A "bundle of potentialities" just arrived at a nearby household, so our mob went to visit their gang. The visited family is so much fun to be around...to illustrate, I'll give you a brief summary of each of the four principal sources of entertainment.
Xino:
He's a four and half year old (approx.) black lab who has the most lab like personality. Upon our arrival, he and his doggy "brother" were being quarantined in a separate part of the house. They could us and we could see them, but one of those annoying things called a glass door was separating us. Oh, the felicity experienced when he was released from his bonds. He went straight for us. Tongue, feet, tail...you name it, it was being flung at us. And as his human "mommy" says, "The more you give him the more he wants" in reference to attention. He is in constant want (or need, depending on how you look at it) of human contact. All of his time must be occupied by you petting him. Or he will be licking you.
Thello:
This specimen is a 18 month Boston Terrier/Bulldog mix who thinks he is the king of every situation in all of its particulars. The moment of his release was less one felicity than one of fulfilling his control freak needs. He proceeded to rip around the room at top speed, barking at everyone and everything. He wanted to be petted by one person, but at the same time, wanted to be petted by someone across the room. His antics were mirth provoking to say the least. His entertainment was sufficient for several minutes but when we ceased to pay him heed, he directed his attentions toward annoying his "big brother." This took place by Thello biting whatever part of Xino he could get at.
Emmy:
Emily is an absolutely adorable 3 yr old little girl. (yes, I've finally progressed to the humans of the house)The entertainment provided by her was not a direct effort on her part. Well, I'll let you decide that for yourself. Upon our arrival, she proceeded to lock herself in her room. Her mother fetched her out, and halfway across the living room, she flung herself face first onto a conveniently positioned dog bed. Her mother decided the best tactic was to ignore her, so our conversation was peppered with
E: "Mommy?"
M: "Yes, Emmy."
E: "I'm shy."
M: "We know sweety."
The responses on the part of her mother were slightly varied, but Em's were absolutely fixed in stone. She would declare very loudly and vociferously that she was shy, but demanded that we all pay her attention. Ah, the joys of being 3!
Leah:
Now, I've finally gotten to that aforesaid bundle. Leah is 10 days old today, and an absolute doll! She weighs approximately 7.5 pounds and has the most beautiful skin color I have ever seen on a baby! She likes to stretch her little legs and arms out and curl her fingers around anything she can. Her eyes are open and alert looking fairly frequently and she's as good natured a baby as I have ever met. Her mother told us that she rarely wakes up in the night and when she does, she's content to just look at her mommy in the dark. What a gift! Babies are the sweetest things!
So now, I leave you all to be insanely jealous of me and my good fortune in the baby holding department. :)
29 February 2008
28 February 2008
Sewing a la Sesame
Know someone who's having a baby? Low on cash? I have the answer for you! Make a custom, cute, cuddly baby blanket CHEAP!!! Don't know how? Well, I've taken care of that for you too!
WHAT YOU NEED:
This is equivalent to the "ingredients" section of a recipe. You'll need 1 yd. flannel, 1 yd. cotton or cotton/poly blend (I tend to use quilter fabrics), and two packages of piping (approx. 5 yds)
GETTING STARTED:
Before any sewing project, there are two things that an aspiring seamstress must do: 1) wash and dry fabric (do them together, so if one bleeds really bad you can find out and switch fabrics. You don't want it to get wrecked while in the hands of the "gifted" individual) and 2) iron the fabric. This step is ESSENTIAL to making quality products -- don't skip it!
CONSTRUCTION:
Step 1: attach piping. First select the smaller of the two piece of fabric. They should be more or less the same size, but depending on how you washed them, one might shrink more than the other. In the case of my blanket, the flannel was slightly smaller due to frayed edges. Begin attaching by placing piping on RIGHT side of flannel with "piped" part facing away from edge. Pull piping edge off of fabric, so raw edge won't show (see picture)
On the corners, curve piping around. This gives you a nice looking "corner", and saves you the hassle of trying to fold the piping into a right angle. You want to start and end the curve at approximately the same distances from the corner. Some people are able to eyeball this. As I am not one of these fortunate few, I always measure with my handy-dandy measuring tape approx. 4 in. from the corner.
When you have about 2-3 in. left of your first strip of piping, guide it off the edge of the fabric. Begin the new strip the way you began the first one, but make sure to overlap it enough. The result may be slightly scary, but when you flip it over to the finished side, it looks really nice.
Once you have the piping all the way around, you're ready for step two. (Note: before moving on to step 2, clip excess fabric from corners for a smoother finished product)
Step 2: Lay the piece of fabric with piping on it right side up. Take the second piece of fabric and lay it right side DOWN on top of the first piece. Pin the two together, making sure to use enough pins around the curves.
With your sewing machine, sew the two together. Place your needle in the stitch line that you made when you secured the piping. Deviation from this line causes piping to go whonky (yes, it's a technical term). Pay special attention when going around curves -- you have to make sure the piping is laying flat, with the fat part facing away from the edge. If it faces towards the edge, it will end up on the inside of the blanket.
DON'T SEW ALL THE WAY AROUND!!! If you do, you won't be able to turn the blanket right side out! Trust me, that is a VERY frustrating experience. How much of an opening you leave is up to you, but if you have to fight with the blanket for a half an hour before succeeding, it's probably too small :D
Step 3: After you've got the blanket inside out, it's time to sew up that little hole. You're going to want to hand sew it, just to make it look nice. Make sure you hide the tail on the inside of the blanket, and to then stitch the front to the stitching on the piping. That way it stays invisible.
Step 4: Now, if you've gotten this far (which would surprise me beyond measure), the last step is really easy. You're going to run a stitch along the outside edge of your completed blanket. Generally I use a zigzag stitch, but my machine was being temperamental today, so I just stuck with a straight one. It's purpose is to keep the two pieces of fabric together nicely. Without it, the two end up not lying flat on top of each other and it looks really sloppy.
And then you're done! And you have a beautiful, soft, cute, cozy, cheap blanket. This one, for the sake of example, only cost me seven dollars and almost two hours of labor. Now, isn't that worth seeing brand new Leah Catherine all snug and warm in a pretty blanket?
Good luck!
P.S. -- If you need any more detail, let me know :)
WHAT YOU NEED:
This is equivalent to the "ingredients" section of a recipe. You'll need 1 yd. flannel, 1 yd. cotton or cotton/poly blend (I tend to use quilter fabrics), and two packages of piping (approx. 5 yds)
GETTING STARTED:
Before any sewing project, there are two things that an aspiring seamstress must do: 1) wash and dry fabric (do them together, so if one bleeds really bad you can find out and switch fabrics. You don't want it to get wrecked while in the hands of the "gifted" individual) and 2) iron the fabric. This step is ESSENTIAL to making quality products -- don't skip it!
CONSTRUCTION:
Step 1: attach piping. First select the smaller of the two piece of fabric. They should be more or less the same size, but depending on how you washed them, one might shrink more than the other. In the case of my blanket, the flannel was slightly smaller due to frayed edges. Begin attaching by placing piping on RIGHT side of flannel with "piped" part facing away from edge. Pull piping edge off of fabric, so raw edge won't show (see picture)
On the corners, curve piping around. This gives you a nice looking "corner", and saves you the hassle of trying to fold the piping into a right angle. You want to start and end the curve at approximately the same distances from the corner. Some people are able to eyeball this. As I am not one of these fortunate few, I always measure with my handy-dandy measuring tape approx. 4 in. from the corner.
When you have about 2-3 in. left of your first strip of piping, guide it off the edge of the fabric. Begin the new strip the way you began the first one, but make sure to overlap it enough. The result may be slightly scary, but when you flip it over to the finished side, it looks really nice.
Once you have the piping all the way around, you're ready for step two. (Note: before moving on to step 2, clip excess fabric from corners for a smoother finished product)
Step 2: Lay the piece of fabric with piping on it right side up. Take the second piece of fabric and lay it right side DOWN on top of the first piece. Pin the two together, making sure to use enough pins around the curves.
With your sewing machine, sew the two together. Place your needle in the stitch line that you made when you secured the piping. Deviation from this line causes piping to go whonky (yes, it's a technical term). Pay special attention when going around curves -- you have to make sure the piping is laying flat, with the fat part facing away from the edge. If it faces towards the edge, it will end up on the inside of the blanket.
DON'T SEW ALL THE WAY AROUND!!! If you do, you won't be able to turn the blanket right side out! Trust me, that is a VERY frustrating experience. How much of an opening you leave is up to you, but if you have to fight with the blanket for a half an hour before succeeding, it's probably too small :D
Step 3: After you've got the blanket inside out, it's time to sew up that little hole. You're going to want to hand sew it, just to make it look nice. Make sure you hide the tail on the inside of the blanket, and to then stitch the front to the stitching on the piping. That way it stays invisible.
Step 4: Now, if you've gotten this far (which would surprise me beyond measure), the last step is really easy. You're going to run a stitch along the outside edge of your completed blanket. Generally I use a zigzag stitch, but my machine was being temperamental today, so I just stuck with a straight one. It's purpose is to keep the two pieces of fabric together nicely. Without it, the two end up not lying flat on top of each other and it looks really sloppy.
And then you're done! And you have a beautiful, soft, cute, cozy, cheap blanket. This one, for the sake of example, only cost me seven dollars and almost two hours of labor. Now, isn't that worth seeing brand new Leah Catherine all snug and warm in a pretty blanket?
Good luck!
P.S. -- If you need any more detail, let me know :)
I Found Caesar Augustus's Baptismal Records!
Really! I did! Maybe not the Caesar Augustus that first comes to mind, but a little boy was baptized in my parish in the mid-90s and named Caesar Augustus. I kid you not.
You may be wondering (and justifiably so) how I came by such startling information. Yesterday, as it happened, held what could be called an "epoch in my life." Since last August, I have been volunteering in the parish office creating an index for all of the baptismal records in the parish. ALL of them. Dating back to 1976. I entered the last one yesterday, at 3:15 pm and, according to my estimation it was approximately the 7,000th name I had entered. Among those seven thousand were some shocking selections for names including John Wayne and Napoleon. My job, while not difficult, instilled me with a solid principle of NEVER giving my little girl the middle name "Marie." Not that I don't like the name, but approximately 75% of all girls baptized between 1976 and the present have the middle name Marie.
When I finally closed the book, I (very excited) approached the secretary to tell her I had finished. No word of congratulation escaped her lips, however. She merely told me that there was another set of books to be done and, without ceremony, went and got me a big, fat book containing all of the marriage records. Ah, well....
So I have given a few months of my life to a task that is seemingly endless. I am, as it would seem, volunteering my life away. But, as Fr. Mitch Pacwa says about money, "I mean, really, you can't even eat the stuff." :D
26 February 2008
Picture Perfect
Today is an absolutely B-E-A-U-tiful day outside! I wish my camera could capture the vivid color of the sky and the grass and the wildflowers, but alas, it didn't manage to. I shall just trust that you all have fairly vivid imaginations.
Amore e Matrimonio
This morning, as I began my daily allotment of Italian, I was struck by the section's title. Love and matrimony. Oh, boy! What joys or horrors await me there?
Well, as it turns out, it happens to be a fairly comical section. One that, instead of leaving me rather lethargic and dull, induced me to laughter. Several times, in fact. Here are some excerpts.
It begins by presenting me with four statements:
1) "Questa e una coppia di innamorati." That couple is in love. simple enough
2)"Queste due persone non sono innamorate l'una dell'altra e non sono nemmeno amici."
Those two people aren't in love with each other and they aren't even friends. To drive the point home, they have a picture of a woman judge yelling and shaking her finger at some poor guy.
3)"Queste due persone non sono innamorate l'una dell'altra. Sono solo amici." These two people aren't in love. They are only friends. Good, at least some civility has returned to the world.
4)"Questo e un gruppo di amici." This is a group of friends.
It eventually moves on to various ways of going on a date. You have the options of "mangiano al ristorante," "ballano," "fanno le spese," or "baciano." Translation: eating in a restaurant, dancing, shoe shopping, or kissing. The contrast between the last two made me laugh really hard. It almost implies, "and if you successfully shop with the girl, feel entitled to kiss her."
Then there are the different relationships that exist between guys and girls. 1) moglie (married), 2)amica (friends), 3)ragazza (girlfriend -- boyfriend is ragazzo in case you were wondering), and 4)non conosce (not conscious of).
By the end of 30 minutes of these and other similar statements, I had had a healthy dose of laughter. It is a wonderful way to start out your day -- I'd recommend it to anyone. :D
Oh, and ladies, if you are ever in Italy and some guy asks you, "Mi vuoi sposare?" don't just nod and laugh. Unless you WANT to marry him.
Well, as it turns out, it happens to be a fairly comical section. One that, instead of leaving me rather lethargic and dull, induced me to laughter. Several times, in fact. Here are some excerpts.
It begins by presenting me with four statements:
1) "Questa e una coppia di innamorati." That couple is in love. simple enough
2)"Queste due persone non sono innamorate l'una dell'altra e non sono nemmeno amici."
Those two people aren't in love with each other and they aren't even friends. To drive the point home, they have a picture of a woman judge yelling and shaking her finger at some poor guy.
3)"Queste due persone non sono innamorate l'una dell'altra. Sono solo amici." These two people aren't in love. They are only friends. Good, at least some civility has returned to the world.
4)"Questo e un gruppo di amici." This is a group of friends.
It eventually moves on to various ways of going on a date. You have the options of "mangiano al ristorante," "ballano," "fanno le spese," or "baciano." Translation: eating in a restaurant, dancing, shoe shopping, or kissing. The contrast between the last two made me laugh really hard. It almost implies, "and if you successfully shop with the girl, feel entitled to kiss her."
Then there are the different relationships that exist between guys and girls. 1) moglie (married), 2)amica (friends), 3)ragazza (girlfriend -- boyfriend is ragazzo in case you were wondering), and 4)non conosce (not conscious of).
By the end of 30 minutes of these and other similar statements, I had had a healthy dose of laughter. It is a wonderful way to start out your day -- I'd recommend it to anyone. :D
Oh, and ladies, if you are ever in Italy and some guy asks you, "Mi vuoi sposare?" don't just nod and laugh. Unless you WANT to marry him.
25 February 2008
Your Ladyship?
Now that the necessary business-like, introductory post is out of the way, I can have some fun! (not that I don't enjoy doing business-like things....but moving on...)
I thought my first substantial post should be something that is important to me. Some theme that may be recurring. And the something that I managed to decide on is also something that seems always out of reach. The subject in question: being a true lady.
From a superficial standpoint, I am unarguably a lady. I 1)am a girl, 2)wear girlie clothes, 3)sing soprano, and 4)do not glorify in guns, guts, and gore. But on a deeper level, am I really a lady? At the moment, I'm afraid the honest answer would be a resounding, clanging, unadulterated "no." A lady should have proper poise; this is something I have struggled with, but apparently to no avail. A lady ought to know when to keep her mouth shut; I constantly have to repeat to myself, "engage brain before mouth." (usually repeated most excessively right after an extreme case of the opposite occurs) And, one of the most essential ingredients: know how to be a lady. I guess I've been a little girl for so long, I don't know how to be a lady. I'm loud (obnoxiously, more often than not), I giggle, I'm a spaaz (and I don't even know how to spell it), I'm disorganized, ...the list is seemingly endless. (note: if anyone is wondering why I didn't add "hyper" to the list, I thought it too obvious to make note of)
So what am I to do? The old "if at first you don't succeed, try, try again." comes to mind. Along with, "Anything worth achieving isn't easily achieved." Unfortunately. So, as you see, this blog (more than anything) will be a chronicle of my journey toward "ladyhood." I hope that, one day, you may see me achieve it. At the moment, I have ironing to attend to...
I thought my first substantial post should be something that is important to me. Some theme that may be recurring. And the something that I managed to decide on is also something that seems always out of reach. The subject in question: being a true lady.
From a superficial standpoint, I am unarguably a lady. I 1)am a girl, 2)wear girlie clothes, 3)sing soprano, and 4)do not glorify in guns, guts, and gore. But on a deeper level, am I really a lady? At the moment, I'm afraid the honest answer would be a resounding, clanging, unadulterated "no." A lady should have proper poise; this is something I have struggled with, but apparently to no avail. A lady ought to know when to keep her mouth shut; I constantly have to repeat to myself, "engage brain before mouth." (usually repeated most excessively right after an extreme case of the opposite occurs) And, one of the most essential ingredients: know how to be a lady. I guess I've been a little girl for so long, I don't know how to be a lady. I'm loud (obnoxiously, more often than not), I giggle, I'm a spaaz (and I don't even know how to spell it), I'm disorganized, ...the list is seemingly endless. (note: if anyone is wondering why I didn't add "hyper" to the list, I thought it too obvious to make note of)
So what am I to do? The old "if at first you don't succeed, try, try again." comes to mind. Along with, "Anything worth achieving isn't easily achieved." Unfortunately. So, as you see, this blog (more than anything) will be a chronicle of my journey toward "ladyhood." I hope that, one day, you may see me achieve it. At the moment, I have ironing to attend to...
To blog or not to blog....
...THAT is the question. I've debated whether or not to do this for a long time. Anyone who knows me well may doubt whether "a long time" really is a long time with an impetuous person like me, but I assure you it could be considered a long time even by the most throughtful, meticulous thinkers (and doers).
Various things held me back, but the realization that I need somewhere to mull things over hit me harder than ever over the weekend. I enjoy writing -- indeed, it is one thing that really allows me to get to know myself. What I really want, need, feel, think, know, etc.
And you get to join me! As I experience the emotional roller coaster commonly referred to as "life" you can join me or not as you prefer. You have the advantage over me in that you can hop off when things get too complicated. And, once you hop off, you could periodically check back to see if I managed to get my world back in order or not. :D
I merely add, God bless you and may Mary keep you!
Various things held me back, but the realization that I need somewhere to mull things over hit me harder than ever over the weekend. I enjoy writing -- indeed, it is one thing that really allows me to get to know myself. What I really want, need, feel, think, know, etc.
And you get to join me! As I experience the emotional roller coaster commonly referred to as "life" you can join me or not as you prefer. You have the advantage over me in that you can hop off when things get too complicated. And, once you hop off, you could periodically check back to see if I managed to get my world back in order or not. :D
I merely add, God bless you and may Mary keep you!
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