Friday, September 4, 2009

Can't sleep? Applique!

It has been a while since the sewing machine has been out of it's case. I have guilt but I haven't been overly ambitious. Tonight (or this morning) I couldn't sleep thanks to a migraine brought on by the insanity surrounding a simple Presidential address to students. So instead of just laying in bed obsessing over the bat-shit-crazy people trying to control the agenda I got up and got to work.

Start to finish this project only took me an hour and I am quite happy with the results (especially since I was sewing at 4:00 a.m.). Of all the appliqued shirts I have made this one is by far the best and am feeling inspired to make a few more.

The button eyes are buttons that I found in my great-grandmother's button box. I love that something she chose will be close to Ava's heart. My nana has been in my thoughts lately. She was such a wonderful lady and it is so important to me for my daughter to know her in some way. Her memory has been so strong lately that it was only fitting for a little piece of her to be part of this project.

Looking forward to seeing Ava wearing this shirt!

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

I've got a new way to post!


I have neglected post to either of my blogs. My hope had been to post with some regularity in 2009 but alas that has not been the case. Lately I have felt a renewed urge to express myself and a desire to keep the promise I made to myself. Plus I know how much my mom looks forward to posts about Ava's adventures. The main reason I have slacked in keeping my blogs up-to-date is the tiny inflexible box provided by blogger to post. There have been many posts that have been abandoned in frustration because I could not manipulate the images. It truly is a terrible design and a very disappointing feature.

Learn and Play gave me the outlet to explore all types of online tools ~ most notably Blogger and Goggle Docs. Why did I not make the connection before today that I could easily post blog updates from Google Docs. Here I can easily layout my post to look exactly as I wish and not feel a twinge of disappointment that it isn't quite exactly what I had in mind.

Here is to hoping that this rediscovered tool motivates me to share more often!

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Four Things

Wow! It has been quite some time since I last posted. I guess the hope that I would blog more in 2009 disappeared as quickly as the year has! Hopefully I can motivate myself back into creating posts. As an easy way to slide back into things I am going to post a short meme I read on a library friend's blog...


4 things I am looking forward to...
  • The completion of a special anniversary gift for my husband.
  • Visiting with my parents this weekend.
  • The return home of a friend.
  • Maybe a second baby.
4 things I did yesterday...
  • Presented storytime.
  • Sang songs with Ava.
  • Helped library customers find books and use computers.
  • Watched General Hospital.
4 things I wish I could do...
  • Get organized at home.
  • Finish Ava's quilt.
  • Keep plants alive.
  • Motivate myself to floss.
4 tv shows I watch...
  • 30 Rock
  • The West Wing (I know that it is all reruns)
  • Eureka
  • Project Runway
4 places I would like to travel...
  • Paris
  • Scotland
  • Italy
  • Spain
4 place I have lived... (there is absolutely nothing exciting about this list)
  • Canton, Ohio
  • Columbus, Ohio
  • Shawnee Hills, Ohio
  • Pickerington, Ohio
So I suppose if you are reading this consider yourself tagged.

Sunday, January 25, 2009

A Lovely Surprise!

I was VERY excited to return home from a weekend trip to a lovely surprise waiting for me in my inbox. I am the winner of the drawing for these adorable Valentine's templates from Little Brown Pen.



I simply cannot wait for Ava to pass these out to her little friends for Valentine's Day! Much better than the commercial options - plus my kid has no idea who the characters are that are featured on the cards. I am thinking of other special ways to celebrate this year. Maybe we will make this cuddly heart:

And since all of Ava's friends are toddlers it might be best to avoid candy. While she enjoys a sweet treat on occasion, we have not given her candy. So maybe a Valentine's treat from the oven would be the best choice such as these Sweet Fortune Cookies:

Whatever we decided I know it will be a special day! 

Things I Have Done

Okay... time for something lighthearted. Here is a fun meme I found posted on Cat's blog. If there we not so many I might have been inclined to add a story but maybe that might spin off into seperate posts.

Bold whatever you have done.
1. Started your own blog.
2. Slept under the stars.
3. Played in a band.

4. Visited Hawaii.
5. Watched a meteor shower.
6. Given more than you can afford to charity.
7. Been to Disneyland.

8. Climbed a mountain.
9. Held a praying mantis.
10. Sang a solo.

11. Bungee jumped.
12. Visited Paris.
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea.
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch.
15. Adopted a child.
16. Had food poisoning.
17. Walked to the to
of the Statue of Liberty. 
18. Grown your own vegetables.
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France.
20. Slept on an overnight train.
21. Had a pillow fight.
22. Hitch hiked.
23. Taken a sick day when you're not sick.
24. Built a snow fort.
25. Held a lamb.
26. Gone skinny dipping.
27. Run a marathon.
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice.
29. Seen a total eclipse.
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset.

31. Hit a home run.
32. Been on a cruise.
33. Seen Niagra Falls in person.
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors.
35. Seen an Amish community.
36. Taught yourself a new language.

37. Had enough money to truly be satisfied.
38. Seen the leaning tower of Pisa in person.
39. Gone rock climbing.
40. Seen Michelangelo's David.
41. Sung karaoke.
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt.
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant.

44. Visited Africa.
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight.
46. Been transported in an ambulance.

47. Had your portrait painted.
48. Gone deep sea fishing.
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person.
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling.

52. Kissed in the rain.
53. Played in the mud.
54. Gone to a drive-in theater.

55. Been in a movie.
56. Visited the Great Wall of China.
57. Started a business.
58. Taken a martial arts class.
59. Visited Russia.
60. Served in a soup kitchen.
61. Sold Girl Scout cookies.
62. Gone whale watching.
63. Gotten flowers for no reason.
64. Donated blood, platelets, or plasma.

65. Gone sky diving.
66. Visited a Nazi concentration camp.
67. Bounced a check.
68. Flown in a helicopter.
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy.
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial.
71. Eaten caviar.
72. Pieced a quilt.
73. Stood in Times Square.
74. Toured the Everglades.

75. Been fired from a job. 
76. Seen the changing of the guards in London.
77. Broken a bone.
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle.
 
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person.
80. Published a book.
81. Been to the Vatican.
82. Bought a brand new car.
83. Walked in Jerusalem.
84. Had your picture in the paper.
85. Read the entire Bible.
86. Visited the White House.

87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating.
88. Had Chicken pox.
89. Saved someone's life.
90. Sat on a jury.
91. Met someone famous.
92. Joined a book club.
93. Lost a loved one.
94. Had a baby.

95. Seen the Alamo in person.
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake.
97. Been involved in a lawsuit.
98. Owned a cell phone.
99. Been stung by a bee.
100. Read an entire book in one day.

Saturday, January 24, 2009

FEAR

Thursday I was forced to reflect on and face my #1 fear. Growing up I only ever experienced one fear. Unlike most children (and adults for that matter), I never feared dogs or spiders or snakes or the dark. At the time I thought it such an irrational fear that I would try to convince myself that I was overreacting but now I realize it was a much more valid fear than my grown-up fear.


When I was about 5 years old my paternal grandfather became very ill. A combination of a heart attack and stroke left him partially paralyzed on his left side and unable to care for himself. As I understand the story, he died and then was revived. His care fell to my grandmother. This was a shocking change. Even now I have vivid memories of my grandparents from that time. I spent a great deal of my early childhood with them. My favorite memory is of riding the large blue tractor with my grandfather and singing as dusk turned to night. He was such a vibrant man who commanded attention and his illness severely diminished his light. Not long after he returned home from the hospital my grandmother was diagnosed with and died from cancer.

My grandfather's care fell to my father and his 3 sisters. I will never understand why they did not turn his care over to a resident facility but they took on the responsibility of medications and meals going through nurse after nurse. Each sibling was assigned a night the rotation to provide dinner and company. My brother and I were there often and upon arrival my dad would sit down to count pills and we were sent to wake up Papa. I was terrified that when we went to wake him up that we would find he had died in his sleep. Before turning the corner I would talk myself into pushing my fear down deep.

February brings the 10th anniversary of his passing and I can't help but think about the impact he had on our lives. That day my childhood fear slipped away, fortunately never having been realized. It was, however, replaced with a different fear.

I am petrified, absolutely terrified that something is going to happen to my teeth. For cleanings and check-ups I have no problem visiting the dentist. In fact she is a very important person in my mind because she helps keep my teeth safe. But Thursday morning she went into my mouth with the sole purpose of decreasing the number of teeth in permanent residence and this had me a little on the anxious side (okay, a lot on the anxious side). All is well but right at the forefront are the horrible images of all the ways my teeth could be damaged. These images will fade as the gaping holes in my gums heal but this fear, I fear, is here to stay.

Monday, January 19, 2009

HOPE


The excitement of this Inauguration Day truly lived up to the hype and I feel overwhelmed by the sense of history and emotion that President Obama's inauguration has stirred in me. This is an exciting day. As a parent I am hopeful for what an Obama Administration may mean for my daughter's future. It is thrilling to hear a leader say the words that many of have long to hear and feel the sincerity behind those words. Without a doubt this is one of the most amazing historical moments of my lifetime. It is funny how we often look back at a moment and mark the historical significance. Rarely are we so aware of the importance of one day.

Last night my husband remarked that Kennedy was his generation's Roosevelt and that Obama is our generation's Kennedy. Watching the events of the day unfold streaming live on the Internet, I realized how true this statement is. We have pinned so much on one man. It is my hope that we can harness the unity we feel today and uphold our end of the bargain.