Happy Birthday, Gigi!!

Happy Birthday, Gigi...you wild thing!! Haha! I hope you have a wonderful day and get to go on a fun adventure. I love you!

(I'm planning on giving Kevin your gift so he can bring it to you next week. Only one hint: it's pretty. Very pretty. :) )

It's about damn time

Well...I never put up pictures of the finished table runner I made my mom for her birthday. I'm sorry.
I also haven't blogged in a really, r eally long time.

Now I am. You're welcome.

I just got home from the Book Mill, one of my very favorite places. I've loved it since I was a kid...back then I liked the building and the rows of books and the river. In middle and high school I'd escape there to do homework or sit and read. Since then, they've added a music store, a wonderful cafe, and 2 restaurants. The Book Mill is very "in" now...which kind of ruins it for me. There are too many people, drinking too much coffee (did I say that?) and trying to be more interested in books than they really are....I sound like a huge jerk, I know.
I still love it, even though it's hard to go there and enjoy the books in peace and quiet, and have it seem like it's still one of my secret, special places.
More people enjoy it now, and that's good, too. Maybe I should just remove books from a shelf and sit in there to read. Not a bad idea. And, the coffee I had there today was very good.
I checked their Willa Cather section...as I do at any book store...and I was sad..only 4 Willas...and 3 were My Antonia. Let's just hope that her books are flying off the shelves because everyone else loves her as much as I do.
The Book Mill always reminds me of my brother. I wish he could come over right now and go look at the rare books section with me...there's a beauty I have an eye on for Gigi's birthday...and I could use his input. (If you two are reading: I miss you. And, great poem, Gigi, in the book that came in today! I loved the cover too, so colorful.)

I'm going apple picking tomorrow.
!!!!!!
Apple picking is one of my favorite favorite favorite things...ever. Apple picking, snow, books, pens, notebooks, perfume, corduroy, shampoo, vanilla lotion, and lavender anything. And lockets and old keys. I would love a pretty locket necklace.

Ya know how I'm seeking red lipstick? Well, I found the perfect red nail polish...so, getting closer...

Made with love

I need to blog about this so I don't ruin a surprise.

I've loved making things, being crafty, for a long time, for as long as I can remember. I love collages, mod podging things, beading, painting, designing....the list goes on. I just discovered how much I love sewing.

For many years, my mom has been making quilts and table runners and the like from yo yos. To make a yo yo, you make a circular template and use that to trace onto the fabric/pin it on...then you sew all the way around the circle, scrunch it up, flip it inside out, tighten, and there you have a yo yo. I've never been interested in sewing, but love what my mom makes.

It all started as a project for my Babci and Dziadzi. My mom helped them make their first quilt together. A few years ago for Christmas, my mom made trees out of yo yos (some that my Babci had made, some she had made) and put buttons on them (from my Babci's collection.)

Dan's mom made me a purple lap afghan a few years ago, Mrs. Prasol made me a felted purple purse, Gigi has made me lots of wonderful scarves, my Cioci had made me two quilts and a pillow (my "little kid" quilt is still my favorite- it has people all over it- and they all look different) and I have a tree from my mom. Clearly, there are too many wonderful handmade gifts to fit into one picture.

All of these things were made with love. I bought some fabric two days ago and didn't realized what I was going to do with it until later that night. I sat down with the fabric, scissors, needles, and thread...cut out 64 circles, and taught myself how to sew the yo yos.

Long story short, I now love sewing these and am making my mom a table runner for her birthday. I can't wait to see the look on her face, she is going to be so surprised!!!

The picture of my yo yos is from the first night of making them. I made a lot more last night, and will update again with pictures when I have most of it done.

7-27-09

Well, last Monday Dan and I went to Boston for the day. We went to the aquarium, walked around, ate at Durgin Park, met up with Darlene and Bill...and then went to the Red Sox vs. A's game. We had front row, first base line- right behind the dugout seats...amazing!!! Dan definitely got good seats for his first ever game.

Last weekend- turtles and more...

They were telling secrets!!

Ooops! I couldn't rotate these two!

I spent last weekend at Todd and Gigi's in Lowell. I love visiting them, I always have a great time. Friday night, we went into Cambridge. I got a chance to catch up on some writing while drinking a wonderful iced mocha outside. It was a perfect night- iced mocha, stopping into some favorite stores, eating at Wagamama (mmm), writing, the weather, and being with two of my favorite people.

On Saturday we went to Great Meadow- Concord, where Todd and Gigi birdwatch. Eek! It was beautiful there- I saw herons, little birds, and ...my favorite, TURTLES!! We made my favorite pizza that night, and cupcakes and a little cake with delicious frosting that had nutella, chocolate, coffee, and vanilla in it. :)

On Sunday morning we went to Lull farm and to the Hollis flea market. My wonderful find? A glorious little silver and turquoise ring for 2 dollars!

When Dan arrived, he and I went to the Folk Festival for as long as we could handle the heat. We had Cambodian food and Soul food...so delicious. (Sometimes I think that my world revolves around food.) Todd, Dan, and I went to the batting cages and driving range after our amazing cookout-ish dinner. That was really fun.

So many wonderful things from last weekend to put into one post!

Excited!

Hi all...
Just a quick update..
I'm SO excited for the weekend!! I just got to Turners from Hamden, CT, and am getting ready to leave with my brother to go to Lowell. I love spending time with my brother and sister-in-law- we have so much fun, eat great food, take wondeful walks, and enjoy each other's company. Sometimes we do crafty things- which usually includes making and decorating pizza :)
This weekend: North End, Boston- tonight, Lowell Folk Festival, maybe berry picking!! ... and then Dan will join us for Folk Festival stuff..
and THEN, Dan and I are going to a Red Sox game in Boston on Monday night.

Off I go!

mmm

Pepe's Pizza in New Haven, CT is amazing. The pepperoni mushroom pizza is my second favorite pizza ever. My very favorite pizza? Todd's pizza. My brother makes glorious paper thin pizza crust, and I always know I miss him when I crave pizza. (I crave pizza alot.)

Mmm, chocolate gelato from Libby's, which is right next door to Pepe's. A delicious treat, indeed.

I love Latin

Word of the day:
preeminent • \pre-EM-uh-nunt\ • adjective
Definition: having paramount rank, dignity, or importance : outstanding, supreme
Example Sentence:
Carrie considered herself lucky to have one of the country’s preeminent novelists as her writing professor.
Did you know?
What is noteworthy about the following sentence? 'Mount McKinley is a prominent eminence in the Alaskan landscape.' You very likely recognized two words that are closely related to 'preeminent' -- 'prominent' and 'eminence.' All three words are rooted in the Latin verb stem '-minēre,' meaning 'to stand out.' But did you note as well the related word 'mount'? Not too surprisingly, '-minēre' is related to 'mons,' the Latin word for 'mountain.' That relationship leads us in turn to 'paramount,' a word closely related in meaning to 'preeminent.'"

Latin word of the day:
asper, aspera, asperum--(adjective)
Definition: rough, harsh, bitter
Derivatives: asperity, exasperate

Ya know, I was thinking...if I were to teach Latin, I would have a blast. I was daydreaming about it today, what it would be like on the first day of class. The kids would think I was absolutely off my rocker. During the first class, we would hardly even talk about Latin. No vocab, no translations, no verb conjugations or noun declensions. Guess what we would do?


Diagram sentences!! Ahh, how I love diagramming. (Anyone know why you can spell diagramming with either one m or 2?) I could write for hours, really, about why I love diagramming and why it's so important- and definitely a lost art. I will spare you the details. I should probably practice diagramming a bit if I want to teach how to do it.
Ya know what else I love? Dangling modifiers. What parts of grammar do you like? (Don't say verbs.) Does anyone else diagram sentences?

Farewell, Mr. Darcy...

Well, I just listened to a voicemail left about 15 minutes ago by my wonderful 7 yr. old nephew, Tucker Stanley.
"Hi, um, Auntie, this is me Tucker..I just wanted to tell you that your fish died. Mr. Darcy died. Bye. This is a message."

This is indeed sad. I bought Mr. Darcy last year, right after I graduated, I think. He was little, and had fierce zebra stripes. He had the appetite of a herd of cows and enjoyed the shiny marble-type rocks that I carefully poured into his $6 fishbowl every few weeks when I changed the water. I usually put blue or green rocks on the bottom. The one time I put orange ones in there...he hid for a few days...under them.

I'm really surprised he didn't die sooner, actually. When I moved down here to Connecticut, I gave Mr. Darcy to Tucker. He asked to take care of him when I moved, so I let him have the fish. He actually took really good care of him, ya know, always telling his mom (my sister, Sue) when SHE should clean the bowl and change the water. And, for his sister Ellie's birthday, in October, he gave her Mr. Darcy as a present, under the condition that he stays in Tuck's room, but Ellie would have to feed him. (Tucker was sick of the smell of the fish food.) He did talk to Mr. Darcy, like I had always done, and he did call to tell me. What a sweet little boy.

I guess I should start somewhere...

Word of the day:
appreciable • \uh-PREE-shuh-bul\
: capable of being perceived or measured

Example Sentence:"The banker's speech was fluent, but it was also copious, and he used up an appreciable amount of time in brief meditative pauses." (George Eliot, Middlemarch)

Did you know?"Appreciable," like the verb "appreciate," comes from the Late Latin verb "appretiare" ("to appraise" or "to put a price on"). It is one of several English adjectives that can be applied to something that can be detected, felt, or measured. Specifically, "appreciable" applies to what is highly noticeable or definitely measurable, whereas "perceptible," which is often paired with "barely" or "scarcely," applies to what can be discerned to a minimal extent. "Sensible" refers to something that is clearly perceived; a sensible difference in someone's expression is easily detected. "Palpable" applies to something that, if it doesn't have actual physical substance, is nevertheless quite noticeable via the senses ("a palpable chill in the air"). "Tangible" is used for something capable of being handled or grasped, either physically or mentally ("tangible evidence").

Latin word of the day:
ingredior, ingredi, ingressus sum-- ( verb )
Definition: advance, walk; enter, go into; begin
Derivatives: ingress, ingredient, ingressive


Hello, all...or, few...

I've been doing work most of the day so far, but I keep thinking about something...
The other day, while grocery shopping, I saw chocolate covered pretzels. While pretzels are at the top of my "favorite foods" list, I detest chocolate covered pretzels. I love salty foods, and I usually like sweet treats, but I don't like sweet and salty foods together. Bitter and salty could work... *think dark chocolate and pretzels* No, that doesn't work, either. My Babci used to love eating chocolate covered pretzels, and when she would treat herself to them, I would eat them, too. I didn't like them then, and of course I still don't, but, if she were here and wanted to talk about the day while eating the treats, I would eat them, with a smile on my face.

Peanut butter with chocolate. Another combination I usually cannot get myself to eat, and like. (I do love moosetracks ice cream, though.) A friend brought up a good point yesterday, Reese's peanut butter cups really aren't that delicious, but, homemade peanut butter cups certainly are. My recommendation: try the peanut butter cups at this little, tiny candy store in Perkins Cove, Ogunquit, ME. The peanut butter oozes out (also melts in purses!) and really does taste quite divine.

I didn't like candy too much when I was younger, but my sister did. She loved Reese's, so I decided that I would be able to deal with them, too. To this day, she buys them for me for Halloween and sometimes Easter. And, I eat them. One of the first little gifts that Dan gave me when we started dating in high school was a Reese's peanut butter cup. I thought he knew that I hated them, but, of course, I ate them anyways. I don't eat them with him anymore, he can know that I really, really don't like them- and I won't feel bad.

Does anyone else eat certain treats they don't like to be able to share a moment or a similar interest with someone they love?

I will say, though, that my sister's other favorite candy was orange jelly beans. I decided at a very young age, that they would be my favorite candy, too. That one stuck, those are still my favorite. Well, those and violet mints. *pops one into mouth*

What's your favorite candy?