Spring snow

Just when I thought spring had sprung we get snow. I'm really ready for some serious spring weather to stay. It gets teasingly warm and then drops back to cold but snow was a bit too much.

We got a new septic tank! Yeah, I know, who gets excited about septic tanks? I do, especially since the old one broke. It worked fine as far as flush and be gone but there was an odd hole in the ground out back. So one fine morning the guys came and dug a really big hole, pulled up the old and replaced it with a new bigger concrete model. I found the whole procedure interesting and actually photographed it. I can play it as a slideshow for #2 who is really into heavy machinery. Poor kid had to go to school that day as it was spring picture day. I now have a huge mud area in back and am thinking of setting up ropes around it and renting it out for mud wrestling matches. I could use the revenue from ticket sales to pay for the tank. I'll have to run that idea by the Hubby. I have a feeling that if it involves babes in bikinis he'll be pro. He and all his friends will have to pay the cover charge. I bet my girlfriends would send their husbands down just to get some quiet time. If I offer child care I'll make a fortune! Most moms I know just want some quality alone time.

Any who- that went off topic! So I'm still working on the sewing room. I've hit the wall on creative layout for all my stuff. I think I have too many interests and not enough room or time. So I'm still trying to get all the bits and pieces arranged so I can put either the laptop or the sewing machine on my desk and use the side table for workspace. Someday I may get this done and looking good- until then it's better than everything scattered in boxes here and there upstairs but it's a slow go.
I've been working on some Easter decorations- paper bunnies and eggs, needlefelted eggs, some flowers and a couple of chicks. I've also got #1's 8th birthday coming up. Party decor to be planned and made. Too much to do and not anywhere enough time to do it. These holidays and things to celebrate come too close together! Good thing May should be pretty quiet- just the Memorial Day Parade for the Brownies. Maybe I'll get some projects done before school is out for summer. Wish me luck!

Electric Momma

I have no idea what an electric momma is but my seven year old dubbed me that and it stuck. I suppose it's rather catchy and memorable so here it is. Since I've been reading blogs for a few years I decided it was time to give it a try. Hopefully this will be fun and educational for all, myself included.

So I'm a mother of 2- one mostly normal seven year old girl and one autistic five year old boy. I like crafting and find I spend way too much time surfing the 'net for new projects as well as new pages about my favorite crafts. Right now I'm a stay at home mom and find that rather than having lots of free time I have almost no time. Hmm- I have no idea how that can be. So let's look at the great black hole of free time.

Once upon a time I had a job, an apartment, free time and money. Then came the house in a small town in Western New York, baby1, job downsizing post 9/11, baby2 and here I am. Oddly enough my job entailed copious quantities of time in front of the computer and now here I sit staring at the screen again. I'm hoping to use this blog as a place to connect all the dots of my life- motherhood, autism, crafts, normal kids (OK- those who know her might beg to differ somewhat- she is unique!), gardening, renovating a 170 year old house, pets, my pathological need to photograph everything(more on that another day), and all the other detritis that seems to clutter up my otherwise simple life.

My seven year old daughter is one of those incredibly social kids- she loves parties. She loves to dress up in her finest and celebrate- anything. Since I am such a stick in the mud sometimes and don't always want a few dozen of her closest friends over she often will have parties for herself and a few hundred of her closest stuffed friends. She is a great kid and always up for trying a new craft or going somewhere. My five year old son is her complete opposite in so many ways. He is autistic and prefers not to have loud parties. He would stay home or just go to a few preferred places for his whole life if we allowed that. Alas, his wishes often get over ridden by reality. Groceries must be bought, errands run and general mayhem over strict schedules prevails here. For all the boy is quiet and content with quiet pursuits, the girl is loud and enjoys noisy pursuits. I feel like the rope in a game of tug 'o war most days trying to balance the two. Add one 4 year old Bull Terrier named Arthur Pendragon, three cats, and lots of wildlife in the yard and chaos is an apt description of some days.

Add to the mix the ongoing renovation of our very old farm house and mess is another way to sum up my life. I feel like I spend a good portion of my day moving things out of an area to be worked on, doing some work and then looking for what I had to move. Oh well, someday the work will be done and everything will be in it's place and I'll find everything I'm currently looking for- right?? At least the yard is looking better this year. Did I mention my love for all things John Deere? We'll tackle that another day. Why scare everyone off with too much weirdness, right? Actually the yard still has some changes coming but I'm pretty slow with the planting. I'm still letting last years plants fill out and deciding if I like it all. We have a shallow but spring fed stream in the yard outside the dining room which is very peaceful. I like to relax and read out there while the kids play in the shade.

So that is the short version of what to expect here. Chats on crafts, kids, pets, home renovations, house work and whatever strikes my fancy. Grab a cup of coffee and join me in a few laughs over the daily workings of a not always ordinary mind.