swaps and {honey} bees

This last week was a whirlwind of activity for me--finishing a baby quilt (which, coincidentally, I was so excited to get packaged and ready that I forgot to take pictures. I mean, I didn't even get ONE) working on a skirt I made big enough to fit an elephant (grrr), matching up partners for our "I Heart the 80's" swap, sending out five thousand flickr mails to said partners (double grr), planning my Scrappy Mug Rug swap partner's rug, and contracting a lovely, shrapnel-in-the-back-of-the-throat cold. FUN TIMES.

I am excited to get underway with my swaps--the mug rug swap is lots of fun because you get to experiment with different things and if it turns out looking like poop, you just toss it out and start again because hey, it's tiny! And the 80's swap should be fun just because it's so dang cheesy. I've already got several ideas for both, and my mug rug is already getting cut up and worked on. I stayed home from church today because of my snottyness, and spent some time doodling around with a hoop. It's probably too simplistic as a main swap item, but might make a fun extra.

I really feel like I should fix my elephant skirt, but right now all I want to do is play. Or cradle my snot-stuffed about-to-implode head in my hands and cry. Y'know, either one works.

I realized yesterday that I never got around to taking pictures of our new bees. Really, until yesterday there was nothing to see. Just some boxes on stands. They were getting acclimated to their new environment, so my husband wasn't really doing much with them. But yesterday was the first official day of smoking them, pulling out the frames, and checking them out. And it was really cool.

If you'd told me a year ago that someday I'd be okay with standing in a small cloud of bees without feeling any anxiety, I'd have laughed in your face. But I felt totally fine. It's weird because...I don't like honey. I don't like being stung. Not much of a bug person. So what's in it for me? Not much, but it's still cool and interesting. And it was so...heartwarming is the only word that comes to mind...to see my boys watching their Papa work with his bees. 

I just have to say that the dorky beekeeper clothes crack me up. I couldn't get over the dress shirt paired with those light-colored jeans. And of course the hat. I was whistling and catcalling the whole time. 

 Look how close I got! I'm so proud of myself!!

This little turkey I'd left in the house so he wouldn't get stung, and he managed to sneak out anyway. When I caught him, this was the face he gave me. Oh my word. He's such a punk! Don't even get me started on the trouble this kid gets into. This morning I had my first experience calling poison control because he managed to climb onto the kitchen counter, get into the cabinets, and wolf down half a bottle of B12 vitamins. Thankfully they said the worst that would happen would that he would be extra energetic. Great. MORE energy for the already tireless tornado of mayhem. I was kind hoping I could get some of that crazy action on video, but I was too busy cleaning up messes and chasing him around. If you'd like my address so you can send me my "Mom of the Year" award, just email me.

Anyway, hopefully soon we will have some chickens, and then our idyllic pretend farm will be complete. (For full effect, please read that last line in Darth Vader's voice.)

And I'm out.