Jordan - at it again!!

Jordan has been quite a handful over the last week.  Getting all of the girls into the swing of a routine and schedule has been difficult, and having so much else going on at the same time made it more of a challenge.  

However, Jordan seems to excel at the weird,  unusual, and crazy. Last week, Mandy came out of the bathroom complaining that Jordan didn't flush.  Jordan came storming out of their room adamantly denying it was her, went into the bathroom and came out screaming, "That is NOT mine!!  Those are Taylor Turds!"

Wow!! She know has my attention.  I asked her how she was certain that it wasn't her mess in the toilet.  She said that she "just knows these things."  

And after Ken and I were done laughing, we began referring to Jordan as the Fecal Expert.  Oh, and we still made her flush.  Ewwwww.

Forward to today, and she has decided that she needs a new haircut.  Yes, once again, Jordan took scissors to her head. Dear God - it is bad.  The only good thing is that most of the damage is underneath, so it can be hidden.  

How this started, no one is sure....not even Jordan. She had a small spot that was found during her hair appointment last week, and she said that she had cut out a piece of gum. Wow! Well, crap, at least it was just a small little spot.  Yeah, then she apparently wanted to "fix" her hair and kept cutting.  This is what I found this morning:

NOW we are referring to her as Sinead.  She is not happy with me for taking the pictures, but I have to document everything at this point so I can try to have some sanity through it all!!  And yes, school pictures are next week, and this is the hair she will have for them.

(And people still wonder why I drink)

Mother's Day Eve

There are simply no words to describe the ending of my day. Ken and the girls spent the first part of the day getting a card for me and some flowers (I already know my gift will be late), and then the girls spent the day in the pool now that the weather is seriously warm. 

I spent the day reading a book (almost) uninterrupted. As as the evening drew late, Jordan came out of the room and started hanging notes around the living room.  When I got up to make tea, I actually read the notes and started laughing!!

Just when I was going through a pity-party the last few days and reflecting on what kind of a mother I really am, these are the things that my youngest wanted me to know:

Wow! I have no idea where she gets this stuff from, but it sure lifted my heart tonight. So, the pity-party is now officially over, and I will happily go to bed and be sure to Rock On tomorrow!

Another Note

I found another note from Jordan strategically placed in my office, and I have to say that I love the "From: It's a Secret"

I also enjoyed noticing that the entire audience is apparently female. Jordan had no idea that the signs she drew to represent little people was the sign for woman.  Haha!  It's for times like this that I wish I had the income to take the girls to the music concerts they want.

Jordan - at it again!

There has been so much that has gone on for me to blog about, and once I perfect the text-to-speech program, I will get to it. Let me tide you over with this little lovely discovery from our youngest daughter.

Words cannot describe how Ken and I felt when we found these little notes.  Wow!

Slipping on Ice.....In the Desert!!

I posted about the snow that we got the other day, but we were left with super cold temperatures that resulted in ice. This made it for an interesting Friday for me. I was still completely swamped with work, and I had 14 reports left to write. However, I received a call from the school nurse for Taylor because she refuses to wear a winter coat and got sick again. Ugh!! Apparently, it's better to be sick than to look stupid being warm.

Literally, 26 minutes after picking up Taylor, I got another call from the school nurse. This time, it was about Jordan who was excitedly running to class, slipped on ice and crashed right on her face. I was totally handling the conversation until I heard "she chipped her tooth." Shit!!!! Apparently, Jordan is seriously the tough chick because she was asking for the Peroxide to get cleaned up so she could return to class. And then there was Mama who could only think about the impending dentist visit to fix the tooth that will cost me more money I don't have. Crap!!

Ken picked her up from school, and Jordan cracks me up. She comes inside, "Hey Mama, Jordan's home!" Yeah, like I could have missed her. So, then I take a look at her face. Wow! She really ate it!!

The tooth isn't as bad as I envisioned, but it is going to require a visit to the dentist next week to polish it out a little. I'm also happy that she chipped the incisor on the left. It won't be as noticeable when she's older. Whew! 

Now, because Jordan is Jordan, what would this be without something that "only Jordan would say." I am happy to report, that we have a Jordanism.

After Jordan let me take the picture of her scrapes and look at her tooth, she showed me the little tooth holder from school.  Apparently, she made the principal let her look for the chipped part. It was NECESSARY!!  I started laughing when Jordan was telling me the story, and she stopped cold and stared at me. 

"Mama, WHY are you laughing?! I'm serious!! I had to find the piece of tooth!"

Me, "Why did you have to find a small piece of the tooth? It wasn't like you popped out the entire thing and we had to have it surgically implanted."

Jordan, "Because how else will I get a visit from the tooth fairy if I didn't have the tooth that fell out."

Now, Ken and I are both laughing at her.  Me, "Jordan, the tooth fairy doesn't make a visit for an adult tooth - that's #1. Number 2 - the Tooth Fairy definitely doesn't make a visit for a piece of a tooth."

Jordan stopped dead in her tracks and just stared at me. Her shoulders visibly drooped, and she totally looked deflated in every sense of her being. Then, she looks up at me and says, "So, the Tooth Fairy is a cheap chick and won't bring me money because it's not the entire tooth?!"

A CHEAP CHICK!!  Oh...My...God....!!! I started laughing so very hard, and I'm really glad that she didn't try saying "a cheap bitch" or something like that, but it was obvious that Jordan meant just that!  

I had to leave the room because of my completely inappropriate laughing, and Ken sat down with her and was a great and loving parent on this one. He explained that the Tooth Fairy doesn't reward damaging the adult teeth because we're supposed to take care of them, etc. Jordan just kept looking at Ken like he grew a second head and couldn't believe that she was hearing that she would not receive money for her chipped piece of tooth. After some pizza, popcorn and a movie for Friday Family Night, she seemed to be fine with it all. 

Oh, and she still isn't complaining about her face hurting even this morning when it actually looks worse now that it's scabbed over, and I managed to get a better picture where you can see the chip in her tooth. She really is a tough little chick.

Jordan is Thankful

This is totally cute, right?! I loved seeing it hanging on the doorknob of my office and everything that it represents. I'm also really glad to see that I was above Ken proving that there are times Jordan will prefer me over him. 

However, the story behind this is pure Jordan:

Jordan, "Mama, did you see my Thankful list?" 

Me, "Yes, I saw it." 

Jordan, "Look! I'm thankful for you, and daddy and for my sisters. Except that I had to add the s to make it sisters because I forgot about Mandy. (Looking at Mandy) Sorry Mandy!" 

Me, "Um, how could you forget that you have two sisters?" 

Jordan, "Because I was mad at Mandy and didn't want her to be my sister when I made this." 

Oh.My.God! Really?! I told Ken the story and he and I laughed for quite a while. I also shared this on Facebook, and I felt better when I saw another friend share it on her wall and tag her sister. Apparently, this is typical behavior for sisters, and I'm less worried.  I will concentrate on the fact that this is hilarious!

Battle of Wits: Mama-0

This morning, as I was getting out of bed, I heard a child leave their room. I went to make coffee, and saw it was Jordan, and - as usual - she went straight to the sofa, grabbed the remote and turned on cartoons. I asked her, "Ugh! Why is it that you have to turn on the TV first thing every morning?" Jordan looked at me like I had gone insane and responded, "Because it entertains me." I laughed a little and then asked her, "So, being entertained is the most important thing in life?" Without hesitation, Jordan answered, "It is when you're 8." Once again, I lose the battle of wits.

This child has always had an amazing sense of logic, and her use of vocabulary is intense. "It entertains me"?? What child says things like that?! It's like when she asked for her "beverage" when she was 4, and then there's the conversations with God that she had from 2 - 6. It scares me sometimes that she is my child, and it's my responsibility to raise her correctly. I definitely do not think I'm the right person for the job, and then there's the days when I'm certain that raising this child will, in fact, kill me. 

I finished a cross-stitching piece for the Month of December, and then I spent some time working on Jordan's baby sampler.

So, to recap the time, we had a great weekend. Justin and his girlfriend, Marissa, came over and not only spent Sunday afternoon and evening with us, but they stayed the night and enjoyed breakfast with us. Ken loved having the time with his middle son who hasn't given us much time over the last couple of years. Sadly, Justin is in quite a bit of trouble in life - he chose his mother and everything about her including irresponsibility, not having to listen or follow "stupid" rules or laws, and as a result, he has found himself sorely unprepared for life. Ken and I are deeply worried about him.  

I really did my best not to "bash" Justin's mom. It got difficult when both kids kept griping about her and the things that she does. Seriously though....Sheryl left the state and dumped Justin just before he turned 18 because she wasn't going to get child support anymore and he isn't her problem now. Ugh! It's tough to watch him struggle in life, but he made his choices. Luckily, he is starting to remember that Ken and I aren't idiots. Keeping my mouth shut is never easy, but it's really important to do with this situation.

Unfortunately, I was having so much fun visiting and getting to know Marissa, that I failed to take pictures of them. Oh well. The next time, I will be sure to get some. 

Jordan decided that she wanted to show me that she "appreshates" me, so she made me a sign for my office and made me lunch so I could relax. It was really adorable!!

 With my lunch came the pillow and blankets to pamper a Queen - as Jordan stated.

 Jordan made this sandwich all by herself - please note the amount of mayo used - HA!

After my Lunch of Appreciation, I had a dental appointment. I was getting the lower left quadrant re-done with non-metallic fillings. I hate the dentist. There's just nothing pleasant about it, and while I am happy and hoping that I won't have teeth breaking from the metallic fillings, the pain in my mouth and jaw is unbelievable! Sadly, it'll last days as well. I always have to get one dose short of the "maximum" for numbing and the amount of shots it takes kills me. It's nice not to see a ton of silver in my mouth when I laugh, but this is excruciatingly painful.

Because I was just getting home from the dentist, Ken took Jordan to her podiatry appointment. She is like Taylor in that she gets ingrown toenails really badly and won't let us help her to take care of her feet. So, she had to endure having her toenail cut out along with the roots. They only took the sides, so that is helpful, but now she's stuck having to take antibiotics and soak her feet more.

It was a painful evening for Jordan and myself. She had the problem of the numbing wearing off her toe and mine was wearing off from my jaw and mouth. Eating was a major problem for me, but I managed to get something into my stomach. 

The girls enjoyed some hot cocoa and we watched The Princess and the Frog on the Disney channel together last night. Jordan was able to soak her foot, and I was able to quietly medicate myself to help the jaw. Ibuprofen better not let me down.

Today, I spent the entire day dealing with work. While the rest of my school has the week off, I'm stuck trying to finish the file update for the Verification Review for the State's impending audit. Thankfully, my boss has assured me that I can schedule my breakdown for December 14th.  I just keep waiting....

More humor from the Little People

And the jocularity doesn't stop in this house!  While eating supper Saturday night, a conversation occurred between Mandy and Jordan:

Jordan, "What meat is this we're eating?" 

Me, "Chicken breast." 

Mandy, "Yeah, you're eating a chicken's boobs!!" 

Jordan is too grossed out to finish supper now. Holy crap!!

Then, tonight, Jordan was in the shower for well over her 10 minute limit.  I'm never quite sure what the heck takes her so long in the shower. Seriously!! She's only so big - what takes so long for her to get clean? Why is it so important for her to play in the shower???

Mandy ended up in the bathroom with her for a short while, and Mandy heard me yelling at Jordan to get out of the shower so she repeated the message.  Then, I hear this:

Jordan, "Well, I'm still washing my belly button."

Mandy, "You've been washing it, for like, 5 minutes already!"

Jordan, "I know! I have to get ready for the big day tomorrow!"

Mandy, "What big day tomorrow?"

Jordan, "Um, you wouldn't understand, Manda! You don't have guy friends!"

Mandy, "I have one guy friend."

Jordan, "Well, I have two guy friends, and I'm working on a third, so I have to be ready."

As the Mama, I am seriously worried about whatever the hell it is that my 8-year-old needs to be so clean for AND to have a meticulously clean belly button that somehow involves getting guy friends. I'm starting to think that my youngest child will have to home schooled in order to keep her in check.  Hmmmmm.

The rest of the weekend was pretty tame. We did a lot of chilling on the couch watching TV. Jordan loved her spot to watch TV:

I enjoyed reading an entire book yesterday, and I got a lot of stitching done today.  It's been great therapy to just rest especially since I know this next week is going to be CRAZY! Work is having the third cohort of students starting meaning a ton of placement IEPs. Good times!

My girls' humor

This is the sign that sums it up pretty well.  Over the last couple of weeks, we have had some interesting conversations with the girls, and I have loved watching them try to act like little grown-ups, and other times, I (internally) giggle with total glee at their successes.  Then, I have been utterly shocked by what they have done and said and wondered, "What did I start?"

I have been writing these little tidbits down and storing them up for one post since it's more fun to keep everything as centrally located as possible.

* While walking the girls to school one day, Jordan starts talking to me, "You know what? You're our mom. You're supposed to love and encourage us and support our dreams; not CRUSH them!"  

What the hell??  HAHAHAHA!  I reminded her and the other two that I do love them, and I will encourage and support any dream that they have so long as it doesn't interfere or conflict with my ideas, dreams or lifestyle.  Jordan asked what that meant, so I told her, "You can do anything you want so long as you don't try to take me on."  Jordan's response, "Oh! OK, that's fair!"  Even better!!  

* Over supper last week, Mandy shared a story of an incident between her and Taylor in which she quietly became the victor:

Apparently, Taylor was talking to her crush during recess (nope, I can't remember the boy's name). Mandy said, "I saw that she was talking to him and smiling and being all dopey cuz she likes him and everything, so I walked over to them and stood next to her.  Then, I let out a very quiet but deadly fart and walked away. You should have seen them, Mom! They were both dying and trying to pretend that they didn't smell it, but you KNOW that he thinks it was her!" Then, Mandy put out her fist to Ken for a fist bump, which he happily gave her, with the added statement of, "Way to go, Mandy!"

Taylor was mortified!! She and Mandy began arguing at the table, and all I can say, is THANK YOU for the Happy Pills. I was able to endure their crap during supper, and in all honesty, it is REALLY funny! Their eldest brother, Sean, was here, and when he heard the story, he started laughing uncontrollably and mentioned, "Oh my God! Mandy is already cock-blocking!"  Very succinct way of putting it!

* Ken sent me a text message while he was walking the girls to the bus stop last week which stated, "Taylor just informed me that her Nalgene bottle smells like cock."  Um, what??? I thought he was kidding me, but he said that this is what she said just out of the blue.

That night, again at the dining table over supper, I asked her what the hell and why she would say something like that. Taylor was embarrassed (Um, good thing!), and said that she was just trying to be funny, you know, like how she hears me talking and everything....I just sat there and asked her how the HELL she would know what cock smells like!  Taylor said she didn't know, she was just trying to be funny.

Well, I can't let this go (I do NOT know where my girls get that from, by the way), so I ask her, "And what do you think cock smells like??"

Taylor, "Well, I guess like vagina?!"

Me, "So, you don't know what cock smells like, but you know what vagina smells like?" 

Taylor (clearly uncomfortable and realizing that she is losing this one), "Um, well, I don't know about any of it. I WAS JUST TRYING TO BE FUNNY!"

There is no control left at my table, and Ken is snorting all over the place, Mandy is doubled over laughing with tears running down her face, and Jordan is doing the laughing and slapping of her knee - which is what she does when she knows we're all laughing at something funny and she wants to laugh but doesn't understand what's going on.

I grabbed Taylor and gave her a hug, and then I asked her to PLEASE! not talk like this in public.

* As yesterday was Taylor's 13th birthday, she is really moving quickly into that awkward phase where she wants to be an adult but she doesn't have the skills required.  

We were going through Target to check into the things that she wanted to purchase, and then there were some things that I needed to get.  I went down the "feminine aisle" because I needed panty liners. I didn't think this was a major thing, but Taylor took it to that level.  

Loudly, she exclaims, "Mom! You don't need this stuff anymore! What are you doing?!"

I turned around to look at her and said, "Taylor, you don't need to yell. What are you talking about?"

Taylor, still yelling because she's just so enjoying being 13 and out shopping, "Mom! You had surgery and don't even GET periods anymore! Why would these be useful?!"

Let me just point out that we now have a few people in the aisle who are clearly listening to this exchange.  So, what the hell - let Taylor learn and the others have the entertainment.

So, I finish, "Taylor, yes, like I explained, I had a hysterectomy which means I thankfully do not have my period anymore.  However, when the doctor took out my uterus, he also took out my cervix and closed off the opening at the end of my vagina meaning that when Dad and I have sex, his stuff goes everywhere.  These pantyliners allow me to stay clean and fresh throughout the day, and as you will notice, I use them a LOT!"

I then left that aisle and walked to the next one where I was looking for hand soap, and I left Taylor standing there in the aisle gagging and making vomit noises with total teenage drama at the idea of Mom and Dad having sex.  One lady, who was lingering to listen actually came over to me and said that she loved that exchange and she wished she had been more like that with her own daughter.  At least she was honest about eavesdropping.




So, these are just a few of the conversations that happen in this house. Not only have I posted them here for your enjoyment, but please remember that I print out this blog every year for the children to read through later. These stories will come back to haunt them.  (Yes, I am grinning evily.)

Breaking in September

The first full week of September has gone by, and it happened very quickly. I'm still trying to believe that it's September, and the triple digit temperatures are making it even harder to believe. We should not be this warm still, and the humidity we have suffered through all summer is so not normal for So Cal, that it's made life very difficult for us. I'm really looking forward to the Fall weather, and I promise myself now that I will not complain about the cold temps this winter. ;)

Ken had a great hunting trip even though he did more shooting than actually bringing home dove, but we still had a great feast upon his return.

Michael Gallagher spent a few nights hanging out with us causing us to stay up late and get into trouble.

The girls had a great week at school, and Mama got a new Jordanism based on the girls' determination of how I am supposed to treat them.

Please note that you can barely see Mandy standing behind Taylor. Mandy not only didn't like the sun in her face for this picture, but she didn't want her picture taken while she waited for the bus in the first place.

Work was horribly busy again this week creating some stress for Kasey, but Thank God for the Happy Pills and some quiet nights with Ken on the patio with a cigar and a drink.

Ken and Kasey whisked away to Los Angeles to attend a surprise party for Jason Brick given by his wife, Andi - who managed to plan this and succeed in keeping it a secret all the way from Chicago. 

We started the day by having lunch with an old high school friend of Kasey's, Dustin Bailey, and his daughter, Isabella. It was fun to catch up on the last couple of years:

When we arrived for the party, Kasey was amazed that at the party consisting of mostly Jason's family and SHE was considered "normal."  It was a great trip and a fabulous party. We had a great time at the party itself, and we loved being included in the family breakfast the next morning. This is a great bunch of people we hope to see again.

 This is Kenzie. His Mama had him put on one of the mustache temp tattoos & he rocked it all night 

 I left the table for a minute, and when I return, Ken is surrounded by women - typical!

 I loved Uncle Gerard helping his wife up from the table!!

 Me with Tiffany - and her bra did show all night. At some points, so did her matching panties

 Tiffany "LOVED" Ken all night, and you have to love Andi in the background

 Tiffany and her Mama, Karen, with Ken. I will always be Keri to Karen!

 Ken and Andi

 Tiffany demanded that Ken dance with her all night.

Andi couldn't find a glass. This worked just fine!

Jason and Andi then drove all the way out to our house so Andi could try shooting some pistols. While Ken took them to the range, Kasey and the girls got to hang out with Liam and Sean. Kasey loved the baby fix, and the boys loved all of the female attention.

 Liam enjoyed having all of the girls fuss over him. He wanted for nothing the entire time

 And of course, Sean got a ton of attention. Who can resist a cute baby!

 Taylor was smitten by Sean who loved to smile for her

 Liam walked over, straddled and just plopped down on Mandy's chest to watch TV. It was AWESOME!

It was a great week, and a wonderful weekend.  I have been promised the pictures that Andi took with her camera, and I cannot wait to get those uploaded. I know she got some great pictures of Ken and me at the party!

Mama sees everything

Ken and the two older girls went to the Lucerne Valley Action Pistol Shoot this morning. That gave me a couple of hours of total quiet before Jordan woke up. It was very nice, and I enjoyed and savored that quiet.

After Jordan woke up, she was a bundle of energy. I was busy trying to get some stitching done, and she was all over the place. She did eat 3 breakfasts, so I've got an inkling that she is doing some major growing right now.  In fact, she's been a bottomless pit lately, and is eating everything she can get her hands on. 

While I was stitching, I was also watching movies. When I stitch is about the only time I do watch TV. I don't typically enjoy it otherwise. Jordan was not paying attention, so I had to tell her each time that Addie wanted to go outside and then come back inside. At one point, Jordan was trying to do cartwheels down the hallway, and I had to ask her to stop. She came out in the living room and asked how I could possibly know what she was doing when I hadn't moved from my seat. I chuckled and just reminded her that Mama's know everything.  At that point, I asked her to let Addie back in to the house since I had seen her get to the door.

Jordan was AMAZED! After letting Addie back inside, she came over to me and said she had some questions to ask me. I put my needle down and told her to go ahead.

"So, Mama. Do you have eyes all around your head including in the back?"  She turns around and points to the back of her head.

I answered, "Why would you ask that?"

"Because, Ms. Waller said that she doesn't have children, but she's a teacher and she has eagle eyes. Since you're a Mama, you say you can see everything which means you have eyes everywhere!" 

Then, Jordan stopped. She looked at me for a minute, and I could tell that she was thinking. After a few minutes, she seemed to have come to a conclusion and said, "OMG Mama! (and I do mean that she said the letters, OMG.) You're a mother AND a teacher! That means that you have eyes everywhere and they are eagle eyes! No wonder you see and know everything!"

The entire time she was telling me this, her arms were flailing around her body and her head. Her own eyes were bugged wide open and she seemed totally amazed by my apparent abilities. I just laughed and said, "Yes, with Mama being a mother, I have to see and know everything.  As a teacher, I have to see it all very well. Being that I'm both a Mama and a Teacher, I guess you're right."

Jordan sat down on the floor and started talking to Addie (the dog). She whispered to Addie, "Well, I guess I should stop trying to break the rules! She always knows anyway. You'd think I'd learn."

I somehow managed to wait until she left the room and then giggled like a maniac. It was all so funny, and again, I love the way her mind works. I made sure to post about my super abilities on Facebook, and when Ken saw it, I was reminded of the story, and I wanted to get it on the blog as fast as possible.  Talk about a great laugh.

Once Ken was home, he checked the pool, and then the girls went in to cool off. These triple digits are killing us and the humidity is horrible. Ken joined the girls in the pool which gave me some more quiet time in the house to stitch. 

Cooking in this heat has gotten to be unbearable, so I'm using the crock pot a LOT! Tonight, it was roast with potatoes and carrots.

Jordan and sharp sticks

Ken and Jordan were in the kitchen this evening discussing the grocery list. Ken was taking the list from our whiteboard and transferring the data into his phone so he could get the shopping done.


Jordan had been used to having a small cup of coffee in the mornings before school & she really loves the french vanilla creamer. Apparently, she didn't see her creamer on the list again, so she asked Ken, "Why can't I have any creamer?"


Ken reminded her that she wasn't going to have coffee when she isn't in school, but Jordan's reponse was, "So you're not going to allow me to behave?"


Holy crap, really?! She knows that the coffee kept her a bit calmer & now she's going to blame all of her misdeeds on a lack of coffee? Holy shit!


But, it doesn't end there. No, not for Jordan. Ken told me the rest of the story while laughing and trying to choke out the story between the side-splitting laughter.


Right after that Ken was steaming some milk for a latte. Jordan asked Ken, "Can I have some steamed milk?" Ken saved a little bit for her, knowing she probably wouldn't like it. Jordan asked "is that all I get?" He responded, "I can give you a poke in your eye with a sharp stick."


Jordan was quietly mulling this over, and then she responded, "OK, but I don't want to do the poking."


Oh....My......God! Where does she come UP with this stuff????

A New Note

A few days ago, I posted a note from Jordan where she was in true form and threatening Ken to get her way.  


Well, in all fairness to Jordan, I really need to share a new note that she wrote that puts Jordan in perspective. She really is a sweet child with a wonderful disposition. Jordan has a great heart, she wants to help everyone around her, and she shares her love and her hugs with anyone who is in her reach.


I have been working on my cross-stitching.  My collection of patterns "to-do" is quite extensive and it keeps growing as I find new things that I like. One of the new patterns that I fell in love with was The Alphabet Fairies by Nora Corbett. Nora is a very talented artist whose work is turned into cross-stitch patterns. She is always a very sweet woman, and I have enjoyed getting to (virtually) meet her.  I chose the first letter of the girls' names, and bought the floss to get started since it was not my usual floss, but specific hand-dyed floss which cost a LOT more money.  


My next step was to agonize over the fabric.  The suggested fabric was linen, and I bought it to try, but I hated it.  I could not stitch on it at all.  This was as far as I got:

The stitches were not even, nothing was lining up as it should, and I was spending more time ripping out stitches than I was actually stitching.  Well, there was no way that I was going to continue, and I was totally burned on stitching the piece at all.  Unfortunately, the girls had seen the patterns and knew they were for them, so I was disappointing them which was killing me.  So, I found another lady on a Facebook stitching group would loved working on linen, and I sent her the Jordan Fairy so she could finish her, and I decided I would do some other projects and then try again.


I did get through some other projects, and I made sure that I worked on other fabrics called evenweave: Lugana and Jobelan. That way, I wasn't using the Aida that I was used to, I was getting the smoother look of linen, but I wasn't working on linen either.


So, I spent a couple months trying to decide on the perfect fabric for the new Fairies. I wanted to be sure that I could use the same fabric for each of the three fairies so the girls would have that in common, but then have different mats and frames.  I finally decided on Stephanie Bishop's hand-dyed fabric of Spring Breeze in a 28 ct Lugana.  She made three pieces for me, so I knew they would be as similar as possible, and I re-started Jordan.


Well, the fact that this pattern has the exact same name as Jordan was something that she just couldn't miss. As I started stitching, Jordan kept checking my progress, and when she saw that I put in the last full stitch, she was completely excited and started squealing, "At last! My fairy is done!" I had to explain that I still had backstitching and beading to do, so it wasn't done yet, but Jordan was too excited to care.  

I stopped stitching the other night after I put in the last full stitch and just looked at what I had done.  It was 64 hours of stitching involved in this piece, and I was such a delight to stitch!! I'm a bit daunted by the amount of beading that is going to take place, and I was hoping and praying that the backstitching would be fine - no areas where things didn't line up.


When I went back into my office to get the beads and Kreinik floss, I found this note sitting on my desk.  I hate that she wrote it in yellow crayon because it is so difficult to read, but Jordan said that yellow means "happy" so she HAD to use yellow.

My heart melted when I read the note.  How incredibly sweet!!!  This same child who will drive me insane because her logic and reasoning skills are over-developed understood that this was a lot of time spent on something for her, and she wanted to show me her appreciation. 


I was really glad that I had decided to stop stitching that night.  This note was far too cute, and it really touched my heart. It also helped to get me motivated to get the rest of it done. I have no intention of sending it in for framing until all three are done since I decided that I wanted the same frames as well for each girl.  


Last night, I was able to get the backstitching done, and I was the one squealing with joy because everything lined up just as it was supposed to!  Now, to take on some beading and the Kreinik....