Boss Sanders

Homemade Christmas Gifts

bosssanders — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 16:56:55 +0000

Starting last year (2007), I began making at least most of the Christmas gifts we’d be gifting. So, this year it was no surprise that I chose to continue this tradition. And, with the lack of cash (seemingly) in everyone’s pockets, I’ve had a lot of people asking what sorts of things I’d be making.

And then I shut up.

I can’t very well tell everyone what TYPES of things I will be making, because that could easily give away the gifts for those receiving, but I can tell you some of what I made LAST year, so you get an idea - although, this year some of the crafts are different (but I’ll tell you about those AFTER Christmas)

These are the ornaments I already did a mini-tutorial on - but, basically it’s a clear empty ornament that you can fill with anything. I gave these away as small gifts to the people that we don’t buy/make larger gifts for… (like for the mini gift exchange my family does)

Handbound Journal and Travel Pillow. The travel pillow ended up slightly lopsided, seeing as I can’t cut a straight line to save my life. For the journal, I searched for the “perfect” book cover and simply used only the cover and rebound fresh pages by hand to make a new custom-made journal.

Photo Pendants. I made 2 photo pendants, each with a photo that the gift recipient held dear and this took a lot of trial and error. Not the photo part, but getting it to not bubble up at all and drilling the hole just so, so it wouldn’t all break and become useless. These are made of resin and you can buy resin kits at craft stores (like Hobby Lobby). It probably took me a good 2 weeks on getting the pendants to look like something I’d actually give. But honestly, I’m pretty sure these were a flop - or at least with my crowd. You can use the resin pieces to make jewelry of any kind, key chain, magnets, etc - I gave mine just as pendants so the recipient could choose what they wanted them as (with the exception of the hole I went ahead and drilled)…

More pendants, but with a variety of things inside…

T-shirt. I didn’t actually make the shirt, but I made the stencil and then painted it. “Herb” is a shortening of this person’s name, plus we thought it was sort of funny…

Even the dog got a homemade Christmas present - a dog bed. She’s way past her chewing phase (unlike Chance), and prefers to only chew on toilet paper and garbage. This was simply a hatbox, and I made a circular cushion for the inside plus an extra cushion to lay her head against, as well as some extra fabric for her to nose around to make her bed. This was a big hit with her, and now (much to Glory’s displeasure) Chance has taken it over…leaving a few chew marks behind.

A HUGE 2-person blanket. I didn’t use a kit, although they have those available, but I wanted something other than military/disney princess/team sports as this was for my BIL who LOVES coffee and is always cold. Personally, I ended up deciding I didn’t like the whole “fringe effect,” but it was a little late when I decided that, and luckily he liked it. He asked me to make another this year for his new wife so she’d give his back. Ha. I will warn you, though…unless you find the fabric hugely discounted, this project can end up running you $15-30 (or more) per blanket, so if you’re making gifts to save money you may want to keep this in mind and then buy the fabric on clearance when the weather gets warmer.

And, here’s one of the many Christmas photos I took and emailed out.

I made some other gifts, as well - but, can’t find the photographs. I’m sure half of you are bored out of your gourds anyhow, so I’ll just list them real quick just in case someone is interested: loom knitted hats and scarves, needle-knitted washcloth (I taught myself to knit for these gifts and quickly found out that it’s WAY too slow if I do the needle-knitting), baked gifts (like homemade bread), and Christmas cards (these were simple, a light colored card with christmas ornament shapes cut out of red and green patterned papers, and a bit of string tied on, then it all adhered down to the front side of the card. I made about 80, so they had to be simple!).

You can’t get rid of me THAT easily…

bosssanders — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 03:32:49 +0000

I told you I’d be back. I’m great like that, and maybe a little psychic.

Supposedly, everything with my blog is fixed now. Supposedly. So, if it happens to be un-fix itself or get overrun by spiders or jagged toothed man-eating fish, we’ll blame someone else…like my husband. Yup. Sounds good.

Anyhow, I’m back.

Now, go write me a love letter and confess your undying love for me…

Nineteen and Fifteen

bosssanders — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 01:55:52 +0000

She’d only wanted to get away from the sadness for awhile, and here she found herself sitting next to her best friend’s cousin - a boy she barely knew. He was angry that his own best friend sat behind him, making out with his younger cousin despite the fact he’d warned him not to touch her. She didn’t understand why he didn’t just look away and leave it be, why he couldn’t just let it go…they were just kissing. But, then he looked at her in that way that boys never looked at her, and she froze. She could feel a tendril of her hair being gently pulled as he wrapped it around his finger and let it fall loosely back off. He told her she was pretty and she smirked at his brashness, thinking he was kind of cute. And, then he kissed her.

Pulling away, she’d frowned. She hadn’t expected that, or any of this. They had been invited to a party, and yet everyone had left only minutes to arrive to fill a car with fog as they choked on joints. She hadn’t wanted to go, though. She wasn’t looking to get in trouble tonight, she’d just wanted out. She’d wanted to breathe, and she’d wanted to stop crying - something she could only do if she could leave for a while. So, she had. She looked up at the boy who had kissed her, and he was frowning now, but not at her. He was getting angrier at his friend behind him and had begun to say something when she whispered, “Why don’t we just go talk in another room?”

Taking her hand, he led her away - away from the kitchen, away from the back patio, and up the stairs. As he opened the door to an entirely different room and she spied the bed against the wall, she knew she’d said the wrong thing. She was fifteen, and still untouched - and sometimes she spoke about things she never meant to do just to impress her friends - but, this was nothing like what she’d meant. She’d only meant they move to another room, away from the activities that had seemed to upset him so much.

But, then she strangled back a laugh - at herself - thinking that even the thought of him wanting or expecting that from her had been too forward of herself. Why was she even worrying? He was nineteen, and she was fifteen - and she didn’t think herself to be too pretty, and she definitely hadn’t done anything to make him think she was up for this…had she?

Sitting on the bed, he patted the comforter beside him and she walked over, leaving the security of the door frame and sat down to talk.

But, he was nineteen and she was fifteen.

A Bloody Battle

bosssanders — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 01:47:43 +0000

My website disappeared for three days… but it wasn’t my fault.

The bloody pirates and a band of jellyfish took it over.

No worries though, BossSanders is back.

Lorelei (19 Month) Updates…

bosssanders — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 15:41:45 +0000

We’ve been slacking with homeschool…again. The kidling has began *sort of fits*, now and pregnant mommy is tired and easily frustrated, so we’re just kind of doing whatever will hold her interest these days. I know she’d do a great job with all of the activities I did have planned, but quite frankly…I have no energy. So, we’ll fit them in when we can and not worry about it for now. With both mommy and toddler ready to throw a tantrum, I think we both just need some R&R.
Sort of Fits. She hasn’t gone into the total tantrum throwing phase yet like I’ve seen in some kids (but, I do know that I have a good length of time that this could still happen. Woohoo), but she does get into little bouts where she gets really frustrated and chooses to act that out with whining and some flailing of her head/arms/legs, all the while hanging on to something. She also usually watches me when she does this, and I choose to ignore her and simply tell her to “Work it out or use your words.” It might seem mean, but it works. The words “work it out” alone really seem to help her focus, and I’m not sure she understands the “use your words” part yet. Either way, fits won’t get you anything in this house except nap-time.
Two new words: Hotdog and…well, the next one is the sign (language) for “thank you.” Oh, and “sock.” She knows 3 new ones now, I guess.
Pottytraining…would be so much easier could we find a potty that FIT her. Lorelei is still very much enamored with her potties. She will go to them, sit on them - and sometimes she will go to the trouble of taking her pants (and socks ) off and point to her diaper to tell us she wants it off. If you ask her if she’s “wet,” she will spread her legs a bit and grab the diaper, as if she’s hoping it’ll come right off (she also will say “WET!”). BUT, the 2 potties that we have don’t fit her. One is for teeny little guys…like for Elimination Communication, and the other was obviously built for a much taller 19 mo old or for a 2 year old. So, now we are looking for a potty that doesn’t need a lot of scooting back, and one that doesn’t stick to her butt when she stands up (which could result in a really gross mess).
On developing relationships. Lorelei is still doing great with other kids, and is still pretty shy with adults. She will warm up (somewhat) with adults after 30 min-1 hour, but if she doesn’t really know them, she’s a totally different L. Her favorite people remain those that she sees really often (every week). She has different levels of relationships already and has preferences between those relationships she’s already formed - all of which is very obvious when you watch her interact with each of them. Some people, she will call by name and ask for them, and when she sees them, she gets super excited and shouts their name. With those people, she thoroughly enjoys her time with them and doesn’t mind if she stays overnight. Then, in some of her other relationships, she KNOWS who they are but hasn’t given them nicknames or won’t use their name and doesn’t always want to go to them. While she will mostly warm up to those individuals after a bit, you can still tell that she’s not quite comfortable because she talks less and seems to backtrack a little in regards to her abilities.
Thumb-sucking. Lorelei was never much of a thumb sucker as she got older and could walk, but when I got sick she used that and her blanki as sources of comfort. So, she went from only thumb-sucking at night and naps to WHENEVER. Now, the blanki has been taken away except for sleeping, and the thumb seems to have mostly followed it. Occasionally, she’ll still use her thumb (especially when we are out and shes tired…or sick…or upset…or bored), but for the most part when can ask her why she has her thumb in her mouth and she’ll giggle and take it back out. Other times, we joke with her and pull her thumb out and offer her ours and ask to use hers…which she thinks is both hilarious and absurd - so, she GETS IT that big people don’t suck thumbs. Also, when she’s bored, simply pulling her thumb from her mouth and giving her something to do with her hands works extremely well. Then, when she’s sick or really upset, we just let it go…but that’s not often.
We’re slowly progressing from sippy cup to a specially made toddler cup that is basically a cup with a snap on lid and straw. It’s really well made, though so it takes a bit of rough-housing to make it leak. Which is good - because, she still tries to “shake” the cup.
Lorelei has gone from being able to help clean herself in the shower to talking one totally solo (with supervision, of course). She knows where the soap is and how to use it, lathering it between her hands and then washing her belly, face, legs, feet, arms, etc. Unfortunately all of our most gentle products (that won’t burn eyes) are all in liquid/gel form…which she wastes, so we’re not on the lookout for a barsoap for babies…she is a bit obsessed with bar soap right now. Anyhow, she can rinse herself and will also let us know when she’s had enough and would like to get out. She’d get out on her own if the tub/shower’s walls were just a tiny bit shorter…and, I’m sure if given enough time alone in there, she could probably even figure that out (like she figured out how to get on top of the coffee table…).
Discipline has been interesting… For the most part, she’s sensitive and aims to please (while still being VERY independent and easy-going), but occasionally she gets a little cocky and tests boundaries. And, mostly she will respond really well to us simply asking or telling her to stop and giving her something else to do. Timeouts are a joke (for us) at this age and she only understands limited amounts of OUR reasoning and words, so negotiating and explanations would fall on deaf ears. We don’t really “spank,” but we’ve had to give an occasional “pop” to the bottom or thigh and she seems to understand that. I’m really looking forward to the development of more comprehension and language in this kid, so I feel like I have more choices in disciplining when she decides to totally disregard anything that even looks like rules (which isn’t often, but is still annoying).
She’s still napping for several hours straight during the day. HER preference and I’m definitely not complaining. She will ask for “bed” or “night night” when she’s ready for bed (and “eat” when she wants to eat, or “juice” when she wants anything to drink). She goes to bed by 9pm mostly, although there is nothing strict set down - and, we generally like that she can roll really well with whatever our schedules produce. Most days, if she wakes up before us, she will talk to herself for a bit quietly and then play for a bit before she demands to actually get out. I love this kid.
Foods. She’s back to eating really well. She demands “apple” a lot, but it seems like she likes the word much more than she likes the fruit, which she’ll only eat a few slices of. The kid rarely requests “nana” (bananas) anymore, but will eat them (or most of them) for breakfast. She also is really into grapes, blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries. She can eat an entire soft shelled taco or a double cheeseburger from McD’s (chill, she ate it once. It was a giftcard and we were all starving). The kid can eat 10 pizza rolls in one sitting and still want a snack a little later. If she likes what she’s eating, she’ll eat a lot of it. Otherwise, she picks. Right now, her favorite snack foods are toast, craisins, raisins, fruits, cheese, crackers, Kashi fruit bars, Kashi puffed cereal, and noodles with sauces. Oh, and tomatoes. She’ll still eat them like some of you eat apples.

Scenarios

bosssanders — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 17:32:05 +0000

One.

The three of us were sitting comfortably in the car en route to a favorite lunch spot. My aunt says, “Do you know of a boy named ______? He’s rooming with the boys…” I became unusually quiet as I tried to process the best response and instead came up with, “I know him (dramatic pause).” “What’s THAT mean?!” She implored, as my grandmother sat ahead, asking for the fiftieth time if we were sure she shouldn’t be turning yet on a road with virtually nowhere to turn. “Eh. I sort of went on a date with him. My friends fixed me up for prom. And he was horrid, but I’m thinking the boys should encounter a much different attitude from him…” I responded. She stared at me, waiting for me to go on. “He’s a guy. He had wishes about prom that I didn’t feel the need to fullfill and once he grasped this he became a big ass. See. They have nothing to worry about.”

Then, Grams pipes up, “Oh, Ashley. You always were too hard on those boys when you were younger.” Stunned, my aunt and I wait for her next poke. “I always thought you expected too much from them and were just too hard on the poor boys…”

My aunts eyes got as big as saucers as she looked from the front seat to the back, carefully watching for any expression changes on my face…and possibly for signs of an explosion. Was I just chastised for not having sex with a boy I didn’t know on prom night by MY GRAMS? Ohnoshedidn’t.

“Well Grams, sure I was picky about who I wanted to let in my pants…err…have sex with. I’m not a floozy.” I said.

Grams nearly swerves off the road as she tries to regain composure from the words “floozy” and “sex” used in the same sentence. She chokes on her words, also with eyes as big as saucers.

“Mom! She tried to tell you! She tried to say it nonchalantly…” My aunt piped up from the front seat.

“I didn’t hear that part…” My grams grumbled.

Two.

The room was dimly lit - which had more to do with the fact that only one of the 4 lightbulbs in the ceiling fan was actually working, and the slight ping of the rain against the glass doors was enough to lull me to sleep. My husband was in a rather frisky mood and I was in more of a … I’m-pregnant-and-I’d-rather-have-another-cookie-thank-you-much frame of mind. Lorelei, of course was engrossed in another episode of Veggie Tales and was busy tearing apart any book she could find.

My husband, unaware that his 18 month old daughter was watching, reached over to hug me and then grab my bottom. He wasn’t a cookie, nor was he offering one, so imagine his disappointment when I pushed him away. Besides, the kid was still up and can’t watch herself.

The toddler, after taking it all in for a moment, proceeded to march her way over to the couch and fluidly reach out to me…and grab my butt.

I can’t quite explain to you the amount of weird in that very moment.

My husband couldn’t control his uproarious laughter, and my daughter - not one to be left out of the moment, tilted her head back and cackled along with him in her toddler laugh.

Three.

“Hey Mom,” I had said into the phone, “You know what I’m REALLY craving? Sushi! Do you think we could grab some when Lorelei and I come in for the weekend?”

“Well, I could take you to pick some up for takeout, but I’m not eating that shit,” she had replied.

Now, we were slowly making our way into the small Sushi restaurant that had just opened in town. “Look at all these stupid-sushi-eating people! The whole strip parking lot is full and this is the only place open! Stupid people!” My mother exclaimed, as she tried to find a parking spot.

“Oh, you have to try it just once. You can get sushi that’s been deep fried and cooked and stuff here, too. There has to be SOMETHING on the menu that you like,” I replied as we got out of the car and made our way into the sushi restaurant, my mother making gagging noises on her tongue.

“I’m not eating any of that damn sushi,” She whispered into my ear.

“Okay, fine. Look, they have other stuff too. Cooked stuff,” I said, pointing to the specials board that I couldn’t read.

More gagging noises from her.

(Fast forward to our plates coming out)

Mom eyes the sushi cautiously, just waiting for it jump up her nose and strangle out her insides. Or something.

“That’s sushi?” She asked.

“Yeh, what’d you think it was?”

“Well, I was picturing something like raw catfish and other meats just all in a bowl without the skin.”

I gagged a little.

“Try this, mom,” I said as I handed her a piece of the raw sushi.

She crinkled her nose but took a bite. Chew. Chew. Chew.

“Not bad, right?” I said.

She shrugged.

“Okay try this one…these two are cooked…” I said as I transferred some onto her plate.

More shrugging.

“Here’s your eel sauce!” The waitress said as she dropped off the dipping sauces.

Mom gags on her fried rice. “What is that? Eel blood? You want me to eat eel blood, you crazy girl!?!” She said to me.

I laughed. “I doubt it even has eel in it,” I said quietly, hoping nobody would overhear and correct me about a dead eel sauce.

(Update: After disecting the sushi pieces and explaining what each colored bit was (and which had been cooked or not), mother finally shoved the cooked variety on her plate. Turns out, she likes sushi. Just tell her it’s cooked. Even if it makes you a liar…)