Sad

Sad things seem to always happen when you least expect them.

Sunday. Sunday we had fun watching tractors with the boys. Sunday was our wedding anniversary.

Sunday night our cat died.

He looked terrible when he came home that night, and despite trips to the vet and clinic late at night, he didn't make it.

So yes, we're sad. Very.

And the only thing that helps a bit is knowing that we've always truly loved and appreciated that cat. Despite busy days, there was always time to cuddle with him. He'd get up early in the morning with me and purr while I brushed my teeth. He'd sit in the driveway with us while the kids rode their bikes around the street. He was always with us.

And he will always be with us. How could you forget a cat who purred so loud he'd sound a bit like a dove. Who loved ham and shrimps, but only the best quality. Who could open doors. Who wouldn't meow but make some strange sound instead. Who had this look in his eyes like he was a very wise old soul.

I know this might sound corny, but we do hope that soul will live on. Somewhere.

Making clouds

I've made a couple of clouds recently. Mostly soft, fluffy ones. Who doesn't like puffy little clouds? See, that's what I figured, too. So I made them, again and again, as gifts for some dear friends. No two clouds I made are alike, and that is not just due to the fact that I just cannot follow a pattern.

It all started out with the cloud mobile I made for my friend's third child. You might also remember the cloud pillow I made for her for Christmas. Well, it sort of took off from there. I made some more cloud pillows, gave them little sleepy eyes and a grin.

Then it went on to cloud teabags, cards and more pillows.

For a while I haven't been making much. There has been so much summer fun, work and plain daily life going on, that making things got pushed to the bottom of my list. You know, in to those parts of the list that you never really get around to, despite all the good intentions. And then my kids left for a vacation with their grandparents. Oh, bliss.

I still have to work and there are many things on my list, such as the new garden and preparations for big brother's party. But I decided that some of those things would have to wait, and that I was going to spend this kid-free time mostly with things I never get around to while the kids are here.

Such as sleeping. Taking naps in the middle of the day. Reading the paper and drinking a third cup of coffee on Sunday morning. Eating take-out Chinese food in front of the TV on a Monday night after an 11-hour shift at work. Going for a quick swim in the pool when I'd usually clean up the house and put the kids to bed. Grilling pizza and eating it on the patio at 9pm instead of 6pm. Ahhh...

And making things. Leaving the mess of sewing supplies out, not having to worry about putting away needles and scissors.

So I made another cloud mobile, for some dear friends expecting baby No. 2. I think it's always kind of hard to find a good gift for the second child. You have all the basics, have gotten rid of most of the excess stuff and the few things you could use new you actually like buying yourself, because now you finally know what to look for. But in this case, they have recently moved to a house, coming from a small apartment. That might leave room for some additional stuff for baby's room, no? Also, I am just so glad they decided to go for a second child. You see, they went through quite some sorrow and hard times with their wonderful daughter, and I think it's so great that they have the strength and courage to have another one.

I'm a firm believer in gifts for the big siblings when there is a new baby. Just ask my coworkers, both first-time mommies, about that email exchange recently where I was a little, uh, determined to get my point across about gifts for the older sibling being a necessity. But especially for the second baby and with little ones I do feel that while baby usually has everything he or she is going to need, the older child is so easily left out from all the gifts and congrats over the new arrival.

So anyway. Before I launch into a tirade here, let's just say I made an owl cloud pillow for the soon-to-be big sister. Or is it a cloud owl? Not even sure this makes sense at all. But I there wasn't enough white fleece left over, and the owls were so cute so an owl cloud pillow it was.

Turns out you can also cut two of the owls out, sew them together right sides facing, turn them right side out, stuff them a bit and sew them closed with some twine for legs. They also hang from puffy white clouds nicely.

Well, either making clouds in addictive or I am just not a very creative person. But I made another one. For another good friend, who is pregnant with her first baby. This little cloud pillow was made with soft fleece and fabric by Cloud 9. Seriously. I have been in love with their fabric since I started sewing last year, and I've been saving this fabric for a special project. And a birthday gift to a soon-to-be mommy is special, don't you think? And it could just be my favorite cloud so far. I almost want to keep it. Actually, I really do. It looks right at home on my couch.



Maybe if the kids stay a little longer I will make the time to sew one for myself.

Meanwhile, I'll go spend some time staring at the real thing and doing nothing at all.

Happy Sunday!
Swenja

{the simple things} sometimes I want to be a cat

Really, sometimes I look at my cats with a tiny bit of envy. No matter how busy and loud things are around them, it doesn't faze them the least bit. Well, at least one of them seems to have mastered that Zen-like ability to relax in the middle of the biggest chaos.

See what I mean? This cat is the most relaxed being on the planet. He actually likes being in the middle of everything, boys running around and screaming, riding bikes. Maybe that comes from being able to just leave when it gets too much and go to sleep at any time, any day. Ahhhh, can you imagine? No wonder he's relaxed!



Sharing with Rebecca's simple things.




Happy Sunday!
Swenja

{the simple things} fat cat

This is a snapshot from yesterday. My big fat black cat fighting with a very dangerous piece of grass. Looking at that photo, I'd prefer not to be a mouse. Or even a piece of grass. I mean, I knew that cat was a little, uhm, different, but oh my. She's one crazy cat.

Not that she would ever go and catch a mouse. Nope. After all that would mean she would have to get herself over the fence. And I don't see that happening. If you don't believe me you should try picking her up. Not that she likes that. But then again there are not so many things she likes.

She does like my husband. She obviously likes to eat. Every day around 9:30am she waddles around the house meowing, looking for some attention and cuddles. Then she goes off again, sleeping. She sleeps on her back, with all four paws in the air. She's a pretty cat, but the word graceful does not necessarily come to mind. Oh well. There is something to be said for cats with personality, don't you think?





Happy Sunday & meow...

Swenja

{embrace the camera} family sunday part 2: funny carts & kitten whiskers

I still can't quite believe it, but it looks like I'm actually doing embrace the camera two weeks in a row. Amazing. Of course I cheated and just had lots of pictures taken on one day. But since we went to two events that day, it sort of counts, don't you think?

Well, after spending the morning watching tractors, we went to little brother's new preschool in the afternoon. When I say new I mean it's been around for almost a year now, but the building is new. And huge. So they did an open house last Sunday and invited everyone to have a look around. 

And what do preschool teachers do when they invite people? Right. They play games. Preferably in a way that makes all visiting parents and other adults look a bit silly. Not sure if this is a habit or just comes with the job, but whenever you go to a preschool event, you have to be prepared. You can't just chat with other parents, have some coffee and watch the kids play, no, you'll be likely to join the fun.

So we tried to ride these funny little things - you just push your feet against the handle and they go. You also steer them the same way. What looks easy when the kids do it (even little brother), actually takes a few minutes practice when I do it. And even then I ran into all the traffic signs. Oh well. The brothers thought it was pretty funny.

So. Preschool teachers. They set up this circuit that the kids had to do, getting stamps for each station they did. So far, so good. Here's the catch: mommy and daddy got one of those cards, too. Yay. And while I did duck quickly enough, pointing at my camera, daddy got a card. 

So we built block towers against each other, raced those funny little carts and he painted with the brothers. At the end, there was only one thing left on his card: getting his face painted. The brothers and big brother's best buddy had all gotten kitten whiskers. So yeah, of course I suggested I'll do that part and he'd get my stamp. And yes, of course I was the only adult there doing that. So since the entire town saw me with my face painted, I figured it doesn't make much of a difference if I show it to the world. My pleasure. 

How's that for embracing the camera?

Meow,

Swenja

{the simple things} lazy cat

I'm telling you, cats know how to live. They don't run around on errands on a Saturday afternoon, they don't even go catch mice. Instead, they relax. Hang out. Do nothing. Stretch a little, maybe.

We got new patio furniture this year. So of course who's sleeping on it? Right. Cats. As I'm writing this, the next one of them is lounging in that corner. What did I expect?

We had a busy week and since I haven't posted any cat photos in a while (more of them here, here and here). I figured I'd take a clue from my cat this week and be a bit lazy. So if you'll excuse me, I'll just go and fight for a little spot on that outdoor couch while the sun is still out...

Happy weekend,
Swenja

{the simple things} cats & boxes

What is it about cats and boxes?

Is it just my cats who jump or crawl into any size of box within a nanosecond of me putting it down anywhere in the house, even if they've been sound asleep on the other side of the house?

It doesn't matter if it's a tiny box or a huge one. They sleep in it. They fight with it (these boxes can be dangerous, I'm telling you). The fight about it. And finally, they get bored with it and go hunt for a new box. So if you ever come visit me, don't be surprised if there are empty boxes sitting in corners. Or anywhere else for that matter.

Every once in a while we get a really big box. You know, one that the cats actually fit in. The downside is, they have to fight with the brothers over it. Can't have it all I guess.

Then we have smaller boxes. Means they can rest their head on the side.

Sometimes they prefer some privacy when enjoying their box. So stop taking pictures already!

Then there are the tiny boxes. Or huge cats, whichever way you want to see it. Point is, it doesn't fit. Not even close.

Linking up with the simple things Sunday.



Can't wait to see everyone else's entries this week! I've been linking my posts every week this year, and it's been so much fun.

Happy Sunday!
Swenja

{kid craft} play cat food

As a regular reader of this blog you might have noticed that cats are a big thing at my house. We have three of them. And the brothers have quite a few more of the stuffed version. Those are really nice to have around actually: they don't follow you around the house meowing; they don't want to be let out only to stand in the open door, stick their little furry nose outside and slooooowly sit down because they can't decide whether they want in or out; while they do sleep in the bed, they don't claim your pillow; they don't have a litter box to clean and they don't need to be fed. Well, until now.

"Mom, my cat needs to eat something, too!" demands big brother and gets a bowl from the kids stuff drawer in the kitchen. "Mine, too!" seconds little brother, as little brothers like to do. Of course he also goes and grabs a bowl. 

They share the wooden cat food that came with big brother's play store. "Share" means that big brother's cat gets a bowl full while little brother's cat gets three little pieces. Apparently, little brother's cat was not thrilled with this outcome, and neither was little brother. "But I did share my cat food" big brother defends himself. He has a point. So before the rest of the lunch is overtaken about discussions about hungry toy cats, I suggest we make some more cat food.

Before I had kids I never imagines I would say sentences like that. Or even think about play cat food, let alone how to make it. Oh well. 

Since I wasn't going to break out the saw and make those tiny wooden fish and little squares that came with big brother's cat food, we got out some polymer clay from the German brand Fimo. I bought this a while ago due to some fond memories of my mom and me making all sorts of stuff from it. I was a little bit shocked when I unpacked it and saw all those huge warning signs stuck all over it, saying that basically kids under 8 shouldn't be using this anyway and even older kids required adult supervision. Oh, ok.

We went ahead anyway, making sure to take off the good shirts, cover the table and keep everyone's hands out of their mouths. Since this stuff is like fairly hard play dough, I took over the rolling out part and had the brothers choose colors, cut pieces with a table knife and cut out tiny fish with a tiny fish cookie cutter. 

Yep, we have tiny little fish shaped cookie cutters. When big brother was little and just started preschool, cutting his sandwich into tiny little fish was the best way to get him to actually have breakfast in preschool, and also the cleanest, as these fish are so small they can be put into little mouths in one bite, so you can sandwich messy things like cream cheese inbetween without getting it all over them. We used to call them breadfish. 

Anyhow. The brothers chose turquoise and yellow (no surprises here) and we added brown and orange as in the wooden cat food. We cut out shapes and put them on a sheet of aluminum foil for baking them in the oven. Once fully cooled, the shapes harden and can be fed to our large litter of terribly hungry toy cats. Yum.

Now, I wouldn't do this with really small kids around or worse yet, crawling babies ot toddlers who still put everything in their mouths except for broccoli, but frankly, with all the tiny Playmobil and Lego pieces around the house, a few Fimo cat food pieces don't really make much of a difference anymore.

Well, most of the yellow and all of the turquoise and brown are gone, but any suggestions on what to make with the remaining colors of green, red, white and blue?

Happy crafting,
Swenja

{the simple things} Meow again.

Yep, it's more cat pictures this week (for Meow part 1 go here). But hey, I did pick a different cat. And in case you're wondering: I have one more cat. Maybe for next week's post...

Meanwhile, this is Lilly. Maybe you have met her here. In case you didn't, well, I'll explain a little. We got her when she was tiny. These days she's huge. And no, that's not all fur. It's fat. This is one big, fat cat. She doesn't like people. She hides under the bed as soon as she hears the doorbell. If you come to my house and actually get to see her, you know that you've been here often and are practically family. Every day at 10:30 she gets cuddly. She sits on my husbands lap every night, but she doesn't like it when he talks to her. She's so big, she makes dents in my sofa cushions (big dents). She likes to play and brings little felt mice back to you when you through them, just like a dog.

She's one crazy cat. And that makes me happy.

Promise to find something else for next week's simple things. No cats, flowers or cakes. Scratching my head already...

Linking up with Rebecca's simple things sunday again.



Happy Sunday!
Swenja

Quick (& green) gift: print your kids' art on water bottles

I remember being little and wanting to give birthday presents, too, but felt like most pictures or crafts I could make would eventually end up in some drawer. I want my kids to be able to make and give something useful.

So we made Daddy and uncle Timm some water bottles. Each of them made one so that Daddy could ditch those pesky plastic bottles and always take an aluminum one with him. My first attempt at designing an easy pattern for them failed miserably. But that same afternoon, big brother was doodling with a black marker. I saved it an scanned it and voila, we had our first design.

It's supposed to be a dog with a fishing rod, catching something really big. But I'm sure you saw that right away.

A week later, I also had them stamp a white piece of paper with simple black stars, a rocket and a planet stamp.

Here big brother was showing little brother how to draw a face, and a cat. Of course. There's a cat on nearly everything we do.

Speaking of cats, meet Lilly. She hates people but gets really cuddly and friendly every day at 9:30 am. Provided nobody else is around, of course. If you come to my house, you won't see her (she hides under the bed as soon as the doorbell rings). If you do see her you know that you're been here an awful lot and are practically family.

And no, my cats are not usually allowed to walk on the counters. But she was cuddly and I was ignoring her, taking pictures of these strange white things, so she decided to take matters in her own hands paws.

As for the bottles, I simply scanned the images the kids made, then uploaded them and had them printed on the bottles. I researched for a while to find a site that would allow me to print on an aluminum instead of plastic bottle and also a white one. The white background disappears and you can only see the black drawing on the bottle. It's turned out really well. I've done this before with white coffee mugs (one of big brothers first real drawings, a fish) and, when editing the image, a black mousepad with a white drawing.

I don't really like the stamped one half as much as the one with the impromptu drawing. Which goes to say that I should just let the kids have their way with these things instead of trying to art direct!

Cheers,
Swenja