Blog a la Cart

Obsession.

Mommy’s array of beaded necklaces are the best.

Sunshine.

There’s the purple.

it gets better.

yesterday, everywhere i looked i saw purple. i suppose that’s not an unusual thing given that i live in the purple valley, and work for williams college, home of the purple cow. but yesterday was different. my facebook stream, my twitter feed, the streets outside my work window, were filled with shades of that royal color. all in a united effort to stand against bullying, to support the lgbt community, to participate in the trevor project, and to show that we care. i donned my purple “gay? fine by me.” shirt and addison wore accompanying lavender hues. her first engagement with a, dare i say, activist moment.

the feeling i had as i read blog posts, watched youtube videos, followed tweets and updates, and observed the groups of students walking throughout campus in clusters of purple rivaling the crowds during our homecoming weekend, was a sense of community, and outreach, and coming together that i had not felt since obama’s election.

i remember sitting gathered in a friend’s living room watching the election unfold, 4 months pregnant, and being filled with such gratitude and hope about the world into which i was bringing my child. i held my breath and tears ran down my face as the obamas walked out on that stage in chicago and i cried with relief, and happiness, and anticipation for the future.

but then, in the very same evening, a crushing blow. one step forward and ten, no hundreds, of steps backward as california voted yes on prop. 8, banning gay marriage. in that living room with me were two women, two women that have shared a loving relationship built on mutual respect and support for over 17 years, being told that their partnership was not equal to that of a man and a woman. two women who i see as role models for my child. two women who do more justice to the notion of commitment and love than the over 50% of hetereosexual relationships that end in divorce. and there we sat, being told that some people were more valued and deserved more access than others. the last acceptable form of discrimination. my tears turned to those of disgust and disappointment.

but yesterday i felt that glimmer of hope. that inspirational tingle that i felt on election day as the obamas took the stage and my little one kicked in my belly.

it gets better.

the prop. 8 vote was overturned this august.

it gets better.

however slowly, however painfully, however much i am fearful of this midterm election and the outward and vocal support of the tea party, i am trying to hold on to those moments where i feel the hope. where i feel the better.

her generation will know a different world. a more tolerant world. with the work of all those people who wore purple yesterday, she’ll get to live in the better.

Obsession.

it’s been mentioned before, but this obsession is MOST enjoyed at 3am. because what’s more awesome than keeping mommy and daddy awake in the middle of the night to feed our addiction?

Annoyance.

Momar hates digger dogs. Do you hear that, Hanna? Your nose is giving you away.

Sunshine.

This chair is JUST right for my little goldie locks.

Thought.

How can her voice go from being so desperately sweet to so desperately irritating in just a split second? Those babies, tricky bastards.

Dryer Balls

Growing up, our mother caused quite the ruckus when doing laundry, as she would throw tennis balls into the dryer with our clothes to cut down on drying time. While effective, those balls sure were noisy. When I began cloth diapering at home, it was suggested to me by a fellow crunchy mama to invest in some felt dryer balls to cut down on drying time. They’re softer and thus quieter than tennis balls, and they are naturally antibacterial, and when doused with a bit of essential oil, a near perfect substitute for disposable dryer sheets. Natural, energy-efficient, and sweet smelling.

Materials:
100% wool yarn
Wool roving
Panty hose
Scissors
Washing machine

Directions:
1. Use the 100% wool yarn to create a yarn ball. Be sure to tuck the end of the yarn under one of the layers when the ball is the size you desire. (Remember, items shrink during the felting process, so be sure to make the ball larger than you want the final product. Mine are the size of tennis balls in their final form.)

2. You can use the wool yarn ball as is to create the dryer ball, however, I like to add a thin layer of multi-colored bits of wool roving on top of the yarn ball.

3. Cut a leg off of a pair of panty hose and stuff the balls into the toe of the leg, Tie of the panty hose between each individual ball.

4. Throw the panty hose filled with yarn balls into a hot wash cycle in the washing machine, and then throw in the dryer.

5. Remove the balls from the nylons. If they are not felted as tightly as you’d like, throw back in the machines for one more round.

6. Once done, they’ll be pretty balls of felted delight that will cut down on dryer time and act as natural dryer sheets. Drop a dollop of essential oil on ‘em if you’d like sweet smelling laundry.

Photos: Courtesy of Ashley Weeks Cart

Sunshine.

Seriously, the blueberries, when photographed with this lens, in next to no light, are still rocking.

Thought.

How much do I wish I owned the Nikon D90 and this portrait lens? SO MUCH!