Here are some 'home' updates.  I started laying some flooring at the house in Pennsylvania.  The prep work for this took sooooo long, but finally I was able to get to the fun part!  We bought a miter saw, air compressor and pneumatic nailer.  I don't usually get too excited about power tools, but I love my miter saw!!!!!!  The cuts are so fast and so clean!  Why didn't I buy one of these six years ago when we started this mess of a house?  And if you're feeling at all agressive or angry, there's nothing like smacking the knob on the nailer with the mallet to make you feel better - and you get to be productive at the same time!

Here we have the beginnings of a fireplace.  The chimney doesn't go all the way through the roof yet, but soon.  Then I have to be patient.  You have to wait two weeks before you can light your first fire, then both the first and second fires can only be 1/2 hour each.  We used components from a company called Isokern.  The blocks go together like giant legos.  We had some problems here; they were delivered on a tractor-trailer, so not only couldn't they come up the driveway, but they almost couldn't get the pallets off the truck, since there's not a long flat stretch on our dirt road.  The driver and I had to open up one of the pallets and off-load the pieces one by one.  (He was not happy.)  Then I got to unwrap the other pallets and load each of the blocks into the Jeep, making about twenty trips to get all the blocks up to the house.  Then a bunch of them were broken.... and the replacements were broken.... and now we have to pay an extra $ for a dedicated truck, or Isokern won't take the blocks back if they're broken again. Aaaargh!  But a warm, pretty fire will be worth it, right???

 So here's the laundry room floor.  The tiles look like slate, but are actually porcelain.  I should have taken another picture, since this one was taken before all the grout was wiped off, but I forgot.  We got a washer and dryer, but still need to hook up the dryer vent.  For now, we have a cable stretched across the garage to hang the clothes on.  I don't know about the dryer, not having used it yet, but the washer is too funny.  It plays a little tune when you turn it on and when it finishes washing.  Mike's opinion - "That's gay."

 Now on to New York.  We took up the old, stinky carpet from the kids' bedroom.  It used to be a kitchen, and when we took up the six old layers of linoleum and vinyl tile, the concrete underneath was cracked in one section.  When we patched it, I put Kelly's foot in the wet cement.  She was two at the time.  Now she's six.  Look how much she's grown!

We got bunk beds to replace the two toddler beds, and added a trundle underneath, so we could finally get Ian out of our room.  Kelly sleeps on the middle bed.  She decided she didn't want the top, because she sleeps on the top bunk in Pennsylvania.  Matthew was happy to take the top here.  I got bedding from Ikea - three down comforters, three duvet covers and pillowcases, and a little, matching light, for $125.  (Sorry the pic of the light is blurry.)  I didn't want to un-make Matthew's bed for the picture, but all three of the duvet covers have these silly animals on them, but each is a different style, so the bedding coordinates, and each kids has their own style.  (On Matthew's the animals are riding in silly cars - like a bunny in a carrot car.)  I also found out that there's a water taxi that will take you directly to the Brooklyn Ikea.  The kids ride free, and if you buy $10 or more at the store, they'll refund your $5 ticket price.  Looks like a weekend trip in the making!!!

Look at Me Now!!! Help for Eczema.

 

I've given up trying to get pictures where I want them on this site, so here they all are in a clump. 

The first three pictures were taken in March and April of this year.  My little one has had eczema since he was four months old.  In an older post you can see pictures from last May when he had two infections on top of it all, and he came down with another infection in March.  We've been to four different dermatologists, with the same results from all of them.  "Here's a topical steroid.  Put Vaseline/Aquaphor/Eucerin on his skin.  Baths in lukewarm water.  Use a mild laundry detergent."

He never really got much better.  His skin would clear a little, then get worse again.  We tried a wheat-free and dairy-free diet, and had a slight improvement, but he was still miserable.  Because he was, we were too.  I was resigned to getting up three or four times a night.  At one point he scratched his chin to the point that he was tearing off pieces of skin nearly 1/8" thick, and blood was dripping down his arms onto the floor. 

As you've see in the next pictures, taken over the last week and a half, he looks GREAT!!!!  It's hard to pinpoint what is exactly responsible, but we feel acupuncture has made all the difference.  The first time we took him in, electrodes were used on his feet, shins and hands.  We were given some drops to give him internally, too.  Nothing changed, not that I really expected it to.  My thoughts were, "Well, we gave it a shot."

In desperation, after the chin scratching incident, we took him back for acupuncture a couple more times.  This time the acupuncturist used needles, and she gave us some different drops to use.  I had also started another round of the steroid just before we went in.  This time, as you can see, the results were amazing.

Before the acupuncture, the steroid would start to clear his skin for three or four days, then his skin would start to well up and bubble again, even before we had finished the 7-day course of treatment.  This time, his skin continued to clear.  After 8 days of the steroid, we stopped.  He was itch-free for another four days, then started to scratch again, but it was nothing like before.  Amazingly, he stopped scratching this time after a day, and his skin is still mostly clear.  He still rubs at his eyes sometimes, and there are still little patches on his wrists and behind his ears that have been slower to heal, but finally, finally, we have some real hope.

The last two pictures are of the drops we give him, and a cream for his skin that my husband found.  The company that makes the cream also makes some pastilles, little things that look kind of like cough drops, with a slightly gummy-bear feel, that we give him from time to time.

Some of the improvement may be just from him getting older and growing out of it.  Some may be due to the spring cleaning we did in the apartment (that I'm trying my best to maintain).  But I really think without the acupuncture, we wouldn't be where we are.  I'd probably not ever believed it without experiencing it first-hand, skeptic that I am, but I wanted to share this in case it helps anyone else out there who is struggling like we have.

Mix and Match!!!

What I Buy on Etsy

I love Etsy not only as a format for selling my children's clothing, but for buying.  I'm sure I spend at least half what I make, but you can get some of the best and most original gifts.

I thought it might be fun to show you what I've found lately.  Mostly what I bought, but a couple of 'wish list' things, too.

This cute little bag is from 52Freckles. http://www.etsy.com/shop/52freckles  Here's an example of the best of Etsy, not only for the fun design, but for the story.  My brother and sister-in-law were in a bad car accident while travelling, and ended up in a hospital in Boise, Idaho.  Through the 'Buy Local' section on Etsy, I was able to find sellers in Boise.  I contacted two of them (see the other below), and both were willing to deliver to the hospital.  How cool is that?!!

The journal is from Bookish Girl J http://www.etsy.com/shop/BookishGirlJ, who asked if I wanted to have her include a card as well.  (Why didn't I think of that?)  Thanks!

Okay, this one is a little different from what I really bought, but Emmi's Cottage http://www.etsy.com/shop/emmiscottageetsy, makes the most adorable pillows and animals EVER.  The pillow I bought was for my nephew, and had an ivory ground with blues and sage green fabrics - too cute!

How funny is this card?  I don't know if I could ever give this to anyone besides my husband, but I'm tempted to get two dozen and give them for the next three years.  Happy Anniversary, honey!  From The Big Harumph. http://www.etsy.com/shop/thebigharumph

On a slightly nicer anniversary note, here's a USB drive that I really hope he likes.  So hard to buy for, my hubby.  He'll either love it or hate it - no in between - but I think it's pretty cool, and the traditional gift for the seventh year (no, it's not a back-scratcher for the itch) is copper.  This one, in addition to all the tech-y features, has three gears that all move inconjuction when you're using the drive, and lights up with a subtle orange glow from within.  Cerrious Design, you're so talented! http://www.etsy.com/shop/cerriousdesign

These last two are for my son's birthday - maybe.  That's when I'm giving them, but with my kids, you never know who will ultimately end up with what.  I had the most incredibly difficult time trying to decide which of the puppets to get.  You should see the amazing collection from Stay Awake and Play. http://www.etsy.com/shop/stayawake  I wanted to buy everything she had!  Who knew I still have such a soft spot for cute little critters at my age?

Below are a couple things on my wish list.  Some I have definite plans for buying, some are things I may not be able to get until my fledgling company is discovered by some financier who always dreamed of starting a kid's clothing business and hires me on as top designer with a really ridiculously lucrative salary.  Hey, it could happen!http://www.etsy.com/shop/AtlasSigns

http://www.etsy.com/shop/Minxshop

http://www.etsy.com/shop/SweetieTweetie

Inspiration

Shortly after my griping about the snow ended (the very next day, to be exact), my husband agreed to watch the rugrats so I could get out for a bit.  I had to go get buttons for a new little girl's jacket I was making, and (of course) I can't get within half a mile of M&J without stopping by.  Turns out it was exactly what I needed.  Inspiration for spring!  Take a look.

 The picture doesn't even really do justice.  The wide pink grosgrain ribbon is so incredibly supple and soft, unlike most grosgrain.  (And yes, it has the price tag to go with it, but if I'm making hair clips I just buy one yard.  Then I can justify it - I think.)  The blue and green is a grosgrain, too.  Just as soft, and with yellow, bright pink and orange woven in tiny dashes across the blue.  And who could resist a pink lobster?  The one made with chenille and a yarn fringe, along with the green picot edge, is actually for next fall, but everything looked so nice together.  (I'm one of those people who love the Martha Stewart paint chips, just because the color combinations are pretty.)

So here's the rest of what inspired me.  A neighbor left some magazines outside the apartment, in the recycling bin, and being the secret dumpster diver that I am, I had to scoop them up and bring them in to see what was there.  Turns out, she's in the garment industry.  We've been neighbors for years, and I never knew.  So New York.  Well, two of the magazines are a Japanese/English couture publication.  This one was from 2005 - ages ago when you're talking fashion, but filled with so much pretty stuff.  These pictures are from Alexander McQueen's line.  Very fanciful and over the top (no surprise), but just beautiful!

 At this point, while taking the pictures, my three year old son came over to see what I was doing.  "I like this one", he says.  "How 'bout this one?  Take a picture of this one."  "This one is pretty, Mom."  Okay, thanks Bud.  Go play with your cars - you're making Daddy nervous.  Here are the rest.

So I got myself going and finished the girl's jacket, although I need to re-do part of the liner.  Here it is, and as soon as I get the other pictures done, I'll list it in the shop.  These ultrasuede flowers are stitched on the back of the jacket and are set into the waistband.  Hmmm... looks like the camera washed this photo out a little.  Another re-do before listing, but I'll get there!