Time to buy furniture!

Soooo... we went to IKEA on Saturday.

Have I ever mentioned how much I love that store? I really, really wish there was one here so we didn't have to keep driving to Chicago. We went to the Bolingbrook location instead of the Schaumburg store (no fair! they have two!) because it was a little closer. But the floorplan was really weirdly set up: like there was only one elevator and it was really hard to get to. I think we'll go back to the Scaumburg one next time.

Still, I had a really great time shopping there, since IKEA is like the funnest store of all time. We had lunch in the in-store cafe even. (I remember eating Swedish meatballs as a kid but I have no idea when, it's the vaguest of memories. Funny how my taste buds remember what my brain has forgotten.) And yes, we filled up three carts. Although one whole cart was just seat cushions for our new dining room chairs so I don't think that really counts, do you?

Oh, for pete's sake.

It is snowing.

Easter

Now that I'm finally coming down off the sugar buzz from all the candy I've eaten, I can finally blog about Easter. Despite the fact that it was about seventeen below zero outside, it was actually a lovely day. I sang with the choir in church; I wore my new dress - of course - and Betsy got to wear her princess dress (ANY dress with a long skirt os a princess dress) from Emily's wedding last August. Mike and Mandy came over for dinner. We are gradually introducing them to the concept that Holidays Are More Fun With Chuildren Around. For example, where an adult would merely eat jelly beans, an almost-two-year-old would shake the jelly-bean-containing plastic eggs like maracas, keeping time to his frantic dance of joy. Check out that picture! He was even happier when he realized there was candy inside.

It's by complete coincidence that Betsy had her first dental checkup this morning. She did pretty well - she's surprisingly good at opening her mouth - and she even got to have her picture taken to go on the No Cavity Wall. Betsy's been practicing brushing her teeth ever since we got home and the corners of her mouth are slightly crusted with dried pink toothpaste. I'm sure she's just saving it for later.

that potty thing...

I came to a shocking realization the other day.

Betsy is potty trained.

She's still wearing a Pull Up at night, and I still have to remind her to go every couple of hours, but she hasn't had an accident in at least a month. I've been planning my errands around her bladder capacity, but lately, we've been working on introducing the concept of Other Places Have Potties Too. The church has potties, and the library has potties, and (this is the best) the museum has little child-sized potties. Of course this means I have to avoid locations which are likely to have really sketchy restrooms... but that's a good idea anyway.

I can't even begin to explain how this has affected my quality of life. Considering that she wasn't even trying to do it after her fourth birthday, I was convinced (and justifiably so) that she would never be potty trained. She would need to go to a state school so that she could come home for a diaper change between classes. I know, everyone says "She'll do it when she's ready." But I would have liked it if her readiness took less time to obtain than a college degree. We weren't getting along, and frankly, I was one unhappy mama. Betsy's found the key to getting on my good side, and it involves toilets.

I think, if she comes home with a tattooed boyfriend named 'Snake' when she's sixteen, I won't mind. I'll just still be so happy that she's wearing underpants.

And yes, that photo was taken for the express purpose of creating a scrapbook page. Is that a weird thing to scrapbook about? It's such a monumental event - at least on the level of childbirth or a new house - that I have to document it. Plus I have this really cute paper...

compare and contrast

I have two hobbies: scrapbooking and sewing. (Actually, I have lots of random little hobbies, but those are the two which consume the most money and space in my house. So, they are the ones my husband tends to notice.)

I've been scrapping for over six years - since I was a newlywed and I made an album of our wedding and honeymoon pictures. (coughStickerSneezecough) I never sewed anything until last summer, when I made the Hammer Pants for Matt. Scrapping actually led to sewing, in fact, because when I got published in 'Simple Scrapbooks' I used the check to buy my sewing machine. I thought hey, I could try machine stitching on my pages, and it kind of evolved from there.

Scrapbooking is cheaper, at least per project. I could make five or ten layouts for what it would cost for one dress (even when the fabric is $2 a yard). On the other hand, I've got waaay more money invested into scrapbooking stuff than fabric and patterns. Heck, my machine was only $40 - I think I've spent that much on rub-ons alone. Sewing is more public: I can make a dress and wear it to church or the grocery store, rather than create a page which will mostly sit unseen in an album on a shelf somewhere.

I'm at a much higher competency level for scrapbooking than for sewing. I know how to set an eyelet, but not a zipper. I don't have a clue how to re-size a pattern, but I can easily look at a 12x12 layout and adapt it for my 8.5x11 pages. Also, I think scrapping is easier, because everything is glued down and it doesn't really have to fit. Sewing involves notches and gathers and (so I'm told, I've certainly never done any) crazy things like darts, pleats, and princess seams.

I can do a couple of layouts in an afternoon, whereas a sewing project takes me the better part of a week (more, if there is bias tape involved). It's hard to say which will have more longevity. Theoretically, my scrapbook albums will last forever, but not if I keep letting my kids look at them. Clothes will go out of style, but they will eventually come back into style so I plan on keeping everything. Except maybe for Matt's pants.

So, which one do I love the most? I'll have to take the diplomatic route (I am after all the mother of two children) and say both. I love them the same, but different. I'm just glad to have so many things I enjoy doing.

(I just want to add that while I was writing this post, Porter was rubbing peanut butter into his hair. Thank goodness for that foaming baby shampoo.)

(That's foaming shampoo for babies, not shampoo for foaming babies.)