My grandma broke her arm late Friday night of Labor Day Weekend. She spent some time in the hospital and is now at a rehab facility in NY. As such, I've been back and forth every weekend to visit her. That coupled with the fact that since July we have only spent 2 weekends at home. So I decided that this weekend, we'd stay in MA. We'd enjoy some husband and wife time, go apple picking & clean our neglected house. And good timing too!
Paul's cousins are visiting for a day from Argentina next week. I don't want them staying in a dirty dusty guest room covered in clothes!
I hope this weekend is good and I hope my grandma doesn't miss me too much!
Friday, September 21, 2012
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Unfinished & Other Projects!
This blog post is really just to keep me honest! I have WAY too many unfinished projects.
Baby Girl Cardigan:
A few weeks back I decided I was going to try a new project. I grabbed some baby yarn that Paul had picked out and got to work following this pattern - Swing Set Cardigan. You need to have a Lion Brand account to view it. Sign up, it's free!
I finally got all the pieces done and put it together. Aside from one sleeve being a bit wider than the other, I think it turned out pretty good for the 1st time. I still have to sew on a cute button & weave in the tails. (I hate that part the most). I'll be sure to update you with photos!
Face Cloths turned Facial Pads:
I had some cute Red Heart Eco-Cotton Yarn in Candy Marl. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with it. I began making a face cloth by following a pattern for a granny square with a rounded center. I thought it would be an easy project to do on the road since it's small, compact & easy. As soon as I got home, I changed my mind. I have a bunch of terry face cloths now and I hardly use those. What is the sense in making more. What I could use more of is cotton balls or cotton pads to apply Lavendar Witch Hazel Toner to my face. I recently had to purchase another package of cotton. And being tha I want to limit single use items in our home, why not make some facial pads with my cotton yarn. I think they'd make great scrubbies too for make up removal & exfoliating. I plan on following the following patterns 1 & 2 ... or just making a simple 2-3 inch round. Now I'll just need to find my mesh bag for delicates. I'm sure it's somewhere.
I also plan on sewing some square flannel cloths of about the same size. I think the flannel may end up better for toner application and the scrubbies better for face washing. I won't know until I test them out.
I believe that will limit my cotton use to nail polish remover only. Not too shabby.
Sewing Update:
I haven't picked up my machine in forever, but I seriously need to get onto tailoring a few things or I'll have these stacks of clothes sitting in the sewing basket FOREVER.
Baby Girl Cardigan:
A few weeks back I decided I was going to try a new project. I grabbed some baby yarn that Paul had picked out and got to work following this pattern - Swing Set Cardigan. You need to have a Lion Brand account to view it. Sign up, it's free!
I finally got all the pieces done and put it together. Aside from one sleeve being a bit wider than the other, I think it turned out pretty good for the 1st time. I still have to sew on a cute button & weave in the tails. (I hate that part the most). I'll be sure to update you with photos!
Face Cloths turned Facial Pads:
I had some cute Red Heart Eco-Cotton Yarn in Candy Marl. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with it. I began making a face cloth by following a pattern for a granny square with a rounded center. I thought it would be an easy project to do on the road since it's small, compact & easy. As soon as I got home, I changed my mind. I have a bunch of terry face cloths now and I hardly use those. What is the sense in making more. What I could use more of is cotton balls or cotton pads to apply Lavendar Witch Hazel Toner to my face. I recently had to purchase another package of cotton. And being tha I want to limit single use items in our home, why not make some facial pads with my cotton yarn. I think they'd make great scrubbies too for make up removal & exfoliating. I plan on following the following patterns 1 & 2 ... or just making a simple 2-3 inch round. Now I'll just need to find my mesh bag for delicates. I'm sure it's somewhere.
I also plan on sewing some square flannel cloths of about the same size. I think the flannel may end up better for toner application and the scrubbies better for face washing. I won't know until I test them out.
I believe that will limit my cotton use to nail polish remover only. Not too shabby.
Sewing Update:
I haven't picked up my machine in forever, but I seriously need to get onto tailoring a few things or I'll have these stacks of clothes sitting in the sewing basket FOREVER.
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Cloth Pads - TMI
Hi folks - As I've written many a time - I use a Diva Cup. You can read about my adventures using a Diva Cup here & here.
I still use panty liners & sometimes a pad during heavy nights with my Diva Cup. I fear leaking if I am bleeding heavily. I realized that there are so many cloth pads out there - it seems silly to go 1/2 way in regards to my cycle & female health.
I logged onto Etsy.com this morning and found Muffies! I'm so excited! They have good reviews & they are cute & pretty and they look like they will work perfectly. They also are said to be of great quality which means I can use them for years - thus saving money!
I hope to receive them in a week or 2 and I'm almost excited for my period to come ... just so I can tell you about them.
I ordered a sample of 3 - 1 overnight pad, 1 regular pad & 1 liner. They totaled ~$25 which shipping. My hope is that I'll find the size that feels right for me and can order more of that particular size.
I'll be sure to update you in about a month!
& Check out Pleat if you are interested in purchasing some of your own! http://www.etsy.com/shop/Pleat?ref=seller_info
I still use panty liners & sometimes a pad during heavy nights with my Diva Cup. I fear leaking if I am bleeding heavily. I realized that there are so many cloth pads out there - it seems silly to go 1/2 way in regards to my cycle & female health.
I logged onto Etsy.com this morning and found Muffies! I'm so excited! They have good reviews & they are cute & pretty and they look like they will work perfectly. They also are said to be of great quality which means I can use them for years - thus saving money!
I hope to receive them in a week or 2 and I'm almost excited for my period to come ... just so I can tell you about them.
I ordered a sample of 3 - 1 overnight pad, 1 regular pad & 1 liner. They totaled ~$25 which shipping. My hope is that I'll find the size that feels right for me and can order more of that particular size.
I'll be sure to update you in about a month!
& Check out Pleat if you are interested in purchasing some of your own! http://www.etsy.com/shop/Pleat?ref=seller_info
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Finally Out of a Hairy Situation
My hair has been down to my waist for quite some time. I can't say that I loved it that long, but I did feel an attachment to it. I've also felt proud... not everyone can grow their hair nor does everyone have the patience. But it was long, boring and drab. It layed heavy and flat and often caused me headaches because of the weight. My husband was a huge fan as was his family and that probably helped me stick it out for this long... but no more.
I decided to make an appointment and hack it all off ... for a good cause of course. I'll be donating my hair to make wigs for women who have suffered hair loss due to cancer & it's treatements.
I decided to make an appointment and hack it all off ... for a good cause of course. I'll be donating my hair to make wigs for women who have suffered hair loss due to cancer & it's treatements.
As you can see in this photo - I wore my hair down to work. It was sort of like me saying goodbye.
In the chair getting my hair seperated and tied so that they could be cut off.
I decided to cut off a foot... I think he cut off a little more! No matter....
I still have a decent amount of hair and I love my lighter shorter do.
I'll be sending my hair to Pantene's Beautiful Lengths. They accept hair at 8 inches or more. I'll be sending them closer to 12. Though Locks of Love is a popular place to send your hair (and I have sent hair there in the past), I have recently heard that much hair goes to waste there in the wig making process & I've also heard that they turn around and often times sell the wigs on a sliding scale based on financial need. Though this may be a rumor, this didn't bode well with me. Research I've done has shown it to be a mixed bag ... going in both directions. Also their mission is to provide hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children under age 21 suffering from long-term medical hair loss from any diagnosis. Pantene's Beautiful Lengths is a partnership with the American Cancer Society (ACS), a large not for profit agency. They accept monetary & hair donations, make wigs that are then turned over to ACS' wig banks, which distribute wigs accross the country.
I feel a bit more confident donating my hair to Pantene. And that is where my hair will go.
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Remembering 11 Years Ago
I'm sure most of the readers of this blog will remember where they were 11 years ago. It was a day many of us will never be able to forget. For some, it may be a day they try and forget... only for the ability to move on while for others it is their mission to always remember.
11 Years ago I sat in my BCS Class at my computer. I walked into the coffee shop and saw the news. A plane? The WTC? How is that possible? I immediately thought it must be one of those helicopter tours gone awry. I turned on my computer and ignored my teachers constant lecturing of this and that and read what actually was happening... at that very moment. As a class we watched in horror as the events played on the news in the cafe & on our screens. One classmates father was flying to NY from Boston that day. She couldn't help the tears that ran down her cheeks, yet our teacher did not dismiss us. She said that we'd go on... and she did. But the students of that class were mentally checked out - we were reading feverishly for news of what was happening... until we got up and left. (Yes this teacher was beyong crazy!)
Our next class... and those after did not occur. Teachers couldn't get to school from their Manhattan homes, people needed to contact family members, and people needed to mourn. I walked into my dorm room and called home. My Uncle was missing. He worked for the FDNY... driving a wrecker. After the 1st tower fell, many many vehicles were disabled ... many fire trucks among them. He had to remove them to allow other responders to get to the victims. That day I worried and I cried not knowing if he was near the building as it fell.
Through the ashes of that day, something interesting happened. I made my 1st friends in college. It only took me an entire year. I received hugs, cell phones to borrow, support, and ... on that day none of our doors closed. They were left open. If only to show that we would be there for each other no matter how difficult that may be.
We ran to the top floor and looked out the window to peer at the dust and smoke that replaced the space on the skyline that the towers once stood.
Later that night my grandma called... My Uncle called his girlfriend who called my grandma. He was alive. He was safe. He was tired & sweaty... but he would work on until there was no more for him to do.
Friends lost friends & family that day. We prayed for them.
My family... we were still physically whole... but we still prayed for us.
I still pray for those affected by 9/11. Not just the ones lost, but not forgotten. Not just NY & her inhabitants.... but also those in Boston whose Mothers, Fathers & Children were on that plane. Also for those in this country that felt our pain even though they could do little to help it. Even for those whose compassion brought them to their knees and prayed ... prayed for strangers they will never know and never meet. I pray for all those people. I pray that we always remember the solidarity that came from that horrific day. I pray that those who lost their lives did not lose them for nothing. That through their loss we can build a foundation of love and support that we have for fellow man... not just fellow American.
So yes - on 9/11... I pray.
11 Years ago I sat in my BCS Class at my computer. I walked into the coffee shop and saw the news. A plane? The WTC? How is that possible? I immediately thought it must be one of those helicopter tours gone awry. I turned on my computer and ignored my teachers constant lecturing of this and that and read what actually was happening... at that very moment. As a class we watched in horror as the events played on the news in the cafe & on our screens. One classmates father was flying to NY from Boston that day. She couldn't help the tears that ran down her cheeks, yet our teacher did not dismiss us. She said that we'd go on... and she did. But the students of that class were mentally checked out - we were reading feverishly for news of what was happening... until we got up and left. (Yes this teacher was beyong crazy!)
Our next class... and those after did not occur. Teachers couldn't get to school from their Manhattan homes, people needed to contact family members, and people needed to mourn. I walked into my dorm room and called home. My Uncle was missing. He worked for the FDNY... driving a wrecker. After the 1st tower fell, many many vehicles were disabled ... many fire trucks among them. He had to remove them to allow other responders to get to the victims. That day I worried and I cried not knowing if he was near the building as it fell.
Through the ashes of that day, something interesting happened. I made my 1st friends in college. It only took me an entire year. I received hugs, cell phones to borrow, support, and ... on that day none of our doors closed. They were left open. If only to show that we would be there for each other no matter how difficult that may be.
We ran to the top floor and looked out the window to peer at the dust and smoke that replaced the space on the skyline that the towers once stood.
Later that night my grandma called... My Uncle called his girlfriend who called my grandma. He was alive. He was safe. He was tired & sweaty... but he would work on until there was no more for him to do.
Friends lost friends & family that day. We prayed for them.
My family... we were still physically whole... but we still prayed for us.
I still pray for those affected by 9/11. Not just the ones lost, but not forgotten. Not just NY & her inhabitants.... but also those in Boston whose Mothers, Fathers & Children were on that plane. Also for those in this country that felt our pain even though they could do little to help it. Even for those whose compassion brought them to their knees and prayed ... prayed for strangers they will never know and never meet. I pray for all those people. I pray that we always remember the solidarity that came from that horrific day. I pray that those who lost their lives did not lose them for nothing. That through their loss we can build a foundation of love and support that we have for fellow man... not just fellow American.
So yes - on 9/11... I pray.
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