Less Than

So, just to weed out the truly uninterested: social commentary, Hindi Film Industry (aka Bollywood) style. Power to the women and women of power!



Okay, for those who are left, interesting title, hmm? Less than; in mathematical terms, it implies an opposite that is greater than. Greater than; so many uses: there is a power greater than I, this piece of cheesecake is greater than the last...so cheery and optimistic. Unfortunately, in terms of feelings rather than descriptions, less than seems to be a permanent state of mind these days. There are so many things I hope to accomplish; they used to seem entirely feasible (sp?). Now, I seem to lack the confidence to ensure myself that I did, indeed, remember to wear pants to work on any given day.

This confidence that I so lack, that I used to possess in untapped quantities; some of the things it has helped me accomplish include marriage to a wonderful man, at a seeminly "young" age; buying a house; having a son; switching jobs; and presenting myself every day as a strong, fearless woman. The only confidence I gain on a daily basis these days is the confidence in my acting abilities. If it werent for horrific stage fright, I have been told that presentation (in acting, dance, and other forms of creative arts) would be a strong area for me to persue. Now, I persue it daily; I have confidence that I am the only one who knows how truly less than I am feeling. I am confident that my smile seems genuine and my belly-laughs heart-felt. I am confident that my hope for improvement and strength in people comes across as nothing less. I am confident that my perceived confidence is taken for nothing less. Even those who know me well almost never question this confidence. And I am confident that it will present as nothing less than...no matter how much I am feeling less than. Today, acting is my business, and business is good.

Preface

A brand new year with brand new happenings...must preface all this, since my last blog was in July? So much has happened since then! My pregnancy progressed well...it was an awfully hot summer, however! Weasel and I spent most nights sleeping in the guest room with the window air conditioner because our house was so hot! I had a scare in late summer; I was having horrible chest pains and ended up going to the ER. It turned out to be a pulled muscle of some sort, making it very hard to breathe. My sugar went a little wild the week before Dingo was born; almost went on insulin, but managed to keep it under control. On Tuesday the 16th, I began having contractions intermediately during the day. They continued into Wednesday, until I was unable to sleep through them around 11pm. We went to the hospital on Thursday morning at 330am...the rest is history!

While I cant say that my labor and delivery were horrible...they didnt go as "planned". This was where it started to go downhill for me, I think. I gave in and got the epidural. My baby didnt get to stay in my room. I had trouble breastfeeding. Dingo stayed in the NICU for six days. I had a horrible run in with a NICU nurse. I had to supplement with formula. We werent allowed to use the cloth diapers in the NICU. I suppose, through all this, all I can tell myself is that my Dingo is healthy.

Im back in the world of blogging and etsy; fiber and frenzy. Global Mama's is my project this year, along with my website and a batt club. Hopefully, things will continue on a positive path.

Once again, behind the 8 ball!

So, here I sit, brainstorming for July, when the June samples are not nearly finished! Okay, so they are almost finished, but not close enough to warrant additional brainstorming! Im very excited with the way that all of the batts and rovings have turned out for this month. "A Midsummer Night's Dream" was the theme for June and I split this into two separate categories: "A Midsummer's Night" and "Dream". I was inspired by a photo collection on Flickr by Alexandria LaNier filled with beautiful fairies! "Dream Fairy" inspired this lovely color combo, which is currently available in SW BFL and Merino/Tencel, and will also be available in two different types of sock yarn:


"Dream Fairy"In addition, for the "Midsummer's Night", I decided to a batt series based on the complexities of a Midsummer's Night in the Midwest. The batts are to be titled "Neon Night", "Stormy Night", "Dead of Night" and "Lakeview Night". I am ridiculously excited about these batts and I really think they are turning out great! Two fo the three batts are uploaded and fully for sale on Etsy and the other two will be added soon! I cant wait to finish them up so I can preview them in the Phat Fiber group on Rav!
Ahhh, so, the brainstorming: July's theme is something along the lines of "Buccaneers and Scalawags", so I have come up with an off-the-wall idea, once again, to keep my excited about this theme. Unfortunately, it probably means that I need to make a few massive orders for fiber coming up here in the very near future. Oh, well! I will be testing out the improved version of my knit AND crochet friendly stitch markers, also, so Im excited about that.

Otherwise, I am envisioning another 4 batt series, including the following:
Batt 1 (bl): superwash corriedale (white), mohair (multicolored), firestar (tropical), sari silk, angelina (lots and lots of glitz)
Batt 2 (cb): superwash corriedale (green, fuschia), nylon (yellow), firestar (color-to-be-decided)
Batt 3 (m8km): oatmeal bfl, alpaca (white), yak (brown), silk (rainbow)
Batt 4 (pfl): polwarth (natural), silk (natural), bamboo (purple), merino (black), angora (????)

Im very excited about this batt series and cant wait to reveal more details!

So, who is super stoked? I am super stoked! I got my first shipment from Global Mamas yesterday and it is everything about which I could have ever been excited! The unfortunate part? I want to keep it all for ME! I did order myself a shea butter (in lavender, which smells amazing!), a Sudsy Mutt for the Weasel and a new Pet Mat for the Weasel (In the pretty daisy print!-you'd never know it by the teeth and the manly demeanor, but she IS a girl!) As a tribute and a preview, I will be having a "Barely Marked-up" sale: not quite wholesale, but lower than my future website pricing! This sale will run on Ravelry (PM me), on Facebook (message me), and through my email (email me!). I suppose, if you already have my phone number, that you could call me to reserve your items, too. If youre in the area, pick-up is available, otherwise, I will offer my flat-rate shipping of $5 to the continental US and Canada, and discounted shipping overseas.

Time for a little promotional goodness, before I post a price list. This excerpt is taken from the Global Mamas website, with a little background:

Global Mamas is a non-profit and fair trade organization assisting women in Africa to become economically independent. By purchasing Global Mamas products, you are offering sustainable livelihoods to women and their families living in poverty. All proceeds go directly to the women and to the non-profit programs that assist them with business development.

Time for some personal testimony! I have used the shea butter and the trunk scrub, in the past (and still use the shea butter). It is great for tired skin and anyone who works with fiber on a regular basis knows the dry crackiness that ensues (especially in cold winter climates). The shea butter is a great, all natural moisturizer with some yummy smells (I currently carry lavender, unscented, and vanilla). I also got an apron for the Holidays from my cousin (THE Global Mama, herself!) and I use it for dyeing; it works great! I now carry the "Trashy Aprons", which I think would be even better for dyeing, as they are waterproof! All of the "Trashy" products are made from recycled materials salvaged from the streets of Ghana, in order to reduce pollution and waste. The juice container pouches are so cool!

Current stock and SALE PRICE LIST: (orders will be filled on a first come, first served basis)

• Batik tote bags (various prints, pictured above)-$14 each
• Recycled flour sack totes-$9.50 each
• Batik padded zip purse (chose from two prints, pictured above)-$4.75 each
• Trashy totes (waterproof!)-$12 each
• Mama Africa Trashy tote (yellow or pink medley-1 of each in stock, pictured above)-$15 each
• Trashy zip wallet-$3.50 each
• Trashy juice wallet-$4.25 each
• Trashy coin purse-$3 each
• Sister-to-sister earrings (chose from "United", "Transformation", "Prosperity", or "New Day", pictured above)-$4.25 each
• Hodgepodge Bracelet (styles vary from bracelet to bracelet, picture above is for illustrative purposes only)-$5.50 each
• Batik Aprons (various prints, pictured above)-$11 each
• Trashy Apron (waterproof, great for dyeing)-$11 each
• Trunk Scrub Shea Soap (noni/lemongrass or tea tree)-$3.75 each
• Dandy Lion African Black Soap (shea or exfoliating)-$3.75 each
• Slippery Slope Shea Butter (lavender, vanilla, or unscented)-$8 each
• Sudsy Mutt Shea Butter pet shampoo (citronella/tea tree)-$3.75 each
• Pet Matts (various prints, pictured above-lined with waterproof "trashy" material)-$6 each

Please feel free to browse and let me know if you have any interest or questions! You can also leave comments here!

Strike that; reverse it

Okay, everything I said about barely knowing I was pregnant...yeah, strike that! These past three weeks or so havent been so fun. I have been getting migraines like crazy, so the nausea ensues...I'm awaiting results of a sugar test, as I was tested for gestational diabetes...and I had to have another (unplanned) ultrasound, as the doctor was unable to hear Gibelett's heartbeat at the last appointment. Thankfully, the ultrasound was great...baby's heart is beating at a steady 150 (which everyone assures me is "girly" territory...though I'm convinced it's a boy). Really, as long as the ultrasounds keep coming up gravy, I'm completely okay with going through everything else. Makes my love life a little, well, nonexistant (sp?), but other than that, keep my Zombie baby healthy!

On a more frustrating note, I am in the process of designing my brand new website and it's giving me fits! I think it's simply because I am super overwhelmed with the whole process. I just need to have OBO sit down and walk me through it without killing each other and it will be great! I will be carrying my newly purchased Global Mamas items (awaiting my first order as we speak!), patterns, gift sets, and baby items. Ive been sewing up a storm (made 4 bib/burpee sets last night!) to stock the website when it gets established. Also, Im having a super sale in my etsy store, so if youre in the market for yarn and fiber, include the message COVER MY BUM in the note to seller for 15% off all orders, including shipping. Also, if you custom order something from me, I will refund the purchase price at 30%...hey, Im desperate! Here's your chance...2 faithful readers (hey, at least one that I know of...Love ya, Haley!)

Finally!

So, once again, it has been awhile! I have been very vague and clandestine...and now we know why! Aaron and I are expecting our first baby in November! We finally told the family last weekend. We were trying to wait till Mother's Day, but this year our Mother's Day weekend will be filled with a memorial extravaganza for our dear friend, Marilyn. I am a firm believer in the fact that when God closes one door, somewhere He opens a window. My window is open and breezy, let me tell you!
So far, the pregnancy has been great. I have started feeling a little yucky these past two weeks, which is strange, as I am in the final week of my first trimester. Oh, well, the first 10.5 weeks were pretty okay. Some headaches and nausea, but not too much. We have been trying to get things in order, meaning the house is being "updated", hopefully, and we are getting some fundamental values on the same page. Mostly, that has been the easy part! We are very excited to cloth diaper, breast feed, and baby wear. We have been stalking coupons and cloth diaper forums like mad (I just scored 2 brand new Bum Genius Organic All In One, One Size for $40 total, including shipping! This was a great price!). Etsy and I have always been super-duper friends, but now, it is sort of ridiculous and my "favorites" list is...well...massive! Gifting is always welcome ;)
Wraps and Mei Teis, wet bags and AIOs, fitteds and prefolds...it all sounds awesome, to me!

Ahh, once again

My posts keep getting fewer and further between...it's been a long month! In some ways, this has been a good thing, however, in some ways, bad. Our home computer had a massive virus (think: redirection to granny-porn when trying to access google). Good thing I married a smart man-however, we could probaby up the tollerance level a titch, as he was pretty much unbearable throughout the whole thing. I havent helped, really; no lying. Ive been beyond-stressed as I have transitioned in so many ways. I am now one week into a new job that I think I may actually ENJOY, however this did not come without plenty of hell to pay. Transition is often stressful, and even more so now, with both OBO and myself making some serious changes (mostly involving career moves). Mine has been transitioned; his, not so much. In addition to the personal (read: familial) struggles, this has been a pretty stressful month, compounding a pretty stressful new year. We'll live!

Good news, however: I am officially a Global Mama's wholesaler and will be making my first purchase order very soon. Still looking for items to carry, so if you have an opinion, I sure would love to hear it. Im thinking that I will start small; soaps and shea, potholders, purses, and such. Really, though, opinions would be great (and sales would be better!). Im hoping to get a website up and running within the next two months. I wanted to get it done by the end of May, but with the new full-time job, I don't honestly know if that will happen.

In fiber-y goodness: lots of news! The etsy store is still alive and kicking; hopefully I will be able to dedicate more time to this, as well, as my life gets slightly less chaotic and infinitely more structured. Still participating in the Phat Fiber sampler box and still absolutely loving it! Last post, I believe I was brainstorming for April and failing miserably. Well, I just got the samples finished up last night and I love them. I went corny...of course! The theme this month was: All Creatures Great and Small. So, I decided to theme some batts around "great" creatures and "small" creatures; how literal, really! The All Creatures "Great" batts contain merino wool and yak down (great=large) and the All Creatures "Small" batts contain some SW wool (for substance) and various varieties of silk (silkworms=small): tussah silk, silk noil, and sari silk. I think they're pretty fabulous, to be quite honest! Next month's theme is Blossoms and Bark and I was having a rough time with it. I think I have an answer that Im stoked about, so it should be fun!

Also in fibery news, I think I may actually be putting my yarn, fiber, and batts in a brick and mortar store! Im super excited, but as not to jinx the process, Ill hold out on the details for a bit.

Wow, that was longwinded and picture-less. Epic fail. I promise pictures for next time! And I promise that next time will be MUCH sooner!