I Can Tell We're Back in Arkansas

Within 24 hours of re-entering the state, we were at Wal-mart (yes, they have organic milk, no, they do not have veggie chili mix).

Here, the trees are in boisterous bloom: As we walked into storytime at the public library this morning, my girls were greeted by the SAME little old lady who was the little old lady who held storytimes when I was their age. I adored her then, and adore her now--she remembered my children's names after I introduced her, held the children rapt with a book about a duck who tried, to no avail, to avoid a spanking (she's a little old-school), sat with Sydney on her lap while a group of daycare children sang a St. Patrick's Day song for the local news (5 at 5!), and took my hand as we walked over to the crafts area so that she could ask all about my life ("Why, I'm a teacher, Ms. Louise, and I have a library science degree").

Ah, homecomings.

Matt, who drove us down here for the week but then went back to Indy to work (How I am going to survive here without him, I do not know), did not have the pleasure, thusly, of meeting Ms. Louise, but he did get to hear me blather on all about her on the phone, and all about the horrible papers I'm grading and what exactly are my students doing all class while I'm teaching the material, oh and by the way how was the drive back.

He also, because he thinks of me even when I'm not around, sent me a link to this awesome artist who embroiders female merit badges.

They are awesome.

While I never earned the Applied Mascara or even the Pantyhose badges, really, I am all about the Fertility badges. Not only do I get the ones for the Pill and Pregnancy Scare and Inserting a Tampon, but I also get nicer ones like Bride, Pregnancy-- --and Breastfeeding: But now, of course, I totally want to add to the list. How about Tandem Breastfeeding? Working with Baby in Lap?

Hosting Child's Birthday Party? Taking Child to Emergency Room? Finding the Perfect Sports Bra?

Telling Former Teachers that You're Now a Teacher Yourself?

We all deserve an entire vest full of these.

Now We Have Button Eyes

I've been a fan of Neil Gaiman since my undergrad days (see this ode to Sandman that I sold on my pumpkinbear etsy shop a while ago?)-- --and when I was studying for my Master's in Library Science and took a class in children's literature, I developed an appreciation for his children's books, too (although I'm pretty sure that they're completely inappropriate for children-- --
*shudder*).

Anyway, Coraline is awesome. And creepy. With a kid who is just the way I was as a kid (also creepy). And the Other Mother? Her eyes?

Are buttons.

Crafty, right? And creepy-crafty, which is even better than crafty.

So even though Matt and I likely won't see the movie version until it's out on Netflix (and he has to read the book first, which is my one inflexible rule about that whole movie/book business), I was goofing around on the Coraline movie web site early this morning (I was supposed to be doing some etsy stuff, but there you go), and guess what I made?In the Other Mother's Workshop you can upload a photo into a frame and the photo's all antique-y and scratchy, and then you can choose from a whole bunch of buttons to make your loved ones look creepy. The cat looks creepy:And the baby looks really, really creepy:Now if you could just add some creepy crochet hair, we'd be all set.