Empty Nester – Extraordinaire

creating, living, loving – all in a long black skirt

Pink? Really?

Getting back into the habit of blogging is HARD.

Initially, I was away with several sick kids.  We spent the 18th celebrating the Pip’s birthday at a local Mexican place.  It was a great time. Despite Jordan having been home sick that day with a bad stomach ache, he was feeling better and in a party mood.  The other kids were chipper and didn’t even fight over who got to sit next to Mama.  We laughed and sang together as the servers helped the birthday girl enjoy her special dessert.

Unfortunately, about an hour after we got home, three of the kids were complaining of the same stomach ache Jordan had earlier.  No other symptoms – just a pain that on more than one occasion had them laying on the floor yelling out in pain.  It was heartbreaking. Throughout the next week, we had kids home from school; one on the first day; two on the second; one on the third; I even got called to school several days to bring meds or to bring home sick children. It was a mess.  But, we’re done.  Whisper, the lucky birthday girl, never did catch whatever it was.  YEAH!!

Even after the recovery, it was easy to just stay away and not look for witty and interesting topics to talk about.  Naughty.

Although, I’ve not had much time for sewing, I have taken steps toward a new sachet design. I’m researching a design to embroider on the front of the sachet and then need to work on the smelly mix for inside.  Quite a change from what I normally favor, I’m looking toward a more ‘girly’ pink and green palette for this new item.  Mostly because of the color significances to go along with the aromatherapy, but the girls suggested it was about time. I’m looking forward to cutting and stitching.

And I need need need to spend time formatting the new shopping cart we’re using for the website.  I have a HARD deadline of March 25 [and yes, I know how soon that is!] so the site is ready for showing off and [ahem!] pimping by April 2.  We have plans in the works that have great potential for more traffic.  And our customers must be happy.

Dollies, dresses, and blankies… oh my!

I have great plans for new items for Bats! meow… I also have great hope that the time I need to draft the patterns and sew some samples will just appear in my life.

First up are a couple of new dresses or, maybe skirt and top sets.  The way this usually works is I determine what my girls want and then sew for them.  If the design is a success [as determined by the ooos and aaahs of the 6- and 7-years old girls  in the house and in the neighborhood], we’ll photograph, do the price workups [cost versus profit], create the web listing, and work on alternate size options – not necessarily in that order.

Next up are a set of rag dolls.  Or something of that nature.  I’m super excited about this.  When I was a little girl, all of my baby dolls [and I had a LOT of baby dolls with ALL the accessories] were little blonde things with bobbed hair.  They didn’t look anything like their mama.  Even the baby dolls in our house are 90% blondes. I do believe it’s time to expand the market to include more of the ‘looks like me’ variety.  Of course, there is more in the plans than just brown hair and grey eyes.  I’ll share more as soon as something has been sewn and stuffed. I’m really looking forward to this!

Finally, I want to incorporate my love of quilting into our designs.  More housewares, some quilts for babies, even some pillows for bigger kids and adults.  But not just any design will do – we’ll need something special, so more designing on real life graph paper.

So much to do.  Such great plans.  But time, again, is the enemy.

~sheila

Movies in the Dark

Today has been a busy day. A very busy day.

While I was able to sleep in some [and planned to do it], I slept much too long and had to rush to get Alek to dance class on time.  He’s a drop-and-go kid, so after the quick drive over, I ran back home. I should have gone straight to the sewing studio and got to work, but I planned on a relaxing late afternoon. So I sat down and watched a couple episodes of a cartoon I really dislike with the other kids.  Before I knew it, it was time to head back to pick him up. Woops!

It should have been another quick trip over and back, but I think Alek stopped to talk to every last person in the building before coming out to the car.  His social nature isn’t usually a problem to our schedule, but I didn’t work that many extra minutes into the morning.  Back home and it was time to wake up Eric for another drive back to the dance studio. Somewhere in the hour that I was at home, I started to wonder about myself.  Aren’t Saturdays supposed to be quiet?

Maybe they are, but today we were helpers.  The studio where the kids take classes had scheduled a cleaning day for the props and costumes room.  Ravynn’s teacher had asked me on Tuesday to come and help out and I talked Eric into joining me.  Alek, because he is moving on up in the class hierarchy, decided he should go and help too. Besides, there was the promise of picking up discarded loot.

The session was scheduled from 1-4.  We arrived about 20 minutes early and worked hard. My phone rang a couple times while the kids checked in from home, but it was early.  When we stopped long enough for a rest and to gather our finds into a neat bundle that was out of the way, I checked my phone for the time – almost 5!  So we said our goodbyes and headed home.  Within the next few days, I’ll try to photograph some of the wonderful items we picked up.  Eric will use them in his paintings and I’ll use them in one-of-a-kind fashion designs.  Alek even got some fun things for himself.

When I got  home, I realized that three of us hadn’t had lunch yet and it was time for dinner.

I kind of copped out on cooking for the kids and made fish planks, a box of microwave noodles with cheese sauce, and canned peas.  I desperately need to go to the grocery, so I had to get creative for Eric and I.  I sat down with my BH&G cookbook and started flipping through pages, determined to make the first thing I had all the ingredients for.  It could have gone bad. Luckily, this cookbook starts with an appetizer section.  I was overjoyed to find out I could make Coconut Shrimp -and- that they were easy and low-fat.  Ravynn and I went to work while the fish baked. I really like cooking with her and it appears she likes cooking with her mama too.

After dinner, we sat down to watch a documentary from the History channel about death masks. I was amazed by how interested the kids were, but also happy that it led to some interesting conversations about President Lincoln, Napoleon, and John Dillinger.  Just another reminder that MY KIDS ARE AWESOME!  After that, the boys asked for a movie, so we had them pick – Zombies Anonymous was their choice.  It was a decent movie, but nothing I’ll watch everyday.  I liked the angle they took on the zombie/human relationship.

The boys retreated to their room for another movie while the girls asked if they could stay up. Sure, but we need to turn off all the lights so it’s spooky 🙂  Agreed. Someone chose the movie P2, which stars the movie-making kid from American Beauty.  Whisper zonked on the sofa about half an hour in, but Ravynn is loving this movie.  She’s our little night owl and is very proud of that fact. This movie is much better, but has had one or two questionable scenes/events.  I can forgive them; it’s tying together pretty well.  We’ll see how it ends.

Despite the fact that I’ve accomplished nothing, it’s been a really good day.  I hope for more just like it in the future.

~sheila

Ultimate Fulfillment

Today’s tarot card:

King of Pentacles: Ultimate fulfillment, financial security, a life of luxury, determined, stability.

Amazing!

As I was growing up, mediums and psychics were part of my reality.  My grandmother, mother, and aunts made trips to Lilydale Assembly to ‘have their fortunes told’.  My sisters and I used to tag along, but were always determined too young to really participate.  I made my last trip when I was 15. I want to go back.

Twenty years later, I learned of a Saturday morning psychic event at a local spiritualist camp, Camp Chesterfield. A friend and I went. I don’t remember many details from that initial reading, but I do recall being all but overwhelmed by a feeling of connection with the other women in my family.  I returned for the next Saturday event and the one after that.  In fact, for over a year, I didn’t miss one.  I would journal the readings – every time – and notice some impressive themes.  Some, I’ll keep to myself for now, but I was told a dozen times, “you should be doing this.”  Eventually, I listened and bought a deck of tarot cards.

I’ve been reading for myself for years now; reading for friends for just a few months less than that.  Every morning, I’ll shuffle my deck and draw one card looking for a message for that day.  Sometimes it’s a warning, sometimes a gentle push in a direction I wasn’t heading in, but sometimes, like today, it’s a promise.

I’ve been moving forward with some great plans for Bats! meow… and I’ve quite enjoyed this little reminder from the Universe that I’m on the right track.

If you’d like a tarot reading, you can check out my Etsy shop to purchase one.

~sheila

waiting… for?

While I’m not an incredibly social person, I do pride myself on keeping in touch.  I text friends and family sitting at stop signs or while waiting for trains. I tweet while standing in line at the post office or the grocery.  I love to write and receive long, detailed, hand-written letters. I’m still in touch with [thanks to Facebook] many of the kids I went to elementary school with.  I research my family tree, keeping track of cousins’ kids and grandkids – most of whom I have little chance of meeting.

Yet, I created this blog an embarrassingly long time ago and it sits – untouched.

Something about starting a blog post worries me into a level of writer’s block I’ve never felt before.  And the first one is even more frightening, because I’ve convinced myself it needs to be IMPRESSIVE and grab the attention of strangers and be written about the most important thing in the world.  But, what is that?

The truth is I am not like you; my children are not like your children; my home is not like your home.  What I consider incredibly important wouldn’t cause many of you to even blink or glance in this direction.  And what I look at with only passing interest may very well be the most important thing in the world to many of you.  So, this morning, standing in line at the post office, I decided to stop waiting and just to begin.

I am wife and mama to this bunch.  The photo was taken in October, 2007 at the Perry Monument in Erie, PA.

I own and operate, Bats! meow…, a website catering to the needs of goth parents and their gothlings.  I read tarot and work with candle magic.  I believe in the powers of herbs and stones.  I talk to ghosts.  I sew, crochet, and quilt – all skills taught to me by my father.  I love to work out and cook and eat.

Stick around and you’ll learn more about me and about each of those interests.  Probably more about each of the folks in that photo I just showed you as well.  Even though this is primarily a business blog, my life isn’t simple enough to keep all the parts separate.

By the way, it’s good to have you here.

~sheila