Little Big

Bless This Mess

  • About
  • FAQ
  • Contact
  • Links
  • Life List
  • Shop
  • Archives
  • Advertise
  • New reader?

Snapshot 10.28.16 – 11.08.16

November 8, 2016 by Carrie Anne 2 Comments

snapshot bar WHAT IM UP TO 17114734450_00e22d2fb0_b (1)

— They say God laughs when we make plans.

  • Me: I’m going to post every day in November!
  • My Body: BWAHAHAHAH!

–It’s Election Day! I can’t believe it! I often say this as a joke, but our long National Nightmare is almost over. I mean, I hope. God, do I hope. Just thinking about what could happen makes my eyes go black and roll back into my head and then I pass out. This election has brought out some of the worst in humanity and somehow we have to find a way to heal and move forward.

–I let Isobel be a few minutes late to school so she could help me drop off Anthony’s and my absentee ballot. We like to talk through each item on the ballot and do our voting together. We usually agree, but not always, and that’s okay. I still love the act of going to the polling place to physically participate in voting on Election Day. I felt it was especially important that Isobel be a part of this historic day, so I let her come with me. She will be able to tell her kids and grandkids she was there to witness her mother vote for the first female president. She can say she dropped the ballot into the box. Our polling place was crowded, which was amazing to see. I forgot to ask for stickers for me and the kids–my only regret.

–I was a strong Hilary supporter until I found Bernie.  He matched my goals and my values better than Clinton, and my husband and I threw our hearts and souls into his campaign. He energized and ignited in me an interest in politics all the way down to the local level. I’m extremely grateful to him. I am also extremely excited to have voted for the first female president. As a woman, and as the mother of a daughter, it is particularly gratifying. It is exhilarating to take part in in this revolutionary and historic election. I still love Bernie and have many issues with Clinton’s platform. But I can certainly be critical of a candidate and still vote for them. Like this country, I contain multitudes.

–I get told I’m so positive despite my illness all the time, and it’s true, I often am, but in the nature of full disclosure: I cry a lot. I’m not one to only look on the bright side or deny the feelings I have. And I have a lot of them. With everything going on in the world and with me, personally, as well as with my loved ones, I have had many good cries lately, and they absolutely help. They don’t change anything externally, but they change me. And that helps.

–I finally took the Pottermore told me my Patronus quiz, and after bracing myself for what I was sure would be an animal I felt no special kinship with, the results came back: Unicorn. UNICORN. The animal I have been obsessed with since before I can remember. I now believe everything on that website forever now.

–I feel terribly when I haven’t updated here in awhile. This is my outlet, my space for creative expression. That’s very important to me, even as blogs I love are slowing down and stopping. I get it. It’s work. It’s not cheap. There’s a lot of pitfalls. It’s a labor of love. One of the things I really love about blogging is that it’s a field, in my niche anyway, dominated by women. Women who have a voice and are using it. It’s created a space for women of all stripes: disabled women, older women, very young women, women of color. Women whose experiences I wouldn’t have the privilege of being exposed to otherwise. As long as you keep writing, all keep reading, and I’ll keep posting here.

–A few weeks ago, in an act of pure desperation, Anthony bought Elias a handheld fan at the grocery store. After shopping we stopped by a drive through, and since the kids were practically gnawing on each other, they were so hungry, I hand-fed Elias fries while he sat in the back seat. They were hot, and I could feel his little breath puffs he used to cool the fries down before eating them. Then it suddenly got much colder, and the air blew much faster. I turned around and saw Elias using the handheld fan to cool down the French fries I gave him. He might actually be a genius.

–I have had some really awful health days lately, but I’ve also been lucky enough to have some fun: for my birthday my inlaws took us for an over night trip to Monterey so we could visit the Monterey Bay Aquarium, and just last weekend we made good on a promise to visit our friends who moved to Sacramento. It is really, really tough to travel when you have a chronic condition, but it was so very worth it.

–Thank you for all the wonderful well-wishes for my birthday. It was so heartwarming, and I cried a few times reading your sweet messages. My lovely friend Lena even sent me a goat! It was a terrific surprise! I named him Randy Butternubs and we are very happy together. He is my therapy goat and I hug him when I’m stuck on the couch. The kids adore him and are quite fond of fighting over him. That’s when I have to step in and yell RANDY BUTTERNUBS IS MY STUFFED GOAT FRIEND AND I SHALL HUG HIM BY MYSELF.

–My BFF Angela gave me a bag full of skincare products and even though I’m older I feel like I’ve never looked better. One night Isobel watched me apply various creams and lotions to my face and asked me what I was doing. I replied, “This is going to make my skin baby soft!” And she replied, “So, you want your skin to be like brother’s butt?”

snapshot bar RECENT POSTS 17114734450_00e22d2fb0_b

Thrift Town Haul. Sacramento’s thrifting hotspot plus SQUIRREL HANDS!

snapshot bar LITTLE BIG LINKS 17114734450_00e22d2fb0_b (3)

Gorgeous Nebula Photos Reveal ‘Pillars of Destruction’.

A reminder that the scientist who coined the term ‘alpha male’ to describe wolves abandoned it as useless years ago. When people describe themselves as “Alpha” I mentally substitute “Asshole.” Even dogs know better.

Worst. Perfume. Name. Ever.

What would the electoral map look like if it wore pants?

Zozo, in art.

This is just a chair. How do they get any work done??

Whoa we’re half way there, Whoa-oh…

My cat has some competition.

What kind of fruit is this?

Please check your children’s candy!! Just found this in a twix!

Sticker placement guy. You Had One Job.

When you’re dead but then you see a puppy

don’t claim you like jazz if you dont know who this is

He’s a rescue, but I like to think he rescued me.

I went to this zoo thing dressed as a dead jogger…

Same.

Twitter killing Vine video service makes the internet worse. I only posted once or twice to Vine myself, but watching those videos, especially when I was feeling poorly, brought me endless amounts of joy. It also was a fantastic egalitarian tool that lead to great additions to our culture from the under represented, specifically, black kids.

“Siri, did Bob Ross have legs?”

Patient’s fart during surgery causes fire, severe burns. My worst nightmare.

who did this

It’s campaign season and Dan is doing it right. Thank you, Dan. I needed this.

Pumpkins drained of their spice by poachers

2006: in 10 years the world is going to change. we are going to use technology to create unimaginable things.

You came to the right guy.

Excuse me, they’re called “livejournals”

Some great costumes: Frank & Dr Forrester/ Appa and Aang/ This is Nida. She’s a free elf. / My little brother dressed up as a stock photo for Halloween. / I am going to be a tardigrade one year, mark my words. / Axl, slash, and duff getting the band back together / No offence, but Dog Jareth is the only costume that matters / Blue Speed Mouse / I’m going to be the cover paper that comes when you get an inter-library loan / Amazon Prime

what is the government hiding from us

“He’s the hero Gotham deserves, but not the one it needs right now.” Crying

Best costume ever tbh.

you find a match for one of your kid’s 47 socks while folding laundry

I did it, you guys. I found the worst hyphen in history.

ME:After years dealing with my garbage- RACCOON:*raccoon noises*

The sacred land at the center of the Dakota pipeline dispute. Ways to help.

Just your average day for a woman.

isn’t that the guy from sherlock?

Teen accused of stealing $160K worth of cheese.

You know the scenes where Kermit sits on a wall to talk to a human

Reason Star Trek is deadly #328: nearly 20 years ago they established men taking birth control shots.

Fuckin Dave!

No gods. No kings.

Trick or treat! Crying. So hilarious.

Jokes on you traditionalist, Humans were always weirdos!

Tarot card meaning: THE FOOL.

i’ve never related to something this much

Follow Your Dreams.

Ancient roman dice tower used in the playing of dice games. 4th century AD, found in Germany.

These bridesmaids.

Travel to a royal wizard’s psychedelic palace in the Mexican jungle. A fun read!

Some are born grate. Some achieve grateness. Some have grateness thrust upon them.

Starving homeless dog, Popeye, was rescued and is now taken to pet-friendly restaurants every day by his new owner.

A word of warning to all the people doing “Halloween names”.

if you’re in seattle and you drive by my house prepare for the fright of your life

Recommended Reading snapshot bar WHAT IM UP TO 17114734450_00e22d2fb0_b (1)

I Had a Second Trimester Abortion & I Am Sick Of Hearing Politicians’ Opinions About It. A sad but important read. Women and their doctors should be making these decisions. Not politicians.

Fire Protection Engineer Says Donald Trump’s Comments Negligent, Reckless, & Potentially Deadly. A well-written article by my friend April.

How kindness & a liberal arts education changed everything for the heir-apparent to American white supremacy. A long, engrossing read. Racism is taught, and thankfully, can be unlearned.

snapshot bar TIME MACHINE 17114734450_00e22d2fb0_b (2)

Thrift Store Score: Community Sale. Everything! Must! Go! (In My Bag!)

Thrift Store Score: Catholic Thrift Store. A gorgeous painting, an unidentifiable cookie cutter, and a shirt that says Bend Over (really).

snapshot bar WEEKLY SNAPS 17114734450_00e22d2fb0_b (5)

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Email
  • Print
  • More
  • Reddit
  • Google
  • Pocket
  • Tumblr

Filed Under: Snapshot Tagged With: Babies, bernie, Domesticity, election, Family, family life, genius, hillary, Home Life, Kids, Snapshot, son, Thrifted, Thrifting

Snapshot 10.12.16

October 12, 2016 by Carrie Anne 1 Comment

snapshot bar WHAT IM UP TO 17114734450_00e22d2fb0_b (1)

–I am doing my best to avoid seeing political stuff and limiting my exposure to news in general. It is all so awful I almost instantly become overwhelmed. I’m going to vote, and be as active as I can locally, but I’m limiting myself for my own well-being.  This election is so filled with horror, America is so filled with horror, this world is so filled with horror… I’m finding myself overwhelmed and filled with anxiety. I’m taking active steps to know my limits, practice self-care, and be selective about how I spend my time.  I’m focusing on the things I can change, things that make me happy, and things I can improve. I long for the days when I can go online without immediately wanting to anger-barf, but in the mean time I’m taking control of my mental state as best I can.

–In other ‘2016 Is A Dumpster Fire’ news, murder clowns have been spotted in the area. (Apparently they aren’t Juggalos. Which is something we have. The Central Valley is a rich source of our nation’s Juggalos.)  I have saved a voicemail  officially warning my family about Evil Clowns. An automated message actually says, “Hello, this is a message from Turlock Unified School District to inform you about: CLOWNING.” I now have to modify my stranger danger talk to include evil clowns. Though I won’t be able to mention evil clowns, specifically, because if I did there is no way Isobel would ever leave the house again, ever. And can you blame her? My only comfort is knowing that if I saw an Evil Clown I’d probably be driving and I could hit them with my car. At this point the Zombie Apocalypse would be less surprising than the current events of 2016.

–At least once a day Elias screams, “Help! I’m stuck!” from the backseat. You aren’t stuck, sweetie. You are in a car seat.

–Like many who have a disease or condition, I frequently get asked about it. The problem is I’m so exhausted or feeling so badly because of said disease I don’t always have it in my to get into it. Plus, it’s complicated. I’ve been joking about making up a pamphlet about Crohn’s disease to hand out to people when I tell them I have it. It would save so much time.

–Elias is full-on terrible twos. His tantrums are epic, daily events. I have to fight his surprisingly strong, squirming little body to do things like: get in the car seat, get in the stroller, leave the house, not hit his sister. It’s not only exhausting, but when you have a body that is painful to the touch, can be excruciating. I’m pretty immune to being embarrassed about tantrums in public, but a few times it has tested even that limit. His ability to climb is scary and exceeds his judgement. He can scale any play structure at the park and is great at judging distances and jumping. He loves to wrestle and pretend to do kung fu moves, and especially loves to pretend getting hit. So far it looks like he’s going to have a stellar career as a stunt man.

–This weekend I watched Isobel make a scrambled egg all by herself. She got out the eggs and a bowl, cracked the egg, and stirred it up. Anthony was making pancakes so the pan was hot and ready to go. She poured in the eggs, stirred it with a spatula, and transferred it to plate. She got her own ketchup, squeezed it on her plate, and chowed down. I was so impressed I clapped.

–Anthony has been reading Matilda to us at the end of the day. It’s the perfect before bed relaxation activity. I say this because I inevitably fall asleep, but that’s because I get up earlier and generally need more sleep than everyone else. It is one of Anthony’s favorite books and he’s been waiting to share this with Isobel. She absolutely loves it, and watching her face light up as Anthony reads to her is the best possible sight for me to fall asleep to.

–Isobel, instructing Anthony on Google: “Daddy, can you search for ‘cool kid comics’?”

–Also Isobel: “Halloween is about giving candy away to children who don’t have a lot of candy, getting toys, and celebrating cavities. Halloween says ‘Here, have some cavities. It’s a tradition!'”

–Even though Elias is firmly expressing his toddler independence, he still loves riding around in the Ergo baby carrier, and whenever his mood and my body allow it, I strap him to me for instant cuddles. I pretend his is Mr Wonderful again, instead of Danger Boy.

–Anthony found a great deal on a used 3DS for Isobel and she has been having many Pokemon X  adventures. Craigslist may have killed the yard sale, but we have definitely benefited from the CL era.

–We bought Isobel a new spirit shirt this year, even though the old one is as good as new since she wore it a grand total of three times last year. Now when she wears her new spirit shirt on Fridays, Elias happily dons the old one, even though it’s pretty enormous on him. He insists on carrying his backpack to school, and one day we let him line up with Isobel and all her classmates giggled to see if her teacher would notice her extra student.

snapshot bar RECENT POSTS 17114734450_00e22d2fb0_b

Snapshot 09.27.16. When you’re a socialite on the farm.

snapshot bar LITTLE BIG LINKS 17114734450_00e22d2fb0_b (3)

[RECORD SCRATCH] [FREEZE FRAME] AMERICA: Yep, that’s me. You’re probably wondering how I got myself into this.

I’m at petco and THEY FOUND A KITTEN IN THE STORM AND PUT HER IN A LITTLE SWEATER. That sweater is a sock and I am totally in love.

Need a break from the news? Here are two corgis playing tetherball.

Just seen these in Homebase and can’t help feeling it’s a horrible omen.

Does anybody know what kind of hummingbird this is?

Can’t sleep. 2016 will eat me.

She took the midnight train going anywhere.

Me: “sorry, I can’t, I’m busy” “what are you up to?”

Bro, I barely touched you. I have watched this video game glitch three times and got tears each time.

California English. Hella true, dude! I say all these.

National Poetry Day, care of Bootleg Engrish.

What kids think being an adult is like vs what being an adult is actually like.

This is Riley. His owner put a donut pillow around him and he loves it so much he won’t let anyone take it off. 13/10

Here we see a baby wigglefloof cleaning its tiny squishbeans.

This has got to be on purpose. When your fortune cookie is fucking with you.

He meant himself.

New lock screen.

Halloween planning.

Doing chores but still being spooky.

This french bulldog is the face of all third wheelers everywhere.

We are all Nutmeg. Nutmeg is a 31 year old cat and I luff heem.

Fun with a new image data set: Mars Orbiter Mission’s Mars Colour Camera. Thank you for downloading these, Emily!

Well I broke the apple slicer but at least I invented the Danger Apple.

When ur son is about to run into a hedge.

It’s campaign season and Dan is doing it right.

Recommended Reading snapshot bar WHAT IM UP TO 17114734450_00e22d2fb0_b (1)

October is Dysautonomia Awareness Month! What is Dysautonomia? Why, I’m glad you asked, because that is exactly the purpose of this month and of the Twibbon you can attach to your facebook and twitter profiles, as I eventually managed to do. (It’s not hard, I’m just challenged.) Dysautonomia is a rarely diagnosed condition, or collection of conditions, affecting the autonomous nervous system. It’s bollocks, you guys, absolute bollocks, and it affects up to 70 million globally, including one of my closest friends on the planet.

Do you like Christmas?! Do you like curing Crohn’s Disease?! Would you like to do both all at once while perhaps wearing a festive hat of some description? Well here’s your chance!  Raise a bit of cash and help what is an invaluable charity for us Crohnsie type stomach clutchers. My friend nicpiper is a cartoonist with Crohn’s and this is a wonderful opportunity to own some of his art and support a worthy cause.

snapshot bar TIME MACHINE 17114734450_00e22d2fb0_b (2)

DIY NASA JPL Costumes. These were super duper fun.

DIY The Wasp Costume. This was before the Antman movie and hardly anyone knew who she was. Everyone thought she was a bee.

snapshot bar WEEKLY SNAPS 17114734450_00e22d2fb0_b (5)

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Email
  • Print
  • More
  • Reddit
  • Google
  • Pocket
  • Tumblr

Filed Under: Snapshot Tagged With: Children, chronic illness, chronic life, comics, Crohn's Disease, Diary, Domestic Life, Domesticity, dysautonomia, Family, family life, Health, Home, Home Life, Illness, journal', Kids, memoir, Memories, Snapshot, tantrums, Toddlers

  • « Previous Page
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • …
  • 83
  • Next Page »
About
  • Bloglovin
  • Email
  • Flickr
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
THRIFTING
SNAPSHOT
KITCHEN
FRIDAYS
CRAFTING
SCRAPBOOK
SPOTLIGHT

Subscribe to Little Big via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

adventures!
snapshot
my unruly garden
friday
CRAFTS AND TUTORIALS
thrift store score
little big kitchen
thrifty giving
little big shop

Copyright © 2018 · Foodie Pro Theme by Shay Bocks · Built on the Genesis Framework · Powered by WordPress

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.