I hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving!
In our house, we are ready for Christmas. Tonight we went for a Christmas Lights Drive, with John Denver & The Muppets "A Christmas Together" roaring on the radio. Over the weekend we went on the first of what I think will be many horse & wagon rides in the Old Port. Get this - it's FREE!
Other than that, we're busy working and trying to remember to play as much as we can. We've decided to combat winter isolation by having pot-luck dinners at our house on Tuesdays. It's usually Mexican night. Come on over if you're hungry!
A couple of cute Vi-isms:
Dick and Jane is one of her new favorite books. She calls it Duck and James.
Last night, she went to bed around 8:30. At 11:30, I heard her padding down the hallway and arriving next to my bed. She whispered, "Mommy!" I opened one eye and said, "What's up, goose?" She replied, in an excited little whisper, "Mommy! I want to snuggle, with YOU! I want to read my book with YOU!" I said, "Oh my goodness, I don't even know what to say!" I mean, it was so sweet, I just wanted to smother her with snuggles and kisses. (All the while, I knew what I had in store for me....) She said back to me, "Oh my goodness! I don't know what to say!" and then hoisted up her Duck & James book onto the bed (read: whacked me with a hard-cover book. Let the snuggling begin.) I said, "You brought a book?" She said, "Yeah. Duck and James. And my baby. And my blankie." Sure enough, on closer inspection, this kid had packed for her visit to The Big Bed. I pulled her up and settled her in between Dan and me. Smothered her with as many kisses as allowed by Toddler Law. Tried to go back to sleep. Fought against the elbows, poking fingers, and frequently perpendicular body for bed space. Woke up with a neck ache.
But, oh...it was just one of those sweet, kissable moments.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Friday, November 13, 2009
New Link!
Hey, readers! Check out the new link to the left:
4 Square Walls
Kate has started an exciting new site, showcasing her creativity. Look for:
Weekly Photo Challenge - a beautiful photo posted each week; you guess the location and win!
Snippets - the start of a story; you add to it and let the words flow!
Products - Kate is a seamstress extraordinaire. Check out her costumes, skirts, and a variety of other items hand-made here in Maine.
I'm so proud! I have such cool friends!
4 Square Walls
Kate has started an exciting new site, showcasing her creativity. Look for:
Weekly Photo Challenge - a beautiful photo posted each week; you guess the location and win!
Snippets - the start of a story; you add to it and let the words flow!
Products - Kate is a seamstress extraordinaire. Check out her costumes, skirts, and a variety of other items hand-made here in Maine.
I'm so proud! I have such cool friends!
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Oh, the place for you and the place for me...
...is the local, public library!
We were driving by the library, and Vi said, "I want to go to library and get cookie monster book." She picked out dinosaur books, sat down at a little table, and read them out loud. Or, I should say, looked at them out loud. We borrowed 4 books: Curious George Learns the Alphabet, SNOW!, Chicks & Salsa, and Sheep Out to Eat. On our way to check out, I thought I smelled something suspicious, so I checked her diaper. One problem: NO DIAPER. She was in underpants, and I had no idea! I'd been dragging her all over town running errands for well over an hour, thinking she had on a diaper when I picked her up from school. Nooooo.
Luckily, she was completely dry. My nose was picking up some other kid's poop. We ran into the little girls' room, and just in the nick of time! So, in the end...another successful day of potty training for Vi!
Plus, we ended up with books.
Our updated Winter Indoors Activity List:
Library
Open Swim
Audubon Children's Room
What other fun, indoor things do you do with your family during Winter in Maine?
We were driving by the library, and Vi said, "I want to go to library and get cookie monster book." She picked out dinosaur books, sat down at a little table, and read them out loud. Or, I should say, looked at them out loud. We borrowed 4 books: Curious George Learns the Alphabet, SNOW!, Chicks & Salsa, and Sheep Out to Eat. On our way to check out, I thought I smelled something suspicious, so I checked her diaper. One problem: NO DIAPER. She was in underpants, and I had no idea! I'd been dragging her all over town running errands for well over an hour, thinking she had on a diaper when I picked her up from school. Nooooo.
Luckily, she was completely dry. My nose was picking up some other kid's poop. We ran into the little girls' room, and just in the nick of time! So, in the end...another successful day of potty training for Vi!
Plus, we ended up with books.
Our updated Winter Indoors Activity List:
Library
Open Swim
Audubon Children's Room
What other fun, indoor things do you do with your family during Winter in Maine?
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Roof, Poop, and Super Vi
It's ROOFING WEEKEND!!! My namesake's husband, Frank, knows all about roofing, and is our special hired hand for the weekend. He and Dan are up on the roof making all sorts of noise. They raised the pitch on our little kitchen addition, from what Frank called the Arizona-style roof...meaning, it was a flat ice-dam magnet. It looks great. Today they are re-doing all the sheathing (an unexpected necessity, I guess) on the back-side of the house. Tomorrow will be shingles. The front half of the house, the less-damaged side, will have to wait for another weekend, unfortunately. Thank GOD we are having such nice weather this weekend!
Vi's latest make-believe activity is playing with a doll (baby doll or Ernie). She sits the baby in a high-chair, puts on a bib, and pretends to feed her carrots from a baby food jar. She says things like "Want some more? Yummy!" Later, the baby will be "poopy," according to Vi. She verifies this fact by sniffing the baby's bum. She gets toilet paper and pretends to clean up the baby, then takes the toilet paper to the bathroom. She shouts, "BYE, POOP!" and flushes. She will then gladly inform whoever is listening that Poop goes in the Potty. (Good girl.) THEN, she takes the baby to the bathroom, makes peeing noises, and cheers for baby in a screeching, loud, squealing, high-pitched, Very Excited Tone, "Good Job, BABY!!! YOU GO POTTY!!! HIGH FIVE!!"
This gets us in stitches every time.
Oh, and Vi did a good job sleeping last night. Earned a Tatoo. We were snuggling in bed this morning, watching Super Why (a PBS Kids show which I don't particularly enjoy), and Vi wanted to do Super Vi - you know, the standard adult leg-lift? I started adapting the Super Why theme song for Super Vi, singing all about Super Jammies and Super Power to Sleep...maybe THIS will be the magic encouragement to keep her asleep at night! UGH...it's been a rough week of up-all-nights.
This morning, amid the pounding and scraping and pnuematic tools, Vi snuggled on my lap for a story. She curled up and put her head on my shoulder, and fell asleep. She's been napping for an hour and half now, even with all the noise. Maybe it's not Super Power to Sleep...maybe she's just really pooped.
Vi's latest make-believe activity is playing with a doll (baby doll or Ernie). She sits the baby in a high-chair, puts on a bib, and pretends to feed her carrots from a baby food jar. She says things like "Want some more? Yummy!" Later, the baby will be "poopy," according to Vi. She verifies this fact by sniffing the baby's bum. She gets toilet paper and pretends to clean up the baby, then takes the toilet paper to the bathroom. She shouts, "BYE, POOP!" and flushes. She will then gladly inform whoever is listening that Poop goes in the Potty. (Good girl.) THEN, she takes the baby to the bathroom, makes peeing noises, and cheers for baby in a screeching, loud, squealing, high-pitched, Very Excited Tone, "Good Job, BABY!!! YOU GO POTTY!!! HIGH FIVE!!"
This gets us in stitches every time.
Oh, and Vi did a good job sleeping last night. Earned a Tatoo. We were snuggling in bed this morning, watching Super Why (a PBS Kids show which I don't particularly enjoy), and Vi wanted to do Super Vi - you know, the standard adult leg-lift? I started adapting the Super Why theme song for Super Vi, singing all about Super Jammies and Super Power to Sleep...maybe THIS will be the magic encouragement to keep her asleep at night! UGH...it's been a rough week of up-all-nights.
This morning, amid the pounding and scraping and pnuematic tools, Vi snuggled on my lap for a story. She curled up and put her head on my shoulder, and fell asleep. She's been napping for an hour and half now, even with all the noise. Maybe it's not Super Power to Sleep...maybe she's just really pooped.
Friday, November 6, 2009
Singer 401A
I have my grandmother, Vigolia's sewing machine. Because it's so old, and completely made of metal, I knew it was of some quality. Basically, I thought it was sturdy and would last forever. I had no idea that it was somewhat of a specialty machine!
It's a Singer 401A.
Google it. Go ahead.
Yup, that's right. These machines, with all the attachments, in excellent condition, can sell on eBay for almost $500! Of course I'm not going to sell it, but it really makes it more exciting to take it to the Singer shop for a tune-up, order the manual online, and get myself sewing again. I'm planning on some quilting - one for Vi, one for us, one for the guest bedroom...maybe I'll start making quilts as my standard gift. I'd also like to re-learn how to sew basic clothing, so I can make pants, skirts, dresses and so on for Vi. I really need a creative outlet, and something that is "just for me." I think sewing could be that hobby.
Also on my list of things to re-learn:
Piano: I played from the time I could reach the keys, all the way through high school. I didn't practice much after that, and I now struggle with basic chords! I can play songs that I knew by heart 15 years ago, and I can still sight-read...sloooooowly...but I'd like to be really good again.
Knitting: I learned to knit from my grandmother Elsie, my aunt Athena, and most recently, my friend Kristin. I can make a scarf, or anything that is mostly rectangular. I'm horrible at counting stitches, thus the "mostly." I would like to learn to make socks, hats, mittens, sweaters!
Singing: I would like to re-learn songs. I used to know a whole catalog of fun kids' songs - just ask any of my old camp friends. I can't remember the words to most of them anymore! Vi came home singing "A rum-sum-sum" last year, and it brought back a ton of memories! Leading songs with good friends at Pilgrim Lodge, sitting around a campfire with a guitar or just standing up in the dining hall after lunch.
What hobbies do YOU miss, now that you're all grown-up and busy with grown-up stuff? What would you re-learn if you had an extra hour in the day? How do YOU carve out time, make time, find time for some "me" time?
It's a Singer 401A.
Google it. Go ahead.
Yup, that's right. These machines, with all the attachments, in excellent condition, can sell on eBay for almost $500! Of course I'm not going to sell it, but it really makes it more exciting to take it to the Singer shop for a tune-up, order the manual online, and get myself sewing again. I'm planning on some quilting - one for Vi, one for us, one for the guest bedroom...maybe I'll start making quilts as my standard gift. I'd also like to re-learn how to sew basic clothing, so I can make pants, skirts, dresses and so on for Vi. I really need a creative outlet, and something that is "just for me." I think sewing could be that hobby.
Also on my list of things to re-learn:
Piano: I played from the time I could reach the keys, all the way through high school. I didn't practice much after that, and I now struggle with basic chords! I can play songs that I knew by heart 15 years ago, and I can still sight-read...sloooooowly...but I'd like to be really good again.
Knitting: I learned to knit from my grandmother Elsie, my aunt Athena, and most recently, my friend Kristin. I can make a scarf, or anything that is mostly rectangular. I'm horrible at counting stitches, thus the "mostly." I would like to learn to make socks, hats, mittens, sweaters!
Singing: I would like to re-learn songs. I used to know a whole catalog of fun kids' songs - just ask any of my old camp friends. I can't remember the words to most of them anymore! Vi came home singing "A rum-sum-sum" last year, and it brought back a ton of memories! Leading songs with good friends at Pilgrim Lodge, sitting around a campfire with a guitar or just standing up in the dining hall after lunch.
What hobbies do YOU miss, now that you're all grown-up and busy with grown-up stuff? What would you re-learn if you had an extra hour in the day? How do YOU carve out time, make time, find time for some "me" time?
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Marriage Equality Act repealed
I'm trying to be brave with this entry. Any "yes on 1" supporters will not like it. Anyone who doesn't want to hear me bear my soul or read about my past- skip it. Posting this, along with my wimpy disclaimer, is as brave as I feel I can be today.
Yesterday, I awoke to the sad news that the Marriage Equality Act had been repealed by the people's veto in Maine.
Repealed. Revoked. Rejected.
I still feel like I need a good cry over it - I've been on the verge several times in the middle of appointments with prospective clients. Sometimes I feel like a real wimp for not just going with the feeling, inconvenient or not. But...losing an opportunity for work while crying in front of a stranger doesn't do much for the cause or for my company. Be reasonable, I tell myself.
I know we've come so far since Stonewall.
I know we've come even further in the last 12 years. I remember counting signatures, hoping to find duplicates or fraudulent entries on the petition to repeal the anti-discrimination law that led to a February election day in 1997. Here's an article about that effort:
http://www.qrd.org/qrd/www/usa/maine/ap-2.9.98.html
And, I remember feeling doomed and alone and disappointed on that February 11th. That winter was a strange one in my life...I had just moved out on my own, my grandmother passed away, and I broke off relations with most of my dearest, oldest friends. I had just broken up with a wonderful woman - yes, woman. I know now that it couldn't have lasted, but at the time I was looking forward to the day that gay marriage was legalized, and I couldn't see celebrating that day any other way than dancing barefoot on a beach in Maine with my bride. Silly girl, I was. But ,I have no regrets.
Today, I am married to a wonderful man, and we have a beautiful daughter. Besides driving around with a No on 1 bumper sticker, and posting comments on Facebook, I did nothing to support this campaign. Nothing. Not even a single evening of phonebanking. THAT, I regret. Denying my past with a "don't ask, don't tell" mentality, I regret.
I'll always know that I could have done more, and I am hopeful that I will find the courage to MAKE TIME to help as this fight continues.
For now, my biggest contribution is raising the next generation. I know that Vi will see same-sex marriage as nothing new, nothing odd, just...part of our belief in equality and civil rights.
I will teach her to hope, if only to remind myself that we must never give up.
Yesterday, I awoke to the sad news that the Marriage Equality Act had been repealed by the people's veto in Maine.
Repealed. Revoked. Rejected.
I still feel like I need a good cry over it - I've been on the verge several times in the middle of appointments with prospective clients. Sometimes I feel like a real wimp for not just going with the feeling, inconvenient or not. But...losing an opportunity for work while crying in front of a stranger doesn't do much for the cause or for my company. Be reasonable, I tell myself.
I know we've come so far since Stonewall.
I know we've come even further in the last 12 years. I remember counting signatures, hoping to find duplicates or fraudulent entries on the petition to repeal the anti-discrimination law that led to a February election day in 1997. Here's an article about that effort:
http://www.qrd.org/qrd/www/usa/maine/ap-2.9.98.html
And, I remember feeling doomed and alone and disappointed on that February 11th. That winter was a strange one in my life...I had just moved out on my own, my grandmother passed away, and I broke off relations with most of my dearest, oldest friends. I had just broken up with a wonderful woman - yes, woman. I know now that it couldn't have lasted, but at the time I was looking forward to the day that gay marriage was legalized, and I couldn't see celebrating that day any other way than dancing barefoot on a beach in Maine with my bride. Silly girl, I was. But ,I have no regrets.
Today, I am married to a wonderful man, and we have a beautiful daughter. Besides driving around with a No on 1 bumper sticker, and posting comments on Facebook, I did nothing to support this campaign. Nothing. Not even a single evening of phonebanking. THAT, I regret. Denying my past with a "don't ask, don't tell" mentality, I regret.
I'll always know that I could have done more, and I am hopeful that I will find the courage to MAKE TIME to help as this fight continues.
For now, my biggest contribution is raising the next generation. I know that Vi will see same-sex marriage as nothing new, nothing odd, just...part of our belief in equality and civil rights.
I will teach her to hope, if only to remind myself that we must never give up.
Monday, November 2, 2009
DST
Ah, Daylight Saving Time. I remember when that meant an extra hour of sleep. Now, it means an extra hour of morning! Luckily for us, that meant Vi was awake for an extra hour yesterday, crashed at 8:30 and slept through the night. Something is working!
I want to remind everyone to vote tomorrow. Whatever important items are on your local ballots, do your research and get to the polls! Here in Maine, the item on which I place the greatest importance is the people's referendum to repeal the marriage equality act. In plain terms, our state passed a law allowing same-sex marriages. Some people gathered signatures to get a in item on the ballot to repeal that law. Voting NO on Question 1 keeps the law in place, and that is exactly how I am voting. This is a long-time belief of mine, that marriage should not be restricted to one man and one woman, that a same-sex couple should have the same rights, same protections, same opportunities. I'm not feeling particularly eloquent on the topic today, but I've got my No on 1 bumper sticker on, and I'm getting myself to the voting booth tomorrow! Here is the website for No on 1.
I want to remind everyone to vote tomorrow. Whatever important items are on your local ballots, do your research and get to the polls! Here in Maine, the item on which I place the greatest importance is the people's referendum to repeal the marriage equality act. In plain terms, our state passed a law allowing same-sex marriages. Some people gathered signatures to get a in item on the ballot to repeal that law. Voting NO on Question 1 keeps the law in place, and that is exactly how I am voting. This is a long-time belief of mine, that marriage should not be restricted to one man and one woman, that a same-sex couple should have the same rights, same protections, same opportunities. I'm not feeling particularly eloquent on the topic today, but I've got my No on 1 bumper sticker on, and I'm getting myself to the voting booth tomorrow! Here is the website for No on 1.
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