Project: Faux Vitral

Hotaru and I finished the Peacock faux vitral today. The idea was to paint the background as well, but Umi-san (the cleaning lady), threw away our mats before we were done with them so yeah… It still looks great, doesn’t it?

We hung it on Hotaru’s window so the sun light makes it shine in the morning. I hope that reminds her everyday of how much I love her and all the fun we have together crafting, watching shows and playing video games.

The kid is doing a lot better today. She can breathe almost normally and coughed justa little. I’ve been pestering her to use her inhaler right and hold her breathe for the right amount of time. It has paid off, it seems. She still has a stuffy nose, which worries me a bit, but as long as it doesn’t get worse.

Michiru came by after work. Hotaru had been asking for her all day, every fifteen minutes or so. They played that kitty game in the tablet and chatted while I worked on dinner and worried over Mr. LeFish, who was super hyper until he wasn’t and then he just sat on the bottom of the tank. I don’t want him to get sick and die, because Hotaru has had enough loss for a long time.

She asked me about her father this afternoon. Said he could move the fish tank when he came back so I didn’t have to and I had to explain that he wasn’t coming back because he’s having problems with the law, that he’s a dangerous person although he doesn’t seem like one and that he might hurt her so I’m trying my best to protect her. I’m not sure she understood or paid attention to me because, the second I was done saying the last word on the subject, she immediately changed subjects and started to sing.

Guess she didn’t want to hear that. Who would? And it breaks my heart having to tell her so, but it’s best that she has SOME notion of what’s going on, even though she can’t know the gorey details yet. It’s best than her knowing she can’t see him but ignoring why. At last this way she won’t keep asking why and hoping it will happen. She’ll know what to expect and start wrapping her mind around the fact that he’s a dangerous man and that this is all for her sake.

Under different circumstances, it would be easier to just tell her that he’s dead or something, but with all this legal things and interviews the two of us have to go to, she needs some kind of explanation, I guess. Besides, it’s easier to process things if we understand them, right? I can’t explain it all to her, but perhaps, if she had this little bit of extra information, she’ll be able to understand better and process the whole situation in a healthier way.

This is why I was SO worried about the fish. Hotaru doesn’t need any more loss. I hope Leo beats the hell out of cancer as well. It’s her favorite grandpa and I fear she’ll be absolutely heartbroken if he dies. Besides, he’s one of the best men I’ve ever known and I love him like a father. I need him to be all right. Mom needs him, his children need him.

Also, on health: my bottom is not getting better. If anything, it’s getting worse. I don’t want to go see a Dr. There’s enough on my plate as it is.

To take my mind off everything, I’ve been working on my very very old writing project about a young man who has to go back home and take his place at the family business (running the family lands). It’s weird and hard to explain, but I don’t have a title for it yet, so it’ll have to suffice.

Project: Embroidery

I finished the embroidery project I’ve been working on for three of the past five days (because I didn’t get anything done over the weekend). It’s a pillow case for Hotaru, made of her old crib blankets.

The kid grew up so fast, she barely had any chance to use them and, honestly, if Michiru and I ever have more babies, we’ll buy them new stuff. Hotaru had tons of new stuff, they deserve the same and we luckily don’t need hand me downs.

I saw mom this morning. She came by to drop Hotaru’s certificate for school. The one I left at her place accidentally the other day. She wouldn’t have been able to go to school without it. Walking with mom and doing some window shopping was SO nice. It took me back to when I was sixteen and she was just divorced my dad. We used to go for long walks and talk a lot. It was so nostalgic. But in a good way. I enjoyed it thoroughly.

Hotaru went back to school today after SO long. She was thrilled and the happiest I’ve seen her in the past two weeks. She loved seeing her friends again and going back to her routine. They gave her the T-shirt senior kids about to enter elementary school wear. It has a self portrait of her (cosplaying as Misty from Pokemon) printed in it. It was insanely expensive and we missed the ceremony because of her pink eye, so yeah… not as thrilled about that as we should have been.

We ran into Odango Atama and Chibi Usa at the school entrance and we walked halfway home together as we do almost every day, though I never find the time to write about it. Odango Atama invited herself home with us for tea so we all walked here and the girls ran like crazy all the way. It’s great to see Chibi Usa is slowly getting her health back. The poor thing has been through so much! And at such a young age!

Hotaru and her went to play in her room with the cat and the thousands of toys the little firefly has. She gave Chibi Usa a couple of them as presents because she’s such a giving little girl ❤ I’m immensely proud of her and I love being her parent.

They had juice and some leftover cookies from Chibi Usa’s school snack, because I didn’t have any wheat free snacks here, since I wasn’t planning on having her over. And we didn’t stop by a mini market on our way home either, but they were too excited by their enchanted world of illusions and endless games to be hungry or care.

Odango Atama and I talked about our misfortunes. This past couple of years seem to be crappy ones to be a Libra. Her birthday is next Sunday! I couldn’t believe it! I like her even more now ^^ I’m hoping to get her a nice present, but I still don’t know what it can be. She’s super sporty (she’s a personal trainer, duh!) so it might be something related to that. Dunno, but she’s in serious need of some self care.

It seems she hasn’t taken some time off for herself and her hobbies in forever. I mean, I understand that it’s hard to care for a child that needs dialysis and can’t eat wheat, but she needs some down time or she’ll go insane. The poor woman.

I told her that and she said she might be interested in going for a walk every day, but I have the feeling she needs more than just that. I suggested the free classes the government offers in 45 different areas and explained how it works, which ones are available at which center and other tips.

Then she inquired about my painting and writing and I discovered that she, too, has an idea for a novel, so we spent the best part of an hour talking about writing and starting a writing workshop (which is ironic, because I was just telling Michiru the other day that I wished I had someone to workshop with XD). Anyway, I offered to beta for her if she did make up her mind to start writing.

Her plot seems AMAZING from what she told me, so I really hope she does get writing. I can’t wait to read it and I love having someone to share my passion for creating stories with.

Last night, I got tickets for a Mozart concert at the Opera House next Friday (because it’s my birthday on Thursday and I wanted to pamper myself somehow). It was the last day and the tickets were almost sold out, so I got them despite knowing Michiru wouldn’t be able to come with me. Taking Setsuna and not her makes me feel guilty, but Michiru works until 9pm on Fridays and her workplace is over an hour away from the Opera House. The show starts at 8pm and I have to be there an hour in advance to collect the tickets so there’s no way of fixing that.

Besides, I’ll take Michiru to the Opera House soon enough. I want to propose to her at a restaurant that’s two blocks away from it called Petit Colon, so I’ll take her to a concert before that of course. In a way, it’s good I’m taking Setsuna with me. It’ll give me an idea of what to expect when I finally can take Michiru there. It’ll take a while, though. She has class on Thursdays and the concerts I wanted to take her to are… yep, on Thursdays as well. Perhaps in the summer.

I’m still super excited about going to the Colon Opera House. I’ve never been there before. Not in an official grown up fashion anyway. I’ve been there with my school before, but that’s not the same. It’s the third best Opera House world wide! And the tickets were quite affordable as well. The view is null but the idea is to listen rather than to watch so yeah… Setsuna is as excited as I am, but she’s concerned about the dressing code. I couldn’t sleep last night thinking of that so I guess that’s why we’re friends. We think alike!

Besides, I have been neglecting Setsuna a lot lately and this will be a nice way to reconnect with her. Speaking of friends, got a message from my friend Nacho today. He said “Hey, Ruka! Your birthday’s coming up! How have you been?” And I know his is coming up as well, because it’s six days after mine, so I suggested we got the boys together for a double celebration this Sunday or perhaps next weekend. I’m SO looking forward to seeing them again.

Project: Teal blanket

Today was Fran’s and Franco’s birthday which is funny, because I had no idea they were both cancers and born on the same day, two before Hotaru. There was a bit of a talk about that coincidence on out roleplay whatsapp group. I was happy to learn that they both had enjoyed their day thoroughly.

Hotaru and I have been planning her birthday celebrations. On one hand, there’s her birthday party at the venue with her friends, which is on Saturday July the 9th. On the other hand, we have her actual birthday on July the 1st. The plan is to have tea with my mom and Leo, and my dad’s side of the family over for dinner. We’ll see if it works out as planned. I have to bake a cake for the little firefly to take school with her and plan the dinner as well. It will be busy and it’s still raining like crazy and super cold and windy, so I haven’t had much energy.

That’s an understatement, really. I’ve had ZERO energy these days and every day has been a struggle. I can’t wait for the weather to dry up. Seriously. I need to see some sunshine. When it’s not raining, it’s so cloudy it looks like night at 2pm. INSANE.

Hotaru doesn’t seem affected by the weather at all. Ever since her Dr. changed her asthma meds dosage, she’s been just peachy in spite of everything.

Michru, Hotaru and I have been spending lots of time on the couch under warm blankets to make up for the lousy weather outside. It’s been raining for the best of the last two weeks and, when not raining, the humidity has been insanely high and the atmospheric pressure so low we all feel like crawling rather than walking. And, that, if there’s no way to avoid going out because all you can do in such a weather is lay somewhere reading or watching a TV series.

We’ve been watching lots of cute anime like Saint Oniisan, Usagi Drop and Barakamon for some way to pass the time until the weather clears up. I miss the sun. I miss the summer, and I really hope next winter is dryer. Humidity really kills me.

I just stayed home all day and knit away this blanket to keep all three of us warm in a practical way. We’ve been putting together three different blankets because none is large enough. Perhaps this one will do. Besides, teal goes well with the sofa’s Bordeaux upholstery.

The kid had a birthday party today (Aylen’s the Corean girl) and she missed it because I was faint all day and an inch away from passing out. I had to call mom to pick her up from school, because I was confined to the sofa and felt dizzy whenever I tried to get up even to go to the toilet.

This lousy weather means you should never skip a meal and I had skipped breakfast which is a recipe for disaster. Mom went home at about ten pm because it was super late and I obviously wasn’t getting any better in spite of her care. Only at about one in the morning did I feel more or less human again.

On an unrelated note, the two garlic cloves I planted last week have been growing insanely fast until today. At a rate of an inch a day, they’re all tall and gorgeous ^^ Still haven’t had the chance to take a good picture of them, and it will soon be time to move them to bigger pots considering they’ve survived this far and seem to be thriving.

 

 

Project: kitty plushie made of socks

My mother; the admirable woman who taught me to fight this perverse system with an iron fist clad in a silk glove whenever it’s been unfair to me or someone I love. There’s no words to describe just how much I’ve learned from her and how grateful I am for having such a strong role model in my life. We might not always see eye to eye but I love her to bits and I truly admire the person she is. I know just how much it hurt to become that tough and the sacrifices she had to make, all the things she went through. That makes her all the more endearing to me.

That being said, I’ve missed my grandma (dad’s mom) HORRIBLY today. She’s been on my mind from the moment I woke up this morning and every little thing kept making me think of her. I told Hotaru about the time I tried to have a nice gesture to brighten her day by playing her favorite tango over the phone and she started yelling that I should look before I dialed because I got the wrong number and was being silly anyway. LOL

She was SOOOOO embarrassed when I told her it was me, trying to be nice  ROFL. I love my grandma ❤ I know she’s finally resting after working herself to death for over eighty years, but I miss her deeply. She might not have been a good role model, but I’m glad I was able to do all the things she dreamed about and never had the courage to start. I think she might be proud of me wherever she is. I’ve become a much more mature, responsible and overall tougher person than I was before. It’s still a long way before I can consider myself an adult, but I’m getting there. I like the person I’m now. It’s someone I don’t feel ashamed of anymore and, hopefully, she’d have shared the feeling.

Anyway… There was an integration activity at Hotaru’s school today. They gathered children from all the different classes and years and made them play together in a cardboard maze and did other fun things like playing dress up and having an indoor picnic (it’s too cold to go outside, it almost snowed the other day!).

Mom spent the night at the ER with Leo because they didn’t have any free beds to hospitalize him properly. Only this morning did they move him up to a room, right before she went to work. After that, Hotaru and I met up with her and went to the real estate agency. I was so nervous about the whole thing I hadn’t eaten all day. I was afraid they had another buyer lined up or the owners suddenly rejected our offer or whatever.

I went in and told Hotaru to stay quiet. I did the same myself and let the pro talk while I watched and learned. Turns out I had a few sassy remarks to do myself and ended up explaining something to a very obtuse realter. It seems they don’t have another potential buyer, but they do want to push us into signing the papers ASAP. Bad news is I need to sign the papers and sell the house FIRST and THEN wait for 90 days until the paperwork to demolish the property is approved (it was built before 1940 so it’s a historical building, though nothing remains of the original house).

Only after that happens will I have the money to buy this house and I NEED FOR THEM TO BE PATIENT AND WAIT FOR ME… which they haven’t been so far. I’ve let her know that we would have already closed the deal had she not insisted on trying to push to sell my house and I also told her it was tacky of her to bring it up and then insiste on it.

The meeting reassured me somehow, but there’s still the money issue. They will ask the owners if they are willing to respect the original agreement and wait for us those 90 days. Mom suggested they extended the lease to that Japanese family for another three to six months so they can make some money while waiting for us to buy and, that way, everybody wins. I just hope it’s good news when she calls tomorrow.

After that, we dropped Hotaru at therapy (which makes me nervous but she loves) and went to a very posh tea house for tea. Of course mom and I were so stressed out we couldn’t have cared less about the decoration, the quality of the juice and sandwiches we ordered or anything else in the place. We had more important matters to discuss, like Leo’s health, what to do if these people reject our offer and whether or not ask for a restraining order on Tomoe san and her husband.

When all was settled, I told mom that Michiru was kind enough to skip class to keep me company last night because I was so upset by Tomoe san. Mom gave me an honest smile and said that it was great that she came, very sweet of her and that I’m lucky to have her in my life. I almost fell off the chair (figuratively speaking, of course). It was so nice to hear her say that kind of thing. I guess seeing her interact with Hotaru the other day and hearing the kid talk about her all the time with enthusiasm, has made her realize what a wonderful person and mother Michiru is. Either that or she was delusional after sleeping only two hours in the past 48 hours. No idea XD

Mom left and I chatted with Michiru for a while. Then I picked Hotaru up from therapy and we walked home. It was nice but then I was so exhausted I could only lay on the couch and nap. Hotaru and Mr. Remus interrupted my nap a total of twelve times, but it was mostly the fluffbutt jumping all over me what kept me away from dreamland.

I woke up in a terrible mood but got over it soon and got dinner started. Made Gyudon. Then Hotaru and I made a kitty plushie with a pair of old socks, according to a youtube tutorial we found last month. The socks were clean, for the record. And I love the way it came out. The orange and white stripes on its front paws and body and then the flowery ears and hind legs ❤ So cute. Hotaru fell asleep holding it tight. I hope Fennekin doesn’t feel too left out.

Oh, I did splurge and buy a new silicone muffin tray… only they’re shaped as doughnuts… and two sets of bento boxes. They were super cute. I just couldn’t resist. They’re not exactly something Michiru would like but Hotaru absolutely loves them and I think of that as a starter set. We can get better looking ones if these get used enough. Besides, Michiru and I are planning on taking Hotaru to chinatown soon to stock up on noodles, mirin and other things for our pantry.

Project: decoupage

Hotaru and I started working on this decoupage project last night. It’s a fake book box that I intend to use to keep who knows what. I chose the paper to my taste and Hotaru protested against it because she wanted it blue, so I promised to buy her another fake book box for her bijou. We’ll decorate that one however she pleases and learn from whatever mistakes we made while working on mine. After all, it’s been like sixteen years since I’ve last worked on such a project. It’s a miracle I still remember how it is done!

At the opera

Today I finally managed to make good on my promise to take Hotaru to the opera. It was just perfect. We all know I love Mozart and the opera was based on the queen of the night aria and the magic flute among other lovely pieces, so it was heavenly. The play was very good. Adults, kids, boys, girls, snobs, goofballs… the plot had something for everyone to enjoy and no matter what your personality, there was probably at least one character you could identify with.

Hotaru was transfixed looking at the stage. She seemed to be in a trance listening to the singers and their impressive costumes. Whoever was behind that is a genius. No wonder it won the best performance award in 2013. It was a masterpiece. Honestly. The band was perfect, the singers amazing, the props really good and interesting looking. I was surprised (or rather dumb smacked) by how neat everything was. Like every tiny detail was taken care of very carefully. Every single piece of the opera fit snugly in place to create an everlasting impression on the audience.

The people sitting in front of us were loud, rude and stupid enough to bring three three year olds to the opera… like they’d sit and watch quietly! And the mothers were just as bad. I spent most of the show shushing them and fighting the urge to slap their heads (the mothers, obviously). There were a couple of babies too, which was incredibly stupid. But, mostly, the 6 to 10 year olds were all very civilized and well behaved. It wasn’t surprising considering just how good the show was, but it was still too complex for a toddler to get engaged.

It was a bit more expensive than I originally thought but it was worth every cent. I’d totally pay to watch it again. Hotaru loved the princess and I was stunned by the queen of the night’s delivery. That soprano’s voice was beyond words. The prince was great as well, but his parts weren’t as impressive, though I’m sure he would have been just as good if they had been more complex.

The performers stayed on stage after the show and signed autographs. Well, most of them anyway. The only one Hotaru wanted (the princess) was nowhere to be found because the girl did look like quite a diva to me on stage. It was sad that she didn’t get her autograph, but Hotaru is too well behaved to make a fuss over it. We just waited for a long time and when it was obvious she wouldn’t come she just accepted it and got the prince’s and the queen of the night’s autographs. They also allowed me to take their picture with her which was very kind of them.

There was a bouncing castle outside, so Hotaru obviously begged to get in. It was very cold and she had been sweating a bit inside the auditorium (which was very warm) so I only allowed her to be there for a few minutes. Wet socks and a cold wind aren’t the best of combos for an asthmatic girl. Still, she made the most of it and enjoyed it insanely. I loved the gleeful look on her face while bouncing in there with the other kids. She’s so cute ❤

Then we came home and I got to work on Michiru’s costume, as I took her measurements last night before she left. I started with the skirt which was a piece of cake until it got beeswax stains all over it because Dr. Tomoe is an idiot who can’t follow simple instructions and sometime about a year ago he put a hot wax pot on the iron board… yes, it’s been that long since I’ve used it LOL. I usually iron on my bed or the little table next to it because it’s faster than getting the thing out of the took shack outside and setting it up.

There wasn’t a perfect tartan for the Mugen uniform so I had to hand paint the tartan in all three yards of skirt, minding the plaits and everything else in the process. Did I ever mention that my fine motor skills are nonexistent? Well, that skirt proves it alright. But since Michiru only agreed to do it this one time, I didn’t think it would be worth spending a lot of money and time in making a pitch perfect cosplay for her.

I usually charge a lot of money for a costume like that, even a quickly made one, but this was my present to her (and to me too, to be honest). IF she ends up liking it and wants to keep doing it, then we can talk fabrics and try to get the perfect one to make both a new skirt for her and a new pair of pants for me so they match exactly (and probably another Mugen skirt for Hotaru ❤ since I’ve already bought enough of these fabrics to make the kid her own uniform… she’ll outgrow it in no time, so there’s no point in spending big bucks on that one either, Gods know how many Mugen uniforms she’ll wear in her life!)

Still, I know that Michiru agreeing to do this more than once would be a SUPER long shot. I mean, Hotaru begged and then she said I’d pay for it and I promised she wouldn’t have to buy me a birthday, Christmas or New Year present this year, this would be it.

I messed up in TONS of places while painting the tartan but since it was already wax stained (although I did my best to remove them and partially succeeded) and then the serger bit the fabric and I had to actually use GLUE (Gods forbid!) to fix it. It was a nightmare and at some point I turned off the machine and cried quietly for ten minutes before deciding I wouldn’t give up. It was the least professional work I had ever done but I would die before I quit.

In the end, the skirt looked good if you didn’t actually stick your head a foot from it to inspect it closely so I breathed again. When the little crisis was over, I got started on the top and couldn’t read my half-asleep scribble so I had to cut the pattern by memory. Luckily, Michiru has always caused such a strong impression on me I could draw her body by heart with my eyes closed. No kidding. ❤

Mom called to invite us over for pizza since Leo was cooking and his kids were coming over for a little family get-together. I didn’t feel like going because my blood pressure was over the floor and I still had the top to finish. I was really afraid I wouldn’t have enough time to finish it, but then again, skipping dinner wouldn’t do me any good and Hotaru insisted she wanted to go, so we went.

The pizza was delicious. Mom and Leo looked happy and my brother was fun as always. I love that little brat (who is now an adult and about a head taller than me but he’ll always be that little kid who looked just like young Anakin Skywalker). My sis was passive aggressive as always and offered me the most delicious fruit flavored tea I have ever had while barking at her boyfriend and later on, at Hotaru. Why? Well, Arturo (her boyfriend), Hotaru and I wanted to play Spaceteam while she took a shower after dinner, so she lent the kid her tablet for it. Thing is you only have two tries to enter the password correctly once it goes into sleep mode and Hotaru didn’t know the pass.

My sis was pissed at Hotaru and yelled at her because she had to use her work email account to unlock the tablet and the tablet to work until she goes back to the office. But if that was the case, she should have thought it through before lending something she works with to a five year old. OR she could have told her the password. Either way, it was her fault and throwing a tantrum over it like a child wasn’t something I appreciated. Still, she’s always like that so yeah… Mom intervened and scolded her and gave her one of her scary looks so she took it back saying it didn’t really matter and disappeared into her bedroom. Then party was over and Leo drove us home. Hotaru went straight to bed and it was back to work for me.

The top was easy. It went swiftly and I found myself enjoying the crafting quite a bit (I really suffered working on the skirt A LOT). I loved sewing the sleeves to the shoulders and the cuffs to the sleeves. I love sewing sleeves. Don’t know why. Anyway… Everything went peachy with it. The bow looked puffy and cute and perfect. I found an amazing sailor neckline pattern online that fitted the Mugen style like a glove and used that for the best fuku I have ever done. I mean, it could have been less messy in the little details but the overall appearance is impressive.

The star on the chest looks perfect and I hand painted it as well so who knows? Perhaps there is a way to get my fine motor skills to work properly! I just don’t know what it is.

There’s still a couple of things I need to finish before Michiru can wear it, but I kind of need her to put it on first so I can pin some things and tailor it to her actual body. Guess that’s why I asked her to come by earlier tomorrow. I just hope she doesn’t totally hate it (especially the skirt) or changes her mind at the last minute after I put so much effort into making this look well or even worse… what if I miscalculated something and it just doesn’t fit!? I mean, I worked until very late, it could have happened.

Well, I guess only time will tell. Wish me luck!

My cup, your cup

Setsuna and I had the longest talk over the phone today. She called to check on me. Being a good, perceptive friend, she knew I was out of my mind with this legal stuff. Besides, she wanted to know how having Michiru back into my life was turning out.

I thank the Gods Setsuna an extremely patient person. She listened to me talk about Michiru for over an hour and said she approves of her. If there’s one person I can talk about my fears knowing I’ll be understood and get wise advice, that’s Setsuna. The poor thing has been struggling with a severe case of baby fever of her own for the past few years.

In retrospective, me talking about wanting to have more kids wasn’t helpful but, at the same time, she got to vent about her situation. We agreed that it’d be nice if this time around we could time it to have our kids roughly at the same time. It’d be nice if they could grow up together and we can both babysit and have playdates… OK I feel like a seven year old playing house and that scares me so I’m going to change the subject now.

Setsuna also had some reassuring words about the legal nightmare I’ve been dragged into and a few unsettling gossip about her younger sister. That kid is SO grown up since I met her seventeen years ago!

While on the phone, I lined Hotaru’s notebook with the paper the teacher sent. It has purple and orange blotches all over. Each kid decorates their own. Then we parents have to go through the nightmare that is covering the stupid notebook with it.

This is my fourth time doing it, so it was relatively quick and rather effortless compared to the previous years. Still, it’s messier looking because Setsuna was making fun of me the whole time on purpose. The big tough butch lining a preschooler’s notebook ha-ha super funny… ¬¬ (that too is what friends are for!)

I bought Michiru a small gift. I know I probably shouldn’t have, but I just couldn’t resist it. After watching Last Friends, I saw my favorite tea cup in a different color and I got it for her. I’m planning on making a teal cardboard box to put it in for a better effect. I made a point of telling her about my favorite cup today, so she knows how much thought went into this gift. I love the idea of having matching cups. It’s cute.

After picking Hotaru from school, I took her to the nearby toy store and got her a pack with two Shopkins. She’s obsessed with them lately to the point where she spent two whole hours drawing them on paper last night. I mean, a five year old who is silent and focused on something for two whole hours really is into that. Especially my little firefly.

She got a washer machine soap and the same mustard container she already had. One would think she’d be sad, but not my kid. Hotaru was thrilled to have a chance to remodel Colonel Mustard into Colonel Mayo. She’s been watching youtube videos about people who paint their spare Shopkins a different color and was eager to give it a try. It didn’t go too well because they’re tiny and her fine motor skills are still developing. Still, she was happy and that’s what matters.

While she fought with her tiny brush, I worked on the Togepi sweatshirt. It’s almost done. I only need to add eyes and a mouth and it’ll be ready to go ^^ I think I’m more excited about this project than she is. Hotaru helped me with the sweatshirt but was more into the Shopkin, really. The acrylic paint flakes off, so it will need a second coat and some transparent nail polish to keep it in place.

It’s so thrilling to see her into refurbishing toys! I used to collect pokemon key chains when I was twelve and sometimes the colors were off because they didn’t sell the official ones down here. Anyway, I used to paint them the right color and love doing so. I absolutely adore having the same hobbies and interests than she has. It makes me happy. I feel closer to my kid and love to share these things with her. She’s my favorite human being in the making (they’re not done until they turn eighteen).

Umi-san was here today (the cleaning lady). She must think I’m a lousy parent. Whenever she’s around we’re in bed, asleep. In my defense, she comes over on Monday mornings and our weekends are pretty busy and hectic, so Hotaru and I usually sleep in late. That much fun does get one exhausted.

Mom called with some great news today. She’ll be receiving three offers on the house tomorrow. We believe two will be exactly the same but let’s wait and see before making a decision. I only hope the neighbors are helpful if we do decide to sell the whole thing as a unit.

I still wish mom would slow down a bit. She’s gotten so worked up with all this, her left eye got all bloody due to high blood pressure. Hers is naturally low so this is how stressed she was. If she only weren’t a workaholic, it’d be easier to lend a hand, but I’ve resigned to the idea that the only way to keep her relaxed for a whole hour would be tying her down to a bed.

Mr. Remus keeps getting in my way and flopping right next to my feet, so I’ve made a national sport out of trying not to accidentally kick him when I get up from my chair. He broke out of his cage again this morning and was nomming my slippers ¬¬

 

Easter epic fail

Okay, so Hotaru is allergic to chocolate and banana, which is totally off topic right now. With Easter around the corner it was time for me to step up and get creative. Why? I mean, yes, we’re pagan, but my family on both sides is Christian and they WILL organize a get together (or three) and there WILL be chocolate everywhere like every year.

Hotaru is just five, so I can’t expect her to understand about different religions being the reason she can’t have yummy stuff with everyone, although the kid is really great at declining chocolate and banana. I guess she hates needles more than she loves treats.

Anyway, I tried to make meringue Easter eggs and they were truly abismal, so I tried bunnies next. They looked AMAZING until I baked them (for three eternal hours!). The result? One became a literal pile of pink dust and the other one is the mutant you’re watching. I swear they were fine before baking. For some reason it sagged in some places, bloated in others and crumbled everywhere else so that was a total waste of my time.

Ended up going to bed at 6am and couldn’t sleep trying to find a way around this so she can have treats with a surprise inside like everyone else without the chocolate. One would believe they’d sell a substitute for those who can’t eat chocolate. One would be wrong.

Anyway, mom came up with a brilliant idea. Using the egg molds as a container filled with treats and toys and then wrap it up fancy. Then she dumped the job on me, so we’ll see what I come up with when working with the actual mats, because they’re at her place. I’m supposed to get there early on Sunday and do that.

PS: the mutant bunnies were delicious =P

Project: bunny T-shirt

So Hotaru had a cold today. She still went to school because the symptoms started after she came back . The typical “My head hurts.” was the first clue, as it always is. She was sad we weren’t going to bake poké souffles for a few days and started crying over it which was the second clue.

I took her temperature. She had a low grade fever, so I gave her the kiddy ibuprofen her Dr. always prescribes in these circumstances and she was feeling almost normal in less than an hour. Still, her cough persisted so I had her lay down on the couch to prevent jumping and dancing… The fact that she still wanted to do stuff made it clear it was a common cold rather than the flu. Plus, her temperature was never excessively high.

Ideally, I’d put my little firefly to bed, but she has been scared of everything lately and wouldn’t stay alone in her room, so the compromise was laying down on the couch and watch a Barbie movie with me. Barbie something-something spy wasn’t as bad as I had anticipated, though I had half a dozen other things I’d have rather watched.

To pass the time, I had Hotaru pick a bunny design for the T-shirt I made for her a few months ago (it was too big until now, which was kind of the point since it has long sleeves and it was made during the raging hot summer).

She picked the standing up bunny and I copied it from the computer on a piece of paper. Then I explained the process to her. Hotaru was thrilled at the idea of having a bunny tee and looked in awe as I cut out the pattern.

While Hotaru played with the bunny, I transferred the bunny shape to the fabric with a pencil. The idea was to paint it with black acrylic paint, since it’s more durable than fabric paint (multiple stains on my favorite clothes throughout the years confirm that). I slid a piece of cardboard inside to prevent the paint from staining the back of the t-shirt. Then, I lined the bunny shape and colored the inside with one of my brushes. It was ready in under 15 minutes, 25 if we count the time it took me to draw the bunny. Half an hour later it was dried and ready to be worn.

Mom stopped by for a little while and made dinner for me, which was kind and very convenient. She loved the bunny motif, although Hotaru loved it even more.

 

 

Project: no-sew tutu

Hotaru was feeling a bit blue these days and is constantly frightened by imaginary monsters so this is what I made for her in an attempt to cheer her up. It’s the kind of tutu that you make by tying tons of tulle stripes to an elastic, so it was ready in under twenty minutes. I’d usually sew her costumes but it was fun to pretend not to be crafty for a while and do it the way normal people does =P

Mom helped me pick up the tulle. We chose baby pink, hot pink and purple to make it more fun. I think it might have needed another couple of yards of fabric but she it can always be added later and I want to see first if she wears it often enough to justify the expense.

She played Just Dance for a couple of hours and finally fell asleep on the couch.