Flaming Hoops

Its been a month.  No seriously.  Its. been. a. month.  The doctoral program is full of huge flaming hoops.  I swear that half the battle is to simply make it through the hoops without falling completely a part.  The past month has been about making it through one of those hoops: the field exams.  I'll spare you the gory details but the gist of it is that I had to write three 12-15 page papers in five days. If that wasn't tough enough, I then had to sit in front of my committee (three professors from my department) and respond to their questions and feedback about my papers in what they call an oral defense.  Let's just say the whole process is a bit intimidating, a whole lot overwhelming, and altogether exhausting.  The good news is I came out on the other end of the hoop in one piece.  I am proud to say that I not only passed but I passed with honors!  Woohoo!

An old photo of Aria from my first term in the doctoral program back in 2010.  She is contemplating  the concept of  law...obviously.  Heh.

Being a mom and a full time doctoral student is tough.  Some days I feel like I simply don't give my daughter the attention and time she deserves.  But I also know that she is learning about hard work and the importance of education and I have to take comfort in that.  Aria has always been a bit spunky and spirited from day one, but for all her spitfire and grit, she just seems to get it sometimes.  When I'm stressed or under a lot of pressure, she almost intuitively knows not to push too hard and to give me a bit of space. The day of my oral defense I took her to school in the morning.  Aria knew about the oral defense because I had talked about it.  She wanted to know if I was scared so I told her the truth, that I was scared but that I had also worked really hard and I was trying to be brave.  She patted me on the back, assured me that I would be okay, and then gave me a kiss for bravery and sent me on my way.  My little girl.  Sometimes she seems so much older than she actually is.

Aria loves to dress up.  I'm not sure what she is dressing up as but I like to think its her very colorful version of  Gothic fashion.  Her sense of style reflects her imagination: Colorful, fun, with just a touch of the grim.  I think I have a writer or artist on my hands here.

So here I am.  I've passed my field exams and the summer is almost here.  I promised myself that if I passed this flaming hoop I'd give myself a little break.  I envision plenty of sewing for myself, for Aria, my sweet niece, and of course Tansy Dolls. I also see reading, lots of reading...all those graphic novels and fantasy books that have been collecting dust on my shelves are waiting for me.  Oh and adventures. My little Aria is growing up into such an imaginative and creative young lady.  I want to spend time this summer nurturing her natural creativity with plenty of adventures.

Summer beckons.  What do you have planned for this summer?

~Cheers!~
Robin

A Great Max Day

Matt's been out of town on business. It's impossibly hard. I'll admit we tend to be one of those clingy co-dependent couples who can't stand being apart, which has certainly contributed to how hard it's been having him gone. Of course, the other part is that I'm trying to be both parents at once. I have no idea how single parents balance it all - I feel totally fried. And that's with the wonderful support of my friends and family who have all been helping out! It's been an excellent illustration of the old "it takes a village" adage.

In all this craziness it's easy to lose track of the important stuff. Rushing from school and work to errands and dinner, then bath and bed and cleaning and everything else I feel like Max doesn't always get the dedicated attention he deserves. So yesterday we played hookey. We hung out for the morning, read lots of books, and played some serious trains. One of Max's new favorite things is to have me tape him playing trains. He considers this making movies, though they're still a little light on things like plot.

We also went out to get my Mr. Shaggy a haircut (at his request!). 

Then some errands (are those sorts of things inescapable or what?!). But then we went to a family favorite: Powell's Books, the Beaverton campus. 

We happily browsed books for quite awhile before Max settled on a Thomas book (of course), a Bearenstein Bears book, and an human anatomy book. 

Then we went out to dinner together at Pastini. Max's new favorite food is chicken alfredo, so it seemed pretty perfect. 

He insisted on taking my picture as well:

I gave him my card so he could pay, which he thought was awesome. 

It was a pretty great day. It's really hard to find time to give him all the attention he deserves and it's easy when life is busy to get distracted by the inevitable battles, behaviors, and routines. It was great to get to reconnect. 

What do you do to connect with your kiddos?

TTFN!

Cady

Snuggle Time

Hey everyone,

Our family has had quite a month: emergency surgery, a death in the family, a beautiful wedding, and lots and lots of traveling with children. A whirlwind, to be sure. I'll probably find it in me to blog about the more personal aspects of the month later on, but for now I'm still pretty exhausted. hah.

So for my post today, I thought I'd share some snuggles, since it IS my favorite perk of the job - getting pictures from happy doll mamas & papas.

Do you remember our 2000 FB Fan Giveaway from a couple of months back? Well, here's a little peek at our winner, a lovely little lady with her new custom Tansy Doll, "Leaf."

BFFs

Her and her mama chose warm brown skin, green eyes, and earth tones for his curly boucle hair. It was kind of hard to part with him, he turned out so stinkin' cute. Me thinks another brown skin/green eye beauty is going to have to be in the works for the shoppe soon.

And look at those curls (the little lady's)!!! Is she adorable, or what? I think they'll be fast friends soon, if not already.

I hope everyone has a great week, full of family, and hopefully lots of snuggletime.

xoxoxoxo,
Lesley

Hexaflexagon fun

Is that title a mouthful? Maybe. But it's also super fun to say. Try it: hexaflexagon. Hexaflexagon. Hexaflexagon! Sounds like a cool magic word to me.

In fact, hexaflexagons are these cool paper creations that you're going to love. Remember those fortune tellers (or cootie catchers) you made in grade school? These remind me of those, but more mathy and mysterious.

I'm also a big fan of Vi Hart, of YouTube and Khan Academy fame. Here's her video on hexaflexagons:


I did a lesson that included these a few weeks ago. Max saw me watching the videos and was completely fascinated. He insisted we make some. We ended up making quite a few, of both kinds. He colored the different sides and practiced flipping them inside out. He even had me cut one open after coloring so he could see the patterns on the inside. He proudly took one to preschool the next day and showed everyone how there were these cool hidden sides. So freakin' cute.

I love that he was so excited about it. And I love the reminder that kids can get excited about things they don't totally understand. To him, the hidden side is a magic trick; to me it's a math demonstration of some pretty weighty topics. Either way, it's fun!

Here's a link to some instructions on making your own hexaflexagons (seriously; say it out loud).
http://www.puzzles.com/hexaflexagon/activities.html

When you're done playing and amazing your friends, check out some of ViHart's other videos. You don't need to be a math geek like me to enjoy them, but an appreciation for art or puzzles or talking really fast might help.

And then go give your brain a workout at puzzles.com. There are so many kinds there you'll certainly find something you like.

But first; hexaflexagons...

TTFN!
Cady

Oh, don't forget to go check out the Sew Mama Sew Giveaway going on! We've got an adorable little mouse Sprout up for grabs!

Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day - Sweet Little Waldorf-inspired Mouse

Okay, I LOVE Sew Mama Sew!  They have provided me with plenty of crafty inspiration and joy over the years so it is an honor to participate in their super popular Giveaway Day! If you don't already follow Sew Mama Sew, you should seriously add them to your blog roll.  They are just fabulous and they link to all sorts of wonderful sewing blogs full of tutorials!

Tansy Dolls is offering up one of our sweet 5" Sprout Dolls.  We'd like to introduce Estrella, an adorable and cuddly Mouse Sprout who'd love to find a home where she can get plenty of snuggles and love.

Also in honor of our fans and all the lovely folks at Sew Mama Sew, we'd like to offer our readers (the new and old) a 10% discount to anything in our shop.  Enter SewMamaSew to receive 10% off your entire order.  But hurry, because the coupon ends on May 17.  Visit our shop at www.tansydolls.com.

Giveaway detail:
This giveaway closes on May 10 at 5pm PST.
We will ship internationally.
For one entry, please tell us what other animals you'd like to see in Sprout form.
For a second entry, please like our Facebook Page page or tell us if you are already a fan!
At the end of the giveaway, we'll put all the entries in an Excel file and use random.org to pull a winner!

~Cheers!~
Robin

On Birthing

I made it to the other end of the field exams tunnel.  It was just about as awful as I thought it would be.  But just as I hit the submit button, I had to dash off to the hospital to support my sister as she delivered her first baby.  I would post a picture but I want to honor my sister's privacy.  You'll just have to trust me when I say my little niece and Aria's "sister cousin" is just the sweetest little baby imaginable.

This photo of my daughter is here just to break up the text, but it was taken outside the hospital.  heh.

On another note, watching my sister deliver a baby had to be one of the most amazing experiences ever, next to holding Aria right after birth, probably at the top of the awesome list.  For those who are close to me, you know that I had a very traumatic birth experience.  The short story I hemorrhaged following delivery and wound up in ICU for 2 days.  Being in ICU meant that I was separated from my newborn daughter, scared, in pain, and isolated. It took me years to be okay with talking about it without crying. There is more to the story but today is not the time to tell that story.

Today is the time to talk about the wonder I got to experience.  Having the privilege to be present at the birth of my niece moved me closer to a place of peace about my own birth.  It was powerful and beautiful at the same time.  I was simply amazed at my sister's strength.  Earlier during labor she had been in pain and maybe a bit scared but when it came time to push, she was in the zone, concentrating on the task at hand.  After the baby was delivered, I hovered like a worried mother hen watching the doctors intently.  I am sure they felt my icy cold gaze as I bore holes into the back of their heads.  I wasn't able to relax until I saw them sit up and bring the baby back to my sister.

Anyhow, the birth of a human is awe-inspiring.  All I can say is if you ever have the opportunity and honor of witnessing a birth, do not miss out on it.  It. is. amazing.

This year Mother's Day is on May 12.  I have a host of mother's day gifts to get and this year I want to get something special for Shellie (my momma-in-law), my mother, and of course my sister.  So I'm asking you to help.  What handmade gifts would you love to get or give for Mother's Day?

And another photo to break up text.  ;)  This flower arrangement was made by Aria and her friend Sanjana.  Isn't it pretty?  It reminds me of Spring.   

I'm thinking something that encourages Shellie to take time for herself.  That woman is the most giving lady I know and she really needs to pamper herself occasionally.  My mother is a beast when it comes to finding the perfect gift so I am thinking a framed photo of her two granddaughters.  My sister...I'm drawing blanks on...perhaps something to help celebrate the birth of her daughter.  But what?  She isn't a big jewelry person although she isn't opposed to jewelry.  But it needs to be bigger than promises or offers of babysitting; I already plan on doing that.  Help!?!

~Cheers!~
Robin

Train Rack Tutorial

Max has many loves. Race cars, stuffed animals, his Tansy Dolls, cooking, digging, construction vehicles, dragons, and Legos all rank very high. But Max's first love is trains. Steam trains are his favorite, but he also loves modern freight trains, super-fast bullet trains, monorails, streetcars, trams, the zoo train, and pretty much anything else somewhat train-like.

He has several different sizes and types of train toy, but by far his favorite are his wooden trains. They are mostly Thomas the Train toys, with some Brio and other compatible ones mixed in. When he was about 2, Max received a huge hand-me-down train track collection from his Uncle David. Since they're his favorite toy, he's been adding to that collection steadily since then. Birthdays, Christmases, special treats, allowance money; most of it goes towards train stuff. The collection is massive by now, which poses some cleaning issues. One of the biggest challenges is the trains themselves. He wants to be able find the specific one he wants so he dumps the bin all over the floor. Constantly. It was finally driving me crazy, so I decided to make some nice display shelves for them. Now you can too! Here's how...

Train Rack Tutorial

Supplies (per rack)
8  8" straight wooden train tracks, Brio compatible
~20" wooden trim board 1.5" wide, mine was 3/8" thick
wood glue
16 #18 3/4" wire nails (or similar)
picture hanging mounts and nails for hanging final rack

Tools
saw
hammer
ruler
level (for hanging)

Time
Maybe an hour, start to finish

Total cost if you buy all supplies new (instead of stealing tracks from the kiddo's collection) is about $20 per rack, give or take. Much less if you find used tracks.

Here's how...

 Start with 2 of your tracks, like this. Cut the little nub off one end of just one of them.

You could toss this, I suppose, but I glued mine into the other end of the uncut track so it wouldn't have a big hole in one end of the shelf. So apply your wood glue to the nub...

...and glue it in to the end of the uncut track.

Now apply glue to the other end of the uncut track.

Connect it to the cut track and set aside to dry. Repeat with your other pairs of track until you've used all 8. Obviously, I was making more than one rack here.

Now, get your side pieces ready. I cut 2 lengths of 9 1/2" out of my trim board.

So that I could line everything up nicely, I made marks at 3", 6", and 9" to line up my shelves.

Apply glue using the marks as a guide, then lay out the shelves.

This is what you're going for at this point.

Once everything is spaced nicely, glue the side pieces onto the track shelves. Hold in place for a few minutes or use a big wood clamp if you have one. (I just held everything for 30 seconds of so, then let it dry for another 5 minutes.)

Here's the hardware I used. 

Once the glue is dry, put the rack up on one end, and nail each shelf in place through the side pieces. I used 2 nails per shelf per side. 

Now secure you hangers. I used picture hangers attached to the side pieces (it is wicked hard to nail into those tracks!), then secured with a nail. 

My 5 finished racks.

Hung and waiting! Don't mind the messy room. :)

Racks full of trains! Trains not on the floor! 

Max loves them. The horrible part? I have to make more! Ack!

Anyway, there you have it! Now, I think if you tried hard enough you could find the wooden track material without the male and female ends so you wouldn't have to do the cutting and gluing, but I went with what's readily available. You could also make these with just flat boards, but I know from experience the trains don't stay on very well. They also make road-style tracks if your little one is car-crazy instead of train-crazy. 

I hope you enjoy this and it helps your house as much as it's helped mine! Send us pictures!

TTFN!

Cady