all the things. in one post.

o1) contests, i just don’t know how to quit you. picture me right now doing the beauty pageant hyperventilating hands-on-mouth I CAN’T BELIEVE IT squeal, because i’m in season 9 of project run and play.


for those who don’t know (gasp! how?) it’s only my favorite online sewing competition EV-AH. for realsies. 6 “designers”, 4 weeks, fight to the finish. hopefully the cornucopia is full of japanese cutting shears and high end machines, because i require the best. :/
anyway, there’s a theme for each week, and my brain has been churning since i was asked to be a part of the contest a couple months ago. i’ve been counting down the days and now it’s really happening and i’m all pukey-excited. the actual competition doesn’t start until next month, but for me the sewing begins STAT. i haven’t really sewn in a couple of months now, and there’s a LOT of pent up sewing energy stored in me.
i’m also going up against 4 awesome seamstresses. some i already ‘knew’, others i’m just discovering. and i’m feeling there’s a super big chance i’ll be the first one thrown off the island. or shot with an arrow, whatever competition metaphor floats your fancy. but i’m going to try my hardest to have a blast with this no matter what.

let the games begin.

(you thought i was gonna say let the odds be ever in your favor, right? heh.)

o2) we bought a dog. or, another dog i guess i should say. thing is: i am a hardcore believer in rescues. also, i am cheap as all get out and the thought of spending ooh-gobs of money on an animal makes me throw up in my mouth a little. oh, and i like big, BIG dogs.

well here i am with my tail between my legs. i bought a dog, from a pet store, who is AKC registered and i can trace his lineage back 4 generations. and i paid ooh-gobs of money. and he’s 2.5 lbs.



but that face. THAT FACE. he’s a chihuahua (in case that’s not glaringly obvious) and his name is Santino Burrito. and if you could trill your ‘r’ that’d be great.
he’s technically for gigi, the child who would gladly give up 3 of her 4 limbs to own a cat. but the googiedaddy is prejudiced against things that poop in the house, and i’m prejudiced against things that make me not able to breath. so we found the most catlike dog we could.

o3) i’m seriously lost when it comes to things like SEO and pageviews and stuff. but once in a while i poke around in google analytics for giggles. here is a list of search terms people use that lead them to googiemomma.blogspot.com.



refashioning, sewing, crocheting…all your basics WAIT WHAT?

boobs. on a shelf.

well. i…why? nevermind. i don’t want to know.

o4) the sickies: ava had a foot checkup. insert thumbs up here. doc says all good, no need for casting for a while. picture me doing the dance of joy. yes, like balki.


GIFSoup
i'm so old.

gigi had a blood test which placed her platelets at 770,000. a mere TWO TIMES NORMAL. umm, ok. doc says all good—means her bone marrow has been working like gang busters to catch up, and the immune system has probably stopped killing off platelets so now it’s overcompensating. like peddling a bike really hard up a hill, then you hit the top and start going down but you’re still peddling really hard for a minute until you realize WHOA i made it!
so…a more cautious dance of joy, because she’s still having mild spells of petechiae and occasional bruises that make us go on high alert. nothing warranting a run to the ER, but concerning…

o5) i’m working now. well, i mean like outside of the home. and, not just for the family business. okay—i’m working more. ha. i got a little gig waiting tables at lunch at the local pizza place we frequent. i actually really enjoy it, and i’m making decent money (FABRIC FUNDZZZ.) for doing about 9 hours a week. only problem is i’m finding sewing time a bit harder to come by. and blogging time. oh yeah and cleaning the house time. yesss…that’s why it’s not clean. ;)
but i’ve still got a back log of things i never blogged, and with point #1 on the horizon you can be sure i’m finding sewing/blogging time in the next few weeks! even if i have to cut out something major. like sleep. nah, i need my sleep. sorry kids—it’s pb & j breakfast, lunch and dinner for the next few weeks.

disconnected ramblings of an overtired mother

which, come to think of it, should probably just be my blog name.

but miss elliot has a cold, and spent the night with a fever and hacking cough. the only cure for hacking cough in a 9 month old?
sleeping upright on mommy’s chest on the couch, with milky on demand.

so yeah, a little tired here. and the only post i have close to finished is my friday random things. so now you get it on thursday instead.

ready?

o1) true story: my brother wants to re-do their bedroom. so he’s telling my sis-in-law about the dressers he saw on ikeahackers. how they took 3 malm dressers and put them together and added knobs. super cool.
yes, that is what they did, she agrees.

halfway through the convo she finally realizes what he’s not realizing…
”you do know where those dressers are, right?”

“no.”

“umm, your sister’s house. that’s the girls’ room.”

we’re so close, my bro and i.

o1a) oh yeah, and the girls’ room dressers were on ikea hackers. and i kinda didn’t realize what a big site that was when i submitted the dressers. until it got posted and i got about 4 gazillion hits on that post, propelling it to the most viewed post on googiemomma—by FAR.

o2) speaking of my sis-in-law…she won’t get on board the pinterest thing. i keep telling her. you know what she does? she favorites things i’ve pinned.

uh…hello, 2010 called. they want their TOTALLY INEFFICIENT WAY OF REMEMBERING ALL THE AWESOMENICITY YOU FIND ON THE INTERNETS back.

(and only fellow pinners can truly, truly see the humor in this.)

okay kate. time to get on board. i’ve just outed you.

o3) i can’t stop buying peeps. partly because i love them. but mainly because gigi calls them “beefs”. just mull that over for a minute.

dare ya not to laugh.

beefs.

o4) this i’m really super duper excited about: there were 188 entries for the sewvivor sewing competition. a lot of insanely awesome stuff. and only 10 competitors make it through into the actual competition.

guess what???

i made the cut!!! so starting in april there are 4 rounds of competition. each week has a “theme”, and you only get ONE DAY to vote. EEK! three contestants get knocked out each week, and the top three get INSANE prizes. mmmm…fabric…

so you’re all gonna vote for me, right? even if i totally choke and make something crazy bad? becauuusseee…

o4a) i maaay have overextended myself just a teensy weensy bit. i’m doing sewvivor, i’m doing a cool series here probably at the end of this month, and i’ve agreed to 2 other upcoming guest posts. and when i feel overwhelmed…well, the brain. she shuts down.

i’m giving ‘er all she’s got cap’in! she’s got no more ta give!

i’m totally, completely 100% uninspired and scatterbrained. i’ve been pinning things left and right on a new board titled, oddly enough, “inspiration” but then i get all distracted pinning pithy sayings and insane recipes and before i know it i’ve totally forgotten what i was doing.

but then again…that might just be how everyone ‘does’ pinterest.

o5) found a new fabric store yesterday. actually, i really just finally got around to going to a fabric store i’ve heard about a million times before but never went to. it’s so much easier to just head to joann’s when i need something. actually…i think my car may just automatically head there whenever i get in.

but there i’d be wandering the aisles thinking to myself “there has GOT to be something better.” and by better, i of course mean “cheaper”. because even with those 40% off coupons things still get pricey.

i think it was so much fun it warrants it’s own post. so i’ll have to go back and sneak some stealthy oh i’m just holding my phone like this to see it better pictures for ya.

 

okay, that’s it. five seems like she’s ready for a nap…and imma let her do that.

googiemomma out.

why yes, maybe i do

it’s done--
my entry for the 7th “season” of So You Think You’re Crafty is posted.








the audition entries are up today. i’m up against 13 other bloggers competing for 10 spots in the competition. all the entries are anonymous, so i headed over to take a look this morning.

oh shoot.

there are some mad skillllzzz over there.

and here i’ve been trash talking all week with another competitor. momma better bring it now.

i’m nervous.

but hey, i figured if i was gonna do this, i was going to stick to doing crafts that met some qualifications. things that i:
a. loved
b. actually had a use for around here

so no matter how many of the ten weeks i make it through (if any!), i’m looking forward to having a blast and getting some projects done around here.

soooo…
why don’t YOU, yes YOU, my friends/family/anonymous readers head on over to SYTYC and place a vote? you know, vote for the one you think looks like mine the ONE YOU LIKE BEST!!!

click the linky to head thataway…

winner winner...turkey dinner?

i promised.
and what googiemomma promises, googiemomma does.

sometimes it just takes me a while :)

you want random? oh, we'll get random. there's all sorts of randomness up in he-yah.

the numbers, 1-7:

the first pick, eyes tightly closed:

the choice:

but wait! let's add some randomness to our random!

another picker:

and a third:

(never fear, our impartial judge was nearby to ensure complete blindness)

and a fourth:
  

and now, harnessing my spectacular math skillzzzzz....
i present to you the AVERAGE of the four chosen numbers:

7 + 2 + 4 + 2 = 15
15/4 = 3.75...

oh shoot.

ummm....this didn't go as planned.
plan b...

random.org picked #7!

so yay #7, aka tara benwell, who said:

Awesome! I arrived here via ana. She was my locker partner in high school. I always have to mention that because I just get the feeling ms. imadeitso will be famous one day and I'll be able to say we were always in the same homeroom. Anyway, those clutches are amazing and I've recently dumped diaper bags and am ready to move on to purses even though my husband says they don't suit me. I'd pay $25!



oh shoot.
i swear, it was TOTALLY RANDOM. nothing AT ALL WHATSOEVER to do with ana.

tara, drop me a line and we'll work out the details on which clutch you'd like!

i heart faces

the photo challenge this week over at





 is "in the orchard" so i decided to enter this one:

p.s. i really wanted to enter this one:

but it is "i heart faces".... :oP

winner winner chicken dinner

i took the easy way out. no cute shots of my googies picking a number out of a bowl. that involved more prep work and photo editing than i'm capable of at the moment.


{allergies hit me hard at this time of the year...and i COMPLETELY DETEST AND LOATHE allergy medication. so i don't ever ever take it unless it is ABSOLUTELY necessary. believe me when i say: today it was ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY. however, it now seems as if my head is floating about 10-12 inches above the rest of my body. cool, huh?}

anyway, i was gonna go ahead and use one of those random number picker sites to pick a number. and then, even that seemed beyond me. (did you know they exist? they do! there's even a virtual magic 8 ball site...weird, huh?)

so i thought, hey, you know who NEVER wins? #1. they're always #1, but they never win. and you know what else? this is my blog, so i get to decide the winner is #1 if i want. pffftttttthhhh. (please don't leave my blog because i'm being so cranky...i swear, it's the medicine talking)


so here's to YOU, #1~~
and that is:
ana @ imadeitso who said:

"the term 'follower' makes me think of zombies with a side of "take me to your leader"...

sorry, but you asked :)

congrats on 101! i can't believe you're one whole post ahead of me. i am such a slacker ;)

very cool about the 101 post/101 followers thing. the other day on twitter, i had 107 followers, i was following 107 people, and i was listed 7 times. it was all very zen... til some spammer decided to follow me. boooo."

yes i did. i asked. and i agree--zombies. and aliens. and cult leaders. i am all of the above. yay for you ana! by virtue of my laziness, with a dash of  antihistamine and just a smattering of pms, (did i just say that on the internet?) you have won yourself a new leather clutch!

please send me an email with your mailing address and color choice! (yellow, black or brown leather, or gray suede)

and thank you again to everyone who commented and entered!

hoot hoot

look what i got!



i entered my play kitchen re-do into last week's CSI Project--the theme was "spray paint"--and i made the top 10!

honestly, i think googiedaddy is breathing a sigh of relief that i didn't win #1...the prize was a big pack of KRYLON SPRAY PAINT...
{sorry, just drooled a bit on my keyboard}


anyway, there was some really cool stuff on there--i especially loved the stick chandelier by Jenn @ wanting what i have.


thanks CSI!!!

and the secret ingredient is...

This sounds interesting!!





Of course, given that my interest in the actual "Iron Chef" show lasts only until the "secret ingredient" is revealed...and then pretty much peters out and I flip stations...hmmm...

Maybe it's not the best challenge for me?

I don't know. The first project isn't due until May 31st. So I have some time to think on it.

What about you?

Lots of Random Happiness!

SOOOO...just a quick listing!


First, YAY! My pillows were featured on Under the Table and Dreaming this week. I love that blog, and I'm so excited! Thanks UtTaD!!







Also, I recieved a little bloggy love from Jessica @ Adventures of a Wife & Mom. She writes some really funny stuff--you should check out her post about the mullet! (And her girls are just stinkin' adorable!)
It's the Honest Scrap Award!



Thanks so much Jessica!


I think the rules are that I have to spill 10 honest things about myself, and pass on the award to some (10?) other blogs I read & like.
Yikes.


Okay, 10 things, here goes:


1. I have been a vegetarian since I was 13 years old.
2. Except for when I'm pregnant, and each time I have eaten a cheese steak sandwich, because I wanted it, and because I'm 20 mins. from Philly.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.


Okaaayy...well. My brain bandwidth has already been used up for the week. (Can I upgrade to Brain Pro? I hear there's no ads...) I'm sure there's more I could spill...much much more. I'm going to have to think on it and come back to this. But I wanted to thank Jessica for the award!!


And FINALLY we have a giveaway winner! Through a thoroughly scientific and guaranteed random manner (no, I totally did NOT just ask my daughter to pick a number between 1 and 7--what would make you think that???) we have...





Congrats to our #2 commenter Tina, who said...




"I agree, reading to your children REALLY DOES pay off, not only in thier grades, but also in their imaginations, (my kids are much smarter than I was). Anyway, this is a good promotion. And, sidenote, I think googiemomma has more hours in the day than I do."


Congrats Tina! Your book will be coming in the mail soon!
And why yes, I have it worked out so that I have 25.7 hours in my day. :0)


This was a fun week...even though it's only Thursday for some reason in my brain it's already Friday. I'm checking out a day early apparently!


I think I'll end this post with a picture, because who doesn't love some dirty baby feet?

Nesting Matters...

Here it is--my one and only entry into Living With Lindsay's $5 Challenge I told you about here.
Except, its really a single entry but with THREE options for your decorating pleasure!




Sooooo...when I thought "Spring Decor" I immediately jumped to nests and eggs. I love the imagery of the nest and eggs as it relates to mothering/motherhood. (and I am the 'googiemomma' in case you haven't noticed)

In fact, I did a baby shower for a good friend a couple years ago centered around that theme. Aaaannnd...didn't take any pictures. :'( sniff, sniff...I handmade 150+ truffles which I coated in blue chocolate and sprinkled with cocoa, then nestled into little handmade nests wrapped with tulle tied with a bow and a tag that said "Welcome to the Nest {insert baby name}". Way cute. Way alot of work. Way worth it! Reeeeaaallly wish I had pics.

Shortly after that googiedaddy bought me this ring I found online while searching for shower ideas:



It had three little eggies, like my three little googies. And I wore it constantly.


Except, then there were four little googies! So googiedaddy, in all his sweetness, bought me this for our last anniversary:



He had it customized with four little googies/eggies. And I LOVE it. LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT! (I know he got it on Etsy, I'm not sure where, but here are some gorgeous ones)

And now I've changed my blog header to a nest, totally coincidentally.


Okay, well that was TOTALLY off the point (sheepish grin)


So I headed to off to the Dollar Tree with a vague idea in mind~~and this is what my $5 net me:



 Unfortunately for you, I was feeling a bit...arty that day. So you must deal with my STUPENDOUSLY AMAZING ARTSY FARTSY photographs of what amounts to a $1 store craft. hahaha.


Step 1:Gather your styrofoam balls. Line up in the sunlight. Shoot 100 pictures of them.



Go outside* and, using an exacto knife, carve the top 2/3 into a soft triangle.(I used the medium sized ones in the package) Take more artsy photos:
    *trust me, outside is the best place for this--it gets messy.




Get some sandpaper, and gently smooth the triangle into a rounded egg shape. Take moooore photos:




 Will the fake egg please stand up, please stand up, please stand up?


Now take the light blue tissue paper sheet and tear it into pieces, and start plastering them on the egg with ModPodge or white glue, whatever you have.
Hot tips: I gave the whole egg a good coat of MP first to seal some of the holes. And stick a toothpick in it for easier handling!


(Pay no mind to the manicure fail in the photo)

Stick all the eggs in styrofoam to dry, and take more artsy photos.



I call it "Oeufs dans le soleil"


I did three coats of the tissue paper, letting them dry between. After they dried, I watered down a bit of gold paint and used my thumb to flick dots all over the top, desperately trying to restrain my inner Jackson Pollack. We're going for subtlety here, people.


The frame was ugly. Period. Soooo, a good coat of the same gold paint will help that! And I simply painted the cardboard backer a cream color.




While all that is drying, start nest building.


I took thin sticks/twigs (I think that's allowed per the contest rules. Everyone has access to sticks for free, right?) and broke them into about 3-4 inch pieces. Hot glue on a piece of paper them in a vaguely pentagonal-shape. Then keep building from there--layers of moss, a couple sticks, more moss. Keep it loose and random. Burn yourself frequently. (Do birds have this much trouble?) When it's looking nesty and cute, STOP. Don't overdo it or you won't have room for your eggs. Hot glue them in, and there you go:



 Reassemble your frame, trim the paper under your nest so you can't see it, and hot glue the nest on top of the glass.



So, this part technically only used four of my allowed $5. I had picked up the little blue bird picture at the $1 Store, thinking it could make a cute little grouping. And I tried, I did. All different spots in the house...but it just didn't work for me.

Option #1


So, back at the $1 Store again, where I found this little birdy statue. Cute, right? Every nest needs a momma bird. Now we're getting somewhere:

Option #2






But I have one more trick up my sleeve! Get one more $1 Store frame, paint to match:



Cover the mat in a cute paper from your stash, or paint it, or just leave it! Print out "N is for" from the computer (check out dafont.com for great downloadable free fonts. I used "Outlaw" and "Little Lord Fontleroy")




And frame it up!
Option #3




There you have it!! If you've made it through this entire book blog post, for your efforts you've received: $4 spent, and three ways to spend your last $1! Or, buy yourself a pack of gum and forget the additional item. In which case you have a $4 craft.
But that's not the name of the contest, now is it???

***I'm linking this as my $5 Craft Challenge entry. Head that-a way to see more entries, and maybe...maybe...vote for me???***

Also linking to...

Are You Ready For A Challenge?

Oh yeah, I'm ready for a challenge :-)


Lindsay at Living with Lindsay is hosting her


2nd Annual $5 Challenge!


Here's the challenge: Create a new Spring decor item for your home using only $5 worth of items purchased at a dollar store - i.e. Dollar Tree, Dollar Store, Everything's $1.00, etc. The $5 does not include sales tax.


You may use the following supplies *if* you already have them on-hand - paint, glue, paper, fabric, tools.
I think I'm going to give it a shot!
Off to the Dollar Store...hopefully the inspiration strikes!


What are you waiting for? Join in the fun...if you want me to CRUSH you with my $5 craftiness that is! mwahahahahahah!!!!