Tunes for Tykes.

The youngest of the three girls that I care for during daylight hours turned a terrific two years old yesterday. I felt so happy as I watched her smear icecream sundae all over her face, chest, and lap in the scariest place on earth.
I bought her two new Madeline books (I cannot tell you how many times I've read the first in the past two months.), made her a dress, and put together some songs that I thought she might like.
I thought I would share it with you!

Picture from Smile and Wave.

Tunes for Tykes
that Mom and Dad will like..

1. "The Swimming Song" -- Loudon Wainwright III
2. "All I Want is You" -- Barry Louis Polisar
3. "There is a Mountain" -- Donovan
4. "Three Little Birds" -- Bob Marley
5. "Yellow Submarine" -- The Beatles
6. "Vegetables" -- The Beach Boys
7. "Lollipop" -- The Chordettes
8. "I should have known better" -- She & Him
9. "Small Words, Bigger Lessons" -- Polka Dot Dot Dot
10. "A Tisket, A Tasket" -- Ella Fitzgerald, Chick Webb and his Orchestra
11. "The Clapping Song (Clap Pat, Clap Slap)" -- Shirley Ellis
12. "Chewing Gum" -- The Carter Family
13. "This Land is Your Land" -- Woody Guthrie and Leadbelly
14. "Mrs. Brown You've Got a Lovely Daughter" -- Herman's Hermits
15. "All I Have to do is Dream" -- The Everly Brothers
16. "You Are My Sunshine" -- Paul Curreri and Devon Sproule
17. "Turn! Turn! Turn!"-- The Byrds
18. "Ragged Wood" -- Fleet Foxes
19. "Lynette I Love You" -- Drew Danbury
20. "Margo, Left in Bed" -- Brown Recluse
21. "1 2 3 4" -- Feist

All of these songs are fantastic, and I highly suggest looking into more music by these artists!
If any of the musicians listed have any problem with me promoting their music in my list,
please let me know and I would be happy to remove it!
<3

WIST Etsy.

Oh hey guys, it's me! Your favorite Madisonian (I hope!)
My Etsy has just been featured on the WIST Esty blog!
Check it out!
Cool stuff!

beauty.

And one day, this will be me.

Picture from Casiotone for the Painfully Alone

Vs. Children

stuck in.

Post-nasal drips are practically a death sentence for my weekends.
PND leads to flared asthma which leads to being hopped up on prednisone.
I'm hoping that if I just rest and take it easy I won't have to go to the hospital again. It's just really aggravating. I've been considering getting a job at Trader Joe's or even Starbucks (shudder), even though I love my current job with the little girls, and I would get paid a lot less, just so I can have health care. Every one I've looked into on my own does not cover hospitalization, and that's what I need most if I have an asthma attack. It really stinks. I did everything I was supposed to do to be set with my future. I graduated from high school, I graduated from college, and I looked like mad for a good job.
Don't get me wrong, I do have a good job, but I don't get heath care through it. I'm left wondering what I'm going to do once my perscriptions for my asthma medications run out without health care and without being able to afford going to a doctor without it.


Anyway, because of this I've had to sit in all weekend, however, I've also been fairly productive since all of my asthma medications are steroids and make me wired.


Patched sweater for Jason

Completed dress for a certain almost-two year old.


side note: Universal health care, please come soon.

Reflections.

I don't have too much to say today. Or this week in general. I've been exhausted all week because Jason and I have been show-throwing maniacs. Three shows in one week.
If I ever decide that this is a good idea in the future, please remind me that this is a horrible idea.







If you would have told me this time last year that in a few months I would be living in Wisconsin with a cat and a man with glasses, I would have thought you were crazy, but I'm so happy I'm here with my little family.

Christi Garland

I love Christi Albon. She's a really super person, guitarist, and friend, and I wanted to post what I made her for her birthday months and months ago but haven't had the chance to mail yet (not because I'm bad at mailing things, but because I'm good and forgetting to mail things.)
Christi still lives in the dorms at college because she's an RA. It's a pretty sweet deal if you can get it, however, it kind of stinks because you have to live in a cold cinder-block box, surrounded by obnoxious kids away from home for the first time.
When I used to live in the dorms, I found that what really helped my feel more cozy and at home were

1. bight, warm colors.
   
2. no fluorescent lights.
3. handmade touches.

Anyway, I felt that what would help her out would be some sweet garland to decorate her room with.
I hope she likes it.

Why Cats Paint.

Remember my blog post about Why Cats Paint?
WELL...

I think it's safe to say that Willi has started her art career.
Apparently Willi paints to show off her teenage kitty angst!

Vanilla Apple Tart.

I try my hardest to bake Jason a treat once a week. This usually turns out to be a treat once a month, but whatev's, I work more than 45 hours a week.

Vanilla Apple Tart.

Ingredients:
Dough:
1 cup flour
1/4 cup milk
2 tbl oil

Filling:
1 large Granny Smith Apple
1 1/2 tsp sugar
1 tsp flour
pinch of salt
1/4 tsp brown sugar
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp vanilla (or less, depending on how you like it!)


Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400* F.
2. Mix dough ingredients together. Roll out dough, then place it into your pie dish.
3. Mix together your filling ingredients, lay them over the dough.
4. Bake for 13-18 mins.
5. Remove from oven.
6. Sprinkle powdered sugar over the tart while it is still warm. (This helped to make it more moist without covering the whole tart in icky sugar jelly filling. yuck.)
7. Allow to cool, then sprinkle some brown sugar over the apples.
8. Eat!
   

September's House Show

Oh yes! So, I know I said I would post about last month's house show about a week ago, and I haven't yet because of trouble with uploading video. (I - HATE - UPLOADING - VIDEOS- ONTO - BLOGGER, by the way! But at the same time, I love them once they're posted, so I suffer through it. Kind of like wearing high heals.)
Well, I've got it figured out, and here we are!

"See ya, Summer! "
September's House Show.

A great time, once again. And a good excuse to see almost all of my favorite mid-westerners at the same time.


The Weather Duo
Or should I say The Weather Solo? Ben was sick, however
Pat could hold his own alone too, let me tell you!
Who knew our living room had such good acoustics for a cello?

Plum Union
Amazing, as always.
I cannot tell you how much I love Plum Union's music, as well as their company.
I met Cat and Edwin on my first tour of the country, and Edwin was actually with my bandmates and me when I first arrived in Madison. In a way, they are the embodiment of the mid-west to me.

This was the night that we also discovered that Willi has vicious lazer eyes.
Can't you feel the evil just flowing through you?


















And now, I will eat Sushi with my steady beau.
Okay, I love you all!

Martha Jr.

Martha is dead.
Thanks to everyone who had some advice to lend! It turns out that my dear, sweet friend had a heart that couldn't keep beating anymore.

Now it's my pleasure to introduce you to Martha Jr.
It has been bitter sweet, but I sort of feel like this was a blessing in disguise. I hate to say it, but I've kind of grown out of Martha Sr. Martha Jr. is more of what I'm needing right now.

• After spending a lot of time searching for my new sewing machine, I was introduced to a $400 machine that I bought for $300. (Pricey, but not too shabby for something I'm going to use all the time.)
• She also doesn't sound like a machine gun. Exciting!
  

Oh!
Here she is!

Sewing Machine Hell.

I've had my sewing machine, Martha New Home, for 7 years.
My parents bought her used for me for my sixteenth birthday. I had been wanting a sewing machine since I was a little girl. They finally broke down and let me have one after my friend's mother taught me to sew.
I made my first quilts on her (that's how I learned to sew), taught myself how to make clothes on her, and I even brought her to college with me every year. She was also one of the only items I packed into my tiny Honda Civic when I moved half-way across the country to Madison.
We obviously have a long history together, and even through bunched fabric, broken needles, and bloody fingers, I've always been so thankful to have her.

Today when I sat down behind Martha with the goal of finishing a purse for my friend Marin, I was shocked to see that good ol' Martha New Home just quit pumpin' out those stitches for me.
I'm not sure if this is the end, but now I'm left wondering:

1. WHAT THE EFF IS WRONG WITH YOU?! AHH!!
   
2. Should I pay to get her repaired?
3. Would it be more realistic/less expensive to just buy a new sewing machine?
4. Can I afford this?? Really?!
   

I need advice!!
I'm feeling pretty lost here without my good companion.

(This is the only thing that could be appropriate right now.)
Oh Martha!!!

Mill-walik-A.

I'm not originally from Wisconsin, and that's why when I go to Milwaukee, I don't think of Beer, The Brewers, or Lake Michigan....I think of Wayne's World.