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Well, it looks like we’re pretty much in the clear. The boys are back to their old selves and thankfully the sickness didn’t require any doctors visits and whatnot. I pretty much over-reacted because the thought of vomit is distressing to me.

Thank you to everyone with your kind words of encouragement and advice. Grandma, I’m pretty sure they had some kind of Rotavirus. I never would have thought of that had you not mentioned it. (Did you get my email?) Nicky, how’s Del doing? Back to herself?

Hopefully now that all of that is taken care of I’ll have more time to actually post. Wait, I always say that. I have been working on the blog layout. If you use an RSS Feeder click on over and give it a look. Tell me what you think. The ‘Runaway October’ in the header image is driving me nuts. I’m huge on typography, as a matter of fact I lovelovelove typography. It just seems to clash up there. I have to figure our how to change it because it’s not part of the static image.

In other news we made our first sale from our bookstore! Yay! One of you kind readers was… kind, I already said that, nice enough to use our link and we made a little bit of change on it. If you haven’t seen our bookstore check it out here.

Since Friday Declan has had what we thought was food poisoning. That in and of it self is just a nasty stressful time. I think I’ve scrubbed vomit/poop out of the carpet at least 6 times. Anyone who knows me well knows that I don’t do vomit. Period.

Unfortunately it seems that it’s not food poisoning because now the littlest guy is running a huge fever and had a blowout in bed last night - on my side. This is the baby that poops once every week to two weeks. Poor guy.  All he wants to do is sleep on me and all I want is to not have a personal heater while it’s 100 degrees outside. It’s got to be some kind of stomach bug.

Just think about us and hope we come through this soon.

I can’t say that I’m not a fan, because I’m not even sure if I’ve heard any of her music. But I came across an interview of her and I have to say I’m a fan now even if I haven’t heard her music.

When asked how motherhood has changed how she views the world:

"Being a mom seems to have changed the way the world sees me more than the other way around. Being pregnant really shifts your relationship to society, and then walking around with a baby shifts it again. I love the feeling that I get from other parents — women in particular — of being a part of the club. Club Sacrifice, you might call it. It’s cool to have camaraderie, warmth, and openness with strangers. I wish that dynamic was more prevalent in general, but I am grateful to have it now."

When asked if she would have a homebirth again:

"I would definitely choose a homebirth again despite the fear mongering of this patriarchal society, which convinces women that they are incapable of having babies without the intervention of men and their machines. I look at societies where women are marginalized and oppressed their whole lives (even covered head to toe in tarps!) but are still in control of birthing practice, in a whole new way now. I mean, who is really more advanced? To take birthing out of women’s hands and deny us the continuum of eons of wisdom and experience is to eject us from the very seat of our power. I believe that women in hospitals are prevented from being able to have normal, healthy birthing experiences because of the intimidation of being on the clock, being pressured to take drugs to make it quicker, being inhibited in their movement and activities, and alienated by a sterile, fluorescent lit, feet-in-the-air type environment. You know the classic “performance anxiety” of not being able to pee or poo because somebody’s watching you? Multiply that by a million! A cervix is a sphincter after all! Then to add tragic insult to injury women are numbed through their great moment of revelation. I believe the act of giving birth to be the single most miraculous thing a human being can do and it is surely the moment when a lot of women finally understand the depth of their power and connection to all of nature. You think it can’t possibly be done, you think you can’t possibly take the pain, and then you do — and afterward you look at yourself in a whole new way. If you can do that, you can do anything. Check out the books on this subject by Ina May Gaskin. She’s one of my great heroes. P.S. I was in labor for 43 hours. Pushed for five hours. It was brutal and scary and prolonged, and if I was in a hospital, they would have definitely cut the baby out of me. I thank the goddesses that I was at home with patient midwives who knew how to go the distance. The memory of pain always recedes. The memory of triumph does not."

I just love that last quote. So true.

I’m not gonna get on my high horse or anything, but I really wish that more women would think about birth choices and the effect that it has on every single person in this society. Too often do I talk to mothers who don’t even know that there are choices. Life in America is all about the choices ladies! Please ask what they are.

Via [Celebrity Baby Blog]

It’s raining again. While it’s so amazing to have this much rain in Arizona, it kinda ruins plans… like my plan to get Declan dressed and let him roam the backyard with Fable all day. Yeah, that didn’t happen. We did all go to the grocery store today. I had the boys in their matching Skullys and we were approached and told that I should sell them. Do you think anyone would buy a “recycled” hat? Maybe they’ll sell better because they are recycled?

Matt and I talked about getting some things posted to my Etsy store, but this is where I must make a heartfelt plea. If any of you are considering purchasing anything for us, please let it be a new digital camera. There’s no way I could sell anything with the low quality pictures that my mom’s camera takes. Well, I could try I guess. You can find our “chosen” cameras in this post or view My Wists in the sidebar (but anything that takes crisp pictures will do), or if you have any artistic ideas to make my current photos work please let me know! I’d greatly appreciate it.
Oh yes!! I must post about my Valentine’s. We’re tight on money, so we decided to make all of our gifts, something we really should strive to do anyway. Matt got his favorite dinner and an IOU for his favorite cookies - Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies. I got a beautiful card and a program. Yep, a program from my in-house lovable Linux guru/nerd. See?

Isn’t that just the sweetest thing!?

If there are any fellow nerds out there who’d like the source code for the program, lemme know. You should be able to figure it out yourself though.

We’re supposed to get our taxes done soon, and we’re already daydreaming about what to do with the return money. Reality is telling us that we need to keep it and just use it to live off of but we can always dream big right?

In all honesty though I am hoping that both Matt and I can splurge a little on ourselves. I really really really would like to get my hair done again. I was secretly hoping that Matt had some how found a hairstylist and befriended them before Valentines in hopes of finagling a free cut and color out of it. Alas, it did not happen and my mane of bi-color curly locks still hangs sadly from my head. I’m afraid to chop it myself. :S

I also have a running list of projects I’d like to complete, including but not limited to:

• New Ironing Board Cover
• Clothes Pin Bag
• Something for my nephew that his mom wont tear up or throw away. His birthday is soon
• Some more “recycled” items
• Duct-Tape dressing form
• Apron (or two)
• Try out some of the BurdaStyle patterns, as well as some vintage patterns, I’ve acquired. I think I’m on a jumper bender. I’m afraid to find out if Jumpers will work with my body shape or not.
• Don’t tell anyone, but I also am slowly piecing together ideas for a quilt. Get it… piecing? Ha!

Don’t hold your breathe though, things take time in this house.

On my final note, I’d like to leave you with this link. Have fun!

Everyone is sick here.

I feel like I have arthritis in every joint and marshmallows stuffed in my sinus cavities. My whole face hurts.

Rowan is leaking from everywhere - his eyes, his nose, his nose. I think he might have an eye infection and I praying his not teething, but he’s drooling up a storm. Listening to a body this little cough is just heart-wrenching. He’s been very mellow but just wants to be held. And he has this tiny little pathetic mew, like a newborn kitten.

Declan is same old Declan - just add a scratchy voice, tons of boogies and a hacking cough. Doesn’t he know you’re supposed to chill out on the couch all day when you’re sick? Seriously.

Matt says he feels yucky too, but I don’t have any yummy specifics to share with you guys.

That said I managed to make some meatball soup last night. It was a low-fat recipe and turned out kinda bland, but it was good and made a ton. I’ll probably end up freezing some even, which is a feat in this house.
I have a couple craft projects that I’d like to start soon, including menu magnets for the fridge and a clothespin hanger bag thingy. I’m getting tired of the cold and drear so I’ve got lots of brights and prints dancing in my head.  I’m trying to work it into the budget as well, but it’s tight. Once again, if you know anyone who needs daycare in my neck of the woods, can you send them this way?