My freezer paper stencil w/ bleach project made it on Make Blog! How cool is that?

Step 2- Cut out freezer paper Step3- Cut out stencil

Originally uploaded by sillyred.

Freezer paper stencils are taking over the crafty blogosphere. Check out diber’s, katiek’s, and Rebecca’s. It’s pretty easy to do, but I just never had the time to actually take on the project.

Last week I saw on Make Blog an interesting use for bleach.

Combining the two ideas, I took some time to decorate a t-shirt for Fuller using a freezer paper stencil and bleach as the medium. Here’s my step-by-step.

If you plan on doing this, I suggest that you take a good look at the instructable and the following comments. I wish I had read some of them before I started.

1. Damon is still working on the attic, putting in the knee walls and upper insulation. I think he might finish today. We slowed down the project this week, taking time to watch the Sopranos and enjoy each other.
   
2. Damon & Fuller’s last day of kindermuisk was this week. We believe that Fuller did enjoy himself, as evident that Fuller loves to sing the main song “Alley, Alley-O,” but we did not sign him up for the Fall semester because it would be too costly. Maybe next year.
   
3. Our neighbor brought us a meal yesterday, just out of the blue!
   
4. I have an itch to do some baking, so maybe today I will be making cookies for my neighbor (along with her clean dishes) and then some Animal Crackers for Fuller.
   
5. I’ve been hanging out at the Blogher website this weekend, feeling a bit jealous of those who could attend. I’m curious where the ‘07 conference will be because they said they are moving it more inland for more people to attend. Maybe next year I’ll get to go?
   
6. Bobw mentioned in the comments that we are teaching Sunday School this year and I’m starting to get excited. We will be corralling the 1st & 2nd graders, the class known as the shooting stars. That should excite my mom because she loves shooting stars.
   
7. I haven’t had my coffee yet. Maybe I should head that way.
   

We had a wonderful time with our friends last night. Many topics of conversation were covered ranging from Auburn football, football in general, to baby furniture over to family traditions and around to how Denver’s job as a construction supervisor works. I had half a pitcher of sangria (about 2 1/2 glasses) and some yummy smoked gouda ravioli. D enjoyed his Coke and crab tartlet. We both had bruschetta. Yum!

While we were discussing the topic of children (which of all the people there D & I were the only ones with an actual child. Denver & Joanna are expecting, but beyond that, no parents in the rest of the group), a question came up and I don’t really have an agenda with this question, I just want to know…

Do you know any Christian families who have only one child by choice?

We were truly stumped and I am curious. Leave it in the comments.

Tonight Fuller will be dropped off at a babysitter and his parents will be enjoying tapas, maybe some wine, and good (we hope) adult conversation with friends. It?s the Todd & Liz Last Night Out in Chatty Adventure and Terra Nostra should be a great location for all that fun (I’ve never been there, but the food looks good!).

This morning I was starting to get excited about going out, sans Fuller, and this thought came through my head, ?Finally! A night out without Fuller where we can act like normal adults!? And then I stopped.

I know I have heard other people say a variation of that sentence, the key phrase being normal adults. And that is where I paused.

What is a normal adult? Most of the normal adults I know, at least the ones that have kids, don?t feel the need to get a babysitter and leave the kid at home to think they are normal. I assert that most of the normal adults I know spend their time going to work or caring for the kids, reconnecting at home, getting dinner on the table, spending quality time together, then wrestling the kids into bed. To me, that is a normal scenario.

Getting a sitter, spending time with other adults outside the home, reconnecting with friends- that is all the exception to my normal life. A treat. It is something to be enjoyed sparingly, but thoroughly.

So, instead of getting excited that I am returning to normal, I am excited that I get to take a break from normal and have a glass of wine with that.

Let?s go to the movies?

Well, we have another topic for the Fuller?s Firsts archives. On Tuesday, Damon took Fuller to his first movie theater experience.

Now, I would bug D to write his own entry about the outing, but ya?ll he is very busy. What with the attic project still underway and the various and sundry little things that make our house run- that is all darling D.

So, I offer you my version of the events. No, I wasn?t there, but I was there when I grilled Damon on how my little/ big boy did on this momentous occasion.

Fuller sat through the whole thing. Granted, it was a movie he has seen several times before, but that actually made me think he would get bored. But no, he sat on the edge of his seat, clutching his sippy cup and eating popcorn (another first!) to his little heart?s content.

While he did seem to enjoy the movie, the real reason he was sitting on the edge of his seat was because if he sat back any farther the seat would fold up on him. D did place Fuller?s backpack behind him to help out a little bit, but it wasn?t enough. D tried to use his leg to keep the seat down, but Fuller had to be pushed to the front of the seat so he could enjoy the movie.

I was worried that Fuller would think it was too loud, too dark, too crowded, or too much like having to sit still for an hour and a half. Apparently, none of these things bothered him. He did start to talk/ sing at the end of the movie, but a pacifier also serves as a great sound stopper for children.

We don?t plan on taking him to the movies on a regular basis, but since these are free movies, full of other children who may have to be taken out of the theater for screaming or being unruly, it was a great way to break him into a great American pastime- sitting on our behinds for several hours at a time.

Now, if only our pew training at church will go as well.

Tonight we are watching The Sopranos, season 5, episode 6 and who should show up as a skanky mob girlfriend?

Gina, Sesame Street’s favorite vet.

The world is never going to be the same.

Ok, well then. Let’s look before we leap, ok?

Turns out that in Tennessee (where I live, where terrablogs resides) raffle equals lottery. Sure there are some hoops to jump through and $150 or more to the state to make to legal, but um… we need something easy, something quick, something to raise the funds that we need for terrablogs.

So, let’s start, right now, brainstorming! What kind of legal, nonlotteryesque fundraising can we do on the internet?

Comment, now!

If you are a terrablogger, then you all know that terrablogs needs a new server. The geniuses over at Terrablogs HQ have been collecting donations to raise money for a new server. They added advertisements to the portal pages and the money is trickling in.

I believe in the terrablog community and really like the idea of city centered blogging. The chattablogs portal page is a wide variety of blogging types- mom bloggers, political bloggers, technical bloggers, and the heniz 57 variety of blog where people just want to be heard read.

In order to help terrablogs (because I would hate to lose everything in a server related malfunction) I have decided to organize a fundraiser- specifically a raffle. I am still working on the details but I need prizes. I can donate something crocheted, but I am sure that there are other terrabloggers who have something that they could donate as a prize.

If you can donate something- art work, gift certificates, swag, or something- then leave a comment or send me an email (alicia at crumley dot org). Maybe you are a programmer and you can donate your time to “make over” someone’s blog? Do you want to donate a Flickr pro account to a lucky winner?

So, in order to make this a go, I need some support. Please spread the word on your blogs as well. I hope to start the actual fundraising in early August.

You like me, you really like me!

Well, the winner was announced today and I have a few people to thank? our loyal readers who follow directions so well! 19 comments for Rebecca, all referencing me as the referrer? how awesome are ya?ll?

Thank you to Rebecca for holding the contest and thank you to Rebecca for blogging her normal life for all the internet to read and comment on. I really like Rebecca?s blog title- Just a Normal Day. The Normal Mom t-shirt is something that I will wear with pride because it affirms something that I need to hear every day- I am a normal mom!

I have mentioned a recent identity crisis and part of getting through that is examining what kind of mom I am and what kind of mom I want to be and being ok with the circumstances that we have found ourselves in now.

When I was twelve I dreamt about the kind of mom I would be when I grow up. That dream has changed a little bit (like I used to think I would be a single mom? I think that changed a bit), but regardless of where I wanted to be and where I am right now, I am still a normal mom. That kind of affirmation is something that I need right now and well? all you who commented, thank you.