skip to main |
skip to sidebar
Ummm...I just published the post before this one...and as usual, I looked over the finished post to check for typos and stuff. I just realized there are four frogs in my picture...but I only made three! I remember pulling the three of them out of the kiln this morning...cleaned them up... took them outside for a photo... When I put them down on the table to get a picture, there were three! I snapped the pics and came back in the house...with three in my hand! Returning to the kitchen table where I left them, the three frogs are sitting on my bead box in the same position I put them down in:
Here are the pink, purple, and blue frogs. The pink one came out funny, so the blue and purple ones are going to be used for the frog exchange. But I don't see the second pink frog that was in my picture in the last post! I looked around the table, but couldn't find any trace of it! Maybe I imagined it. Nope... I just went back to look at the first post again, and there is the fourth frog. I even pulled up the picture from the file on the computer, and there it is. Here is a close-up of the mystery frog:
I'm going outside to see if I can find it out there.
Last night was the first time in a couple of weeks that I have been able to sit down at the torch. I signed up for a frog exchange project on Lampwork Etc., and needed to come up with a pair of frogs. What I like about swaps and projects is that it gives you an opportunity to try something new. I have never made a frog before.... wait...that's not true. When I first started out, one of my first 20 beads I ever made was a little frog head. It was pretty goofy and simple. I haven't tried a frog since! Yes, I know, frogs aren't really pink, purple, or blue... but I figured green was an expected color -- so why not be different? I made three frogs last night...even though I only needed two. I usually try to make an extra bead just in case something happens to one, or in case of fugliness.
I'd try to post some snappy thoughts about this subject...but my hands are sticky. Need I say more?
Well... it could either be a flaming asparagus or a lightning bug... Hmmmm....I'll have to go with Z's guess...she is a native Pennsylvanian...so she should know all about lightning bugs.On the other hand...there's me. This August I will have been here in PA for four years! I still feel like a tourist sometimes though.... especially when the lightning bugs come out. Maybe it's too many rides on the Pirates of the Carribean... you know, the faux lightning bugs in the beginning of the ride.... They are so magical... how they just hover in the air... glowing quietly from here to there. So there I am twisting around in the yard snapping my camera at the air. People driving by probably think I'm nuts. This is the best picture I have been able to capture so far. What a challenge! I don't think I'm done trying yet. Check back with me in four more years. Thanks for guessing, Z and sillyduckie!
Thursday we had a nice surprise... Jen had a free afternoon and wanted to know if we were up for a last-minute play date. It's not too difficult because Hanover is just about 30 minutes away (slow roads... in terms of distance, it's just a close neighbor.) Unfortunately it took her well over an hour to get to our house due to traffic! Yikes! After she finally arrived, the kids got to have some fun in the pool. Here are the Splishies: David, Sammie, and Paden:
Let's play a little guessing game. What do you think this is a picture of? Let's see what kind of crazy ideas you can come up with!
Does this ever happen to you? You are just going along minding your own business...your brain is chattering to itself in the background about, I dont know, some discussion about observations, which usually you kind of just ignore and keep on with what you are doing. Then you hear, "Sometimes I feel like I'm just existing." -- WHAT?? HOLD ON A MINUTE HERE! What in the world are you guys talking about in there? So you stop a moment to try to figure out what that was all about, only to hear the following discussion:"Sometimes I feel like I'm just existing.""Why do you say that?""Well, it's already Wednesday, and I haven't accomplished a damn thing! I blink and suddenly the week is over, and what have I done?""True, you have been a little slow at getting things moving, but that doesn't mean you accomplished nothing at all.""Oh, yeah? What did I do then?""Well yesterday you played in the pool with the kids.""So! What did that accomplish?""You made them laugh.""Yeah, well that was only for an hour or so. What about the rest of the day?""Well then you dried them off and took them back outside to play in the sand box. You sat there for at least an hour building a sand castle with them and making a mess in the watery turtle sand box!""Okay...but my work still didn't get done, so what did I accomplish?""You let them make a mess and enjoy the feeling of wet sand between their toes."Sometimes when these little debates happen inside my head, I tend to take the side of the voice that is saying, "Yeah, but," and being stressed out. I'm still learning that most of the time she's wrong.
I was awoken early this morning to a haunting BANG outside. It was like I was dreaming. It was a little after 1:00 a.m. The main street we live off of has been having plenty of accidents lately...the most recent of which was this past Wednesday morning when a tractor trailer took out an electric pole up the road about a block. We were without power for a few hours that morning. So I stumbled out of bed and looked through the bathroom window. I could see an older car had run into a pole on the corner and smoke was coming out from under the hood. Keith woke up and wondered what I was doing. I just said, "Accident! Bad! Come on!" I was dialing for emergency services when I noticed there was already a volunteer fire police guy with the blue light on his car on the scene. "How did he get there so fast???" There was a spooky feeling about it, and I half expected to see a dead body, so I was surprised when I saw the driver was shoving some stuff into his trunk. He then yelled, "I'm going home to clean up my cuts! I live at XXXX East X Street!" Then he just walked away! I couldn't believe the volunteer that was mysteriously there was letting him walk away from the scene! Soon authorities were there getting a handle on the situation, and not too long after, the man returned, shirtless and carrying a towel. He sat on the curb talking, then I heard, "Stand up and put your hands behind your back!" Needless to say, he got a free ride across town.
And where was Mr. Kitty during all of this? Sound asleep on our door mat, hoping we would come back and give him some attention when all the commotion was over! Silly cat!
In celebration of Father's Day, Keith decided to enjoy his special day instead of going in to work... and go to see monster trucks at William's Grove in Mechanicsburg instead!! Since he is still on the call board though, we had to wait to see if they would actually call him in first before he booked off... well, they called all right... right in the middle of the National Anthem!!! (How embarrassing!) Keith tried not to be disrespectful, but he couldn't ignore the call. Here is David wearing his ear protectors, which he was very anal about! At first he didn't want to wear them, but once he had them off, he was so persistent about keeping them on, even during intermission! 
Here's a shot of a truck called "Bad News" doing a jump. David enjoyed the show...when he wasn't begging for merchandise, that is. 
. The raceway is part of William's Grove Park, which has a small little amusement park across the street. We have taken the kids there on several occassions, and they always have a great time. It is an older park that has some pretty ancient rides, mostly for small kids, but is perfect for picnics and inexpensive entertainment. David is a little taller now, so I was able to take him on the few bigger rides that they have there, like the Tilt-A-Whirl. Here he is with his daddy at the park:
It was nice to treat David and Keith to a Father and Son day. David has not really had either of us to himself since Samantha was born, so he needed some "alone" time. I love it when both of my boys are smiling.
Looking back on five years ago today... that was such a different place in our life together. It seems so intangible... so long ago. At first, approaching our 5th Anniversary, I was in awe that this much time has already passed us by. It happened in a blink. I was about to say, "Where did the time go," but then sat down and realized all that has happened in this time. We were not just sitting still while the world turned on without us. We really have moved forward WITH time! It didn't just pass. We became a family... There is no room to be selfish anymore because our population has doubled! There are four lives in this circle now, and every decision made affects all four of us. I won't say it has been a perfect five years. There have been challenges and struggles... all of us trying hard to figure out what we are doing and how to work best with each other. We are still learning.Five years is just a small slice of our lives. We spent that much time just being infants, then toddlers, then getting ready for kindergarten... so how can I think that five years is sooooooo long? We are still just babies, and we still have so much to learn together...two of us leading this family forward...and trying hard to balance the perfect combination of love, patience, frustration, understanding, faith, joy, and heartache. We're getting there! For the most part, our hard work is paying off, and I reflect on this time as being full of thousands and thousands of smiles, tears, and laughs. Here's to the last five years, and the many more years of opportunity for us to create something fantastic!
.
The last few days have been humid and miserable... but Mr. Kitty found a cool spot on our porch to nap...
"You flicker and you're beautiful...you glow inside my head...you hold me hypnotized...I'm mesmerized..."
A picnic at Rocky Ridge caught the attention of this little guy, and he wandered onto our table. After some maneuvering, we managed to get him back to the foliage where he belonged.
Yesterday, June 7th, my Keith turned 35. Just thought I would embarrass him by putting up a picture of him. He he. Happy Birthday, you pain in the butt! I love you!
My mother is all the way in California, while I'm out here in PA. Most of the time, I feel pretty good about being out here so far away from everyone.... but there are moments when I feel so helpless when certain events are happening out there with my family.For the past few weeks, my mom has been dealing with uncertain female medical issues, both upstairs and downstairs, if you know what I mean. I think it's safe to say that breast cancer runs in my family. This is but only one concern my mom is dealing with right now. She has also been experiencing strange bleeding and pain. At first she thought maybe just a bladder infection was coming on... conversations and tests even had brought her to the conclusion that she needed a hysterectomy. Well today she went for a consultation with an OB/Gyn... who didn't think she needed a hysterectomy... he gave her a biopsy in the office.... because he suspects she could have cancer.... in her kidneys.I didn't know what to say or do. I can't give her a hug. I can't hold her hand. All I can do is wait here for her to call me in a week when she gets the results. She has an appointment with the same cancer doctor that treats my grandmother. I am not sure what might come next... just wanted to vent. Thanks.
Lasagna milk shakes, anyone? Ewwwwww!
Today is June 4th, 2005... 12:35 a.m. The house is silent as my children sleep quietly. My David is curled up with his "night-night friends" and his "two-holes blankie" -- fresh from the clothes dryer. Let me tell you a little bit about this blankie. When David was only a few months old, my dad had a spinal fusion at Torrance Memorial Hospital. We still lived in Escondido at the time. A very sweet Japanese-American woman spent practically every hour of her time with her ill husband in the same room my dad was in. I watched her hands crochet soft little baby blankets without a pause. She also spent many hours chatting with my dad, which I think helped keep him from feeling so lonely. This was also a difficult time for my dad to be in the hospital because his father passed away at the same time he was recovering from the procedure, and he really couldn't leave to be by his mother's side. Before this gentle friend took her husband home, she gave little David this soft pink, blue, and white blanket, which he fondly calls his "two-holes blankie" because of the natural crochet "holes" it has. It was THREE years ago today that I had trouble sleeping. I was tossing and turning and crying in my bed... I was so nervous about what was to come next. Early that morning we would be driving up to Hershey Medical Center where they would be STOPPING my 18-month old baby's little heart. Yes, the part that bothered me most was the idea that they were going to stop his heart in order to fix the hole. The thoughts that raced through my head were frightening. (I was also eight months pregnant with Samantha, so the thoughts of my son's funeral were interrupted now and then with images of a big bowl of ice cream) As much as I had faith in Dr. Myers, who is an amazing surgeon, by the way, I still had that natural mother's worry gene within me. We packed up David, the big bunny he calls "Bunny Pies" that was given to him at his first Easter from my dad, (which is in his bed at this very moment as part of his night-night friend club), and that soft little pink, blue, and white blankie -- fresh from the clothes dryer -- and headed up to Hershey for David's open-heart surgery.As the anesthesiologists carried him into the O.R. ...the double doors closing behind them as he stared at me in confusion, his blankie tagging along... my heart broke in two, and I fell apart completely. Time passed slowly, but soon David was on his way to the PICU (Pediatric Intensive Care Unit), where he would try to rest for the next painful 48 hours. His heart was mended nicely, and the enlargement process was stopped in it's tracks.Here is a picture taken in the PICU later that day of the surgery, his blankie keeping him warm:
He was quite agitated, even by my attempts to comfort him, and we had to separate ourselves from him so that he could rest and recover. I felt so helpless.Day 2 came, and David was 50% better. He was a little more sleepy than agitated now... but still quite uncomfortable:
The nurses in the PICU were so wonderful to him, and he moved into a less intensive department on Day 2. The following day he was ready to move about, if you can believe that! We wheeled him out of the hospital in a wagon... accompanied by a balloon that was bigger than he was. I was so happy to be bringing him home this way:
Day 4 found him running around the house and playing as if nothing had happened! We couldn't lift him up under the arms, which made diaper changing interesting. He even gave me and my mother a scare once. He was playing around with a ball and fell on it with his chest. We gasped, but he seemed to be okay. Shortly after that, he came running out of his room, and I noticed his breast bone was bulging considerably larger than before! I panicked, and so did my mom. We were so scared he had done some damage to his wired up sternum. I lifted up his little shirt, and that little fart had tucked a plastic toy screwdriver in his shirt!! 
It really was amazing how quickly he was recovered... and it was like he was a new little boy. I never noticed his energy level before that, but after the surgery, his energy seemed to double...and he hasn't stopped since! Here is David now... three years later... a faint line and a tiny circle remind us of the day they fixed his "boo-boo heart". 
. I love you, David! Happy Boo-Boo Heart Anniversary! We are so lucky that you are all better now... a healthy, happy, funny, creative little boy.
Okay... I procrastinated in posting this long enough! Here is the SWEATER, complete with (unintentional) bell-bottom sleeves!!!!!
TAAAAAAAAADAAAAAA!!!
(I still have to do something about the dead-end strings, but I'll get to that soon! he he)
I probably should have continued on the body more to make it longer, but I was a little impatient. Here's a close-up of the flower embellishment I put at the neckline. It has some fun triangular beads crocheted into it.
I just want to thank you guys for cheering me on! I'm ready for the next disaster....errr, project. LOL!
Sunday found us in Hanover at Scott, Jen, and Paden's new place. They hosted a house warming / Memorial Day BBQ. They are renting a nice semi-detached house that gives them more room and a nice little yard. Recently Jen's parents were visiting from California, and they bought Paden a motorized Harley Davidson kiddie bike! David fell in love with it the moment he saw it. It was hard to get him to stop riding it. Here's David and Sammie: 
Later in the day he picked up another passenger... a cute little four-year old girl named Lindsay! They were so cute together. Sammie got a little upset though because now David wouldn't let her ride with him. He was saving the back of the bike for his little biker chic! Sammie came back pouting, "David won't let me ride!" I said, "Aaah, get used to it, Baby! It won't be long before your brother will be choosing to hang out with cute girls over his own little sister."
Isn't she cute? I hope his future girlfriends are all as nice as she was though. She really was a little sweetie. I can see him and Paden fighting over her years from now.
Well, at first when I realized I only had one day or two at the most (since I procrastinated) to do my 15 beads, I was kind of worried I couldn't pull it off. I just wasn't too confident in the beginning that I could create anything nice with the color combo chosen. Day two came and I settled down at the torch. I made up my mind that it wasn't about the guidelines, but about the art... so instead of worrying about the color combo, the size specifications, and the shape, I let loose a little bit and here is the result:
My biggest obstacle, and part of the reason I have not really made anything to sell on eBay in a very long time, is that I hesitate because I worry to myself, "Will people like this? Will people want to buy this?" I really just want my beads to be enjoyed. I have to silence that little voice and just create what feels natural to me. That's how a fish bead got in there. I wasn't going to make any fish for this project because they are a little more fragile, and I wouldn't be handling them myself. I know that the beads will be in careful hands though. I hope that the 15 people who receive my beads at the gala will enjoy them.
Here are the pink, purple, and blue frogs. The pink one came out funny, so the blue and purple ones are going to be used for the frog exchange. But I don't see the second pink frog that was in my picture in the last post! I looked around the table, but couldn't find any trace of it! Maybe I imagined it. 
