Sugared Up + Another Robot

Tuesday was a much better day than Monday, that's for sure. As I inch closer and closer to vacation, my list of to-dos is getting smaller and smaller. Soon, I won't have to think about work at all for the rest of the year. :o)

I got the kids to school on time, then went to the church. My meeting was able to get moved up because I wanted to make it back to the school for Everest's birthday celebration. So my time at the church was much shorter than usual. It was fun to surprise Everest by coming in at snack time and getting to share in that time with his class. And the cheesecakes were a hit!




When we got back, Everest was really tired but not interested in napping at all. He just kept playing, then sitting and staring for lengths of time. I got some stuff done while working at the kitchen table so I could keep an eye on Everest. We brought Julie back from the bus stop, and I made some homemade hot cocoa mix. It turned out really well, but it uses almost half a mug full of mix for each cup!



Dinner was southwestern chicken with beans and rice, plus corn and chips with guacamole. Turned out beautifully! Heath was able to join us for a short time just to eat dinner, but then he was back at the school to teach the night class.

After cleaning up the dishes and the kids being done with showers, I started work on another robot for Etsy. Julie and Everest made some of their own sculptures too, which was really cool! This is Electric Elegance, robot #3 in this series.



Once the kids were finally asleep, I talked with the lady whose website I did last night, talking her through changing web hosts and transferring her domain. We're just about done!

New Venture

Monday morning, my motivation to do anything was extremely low. Not sure what my problem was--perhaps it was an overall lack of sleep and too much busyness to keep the house clean. (A dirty house almost always depresses me.) Unfortunately, my lack of motivation did not spur me on with energy to clean or do anything other than the minimal amount that was required for the day.

Until I got an idea.

I have been thinking about creating an Etsy store for awhile now. I've seen friends have some success with it, and it seems a good place for artisans to share their talents--and make a little extra income. There's some craftiness and art still left in me yet, and I may have a thing or two to share.

After talking to a friend about her store, I set one up for myself and created my first product to list: a little robot superhero made from spare parts that were found in my toolbox. I call him "Finhead." (Click that link above to read the little story blurb I wrote about him.)



I was rather happy with him, and my spirits were lifted enough that I could get some more essential to-dos done. (Still no housecleaning though.) By early afternoon, Everest was getting really tired, and after getting in trouble for jumping on me for the tenth time, he went to his room and closed the door. Several minutes later, I went to check on him, and he had put himself down for a nap in Julie's bed!



We picked up Julie at school after choir practice and came home to get homework and cheesecake started. Everest's classroom birthday celebration was going to be the next day, and I wanted to bring a treat other than the usual ho-hum cupcakes that everybody else brings. The answer? Mini cherry cheesecakes of course! The kids had a fun time helping make them.





I wanted to make lasagna and garlic bread, but I knew that with just one adult and two kids, there would be a mountain of leftovers. After several text message exchanges, my parents to come join us. Dinner turned out great and was done just as they walked through the door. The garlic bread was made from a loaf of fresh bakery bread from the store, sliced in half, slathered with butter mixed with garlic powder, sprinkled with mozzarella, then baked for 15-20 minutes with the lasagna. Delicious!



After getting the kids in bed, I tooled around on email for a bit, then decided to make another robot superhero. I rather like the way this second one turned out! His name is "Hood," and I think he's got a lot of personality. (Click the link for his story.)



When my dad was here for dinner, I showed him the first robot I made, and he invited me to come raid his garage to make more. Yay! I may have to do that during vacation...

For the rest of the evening, I worked on a website design for the mom of one of the boys from my writers groups. She is just starting to promote her business and noticed that I did websites. Her needs were pretty minimal, so I was able to get the whole website up last night in about two hours. Wahoo! I got an email from her this morning, and she said she was very pleased. :o)