Whether the weather is hot, Whether the weather is cold, We’ll be together, whatever the weather, Whether we like it or not.

Published January 29, 2019 by Malia

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Hello, Polar Vortex.

Something’s been bugging me today. What is it about weather that makes us all so competitive?

What do I mean by competitive? Try telling someone who lives at least one state north of you that it’s cold. You will be met with a response along the lines of, “Really? You think it’s cold? Try walking to class when it’s -20. Your sweat will literally freeze. You have no idea just how cold, cold can be.” Mention that the weather is miserably hot and you’ll get, “It’s not really that hot. Right now, in Afghanistan, it’s 120 in the shade.”

I have lived all over the mid-west. I’ve lived through tornadoes, blizzards, and 100% humidity. I lived in North Dakota and walked to class in -20, and, yes, my sweat did freeze (it was super weird when I got inside and experienced the thaw of the sweat. I know, I know, tmi.). I lived in southern Illinois, and remember school getting cancelled for what, once I lived in Nebraska I learned, is considered a dusting of snow. I lived in Kansas, and while everyone else spent the winter bundled up in heavy coats, I was perfectly comfortable in a hoodie (there was only one time that I agreed that it was downright freezing). I live in Nebraska, and every year the weather gets even weirder. Right now it’s -5 outside, this coming Sunday it’s supposed to be 50, and a week from now they’re saying it’ll be 25 and snowing.

Personally, I prefer the cold to the heat. You can always put on more clothes, and throw an extra blanket or two on the bed. When it’s hot, you can only take off so much, and even then it’s still too hot.

I don’t know why weather brings out the competitive side of humans, but it always does. It’s like we’re determined to prove that we’re the toughest because we’re surviving a particular weather condition.

The only thing I know for sure, is that it doesn’t matter if you live in Florida, North Dakota, or anywhere in between, once it rains or snows, everyone forgets how to drive.

Mother Forking Shirtballs, I just want to go to sleep.

Published January 28, 2019 by Malia

I’m trying so hard to get to sleep, and it’s just not happening. I went to bed at 9:30, and as I write this it’s now 12:20 a.m. I’m crazy exhausted, and yet annoyingly awake. Too tired to stay sitting upright, so I’m in bed.

Here’s what it’s like in my all over the place ADHD head right now (thoughts are in order of appearance, not order of logic. I don’t know how I skip so wildly from one thing to the other, I just do):

-I should totally make a Fairy Tail guild mark blanket. It wouldn’t be that hard.

-I’ve already got two blankets in progress. I should probably finish one before starting another.

-Yeah, probably, but I really want to make it.

-Just finish something, I’m begging you…wait what is that?

-Why is the song from Back to the Future playing? I thought Tom was watching Flash.

-Oh, it is Flash, must be something time travelly happening.

-I just want to sleep.

-Man, I have not watched Back to the Future in forever. I should watch it this week. Also, I really need to catch up on Flash.

-So, how much yarn would my Fairy Tail blanket take? It’s gotta be less than the temperature blanket.

-Gracie Groot, was that you? Oh yeah, totally you. Why are you farting so much?

-Okay, the TV is driving me to distraction. So much input just being flung at my ears. I need to invest in some new earplugs.

-I have so much stuff to make. What do people even want to buy?

-People will want to buy, right?

-I feel like there’s angst happening on Flash. Music is all angsty and characters sounded equally angsty.

-I can’t believe Tom got ahead of me in Pokemon Go. I’m going to need to play so much more so I can hit level 40 before he does. Seriously, how did he get ahead of me?

-I need more yarn.

-And I’m still awake.

-5:30 is going to get here way too quick.

-I want pie.

When Life Feels Too Much

Published January 24, 2019 by Malia

I woke up at 4 a.m. this morning, and it took me until 9:30 a.m. to drag myself out of bed. I’m struggling right now. And it occurs to me that I’m probably not the only one.

If you are…

-Trying to figure out how you’re going to pay bills with money you don’t have

-Rationing your meds because even if you do have insurance, you can’t afford refills

-Eating as little as possible, cause groceries are an expense you can’t really afford right now

-Feeling strangled by your debts

-Stressed out because you keep trying to do things the right way, and life just keeps knocking you down

-A payment or more behind on your mortgage and/or bills

-Terrified your utilities are going to get turned off

-Wondering how you’re going to buy diapers

-Exhausted by your school loans

-Questioning how far your car can get on less than a quarter of a tank of gas

-Going through something I haven’t listed

-Feeling overwhelmed by everything, and considering just giving up

Then, let me say, you’re not alone. I know there are a ton of people struggling right now. Please, don’t give up. Eventually, things will get better. I know that sounds like an empty platitude, but I’ve been down this road before, and I know that things will turn around.

If you’re genuinely considering ending it all, please reach out for help. Call 1-800-273-8255 to reach the Suicide Prevention Lifeline. If talking on the phone isn’t your comfort zone, text HOME to 741741 to reach the Crisis Text Line.

And if you’re in a season of life where things are going along pretty smoothly, please be willing to be there for those around you who are having a rough time.

It’s entirely possible I’ve completely lost my mind.

Published January 23, 2019 by Malia

When I was growing up, every summer my family would come home to Nebraska for two weeks to see family. One of the days we were back, would be spent getting a watermelon, and going to Guide Rock, to see my Great Grandma B. She passed away when I was ten, so I don’t have tons of memories of her, but the ones I do have are precious.

Great Grandma B was a short and sweet lady. She always had cookies in the cookie jar, a giant garden, and there was always a jigsaw puzzle in progress. Even though I never worked on a puzzle with her, I was always in awe of them. When she passed away, I was allowed to have a few of her puzzles, and that’s when my love affair with jigsaws began.

I drove my mom absolutely batty over the years because I constantly wanted to have a jigsaw going, but my incredibly short attention span meant that it would take me months to complete one. As I got older, I fell off doing puzzles, but that didn’t mean I stopped loving them. Then, last spring, I stumbled across a group on Facebook where people were sharing their completed jigsaws. I wanted to share, so I joined and jumped back into puzzling. In the last year, I’ve completed a pile of puzzles, and when registration for the 2019 Global Jigsaw Jubilee opened, I signed up. I’d seen people’s completed puzzles from the 2018 Jubilee, and something competitive inside me had awoken. I wanted to prove that I’m just as awesome a puzzler as all those others who’ve participated.

The event starts on 1/29, so I have five days left to prepare. Here’s the puzzles I’m planning to work on:

I intend to start with the Ravensburger, simply because I think it will prove to be the easiest.

Putting together the little squares of images should prove *fingers crossed* relatively easy.

Next up will be the DC Comics puzzle:

Considering how much we love DC in this house, this puzzle is a must do. (Points to you if you can name everyone in the image without help. I can name at least half, but I know Tom could name them all if asked).

After that, I head into more challenging waters. The Disney Kinkade puzzles:

These are two of my favorite Disney princess movies. Most of my life Beauty & the Beast was my favorite, but it was dethroned when Tangled came along. Tangled and Moana are currently tied at the top of my favorites list.

Finally, I’m going to tackle this monster:

3000 pieces of Star Trek magic.

Here’s the thing, I’ve never completed a puzzle bigger than 1000 pieces. I’m not too concerned about the 1500 piece ones, but that 3000 piece one is definitely going to test my abilities. Going in, I know that the Ravensburger and Aquarius puzzles will have the best fitting, best condition pieces. The Disney puzzles are Ceaco brand, and if previous experience with Ceaco is any indicator, I’ll get a bit frustrated. Their puzzles are beautiful, but pieces are usually not great. Here’s hoping that this will be a fun experience!

So…Probably Not Pregnant

Published January 14, 2019 by Malia

(Okay, if you’re squeamish about words like period, then this post is probably one you want to avoid.)

I spent the first two weeks of this new year thinking I was pregnant. All the symptoms were there, and then my period started on Saturday, so yeah…probably not preggers.

This isn’t the first time I’ve thought I was pregnant. In fact I’ve even had a few times when the test has shown up positive, but it’s never lasted. I’ve not been public about those pregnancies, mostly because I felt like such a failure.

This is the first time that I’ve genuinely felt both disappointed and thrilled when my period showed up. The disappointment stems from knowing that this means more waiting. The thrilled part comes from the fact that I’ve actually managed to have a normal cycle for one of the very few times in my life.

My heart has undergone a shift. I’ve gone from being willing to be a mom but feeling unsure about whether I really wanted kids, to knowing that I genuinely want to be a mom, and not just because I know Tom wants to be a dad. I’ve never bought into that idea that you’re not a family or complete without kids. I’ve known for a long time that kids may be just out of the realm of possibility (thanks a lot, PCOS). Our family was formed when we said, “I do.” Children would just make our family bit bigger, and I suddenly find myself really wanting that.

Now, I find myself facing the fact that I absolutely must get healthy. If I want to have a hope of a successful pregnancy, or of having an adoption agency being willing to even talk to us, I have to be mentally and physically healthy.

Catnip for Kids

Published January 5, 2019 by Malia

About a week ago, I agreed to something crazy. I said I’d babysit my two nephews (ages 5 & 4) and niece (age almost 2) for 1–2 hours yesterday. All by myself. The only time I’d ever babysat them by myself before was one night when their mom was gone and their dad needed to run to the store. They were already all asleep at that point, so I was basically just making sure there was a responsible adult in the house.

I was really nervous. Much as I want to be a mom, I’m not great with kids. I blame the fact that I grew up a very sheltered only child. I had cousins, but they all lived hundreds of miles away. I was constantly surrounded by adults. I always feel awkward when talking with kids. I either talk way over their heads, or I talk down to them. So, the prospect of being alone with three small children, two of which can be quite strong-willed and rambunctious, was daunting. I had agreed to do it, so I pushed through the anxiety and showed up at their house yesterday morning.

And I discovered something really weird.

I had thought the kids would like the GoNoodle videos. I was introduced to them a few months ago by a teacher friend. The music is so fun, and the dances are really easy. My idea was to wear the children out. Turns out Aunt Malia was the only one who was dancing.

The boys requested to watch a video that was nothing but hands opening packages of little dinosaur transformer-type figures. That was the entire video. The hands held up a package, opened it, showed the toy to the camera, and then moved onto another package.

I had heard that unboxing videos were super popular with kids, but I had never before witnessed it. The rumors are true, kids are obsessed with them. It was while watching a video of a jungle animal toy set being unboxed and put together that I realized all three children were sitting quietly, entranced by the scene before them. Who are these children, and what have they done with my nephews and niece?

I was genuinely baffled by how fascinated the kids were by watching a stranger open and play with toys. Even more bewildering? These videos had millions of views. Which means my nephews and niece aren’t the only ones obsessed.

Back to the fields, you peasant!

Published January 3, 2019 by Malia

This Christmas, I received one of those 23 & Me DNA testing kits. I hadn’t ever planned to get one, because I know that I’m not guaranteed super accurate results. However, since it was a gift, I figured it didn’t hurt to give it a try.

Now, as far as ancestry testing goes, I’m expecting to see results that place me as being mostly European. I’m definitely built like someone you’d expect to see working the fields hundreds of years ago. From doing genealogy research, I know that there’s German, Czech, English, Scottish, Welsh, and Irish in my background. I’m curious to see what results I get regarding Jewish, Mediterranean, and African ancestry. I have my suspicions, but so far haven’t turned up anything concrete in my own personal research.

I have absolutely no idea what to expect from the health report.

I sent in the kit last week. I don’t think I’ve ever intentionally spit that much in my entire life. As of yesterday, according to the app, my specimen is currently in the genotyping stage. Sometime between January 14th and the end of the month, I should have my results.

If you’ve done this type of testing, I’d be curious to hear what your experience was. Did you find out anything surprising? Meet any new family members?

I’ll fill y’all in once I get my report back.

A Colorful, Crafty Year

Published January 2, 2019 by Malia

I’m diving into 2019, throwing all my energy into my crafting. There’s a possibility that later this year, I’ll be trying to sell some of my creations at craft shows. However, if I do that, I have to have some inventory. Which…at present…I don’t. Over the next several months I’ll be slaving over a hot iron, as I make piles of fuse bead key chains, magnets, and ornaments.

As if that wasn’t enough to keep me busy, I’m also wanting to make myself a blanket. Earlier this fall, I was on Pinterest, and I discovered something called a temperature blanket. Basically, over the course of a year, you put a blanket together. You use colors to indicate the daily temperature. I decided to crochet a granny square blanket, because it’s an easy and beautiful pattern. It was a bit cold yesterday. Supposedly, it was only 15 degrees Fahrenheit, but it felt so much colder! Here’s the start of my blanket:

I’ll be updating the Temperature Blanket section of this blog daily so that everyone can see my progress. And if you’d like to join in, I’d be thrilled to follow your progress as well!

Any Second Now...

This will all make sense?

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