked according to size. i'm at a point in my life where useless belongings make me feel sorta sick. they overwhelm me. even though all this stuff behind my parents house is miles away from me, i found myself making plans to get out there with boxes and bags this summer and head towards the thrift store. (but why would that be any easier than tackling my own attic?)

but back to the search. i escaped The Barn and went back inside to my old closet and ignored my mom's reminder that she'd already looked there. i was too hasty to drag in a chair so i reached up to the highest shelves, straining every muscle in my neck and shoulders, meanwhile trying to keep a 7 month old occupied at my feet, and i brushed past many a cabbage patch kid until i finally saw him, sitting upright with a big smile on his worn, cotton face. after looking him over, i quickly found a good place for him to hide until anna came home from visiting great-grandmother next door and we played the hot-cold game until she found discovered him. then it was her turn to look him over and compare him to the pictures in the book as i made my own comparisons. i couldn't help but to think of the bit in Johnny Gruelle's description of "How Raggedy Andy Came" where "Daddy" receives a nice, soft lumpy package and opens it to find Raggey Andy "with his soft, loppy legs folded over his soft, loppy arms." And how once he propped Raggedy Ann and Raggedy Andy up to face eachother, they just sat there and smiled at each other. And "Yes! There was lump in Raggedy Ann's throat, and there was a lump in Raggedy Andy's throat. A cotton lump, to be sure, but a lump nevertheless."

forecast

The weather forecast for Sunday is "Abundant Sunshine." Good golly I need Sunday to come quickly.

renewed love of ebay

It seems like the few times that I've bought anything on ebay in the past year, I've been a little disappointed. There hasn't been anything horribly wrong with the items I've won but it's just that once I receive the item, I think, 'Would I have really bought this if I'd seen it in person?' The color might be a little off, the scent a little smokey. And whatever it was I bought must have been quite unremarkable because I can't even recall what it was. But a day or two ago I received a package. I'd forgotten all about my rather impulsive decision to buy a set of two more Flicka Ricka Dicka books for Anna (have I convinced you yet that my memory is still suffering in these days of a new baby?). I've so enjoyed reading 'Flicka Ricka Dicka Bake a Cake' that I had to have more. I'd been a little skeptical because I got these particular books at a great price, far below what others were selling for. It turned out that they were in very good shape and what's more, the seller decided to throw in an extra book. For free. As a thank-you for my purchase. And look what it was! I love this book and couldn't wait to tell my mom. We have an old, old copy of it at her house that sits on the shelf in a special spot for old classics. I've never been so motivated to leave feedback for a seller on ebay. Thank you, Mr. Ebay Bookseller Man.

snacks for my helper

Good grief. I know I've said it before, but it's amazing how many times I think about posting something, even upload a photo and then wonder later why I never completed it. Then I remember that despite how many times I sit down next to the computer, I'm usually holding a baby at the same time, so my hands aren't free for typing. (Forgive me if I've just typed these same words a few posts ago...I don't want to take the time to look back. I have about 40 minutes until Anna's Pooh CD is over and then her rest time may be over as well. So on to the present...).
What my house needs more than anything is the loving touch of one of those people who love to organize. If I have a system down, then I'm all about organization. And in my heart of hearts, I would be known as someone who is good at it. But I never seem to get started in the right way and so I find that keeping things tidy is very difficult. I just don't have enough little homes for all the toys, papers, and odds and ends that multiply over night. But there may be hope in sight! My three year old seems to have a talent for organization. Not always. But a couple of weeks ago, she decided to rearrange all the bathroom related items that live in a little rolling cart beneath our sink. She sorted all the bottles by size and set them upright, grouped all the hair care products, stacked the soaps, refolded the washcloths, and found a cup to store the combs and brushes. I was very surprised. And pleased. Then a few nights ago she decided to clean out my closet where all my shoes lie in jumbles, mismatched and messy on the floor. She pulled them all out, took out a little rug and shook it out in the laundry room (didn't quite make it to the back door where I usually shake out the rugs), and then set to work pairing all my shoes and putting them neatly back in the closet. When that was done, she didn't want to stop. She tackled a pile of 'semi-dirty but maybe I could wear them one more time' clothes of Daddy's and took them, article by article, in to where he was working and asked if they were clean or dirty. Dirty ones she tossed in the hamper. Clean ones she found hangers for. Since she couldn't reach the bar in the closet, she found somewhere else to hang each shirt, five or six in all. So that evening, there were shirts hanging on every doorknob in the hallway and back bedrooms. I decided to leave them there for the night; it was a sweet reminder of her hard work.

Presently, I'm trying to decide on a gift to make my sister-in-law for her birthday. It needs to be something simple and and fairly quick but I'd like to try something I haven't made before. Maybe it's time to pull out a 7 inch zipper and try a zip pouch. Any other suggestions?

favorites

it doesn't get much more romantic than a good handshake.

the bad kind of red

i'm seeing lots of red today. no, not the red of heart-shaped balloons or velvety boxes of chocolates (although i've seen my share of those too), but the red that's all over a load of laundry thanks to a red crayon that i discovered AFTER the clothes were dried. bother. i was really hoping for an impromptu project like this to come along and take precedence over the things i want to be doing in my little spare time. after internet research, a trip to the store and money spent on the recommended magical potions, i washed the load of clothes (thankfully mostly pajamas and socks---when do i ever do a load of just pajamas and socks??) in a solution of liquid detergent, oxi-clean, white vinegar, and shout. i had very little faith, despite all the goo-goo gaa-gaaing there was about the effectiveness of this particular concoction. but i am happy to report that it actually did work. a bit. there was no rhyme or reason to how it worked, though. few items were totally free of any red waxy spots. but other items looked unchanged.

i wanted to post a picture of my favorite valentine's card but i'm having technical difficulties so instead, i'll share a picture of a cake that we baked for m. a year or two ago. doesn't look so tasty, but we added the frosting after he'd read the message.

maybe i'll have a post-valentine's post tomorrow.

backtracking

okay, i need a little inspiration--something other than just looking at other people's workspaces and then coveting something that just can't be. so i'm going back to these photos of my studio when we first moved my press and type in there about three years ago. prior to that, i had worked in our spare bedroom. but once the first baby came along, we decided that maybe 'letterpress' wasn't such a hot theme for a nursery. however, we didn't actually get everything moved out until a. was 9 months old. that was when m. finished putting up the incredible salvaged bead board all over every inch of every wall in t my studio in the new gigantic building in our backyard. to this day, a's room still carries remnants of its old days: splattered type wash on the one-day-to-be-repainted walls, a foreboding crack in the drywall probably due to the weight oall the lead type... but back to the studio. there is so much potential here and i really really hope that springtime will bring some fresh starts. my christmas wish came true and i was surprised a great deal of cleanliness (thank you husband). now on to tackling some lighting issues in order to make it a little sunnier in there. and more inviting at night, since that is the most likely time for me to get some work done.

six months

despite the early teeth, he's still constantly searching for something to chew on.

on the agenda: i am overdue for a trip to the fabric shop. i haven't been able to work on anna's apron because all of my best fabric scraps are too small. but in order to shop efficiently, i know i must have concrete ideas before i go.

i'm working on several house projects involving clearing out cabinets, moving furniture, and making space. hopefully once some of those things are completed i will feel less cramped and more inspired.