non sequiturs.

Thanks for the bonnet pattern love! We are moving kid speed around here, but all of them will go very soon.

I made these green cords for Sadie. She is tall, much taller than the average almost 5 year old. The heart knee patches are for her now, 4 almost 5. . .it's crazy that we have an almost 5 year old. She seems so old sometimes, but most of the time not. She started reading last week. It freaked us out so much, we starting crying. She kept at it for over an hour, right before bed and she couldn't sleep all night. We haven't brought it up to her since, just trying to play it cool. She needs no pressure and I hate to have her perform for anyone, but man, oh man, it was so cool to experience that with her. I am so happy we were both right there when she started. It's like watching someone do a Rubik's cube. . .incredible. It was a game for her. She said she wanted to go to "reading class" and then, after establishing that she was "Lucy" and I was the teacher "Clara" she just went for it, slowly but surely.

Here are some car pillows. As requested by both girls. The yellow fabric is from superbuzzy, the others from my stash, I am 99.9% sure from Cia's fine shop.

It's been a rough few days. Lots of adjustments with family life, my work, and the 3 girls. I'm not sleep deprived, but my brain is soft. Very soft. I get so frustrated when I make mistakes and have a paper trail (or e-mail trail) to prove it. God, my e-mails to friends lately have been seriously impaired. And that's even after I proof-read.

I have been trippin' because I read somewhere recently that the baby on Nirvana's Nevermind album cover is 17 years old! Good god can that be right?? Okay, really, this freaked me out so much. That album came out and was on heavy rotation when we got our very first place. I lived with my now husband and a good friend, and I remember it so well. It was our second year of college and we had our first real kitchen, and our first real parties, and I was thrilled to do so many things for the first time--like buy a cool shower curtain.

Fall gets me excited for needlework and I have been really itching to try a blackwork project and bought a lovely book about it I will post about soon because it's so amazing. I was reading up on the history of black work, and thank god for The Tudors on Showtime (Grammie has Tivo) because I knew all about the main players involved. That hottie Jonathan Rhys Meyers makes it pretty easy to stay focused on the show too--but where is the naked? Not enough for my taste, I mean come on! And I shouldn't be writing any of this because my husband is a total hottie too, but you know what I mean. So, I do like Johnathan, but Clive Owen, not so much. Weird huh? Because they look sort of alike. Sort of. But Clive does look hot here, I will say that.

Comments

[Anina]

Wait until you have a 14-year old who will be driving in just a couple of months. That's enough to make you book your room in the retirement home.

[Sonja]

Jonathan Rhys Meyers? Can I just say... Bend it like Beckham?!! *sigh*

[Junie Moon]

How exciting that Sadie is embracing reading! Car pillows are a great idea for children. I look forward to seeing what you're doing with blackwork. I like working now and then with projects like that: blackwork, bluework, and my favorite redwork.

[natascha]

Oh! Reading? That must be very exciting!
And I can't belive that the baby from the Nirvana cover is 17 years old!! Oh! I'm feeling old!
I'm very impressed with the hot picture from Clive Owen........

[Melissa T]

I hear you on the mushy brain syndrome. I've felt that too lately. I like the pants, very sweet.

[Mary]

Congrats on your new reader! What a big milestone. And I know what you mean about "soft" -- I have days where I repeat myself so many times to the kids and Honey that they suggest a nap.

[Mama Urchin]

Okay, so I love the pants, love the pillows, LOVE the reading - way to go Sadie - but the Tudors. We watched it and I agree about the nakedness, my husband says the first episode was a big tease and he wants more naked people. Okay, that makes us sound like people of questionable morals but it's showtime, they can do it.

[hannah]

i had all these important things to say and then i clicked on that clive owen picture. good.lord.the.hotness.

[Lisa/milkshake]

I wanted to comment on all the things you talked about in your post, but can't get past the fact that I'm so stinkin old! We must be the same age, because I was also in my sophomore year of college 17 years ago (how can that be true?!).

My husband was just teaching my 3-yr-old daughter how to sing "grandma take me home."

[Sara]

I can't believe that baby on the Nivana album cover is 17! WOW!
I wasn't big into the whole grudge music scene at the time, but I grew up in the Puget Sound area and I grew to appreciate the music.

I bought your bonnet pattern. I can't wait to try it. You came out with it just in time. My three old wants to be Red Riding Hood for Halloween.

[Nancy]

love this post amy
that's so amazing about Sadie reading. it's such an exciting time.
the pants are very sweet

[Lisa Clarke]

It's so amazing when your little people start to read, isn't it? It opens up whole new worlds! My 7-year-old son reads to my 4-year-old son and it's just the sweetest thing ever to see them cuddling together in the papasan sharing a book.

[Amy Curran]

Time goes so fast. I love the story about Sadie reading....so sweet.

[Chris Howard]

I was disappointed at the lack of naked too! A friend of mine told me that Jonathan Rhys Meyers ALWAYS strips, but sadly all you ever get to see is his tushie. I love my totally hot husband too, but a girl likes to have eye candy once in awhile.

[Nikki Gamon]

Ohmigosh, I went to the UW game this weekend and the Husky band played Nirvana and Pearl Jam at half time. I felt so old! How could the marching band play the music that I listened to when I was in college?!?

[suesue]

although my youngest(of 4) is now 17, i still remember when each of them learned to read. it seemed like a small miracle and still amazes me!

[Wendy]

Love this post!

And congratulations on the reading. Good for you for not pushing it.

[bethgem]

Probably everyone knows this but just in case I want to point out that in Amelie they have the video of the waterbabies? That's where that pic on the cover of Nevermind comes from. I love that clip I could watch it over and over.

[Beth]

Watching your children learn to read is amazing, and it is just as amazing with your subsequent children as it is with the first. I could not believe I was still so thrilled and amazed when my third and youngest learned to read. Now I have an oldest in high school, and my brain is not so much mushy as it is just hard to focus when the kids are around.

[molly]

love the car pillows. I rode around with a body pillow in the back of my car for a few weeks, until I finally got around to returning it, and my five year-old pretty much took it over. I probably returned it with some drool stains, I'm sure.

i love the idea of some nice (smaller), go ahead and drool on them-car pillows.

[Carrie]

Oh goodness. I don't think I've ever commented here. . just lurked. I had to today. Wow, the Nirvana baby is 17. That just about flipped my lid. It seems like I was just in my senior year in high school in Seattle, listening to grunge, wearing flannel with concert t-shirts layered underneath and jeans with big *ss holes in the knees. How did we get so. . .well, so 17 years older? How can I say, with confidence, that I've known so and so for 20 years? or 30? Dang.

[Anna]

Love the numbers idea for the knee patches. My two year old is constantly asking how old so-and-so is going to be on their birthday!

And congrats on your new reader! Sounds like she inherited the sleepless excitement. (A future crafter, no doubt.)

[Amber]

Yer crackin me up.

The reading is awesome and it's awesome that you knew it. My mother didn't actually believe that I could read for weeks, maybe even months. She just thought I had memorized my favorite books, but she picked me up from a friend's birthday party once where I had stood up and read aloud all the flowery cards with the long, rhyming sentiments, because the birthday girl was frustrated with all the things she couldn't read. Her mom told my mom, who then tested me and then kept at it for the rest of the week because she just couldn't believe it.

[Lesley]

Wow, she's doing so well with her reading - no wonder she couldn't sleep. Thanks so much for the Nirvana thing - I think I need a lie down in a darkened room :p

[Anna]

My friend and fellow photographer, Kirk Weddle, shot that Nirvana cover w/ the swimming baby.
http://www.kirkweddle.com/

[Squid37]

17 Years old! Insane!!!!

[Helena Brearley]

You are so funny, I am so glad I came across your blog, it's really a good break from the baby crazies here in my house too.

[stuffed]

I'm also considering blackwork. And, congrats on the little reader. :0)

[emilyruth]

that nirvavna baby thing is tripping me out...so cool about your girlie reading...can you believe how much the world has opened up for her? amazing!...love this post...funny funny lady...must be the soft brain:)

[Hadley]

Checking your blog is part of my morning computer ritual (you know... check the e-mail, read a favorite comic, visit angrychicken...), but I've never commented before.

I just have to tell you congratulations today, though. You must be so proud of your daughter! I teach youngsters at a women's shelter, and have a lot of materials on fostering reading habits in children that age, if you're interested in what folks are suggesting these days in academia. We all know that mother knows best, though; better than those academics.

Also, about that soft brain thing, NPR had a segment about mothers with that specific complaint recently. A visiting expert had a lot to say about it, mainly that they were under more exhausted than they realized, but that it was not indicative of some greater problem. I'm sure you could find it if you searched NPR's website.

All the best!

[rebecca]

Ok am loving the blackwork embroidery info, please post about book soon!!

[Angela]

I still can't believe mine is 2 -- I have no idea how bizzare it will be to me when she is almost 5. As for the "time warp" thing -- um, I'm just a bit older than you are -- and the first time I heard Guns 'n Roses on a classic radio station, I just about flipped!

[Anna]

Hi, I'm sure I remember seeing an article on your blog in which you showed how to make those trousers but i can't find it, do you have a link to it? Thanks :)

[oopsie]

Good God ... you got me clicking on hottie links. Such a bad influence you are ;)

[bethgem]

Oh is that so, Anna? I guess they just look really similar. Thanks for the correct...

[Scribbles & Bits]

how weird! Yesterday Mr. wanted to get something for me for my birthday and I immediately directed him to this book about blackwork that I've been mentally obsessing over. No need to even think about it.

[Kay]

I liked Clive better when he was more brooding/moody and less violent. There was this PBS Mystery series where he played a detective who was secretly losing his vision (called something stupid like Sixth Sense or Second Sight or something). It was RIVETING just watching him, apart from plot.

That's the What Kay Likes Report for today.

Hang in there. You're obviously being very productive whether it feels like that or not. I've been getting requests for car blankets. xoxo Kay

[Grace]

I so hear you on the big five year old thing. It's just so wow.

That baby is 17. Sheesh. The album was in heavy rotation in my life, too, though I think I'm about 5 years younger than you.

And finally, I completely agree with you about Clive Owen. Not so into him. Except in that picture you shared. ;)

[ahna]

What a magical moment you were present for - the child who reads has the whole world before her. Amazing. It's almost as wonderful as the walking moment of toddlerhood.
I am unwilling to accept the Nirvana baby has grown up. Yikes. I didn't. Never mind that I have 3 children, a house and a car in a garage. Speed of light, I tell you. Speed of light.

[ahna]

What a magical moment you were present for - the child who reads has the whole world before her. Amazing. It's almost as wonderful as the walking moment of toddlerhood.
I am unwilling to accept the Nirvana baby has grown up. Yikes. I didn't. Never mind that I have 3 children, a house and a car in a garage. Speed of light, I tell you. Speed of light.

[ahna]

What a magical moment you were present for - the child who reads has the whole world before her. Amazing. It's almost as wonderful as the walking moment of toddlerhood.
I am unwilling to accept the Nirvana baby has grown up. Yikes. I didn't. Never mind that I have 3 children, a house and a car in a garage. Speed of light, I tell you. Speed of light.

[Jenny L]

Congrats on your new reader. I know what you mean about feeling old. I ran into a girl I used to babysit and found out she is now in college. Wow, where have the years gone... I can't wait the see your blacwork project.

[Alice]

Just came upon your blog. Your little pants with the patches is sooo cute. I have a little almost 4 year old granddaughter, she just started pre-school and is soooo very excited. It's so fun to watch little ones in all their curiosity! It's a grand time when they are young, enjoy they grow up way toooo fast!

[Steph]

That must be unbelievable to hear your child read for the first time!

That pic of Clive! OMG!

[Jen]

I. Feel. Old. Now. Nirvana, jeepers. The pants are great. My goal is to make pants and all clothing for my children this year. No more mass produced stuff here.

[michelle fitzgerald]

I got all motivated after seeing what you had sewn and did a little of my own for my daughter! Thanks for the inspiration!

[Laura]

car pillows... such a GREAT idea!

[Kimmie]

Hi;

Can I ask, (though it may not seem like I am too bright ?) How do you sew the cute patches on your daughters pants?

thanks
Kimmie
mama to 6
one homemade and 5 adopted