Cottage industry

Every year, one of our favorite family traditions was a holiday project that would extend over the whole Thanksgiving weekend and involve everyone in the family.

Creating snowglobes, felt Santas, quilted stockings ... we were a crafty bunch!
Stages of the projects were spread out around forays to antique malls, meals of delicious left overs and watching holiday TV specials.

Everyone looked forward to our souvenirs of long holiday weekends together.
As I unwrap these gems every year, the memories come flooding back.

Without a doubt, my favorites are the ones we made with Plaster of Paris poured into antique chocolate molds.

I love how the 'raw' ones would come out - all white, even rusty

and be transformed by paint and some glitter into holiday treasures!

You can never have too much glitter, right?!

In fact, these were so much fun that I was inspired to seek out a new mold this fall and create a new project for myself this year.

It's been 'curing' since Thanksgiving night - and should be ready for prep and painting this weekend.

My whole family might not be joining in the creativity this time around, but I know they're with me in spirit!

Stay tuned for the angel 'reveal' later!!

Change of seasons

It's amazing to me how, despite the beauty of one season and how luxurious it can be,

in the blink of an eye, I'm ready to move on.

Getting ready for Christmas has been no easy task this year... monitoring Oreo is a full time job - and there's no way I can decorate on my usual 'scale' until I know how she'll do with all the hoopla.

So I'm scaling back - which to my youngest son is a huge joke - his exact words were "What, 9 trees instead of 12, Mom?"
No, smart ass... 1 big tree and 5 feather trees... in fact, I think I'll make it all about the trees this year...

OK, maybe a few favorite Santas

some angels,

some favorite works of art,

and, of course, favorite stories

There, almost ready...
the 'big tree' is still to go - but that won't get done until this weekend!

How are YOU coming with getting in the spirit of Christmas?

“It is not the clear-sighted who rule the world.  Great achievements are accomplished in a blessed, warm fog.”

Joseph Conrad  Praying today that this is true.... 'cause I see nothing clearly!

Not exactly BFFs...

but Pearl is tolerating the change in her life exceedingly well -

and it's not even been two weeks ~~

I'll take it!

we're all in the same boat

"Let everything happen to you...

beauty and terror.

Just keep going.

No feeling is final."

Rainer Maria Rilke

Shop Small Saturday

a reminder I certainly didn't need - 

that's about the only way I shop!

The only 'malls' I tolerate these days are antique malls. 

I don't go to any 'big box' stores 

and, as a single person, 

I simply don't need the quantity of anything 

that I feel the need to frequent 

chaotic 'membership' stores.

Nevertheless, this weekend,

I was delighted for the excuse 

to frequent my favorite stores - 

and frequent them I did!

From 9am - 3pm -

 immersing myself 

in all the quirky, 

arty, 

vintagey

 holiday offerings... 

what a visual delight!

See for yourself - 

Wouldn't this look terrific with a small Xmas tree on the seat?

Not for MY small house though...

Oh well; 

I'm content with my purchases...

a vintage blue tablecloth which is perfect 

for a new holiday look 

in the bathroom

an old wax scene which matches it perfectly

and old paper coasters from England 

which I might end up using to make a garland, 

or use as name tags on presents.

I haven't decided yet ...

what - 

like you've never bought things 

you weren't exactly sure 

how you'd use them!?

Hey, at less than $4.00,

they were a bargain!

I couldn't just leave them there!

Nothing major...

just enough in each store

to feel I was helping out

and treating myself 

at the same time.

I just might make shopping

small Saturdays

a weekly event!

Ho, Ho, Ho

Always a dubious greeting - 

I don't care who you are sayin' it!

Sadly, it took on new meaning in the ER this week.

If you work in peds, 

you know that most peoples generosity gene 

kicks in this time of year... 

stories of 100 Neediest cases, 

food pantries dispensing holiday 'baskets' of food, 

and donations of toys
to service agencies 

so no child is forgotten on Christmas Day... 

which is all well and good...

but come on, people, 

how 'bout exercising a little judgement 

and at least attempt 

to be 

culturally sensitive.

There were two groups

of dolls donated  to 

Child Life, 

available for distribution

in the ER.

Two options for minority girls

and two for pasty white girls.

Clearly if you have no skin pigmentation
you're either an anorexic
fashion plate

dressed for a funeral
in your little basic black dress

or you're a Laura Ingall wannabe

from Little House on the Prairie...

Also as clearly, 

all females of color are either

hootchie mamas

or prostitutes.

Are you frickin kidding me?

We're supposed to reinforce

all the worst racial stereotypes

in our overly sexualized culture
by passing these creatures out
to impressionable
little girls?

Nope; not gonna happen.

I was SO proud 

of our collective decision
to refuse to hand them out!

We'll give you the benefit of the doubt
and
 appreciate
what we can only hope was a
good intent behind the action
but
take your Ho's
somewhere else!

Go ahead...

overindulge...

but, at least, 

make SOME of it

heathy!

Give thanks...

Stand by

I stood by and watched as eminently qualified and generally confident physicians left the OR, defeated, to tell a mom there was nothing more they could do for her toddler; he was dying.

He was dying of massive abdominal injuries sustained during a beating by her boyfriend.

I stood by and watched as her wall of denial finally crumbled; denial that had allowed her to stand by and overlook bruises, traumatic hair loss, vomiting and increasing unresponsiveness for nearly a week.
Denial that allowed her to operate on the assumption that, although he beat her, he would never beat her child; denial that allowed her to depend on him as a babysitter while she worked to support the family.

I stood by and watched a scene repeat itself for the millionth time.

I stood by and did nothing - when every instinct in me wanted to smack the shit out of both the abuser and the person who failed so spectacularly to protect her child.

I stood by reminding myself: Do not become the evil you deplore.

Standing by sucks - and is hard - so sometimes, I sit.

Paying attention -

and you thought with all this puppy stuff, I wasn't paying attention to anything else..
oh, yea of little faith.

I just haven't had the time to blog about it!

The Betrayus scandal just keeps growing and morphing into something that gets less funny by the day.
As much as the late night comedians are having a field day, as someone who knows the pain of having a partner who can't seem to keep his pecker in his pants, with each 'joke', my thoughts keep turning to Mrs Petraceus and Mr Broadwell - and the kids who had NOTHING to do with any of this and whose parents are now center stage.
Such a tragedy.

Am I surprised some women are attracted to military power? No.
In fact I'm amazed at those folks who are surprised - does the phrase 'camp tramp' mean nothing to them?

Am I surprised people fail to honor sacred commitments, also, sadly NO.

What makes me angriest is that, as a parent of a child serving in the military, one who has risked his life in "the sandbox" - how the hell do these guys have the time to send thousands of emails to these bimbos??

What the hell are they doing with their time?
Aren't they supposed to be thinking of, and implementing, strategies to get us out of the Middle East?

This has already been the longest, most pointless war in American history... clearly when the guys in charge have stopped caring enough to work at it, it's time to get the hell out of dodge, NOW!

It's been interesting to see so many talking heads try to dance around and say what an admirable guy Petreaus is when we have his words and actions telling us a very different story!

I guess Graham Greene was right when he said: If God had wanted us to behave rationally, he wouldn't have given us genitals!

The very definition of a hot mess!

The honeymoon may be over!

Really, Pearl?
Up on the furniture to get away from your new sister!
I guess sometimes a girl just needs a break!


A break - from me???

Get real!

Settling in

Lordy - why didn't someone remind me how exhausting it is to have a puppy!!?

You'll hear the huge cheer going up the day she's big enough to 'do' stairs!!
Feels like I'm training for a marathon - carrying 15 lbs up and down the deck stairs all day and into the night!
Still haven't completely figured out the logistics of crate set up and training during the day... but I figured it out with my other ones so I'm sure this one will survive as well.

Seeing Oreo and Pearl play cracks me up... a total mismatch of size.

(don't you love the butt shadow marking?)

I'll say this about Oreo - she's determined and fearless!
Pearl holds back well and then, when she's had enough, simply knocks her over.

Seems no worse for the wear though...

Sorry about the quality of the pictures... something is seriously wrong with my 'good' camera - and I can't figure out how to find the time to get it in for evaluation and/or repair.
These are taken with my point and shoot - funny how quickly the standards get raised for what's an OK image!

Hopefully a world of normalcy, being able to run errands and get things done will return soon...
puppy logistics are confounding me at the moment!

Have a wonderful weekend, friends!