I am currently in dial up hell. And while salvation is coming in the form of DSL sometime in the next 10 days, not sure if I'll be around to experience it. May forever be stuck in hell. At least until I leave here. So, if I do not post, read, comment, you know why.
Until Jan 1. Be safe on New Year's eve.
Aunt Stinky (my new designation by my nieces and nephew)
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Photoless
Sorry so many posts without photos, but I'm writing in snatches between events. Too lazy to put in photos.
My present to myself this year was to throw my back out. What fun! I went for a run Christmas eve morning and came back, no prolem. But then something happened and I started feeling achy at the bottom of my spine. By afternoon I was spasming mucho - you know when you move a little bit the wrong way and a gasp of pain comes out of your mouth? And you lay on the floor not quite the right way and can't get yourself out of position because you're already in too much pain so you're saying 'fuck fuck fuck' though your nieces are around? Thankfully it's much better tonight. It did get me out of a few chores!
We were/are anything but photoless in this family. Everyone is a camera bug, and everyone has a camera and takes photos. It's funny the different styles. 2nd oldest brother HAS to pose everyone. Youngest brother has a twisty lens thingie so can do sneak attack photos and videos. Sister does mostly family shots. Other brother manages to take bad photos and bother everyone. 2nd youngest brother doesn't take too many these days. Cousin/godmother does 'professional' shots with her professional grade camera. Mother just poses these days.
One thing we did this year that we haven't done in a while is do a slide show. My dad was a big photo taker in his day, and there's tons of slides. Not as many as before since there was a fire in my house when we were young and many got ruined (I just learned tonight my dad was getting paint off the house using a blowtorch - that's what started it... stupid man!). But there are enough photos of my parents pre-kids, and with each set of kids (first 2 boys, then 4, then 4 and a girl, then 4 and two girls) to make a brief slide show fun. We wanted to show the young kids too where everyone came from.
My brother downloaded all the videos and photos onto his computer - I think 2.5 GB. :-)
MERRY CHRISTMAS ONE AND ALL! Unless you are jewish, atheist, muslim, etc. etc.
My present to myself this year was to throw my back out. What fun! I went for a run Christmas eve morning and came back, no prolem. But then something happened and I started feeling achy at the bottom of my spine. By afternoon I was spasming mucho - you know when you move a little bit the wrong way and a gasp of pain comes out of your mouth? And you lay on the floor not quite the right way and can't get yourself out of position because you're already in too much pain so you're saying 'fuck fuck fuck' though your nieces are around? Thankfully it's much better tonight. It did get me out of a few chores!
We were/are anything but photoless in this family. Everyone is a camera bug, and everyone has a camera and takes photos. It's funny the different styles. 2nd oldest brother HAS to pose everyone. Youngest brother has a twisty lens thingie so can do sneak attack photos and videos. Sister does mostly family shots. Other brother manages to take bad photos and bother everyone. 2nd youngest brother doesn't take too many these days. Cousin/godmother does 'professional' shots with her professional grade camera. Mother just poses these days.
One thing we did this year that we haven't done in a while is do a slide show. My dad was a big photo taker in his day, and there's tons of slides. Not as many as before since there was a fire in my house when we were young and many got ruined (I just learned tonight my dad was getting paint off the house using a blowtorch - that's what started it... stupid man!). But there are enough photos of my parents pre-kids, and with each set of kids (first 2 boys, then 4, then 4 and a girl, then 4 and two girls) to make a brief slide show fun. We wanted to show the young kids too where everyone came from.
My brother downloaded all the videos and photos onto his computer - I think 2.5 GB. :-)
MERRY CHRISTMAS ONE AND ALL! Unless you are jewish, atheist, muslim, etc. etc.
Sunday, December 23, 2007
So Far
I have had an octopus painted on my face that had one tentacle going in one nostril and out the other.
I have brought my nieces, nephew, and sister in law climbing.
I have had my first alcohol in weeks and weeks (from being sick) and it's goooood.
I have given away the quilt and it has been appreciated. My brother who collects art even said offhandedly that he didn't know he had a sister who was an artist... He didn't think I heard him, but I did... That was the best.
More good times to come. Hope you are enjoying!
I have brought my nieces, nephew, and sister in law climbing.
I have had my first alcohol in weeks and weeks (from being sick) and it's goooood.
I have given away the quilt and it has been appreciated. My brother who collects art even said offhandedly that he didn't know he had a sister who was an artist... He didn't think I heard him, but I did... That was the best.
More good times to come. Hope you are enjoying!
Friday, December 21, 2007
My Christmas tradition
Although I put up my Christmas card, I did want to write about my holiday tradition. As I mentioned somewhere, my background is Polish. 100% as a matter of fact.
Our Christmas tradition focuses on Christmas eve. This is the night the special meal is made and people wish each other well for the holiday. In my family, the tradition was always to have fish and pierogi on Christmas eve night. And the pierogi is homemade.
Let me tell you there is nothing like home made pierogi. It's not just the taste, it's the process. It's a time when almost everyone in the family comes together to help out to make the meal. My mom traditionally makes the filling (both cabbage and potato, and if she's feeling good to herself either prune or cherry too). The cabbage filling has to be made 'just so' since my sister doesn't like the big 'boolies' inside (thick part of the cabbage). And the pierogi has to be made the day of, and in batches. A glob of dough is made, and rolled out to the proper thickness (pretty damn thin), and then rounds cut out of it. Extra dough is thrown into a bowl to be rolled out again and made into 'straighties' (like spaghetti, but with pierogi dough). And people sit at the table and take a circle of dough, throw a spoonful of stuffing in it, fold it over, and pinch the edges. Chatting all the way. And of course my oldest brother HAS to make a couple with weird shapes and/or a circleof dough filled with dough, just to be different.
All get stored under a towel so they don't dry out, and about half hour before the time to eat, the boiling starts. Potato ones just get boiled, but cabbage one, at least some of them, get fried also in a pan. AT the same time the fish is being cooked.
Once everything is on the table, before anyone can sit down to eat, the oplatek (sp?) comes out. It's kind of like the texture of communion wafers, but pressed into 4x6 rectangles with holiday scenes on them, and blessed by a priest. Every person starts with a piece. And you go up to a person, wish them a merry christmas, and each person takes a piece of the other's wafer and eats it. It's actually a really nice tradition. Of course, in my family, the goal is always to get other people to take as much as possible so you have almost nothing at the end left to eat yourself, since it's so nasty. :-)
Then, you sit and eat all the cold food. But it's still great.
Our Christmas tradition focuses on Christmas eve. This is the night the special meal is made and people wish each other well for the holiday. In my family, the tradition was always to have fish and pierogi on Christmas eve night. And the pierogi is homemade.
Let me tell you there is nothing like home made pierogi. It's not just the taste, it's the process. It's a time when almost everyone in the family comes together to help out to make the meal. My mom traditionally makes the filling (both cabbage and potato, and if she's feeling good to herself either prune or cherry too). The cabbage filling has to be made 'just so' since my sister doesn't like the big 'boolies' inside (thick part of the cabbage). And the pierogi has to be made the day of, and in batches. A glob of dough is made, and rolled out to the proper thickness (pretty damn thin), and then rounds cut out of it. Extra dough is thrown into a bowl to be rolled out again and made into 'straighties' (like spaghetti, but with pierogi dough). And people sit at the table and take a circle of dough, throw a spoonful of stuffing in it, fold it over, and pinch the edges. Chatting all the way. And of course my oldest brother HAS to make a couple with weird shapes and/or a circleof dough filled with dough, just to be different.
All get stored under a towel so they don't dry out, and about half hour before the time to eat, the boiling starts. Potato ones just get boiled, but cabbage one, at least some of them, get fried also in a pan. AT the same time the fish is being cooked.
Once everything is on the table, before anyone can sit down to eat, the oplatek (sp?) comes out. It's kind of like the texture of communion wafers, but pressed into 4x6 rectangles with holiday scenes on them, and blessed by a priest. Every person starts with a piece. And you go up to a person, wish them a merry christmas, and each person takes a piece of the other's wafer and eats it. It's actually a really nice tradition. Of course, in my family, the goal is always to get other people to take as much as possible so you have almost nothing at the end left to eat yourself, since it's so nasty. :-)
Then, you sit and eat all the cold food. But it's still great.
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
The Queen
Size quilt that is. This was about as good a photo as I could get given the size. And I am currently soooo frustrated. The damn computer is not saving the rotation so I can't make it go the way I want. So turn your head sideways to look at it. Blue is the sky. It looks better in person.
Here's a little bit of detail. The mountain. This is the only place I ended up using fabric paint. I'm not sorry I did it, but it was a different experience than I expected.
And here's a close up of the border. It's leaves. I must say, it really made a difference and pulled the quilt together. Not only because of the pattern, but also the color thread I found. I tested a whole bunch of different colors, but finally settled on a color close to gold.
And finally, succumbing to peer pressure, here's a photo of me. Again, I don't know what's happening with the rotation, so turn your head sideways. This was before I did the binding on the quilt (my husband was going to bed and I needed the photo).
My comments: You can't really see the quilting too much because the fabric overwhelms it. Also the back fabric I chose completely hides the stitches, which is both good and bad. I am used to being able to see the quilting on the back. But again, you can see it on the border and it's nice. I've learned a great deal making this one, and feel more prepared for someday making a king size one, which someday I have to do for myself. (See, everyone else are my guinea pigs). I thought I'd use so much more fabric, but even given the size (I think final measurements are something like 70"x90") it was less fabric than I expected. So of course the extra goes into my fabric collection. How much did it cost in materials? I have no idea. I never add it up, because if I need a particular fabric or thread or whatever, I just have to buy it. It's not a question. Ah well... I hope I make my sister in law cry... She is going to have to send me a photo every year proving that she's using it. My sister made a quilt for her son (my nephew) and my sister-in-law promptly wrapped it up and put it in a drawer because it was 'too nice' to have out. Let me tell you, that's the worst thing you can do because quilts are made to be used, and loved.
Here's a little bit of detail. The mountain. This is the only place I ended up using fabric paint. I'm not sorry I did it, but it was a different experience than I expected.
And here's a close up of the border. It's leaves. I must say, it really made a difference and pulled the quilt together. Not only because of the pattern, but also the color thread I found. I tested a whole bunch of different colors, but finally settled on a color close to gold.
And finally, succumbing to peer pressure, here's a photo of me. Again, I don't know what's happening with the rotation, so turn your head sideways. This was before I did the binding on the quilt (my husband was going to bed and I needed the photo).
My comments: You can't really see the quilting too much because the fabric overwhelms it. Also the back fabric I chose completely hides the stitches, which is both good and bad. I am used to being able to see the quilting on the back. But again, you can see it on the border and it's nice. I've learned a great deal making this one, and feel more prepared for someday making a king size one, which someday I have to do for myself. (See, everyone else are my guinea pigs). I thought I'd use so much more fabric, but even given the size (I think final measurements are something like 70"x90") it was less fabric than I expected. So of course the extra goes into my fabric collection. How much did it cost in materials? I have no idea. I never add it up, because if I need a particular fabric or thread or whatever, I just have to buy it. It's not a question. Ah well... I hope I make my sister in law cry... She is going to have to send me a photo every year proving that she's using it. My sister made a quilt for her son (my nephew) and my sister-in-law promptly wrapped it up and put it in a drawer because it was 'too nice' to have out. Let me tell you, that's the worst thing you can do because quilts are made to be used, and loved.
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
DONE!
OK, I am DONE done done. Except for cutting all the loose threads and cleaning off all the cat hair! Ooops, and signing it. And, I think it turned out pretty well... But first the process.
First the back side is taped down to the floor - slightly stretched so that it's somewhat taut.
Then, you smooth the batting over the backing.
Then you center the top over the bottom, and smooth it all out. And then you proceed to put in safety pins every 4-6 inches to keep the sandwiched layers together.
Then you roll up the sides and use big clips to keep it together and make it manageable to quilt. As you can see from the photo below, the hardest part was getting to the middle of the quilt. Lots of substance to fit through the machine, and rather awkward.
It took me so long to do this, I'm spreading the 'reveal' over two posts... Tune in later for the details. :-)
First the back side is taped down to the floor - slightly stretched so that it's somewhat taut.
Then, you smooth the batting over the backing.
Then you center the top over the bottom, and smooth it all out. And then you proceed to put in safety pins every 4-6 inches to keep the sandwiched layers together.
Then you roll up the sides and use big clips to keep it together and make it manageable to quilt. As you can see from the photo below, the hardest part was getting to the middle of the quilt. Lots of substance to fit through the machine, and rather awkward.
It took me so long to do this, I'm spreading the 'reveal' over two posts... Tune in later for the details. :-)
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