Warmth, Trouble, Bone Loss

Brrhh, it's chilly.

Other than the random gargantuan flakes, the snow is actually melting. Wa-hoo!!

My little brother came home from his mission in Panama a few days ago. Where it's warm. Reeaally warm. Where the entire population of Kentucky wishes it was right now. Where I wish I was right now. But I believe I mentioned that already. Just emphasizing.

Because our cheeks are chapped.

The sign the kids (uh, and I) made (let's be realistic, they're not that talented yet).

Waiting at the airport.

Like how the kids abandoned their poster to their other uncle (we have a plethora of uncles) (say uncle)?

And waiting.

And anxiously waiting.

Some of us had to, you know, GO.

There he is!

Of course I have the slow to turn on camera that made me miss his first bit of descent where he came down with his fist in the air--like he'd just had the best experience of his life. He was so excited to go on a mission and he did a good job.

And guess whose batteries were dying and the only pictures are blurry ones?

Mr Destructo barely remembered him.

We brought him a coat and hat and gloves, and when he walked outside, he grimaced. When I asked him how hot it was when he left Panama that morning, he said he didn't know because it was so humid. Hate me, but sometimes I miss a little humidity. Like when my dry skin is cracking.

I have to say I'm a little disappointed he doesn't have more of an accent like my other brother (Simon) did when he got back from Brazil. Everything Simon said had a major uplift at the end. Like, "Do you want a tortIlla?" I was sad when that ended.

Mr Panama, however just talks faster and sometimes spits out phrases that no one understands. They're not English, and I'm thinking they don't sound too much like Spanish. At least not the kind I sort of learned.

I forgot he calls Lex "Shortie". She was so excited to have Mr Panama home. So excited, she lost a tooth.

That's an apple seed on her lip that she was pushing through the hole.

In true Lex fashion, she really lost the tooth somewhere in the carpet. She firmly believes the Tooth Fairy finds the tooth wherever it is, since we have yet to supply a tooth under the pillow for her. Let's home no on unearths a tooth after the Tooth Fairy has supposedly taken it. Or I might save money.

I better do my bi-monthly vacuuming.

And don't be deceived by this little piece of trouble.

He was responsible for this.

Here's what it should look like.

Lovely.

The little Bentwood rocker that my parents gave me when I turned one survived almost 27 years of children, yet couldn't survive my children.

We'll never have anything nice.

I sound like my aunt who had seven children and her daughters were telling us once she said that all the time. This same aunt had a huge stockpile of fabric of which I inherited some--so of course I had to go out and buy more. Apparently I also inherited the sickness that runs in my family along the female line, called, Buy Fabric--Lots and Lots of Fabric With No Immediate Plans For It But Get It Because It's Cute.

It's like Fabricbuyititis.

At this point, my grandma (who's hip and reads my blog and Facebooks) and more likely, my mother (also hip) are shaking their heads in an I-told-you-so sort of way. They knew it was inevitable.

But Mom!

If I don't use this in three years and still don't love it by then, it's gone. No keeping piles of fabric for me! Plus, I've only just begun.

Here's the problem this last fabric store trip (stuff was on sale!). I bought the last four yards of this for huge sofa pillows and whatever else floats my sewing boat.

Oh wait there's another yard I bought last week.

Do stripes go with polka dots?

They do now, says me. Mean Amy, I don't care what you say.

But methinks the piano lamp is not so trendy.

At least it's not BRASS. The horrors.

And I bought a designer remnant to make another huge pillow.

I'm stuck on the pillows.

I promised my husband I'd use the sewing machine more than once a year and pillows are about as exciting as I get for now, but I have been thinking about making quilts. I think. Can't get too ambitious. And could I possibly say 'pillows' one more time?! Ludicrous.

Oh, and as I was leaving the store, I noticed linen on sale and I have a thing for linen and think it would make awesome window treatments and it comes in good colors and I want all of it and I'd have to buy a ton of it for good-looking curtains and I think I better get a job or talk the Money Maker into a hefty home improvement loan that would mostly cover fabric.

And now I need to GO.

Because you were so dying to know.