Irony: I Have It

And it’s apparently a supplement for me.

Yesterday I was telling y’all about getting back into cross-stitching. Today, I have to put it on hold. A friend of mine is having a rough time of things, and we decided to get together to scrapbook this week. We got nothing done yesterday, since we decided to be more of a support group. But today, we took inspiration from Jennifer McGuire:

Courtesy of Jennifer McGuire

So, cross-stitch on hold, until my version of this beautiful collage is done!

Southern Cross

I used to do cross-stitching a long time ago. In fact, I still have several projects going.

Projects that have been years in the making.

As much as I like doing scrapbooking and altered art, I think it’s time I got back into cross-stitching. It’s something I can do while sitting with the kids, and let’s face it: the mess is minimal. Besides, Hubby bought me a ton of embroidery floss and it’s a shame to see it sitting at the bottom of the closet, a riot of color peeking up accusingly at me every time I go in to get paper or glue.

That is the alphabet, designed from a sketch Hubby made waaaaay back in 1988, while in college. You will notice the date I finished it. I’m a bit slow, but hopefully I will get the rest of the projects done this year.

I just need to not start any new ones 😉

There is Never Enough Coffee

Last night was  the AFJROTC Military Ball for Eldest and Son. Normally the Ball is a smooth affair. This year proved to be a challenge, but only to my sanity.

Eldest, being the sweetie she is, invited three other girls to come over and get ready. Now, Eldest is not the fastest person in the house. Combine that with three other girls and one bathroom, and only ONE hair iron thingie, and you will have chaos. Son? He gets ready in less than 20 minutes, including the time he took to iron his pants and shirt. The girls, however, began getting ready three hours before, and still managed to run late. Nevertheless, Chauffeur Aggie managed to get them there on time after a few applications of fire under their…feet. And that’s when the fun began…

It wasn’t just the Ball, but also going to IHOP afterwards, and since it would be late, that entailed the girls spending the night, too. Which meant me getting the upstairs room ready, and staying up to be the chauffeur, and not imbibing at all!! Oh, and one gal showed up late, so it became five girls, and surprisingly, Son wasn’t as disgusted as he would have been three years ago. After fetching them home, they decided it was just too early to go to bed, so the giggling and the screaming and the “NO WAY??”s kept going until 1 AM.

And five hours later, the little dog woke me urgently.

So, two small pots of coffee later, my nerves are going through some repairs, hoping for some peace and quiet by noon. Of course, the caffeine in my system will make the world seem like it’s shaking, but that’s a small price to pay so I can function 😉

Steampunk’d

As y’all may or may not know, I am a fan of Steampunk. I love the look of it, and apparently Eldest does, too. Today we are starting to change her room around to accommodate all of her junk the new decor.

I have plans….

She doesn’t know it yet, but a lot of the stuff I plan to use will be coming from the local flea market, as well as Lowes™. We are talking copper pipes, fittings, ventilation ducts, PVC, faucet knobs, pulley wheels, and any random stuff I can find to give an “antique” look.

She may or may not agree with my take on the room, but I know what I’m doing. Some would argue that I am living vicariously through her, since I can’t do it to my room. And some would be right 😉

Friday Sithy

Today I am having lunch with our internet friend, LC LtC. That means that I will be cleaning up the house in a futile attempt to impress, so I shall leave y’all with a Sithy.

I’m still laughing 😀

Sweet Tart

It is nearly time again. The holiday most dreaded by men everywhere. Yep…Valentine’s Day!!

Every year it’s the same excruciating headache, and every year we are exposed to every kiss beginning with Kay, when really a lot of them begin with liquor. Hubby has learned to avoid the pitfalls of this holiday quite well. How, you may ask? Simple: he gifts me an appliance. No, I’m not kidding. Florists jack up the prices on arrangements, and for the price of a few blooms, I can get something I need. This year I went ahead and got it early!

Isn’t it just cute?? And yes, I did get it in that color. Now, you may ask why I got this for myself now, rather than let Hubby order it for me. Well, he is going on a trip to Hungary, and as usual he likes to bring me something from wherever he visits.

Hungary is famous for wine (which he can’t send me), and desserts (which he can’t send me), and for its chickens. Admittedly, I am speaking of porcelain sculptures, but a chicken is not something with which I want to decorate. Besides, those chickens run in the hundreds of Euros, and my mixer is a steal at less than $70. So really, I just saved him a lot of money, right??

Best wife ever!!! 😉

Mother’s Pride

Yesterday was a Red Letter Day here at Casa de Aggie. Both Eldest and Son were promoted in rank in AFJROTC. Getting promoted is a big deal in itself, but on top of that, Eldest made the rank of Cadet Captain as a junior, and Son was promoted two ranks for his service, from Cadet to Airman First Class.

They worked hard and are very involved in ROTC, and I’m proud to say they are fine examples of the program at our school. What they learn will help them achieve success in their future, no matter what path they take.

If only they would work half as hard on their rooms. That would be awesome!!

Questions to Ponder

There are some things that we question, and know that sometimes there is no true answer.

How do you fold a fitted sheet?

Is cursive handwriting still necessary?

When does sour cream go bad?

Is a Baker’s Dozen a good thing, or bad?

Why does Mapquest™ start directions from my driveway?

Inquiring minds want to know 😉

The Great Purge

And so it begins. Winter is here, so the calendar tells me, and time for me to start getting rid of the accumulated junk around here. That’s what Hubby calls it. I tend to have a tough time getting rid of stuff. Unfortunately, the kids tend to take after me in that respect. Oh, I’m not a hoarder by any stretch. And if I’m going to own up to it, so is Hubby, since a LOT of the stuff in the garage is his.

The worst part about going through stuff is the memories. Most people see that as a wonderful thing, but I don’t. I tend to remember everything, or at least, more than most people, and going through stuff tends to set off an avalanche of emotions for which sometimes I am not prepared. The other day I found a little hat that Eldest was fond of wearing when she was only a year old, and I had a really, really tough time placing it in the donation pile. All I kept seeing was Eldest walking around wearing the hat and smiling because she had learned to put it on herself.

I have to remind myself that these are just things. Some things I can never give away, no matter what. But I know that sometimes the memory is enough, and I need to learn to let go eventually. I’m just not sure that’s today 😉

A Rose By Any Other Name

This beautiful photograph was released in April for Hubble’s 21st Birthday:

The large galaxy, known as UGC 1810, is shown distorted into a rose-like shape by the gravitational tidal pull of the companion galaxy below it, known as UGC 1813.

Even the Universe is romantic 😉