Year of Pleasures - Seven Brides for Seven Brothers

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers came on one of the old movie networks, so I raced to record it and spent one of my lowkey days watching it. My entire childhood was spent enamored with this movie, and I have to confess that my sisters and I played "Seven Brides" until an embarrassingly old age. We'd run around our backyard pretending to collect sorrel, having no clue what that actually was, and then spin around singing songs and fighting over which of us got to be Dorcus because she wound up with Benjamin and we all thought Benjamin was the cutest.

Watching it as an adult I'm far more in awe of the dance sequences, and far more uncomfortable with the whole kidnapping angle. But I suppose that since no one actually ended up being forced to marry someone against their will, it's still OK, right? Stupid complicated adulthood getting in the way of my childhood appreciation.

Boys will be boys

Would you look at what my guy did to his perfect little face?

I'm not really sure how it happened, but I know that every one of those bruises corresponds to one of the slats of his crib. Either he slept with his face squished against the side of the crib, or he had a serious headbanging session in the middle of the night.

Then there was also earlier this week when I undressed him to find enormous raspberries all over his belly. He had given himself carpet burns from the industrial carpet at the church by trying to crawl away while Bear held his ankles.

Or there was once during Christmas time I turned the corner to discover he somehow managed to tear a bunch of my handmade paper ornaments off the tree and rip them into pieces.

I probably shouldn't take pleasure in these kinds of things, but I can't help myself. Even when it's inconvenient or unpleasant, the appearance of normality is just wonderful.

I often get into conversations with other moms where they talk about how their kids make them crazy. The messes they make, the hilarious things they say, the crazy daredevil tricks they come up with, including creative ways to inflict bumps and bruises. For most of the time I've been a mom I was just an audience to these kinds of stories. Smiling and laughing, pretending I understand, knowing that if I was going to share a story about how Atticus makes me crazy it would be something like, "Oh it makes me so crazy when he fights me about putting braces on his legs!" or "I tried and tried to get him to drink from a cup and finally he pushed it away and made me spill it all over myself."

I tend to think these stories fit the flow of the conversation, but they usually result in other moms cocking their heads and clucking in pity. It's not the same. It's not inconsequential. It's not a funny little diversion from a happy normal life, it's a peek into a life where what makes the average mom frustrated is the base level I operate at. That's how it seems to them anyway, because they don't always see how happy and normal we often are.

So when something happens, even if it's bruises on his perfect face or destroyed Christmas ornaments, that actually fits with what the other kids are doing, I rejoice. I have a story to share! I don't have to scare all the other moms with the ghost stories of disability. I have something inconsequential to say. He's just as big a pain in the neck as all the other kids.

Fabric Covered Wastebasket

Sometimes I can be so dang cheap about the silliest things. Since we moved into this house three years ago I've needed to get wastebaskets in all the bathrooms, but I could not bring myself to spend $25 on something that no one will notice except when they need somewhere to put a used kleenex.

I've searched and searched for a cheaper option. All the usual places - Ross, Marshals, etc. - cost just as much as Target for a lamer selection. I stalked Linen's and Things when it was going out of business and they never got cheaper than $20. I even looked for something at the dollar store and didn't find anything that wasn't disposable. For all the money I've spent on gas while on the quest, I probably could've just bought the dang pricey trashcans three times.

Finally I found these cheap black plastic trashcans at a discount store, and bought them out of desperation, figuring I could do something to make them work.


I used a special spray paint for plastic to turn the awful black plastic into a color that would fit in in the bathroom. I planned to only cover the outside so the inside could still be wiped clean when necessary.


I cut a piece of fabric to fit the outside of the trash can. If your trash can is shaped like mine, you need to allow for it to be wider at the top than the bottom. A 1/2 yard of fabric was plenty for this project, so I just cut the fabric several extra inches taller than the trashcan and that was enough to account for that curve. Spray a spray adhesive over the trashcan a few inches at a time and smooth the fabric over.


Cut the fabric flush with the top edge.


Fold the raw edge under and glue down using a fabric glue.


Fold the fabric onto the bottom of the trashcan and glue in place. This is easiest if you cut slits into the fabric and then fold those pieces on top of each other. Then I covered the whole mess with a circle of flannel.


I cut a stip of fabric 2 inches wide and made some bias tape out of it by ironing the raw edges in towards the center. A bias tape maker makes this job a breeze. Then I just glued it onto the rim of the wastebasket with fabric glue and used binder clips to hold it in place until it dried.

Each wastebasket took about 1/2 a yard of fabric, but for one of the trashcans I used fabric I had left over from another project in that room. So at $3 for each can, $4 for the spray paint, and $4.50 for the half yard of fabric, I made two wastebaskets for the grand total of $14.50. That's a whole lot better than the $50 everyplace else was charging.

Tangy Meatloaf Crumble

I'm not fully sold on the name, but I just can't call this meatloaf. It's too misleading. This has very little in common with regular old meatloaf.

When Bear and I first got married, I was a vegetarian and he couldn't imagine a meal without red meat. It became apparent in a real hurry that we'd have to make some changes or one or both of us would starve. This was the first recipe I ever came up with. Meat and potatoes done in a way that offered me something I liked - a sharp tangy flavor. I opened my cupboard and started adding all my favorite things to it, but because I was making it up as I went along I didn't add any kind of a bread crumb that traditionally binds it into a loaf shape, so when it's cooked it crumbles apart all over your bed of mashed potatoes.

I once served this to a couple of missionaries - 19 year old boys who spend all day walking and riding bikes. One of them asked me if he could have some ketchup, took one bite, and said, "Nevermind." Meatloaf with no condiments needed. Guaranteed.

2 lbs ground beef
1 egg
1 green pepper, diced
1 onion, diced
1 C ketchup
1/4 C lemon juice
1 T balsamic vinegar
2 T Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried garlic salt
1/2 tsp dried chili powder

Mix all ingredients together thoroughly and divide in two. Fill two ungreased bread pans with the mixture and bake in a 350 oven for 45 minutes.

I never serve this without a big helping of mashed potatoes and an extra spoonful of pan juices on top. Then it almost becomes like a wicked flavorful upside down Shepherd's Pie.

Long Overdue Presents

I so have the best of intentions whenever a present comes due. I have these grand visions of even getting ahead one day, keeping a drawer with handmade presents I can choose from to send out the week of the special day.

Yeah right. It's the curse of the crafter to always be chasing these deadlines. But as of this particular moment, right now, as I post this, I am caught up on presents I owe to friends.

My dear friend Stacy had her first girl after three handsome boys, and she requested a rustle bag like I made for Atticus, but in "slightly girlier" fabrics. Her baby was born in November, and I hadn't even gotten a card out yet. Embarrassing.


Then I owed my dear friend Pela Via a birthday present since the beginning of the month. Bad form. Especially when she absolutely spoiled me on my birthday. So I had to make it a good one. I knew I'd have no time to make something really ornate, so I thought I'd make a whole bunch of cool little things.


I found a microscopic leather skirt at the thrift store for $2, so I cut it up to make a cuff. I just used some pearl snaps on the end to close it. I couldn't resist making one for myself, too.


I made a little makeup bag like I made for my friends at church, but for Pela's I added a handle. I wish I had that idea earlier. Now it could be used like a casual little purse, too.


I only had one pair of these earring findings, so I can't tell you how hard it was to give these earrings up. I've got to find another pair somewhere, if only I could remember where I got them from in the first place.


And then, since Pela is a writer, I thought some customized moleskins would be appropriate. I just used some stamps and embossing powder to make them special.

Over the years I've cut back on the number of people I give homemade gifts to. A lot of people just don't appreciate the amount of work that go into them, and it really is a lot of work. But when you find a friend who gets it, I just want to spoil them. I just wish I could do it in a more timely manner.