Marching Towards Spring

March 1st. I want spring. Bad. I'm tired of being cooped up. I just want to take the pooch and walk a few miles without being bundled up and slipping on the ice covered streets. The kids, well they could use a romp around the backyard as well.

Look what they received in the mail last week! Canadian Maple Leaf Mittens! From Canada, whoot! Aren't they the best? My aunt, who is a real living and breathing Canadian sent them. I'm jealous. I'm guarding them so the girls do not lose them. I'm just that way about red maple leaf mittens.

I've been toiling away in the sewing room. We even have a new addition to the family.


















It's a beast I tell you. A beast. I rescued it from a auto repair warehouse on the south side of town via Craig's list. Do you use Craig's list? It's my new best friend. It was under about 2" of dust and automotive grease. I can't exactly figure out how to properly set the stitch length wheel. But, I'm sure that is a minor technicality. Once once I get my hands on a copy of the user's manual, yeah they lost that, I'm sure happy days will be here again and I will be cutting through 12 layers of decorator fabrics with fringe in no time at all.

See that needle? Yea, there's even a yellow warning sticker on the thing with a simple picture of a hand with a finger flying off the hand. Scary! I've been circling the thing in my sewing room like a 14 year old boy eyeing up a college co-ed in a swimsuit. I'm here wanting to strike up a conversation and all, but seriously afraid it might bite. I'm proceeding with caution, driving this thing is sort of like hooking up a sulky to a huge bucking colt. I'm all over the place. But when I can get it to calm down a bit and slow everything to a minor crashing halt the stitches are absolutely gorgeous and it cuts through my handles and fringes like a hot knife through buttah.

Did you see Ava in that picture at the top? She was sick with a icky virusy thing and we didn't even know it yesterday. She's in a ball on my bed soaking up sponge bob reruns spreading germs to my pillow as we speak. Poor thing. The Muffin Man asked how she could possibly get sick now that winter is almost over and none of us are sick here on the cul-de-sac. Hmmm...honey, do you think she might have contracted the galloping green stickies from that petrie dish of an elementary school she attends 8 hours each and every day? Gosh, all that hanging out with notorious nose pickers and chronic sneezers...who would have thought? I love men, being the stronger sex and all. Gees.