So many ideas, so little time...

I was thinking of ordering an ACU purse, but after searching online I couldn't find one that was exactly me. My husband suggested making my own and I scoffed at it, but after looking for patterns online I decided maybe I could. He has faith in my sewing and design skills so maybe I should too. I found some fabric on sale today and ordered it. Now I just have to wait for it to come. (Unfortunately that could be awhile since I ordered some yarn from Jo Ann's almost three weeks ago and I'm still waiting for it, but I'm a sucker for a sale!) In the meantime, I have plenty of hat orders to keep me busy but I can't seem to shut my brain off. I have renewed my love of Photoshop and spent a good chunk of this evening adding new designs to products on my CafePress shop. This is my FAVORITE...

front of fleece owl blanket

back of fleece owl blanket

I really like this one too. It also comes one infant onesies, SIGG bottles, iphone covers, t-shirts, ect.:

:

"Owl always be there for you" baby blanket available in pink or blue

(and p.s. cafepress has all t-shirts marked down 20% through Thursday no coupon needed! http://www.cafepress.com/hborstad/7716094)

Can you tell I LOVE owls? They will have to wait though. I should get started on the rest of my hat orders! If I don't I might have to buy a new dresser to store all the yarn that I check my mailbox for everyday.

Why Can't I Play with My Markers?

My daughter has been pretty good with her markers for the last few months so I've been letting her have more freedom with them. Until last night. 

This is what Daddy got...

This is what mommy got...

Needless to say she won't be coloring with her markers anytime soon. I'm still working on the clothes. I'll update pics later and we'll see how well the stains came out. 

Date Night

"I love the confidence that makeup gives me." -Tyra Banks

"That's the mistake women make - you shouldn't see your makeup. We don't want to look like we've made an effort." -Lauren Hutton

My daughter loves to play with makeup so I spent .95 cents on a 5 color compact at the drugstore downtown while we were out walking. She had to play with it the minute we got home. Instead of rubbing it side to side on her eyelids she went straight up and down all the way down her cheeks. She looked a little like Gene Simmons especially once I started taking pictures and she kept sticking out her tongue.

I thought I'd let her have a little fun doing my makeup while I was on the computer. 

Oh wait, she's not done yet....

Ahhhhh, there we go! Ready for a night on the town? 

.......but then it started itching. Uh oh! I washed it off but it's still burning just a bit. Whoops!

Adventures in Potty Training

© Adambooth | Dreamstime.com

Let me begin by saying that each parent seems to have their own definition of "potty trained." To me it means we are done with diapers and aside from the occasional accident my daughter goes in the potty all the time. By some parents definitions she's potty trained. To me - she is not even close. My particular little angel refuses to poop on the toilet. As long as she is not in a diaper she will pee in the bathroom and can make it through a nap dry. It's discouraging to have a three and a half year old that is still working some aspects of it when other kids get the hang of it so much sooner. I have read article after article, gotten advice from books, neighbors, friends, family (solicited and unsolicited.) So much so that I try not to mention it anymore if I can help it. Everyone on earth seems to think they have the answer. I'm sure if you have had a tough time with your kids and the potty you know exactly what I mean. The "miracle solution" usually turns out to be something you have tried exactly one million and one times.
 We have tried stickers and candy and toys as rewards. We read books until both our behinds are numb. We even promised to get her a bike (which has been sitting the basement for almost 3 months because I refuse to let her have it until she follows through on the deal.) I have let her run around nude in the house only to find a giant chocolate "egg" sitting on top of her toy box. The only suggestion I have not tried was making her change own diaper after soiling herself. (She will already change it after wetting herself and if THAT isn't an indicator that she's ready for the toilet I don't know what is!) Imagine our surprise when we walk into our bedroom tonight and find our daughter sitting on a blanket she has spread on the floor, diaper off, with a roll of toilet paper!! She was indeed changing her own diaper and it did not seem to gross her out in the slightest. I'm afraid my last hope of pushing her towards the toilet just got flushed. I keep hearing that it's a control issue and they will do it when they are ready. I just hope it happens before I have to start wearing diapers!


Since I am on the subject of pee and poo, I came across something while shopping that was too cute not to share. I might have to try making some of these for my daughter. If nothing else maybe they'd lighten the mood  :D 
PooPees Play Set

If you have any humorous toilet training stories I would love to hear them!  I think we'll have a contest and the best story will win a set of felt pee and poo dolls! Keep checking back for updates.

Poke...Poke... Claw-Claw... $%@#$!

I could not imagine why my cat would NOT stop clawing at my head in the middle of the night last night. I thought it was due to my husband's temporary absence. It couldn't be due to the fact that I had cleaned the bathroom and shut the door so the entire house wouldn't smell like bleach could it? I mean, I know I NEVER have to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night (cough, cough)... so I'm sure Slinky didn't need to use his litter box either right? Wow! I can't believe I (maybe) could have gotten some sleep last night/this morning if this had occurred to me about 24 hours earlier. He's currently sleeping on a dining room chair, so if he follows me to bed and terrorizes me again I'll know that he didn't need to pee, he just likes to see me suffer. If we didn't have so much invested in him my threats might do more good. He's worth a fortune.

We have had Slinky since we moved to Texas in 2004. We got him at the local shelter the day we moved into our house (after paying a non refundable $200 pet deposit). His previous owners had been evicted from their apartment.  Upon taking him to the vet for his rabies shot and neutering we found out also needed medication for worms, ear mites, and ring worm. After 6 years of regular vet and food expenses we moved to Germany and unfortunately (even though we had all the paperwork in order) the airline would not allow any pets to fly out of Killeen the day we left and I had to leave him behind. Luckily a friend that had gone with us to the airport offered to care for him until we could send for him so we put him back in the car and said goodbye to him for a couple months. When we were finally settled into our new apartment, and had gotten drivers licenses, and the weather had warmed up enough to send him we had to get all of his paperwork redone (it's only good for 10 days). We wired nearly $600 to our friend to pay for his cargo fees. (It would have only have cost $150 had the airline allowed him to fly with us when we flew over.) She drove him all the way to Austin, TX and he flew from there to Houston where his connecting flight to Frankfurt was cancelled due to a volcano in Iceland. Yes - I said VOLCANO! After hearing about this from my father 4000 miles away (not from the airline holding my cat hostage in Houston) I spent several hours of the wee morning on the phone with the airline trying to get them to pay for kenneling. They agreed to fly him back to Killeen and we could try sending him again once the sky cleared. Two weeks later (so yes, his paperwork needed to be updated again!) she took him back to Austin and he flew without incident to Frankfurt, Germany. We drove an hour and a half to the circus I mean, airport to pick him up.  I visited four different counters and paid another $200 worth of fees to finally claim my cat. He repays me by pawing the back of my head lovingly while I try to sleep. 

*I must note that the Fort Hood Vet Clinic was extremely helpful and did not charge me for any additional paperwork. They even helped me contact the customs officials at the Frankfurt airport to make sure everything was in order. We found out that it's the airline's policy that the paperwork must be within the last 10 days. The airport will honor it for longer. If you have any questions about importing a pet feel free to ask or comment. I may have forgotten some of the steps and would have to visit some sites I bookmarked but I would be glad to help or point you towards any info I have uncovered. It was the most stressful part of our move! *

Who am I?

I think we're all trying to answer that question but my 5 a.m. decision to publicly seek the answer through my blogging is starting to seem a bit hasty. Maybe it'll be easier to be honest with myself if the curtains are open and the whole world is watching. (OK, so maybe it's just my neighbors across the street!)  I will start small and work my way up to the harder questions.

I am a proud Army wife stationed in Germany with my husband, our daughter and our (very expensive) cat. I am mostly a stay at home mom but I do a little knitting on the side for fun. We have been exploring here for just shy of a year. My husband and I grew up in South Dakota in a fairly small town  that I will visit but I plan to never live in again. When you are born somewhere that has 6-7 months of winter per year and the temperatures get as cold as -20 degrees Fahrenheit it seems completely normal. You hear stories that other places are warm during winter, but thats a little like seeing a picture of the Eiffel Tower and actually seeing it in real life. Now that we have gotten away and experienced the pleasant winters of Texas and the " cold-but-not-as-harsh-as-South Dakota" winters here in Germany I can't help but raise my eyebrows at my friends and family for choosing to stay in such a frigid place.  I suppose there are people who would look at me the same way for choosing this Army life as well but I wouldn't trade it for anything. I have seen some incredible things and places, met the warmest people and become a self reliant, independent person along the way...and we're not done yet!  What else is in store for us? That is another question for another post. :)
-Hborstad

Front door in SD after this weekends storm (photo courtesy of Heidi Ruckdaschel)