My holiday was very nice in spite of the fact that I spent all of it sick.  Today is the first day that I have not woken up with a chest full of goo –  hip hip hooray.  I still feel rather punky, but its at a “nasty head cold” level as opposed to bronchial now.  Aside from my overall gratitude at simply feeling better – I am so grateful to not be needing to take so much cold medicine as it tends to trigger horrible bouts of tachycardia and anxiety which then feed off of each other in a lovely spiral.

We made it to my cousin’s house for Xmas Eve and I spent the whole night wishing I was home in bed.  Xmas Day dawned and I managed to pull off being chipper and cheerful while cooking the entire spread in spite of wishing I was, you guessed it, back in bed.  The only thing I didn’t manage to pull of was taking as many pictures as I usually do of the whole visiting family and present unwrapping stuff. 

The kids accrued a pile of loot (most of which was either a gift from other people or purchased on clearance) and seemed to have a good day overall.  I have made it a point to sit down and play some of their new board games with them as the whole point behind them – whether the tag said they were from Mom & Dad, Mr. Grumpy, or from Santa  – was the implied promise of more family time. 

Their favorite gift, by far, was from Mr. Grumpy – SingStar – they got 3 music collections – Pop, 80′s, and Amped – as well as the required microphones. They spent most of Christmas Day and night playing with this one gift and broke it out the next day as well. I really like this game because scoring is based on accuracy of pitch and timing so it actually builds vocal skill as opposed to games like Guitar Hero which teach you to memorize button combos.

GamerDude and I don’t exchange. It takes one pressure away from the season and we’d rather spend the money on the kids than on ourselves. This year though I bought him an inexpensive bottle of cologne which I thought smelled nice and GamerDude gave me the gift of finishing, staining, and sealing a walking stick that a friend had given me a couple of years ago. Our primary gift from my father was exactly what we had asked for, Mr Grumpy gave us some needed repair work on our car.   

In other news, my friend “M” made it down this year for Xmas and it was very nice to see her and catch up. It had been about a year and a half since her last visit which is for the record way too long. I am hoping that we can get together with her over the summer for a weekend or something.

Miss Artistic turned 13 on the day after Xmas.  She spent the morning hanging out with her Aunt “M” as I had to work a half day and in the evening, after “M” had returned to her own family, we did presents and cake and took her out to dinner.  Dinner was Mr. Grumpy’s treat in spite of his (having caught my respiratory bug) being too sick to accompany us.  We went to a local Hibachi place, ate with chopsticks, and overall truly enjoyed our meals.  Miss Artistic’s best friend “J” came with us and more and more of late she is becomming the 3rd child I never had – especially when she refers to us as her “other family”.  She loves being here and she’s generally a pleasure to have around.  She’s a true friend to my daughter and for that I can’t help but love her.

I worked the rest of the week and a Saturday shift as well.  After work yesterday my friend Mel came over and we did the whole Winter Holiday thing. She picked up items for each of my girls which really reflected their personalities and got us incense and a beautiful tea light lamp. Her gift to the family was Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

She was really sneaky as she told me she was bringing the movie and something small for me but neglected to mention how much she was actually bringing.  So I wound up feeling a little light on my end.  I got her some dark chocolates and a Radica Harry Potter 20 Questions Electronic Game. The later was a huge hit and we had a good bit of fun playing with it. We also watched OOTP and finished up the night playing with one of Miss Artistic’s presents from Christmas Day - Scene It? Deluxe Harry Potter 2nd Edition.

Overall my holidays were very nice.  I am stressed now with the worries attatched to everything I spent and how I am going to catch up on my bills.  But, aside from this week in which I lost 2 day’s (Tuesday and today) pay I am still entitled to overtime.  So I will be working as much as my body will allow. 

I was supposed to have New Year’s Day off and Lady Rose and her crew were supposed to be coming over for our little Yule but I am now working.  I am at once disappointed at not seeing her and relieved that the universe is providing me with some of the money I need.  5 hours of overtime is a good good thing.  I am hoping that we can get together on the 6th as I will be home from work by 1:30 and not required to be back at work until 12 noon the next day.

That’s about it in a nutshell.  I hope each and every one of our readers had a lovely holiday.  I am off now to work on a project for college that is due in 2 short weeks related to the time I spent in classroom observation. That is my primary task for the day when I am not playing with my girls.  I think today we’ll be breaking out Cranium Wow and High School Musical Mystery Date.

Brightest Blessings

May 2008 be better than 2007!!!!

Mama Kelly

Written by Mama KellyTags:birthday, Christmas

Granny Squares – you either love them or hate them. It depends on my mood, which way I feel about them. I don’t often have the patience to deal with a project that calls for a lot of small squares (all those loose ends to weave in and squares to sew together), but to whip up a lovely, quick baby blanket or small throw blanket I do enjoy making one large granny square or 4 to 6 large ones to be joined. But the granny square is far more then a simple way to create a blanket and can be used for a variety of projects. I am always drawn to the beauty and endless variety of the granny square as well as the symbology and magical apsects that can be associated with creating them.

Symbolically starting with a circle center and working out to a square is very meaningful. The circle: without beginning and without end, the mother of all things. The square: stability, four elements and four seasons, the external nature (physical); and the square consists of two equal triangles – the triangle represents the internal nature (spirit).

Creating squares also offers a lot of variety for color and yarn choices that can be selected for their meaning and symbology. Once you have mastered a few basic granny squares patterns you have at your disposal an almost limitless choice of color combos and options.

I received a inquiry from a blog reader about recommending resources for granny squares and I have listed a few of my favorites below.

50 Sensational Crochet Afghans & Throws (Oct. 2007) – the afgan on the cover is my favorite (it looks like stained glass). Patterns are clear and understandable, yarns are obtainable and affordable, nice color photos and updated, new ideas. I just got this book for Christmas and look forward to exploring the patterns in the near future.

Crochet Squared: 30 Easy Crochet Projects Made from Simple Squares (Aug. 2006) – includes directions for beginners, has some lovely patterns for wearable items (ponchos, shawls, drapes, scarf), encourages you to be creative and make the patterns your own.

Crochet Blocks in a Box: 50 Great Designs at Your Fingertips (Aug. 2007) – 50 mix and match designs on handy cards for the beginner and expert, instructions are for 6 inch squares. Offers a wide range of block designs—lacy to figurative, medallions and rosettes to chevrons and ripples, some with beaded effects.

201 Crochet Motifs, Blocks Patterns and Ideas (April 2007) – a terrific resource that will keep you mixing and matching for years to come. Once you start, you will realize the possibilities are endless. Each motif is displayed in a close-up colour photo with easy-to-follow stitch diagram. Full instructions are given for the type of yarn to use, tension and the size, and tips on how to achieve the best result. The book also has sketches and photos showing how the motifs can be used alone or several together, or partnered with other motifs for projects that include cushions, coverlets, afghans, scarves, wraps, bags and totes.

200 Crochet Blocks for Blankets, Throws, and Afghans: Crochet Squares to Mix and Match (Sept. 2004) – lots of good ideas and patterns to keep you inspired. Not much in the way of listings for suppliers, but yarn can be mixed and match and doesn’t have to be what is listed in the book. There are some errors in the instructions that might confuse a beginner, but Interweave Press posts corrections for all their books on their web site.

Geometrics: A New Way to Crochet (Leisure Arts #4398) (July 2006) – way beyond the granny square, and not for a beginner. I haven’t tried these yet, but enjoyed looking through the book at the library and have added it to my must have wish list. It is simple geometry meets your crochet hook to create more than 25 exquisite designs using three mathematical concepts. For example, Dragon Curve for a Luxury Scarf, Diamond Shawl, Labyrinth (wall hanging); Golden Ratio designs include Golden Scarf, Summer Wall Hanging, Star Afghan; and Fibonacci Sequence for Scarlet Scarf, Striped Rug, Square Baskets, and Circles Poncho.

Happy crocheting and Bright blessings, Lady Rose

Written by Lady RoseTags:crocheting, granny squares

Crochet Projects Galore - since Thanksgiving I have been crocheting a lot (most were for Yule gifts). As promised here are some photos of items I made recently.

Light Blue Rectangular Shawl, with matching fingerless gloves and wide headband (Yule gift for my mom). Shawl pattern is from my favorite book that I use a lot for blankets, also is the pattern source for the triangular shawl and extra wide scarf pictured below: The Prayer Shawl Ministry: Reaching Those in Need.

Pink Poncho (for my daughter, Angelgirl)

Vest in varigated white and pink (for my daughter, Angelgirl) – this was made earlier this year, but finally got a photo taken of it.

Granny Square Blanket in varigated white and purple (Christmas gift for my friend B.) – made one BIG square, with last row simple border.

Not sure yet what I’m doing with these two items below:

Ying/Yang Extra-Wide Scarf (two colors: deep plum and light plum). I made another one like this in white and dark green that I will be donating.

Triangular Shawl (Alpaca yarn) – I made two others likes this also last year but in different colors as Christmas gifts, one for friend Mama Kelly and one for my friend B.

Other projects:
I also made an extra long scarf in a soft gray alpaca yarn for hubby, but we couldn’t find it at the time we were taking photos. Early this morning I finished up a tri-colored throw blanket (no photo yet) of light blue, pale green and white – not sure what I’m doing with it, possibly donating.

I have one project in the works with only 5 more rows to go – a deep plum poncho in adult size like the pink one I made for my daughter which I will most likely keep for me.

My first project for the new year will be using a recently purchased very cool batch of a purple\black sparkly yarn (multi stranded of mixed types thread woven together). I am not sure what I’m going to make from it yet. There were only three balls (100 grams) of it left in an ebay auction, from a seller that makes only small batches of one of kind blended yarns. I have never worked with anything like it before but it is just lovely. Mostly like I will make an open type stitch patterned wrap\shrawl. I’ll be sure to post photos once I finished.

As a Yule gift to myself I ordered some wiccan crafts books and crochet pattern books from Amazon and ebay. I also have a set of birch wood crochet hooks that I blessed and keep on my altar when not in use. I am looking forward to a new year filled with lots of arts and crafts.

Bright Blessings, Lady Rose

Written by Lady RoseTags:crocheting, gifts

This is not our art, but the art of a talented artist Jamie Robertson.

Mama Kelly has been reading Jamie’s online comic Clan of the Cats for almost as long as her youngest child, Princess Nibbles, has been alive and never grows tired of it. It blends the supernatural, the occult, elements of true Wicca, and everyday life issues into a comic that can be sweet, tragic, captivating, and always entertaining.

Since Jamie was kind enough to allow us to borrow this strip last year we have done so again.  If you have never read it, give it a try …. it is on hiatus until the new year but you can start at the beginning by clicking here.

Blessings

Mama Kelly

&

Lady Rose

Written by Mama KellyTags:Christmas

I called my neighbor this morning to find out about having her daughter over for a few hours to be told that the funeral was TODAY.  The “rush” was due to her husband’s Jewish faith and caught us off-guard with only about an hour to get ready to go.  The service was very very close to home and the room at the funeral parlor was filled to the rafters.  There was nowhere left to sit or stand and people were spilling out into the hallway.  It is a testament to their involvement in the school community, their kids’ extra-curricular activities, and their respective houses of worship that so many people turned out to pay their respects.  I was glad that we went as it was apparent immidiately upon seeing L that my presence mattered to her. 

Afterwards we stopped at the local supermarket to pick up some last minute items and as a result I now have all of the food in the house I need for Xmas Dinner, including the vegan “margarine” that my girlfriend’s milk allergy requires.  One less thing to do — hooray!!

We are almost done for the holidays …..

Nearly everything is wrapped.  GamerDude has a few items to work on tomorrow, but nothing too significant.  I also have to send him out to pick up a few bottles of booze for Mr. Grumpy.  Miss Artistic is in her room working on some kind of special project for my Xmas present.  Princess Nibbles is happily playing with an early Xmas gift (a MyScene Barbie) she got on “tree-trimming day” from one of her “aunts”.  The house is quiet and we are waiting on an order of pizza.  

On the down side, I am officially fighting off a bug of some kind.  My throat feels raw, my eyes are burning, and my sinuses are sore.  It is no surprise with the work schedule I have been keeping and the fact that Princess Nibbles herself has been sick.  I am hoping beyond all else that I am successful at fighting it off as I truly cannot afford to take any time off from work as I am losing enough already with them being closed for the holidays. 

I hope to post here and there in spite of the holiday madness but, in case I’m not, I wish each and every one of our readers a Joyous holiday season and a Blessed 2008

Mama Kelly

Written by Mama Kelly

Free and Magickal Graphics by MyspaceMagick.com

This morning we received some very sad news.  Princess Nibbles’ best friend J’s father died, suddenly and unexpectedly and all too young.

The details are fuzzy at this point as my one conversation with the widow was as disjointed as one would expect when someone is obviously numb with shock and grief and horror.  My heart is simply broken for the entire family.  And while many of my anxieties are entirely valid ones, the seem to shrink in the face of their situation. 

I went into work - my 30th day in a row – and got back home about an hour ago.  The rest of today is earmarked to do some last minute shopping, finish the wrapping and curl up in front of the TV tonight with nibbles and a drink.  Tomorrow the plan is to be available to my neighbor as she wants J and Princess Nibbles to see each other in hopes that it will give her daughter a breather from the grief.  I do not know if we will have J here or if Princess Nibbles and I will go there, that is still up in the air, but I want to make sure that my day is relatively clear either way.

We had a houseful of company last night and it was a good time over all.  The younger guests “the cousins” decended on the buffet table like a swarm of locusts and I had to call the adults to come and make plates before “all the good stuff was gone.”  This was probably the first year that the kids came and actuallly ate rather than just spend the whole night running around like lunatics and turning their noses up at something so trivial as hot appetizers, 3-foot sub, and various nibbles.

Princess Nibbles has a virus of some kind and was running a fever and not eating last night and by this morning her fever was down but the vomiting had begun.  Here’s hoping she gets better quick, and that noone else (like me) catches it.

We are spending Xmas Eve at my cousins’ house, though we may also be attending a funeral that morning, - and Xmas Day is a slow paced day here at home.  Our only guest is a friend of mine M who I met when I was 8 or so.  It seems strange to know that I’ve known her since I was younger than Miss Artistic.  Maybe one day it will be my girls having a holiday meal with their own childhood friends just like this.

Holiday Blessings to you all

Joyous Yule

Mama Kelly

Written by Mama KellyTags:Christmas

Just in time for New Year’s, making a commitment to help stop the pollution from dumping water bottles into land fills is a great way to help the earth and very worthwhile resolution.

My husband read an article awhile ago about how the whole bottled water market explosion was a surprise, that it was never intended or expected to have expanded the way it did, but since people are willing to waste money on bottled water companies are going to exploit that and cash in on it – however, the effect is a ton of wasted plastic in our landfills.

Most bottled waters are no better then our tap water. Sure they are convenient, and yes water is the best beverage you can drink – but you don’t NEED to buy tons of bottles of water when there are lots of ways to carry healthy, clean water with you.

I’m going to be buying two of these FilterForGood refillable bottles. For every bottle purchased between August 10th and January 31st, 2008, a donation of $4 will be made to the Blue Planet Run Foundation (the first global, mobile effort to make safe drinking water a reality for everyone).

Want to make a difference and do something for planet Earth? Take the pledge as one of your New Year’s Resolutions to reduce the amount of waste you produce and reduce the amount of water bottles you throw away. Want to help reduce global warming and help make safe drinking water a universal reality? Buy a commemorative Filter For Good – Refill Not Landfill bottle (this is the original that got it all started and is still the best) and Nalgene and Brita will donate proceeds to Blue Planet Run.

Bright Blessings to all, Lady Rose
(cross posted on Diet Pulpit)

Written by Lady RoseTags:recyle, water

I have off from work starting today and I don’t go back until Jan. 2  yippee!!   I have been in a creative crocheting frenzy for a few weeks now as I mentioned in an earlier post.   I am working on one last holiday gift – it is a HUGE project for a special friend and I’m hoping it’s done by Christmas (or at least shortly after before our scheduled holiday visit).    I am sooooooo very excited about this project – I’ve never ever made anything like this before, but it’s a secret and I can’t tell you about it yet because I don’t want to spoil the surprise.    

I have been getting so many cool ideas for crafting projects that I want to do next year.  I am hoping the inspiration continues, but more importantly I hope I have the energy and time to actually make some of them.  

Our kitten loves our tree. She is very good at climbing it. Our favorite pastime now is sptizing her with the spray bottle when ever she reaches for a tree branch. But to save our sanity we decorated the tree with all nonbreakable ornaments – candy canes, xmas cards, some shatter proof balls from the dollar store, and some foam ornaments from a kit.

I have all the gifts wrapped, all the cards in the mail, hubby and Angelgirl are doing the holiday baking, so I can relax and enjoy the holidays. I did go overboard a little on spending, but starting Jan. 1 I am retiring the credit card.

For the New Year I’m focusing on getting my finances in order – the credit card got way way way too high last year (mostly because of the cost of the HUGE Harry Potter party we had last May for Angelgirl’s 11th birthday). I decided it was best to pay it off as soon as possible because interest rates have got sky high so I took most of our savings and got the balance down as low as I could and in two or three months it should be at zero, then I’ll focus on replacing the funds to savings – NO more spending for me!

Hope everyone has an awesome, safe and happy holiday!  Lady Rose

Written by Lady RoseTags:Christmas, creativity, crocheting, holiday

I am sorry I have been so silent of late.  Today was day 25 or somesuch in a row going into work.  I have a to do list about a mile long that in part deals with the fact that we are having company on Friday.   I have food to buy, a house to clean, and other miscellaneous tasks to do.

Most of these will have to wait until Thursday night …

While I took my final in my American Literature class (online) on Saturday … tonight and tomorrow night will be spent preparing for my final in History of New Jersey on Wednesday.

I am not very concerned about my performance on the former but oh sweet Lady am I worried about my performance on the later.   The professor is psychopathic passionate when it comes to the subject and expects no less from her students.  The problem with this is the fact that none of us are history majors, we are taking it as a required class and so her enthusiasm is lost on us.

Additionally, I have piles of presents to wrap, projects to finish crocheting and holiday cards to address and mail.

To make matters even more complicated, my abdominal issues are flaring up again …. due to overwork, high anxiety, and a momentary loss of sanity that led me to consume maybe two handfuls of popcorn Saturday evening.  My pain levels where high enough last night (hit a solid 8 on the Mankoski pain scale) that I seriously considered (briefly) going to the hospital. 

I went to work today armed with 1 lone little pain pill and my trusty heating pad and managed to make it until 5.  Hubby took care of dinner as it was just heating up sauce and meat and boiling pasta and I am supposed to be studying for my aforementioned final.  But, I have been neglecting this wee little spot of the blogosphere and wanted to at least briefly check in.

I am woefully behind in all of my Yuletide preparations and I can only hope that small elves will appear while I am sleeping to take care of some cleaning and wrapping for me.  What do you think my odds are?

Wishing all of you Health and Happiness

Mama Kelly

Written by Mama KellyTags:Christmas

GamerDude and I pay an extra $10 a month in our cable bill to have DVR service. This allows us to record the shows we like and to watch them at a time that fits our schedule. With my juggling of work, school, and homework it is the only way I get to watch anything.

Recently we got caught up on some episodes of Pushing Daisies.  It is probably my favorite show on TV currently because it is sweet and funny and touching and silly all at once.  Also the use of color is really yummy.  It reminds me of the flashback scenes in Big Fish where everything is so bright and vivid it just pops off the screen with surrealism.

Anyway, in a recent episode one of the characters has a scene where she sings the song Morning Has Broken.  It is a scene in which she starts out singing softly and almost sadly and transitions into sheer joy.  It is a scene in which she is moving away from grief and back into living life again.

And yes I know it is a Christian hymn.  I sang it way back when … in 7th grade … when I was Confirmed.  And yes it is speaking to the God of the Old Testament and to the Garden of Eden but on a deeper level it speaks to me of each dawn being holy, each day being sacred.  When we wake up it is a fresh “new day with no mistakes in it yet.” (quoted from Anne of Green Gables)

While we watched it I just sat and cried.  I was able to push enough of it down to not sob but I couldn’t stop my eyes from streaming.  I do not know it is was the song itself, which never fails to move me, or the emotive power of Ellen Greene (who I loved in Little Shop of Horrors), or if my desire for a fresh new start all my own just crept out of the cracks in my soul for a moment.

In any case I share it with you here because it is beautiful and spiritual both.  It serves as a reminder that each moment of our lives can be treated as a blessing, can be treated with reverence, can be something we are grateful for.

Be advised that youtube has deleted the video that used to appear here.  I am so saddened by it because there is no describing the beauty of the scene … you just have to see it … or hear it ….

Blessings

Mama Kelly

Written by Mama Kelly