Long Time, No See

I haven’t posted in a while.  I’m not sire why other than being so consumed with not having Henry here.  I miss him so much, he girls miss him so much and I feel very disconnected.  We went six weeks without seeing him.  It was hell.  Of course on the good note, Becca and her kids came for a visit and Chance and Emmy stayed with us for a few weeks. I think that is what got me so down.  Henry was gone and then I as so busy with family that it was ok…..but then they all left….at the same time.  While it’s nice to get back to a regular schedule, I really felt pretty deflated.

We visited Henry on May 2 to help him prepare for is MFA show.  Now, I have always felt like my husband was a pretty amazing artist, but I have to say…this show was so, so great that I was pretty awe-struck of him.  He has really worked his ass off for three years and it was great to see it all come together.  I was terribly worried when he lost so much work in the flood, but he really got crazy busy and it didn’t seem like anything was missing.  I couldn’t imagine another piece.  He took the show down yesterday and today and packed his trailer.  He will drive home tomorrow and probably get here late Monday afternoon.  It’d be great if he made it home for dinner, but I’m not sure that will happen.  It doesn’t matter…he will be home.  I think I found a studio for him here.  It’s just a couple of blocks away.  He could walk.  The lady is supposed to call me back tomorrow. Cross your fingers!!!

I’m leaving you with a bunch of misc photos, all related to above.  They have titles, so you can figure it out.

Nightgowns, Clapotis, Spring

OK.  Nothing I cannot think of any eloquent idea to link the myriad of things I have to blog about, so I will just go through all of the pictures I have for you.

The first is a couple of pictures of my nightgown….yes, my nightgown!  I know that this whole thing good disintegrate into something that I’ll be kicking myself for….but I’m going to risk it.  There is a back story here.  Henry bought me a sewing machine for Christmas.  Now, I have “sewn” before.  The sewing that I did was very free form.  I did a lot of satin stitch as part of larger pieces in book arts.  I know the basics of the machine, but I do not know about cutting out patterns and then making them work.  So, I used the machine a bit, but not much.  I was really anxious to ramp up my skills so that I could make clothing for me and the girls.  I have a quirky sense of style and am not easy to fit since the extra weight, so I thought sewing would be the way.

Enter Tracey.  Tracey is a supper club friend from the Boro’.  So here’s the deal with this.  I have never felt so connected, loved and part of something as I felt when our family was part of the supper club.  I miss it. I am lucky in that I have Wendy here, but two people don’t really make a community.  I am trying here, but it takes a long time to develop the kind of relationships we had in Murfreesboro.  You know, the kind where you let the kids run knowing that if they were in imminent danger or were doing something that did not fit the accepted norm f the group, then one of the other friends would say “hey, sew-n-sew, don’t do that.”  It was cool…no parent got their feelings hurt and neither did the kids.  Anyway, the short of this (although it looks like any hope of short has gone to hell) is that I was feeling a little like an island that very few people visited.  So, Tracey calls me out of the blue one day.  She said, “I’ve been thinking about you.  I’d like to come and help you get the sewing thing going.”  I just cried.

So, Tracey came over today and spent 5 hours walking me through sewing a nightgown.  I realize that most of you would think…a nightgown…slap a couple of pieces of fabrics together and call it done.  You all know that I don’t do that.  My gown has a collar that is double faced and sewn on and set in sleeves that finish off the shoulders, much like the way a baseball shirt is made.   It is flannel and I love it.  Here it is !

And just for the heck of it a couple of pictures of the girls.

The second part of the post is for the clapotis I have finished.  It is not blocked, but it will be tomorrow.   It is a wool and bamboo blend.  A sock yarn…no idea of the name.  I have the label somewhere.  Oh well.  I could be happier.  The color pooled in a way that I was not totally happy with, but that’s how it happens sometimes.

Here’s the spring part.  The girls spent an hour or two drawing on the sidewalk and running around looking for secret things Friday afternoon.  They also put some stuff out for the fairies.  After they took a bath due to being covered in chalk, we walked to Maffioza’s.  The only thing that would have made it better would be Henry.

Aren’t those girls the funniest little things!

Oh,  forgot one more thing.  Mycah had her first artist reception Saturday.  Her school had a show at the TN Art League.  She was less than cooperative when I asked to photograph her with her piece.  Humph…she may turn out to be an artist after all.

MS Awareness Week

Yes….it’s that time of year again.  I find it hard to believe it has been a year since my last similar post. Little did I know then that I was on the verge of a relapse.  Little did I know it would effect me and my family so much.  I have recovered from the relapse with little evidence of it other than the stark reality that I really do have MS and it REALLY can disrupt our lives.  I am so fortunate that I have made such a great recovery…..many are not as fortunate.  I am so lucky that we have health insurance…many do not.  I am so lucky that I have a husband who sands with me and even carries me when I need him to.  I have my girls who love me and are so gentle with a sick mommy.  I have parents, step-parents,sisters, grandparents, and more cousins than I can shake a stick at who support me.  I have friends who have become family who support me.  I am soooo lucky…but many are not.

For those who aren’t as lucky…I am going to walk in the MS Walk at Edwin Warner Park.

I have another reason for walking…..my two girls.  I never want them to have to hear “you have MS.”  I never want your kids to hear it.  I would be quite satisfied if no person ever had to hear those words again.

Support my walk…help me beat the MonSter down!!!

http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR/Walk/TNSWalkEvents?px=4236128pg=personal&fr_id=10900

4th Annual MS Awareness Week
March 2 – 8, 2009

MS Awareness Week leads into the annual Public Policy Conference in Washington D.C.  The goals of this week are to acknowledge people who are a part of the movement, to invite new people to the movement and to encourage everyone to take action.  The Mid South Chapter has many programs and events planned for the week.  Check out the Programs and Services page for more information on these events.

Mom’s Preemie Project drive

Calorimetry

I forgot to post a photo of Emmy in the Calorimetry I made. 

Biscuts and Noro

Another post on the same day…no sleep equals time to do extra things.  Anyway, I was feeling a little less than inspired this evening when super time rolled around, so we had breakfast.  Grey has been asking for breakfast for dinner for weeks.  It’s one of those things that is kind of fun and definitely out of the norm for the girls.  I decided that we needed biscuits if we were going to have breakfast.  Mycah helped me make biscuits a couple of weeks ago, so she was ken on getting to do it again and Grey wanted t since she didn’t get to help last time.  They both have their own aprons for cooking and a different one for crafting.  Grey used her cooking apron, but Mycah used her craft apron because it is short enough for her to keep from tripping!  Anyway, they each cut in  a stick of butter (yes, the recipe calls for two sticks of butter).  I patted out the dough and they used my mother-in-laws biscuit cutters to make a ton of various sized biscuit.  We really had a good time. 

Me and the girls spent this past weekend with my mother.  While I was there I started and finished a cablomintry out of about 1/2 of Noro.  I wore it today and the girls were kind enough to take a picture of it.  I also made one for Emmy out of red cashmere and a loose spun silk.  I had actually made that one for me also, but Emmy loved it so much that I had to give it to her.  She looked so pretty.  I did make a second one for me, but it is still in need of ties and weaving in the ends. 

A New Day Dawns…where were you?

I spent the better part of yesterday at Wendy’s.  We watched the speeches, the music, the crowd and the swearing in.  I feel blessed to have witnessed such a monumental moment in American History.   President Obama’s term in office started with a moving call to action.  I felt it was one of those get up off your collective ass and make something happen kind of speeches.  I like that.  We are a Nation built from blood, sweat and tears.  We are a Nation of innovators, doers, thinkers, inventors, boot-strappers.  We can rebuild our Nation.  I felt like he made it pretty clear that we are each responsible for doing our part, whatever that part is, to get the country back on its feet.  He didn’t promise that government would do it all for us….they will do their part, we must do ours.  Now…I need to figure out what my part is.  (Stayed tuned)

I spoke to Henry after the event was over and he was as full of excitement as I was.  The art department drug a big screen TV into the entry area of the building and even placed a good number of chairs around.  They had some difficulty in caching all of it, though.  They had to watch the BBC feed (7 minute or so lag) because the CNN feed was choppy.  Unfortunately the BBC had to run its broadcast test thing right in the middle, so they lost that.  Then they wen to the choppy CNN coverage and it was lost…so one lady had a tiny radio that she turned up full blast to at least hear what was going on and then they went to someone’s office and watched some online.  They finally go the V going again and got to see the end. Let me say that everyone was pretty determined to see and/or hear it!  I have pictures below.

You may remember that we were in Iowa for the caucus.  We actually were able to caucus because we were living there for his school.  We were Clinton supporters…but I had a feeling that she may not make it and it turned out that she didn’t.  I’m not sorry that I supported her, but I am also not sorry that ultimately she was not the one.  I was very happy to vote for Obama and I think his temperament and his work ethic will be just the thing our country needs.  By the time November rolled around, we had moved back to TN.  So, we got to vote for Obama in our home state.  I finished my Tuscany Shawl just in time to wear it to vote….so it is really my Obama shawl.  I wore it again yesterday when he was sworn in.  I think that is one piece of clothing that I will always keep and I will always associate it with this moment in history. 

Here’s a bunch of photos from my experience in TN and Henry’s in Iowa.

January has been a big month

On top of January being the beginning  of the New Year with all the promises a new year holds, we have also had a number of big events here.  I took photos of most and will paste them at the bottom of the post. 

First, the narrative.  The first set of photos show Grey and Mycah on New Year’s Day.  They are each holding a penny that was in their black-eyed peas.  Every year for as long as I can remember I have had black-eyed peas for god luck on New Year’s Day. The peas bring good fortune in general, but whoever finds the penny gets an extra dose of goodness during the year.  Grey and Mycah both found a penny this year.  I hope their year is full of all of the promise, hope, love and luck that Henry and I wish for them. 

The next picture is from Henry’s birthday.  We celebrated at Kobe’s.  Kobe’s is a hibachi place.  The chefs cook on a huge grill in front of you and put on a show.  The food is good…a little over-priced…but you go for the show.  Henry and I both went as children (not together) and have great memories of it.  It’s one of those places that kids just love and adults get to eat something that is not chicken nuggets.  The girls loved it. 

The next photos are from Grey’s birthday party.  We invited her class to our house for a crafting extravaganza and cake.  The kids got their own craft aprons, made a door hanger, and painted a picture frame.  It was crazy, but fun and I will be recovering until next year when her birthday happens again.

Last, but not least, fairy milk.  Henry fetched the fairy milk from the fairies who keep fairy cows.  He only can do this on the full moon.  Since it was the first full moon of the new year and both Henry and Grey had a birthday, the fairies also gave the girls each a special little necklace.  Don’t you wish your husband had a direct line to the fairies?!  And the fairy connection is only one of the reasons I love him.