It's 5 feet of chunky Lion Brand Hometown in v-stitch, only ch 17, I think, then whipstitched together. It's going to be great with my costume. . . . if I get the nerve to cosplay with the big girls and boys at Comic Con!
Wednesday, July 8, 2015
Tuesday, July 7, 2015
Odds and Ends
Today, I finished a smallish granny square with the last bits of five different Lion Brand homespun skeins, from the inside out (approximately three rounds each, repeating the pattern, until I ran out, so some are only 1 or 2 rounds):
- Amethyst (I think)
- Coral Reef
- Barrington
- Ambrosia
- Mimosa
- then a bit of Amethyst, Coral Reef and finish with Barrington
Back in the Swing of Things
I started physical therapy last week. And even my beloved, favorite therapist was impressed, though perhaps that's not the right word (stunned, maybe), with how things have not recovered. I can't even suck in my stomach. While daily pain has pretty much gone away (right around week 12 or 13), there is still such incredible weakness that is, in turn, knotting up my back, glutes, SI, and even hip muscles; they're in a constant state of stressed. Which is why, after exertion or just in the evenings, I don my brace--I quite literally can't hold myself up anymore. I was starting to think I was just being wimpy or that it was all in my head. But it's not.
She spent the whole time working her knuckle into my SI area and I was sure I'd be bruised. So tight. She says to put on my brace when I need it because otherwise I'll hurt something. No wonder neither my surgeon nor physiatrist want me to lift more than 10-15 lbs ever again (risk of incisional hernia) and delayed allowing me to start physical therapy. For now, I'm doing 2--that's 2--pelvic tilts and just a few attempts at tummy sucking (while breathing out--because I had been using my diaphragm to move my abdomen!) And I'm walking 7-15 minutes, as able, a few times a day.
Recently, someone said they couldn't believe how limited I still was. Ouch. Major surgery will do that. It's not called "major" for nothing. And I've been told by more than one doctor that I make a lot of scar tissue, have healing issues, and low muscle tone. It could take a year for me to get back to my old normal. Am I surprised? Sometimes. So no wonder someone else might be.
Still, I see it as progress. I only take pain pills occasionally and then only the Tylenol with codeine, which is on the low end of my pain pill scale. And I'm doing more than ever since the surgery--under optimal circumstances, this includes short driving, eating in restaurants, pushing a grocery cart, unloading the bottom rack of the dishwasher, doing laundry, playing piano for 15+ minutes, extended sitting (like a movie), walking around stores, hour-long car rides. Mama and the kids do or help me do everything else; after all this time, especially since they're older, we have a good system in place. It makes things easier during this next phase of post-surgery recovery. What's that cliche about a marathon not a spring? Not that a running metaphor really works for me, but still. . . . slow and steady . . . maybe next week I can do 4 pelvic tilts!
She spent the whole time working her knuckle into my SI area and I was sure I'd be bruised. So tight. She says to put on my brace when I need it because otherwise I'll hurt something. No wonder neither my surgeon nor physiatrist want me to lift more than 10-15 lbs ever again (risk of incisional hernia) and delayed allowing me to start physical therapy. For now, I'm doing 2--that's 2--pelvic tilts and just a few attempts at tummy sucking (while breathing out--because I had been using my diaphragm to move my abdomen!) And I'm walking 7-15 minutes, as able, a few times a day.
Recently, someone said they couldn't believe how limited I still was. Ouch. Major surgery will do that. It's not called "major" for nothing. And I've been told by more than one doctor that I make a lot of scar tissue, have healing issues, and low muscle tone. It could take a year for me to get back to my old normal. Am I surprised? Sometimes. So no wonder someone else might be.
Still, I see it as progress. I only take pain pills occasionally and then only the Tylenol with codeine, which is on the low end of my pain pill scale. And I'm doing more than ever since the surgery--under optimal circumstances, this includes short driving, eating in restaurants, pushing a grocery cart, unloading the bottom rack of the dishwasher, doing laundry, playing piano for 15+ minutes, extended sitting (like a movie), walking around stores, hour-long car rides. Mama and the kids do or help me do everything else; after all this time, especially since they're older, we have a good system in place. It makes things easier during this next phase of post-surgery recovery. What's that cliche about a marathon not a spring? Not that a running metaphor really works for me, but still. . . . slow and steady . . . maybe next week I can do 4 pelvic tilts!
Monday, July 6, 2015
Summer Fun: Musical Mondays
So the beauty of digital music is being able to group by genre and create playlists and mixes. We have hundreds, if not thousands, of songs in genres from Broadway to Celtic, sea music to classical, American folk to "world," 1930s to current pop, plus lists of the Indigo Girls, the Andrews Sisters, Beatles, Elvis, Cher, Simon and Garfunkel, and Peter, Paul, and Mary, and more.
And now, to take advantage of our wide swath of music, we have "musical Mondays." We choose a genre and randomly sort the whole playlist and listen till we're sick of it. We've done Celtic (especially the soundtrack of The Secret of Roan Inish after we watched the movie), 80s music, New Orleans jazz (which is Mama's favorite music when it's hot or we're eating muffulettas!), patriotic music for the 4th, and Broadway, since we're putting together a Broadway/Times Square puzzle.
I watched Annie Lennox sing blues on "Great Perfromances" and loved the music, even the heart-wrenching "Strange Fruit," about lynchings in the South. There's a reason she's been called the "greatest white soul singer." Maybe I can sneak it in with Mama's jazz playlist (once I figure out how to manipulate Sonos and the NAS.)
We also have "Kids Pop" playlists with our favorite current songs on it--we just added Kelly Clarkson's "Heartbeat Song" and Rachel Platten's "Fight Song." Sis likes "Riptide" and "Pompeii," both of which she wants to play on the piano. Bud likes "Uptown Funk," when he's not listening to Broadway. I like all of those and also switch between the 1930s soundtrack to the "Miss Fisher Mysteries" and all of the Piano Guys.
When we had 80s night, I couldn't recall the name of the song that I never remember. I hear it on the radio and have even once called Mama to say, "this is the song." Was it "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" or "If You Leave" or "Always Someone There to Remind Me," or "Don't You Forget About Me" or something else? I like it, but it somehow always slips through my mental cracks. And so a few days later, we were in the car and I started thinking of this mystery song and, just as I thought of the lyrics "if you wait around awhile . . . (something something something) I promise you." Yes, "The Promise!" And just as I thought of it, it came on the radio! The kids didn't believe that I was psychic that way. So I called Mama and we laughed at the song. Now it's on the 80s playlist.
Sure, there are some frustrations: our playlists are way longer than would fit on a CD for the car, because my car doesn't support digital music. And sometimes the sorting is off (for instance, half of Evita is missing right now.) Or a dud sneaks in (we picked up White Snake somewhere. Nope.) But otherwise, we have hundreds of years of music from all over the world (Peruvian flutists or Inuit throat singers, anyone? Vera Lynn or Madonna or Katie Perry? Sweet Honey in the Rock or Raffi? Hildegard von Bingen or Liszt or Paul Winter Consort? "Simple Gifts" or "The Golden Vanity?" Soundtracks from Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Little Women, Last of the Mohicans? I could go on and on) at our fingertips and listen to it when we're cooking, playing games, doing puzzles, or discussing a place or time period. I love it.
And now, to take advantage of our wide swath of music, we have "musical Mondays." We choose a genre and randomly sort the whole playlist and listen till we're sick of it. We've done Celtic (especially the soundtrack of The Secret of Roan Inish after we watched the movie), 80s music, New Orleans jazz (which is Mama's favorite music when it's hot or we're eating muffulettas!), patriotic music for the 4th, and Broadway, since we're putting together a Broadway/Times Square puzzle.
I watched Annie Lennox sing blues on "Great Perfromances" and loved the music, even the heart-wrenching "Strange Fruit," about lynchings in the South. There's a reason she's been called the "greatest white soul singer." Maybe I can sneak it in with Mama's jazz playlist (once I figure out how to manipulate Sonos and the NAS.)
We also have "Kids Pop" playlists with our favorite current songs on it--we just added Kelly Clarkson's "Heartbeat Song" and Rachel Platten's "Fight Song." Sis likes "Riptide" and "Pompeii," both of which she wants to play on the piano. Bud likes "Uptown Funk," when he's not listening to Broadway. I like all of those and also switch between the 1930s soundtrack to the "Miss Fisher Mysteries" and all of the Piano Guys.
When we had 80s night, I couldn't recall the name of the song that I never remember. I hear it on the radio and have even once called Mama to say, "this is the song." Was it "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" or "If You Leave" or "Always Someone There to Remind Me," or "Don't You Forget About Me" or something else? I like it, but it somehow always slips through my mental cracks. And so a few days later, we were in the car and I started thinking of this mystery song and, just as I thought of the lyrics "if you wait around awhile . . . (something something something) I promise you." Yes, "The Promise!" And just as I thought of it, it came on the radio! The kids didn't believe that I was psychic that way. So I called Mama and we laughed at the song. Now it's on the 80s playlist.
Sure, there are some frustrations: our playlists are way longer than would fit on a CD for the car, because my car doesn't support digital music. And sometimes the sorting is off (for instance, half of Evita is missing right now.) Or a dud sneaks in (we picked up White Snake somewhere. Nope.) But otherwise, we have hundreds of years of music from all over the world (Peruvian flutists or Inuit throat singers, anyone? Vera Lynn or Madonna or Katie Perry? Sweet Honey in the Rock or Raffi? Hildegard von Bingen or Liszt or Paul Winter Consort? "Simple Gifts" or "The Golden Vanity?" Soundtracks from Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Little Women, Last of the Mohicans? I could go on and on) at our fingertips and listen to it when we're cooking, playing games, doing puzzles, or discussing a place or time period. I love it.
Sunday, July 5, 2015
Summer Fun: Flying the Camp Flags
We've been working on our prayer flags project. We used to have a set of Tibetan ones hanging on our laundry line, but they blew away in the wind. I came up with the idea of decorating our own when I got a set of white muslin flags at my Zentangle retreat--those were made by one of the instructors using white muslin and hem tape. I found some colorful ones online and bought a set for each of us. Thursday, at my craft group at the historic house, the kids worked on their flags. Sis illustrated such words as grow, share, look, hope, love, while Bud drew some abstract patterns. I zentangled mine--with a labyrinth, heart, pinwheel, yin and yang, quilt square, Zentangle tile, flower, and other shapes. Mama is still thinking about hers.
I hung mine up at our little family "camping" area on Friday morning and like how they flutter in the breeze.
We've really taken to sitting at this table along our rock wall. In the Summer Soul Camp workshop with Heather Bruggeman that I just finished, she encourages setting up a camp space. This is ours. We'll keep a basket of things to take when we head out--sunscreen, sketch pads and pencils, snacks, maybe juggling balls or bubbles or something, who knows what else. So far, we've sat there every nice weekday, sometimes sketching, sometimes having snack or lunch. I've watched them sword fight and run through the sprinkler. We've watched a bumble bee crawl into and out of it's nest in a hole in the ground--who knew they did that?
And we've talked. Not about school, like we do September through June, but about random stuff, with lots of laughing (so random I can hardly remember what all we've chatted about. Birthdays, "beeroriums," "tabby-tabby" cat Mr. P.) I've told them about the hummingbird I've seen by the honeysuckle; Bud's talked about the "brown birds" he saw making a nest in our rainbow birdhouse, which we can barely see from camp. We can see down our rock wall, which is my favorite view in our yard--with our roses and other plants, windchimes, bunny weathervane, and various trees. We've all agreed that it's the perfect place for a tent, if we had one, and that we would enjoy sleeping out. I loved camping in our big beige tent in the backyard the times that my dad pitched it--I even had a December birthday slumber party in the tent (because it's just warmer in Houston) and we made blueberry pancakes on the grill. All the conveniences of home, with some of the excitement of camp. And it isn't really hot yet (my Texas family would say it never is.)
Sis will be at her own real camp this week--only during the day, for horseback riding--so it'll just be Bud and me for awhile. Maybe he'll finish his flags and we can hang them up in our camp. We have two more months of summer to enjoy it.
We've really taken to sitting at this table along our rock wall. In the Summer Soul Camp workshop with Heather Bruggeman that I just finished, she encourages setting up a camp space. This is ours. We'll keep a basket of things to take when we head out--sunscreen, sketch pads and pencils, snacks, maybe juggling balls or bubbles or something, who knows what else. So far, we've sat there every nice weekday, sometimes sketching, sometimes having snack or lunch. I've watched them sword fight and run through the sprinkler. We've watched a bumble bee crawl into and out of it's nest in a hole in the ground--who knew they did that? 
And we've talked. Not about school, like we do September through June, but about random stuff, with lots of laughing (so random I can hardly remember what all we've chatted about. Birthdays, "beeroriums," "tabby-tabby" cat Mr. P.) I've told them about the hummingbird I've seen by the honeysuckle; Bud's talked about the "brown birds" he saw making a nest in our rainbow birdhouse, which we can barely see from camp. We can see down our rock wall, which is my favorite view in our yard--with our roses and other plants, windchimes, bunny weathervane, and various trees. We've all agreed that it's the perfect place for a tent, if we had one, and that we would enjoy sleeping out. I loved camping in our big beige tent in the backyard the times that my dad pitched it--I even had a December birthday slumber party in the tent (because it's just warmer in Houston) and we made blueberry pancakes on the grill. All the conveniences of home, with some of the excitement of camp. And it isn't really hot yet (my Texas family would say it never is.)Sis will be at her own real camp this week--only during the day, for horseback riding--so it'll just be Bud and me for awhile. Maybe he'll finish his flags and we can hang them up in our camp. We have two more months of summer to enjoy it.
Another Great Fourth
As I sit here watching the FIFA Women's World Cup final, with the US up 4-1 against Japan right now, I'd say it was a pretty good 4th of July weekend. We ate good food. We had some good times. We enjoyed our three-day weekend.
And with several of the SCOTUS rulings and change of heart about the Confederate flag, we're feeling a little better about the US (though Charleston and the burning of several black churches means we have a long way still to go.) At least right now, until the mudslinging of the elections ramps up.
On Friday, which Mama had off, after a morning all together (the kids played video games with Mama while I finished my doodled prayer flags and hung them in the tree), I took the kids to a friend's house for the Friday Night Dance Party, which is a weekly gathering of families, many from our first church. The kids played badminton, or as they called it "chaosminton" because they had more than one shuttlecock, and swam in the pool. That is when they weren't eating. There was a table full of tasty treats: "kiddy crack," which is a butter-cinnamon-sugar mix spread on graham crackers; s'mores, some with regular chocolate and some with peanut butter cups, which were incredible; and lots of grapes, cherries, bell peppers, chips, pretzels, and dips. I like hanging out with old friends and new; I like that the kids are making new friends. We're hoping to go most Fridays. We got home and spent the evening watching the new season of "How to Train Your Dragon" on Netflix.
Saturday was our big eating day:
When we weren't cooking or eating, we watched Independence Day. For a 20-something year-old movie, it held up pretty well in pacing and special effects. While we watched, I finished crocheting the cowl I might wear for my "Outlander" cosplay at ComicCon. I'd made a different one but wasn't totally pleased, so I started another which I like much better.
That evening we switched between the Macy's fireworks in NYC and the Capitol Fourth. Neither was very good, or even good. We liked maybe two songs--Kelly Clarkson's "Heartbeat Song" and the 1812 Overture and some of the other patriotic songs. About halfway through the live broadcast, we went outside to watch all the crazy (illegal) fireworks being shot high overhead all around us. We lit our own sparklers and waved them around. Our neighbor Miss K and her kids, our yard boy and our babysitter, came over to get some chocolate cake and danced around with sparklers with us. Miss K said that we made it feel like the 4th of July for her. After they left, we watched the rest of the fireworks, which we'd recorded while we were outside.
Today was lazier, though we still ate well: we had homemade strawberry soda ice cream, take-out Mexican food for lunch, and hamburgers for dinner. YUM! Otherwise, the kids learned some computer coding using MIT's Scratch program. I made another crocheted mandala and starched it (well, stiffened it with glue and water.) Now, Sis is reading her current favorite book series, 39 Clues, while I type this post. We're all watching soccer. The score in the 73rd minute is 5-2, still US.
UPDATE: USWNT won!!! And we were all very happy here, especially for Abby Wambach.
And with several of the SCOTUS rulings and change of heart about the Confederate flag, we're feeling a little better about the US (though Charleston and the burning of several black churches means we have a long way still to go.) At least right now, until the mudslinging of the elections ramps up.
On Friday, which Mama had off, after a morning all together (the kids played video games with Mama while I finished my doodled prayer flags and hung them in the tree), I took the kids to a friend's house for the Friday Night Dance Party, which is a weekly gathering of families, many from our first church. The kids played badminton, or as they called it "chaosminton" because they had more than one shuttlecock, and swam in the pool. That is when they weren't eating. There was a table full of tasty treats: "kiddy crack," which is a butter-cinnamon-sugar mix spread on graham crackers; s'mores, some with regular chocolate and some with peanut butter cups, which were incredible; and lots of grapes, cherries, bell peppers, chips, pretzels, and dips. I like hanging out with old friends and new; I like that the kids are making new friends. We're hoping to go most Fridays. We got home and spent the evening watching the new season of "How to Train Your Dragon" on Netflix.Saturday was our big eating day:
- We tried our fermented raspberry shrub and it was lovely! SO tangy and refreshing, but we did add some more sugar because it was too tart even for Mama. But Bud said it was awesome, better even than what we've had at City Tavern.
- We had hot dogs for lunch. We only have those about once a year. With potato chips!
- Midday, Sis and I made a heavenly moist chocolate cake from the NYTimes. A pretty easy cake with a tangy and not too sweet sour cream-melted chocolate chip frosting.
- We had muffalettas for dinner. Mmmmm!
When we weren't cooking or eating, we watched Independence Day. For a 20-something year-old movie, it held up pretty well in pacing and special effects. While we watched, I finished crocheting the cowl I might wear for my "Outlander" cosplay at ComicCon. I'd made a different one but wasn't totally pleased, so I started another which I like much better.
That evening we switched between the Macy's fireworks in NYC and the Capitol Fourth. Neither was very good, or even good. We liked maybe two songs--Kelly Clarkson's "Heartbeat Song" and the 1812 Overture and some of the other patriotic songs. About halfway through the live broadcast, we went outside to watch all the crazy (illegal) fireworks being shot high overhead all around us. We lit our own sparklers and waved them around. Our neighbor Miss K and her kids, our yard boy and our babysitter, came over to get some chocolate cake and danced around with sparklers with us. Miss K said that we made it feel like the 4th of July for her. After they left, we watched the rest of the fireworks, which we'd recorded while we were outside.
Today was lazier, though we still ate well: we had homemade strawberry soda ice cream, take-out Mexican food for lunch, and hamburgers for dinner. YUM! Otherwise, the kids learned some computer coding using MIT's Scratch program. I made another crocheted mandala and starched it (well, stiffened it with glue and water.) Now, Sis is reading her current favorite book series, 39 Clues, while I type this post. We're all watching soccer. The score in the 73rd minute is 5-2, still US.
UPDATE: USWNT won!!! And we were all very happy here, especially for Abby Wambach.
Saturday, July 4, 2015
Happy 4th!
The fermented raspberry shrub is ready! Very tangy. Even Mama says she's going to add some sugar.
Happy 4th of July!
Friday, July 3, 2015
Summer Fun: Fireworks!
Yep, it's that time again. And we went to see the town fireworks. We got a great spot, on a wall, overlooking the harbor where we sat eating chocolate chip cookies--the only challenge was the mosquitoes. I even got some nice-for-a-cellphone shots, which I include here more for the memories than for the art. Just imagine a nice summer breeze, folks in lawn chairs cheering, cookies, colors on the water, and boots gliding past.
Summer Fun: Kebab Bake
I hadn't realized that we always seem to have shish kebabs around the 4th of July. I guess because it's an outside, grilling food. Except this time, I made it as an indoor shish kebab bake, which saved me the trouble of loading the skewers and lighting the grill. So much easier. And the kids loved it! I'll probably fiddle with the marinade some, but they really liked the pineapple chunks.
Another food we're hoping to have this weekend, which seems to crop up around this time of year: homemade strawberry soda ice cream!
And tomorrow we get to sample the month-long fermented raspberry shrub.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Shish Kebab Bake
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 can pineapple chunks, with juice
1 1/2-2 lbs. chicken breast, cubed
vegetables as desired (cubed/sliced/bite size): onion, mushrooms, bell pepper, yellow squash, whole cherry tomatoes, green beans, asparagus, broccoli, cabbage
Toss all ingredients together and let marinade for about an hour. Transfer meat and vegetables to foil-lined baking tray (foil for easy clean up.) Bake at 350F for approximately 30 minutes or until chicken is done. Meanwhile, boil remaining marinade on the stove. Serve "kebabs" with sauce.
Note: I'm thinking that garlic would go well with that sauce. Original recipe from Gommie uses 1/2 cup lemon juice instead of pineapple juice from can, but I didn't bother. It also calls for some chopped parsley.
Mommy Hungry
Thursday, July 2, 2015
My Mandala for Wink and Friends
I had never made a crocheted mandala. I had never heard of Wink. I didn't know there was a tight-knit online crochet community.
That has changed.
Earlier this week, friends recommended I take a look at Lucy at Attic24, who does a lot of bright and rainbow arts and crafts projects. So I followed her on FB. And she soon posted about the loss of crochet artist and author Marinke Slump a.k.a Wink, who had succumbed to severe depression. Wink, who blogged at A Creative Being, had been very straightforward about her mental health issues and how she used crochet to stay in the light. I went looking for her blog and found her little sister's touching post. And all of her beautiful crocheted mandalas! So colorful, so intricate. I found Kathryn Vercillo of Crochet Concupiscence who had published a book, Crochet Saved My Life, including an interview with Wink. Two separate memorials were started--#MandalasforWink and #MandalasforMarinke. I was sad for Wink and her struggles, for her family and friends and their grief, and for the crochet community and their loss. I was touched by the beauty of Wink's art.
And so out of the darkness and sadness of others, I started my first crocheted mandala as a way to honor Wink and acknowledge the grief of her community, a way for something good and beautiful albeit small to arise from it like a lotus out of mud. I'll admit that it isn't one of Wink's patterns, which are beautiful. I wanted something easy (I only later found Wink's basic 12-round mandala.) I found a Granny Mandala--"grandala!"--by "Crochet with Raymond" (really a blog by a lesbi@n hooker and her Siamese cat.) And so this with a package of Lion Brand pastel "poppers" that I had on hand, I made a straightforward crocheted mandala--pink, peach, lemon, lime, blue, lavender, white. Lovely.
Now I'm stiffening it, to hang in the window. I plan to make a second one to donate to the memorial, now that I've gotten more of the hang of it. Instead of liquid starch, hairspray, or a sugar solution, I'm using an equal mixture of white glue and water. I hope it works. It's drying right now.
And it will be a lovely reminder of love, art, light, and life.
-=-=-=-=-
I followed Crochet with Raymond's pattern, using thing #2 Lion Brand pastel "poppers" yarn and an H hook.
That has changed.
Earlier this week, friends recommended I take a look at Lucy at Attic24, who does a lot of bright and rainbow arts and crafts projects. So I followed her on FB. And she soon posted about the loss of crochet artist and author Marinke Slump a.k.a Wink, who had succumbed to severe depression. Wink, who blogged at A Creative Being, had been very straightforward about her mental health issues and how she used crochet to stay in the light. I went looking for her blog and found her little sister's touching post. And all of her beautiful crocheted mandalas! So colorful, so intricate. I found Kathryn Vercillo of Crochet Concupiscence who had published a book, Crochet Saved My Life, including an interview with Wink. Two separate memorials were started--#MandalasforWink and #MandalasforMarinke. I was sad for Wink and her struggles, for her family and friends and their grief, and for the crochet community and their loss. I was touched by the beauty of Wink's art.
Now I'm stiffening it, to hang in the window. I plan to make a second one to donate to the memorial, now that I've gotten more of the hang of it. Instead of liquid starch, hairspray, or a sugar solution, I'm using an equal mixture of white glue and water. I hope it works. It's drying right now.
And it will be a lovely reminder of love, art, light, and life.
-=-=-=-=-
I followed Crochet with Raymond's pattern, using thing #2 Lion Brand pastel "poppers" yarn and an H hook.
Wednesday, July 1, 2015
Summer Fun: Doodle Dos and Don'ts
This morning before ice skating, I worked on the flags I've wanted to doodle. I ironed them first, as they'd gotten wrinkly since the Zentangle retreat in February, stuffed in my doodle bag waiting their turn. They're muslin flags strung together with hem tape (homemade by the class instructor) and had gotten pretty wrinkly.
I had decided to put my peace-hope-love doodles on the tripartite flag and so set to work with my permanent Identi-pen for fabric this morning at the kitchen table.
I dropped the boxes and changed the heart a bit. I think they came out nicely.
And then I realized that there were marks--dots and streaks and such--all over the table. I hadn't thought about my pen bleeding through the thin fabric.
I called the kids in as a teachable moment. Because, of course, sometimes I go on a tirade when they make a mess, honest but forseeable messes not intentionally made, but I get upset that they don't think ahead or be extra careful. And here I'd done the exact same thing myself. So I told them that the next time I started getting upset about their making a similar mistake that all they needed to mention were the tabletop dots and I would not yell.
The dots only sort of came up with a scrubbing from the steel wool (which then also sort of took the finish off the table. I guess we'll know which is my spot.)
Still, the flags are lovely.
And I'm extra-prepared for when the whole family works on the blue, yellow, red, green, and white flags I bought for us to decorate and hang around! (I think a piece of cardboard underneath would do the trick nicely.)
Tuesday, June 30, 2015
Ripple, Cowls, and Crochet, Oh, My!
I'm still crocheting . . . just finished a chunky Granny ripple afghan and am working on my Outlander-inspired cowl for my cosplay at ComicCon this fall. The ripple worked well and the cowl is lovely (I just need to decide how "tall" to make it.) I might even make an infinity cowl out of some of the purple yarn I used for my first ripple afghan. We'll see.
Mama and I haven't gotten back to our amigurumi; something else always seems to come up.
But my crochet keeps getting better. For the Ripple, as I mentioned, I had to learn to dc2tog and count. For the cowl, I practiced my foundation double crochet and both my front and back post stitches, none of which I've ever done. I never dreamed that one of the positive outcomes of my surgery would be improving my crocheting skills! I love it.
-=-=-=-=-=-
Chunky Granny Ripple
4 skeins Lion Brand Thick and Quick
P hook
Ch 79
will finish rest of pattern
Outlander "Sassenach" Cowl
from Polly Foo Foo on Ravelry
I foundation double crocheted 50 stitches to make mine wider. Then I worked the pattern till it was about 12" high.
Mama and I haven't gotten back to our amigurumi; something else always seems to come up.
But my crochet keeps getting better. For the Ripple, as I mentioned, I had to learn to dc2tog and count. For the cowl, I practiced my foundation double crochet and both my front and back post stitches, none of which I've ever done. I never dreamed that one of the positive outcomes of my surgery would be improving my crocheting skills! I love it.
-=-=-=-=-=-
Chunky Granny Ripple
4 skeins Lion Brand Thick and Quick
P hook
Ch 79
will finish rest of pattern
Outlander "Sassenach" Cowl
from Polly Foo Foo on Ravelry
I foundation double crocheted 50 stitches to make mine wider. Then I worked the pattern till it was about 12" high.
Silence Has Fallen
We had piano lessons this morning and then got a deli picnic lunch.
We played our own Star Wars game for an hour or more, running around the yard defeating Ventress and Grievous, and then partying with Ewoks.
Then, hot and tired, I was ready to go inside. So I said, "Kids, do you want to watch Winter Soldier or . . . check your Kindles?"
Today was the release date for the new Wings of Fire book (whose author Tui Sutherland we met a few weeks ago.)
They ran inside, tripping over each other, and have been silent ever since.
Golden.
We played our own Star Wars game for an hour or more, running around the yard defeating Ventress and Grievous, and then partying with Ewoks.
Then, hot and tired, I was ready to go inside. So I said, "Kids, do you want to watch Winter Soldier or . . . check your Kindles?"
Today was the release date for the new Wings of Fire book (whose author Tui Sutherland we met a few weeks ago.)
They ran inside, tripping over each other, and have been silent ever since.
Golden.
Rainbow Love and Marriage
As you can well imagine, Friday was a wonderful, emotional day of us here in the Hungry household.
And I had barely remembered that the SCOTUS would be handing down their ruling, except I saw something about it that George Takei posted on FB about it. So I posted on my timeline a letter to SCOTUS asking for them please to give legalized same-sex marriage in all 50 states to Mama for her birthday, which was that day.
Less than an hour later, I picked up my phone and saw the NYTimes breaking news alert.
The kids were playing a computer game, when I burst into tears. Both ran over to see what was the matter. When I told them, we all hugged.
I called Mama crying; she hadn't heard. I think she was as surprised as I was. Truly, I figured the court would vote against it. I never expected that they would pass it. Sure, 5-4, but a miss is as good as a mile, my dad says.
I called Gommie and Pop, who I knew were in a media black-out at the bay--they hardly even get signal, much less news (and who would want to, with the burning of 6 black churches and the massacre of 39+ tourists at a beach in beautiful Sousse, Tunisia--I was there in 1990 and am so saddened by the extremism attacking their country.) They cheered and we all got sniffly and they promised to celebrate. They are so amazingly supportive of us and have rooted for same-sex marriage and rights all the way. Thanks, Mom and Dad, and Hannah, for your constant acceptance, love, support, and enthusiasm. Fly that rainbow flag!
We immediately decided to make another rainbow cake, like we did two years ago on Mama's birthday to celebrate the federal approval of same-sex marriage in states that had legalized it, including our own. We got cake mix and ice cream at the store, deciding to make it a pineapple upside-down cake, which is one of Mama's favorites. A rainbow pineapple upside-down cake!
I spent the rest of the day checking FB off and on, sharing everything remotely rainbow: a cartoon of the lowering of the Confederate battle flag and the raising of the rainbow pride flag; a compilation of photos of all the buildings lit rainbow, including the White House and Disney Castle; a collection of rainbow pride ads; thank-yous to the various plaintiffs; the photo of the running of the interns to take the decision to the waiting media; the LOTR-inspired "I am NO Man" meme of the three female justices; a gathering of FB memes including Obama on a rainbow unicorn; the meme about the battle between Skittles and the Confederate flag; the Star Wars meme about "a million homophobes cried out and were suddenly silenced"; the funny conservatives "moving to Canada" meme (where there has been gay marriage for 10 years!); the SCOTUS decision haiku; the cartoon of God out of lightening strikes to destroy gays--"All we have in stock are rainbows"; a link to Obama's speech; a link to the full 100+ page decision; a pic of Ben & Jerry's I Dough, I Dough honorary flavor; the "can we just call it 'marriage' now?"; and the exploding FB rainbow computer meme, plus many others. And yes, I changed my profile picture to a rainbow image of Mama and I where we met. Yep, I was a part of the social media rainbow. And the glow is still with me.
When Mama got home, we celebrated both her birthday--with lots of rainbow-wrapped presents--and of course, the ruling with the gay cake (beautiful but not all that tasty; it was a box mix that used egg whites instead of full eggs probably to preserve the color, but it made a tasteless, light cake.) Lots of hugs, some more tears, and occasional sharing of rainbow FB posts. I'm not even sure I can articulate most of what I'm feeling and why. We've been lucky to have this kind of support from our families and community for years; it was great to see it backed up legally and to have gay and lesbian folks receive this legal support for the first time and hopefully their loved ones and families will come around--in fact, the first lesbian I knew and the first woman who kissed me can now marry her longtime girlfriend!
And I'll admit that I was not just a little happy that SCOTUS delivered a kind of "f**k you" to conservative homophobes. The fact that some will now willingly disregard the ruling (I'm looking at you, Texas Attorney General Paxton) because they don't like it and are sore losers makes me crazy (insert meme comparing Christians who want their brand of religion to be the rule of the US to the Islamic Sate. Quippy but true.) But I'm still glad we won. (It has been a pretty good week for liberals, for a change.)
We're still thrilled, of course (and perhaps a little amazed) and I have been ignoring, for the most part (see previous rant), the negative reactions. Just basking in the win . . . .
Twenty years to the week after I first met Mama . . . . . Happy Birthday, Mama!!
It just got better!
And I had barely remembered that the SCOTUS would be handing down their ruling, except I saw something about it that George Takei posted on FB about it. So I posted on my timeline a letter to SCOTUS asking for them please to give legalized same-sex marriage in all 50 states to Mama for her birthday, which was that day.
Less than an hour later, I picked up my phone and saw the NYTimes breaking news alert.
The kids were playing a computer game, when I burst into tears. Both ran over to see what was the matter. When I told them, we all hugged.
I called Mama crying; she hadn't heard. I think she was as surprised as I was. Truly, I figured the court would vote against it. I never expected that they would pass it. Sure, 5-4, but a miss is as good as a mile, my dad says.
I called Gommie and Pop, who I knew were in a media black-out at the bay--they hardly even get signal, much less news (and who would want to, with the burning of 6 black churches and the massacre of 39+ tourists at a beach in beautiful Sousse, Tunisia--I was there in 1990 and am so saddened by the extremism attacking their country.) They cheered and we all got sniffly and they promised to celebrate. They are so amazingly supportive of us and have rooted for same-sex marriage and rights all the way. Thanks, Mom and Dad, and Hannah, for your constant acceptance, love, support, and enthusiasm. Fly that rainbow flag!
We immediately decided to make another rainbow cake, like we did two years ago on Mama's birthday to celebrate the federal approval of same-sex marriage in states that had legalized it, including our own. We got cake mix and ice cream at the store, deciding to make it a pineapple upside-down cake, which is one of Mama's favorites. A rainbow pineapple upside-down cake!I spent the rest of the day checking FB off and on, sharing everything remotely rainbow: a cartoon of the lowering of the Confederate battle flag and the raising of the rainbow pride flag; a compilation of photos of all the buildings lit rainbow, including the White House and Disney Castle; a collection of rainbow pride ads; thank-yous to the various plaintiffs; the photo of the running of the interns to take the decision to the waiting media; the LOTR-inspired "I am NO Man" meme of the three female justices; a gathering of FB memes including Obama on a rainbow unicorn; the meme about the battle between Skittles and the Confederate flag; the Star Wars meme about "a million homophobes cried out and were suddenly silenced"; the funny conservatives "moving to Canada" meme (where there has been gay marriage for 10 years!); the SCOTUS decision haiku; the cartoon of God out of lightening strikes to destroy gays--"All we have in stock are rainbows"; a link to Obama's speech; a link to the full 100+ page decision; a pic of Ben & Jerry's I Dough, I Dough honorary flavor; the "can we just call it 'marriage' now?"; and the exploding FB rainbow computer meme, plus many others. And yes, I changed my profile picture to a rainbow image of Mama and I where we met. Yep, I was a part of the social media rainbow. And the glow is still with me.
When Mama got home, we celebrated both her birthday--with lots of rainbow-wrapped presents--and of course, the ruling with the gay cake (beautiful but not all that tasty; it was a box mix that used egg whites instead of full eggs probably to preserve the color, but it made a tasteless, light cake.) Lots of hugs, some more tears, and occasional sharing of rainbow FB posts. I'm not even sure I can articulate most of what I'm feeling and why. We've been lucky to have this kind of support from our families and community for years; it was great to see it backed up legally and to have gay and lesbian folks receive this legal support for the first time and hopefully their loved ones and families will come around--in fact, the first lesbian I knew and the first woman who kissed me can now marry her longtime girlfriend!
And I'll admit that I was not just a little happy that SCOTUS delivered a kind of "f**k you" to conservative homophobes. The fact that some will now willingly disregard the ruling (I'm looking at you, Texas Attorney General Paxton) because they don't like it and are sore losers makes me crazy (insert meme comparing Christians who want their brand of religion to be the rule of the US to the Islamic Sate. Quippy but true.) But I'm still glad we won. (It has been a pretty good week for liberals, for a change.)
We're still thrilled, of course (and perhaps a little amazed) and I have been ignoring, for the most part (see previous rant), the negative reactions. Just basking in the win . . . .
Twenty years to the week after I first met Mama . . . . . Happy Birthday, Mama!!
It just got better!
Summer Fun Update
It's only been a week, but we're off to a good start with our list. Though, in fairness, we did a few before school was even out.
- Party/activity in honor of Aunt Sis
- Go swimming at Y with friends
Meet friends at ice rink:this is actually tomorrow- *
Attend town festival in June/volunteer at historic house:we did this before school was even out! - *Beach trip in city
- *Putt-putt golf
- *Baseball game
- Family book club (we're reading Menagerie and also Redwall)
Eat Dole Whip: first night of summer, we got Dole Whip and Fluffernutter sundaes!- Make ice cream
- Go to outdoor concert
- Have a barbecue (after bricking fire pit)
- Raise butterflies
- Have a lemonade stand (cookies for cancer?)
Picnic: we had a deli picnic, but I hope to do something more sophisticated soon.- Mario kart-athon
- Movie night
- Old tv show marathon (ours or theirs)
- Watch some movie musicals
Play in sprinkler:and used it to make a slippery water slide!*Go to culture festival (Scottish, Irish, Greek, etc.): we loved the Greek festival food, as always!- *Go to Renaissance festival
- *Go to zoo
- Stargazing at observatory
- *Biking
- Celebrate 4th of July
Celebrate Solstice:they stayed up "all night," which was midnight for Sis and about an hour later for Bud. I even played Mario Kart with them at midnight.Celebrate Mama's birthday: a weekend of take-out meals and movies!- Birthday party for kids: coming soon, Minions movie birthday party.
- *Go to nature center
- *Go to aquarium
- *Go to bird festvial
- Try a new craft/art project
Decorate chalkboard for summer:we started our own mini-drawings of Awesome Summer Things.- Learn to cook weekly dinners
- Make ice cube candles
- Make soap
- Activity kit day
- Host a sleepover with friends.
Learn how to clean bathrooms:Bud earned a ticket for this already--on his own initiation!- Learn how to work washer/dryer
- Make popsicles.
- Hang pictures.
Learn an ASL sign a day (or more)- Learn some computer coding using Scratch
Make shrub for 4th of July- Make friendship bread starter and share
Photos with public art around town ("benching," Bud called it)- Make homemade virgin pina coladas
- Make blankets for cat shelter
- Learn a new game
- Learn a new magic/card trick
- *Go letterboxing or geocaching locally
Attend friends' Friday Night Dance Party:for first one, the kids swam and tried "kiddy crack" (butter-cinnamon-sugar spread on graham crackers)- Start afternoon tea party tradition ("Tea Tuesdays")
Explore new music genres together ("Music Mondays"): we started with the 80s.- Practice making lemon curd and clotted cream
- Research places to go in England, etc
Purge and donate toys and books- Pajamas day
- No electricity day
- Do a 1000 piece puzzle
- Kite flying
- Wash car
- Buy new couches?
- Community service project (volunteer with cats?)
- Do nothing special
Summer Fun: Bench Buddies
We've started one of our summer projects: we're visiting all the "seat sculpture" in town and taking pictures. Here are just a few of the ones we saw yesterday; I believe there are 20 in all. The fun is figuring out the photo--for the butterfly one, I sat in the middle, like I had wings; for one with a cat and a dog, both kids sat in front to cover up the dog and just show the cat!
Monday, June 29, 2015
Summer Fun: Invasion of the Ferocious Feline
Watch out, London--both the big Lego Tower Bridge or the 3-D puzzle with plastic monuments (all the pieces were there, Gommie, and Mama says thanks for her birthday present--Albus is on the loose!
Friday, June 26, 2015
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