Home for the Holidays..My first craft event.

10.12.2006

For any of you all that check in I apologize for my lack of posting things have been a wee bit crazy around here. I am going to be doing my first little craft show this weekend and have been sewing and crafting nonstop for the last few weeks. There was also the surprise birthday party I hosted for my sister (and the recoup to the party) and a few baptisms over the weekend.
I decided to forgo any blogging or much computer time at all because I am an addict and 2 minutes just is never enough so it's better to just say no.

Alright, so here are the details for the show and I will post a few pics now and more later of what I am selling. I will also get a shot of the explosion of fabric and thread etc in my family room.

Sunday October 15th at the Churchill Club Clubhouse in Oswego,IL. 10a.m.-3p.m.
On Bluegrass Parkway just south of Douglas Road (look for signs)

In addition to my lovely crafty goodies there will be other hand sewn gifts,
Lia Sophia jewelry
Tastefully Simple
Little Faces Photography
Traveling Vineyard
Art Kits for Kids & wood working
Close to my Heart
Cherry Hill Jewelry
Pampered Chef
Mark & Alex's Toy Box
Party Lite Candles
Catering and gifts and more.

Click Here for the flyer (thanks brotherhood of the bean.)

We will also be collecting non perishable food items for the Kendall County Food Pantry. Donations will entitle you to raffle tickets for goodies from the show. Our friends at www.brotheroodofthebean.com will be handing out coffee. Yum.

So come buy stuff, drink coffee and say hi.

I'm hitting myself over the head.....

9.25.2006

Last year around christmas I had this idea for an ipod for the preschool set. I wanted to call it a TodPod. It would have nice big buttons, be rugged (drop in the tub rugged) and have icons that the preschooler could identify to scroll through songs instead of the names. You could access songs and stories online and download. It would have big headphones etc. I couldn't figure out what to do with the idea. I asked a few family members what they thought. I got hmmm, maybe to that's a great idea, but no one knew how to market it. So there was my little idea festering about in my head all year until today and the commerical and and and and there it was all neat and packaged and with songs and links and ahhhhhhhhhhhhh Fisher Price FP3 Player!

Go, just go ahead and check it out, buy one for all I care, It was still my idea first just because I don't get any royalties doesn't mean can't still take credit for a great idea, right?

TodPod is still a better name and it's mine Mr. Apple Computer you can't have it!

Ahoy Thar Matey!

9.19.2006

It's International Talk Like a Pirate Day

Here are some pictures. I have tried to do this post 3 times and each time it has crashed and not been saved, alas someone does not like pirates. So instead of fancy pirate speak and cute links you get ARRRRRRRGH and some pictures from Annie's 3rd Birthday Party.







Sorry about the lack of posts lately, it's amazing how life (and my renewed friendship with my TV) gets in the way of blogging. Hope to update more soon.
Mary

Arrrgh, Matey!

Ahoy thar Matey.
We be wantin' to let thee know that today is
International Talk Like a Pirate Day
and we be wishin' ye a fine day at sea.


We not be wearin' ars seafarin' hearty clothes so we thought ye might enjoy some pictures from Capt'n Annie's 3rd Pirate Party.
We lift a mug of grog to ye and ask ye to check out these fine pirate sites.

Ye Books
Ye Music
Ye Talk
Ye Flickr Group







 

New York after 9/11

9.11.2006

Before leaving for New York most people would ask "Are you going to ground zero?". After we returned everyone asked "Did you go to ground zero?". My answer before the trip was usually "Um, I think so". As it turns out we did not go to ground zero. Three of the people we were with had already been there and Amy and I were both unsure of how we felt about visiting the site. My initial feeling was that I didn't want that to be part of my tourist destination.
I think that for most people the events of 9/11 come in and out of their lives. I am reminded of the day as I watch the news or see a bumper sticker or always when I see a fire fighter, but it is not something that is always there with me. As I traveled to New York I couldn't help but think more and more of that horrific day. When we drove up Park Avenue I saw the beauty of the city, the vibrancy, a city alive but at the same time I felt as if I was going to visit a widow.
I looked at the skyline and marveled at it's size while I tried to remember where the Twin Towers had stood. I walked down streets taking in the architecture and then wondered if this is where the ash fell and where all those people ran for their lives. One native recommended a trip on the Staten Island Ferry to see the skyline of Manhattan and finished with "of course, the towers aren't there." We watched a protest from the steps of the New York Public Library and watched some take the pamphlets and other shake their heads and walk away. I looked at the subway map and noticed 2 stations were closed, "oh, that's why those are closed."
When visiting that amazing city I felt the constant presence of 9/11 that New Yorkers must feel. Manhattan felt like a giant shrine that honors those that lost their lives and those that have kept life going without their loved ones. We were on a bus heading to the Staten Island Ferry and we caught a glimpse of ground zero. Just that passing view brought tears and emotion. I don't know if I could have managed the full view but I wish I would have tried.

My deepest sympathies to all the families touched by 9/11.

Shazam Anyone?

9.10.2006

Tonight at work something happened and I said "Shazam". All the sudden I was about 6 or 7 years old, laying on my family room floor with my brothers watching the TV show Shazam. I asked around and no one a work knew what I was talking about. So I thought I would do a little search and share with those of you old enough to remember. Good old YouTube saves the day.


I do believe this was my favorite show....



and to think I won't let the girls watch Sponge Bob and this is what I watched as a kid.....


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABS44R1UG-U

And do you remember these lyrics?

HEY YOU GUYS!
Movin' out in a new way!
Movin' out in a new way!
We're gonna turn it on!We're gonna bring you the power!
We're gonna light up the dark of night like the brightestf day in a whole new way!
We're gonna turn it on!
We're gonna bring you the power!
We're gonna tell you the truest words that you ever heard anybody say!
Movin' out in a new way!
Movin' out in a new way!
We're gonna turn it on!
We're gonna bring you the power!
We're comin' down the line, strong as it can be through the courtesy..of The Electric Company!

Check out more at RetoJunk.com

Fair Results Are In!!!!

9.06.2006

First off, sorry for the lack of New York posts. It seemed like such a good idea, a whole week of posts, just the wrong week. So I will hopefully play catch-up tomorrow.

Now for the big news on my Sandwich Fair entries...

My two lovely photos didn't win anything. The competition was really very good and I will have to hone my skills for next year.

My Tote Bag did not win any premiums. I may need to start working on a bit sooner than 2 days before it's due next year.

The Wee wonderful Put-Together Book Bunny I made for Annie took 3rd Premium (2 whole dollars) Yippeee. Very exciting.(We are just going to ignore the fact that there were only 3 entries)



The big winner was my molasses cookies with a 2nd premium finish and $5.00 in prize money. Wahoo.

Mine are the yummies on the right. Sorry about the bad picture.

It was really great to participate in this fair. Annie was very excited to see "our" my items on display. I get to check this off my little list of things I want to do in life. I do think I am hooked though and will be entering next year.

We had such a lovely time at the fair, the weather was great, my mom joined us and we caught a bit of the fiddle contest. We even avoided taking the girls on any rides. The animals are always a treat to see and there were some really amazing entries into the open shows. Here are a few pictures. If you get a chance head out to the Sandwich Fair.

New York-At first Glance

9.03.2006

So we arrived in New York on Thursday and stayed until Sunday. We packed in two Broadway shows, lots of eating, some sight seeing and shopping and a load of walking. It was an amazing trip with 4 really great ladies. I really need some time away from the girls, time to wander aimlessly, time to finish a complete sentence, time to feel like an adult. I definitely did all this and more.

I think anyone coming to New York for the first time comes with a set of ideas of what the city is. You can't help but equate the city with all the literary, television and film images. As we walked and drove through the city we would pass many of these landmarks.



These were amazing to see. Sometimes they were recognizable, the Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty and sometimes they were just recollections- I think I have seen and this view before-

but I'm not sure where. As we drove down Park Ave in cab on the way to the hotel I felt what Eva Gabor sings in "give me Park Ave." The buildings were old and decadent,round windows and ornate ironwork on massive decorative buildings. It wasn't until we explored other areas of Manhattan that one realized how ornate the buildings were.
Times Square was a busy and bustling as you would think but didn't seem much more than a place you walk through and say "Hey, This is Times Square", sorta like the crowds on Michigan Ave.
What was unexpected about Manhattan is that it is where people live. The Loop in Chicago can be very empty at night or on weekends, but everywhere we went in Manhattan there were people going about their daily routine, people headed to work, grocery shopping, grabbing their morning cup of coffee. In the midst of all the people just sitting down on a stair, taking a rest or talking on the phone.
We would walk past a park and people would be having a picnic, or reading a book. As we entered Central Park we came across the Great Lawn. It was full of people playing softball, Frisbee and relaxing. You always see images of the parks in New York and they look like this
and here I was experiencing it all. I was such a tourist but not for those landmarks just for the whole city.

I was also surprised by all the color in the city. The buildings were old and grey or brown but adorning the entrances were doors of red, periwinkle and lime green. The ubiquitous awnings were stripped in red and white or bright yellow. All the activity of life also brought color yellow cabs whizzing by, rugs being hauled down the street and the myriad of knock-off Gucci bags hanging from racks on the street.

Our first cab driver was from Ghana and our second from Chad, there were the bartenders from Poland, more about them later, and the nice Swedish woman at the CVS that wanted to know if she would like Honey Wheat Pretzels. We may not have made it to the United Nations building but we shared a drink with a Canadian and a laugh with a Frenchman.

What surprised me the most was everywhere around us there were babies. When in uptown they were babies in expensive prams being pushed by nannies, in Central Park it was new moms getting in some exercise while pushing their little ones in jogging strollers and in Greenwich Village it was hipster dad's out with their hipply dressed toddlers on the way to the park.

More New York tomorrow......

A week of New York

9.02.2006

I have been trying to pull together my post about my wonderful trip to New York and find it quite overwhelming. So, I thought maybe I could break it down into smaller posts. So look for posts all week about the trip. I'm gonna keep it light and give some links to the great places we went and ate and show some pictures. Hope ya find it interesting.
Happy Saturday.

Mama Says Om: Train

8.31.2006

I love words with multiple meanings. When I read the theme of mama says om was train I immediately thought of the choo choo type and then went to the idea of being trained or training.


For awhile when I was 19 or so I worked in the city. I would drive to the train station each day. If I wanted to catch my train, I had to be there by 6:23a.m. In those days I was free to schedule my morning around minutes not half hours as I do now.
At 19 I was a newbie in the corporate world and in reality I was only a visitor. I would watch and listen to the veterans of the corporate cattle call. I had to be trained to ride the train. I remember my dad giving me a few tips before my first trip down, "don't get there to late, stand at the front of the station so you are on the first car and can get off first". I did as he said, trying to blend into the mash of first car riders. I don't think my hippie skirts and birkenstocks ever really blended into the crowd.
I would pull into an open spot, walk quickly to the station, order up a Coke from the cafeteria on wheels and join the other riders of the train. Small talk would ensue between the regulars, I would pop open my Coke and watch and listen and learn. First you would hear the ding, ding, ding of the train and then the mass would move closer and closer together, each person being careful not to cross that invisible line of comfort with the person next to them. The train would blow by and then screech to a halt. Pssst, the doors would open and the mass would move as one, patiently, quietly onto the train. There were the uptop riders that sat alone in their seats, sipping coffee and dreading the day ahead. There were the four packs that sat together each day, playing cards or just shooting the breeze. These were the most entertaining groups and I remember how amazing it was that these people formed a relationship with only their train schedule in common.
Most of the riders sat alone, taking whatever seat was available. Maybe they knew one or two people and said hello or asked about the kids. These riders seemed to give you a glimpse into what grown-up life was really like. Enjoy the hour or so that you have to yourself, rush to your job, rush back home to your family. Many people read books: romance, history, mysteries, I myself was on a Tom Robbins kick at the time. Some people knitted or did their cross stitch and a few worked on reports. Most of the people read the paper or slept.
There seemed to be all these rules that everyone followed, fold your paper so as not to crowd your neighbor, keep your briefcase between your legs, avoid smelly foods and please keep your voice down. I love people watching and I am quite the little rule follower so I was the perfect trainee for this unwritten set of train etiquette. I learned to stand and wait in line before the train made it to the station. I would follow the mass off the train, lighting a cigarette as I made it through the doors, up the escalator and down the road. This ensured that I would make it to work by 7:18, just enough time to get my gold jacket and be on the floor.
In the afternoon I would turn around and do the exact same trip only the rules would be relaxed as the regulars had an after work beer or snooze and students and old ladies in town for a shopping trip joined the train car. I myself always slept on the way home (I only missed my stop twice).
Once in awhile when Annie asks me to ride the train I think about my other life as a train rider. It's like a little present I hold for my girls and will one day give them. As they grow they will think they know everything there is to know about mommy and I will have all these little pieces of me tucked away that I can pull out and share with them. One day maybe Annie or Madison will land a big job in the city and become a corporate commuter and I will be able to tell them to stand near the people at the front of the train so you can get 3 extra minutes of sleep each morning.

I'm gonna do it....

8.30.2006

Allright, for a really long time I have had this crazy notion that I should enter a pie in my local fair. It was kinda one of those "someday I am going to enter a pie into the county fair." Well, last year I was at the Sandwich Fair and saw all these vegetables, flowers, cakes and pies that were entered and thought I could do this. I went to the web site this year and found out you could enter knitting and sewing and collections and all sorts of crafty suzy homemaker kinds of stuff. So I thought maybe I should give it a whirl this year. I did a bit of searching of blogs to see if people do this-people as in crazy 35-ish gals from the suburbs -and gosh oh my I found
State Fair Along

I signed up a bit ago and waffled on whether to enter or not, a friend of mine even gave me a premium book (that's where you find out all the catergories). I would page through, dream of fair glory and put it down. The deadline loomed, the deadline was today.
So after dropping Annie off at school Maddie, Autumn and I went for a lovely drive in the country to sign mommy up for the local fair! I am officially entering items in

Category 6 Entry 5461 Soft Molasses Cookies
Category 12 (Color Digital Prints) Entry 5191 Patriotic (image of statue of liberty)
Catergory 4 (Black and White Prints) Entry 5231 Child Life
Category 11 Entry 4291 Apron, kitchen, without bib
Category 16 Entry 4416 Tote bag
Category 22 Entry 4440 Stuffed Animal, any other dressed

Here is my Digital Print entry



Here is my Black and White entry



Not sure on the apron, I may try to whip one out this weekend, the stuffed animal will be my red bunny from the wee wonderfuls pattern and I have not picked a tote bag.

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(Just returning to this post after a 4 hour hiatus and now it's Project Runway Time.)

So if you are anywhere near the sandwich fair be sure to check it out. It is tons of fun with all the good fair stuff: monster trucks, antique tractors, a train ride, carnival, pork chop dinner, animals galore and my little bits of handmade goodies looking for a bright blue ribbon. See ya at the fair.

School starting, making crayons and mudpies.

8.27.2006

Here I am with all the big talk about my New York adventures and the great blog fodder it would bring. Well, it seems so darn daunting to tackle that big trip, with the many pictures and stories and condense it into a somewhat entertaing blog post. So, I am going to skip the big New York trip until tomorrow when Dan can grab the kiddos and leave me for some uninterrupted time to write. Given that it is 12:30 am and I have just run my fanny off at work all night I thought I would give my addled brain a break and share the easy to write about stuff with ya'll tonight. So here are some of the goings on around here this week.

Annie began her second year of preschool on Monday. This is her walking in to class...



from this picture you would think the girl is a bit shy. Not so much. She ran in said hello and and was right in the thick of it again.


While Annie was off at school, Maddie and I did a bit of harvesting from the garden.



The best part was when Maddie said "Mama, I like pickin' green-beans!" She also made me sit down with her on the bench and enjoy a few beans before we made it inside. Such a smart little girl.


I finally decided to do something about all the broken crayons in the house. I put the girls to work peeling all the paper off (score with a knife first). We then broke them all up and placed in muffin cups with liners and baked at 300 until melted, but not too melted. They didn't come out great but the girls had fun and we have some new crayons. Sorry forgot to take a picture of the crayons. For more on this look here and here.



We also did something crazy around here.....



painted our finger and toe nails. Big fun for both girls. ( I once did a project on household hazardous wastes and have not bought nail polish since, so this was a crazy big deal for us.)

So right from girly girl to mudpies. Our local park district had a mud morning complete with pigs. It was quite fun and definitly muddy.

A tentative start



followed by some mud swimming



then a bit of scooping and ladeling



and onto the grand finale a mud angel.



And thankfully they had big hoses to clean everyone off.

Hope you all had a fun filled week.

Home!

8.20.2006

Made it home safe and sound. Had a wonderful time in NYC and laughed and laughed and laughed. Way to much to share today, Annie starts preschool tomorrow at 9:00 a.m. so I need a good night of Central Time zone sleep. Lots of pictures and stories to tell, soon.
I Love NY!

Mama Says Om: Laugh

8.16.2006

Papa: "Oh, Anya you're so smart, one day you'll know more than I do."
Anya: "Sometimes I already do."
Papa: "Yes Anya, you do."

That little exchange gave me my best laugh of the day.
I also was treated to a few laughs as I
sang Miss Mary Mack (the Ella Jenkins version) in the car.
washed the car and sprayed Anya with water.
tickled Madison.
joked with customers at work.
snuggled Annie during rest time.

I am hoping to add a lot more laughter to my weekend. I am off for 3 nights and 4 days of crazy tourist delight in New York City, without my children! Yep, I said it without my children. I am so lucky to be taking this trip and it is very, very needed. I am going with my sister-in-law and her wonderful sisters. We should have a great time, lots of laughs to be had. This will only be the 2nd night I will be away from the children- in more than 4 years. I do believe it is much needed and well deserved. We will be laughing at a few shows, chuckling down 8th Ave as we shoe shop and giggling over cocktails at whatever hip bar will let a tragically unhip mommy in. (I do think I'll miss everyone, just a little bit, but not enough not to go.) And the best part is hubby took a few days off of work to be with the girls. If you see them all over the weekend try not to laught at their mismatched outfits and unbrushed hair.

Have a good laugh.

Little Red Rideing Rood with Diffent Charters to!

8.13.2006

A few weeks ago my nieces came to stay for the night. Annie and T.T. spent all morning putting on a puppet show. Everyone got into the act, including Madison as ticket taker and Katie as my theatre companion. Click the link below to enjoy a little slideshow of the performance.

View slideshow

Turkey Run!

8.12.2006

When Dan and I first started dating we would do some camping. I only remember using a tent when it was snowing. We usually just slept out under the stars. We had both done some backpacking and our camping trips were pretty bare bones affairs. We made coffee in a pot of boiling water with a bandana (not a recommended method) and brought very little food, usually a bottle of wine. As time went on we did less and less camping and then the girls came along. This year I finally convinced Dan that it was time to use that lovely Eureka tent we bought and used once. So we loaded up the car....



Yep, that's a fan and a radio and not only a tent but a rain canopy. So much for the bare bones camping experience. The easily packable bottle of wine was replaced by some Mike's Hard Lemonade and Hard Apple Crisp-yum.

and headed to Turkey Run State Park in Indiana. Eveyone enjoyed the trip, even Madison, between her cries of "Wont go hooome, wont go hooome." We did a bit of hiking, ate s'mores, didn't sleep much, hung out at the lodge when it rained, swam in the pool, tried a pony ride, and kept meal cooking to a minimum (cereal in the morning and hot dogs and hamburgers at night). The best part was the hike into the gorge and playing with the sand and sticks in the creek. We also were lucky to see a pair of Indigo Buntings flitting about. There is a great nature center with activities for the kids including feeding the birds in the morning. We saw red-headed woodpecker, downy woodpecker, blue jays and a groundhog.

Camping with the kids may mean 2 times as much stuff and 2 times as many feet to get blisters, but it also means 2 times as many opportunities for really special camping moments. Here are a few of ours:

Some great hiking through "giant rocks for dinosaurs"

Their first campfire and a dip in Sugar Creek

This is Annie leaping with glee as she ran across the suspension bridge on our first hike.

More camp at Mama Says Om

Simple Summer Fun!

8.04.2006

For more simple see Mama Says Om.

Have a simply fabulous weekend.

Mary, Mary quite contrary....

7.30.2006

how does your garden grow?

Here are some pictures of how the garden grows. We have also planted tomatoes, radish, carrots, broccoli, and a bunch of herbs. Maddie keeps picking green tomatoes and taking a bite. Last year they ate all the beans straight off the vines.

I think we may have a bumper crop of brussel sprouts but the corn is only 2 feet high and has tassels, that's not so good, right? Oh well, at least the girls can see a corn plant. We did harvest our first zucchini, yummy.

I also had this big idea to plant a "sunflower tunnel" for the girls but the bunnies kept eating the sunflowers so now all I have is two dirt patches in the middle of the lawn and a not too happy hubby.

Happy harvesting.

Mama Says Om: Tumble

7.25.2006

When either of my girls takes a little tumble I usually hold my breath and my reaction for a moment to see how they will react. I wait to see if it is a "big girl, you're ok" tumble or the "come to mommy and let me see moment". Thankfully, we have only had one "oh my goodness, can you take us to the hospital moment".
People often comment on how tough the girls are, falling from a slide or tripping on the sidewalk with hardly a tear. I was always a tough little girl and I think of myself now as a strong woman. You don't go through childbirth with out earning your tough badge. Most of the time this is one of my personal traits that I am most proud of. I know that my strength has helped me to be a better sister, daughter and wife.
Being a mother is being strong. There is no longer time for recharging your physical and mental strength. What once was plenty for one is now divided among 3. I now need the strength to prop up not just myself but also my two girls. But sometimes, I think I forget that you don't always have to be strong. Part of my job as a mother is to show my girls that it is okay to lean on others, to ask for someone else to carry the load for a little while. We all have little stumbles we take throughout our day and there is usually someone around to pat us on the back, a send us on our way. Sometimes even mommies need someone to call us over and take a look after we take a big tumble; someone to have the strength to carry us if just for a little while.

Thanks to all of you that carry me from time to time.

More on tumble at Mama Says Om.

Catching A Tumble

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Thrifted Goodies and Vintage Pattern Giveaway

I snuck away for a bit of thrifting while in Wisconsin and hit the jackpot some cheap craft goodies. There were hundreds of patterns, knitting needles and tons of notions. I kept throwing stuff in my basket until I realized I didn't know how much the patterns were. So here are some of my goodies.



5 pairs of knitting needles, 10 bits of rick-rac and binding, some great vintage fabric and other fabric odds and ends,3 skeins of embroidery yarn.




14 vintage patterns including a great set of 15 "bazaar crafts" for kids. I also got Annie a pair of Hanna Anderson Clogs for 50 cents, 2 books including Mike Mulligan and the Steam Shovel in spanish and the game Perfection. And 2 vintage yellow stripe pillowcases destined to skirts.

And the grand total for all this goodness...$13.68. Not bad. I love a big bags of goodies for under 20 dollars.


In celebration of my score I thought I would share with y'all. So here are 4 patterns from my outing.



Pattern 1-Dresden Plate Pattern, includes directions to make an apron, a quilt,floor pillow and more. Uncut

Pattern 2- Size 141/2 Dress and Ves Pattern (37" Bust) Dress patten is cut but it appears intact.





Pattern 3- Butterick Embroidery Transfers "Ethnic embroidery transfers; eleven different motifs, more thatn one of each" Unused.

Pattern 4- Girls size 10 (chest 28 1/2") Sleep-suit in two lengths with front-wrap robe and hat. Cut but seems intact.


See one that you like? I'm giving them away. Leave me a comment with the Pattern # (1,2,3, or 4) you are interested in and I will contact you to get address etc. (Please only request one pattern and I will send to the first person who requests) and send it out to ya.
Alright, I think that does it.
Have a great day.